October3, 2008:
When will the helicopters arrive? Maybe the choppers will prove to be
like the cavalry in an old cowboy movie - showing up at the last minute to save
the day. More likely the helicopters will show up and other shortages will
emerge. Still, UNAMID may be making
headway in its quest for helicopters. UN officials said that Ukraine will
provide 18 helicopters. However, there are several catches. Ukraine wants the
helicopters to be supplied by private contractors. The UN already has several
contract helicopters moving personnel and supplies in Darfur. What UNAMID needs
are attack helicopters. Contractors cannot provide those.
October
2, 2008: Call it the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels "get out of
the indictment free" card and Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir is playing it
for all it's worth. All right, it's not a card, it's a claim, named after
Uganda's sociopathic rebel movement, the LRA which argues that the
International Criminal Court indictments of its key leaders hinders peace
negotiations. Bashir has been making
that claim since the indictment request was made by the ICC's senior
prosecutor. He especially likes making the claim in front of African leaders
and Third World forums. In Accra, Ghana this week he got the opportunity to do
both when he addressed a summit of African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP)
political leaders. Bashir is accused of genocide in Darfur.
September
30, 2008: A UN contractor helicopter crashed in Darfur near the town of Nyala
(South Darfur state). The helicopter was
ferrying relief supplies, although four people died in the crash. A government
report later said the helicopter was shot down. The helicopter belonged to a
Sudanese corporation (the Sudanese Supreme Company). A Russian crew was
piloting the aircraft.