Darfur: The end of an insider's blog?
Khartoum has ordered Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN in Sudan, to leave the country by Wednesday because of comments Pronk made on his blog. Some may dismiss this as hardly surprising because diplomacy and openness don't exactly mix.
I'm always a bit cautious of claims about the revolutionary character of blogging, and in some respects, I remain so in this case. After all, a diplomat can get kicked out of a country for saying the wrong thing in any forum, and annoying a host in a blog is little different from doing so in a media release or op-ed.
But there has been something unique about Pronk's blog. While it hasn't been as casually written or as frequently updated as many bloggers' fare, it has provided a running log of a high-level diplomat's thinking quite unlike anything we have seen elsewhere. What other top envoy dealing with such delicate matters of conflict resolution regularly pens such an ongoing account and commentary?
Given the subject matter, it is fairly incredible that Pronk has managed to keep his blog going for nearly a year. If it disappears, those of us following Sudan will lose a valuable window into peace efforts there.
Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Reuters.
4 responses to “Darfur: The end of an insider's blog?”
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Former journalist Andrew Stroehlein is Media Director of the International Crisis Group, the conflict resolution organisation, where he promotes responsible coverage of current and potential conflicts and helps draw attention to forgotten wars around the world.
23 Oct 2006 13:37:42 GMT
Thanks Pronk. But I ask: What the hell's going on in Darfur that the UN is reluctant to take a decisive action NOW? Perhaps the number of casualties has so far fell short of the UN requirement to push them to take the URGENT action NOW! Remember Rwanda! Rgds, AUSTIN EKEINDE.
23 Oct 2006 21:23:10 GMT
the criminals in the UN, Sudan's govt and other so.called world leaders is shameless...does anyone take these clowns seriously when they allow this genocide to keep going and going and going? i think not
23 Oct 2006 21:25:12 GMT
Thanks Pronk. But I ask: What the hell's going on in Darfur that the UN is reluctant to take a decisive action NOW? Perhaps the number of casualties has so far fell short of the UN requirement to push them to take the URGENT action NOW! Remember Rwanda! Rgds, AUSTIN EKEINDE.
24 Oct 2006 16:56:00 GMT
Thanks Pronk. But I ask: What the hell's going on in Darfur that the UN is reluctant to take a decisive action NOW? Perhaps the number of casualties has so far fell short of the UN requirement to push them to take the URGENT action NOW! Remember Rwanda! Rgds, AUSTIN EKEINDE.