On
Burundi, ICP Asks UN of Failed
Arusha Talks, Where's Kafando,
Museveni Exposed
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Photos
UNITED NATIONS,
December 7 – After the just
concluded failed round of
Burundi talks in Arusha, now
that mediator Yoweri Museveni
appears in the UN bribery
indictment of Patrick Ho of
China Energy Fund Committee as
receiving $500,000 in
"bribes," Inner City Press on
December 7 asked UN deputy
spokesman Farhan Haq, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: I
wanted to ask you on
Burundi. The most recent
round of talks in Arusha has
ended without any outcome
document, and the mediator,
[Benjamin] Mkapa, is basically
blaming the participants for
not moving at all. And
most of the opposition didn't
even attend. Does the UN
have any comment on what
people are saying is kind of a
failure of the process?
And was Michel Kafando there
in Arusha or not? And if
not, where is he? Deputy
Spokesman: I believe he
has been involved in the
process. We'll see
whether there's anything he
has to say by way of an
evaluation, but certainly he's
continuing to deal with the
various parties and try to get
the process going again. Inner
City Press: And on the
ramifications of this
indictment of the China Energy
Fund Committee and what it
says by name about Sam Kutesa
and a bribe being directed to
the President of Uganda,
Yoweri Museveni, their role in
this process. Does the
UN have any reflection on what
this means for the process?
Deputy Spokesman:
Nothing beyond what we've said
before. We obviously
want the officials who serve
as the President of the
General Assembly to uphold the
highest standards, but this as
an issue is really an issue
that the Government of Uganda
needs to respond to, and I'll
leave the response in their
hands." While UN Human Rights
chides Burundi for threatening
its experts and the UN
Security Council stays quiet,
the Pierre Nkurunziza
government on November 20
announced a nickel and other
minerals deal with a Canadian
firm, CVMR Energy Minerals
Inc.: "for exploring mineral
concessions in Waga-Nyabikere
and Mukanda areas. The latter
have proven and estimated
reserves of Nickel, Cobalt,
Iron, copper, PGMs, Vanadium
and titanium." CVMR's "in" for
this project with Nkurunziza,
according to the company's own
2014 press release, is the
World Sports Alliance, which
bills itself as an
inter-governmental
organization affiliated with
the UN, as for example Ng Lap
Seng's South South News was
(and is), or the NGOs exposed
in the November 20 indictment
in the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New
York involving Patrick Ho,
Cheikh Gadio, Idriss Deby,
Yoweri Museveni and former UN
President of the General
Assembly Sam Kutesa, click here
for that. That is about oil;
this is about nickel. Watch
this site. The day after the
situation in Burundi was
relegated by the UN Security
Council to the informal
reading-out to Inner City
Press of what would have been
said if a UNTV stakeout had
been given, UN Human Rights
spokesman in Geneva Rupert
Colville belatedly criticized
the country's ambassador
Albert Shingiro for comments
against UN expert(s), below.
Colville did not note
Shingiro's reference to
"presumed genocide" in Rwanda
in the same meeting, just as
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres, when Inner City
Press asked
his spokesman, had no comment.
Here however is what Prince
Zeid's spokesman Colville, who
never answered Press questions
on the Internet cut-off by
Cameroon, said on November 21
about Burundi: "Most recently,
in New York, during the
interactive dialogue on the
report of the International
Commission of Inquiry on
Burundi at the Third Committee
of the UN General Assembly,
the Ambassador of Burundi
stated that the Government
categorically rejected the
report of the Commission of
Inquiry, declaring it to be
biased and politically
motivated. He also threatened
to “bring to justice” to the
authors of the Commission’s
report for defamation and
attempted destabilization of
Burundian institutions. The
High Commissioner has informed
the Government that he finds
it unacceptable that the
members of a Commission
mandated by the Human Rights
Council are threatened with
prosecution for performing the
task set for them by the
Council. This threat by the
Government of Burundi
constitutes a clear violation
of article VI of the 1946
Convention on the Privileges
and Immunities of the United
Nations, which applies to
experts performing missions
for the UN. He has urged the
Government of Burundi to
review its policy of refusing
to cooperate with the
independent International
Commission of Inquiry and to
cease threatening its
members." We agree - and urge
the UN Security Council and
Secretary General to review
any role for Uganda's
President Museveni in the
Burundi "process," given the
statement by the U.S. Attorney
for the Southern District of
New York on November 20 that
bribes were paid to him,
through his relative (and UN
PGA) Sam Kutesa, click here
for that and watch this site.
As the UN increasingly turns
away from the crisis in
Burundi, Inner City Press on
October 26 put Burundi
questions to the UN Commission
of Inquiry, then to the
Ambassador to the UN of
France, the Security Council's
"penholder" on Burundi. Video
here.
On November 20, after
reclusive envoy Michel Kafando
briefed the Security Council
in the open chamber then in
closed consultation, there was
still no read-out given at the
stakeout. Inner City Press
returned at 3 pm, and then at
4 after the India's Bhandari
won the International Court of
Justice election after the
UK's Greenwood withdrew, still
seeking a readout. And here,
Inner City Press was told, is
what the President of the
Security Council for November
had prepared to say: that the
members of the Security
Council support the EAC-led
dialogue, William Mkapa and
Michael Kafando (who left
without doing a stakeout);
that the remain concerned at
the lack of progress and
underline the importance of
adhering to the letter and
spirit of the Arusha
agreement. But, Inner City
Press would have asked the
president if he had delivered
these remarks, the Nkurunziza
government is revising the
Constitution inconsistent with
Arusha. But, it seems, the
Security Council and the
penholder, France, don't care.
On November 9 the ICC
announced its judges'
"decision authorizing the ICC
Prosecutor to open an
investigation regarding crimes
within the jurisdiction of the
Court allegedly committed in
Burundi or by nationals of
Burundi outside Burundi since
26 April 2015 until 26 October
2017." Later on November 9,
Inner City Press asked UN
spokesman Stephane Dujarric,
UN transcript here: Inner City
Press: I wanted to ask you, on
Burundi, as I'm sure you've
seen, the ICC (International
Criminal Court) judges have
voted to open an inquiry into
events between 2015 and '17
until recently. Given
that the Secretary-General has
an envoy and is involved in
it, do you have any comment on
it? And I'd sort of
expect you to actually read it
out. I've seen you bef…
in the past, although the ICC
is a separate entity, you
know, say…Spokesman:
The… as you say, the ICC is a
separate entity. What is
important for us is that we
welcome any steps that will
bring some accountability for
the crimes done against
civilians. Inner City Press:
Has the Secretary-General or
Mr. [Michel] Kafando seen the
statements by, I don't know
which Nyamitwe it was, but
calling this the last [d]ance
for the West and really
denouncing the decision to
open an investigation.
Spokesman: It's… the
decision was the ICC's and I
say… and, as I said, we
welcome any steps that would
help us bring closer to
accountability. "
Really? There is certainly a
lot of evidence. Here
is Inner City Press' exclusive
on French Mission lawyer
Beatrice Le Frapeur du Hellen
leaking a Security Council
draft resolution on Burundi,
including mocking
accountability provisions, to
Luis Moreno Ocampo. We'll have
more on this. On November 8
the UN Peacebuilding
configuration on Burundi met,
and heard Ambassador Albert
Shingiro brag that everything
is going well, no mention of
the move
to keep Pierre Nkurunziza in
power through 2034. These
constitutional changes, when
subsequently raised ever so
gently by other Ambassadors,
were questions only with
regard to Arusha, not
Nkurunziza's attempt to stay
on and on in power. What was
that again, about the UN
looking at underlying causes
of conflicts? Secretary
General Antonio Guterres said
this would be his focus, so
far UNseen in places like
Yemen and Cameroon. He said he
was for transparency, but
keeps the Press restricted
and even threatens
again. We'll have more on
this. On November 6, Inner
City Press asked Jean-Pierre
Lacroix, the fifth French
chief of UN Peacekeeping in a
row, why none of the 228
police the Council mandated
for Burundi more than a year
ago has in fact been deployed.
Lacroix, who should speak more
at the stakeout, to his credit
answered, saying that this was
due to the lack of
responsiveness of Burundi but
that efforts to deploy
continued. How? Earlier on
November 6, Inner City Press
asked UN Deputy Spokesman
Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: Inner
City Press: I wanted to ask
you about Burundi. The
President, Pierre Nkurunziza,
had solicited a proposal for a
constitutional
amendment. And, under
this amendment, basically [he]
would be able to now remain in
power until 2034. It
would involve two seven-year
terms, but it's not
retroactive, so it would
basically start the clock
again for 14 years. I
know Mr. [Michel] Kafando…
I've seen at least a
photograph of him there with
Mr. Foreign Minister [Alain
Aimé] Nyamitwe. Does he
have any view given that a lot
of the bloodshed has been
about this contested current
term, what about until
2034? What'shis view on
that? Deputy Spokesman:
"Well, Mr. Kafando was, in
fact, in Burundi, I believe,
last week. We'll try to
get an update about his
activities there." Six hours
later, nothing. The CoI's
press conference at first had
only one media: Inner City
Press, whose accreditation is
again being threatened by the
UN of Antonio Guterres and
Alison Smale, as the former
mishandles Cameroon as well,
and the latter runs
interference. The UN called
and emailed upstairs to those
whom they haven't, as they did
with Inner City Press, evicted
from their offices. Finally a
lone media, French, joined
Inner City Press - and was
called on first by the UN.
When it was Inner City Press'
turn - there was no one else
to call on - Inner City Press
asked about the failure to
deploy the 228 police the UNSC
mandated, about the
"disappeared" journalist Jean
Bigirimana, and about Pierre
Nkurunziza staying in power
back 2030, as the UN is also
blessing in Togo. Commisioner
Françoise Hampson said she was
surprised by the failure to
follow through; she said
Bigirimana's disappearance is
before the relevant UN Working
Group. Reine Alapini-Gansou
said the African Union human
rights observers should be
deployed. Fatsah Ouguergouz
acknowledged that Guterres'
part time envoy Michel Kafando
hasn't even met with the
Commission. Inner City Press
ran to the Security Council
and asked French Ambassador
Francois Delattre about
Burundi- he didn't answer,
despite answering on four or
five other issues. Video here.
We'll have more on this. Inner
City Press on October 23 asked
UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres' deputy spokesman
Farhan Haq about the reported
extradition or abduction of
Burundian opponents of Pierre
Nkurunziza from Tanzania to
Burundi. While at the noon
briefing Haq had no answer,
less than an hour afterward
his office sent Inner City
Press this: "Further to your
question at noon, we have the
following to add: We have
learned of the reported arrest
and extradition, still to be
confirmed, of four senior
leaders of the Popular Forces
of Burundi (FPB) in eastern
Tanzania on Saturday, 21
October 2017. We are aware of
concerns over the
circumstances of the arrests
and extradition and are
seeking further details.
If the events are confirmed,
we call on the concerned
authorities to ensure
that due process is followed
and the rights of those
individuals are respected. We
also stress the need for
transparency in this matter."
Does the UN see no role for
anyone but Nkurunziza forces,
or the Tanzanians' allegedly
involved, to investigate?
We'll have more on this, while
under the UN's October 20
threat to Inner City Press'
accreditation for actually
covering UN news with
Periscope, here.
When Guterres met on September
25 at 4 pm with Burundi's
foreign minister Alain Aime
Nyamitwe (as well as his
brother Willy Nyamitwe, with
whom Kenya Foreign Minister confused
him, Ambassador Albert
Shingiro and others), Inner
City Press went to cover it.
Attending for the UN was
rarely seen or heard from
part-time envoy Michel
Kafando, as well as Department
of Political Affairs boss
Jeffrey Feltman. But there
appeared to be no one from UN
Human Rights, despite or
perhaps because of attacks on
the OHCHR in country. Inner
City Press uploaded photos to
Alamy, here
- but waited to issue a
written report until receiving
read-outs. But the UN
Spokesperson's Office of
Stephane Dujarric called its
end of day lid at 6:30 pm,
having issued a read-out for a
meeting that happened after
Burundi, but still nothing on
Burundi. Kafando got your
tongue? It was 9 pm when the
UN issued this: "The
Secretary-General met with
H.E. Mr. Alain Aimé Nyamitwe,
Minister of External Relations
and International Cooperation
of the Republic of Burundi.
The Secretary-General
expressed condolences over the
Burundian refugees recently
killed in the Democratic
Republic of Congo and hoped
that the authorities of both
concerned countries will be
able to shed light on the
tragic incident. The
Secretary-General and Minister
Nyamitwe discussed the
inter-Burundian dialogue
process. The Secretary-General
exhorted the Government to
seize the current momentum to
fully engage in an inclusive
dialogue. He reiterated the
full support of the United
Nations, through his Special
Envoy, to the East African
Community (EAC)-led
facilitation. The
Secretary-General encouraged
the Government to address the
concerns related to human
rights in Burundi and ensure
more effective protection of
civilians."
***
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