UN Audit: Millions Squandered in Sudan

Business as Usual at the U.N.

"There are reports in Juba of U.N. workers served luxurious brunches by five-star chefs while southern Sudanese outside scramble to piece together paltry school tuition fees. It is nothing short of a travesty."

-- Church Alliance for a New Sudan Director, Faith J.H. McDonnell

Corruption in a United Nations operation?

This is becoming a "dog bites man" story.

Still, how corrupt does an operation have to be for the United Nations to declare it stinks?

Tens of millions of dollars have been wasted in peacekeeping operations in Sudan over the past three years according to a new report issued by the U.N. Office for International Oversight Services. The audit slams the U.N. for having poor internal control mechanisms and for tolerating mismanagement in the war-torn country.

U.N. auditors have identified dozens of irregularities according to The Washington Post, including an "exorbitant" rate on a contract to supply gravel for peacekeeping barracks and $1.2 million in "unnecessary expenditures" for block bookings of hotel rooms that the United Nations was unable to fill.

Several instances of corruption were also cited in the report, including U.N. purchasing agents diverting contracts to companies that provided visa sponsorships and inappropriate financial compensation.

Faith J.H. McDonnell, Director of IRD's Church Alliance for a New Sudan, commented:

"The greatest tragedy here is that a little money can go a long way in helping those Sudanese who are in need. While nonprofit aid organizations and churches can do wonders with just a few hundred or thousand dollars, the U.N. wastes millions. The lost opportunities are staggering.

Another reason for Americans to voice their disapproval at U.S. tax dollars that fund the luxury career diplomat corruption machine that the United Nations has become.

The truly amazing thing about this story is that United Nations auditors blew the whistle on the operation in Sudan.

Usually, the United Nations is fighting attempts to look into the inner workings of its operations--every step of the way.

The other story will be how many MSM outlets pick up this story.

The United Nations has become the perfect symbol of European type "action" to solve the world's problems.

It's little wonder there is so much enthusiasm for it in the Democrat party.

by Mondoreb
image: freerepublic
source: Auditors find UN Squandered Millions in Sudan



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Gibbons Home From Sudan; BAIR Still Angry

The English school teacher who was imprisoned for allowing her class to name a teddy bear "Mohammed" is back home from Sudan.

Gillian Gibbons is relieved, but in a rather low-key English way.

Asked if she had been shocked by the punishment handed out to her, she said: "I am just an ordinary middle-aged primary school teacher. I went there to have a bit of adventure and got a bit more than I bargained for."

One group who was not happy about Gibbons' escape from Sudan was B.A.I.R. (Bruins Against Islamic References).

As was reported yesterday, BAIR spokesbruin, T.D. Bear, was still angry over Gibbons escaping with what he called "light punishment". He had call for Gibbons to be eaten by members of his group.

No word yet on BAIR's reaction to Gibbons making it home to the U.K. safely.

by Mondoreb
[notes & graphic: RidesAPaleHorse]
[top photo: AP]
Sources:

CNN - "Toy Row Teacher Speaks of Ordeal"
DBKP - "Teacher Pardoned: Unbearable Punishment Averted"

Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Teacher Pardoned; Unbearable Punishment Averted

Another group joins Sudan protests
The 'teddy bear named Muhammad' story gets more unbearable by the day.

Thankfully, the stand-off in Sudan--on whether it's proper to lash a school teacher 40 times or imprison her or both--is over. Kevin Sullivan, in the Washington Post, relays this uplifting news from a place that could use all the uplifting news it can get.

Gillian Gibbons was pardoned by the Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir, who shortened her sentence from 15 days to two weeks and there will be no lashes. Her crime: allowing a toy bear in her classroom to be given the name Muhammad.

The entire episode sparked conversations and comments worldwide. Among the comments were the following.

"This case has done quite a bit of damage to how the Sudanese government will be perceived; they have done their country no favors." --Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, the county's largest Muslim organization. He called Gibbon's release "wonderful news." Gibbons was part of a western plot against Islam. --A leading group of Muslim clerics in Sudan "...delighted and relieved" --U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown "This is a case which is unfortunate, unintentional, innocent misunderstanding," --Nazir Ahmed, Muslim member of Britain's House of Lords "I have been in Sudan for only four months, but I have enjoyed myself immensely." --Gillian Gibbons, British schoolteacher "There's no pic-a-nic baskets in Sudan, Boo Boo." --Yogi Bear (through a spokesman)

Okay, the last one hasn't yet been verified.

Any hopeful comments from victims in the Darfur region of the country went unrecorded; but then, it's hard to organize one's thoughts while being gang-raped.

As Sullivan points out:

Western governments accuse Khartoum of backing violent militia groups that have killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced more than 2 million from their homes in one of the worst humanitarian crises in African history.

Britain wasn't the only source of outrage over the affair.

Members of B.A.I.R. (Bruins Against Islamist References) protested Gibbons' light sentence.

“This is an insult to ALL bears everywhere” said T.D. Bear, spokesbruin for the group, adding, “We’re a species of peace and to associate us with this nonsense is very offensive."

"Bad enough that we're given human names, but this is an OUTRAGE and we demand satisfaction! Those guys just want to beat her to pieces; we feel she should be eaten."

"And, we'll clean up the mess".

Yogi Bear stated "It could be a regular pic-a nic, eh, Boo Boo?"

This last statement, once again, has not been verified.

President Omar was most likely relieved to be done with the mess; after killing and maiming for years in a Mainstream Media vacuum, all of this unwanted attention over a school teacher had to have caught him by surprise.

BAIR's members may want to check out Darfur: they might find the militia thugs, who've preyed largely on unarmed civilians, to be good eating.

A group member, only identified as Pooh, growled approvingly.

"I hear they taste like chicken".

by Mondoreb
[image:RideAPaleHorse; preventgenocide]
notes: RAPH

Sources:

Washington Post - "Sudan's President Pardons British Teacher"
B.A.I.R. - Press release & interview



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.