By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 5 --
From Burundi,
when UN envoy
Parfait
Onanga-Anyanga
briefed the UN
Security
Council by video
on November 5,
he cited the
belated release
from jail of
rights
defender Pierre
Claver Mbonimpa.
But little was
said of why
the government
jailed him:
for inquiring
into the UN's
own leaked
memo about the
ruling CNDD
party arming
its youth
wing, including
in camps
across the
border in the
DR Congo.
When the
public then
private
meetings of
the Security
Council were
over, Inner
City Press asked
the Council's
president for
November Gary
Quinlan if
the leaked
memo about
CNDD arming
its youth wing
had been
discussed,
what the
Council's
current
understanding
of that is,
and if
possible
sanctions for
political violence
are being
considered.
Quinlan
replied that
sanctions were
not discussed.
He said that
the Council is
well aware of
the memo and
has discussed
it, but that
today's focus
had been on
the trajectory
going forward
to the 2015
elections.
Even after
Quinlan's
Q&A
stakeout, to
his credit his
second
in as many
days, the
UN
Spokesperson's
office still didn't
have or give a
copy of what
Onanga-Anyanga
had read to
the Council
three hours earlier.
On behalf of
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
Inner City
Press repeatedly
asked for
this, which is
given out much
quicker on
other
countries on
the Council's
agenda.
Finally the
question was
put to UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric
himself -- because
it should be
fixed. It is
not good
enough to say
that the
office of this
particular
envoy -- a
nice guy, we
note in
passing -- undercuts
and is allowed
to undercut
the UN's
transparency -
particularly
after the
leaked memo
and attempts
to cover that
up. We'll have
more on this.
Back
on September
3, Inner
City Press
asked US
Ambassador to
the UN
Samantha Power
about
Mbonimpa, and
relatedly
about the
reports of
Burundi's
ruling party
arming its
youth wing. Video here, and embedded (with
Libya
question)
below, with US Mission
transcript.
Samantha
Power
replied that
she has raised
the
imprisonment
of Mbonimpa
with Burundi's
leadership,
publicly and
privately.
(Inner City
Press
previously
asked
Ambassador
Power about
Burundi at a
Security
Council question
and answer
stakeout
of the type
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
urges all
Security
Council
presidencies
to hold after
closed door
consultation
sessions.)
“I
suppose the
situation on
the ground has
not changed
materially,”
Ambassador
Power said,
“since we last
engaged on
this... the
closing of
political
space, the
walking away
from aspects
of the Arusha
Accords.”
During
the recent
African
Leaders Summit
in Washington
she and other
US officials
raised the
issues, she
said. The US
“wants the UN
to maintain a
role on the
ground in the
coming weeks
as we approach
the
elections,”
she said.
Inner City
Press has
reported on
Burundi using
the “persona
non grata”
process to
expel UN
staff.
Ambassador
Power
noted that the
Security
Council has
held more
meetings about
Burundi this
year than in
any other
analogous
period. One
wonders, will
this continue
up to the
election?
After? Watch
this site.
Updated
with US
Mission
transcript:
MODERATOR:
Last question
is Matthew.
QUESTION:
Matthew Lee,
Inner City
Press. Thanks
for the
briefing and,
on behalf of
the Free UN
Coalition for
Access, hoping
for question
and answer
stakeouts
after
consultations
to hear what
happened and
ask you about
it... On
Burundi, I
know that you
visited there,
and I wanted
to know what’s
the status of
the UN looking
into
allegations
that the
ruling party
was arming its
youth wing and
trying to get
the release of
this human
rights
defender,
Mbonimpa, who
is, I believe
still in jail
after several
months.
Thanks.
AMBASSADOR
POWER:On
Burundi, I
personally
raised the
case of the
human rights
defender and
lawyer that
you mentioned
many, many
times publicly
and privately
with the
Burundian
leadership. I
think the – I
suppose the
situation on
the ground has
not changed
materially
since we last
engaged on
this. We still
have real
concerns about
the closing of
political
space, the
walking away
from aspects
of the Arusha
Accords, which
have been the
foundation on
which
Burundi’s
stability and
peace and
reconciliation
have been
predicated.
All of those
concerns
remain, and
they were
raised by
myself and by
other American
officials in
the African
Leaders Summit
when President
Nkurunziza
visited not
long ago.
The only thing
I can say I
guess beyond
that at this
point is that
we are also
deeply
committed to
ensuring that
the UN
maintains a
role – an
important role
on the ground
in Burundi in
the coming
weeks,
particularly
as we approach
the elections,
which are
likely to be a
very tense
time, given
what the
government has
done against
opposition
parties, and
given that,
again, the
circumstances
for civil
society and
the opposition
have grown
much more
difficult in
recent weeks.
We don’t have
reason to
expect that
things are
suddenly going
to open and
that’s going
to create
tension, and I
will note that
the Council, I
think, has met
more on
Burundi in
recent months
than probably
in any other
analogous
period.
So again, this
is something
that I think
we have made
our views as a
council and we
have made our
views
bilaterally
speaking by
national
capacity very
well known to
the Burundi
authorities at
a very
combustible
time. Thank
you,
everybody.
, 
