Is the UN putting George Clooney in danger because of a gag order?

19 Feb, 2009

Chad (ChattahBox) – A new report posted in the New York Times by Nicholas Kristof has accused the United Nation of being “petty and mean-spirited”, after they allegedly pulled security details off of George Clooney as he traveled through the dangerous region of Chad.

The report claims that the UN pulled security after the actor made his way into the country, for fear that he would say something critical about Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is widely held responsible for the crisis in Darfur, and is accused of conducting genocide within the torn region.

“Apparently concerned that Mr. Clooney might say something strongly critical of Mr. Bashir—perhaps come down on genocide?—the United Nations called me on Wednesday to say that effective immediately it was pulling Mr. Clooney's security escort as he traveled these roads along the border,” Kristoff said in his column. He and Clooney are currently traveling through Africa together.

“If the U.N. is too craven to protect its own goodwill ambassadors—because they might criticize genocide—it's not surprising that it and the international community fail to protect hundreds of thousands of voiceless Darfuris.”

The UN is denying the claims, saying that they never provide security within that area, and that it is the responsibility of the country's local law enforcement to see to the actor's safety. They also claim that Clooney is not there on the UN's behalf, although the spokeswoman who commented on the incident admitted that they were “still trying to ascertain the facts.”