UN says OLS transport of rebels was “isolated incident”

The UN has admitted that Sudanese rebels were transported aboard a UN aircraft last month, but said it was “an isolated incident and not part of a broader pattern”. The issue arose after a hostage crisis in early February when four staff and associated personnel were held for eight days by pro-government militia members who claimed the UN had transported three rebel leaders on another flight, Britain’s ‘Financial Times’ reported. UN officials admitted to the paper that rebel commanders may have travelled on UN aircraft on several occasions. “We are talking about hundreds and hundreds of relief workers. There are situations where there are counterparts who play dual [humanitarian and military] roles,” it quoted one relief worker as saying.

UN spokesman Fred Eckhard, said on Friday the report was “essentially correct”. Though an internal investigation of the hostage incident in Old Fangak from 2-10 February was still being finalised, it confirmed that the UN’s Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) did transport three rebels on one of its planes, and that this had triggered the hostage incident, he said. “It is also correct that OLS has tightened its procedures to keep this kind of thing from happening again. In our view, that was an isolated incident and not part of a broader pattern,” Eckhard added.