It seems that the informative and opinionated personal blogging of the UN's Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, is not appreciated by the Sudanese government. And I'll guess that the diplomatic situation this week about Pronk and his blog is forcing the UN to consider whether (personal) diplomatic blogging is a refreshing addition to international diplomacy, or something that needs to be managed with a "policy."

Pronk's recent blog posts pushed the Sudanese government to demand his departure, and the government said this week, not very diplomatically, (via Reuters/Alertnet):

"For us Mr. Pronk is history," Sudan's ambassador Abdalmahmood Mohamad told reporters. "He was not supportive, he was abusive and he became part of the problem not the solution."

The UN News Ageny reports that Pronk has been called back from Sudan to confer with Kofi Annan, but that Pronk still remains in his post.

So - what did Pronk do? Since June 2004, he's been UN Special Representative for Sudan by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Since November 2005 he's been blogging on his personal blog www.janpronk.nl at great length and with refreshing insights about how he sees the developments in Sudan. While the blog seems intended as his personal views (though no obvious disclaimers), he's commenting on issues and events that he is a part of while performing his official duties - a delicate dance for a diplomat? He wrote on in his blog on October 21:

The Government has responded by directing more troops and equipment from elsewhere to the region and by mobilizing Arab militia. This is a dangerous development. Security Council Resolutions which forbid armed mobilization are being violated.

I think that in general the UN deliberates ~at length~ before reaching such conclusions about Resolutions being violated, but Pronk here blogs about his personal conclusion. Apparently, the UN does not really have a policy about such personal blogging, as reported by AlertNet's Mark Jones:

Pronk's blog gives the kind of detail that mainstream media can rarely provide. But the ability of officials to pursue diplomatic methods to end conflicts has conventionally required them to display a degree of discretion.

Pronk is experimenting with the limits of diplomacy by blogging. He's doing so within an apparent UN vacuum -- the organisation has rules on what can be published in books by its employees but no guidelines on blogs.

Another blogger, Roger Alford at Opinio Juris comments that while such blogs may provide a "a new and useful tool in the diplomatic toolbox", that "such diplomatic postings may not be perceived as mere personal musings, UN protestations to the contrary."

Pronk's approach has been refreshing, and perhaps important in focusing the diplomatic and media communities on what's really happening. And we may soon see whether he has pushed the UN further that it is comfortable with blogging.

On the political side of the issue, AlertNet's Jonathan Erasmus recounts some discussions with relief workers in Sudan:

"Jan Pronk has always been a thorn in the Sudanese government's side because he tells people in the international community what is really going on in Darfur," the operations director of a major aid agency told me.

"They want total control," the operations director told me. "And like they no longer want Mr Pronk in Sudan, the Sudanese government seem not to want NGOs here either, especially not Darfur. As a result, our workers have been hindered and harassed just like Mr Pronk is being harassed now."

Interestingly, the above mention UN Press Release and previous releases on October 25th, and October 22nd discuss the issue without actually linking to Pronk's blog, which perhaps they'd rather not draw attention to?

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