UNITED NATIONS, February 3 -- As rebels moved in on Chadian president Idriss Deby, who took power in a coup d'etat 17 years ago, the UN in New York was first in denial, then in an abortive frenzy. At Friday's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked UN deputy spokesperson Marie Okabe if the UN was evacuating its personnel from the Chadian capital. Ms. Okabe said archly that she had previously read out a statement from Ban Ki-moon.But that statement said nothing about a pull-out from the capital. Later on Friday, following a closed door briefing for Police Contributing Countries, Inner City Press was told by a participant that hundreds of "Mad Max-like" vehicles were massed on Chad's border with Sudan, and that remaining UN staff in Chad were being given flak jackets and helmets. Upstairs, the UN spokesperson's office still refused to comment, claiming that they never speak of evacuations until everyone has left. But from Geneva, the UN's refugee agency was already speaking of pull-out...
[what exactly do these folks {ever} accomplish?]
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