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UN / DARFUR
STORY: UN / DARFUR
TRT: 2.22
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 10 NOVEMBER 2014, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
10 NOVEMBER 2014, NEW YORK CITY
2. Zoom in, Ambassador Gary Quinlan of Australia walks up to the Security Council stakeout
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
3. Close up, reporter writing on notepad
10 NOVEMBER 2014, NEW YORK CITY
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Quinlan, Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations:
“We received a briefing on the reports of mass rape in North Darfur and UNAMID’s efforts to investigate those claims. Assistant Secretary-General Edmond Mulet briefed us and Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura briefed us by VTC from Geneva. ASG Mulet advised that UNAMID had been denied access to investigate the reports for almost one week, from 4 to 9 November.”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
5. Close up, reporter writing on notepad
10 NOVEMBER 2014, NEW YORK CITY
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Quinlan, Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations:
“A verification team was finally allowed to access Tabit village in the North of Darfur and they spent several hours touring the village and interviewing residents about the allegations. The UNAMID team has reported than none of those interviewed confirmed that any rape took place on that date and they found no evidence or information to confirm the allegations reported in the media. Mrs. Bangura added however that there had been a heavy military presence during the team’s visit and she stressed that while the rape allegations remain unverified, in her view it was not possible to conclude that no sexual violence took place.”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
7. Close up, reporter typing on mobile device
10 NOVEMBER 2014, NEW YORK CITY
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Quinlan, Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations:
“The key is that they have indicated that they had access but it was the first time since November 4 when they had been seeking access and they had proactively been seeking access to be able to undertake investigations. That’s a long period to have access denied by the way in a circumstance like rape. You really do need, as Mrs. Bangura reminded us, to have access right away for obvious reasons. So that’s one point I make. The second point is UNAMID has made it extremely clear in its press release that it will conduct further follow up actions, including further possible investigations and patrols and that they will do that in cooperation with the government of Sudan and other partners.”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
9. Close up, reporter writing on notepad
10 NOVEMBER 2014, NEW YORK CITY
10. Pan right, Quinlan walks away
The President of the Security Council for the month of November, Ambassador Gary Quinlan of Australia, said today (10 November) that an investigative team from the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) had been denied access to investigate reports of mass rape in North Darfur “for almost one week, from 4 to 9 November.”
Quinlan said that the verification team “was finally allowed to access Tabit village in the North of Darfur and they spent several hours touring the village and interviewing residents about the allegations.”
The UNAMID team, he said, “has reported than none of those interviewed confirmed that any rape took place on that date and they found no evidence or information to confirm the allegations reported in the media.”
Nevertheless, Quinlan noted that the Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura, who briefed the Council via tele conference from Geneva, had said that “there had been a heavy military presence during the team’s visit and she stressed that while the rape allegations remain unverified, in her view it was not possible to conclude that no sexual violence took place.”
He said that the period from 4 to 9 November is “a long period to have access denied” in a circumstance like rape.
The Ambassador added that UNAMID “has made it extremely clear” that “it will conduct further follow up actions, including further possible investigations and patrols and that they will do that in cooperation with the government of Sudan and other partners.”
Media reports indicate that an alleged mass rape incident was perpetrated against 200 women and girls in the area.
The verification team included representatives from police, military and civilian components.
The team spent several hours touring the village and interviewing a variety of Tabit’s residents; including community leaders, ordinary men and women, teachers and students to ascertain the veracity of the media reports. Village community leaders reiterated to UNAMID that they coexist peacefully with local military authorities in the area. The team also interviewed the local Sudanese Armed Forces Commander.
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