UNAMID chief told to avoid unnecessary contact with Bashir, Khartoum
again criticizes mission
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February 1, 2012 (WASHINGTON) – The United Nations on Wednesday
disclosed that it asked the head of the Darfur Peacekeeping mission
(UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari to avoid repeating unnecessary encounters
with the Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir.
JPEG - 26.3 kb
United Nations - African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
Joint Special Representative (JSR) and Joint Chief Mediator (JCM)
Ibrahim Gambari speaks during an interview in Khartoum January 25,
2012 (Reuters)
Last Friday, the New York-based Human Rights watch (HRW) sent a letter
to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon complaining that earlier this
month Gambari went to the wedding of Chad’s President Idriss Deby to
daughter of an alleged leader of Darfur notorious Janjaweed militia
Musa Hilal>
Gambari was seen in photos exchanging talk with Bashir at the
Khartoum’s Rotana hotel.
Bashir is wanted since 2009 by the International Criminal Court (ICC)
for allegedly orchestrating war crimes and genocide in Darfur.
The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when an ethnic minority rose up
against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, which then was
accused of enlisting the Janjaweed militia group to help crush the
rebellion.
In a letter signed by HRW executive director Kenneth Roth it was
recalled that UN guidelines limits interactions with individuals
indicted by international tribunals to “what is strictly required for
carrying out UN mandated activities”.
“Discounting these guidelines brings the UN’s credibility in disrepute
and sends a terrible message to victims of heinous crimes in Darfur.
Indeed, images of Mr. Gambari embracing President al-Bashir have been
widely circulated, showing Darfuri victims that the head of UNAMID
socialises with suspected war criminals”.
Last week UNAMID chief dismissed the criticism and told Agence France
Presse (AFP) that he had no apologies for attending the ceremony "in
honor of the president of a country [Deby] that is supportive of the
peace process".
Deby himself was absent from the wedding reception for unknown reasons.
Today the UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky said the world body asked
Gambari to adhere to guidelines on contact with indicted figures.
"Mr. Gambari’s attention has been drawn to the letter and to the need
to avoid such encounters in the future, however unintentional this
particular encounter may have been" said Nesirky.
HRW had said in the letter that UN Department of Peacekeeping
Operations (UNDPKO) defended saying that Gambari went to the wedding
“at the invitation of President Deby … [and had] no control over the
guest list”.
This is not the first time UNAMID officials interaction with Bashir
has generated controversy.
Gambari’s predecessor Rodolphe Adada was awarded the Nilein Order,
first class in recognition of his efforts in Darfur peacekeeping
mission.
Adada later said that he not only reports to UN but also the African
Union which has its own opinion regarding the ICC warrant for Bashir.
KHARTOUM CRITICIZES UNAMID
In Khartoum a senior Sudanese official reiterated criticism of the
performance of the Darfur peacekeeping mission saying it needs to act
more aggressively in discharging its mandate.
“UNAMID did not come for a picnic in Darfur, but came to deal with a
complex security situation and knows that one of the possibilities of
this situation is to be confronted by conditions of docking,
exchanging [gunshots] and clashes” minister of state and official in
charge of implementing a Darfur peace deal Amin Hassan Omer told the
independently owned al-Sahafa newspaper in an interview.
“It [UNAMID] is not a relief organization to be the weakest link; it
is an army armed to its teeth and what they possess in ammunitions is
enough to defend themselves. Any other questions related to why they
aren’t using their weapons and defending their convoys is a question
that should be directed to them” Omer added.
The remarks by Omer echoes those made by Sudan’s foreign ministry
Undersecretary Rahmat Allah Mohamed Osman to United Nations Assistant
Secretary-General for rule of law Dmitry Titov that his country wants
UNAMID to use the right of self defense to protect its personnel
against attacks launched on them in Darfur.
This was in response to an attack on UNAMID peacekeepers in East
Darfur killing one Nigerian soldier and injuring another.
A year ago, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice
implicitly criticized Gambari, saying UNAMID needed to be more
aggressive and that it was up to him "to ensure that this robust
posture is pursued." Diplomats said at the time a number of other
countries agreed with Rice.
In a related issue, Omer denied that they formally asked the UN for
reduction in UNAMID numbers but said that they demanded that its
composition should be re-evaluated in line with what the Doha Document
for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) says.
(ST)
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