Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

As UN Misses Gbagbo Forces' Deadly Raid on Opposition Office, Ban's Spokesman Passes Buck to DPKO Missions

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 4 -- What is the UN doing in Cote d'Ivoire and whom is it protecting? After forces of Laurent Gbagbo raided the offices of the opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, Inner City Press asked the UN to confirm whether one or four people had been killed, and to state where other that the Golf Hotel is it protecting, even just in Abidjan.

UN spokesman Martin Nesirky, who earlier spoke about the ONUCI Mission's “patrols,” replied that UN peacekeepers had “sought to gain access but it was not yet possible.”

Inner City Press asked whether the UN was purporting to protect offices of opposition political parties, or by implication their officials.

“The focus is the Golf Hotel,” Nesirky said. As the UN says when civilians are slaughtered or raped in Eastern Congo, he said UN peacekeepers “can't be everywhere all the time.” Here we're talking about a foreseeable attack on an opposition politicial party's office right in Abidjan. The UN couldn't be there?

Outside the UN Security Council, Inner City Press learned that the Council will in all probability have consultations on Cote d'Ivoire on January 5. “We're still consulting” a source told Inner City Press, “but it looks like it will be tomorrow.

At the noon briefing, Nesirky added that he would “defer to [his] colleagues in the Mission” to provide further answers. Video here, from Minute 22:22.

UN's Le Roy meets Ouattara, answers on protection of offices not shown

Nesirky, who is the spokesman not only for Ban Ki-moon but for the UN Secretariat, which includes UN peacekeeping missions, increasingly engages in this passing of the buck. In just the past ten days, he has told Inner City Press to go ask the UN Mission in Kosovo about a UN judge who let an organ theft defendant go free.

He has allowed the UN - African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur to go 11 days without answering a question about rape by Sudan government officials right next to UN peacekeepers.

Most recently Nesirky has told to go ask MINUSTAH in Haiti how much the UN pays an official. We'll have more on that one, and the others. Watch this site.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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As UN Seeks to Decertify Gbagbo Diplomat, Le Roy Reconfirms Mercenaries

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 21 -- After Cote d'Ivoire's UN Ambassador was targeted in a General Assembly speech by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, top UN Peacekeeper Alain Le Roy again told Inner City Press that Laurent Gbagbo is using mercenaries, and the ports of Abidjan have been blockaded.

Inner City Press asked Le Roy if the UN is asking other member states, like Nigeria or others in ECOWAS, to help break the blockade, as Ban implied. Le Roy said there is a Friday meeting of ECOWAS at which response will be decided.

Both Ban and Le Roy spoke about state media preaching hate and attacking on UN peacekeepers. Inner City Press asked if the UN would move to shut down the radio, as some in the UN say should have been done in Rwanda in 1994. Le Roy answered by contrasting a speech by Gbagbo ostensibly calling for peace with what the media is doing.

Inner City Press asked Le Roy to confirm that UN Peacekeepers have shot and killed at least one Ivorian. He said only that they had responded appropriately, but that there are more threats.

It was Le Roy's second confirmation to Inner City Press of Gbagbo's use of mercenaries. After the first one, still Ban's acting Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Tuesday at noon that it had NOT been confirmed. Video here.

But Le Roy confirmed it again four hours later. Why did Haq deny it?

UN's Ban & Gbagbo, mercenaries and blockade not shown

In the hall of the UN's North Lawn building, Sudan's Permanent Representative greeted Ban and his chief of staff Vijay Nambiar, and then the Ambassador of Nigeria and ECOWAS, and Le Roy. At the stakeout, Inner City Press asked Le Roy about Sudan's destruction of IDP camps in Darfur. We are aware of that, Le Roy said. UNAMID is on the scene. We'll see.

Footnote: Inner City Press interviewed Cote d'Ivoire's Deputy Permanent Representative both before and after Ban's speech. Before, when Inner City Press asked if he would speak, he said “nous ne sommes pas mandate.” Afterward he said Ban's speech was only about the Permanent Reprentative Djedje, and that the new Ouattara Perm Rep Mr. Joseph previously represented Gbagbo: “He's a career civil servant.” Oh, diplomacy.

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund. Video Analysis here

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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