In
Cote
d'Ivoire, UN Says It Works WITH Gbagbo on Mercenaries, Jeunes Patriotes
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 29 -- While the UN in Cote d'Ivoire has confirmed
the presence of mercenaries from Liberia, its response has been to
work with the military of Laurent Gbagbo to patrol the borders for
Liberian “refugees.”
Meanwhile, the new Ouattara-nominated
Ambassador to the UN Yousoufou Bamba told Inner City Press on
Wednesday that the mercenaries
are “embedded in the Republican
guard” of Laurent Gbagbo. Exclusive Inner City Press video here.
The
UN Office of
the Spokesperson for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, after refusing
for
days to answer Ivorian questions from Inner City Press, on
Wednesday evening provided some responses. It confirmed that the
peacekeepers attacked on Tuesday were from Bangladesh and said that
“the situation returned to normal thanks to the intervention of the
Chief of Staff of the Defence and Security Forces, General Philippe
Mangou” -- that is, thanks to Gbagbo's military.
The
UN seemingly
does not want to explicitly acknowledge that it is thanking Gbagbo's
military for stopping an attack by Gbagbo affiliated Jeunes
Patriotes. Then the UN recited Inner City Press' question on
mercenaries:
Inner
City
Press: What has the UN done about mercenaries in Cote d'Ivoire
since Alain Le Roy confirmed the UN's sighting of mercenaries in that
country?
UN
Spokesman:
ONUCI has confirmed the presence of Liberian mercenaries
on Ivorian soil. ONUCI is fulfilling its mandate to assist the
Government of Côte d’Ivoire in monitoring the borders, with
particular attention to the situation of Liberian refugees and to any
cross-border movement of combatants.
But
Bamba said
that the Liberian are already embedded in Gbagbo's forces, by
implication BEFORE the most recent election.
UN's YJ Choi & Simone Gbagbo: joint search for
mercenaries not shown
Bamba also
said that the Ouattara "administration" is entirely confined to the
Golf Hotel, so it cannot be with Outtara that the UN is "monitoring the
borders" -- only with the very Gbagbo military which has "embedded"
mercenaries.
In
other answers,
the UN denied having any knowledge of the blocking of any media in
Cote d'Ivoire, including RTI which it has accused of hate broadcasts.
Watch this site.
* * *
At
UN,
Ouattara's Bamba is Installed, Speaks of Genocide But Not
How He's Paid
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 29 -- In New York on Wednesday, Laurent Gbagbo's
former Ambassador to Austria Yousoufou Bamba became the
Ouattara-nominated Permanent Representative of Cote d'Ivoire
to the
UN. After a ceremony with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Bamba sat to
take questions.
Inner
City Press
asked Bamba if the Ouattara government can confirm Gbagbo's use of
mercenaries, and if it would support an investigation by the
International Criminal Court of Gbagbo and his supporters. Inner
City Press is putting exclusive video of
the full Q&A online,
here.
Bamba
said first
the killings must be stopped, before there is any discussion of the
ICC. He referred, as the UN has, to markings on doors based on tribal
affiliation, and said things are close to a “genocide.” He said
there are Liberian mercenaries embedded in Gbagbo's Republican guard.
With
state
broadcasters whom the UN has likened to those in Rwanda in 1994 now
off the air outside of Abidjan, Inner City Press asked if Ouattara's
forces had been involved in taking the stations off the air. Bamba
refused to comment, just as the UN has.
UN's Ban & Bamba, call for ICC action and how paid not shown
In
light of Soro
statements seeming to call for military action by ECOWAS, Inner City
Press asked Bamba if Ouattara too supports outside intervention. Bamba
said that there is a negotiation taking place that is
sensitive, and that he would not discussion intervention, nor safe
passage for Gbagbo.
Inner
City Press
asked Bamba about his previous service to Gbagbo. Bamba responded
that he is a civil servant of 25 years, who served under pre-Gbagbo
Ivorian leaders. Later, Inner City Press asked Bamba how he is being
paid, he called it “too personal” and said only that in his years
as a civil servant he had developed savings.
Since
Bamba
insisted repeatedly on his years as a diplomat, Inner City Press
asked what he made of Russia's opposition in the Security Council to
the press statement noting ECOWAS' recognition of Ouattara as the
election's winner, and Russia's opposition to the change in
credential from Djedje to himself. I was not here in those meetings,
Bamba said, refusing to comment further.
The
presentation of credential ceremony included the same Ivorian Mission
Deputy who served under Djedje, and has held the seat since. US
Ambassador Susan Rice told Inner City Press he had not gone over to
"the dark side," and he will apparently continue.
How
big a change
Bamba will be remains to be seen. Watch the video -- click here
-- and
watch this site.
Footnote:
present
at Bamba's handshake with Ban Ki-moon was Ban's spokesperson
Martin Nesirky. Throughout this week, Inner City Press has directed
to Nesirky questions about Cote d'Ivoire, Sudan and other UN topics,
without any answers. On Wednesday morning, Nesirky indicated there
would be answers later in the day. As of this publication at 2:30 in
the afternoon, no answers have been received. We'll have more on
this.
* * *
On
Cote
d'Ivoire,
UN Has Nothing on Mercenaries or Blocked
Broadcasts
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December
27 -- Five days after UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon called for member states to help break the blockade and
deliver supplies to peacekeepers in Abidjan, Ban's Office of the
Spokesperson has stopped answering any questions about the UN in Cote
d'Ivoire.
On
December 23,
Inner City Press asked Ban's acting Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq why
at this time the UN was planning to suspend all of its noon press
briefings for the week starting December 27. After claiming that it
was journalists who asked to receive less information, Haq said not
to worry, while he was going on vacation until January 4, main
spokesman Martin Nesirky would be in charge and answering questions.
On
December 26,
Inner City Press sent three Cote d'Ivoire questions to Nesirky and
Haq, asking for responses for a 12:30 pm December 27 deadline. These
were and are the questions:
What
has
the
UN done about mercenaries in Cote d'Ivoire since Alain Le Roy
confirmed the UN's sighting of mercenaries in that country?
Please
confirm
or
deny the UN's knowledge of Angolan
fighters
in Cote
d'Ivoire.
Inner
City
Press
had asked Le Roy, when he came out from briefing the Security Council
last week, if he could confirm Liberian and Angolan mercenaries in
Cote d'Ivoire. Yes, Le Roy said, speaking of Liberian mercenaries who
spoke English and not French.
Even
after
Le
Roy's statement, Ban's deputy spokesman Haq denied that the UN had
knowledge of mercenaries. The next day, Ban himself referred to them.
Then the UN stopped answering questions, including about what if
anything they had done. Inner City Press also asked on December 26:
Also
in
Cote
d'Ivoire, confirm or deny any UN involvement in or knowledge
of the blocking of broadcast stations beyind Abidjan. Separately,
plea se provide Ban Ki-moon's and Choi Young-jin's comment on this
article
(link).
Ban
and Le Roy had
called state broadcasting in Cote d'Ivoire hate radio for what it
said of the UN. Then when it went off the air, what did they say?
Apparently, nothing.
UN's Ban and Y.J. Choi, spokespeople's answers not seen
If
and when we
get answers from Ban's office, we will publish another article. Watch
this site.
Footnote:
at
11:30
am Monday, Ban acting Deputy Spokesman sent the following,
in response to the three Cote d'Ivoire and other questions
outstanding since the previous week and before:
From:
Farhan
Haq
[at] un.org
To: Inner City Press, Martin Nesirky [at]
un.org
Date: Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 11:32 AM
Re: Press Qs on Cote
d'Ivoire, Darfur, Sri Lanka and Kosovo (and old questions...
reiterated re [26] days ago
UNHQ
is
closed
on Monday. Thanks.
* * *
, 
