On
Uganda, After
ICP Asks UN of
Kasese
Killings, Late
Ban Ki-moon
Statement
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 29 --
With the UN of
Ban Ki-moon
having stopped
paying
attention to
or answering
questions on
numerous armed
conflicts and
scandals
around the
world and
inside the UN
itself, on
November 28
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's outgoing
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
Uganda. UN
transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: on
Uganda,
there's been
some pretty
publicized
fighting
between the
Government and
a… I guess, a
pre-national
border kingdom
in the
country.
Fifty-five
people
dead. A
journalist
arrested.
And I wanted
to know
whether the UN
has… has… has
anything to
say about
that, if the
Resident
Coordinator's
gotten
involved.
And,
separately,
but I forgot
to ask you
this on
Burundi,
there's
reports of a
letter from
the… the
opposition,
CNARED and
others, the
Rassamblement
de Democrat
Burundi, to
Ban Ki-moon
asking for a
UN mediator to
replace
President
[Yoweri]
Museveni of
Uganda as
saying that
this has led
nowhere.
Spokesman:
I'll
check. I
have not seen
the letter,
and I don't
have anything
on
Uganda.
Thank you.
Thanks for
what? Inner
City Press,
getting
nothing from
the UN
Spokesperson's
office over
the next 24
hours,
including on
the UN's use
of funds and Ban's
Communications
chief Cristina
Gallach
getting a
personal award
as a
“journalist”
while evicting
and
restricting
the Press,
on November 29
asked again, video
here, UN transcript
here:
Inner
City Press: I
wanted to ask
you again
about
Uganda.
Yesterday I'd
asked you
about this, 55
dead.
Now it's
87. It's
a pretty major
thing in the
world…
[Cross talk]
Spokesman:
I agree with
you. I'm
waiting for
some
language.
I would have
expected to
have received
it by
now.
And moments
later Dujarric
was brought
and read out
this
statement: “On
Uganda, we've
obviously
learned with
great concern
the reports of
clashes
between the
Ugandan Police
and the royal
guards of
Charles Wesley
Mumbere, the
tribal king…
the tribal
Rwenzururu
King, which
resulted in
the loss of
life.
The
Secretary-General
calls on all
parties to
resolve their
differences
peacefully and
refrain from
all actions
and statements
likely to
exacerbate
tension.”
Back
on June 9, Ban
Ki-moon's
meeting with
Uganda's Prime
Minister
Ruhakana
Rugunda was
announced, at
least to the
press, only
hours before
it happened.
Inner City
Press,
remembering
Rugunda from
his time as
Ugandan
Ambassador
while the
country was an
elected member
of the
Security
Council, went
for the
photo-op. Periscope video here, pre
photo here,
staged
handshake here.
With Ban were
only two other
UN officials,
compared to
four on the
Ugandan side,
including the
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
who helped a
Ugandan
videographer
get to the
photo op. More
than three
hours later,
Ban's
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric
issued this
read-out:
“The
Secretary-General
expressed his
gratitude and
appreciation
for the
continued
sacrifices
made by the
Ugandan troops
of AMISOM in
Somalia, and
emphasized the
critical
importance of
AMISOM staying
the course
against
Al-Shabaab for
the sake of
Somalia and
regional
security. He
also commended
Uganda’s
efforts to
address the
situation in
Burundi,
underlining
that Burundi
remains a
continuing
priority
concern for
the UN.
“Regarding
South Sudan,
the
Secrurity-General
urged regional
countries to
stay fully
engaged with
the two
leaders and
impress upon
them the need
the implement
the peace
agreement
fully and
without delay.
The
Secretary-General
conveyed his
concerns about
recent
allegations of
serious human
rights
violations,
including
sexual
exploitation
and abuse,
involving
Ugandan forces
in the Central
African
Republic. He
also raised
the case of
the opposition
leader, Mr
Kizza
Besigye.”
What about
Western
Sahara, a
topic on which
Rugunda spoke
passionately
while on the
Security
Council? The
reference to
Burundi rings
hollow; the
criticism
tacked onto
the end is
inevitably
seen in light
of Ban's
decision to
drop
shame-listing
of Saudi
Arabia after
financial
threats. Are
only poorer
countries to
be criticized?
It
must also be
seen in light
of Ban's UN's
pretextual
targeting and
eviction of
the Press, New
York Times
here,
petition with
1500
signatures (ignored
by UN so far)
here,
"Aide
Memoire" here.
This
is the
dynamic, the
erosion, that
Ban Ki-moon
has opened up.
Watch this
site.
, 
