Burundi Poised
for UN Human
Rights Council
Seat Despite
"Threat of
Genocide"
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 26 --
As killings in
Burundi
increase, on
October 23
Inner City
Press asked UN
Ambassador
Matthew
Rycroft about
the status of
the draft
Presidential
Statement in
the UN
Security
Council. He
said there are
differing
views, but the
UK is
concerned
about the
"threat of
genocide." Video here.
But on
October 28
Burundi is
poised for
election to
the UN Human
Rights
Council, as
one of five
African Group
candidates for
five seats.
Meanwhile on
October 26,
the European
Union adopted
the letter
to President
Pierre
Nkurunziza
that Inner
City Press
asked the UN
about last
week, here.
Can EU
members on
October 28 not
vote against
Burundi's
"Human Rights"
Council
candidacy at
this time? And
other Western
NGOs coming to
the UN early
this week to
set forth
their
positions,
will they just
phone it in
with regard to
Burundi? Watch
this site.
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
on Burundi,
just this
morning the UK
Ambassador
said that the
UK is
concerned of a
threat of
genocide, is
the word that
he used, so
I'm wondering
under Rights
Up Front what
are your
thoughts about
Burundi and
what the UN or
the
Secretariat
can do.
SG Ban: "On
this genocide
issues, I hope
there should
be some
creative
investigations
by the
relevant
experts and
there should
be, first of
all, a clear
understanding
and
investigations.
And if the
conclusion is
that there
were such kind
of genocide
issues, then
there should
be
accountability,
justice must
prevail and
perpetrators
must be
brought to
justice."
But
what is the UN
Secretariat
DOING about
it?
On
October 22,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's deputy
spokesperson
Haq:
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
you a question
about
Burundi.
The EU is
preparing a
letter to
invite the
Burundian
parties to
Brussels to
have a
discussion
about
diffusing the
situation.
And I wanted
to know, not
just what does
the UN think
about it, but
is there any
UN role in
this?
And, if not,
what does it
say about the
UN sort of
action on
Burundi?
It's one thing
to defer maybe
to the AU but
this is the
UE. What
is the UN
doing about
this?
Deputy
Spokesman:
We are
following up
with all the
various
initiatives by
regional
parties
including the
African Union
and the
European Union
and, of
course, our
Envoy dealing
with the Great
Lakes Region
has been
appraised of
this so we are
continuing to
follow-up.
ICP:
But, I mean,
is the EU
really, can
you… it is a
regional
organization
but is it a
regional
organization
with respect
to Burundi?
Deputy
Spokesman:
That is
question for
the European
Union, not for
me.
ICP:
Have you been
contacted I
guess is my
question?
Deputy
Spokesman:
But regarding
this, we have
been in touch
with a variety
of regional
bodies
including
through the
office of the
Special Envoy
for the Great
Lakes Region
but also
through our
Department of
Political
Affairs and
will keep
appraised of
all the
various actors
in this.
Back on
October 20,
Ban's deputy
spokesperson
Haq cited back
to a written
statement by
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon more
than a week
ago; he said
generally that
MONUSCO like
all UN mission
affirms the
right of
freedom of the
press. Really?
Later
on October 20
after Inner
City Press
asked UN
rapporteur on
torture Juan
Mendez about
Guantanamo and
US prisons, in
the hall after
waiting
through a
number of
questions in
Spanish Inner
City Press
asked him if
he'd received
complaints
about, or
acted on,
Burundi. No,
he said, not
yet. Really?
Update: later
on October 20
it was
announced that
the UN's Jeff
Feltman will
briefing the
Security
Council behind
closed doors
on October 21.
But what
outcome with
the Council's
penholder,
France, even
ask for?
On
October 16
Inner City
Press asked
Haq if the UN
thinks the
government can
investigate
itself. This
was based on
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
October 15
statement that
"The
Secretary-General
condemns the
killing of
nine civilians
and two police
officers in
Bujumbura on
13 October...
He urges
Burundian
authorities to
undertake a
rigorous and
prompt
investigation
into the
circumstances
and motives
behind these
despicable
crimes in
order to
ensure that
their
perpetrators
are brought to
justice."
So can
the Nkurunziza
government
investigate
itself (as the
UN purports to
be
investigating
or "auditing"
itself in the
wake of
corruption
revelation
about former
Presidnet of
the General
Assembly John
Ashe among
others)? Inner
City Press
asked this
question (video
here) as
well as
following up
on
this, from
October 13:
Inner City
Press: the
Burundi
question is
one that maybe
you can check
with DPKO
[Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations].
Burundian
human rights
activists say
that an
officer,
Jerome
Ntibogora,
N-t-i-b-o-g-o-r-a,
who was
accused of
being involved
in killing
people in a…
in a hospital
after they
fled from the
Government,
has now been
deployed to
MINUSMA
[United
Nations
Multidimensional
Integrated
Stabilization
Mission] in
Mali. So
I wanted to…
Spokesman
Dujarric:
Let's see what
we can find
out.
Dujarric did
not come back
with an
answer, by
this deputy
when Inner
City Pres
asked again on
October 16
said he,
Ntibogora is
not being
deployed.
We'll see -
watch this
site.
Amid
crackdowns in
Burundi by
security
forces, and
allegations of
sexual abuse
by Burundian
peacekeepers
serving under
the UN flag,
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous on
October 1 held
a meeting with
Burundian Vice
President
Joseph Butore.
Inner
City Press has
already tweeted
a photograph
of the
meeting, but
has now
received the
complete UN
read-out,
which raises
more questions
about Ladsous.
On the
crackdown,
Ladsous
assured Butore
that he has a
“pragmatic
approach” and
is of no mind
to question
what happens
in any
country, does
not involve
himself in
"domestic
affairs."
On the sexual
abuse
allegations,
Ladsous spoke
only in
platitudes,
without
requiring or
even inquiring
into any
actions taken
by the
Burundians on
the alleged
abuse.
Even though
Burundi was
already given
a “grace
period” to
bring
appropriate
equipment into
the Central
African
Republic for
the MINUSCA
mission, they
have not done
so. In the
meeting,
according to
the read-out,
Butore
"acknowledged"
the
substandard
equipment.
Butore
requested, and
Ladsous for
now granted,
yet another
extension to
bring the
requirement
equipment --
until March
2016 for light
equipment, and
to June 2016
for heavy
equipment.
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