On
Burundi, ICP
Asks UN of
Rights Experts
Banned, Is UN
Adviser Urging
Nkurunziza?
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 26 --
After UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon on New
Year's Eve
issued a
statement
surreally
praising the
Burundi
“talks” held
in Entebbe,
Uganda,
multiple
sources told
Inner City
Press these
not really
talks but
rather a photo
op. The
January 6
session
announced for
Arusha did not
happen.
Inner City
Press
requested to
cover the
UNSC's trip to
Burundi, but
was
UNtransparently
rejected.
On
January 26,
the UN Office
of the High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights
announced that
even after the
UNSC trip, its
three experts
were unable to
deploy to
Burundi due to
a lack of
response from
the Nkurunziza
government.
So at
the UN's
January 26
noon briefing
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, video here, transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: on
Burundi, they
read out in
Geneva that
the experts
that were
supposed to go
there under
the Human
Rights Council
resolution,
including Mr.
[Christof]
Heyns, Mr.
[Pablo] de
Greiff, have
not been able
to get
in. Is
the Special
Adviser
involved in
this issue at
all given that
he has a team
that was
announced on
the
ground?
What has been
the response
he's gotten
from the
Burundian
authorities to
this Human
Rights Council
team going?
Spokesman:
Obviously, the
Human Rights
Council team
is an
independent
team.
That being
said, it is
incumbent on
every Member
State to
cooperate with
Special
Rapporteurs,
investigators
from ad hoc
investigative
commissions
set up by the
Human Rights
Council as
part of the
broader UN
human rights
architecture.
So we would
expect that
they be
allowed in.
Question:
But does Mr.
[Jamal]
Benomar's
mission have a
human rights
component to
it or no?
Spokesman:
There are
Human Rights…
the Office of
the High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights has
representatives
on the
ground.
And obviously,
as part of the
broader
mission of Mr.
Benomar, human
rights are an
important
factor.
On January 25,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman Dujarric
why when the
UN belatedly
put online
video of press
encounters
during the
Security
Council's
mission to
Burundi, it
trimmed a
longer
stakeout by
French Deputy
Alexis Lamek,
which gave
rise to
controversy,
down to a mere
16 seconds.
Dujarric
replied this
was how the
video were
received from
"our
colleagues in
Bujumbura." Video here. Which colleagues?
Who decided to
selectively
cut the video
and why? And
to omit an
encountered
between US
Power and
Bururndian
security that
even the US
Special Envoy
on the Great
Lakes found
significant?
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokespeople
about the trip
on January 20,
21 and 22 -
including
asking why the
UN was not
providing a
video or at
least audio
stream of the
January 22
press
encounters,
says it has
a "UN
Information
Center" in
Bujumbura,
which produced
a smiling
photo of the
French deputy
ambassador
Alexis Lamek
on the tarmac.
The UN said it
couldn't.
Local
media in
Burundi put
online a video
in which Lamek
spoke at
length;
afterward a
pro-government
Burundian
media quoted
Lamek that
"we" take
seriously the
question of
interference
by Rwanda to
destabilize
Burundi and
will be
working on it.
But the
four scribes
handpicked to
accompany the
Security
Council trip,
inlcuding
Agence France
Presse, it
seems, for
some reasons
didn't cover
it. Why? We'll
have more on
this. Instead,
AFP, Reuters
and Voice
of America
(which saw
"Liberians"
then cited
auto-correct)
filed
near-identical
stories with
no quotes from
opposition
figures or
attacked
journalists.
None of the
three even
tweeted on
January 23,
other than
Reuters as a
robot: talk
about Old
Media.
How
could "Agence
France
Presse,"
handpicked to
publicize the
UNSC trip
co-led by
France, not
even cover the
controversy?
We note
that the
French Mission
to the UN said
that Lamek was
being
misrepresented
(the same
French Mission
has tried to
shield Lamek
from critical
Press
questions,
which
here on Vine
Lamek has
refused to
answer even
when entirely
audible).
Later an AFP
quote emerged
of Lamek
saying that
any AU force,
even the 100
human rights
observers,
should
significantly
focus on the
Rwandan
border.
On the
evening of
January 23 the
UN has put up
select clips
including a mere
16 seconds
of French
deputy
ambassador
Lamek, much
less than the
local
Burundian
media present
at the same
press
encountered
had. If
the UN filmed
the press
encounters,
why did it so
selectively
edit them?
More
specifically,
now, who
decided on the
edits?
Inner City
Press, which
is the media
which on
January 22
asked for the
live-stream,
has asked the
UN,
publicly on
Twitter, here,
and in more
detail by
e-mail to
three top UN
spokespeople:
"having just
seen that your
Office put
online edited
video from
Burundi, must
ask: why did
UN edit the
footage it
has, with no
Burundi
government
speaker, and
only 16
seconds of
France,
penholder in
the UNSC on
Burundi?
Please provide
the full
footage, in
response to
this request
and,
separately,
online. Would
also still
like answers
to questions
below" on
Burundi.
And
still no
answers at
all, the next
day. Watch
this site.
The UN
spokespeople
refused to
say, but
beyond the
pro-government
"religious
leaders" that
they cited,
the Council
also met with
at least some
of the
concerned
members of
civil society,
and some
journalists
who inevitably
raised the
issue of
attacks and
censorship.
This was not
mentioned by
the UN.
We're
told that
Ambassador
Albert
Shingiro, who
blocks the
Press on
Twitter, told
the scribes
that US Power
said she would
send “a strong
message to the
government of
Rwanda."
Again,
Shingiro
blocks the
Press on
Twitter: some
diplomat.
One of
the four
handpicked
pass-throughs
opined that
"the fact that
Council
members
presented
Nkurunziza
with a largely
unified
message on the
different
issues was
seen as a
positive sign
that they had
come closer to
a common
position." So
they traveled
to Burundi to
work on their
own issues?
We'll have
more on this -
and on the
Council's
junket-ending
meetings in
Addis, if not
on Oromo
protests, than
this
we've asked
about.
Watch this
site.
On January 22
-- at 4:32 pm
in New York,
four minutes
before Inner
City Press
then published
it -- the UN
has issued
this Note to
Correspondents:
"Security
Council
members just
departed
Bujumbura less
than an hour
ago. The
delegation is
headed to
Addis to meet
with the Peace
and Security
Council of the
African Union
tomorrow.
"Council
members met
with a range
of
stakeholders
during their
visit to
Burundi,
including the
President,
First Vice
President,
Foreign
Minister and
representatives
from political
parties, the
media, and
civil society
organizations.
The Council
also met with
religious
leaders.
Special
Adviser Jamal
Benomar is in
Burundi. The
core group of
his team
called for in
Resolution
2248 deployed
to Bujumbura
and will be
engaged with
all
stakeholders
to support
dialogue and
address
security
concerns."
How?
On January 22,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Deputy
Spokesperson
Farhan Haq for
the UN's
response to
Pierre
Nkurunziza
denying the
existence of
his party's
youth militia,
and why there
was no video
or even audio
stream of the
Security
Council's -
and
Nkurunziza's
-- press
statements. Video here.
Haq
replied that
"the
facilities are
difficult,"
that the UN
Spokesperson's
Office had
reached out to
the traveling
party for
information
but hadn't
gotten any.
The Free
UN Coalition
for Access
calls this a
failure.
On
January 21
Inner City
Press in New
York learned
both of Pierre
Nkurunziza
plans to
parade
"community
work" for the
Security
Council
members on
January 22 and
has been
provided with
a letter
promoting
same, here.
On
January 22,
even after the
Council's
meeting with
Nkurunziza was
over, when
Inner City
Press asked
the UN for a
read-out there
was none, nor
any good
explanation of
why the UN
with its
country team
could not
arrange at
least an audio
stream of the
Council's (and
Nkurunziza's)
press
statements.
Inner
City Press
asked the head
of the
Campaign
Against the
Third Term
(“Halte au
troisième
mandat”) Vital
Nshimirimana
about the UNSC
visit, and why
the AU human
rights
observers are
not yet in
place. His
answers to
Inner City
Press:
"As for the
deployment of
the AU Human
rights
observers, I
would recall
that the same
was decided
back in June
following the
June 13, 2015
Johannesburg
Summit on
Burundi.
Initially, the
number was to
be about 70
observers but
the government
refused and
allowed a
narrow team.
"My thought
over the issue
is that
Nkurunziza has
chosen to
humiliate
everybody in
as much as he
does not care
about any
principle or
value. So, the
AU and other
bodies as well
choose to deal
with him very
carefully for
he is a man
(and a regime)
"irrational,"
likely to
commit
whatever
crime, insult
whomever.....
"With regard
to the UNSC
visit, I hope
this is the
very last
warning
towards a kind
of regime
likely to
commit
genocide. They
are expected
to dually and
objectively
assess the
situation and
especially the
strength and
presence of
Imbonerakure,
the CNDD-FDD
militia....
And this was
shown through
a huge anti-
peacekeeping
mission
mission to
Burundi,
MAPROBU
rhetoric.
Burundians
expect the
UNSC support
the deployment
of such a
mission in
line with the
responsibility
to protect
(Pillar III)
since Burundi
is no longer
able and is
unwilling to
protect
citizens from
crimes against
humanity
(ongoing from
April 2015)
and genocide
(of which
dozens of
signs suggest
that it is
likely to
happen and
some acts are
already
undertaken).
Lastly, the
UNSC is
expected to
talk with
Nkurunziza and
the AU as well
regarding
peace talks.
They should
assess
Museveni's
performance,
after what
conclude that
he should be
assigned AU
and UN teams
(to enhance
his capacity)
or change
him.... I
commend your
endeavors to
keep the world
informed about
the Burundi
crisis."
We'll
have more on
this --
including in
light the UN
Deputy
Spokesperson's
response to
Inner City
Press that
transcripts
may be
provided.
Here
are parts of
an Inner City
Press
interview with
a journalist
attacked by
the Nkurunziza
government and
for that
reason
anonymous:
In English:
"It would be
better if the
Security
Council met
for example
UPRONA leader
Nditije
Charles, with
the
non-governmental
branch of the
UPRONA party)
or his
Spokesman
Thacien
Sibomana. The
Council should
try to meet
civil society
but
there is
almost no one
left to really
speak with now
in Bujumbura.
All those
still in
Bujumbura,
they can't say
anything about
the abuses of
authorithies.
If it was
possible, they
should ask to
meet the young
men in prison.
They should
see themselves
how the
government
abuses those
young men,
with
tortures...
Tell them
visit to the
prisoners in
Gitega (those
who are
accused to
attempting a
coup d'etat)
UN has the
right to visit
prisoners."
Inner
City Press
note: another
source says
"the
government
moved several
detainees from
the SNR jails.
I highly doubt
they'd allow a
visit to
detainees."
Tellingly,
IWACU reports
that bike taxi
and motorcycle
taxi drivers
offered money
to protest in
favor of
Nkurunziza
weren't, after
the fact,
paid: here.
At the January
21 UN noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked UN
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
about the
"community
works" and
meeting(s). Video here, UN
transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
you this just
because I'm
trying to
cover it, and
I know that
you'd said
yesterday that
the Special
Adviser, Jamal
Benomar, is in
Burundi in
part of the
trip. So
what I wanted
to ask you is,
I've seen
documents that
show that the…
the… the…
tomorrow, the
meeting with
the President,
[Pierre]
Nkurunziza,
will involve a
demonstration
of “community
work”, i.e.,
people have
been asked to
go and I don't
know if it's
to show how
happy they are
— Gitega and
Karuzi.
Does the
Special
Adviser… not
the Security
Council, does
the Special
Adviser of the
Secretary-General
believe that
this type of…
of… of show is
the right one
and will they
be meeting
with UPRONA
and other
opposition
groups or
prisoners
currently in
jail?
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq:
Well, we'll be
able to
provide
details of the
meetings once
they've taken
place.
As you know,
the
expectation is
for the
members of the
Council to
meet with
President
Nkurunziza.
That hasn't
happened so
far, but once
that's
happened,
we'll see what
the
circumstances
are and what
the views of
Mr. Benomar
are.
This is
reminiscent of
the type of
dog-and-pony
show Sri
Lanka's then
President
Mahinda
Rajapaksa put
on for
visiting UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon and
that Inner
City Press accompanied
and covered
(apparently
not to the UN's
and its
allies' liking
- it has been
Banned from
trips since.)
But will the
UNSC, unlike
Ban, have the
fortitude or
leverage to
reject a dog
and pony show?
Watch this
site.
On January 19
at the UN,
Inner City
Press asked
Uruguay's Vice
Minister for
Foreign
Affairs Jose
Luis Cancela,
chairing the
Security
Council debate
on Protection
of Civilians,
about Burundi
and the
Council's
trip. Video
here.
On
January 21,
Inner City
Press and the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access asked
UK Permanent
Representative
Matthew
Rycroft about
his stop-over
on Addis
Ababa, "will
you as UK meet
with AU before
heading to
Burundi? About
AU's proposed
deployment?"
Rycroft replied,
"Yes! Looking
forward to
meeting
@AU_Chergui
today. Will
also return to
Addis with
whole UNSC
after
Burundi."
In
Addis,
Chergui had
filed the
Concept of
Operation for
the MAPROBU
peacekeeping
mission. We'll
have more on
this.
Burundian
civil society
has written to
Ban seeking
the
repatriation
of the
country's
peacekeepers.
Inner City
Press has put
the letter
from Vital
Nshimirimana
to Ban online
here, and
will be asking
the UN about
it. Watch this
site.
On
December 30
Nkurunziza
threatened to
have his
forces attack
peacekeepers
proposed for
the country.
On
December 16
Inner City
Press was
banned from
questions to
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, but
learned from
the mission
MINUSCA that
Baratuza was
already in
Entebbe. Inner
City Press
asked several
Security
Council
members, then
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric on
December17.
Dujarric told
Inner City
Press
Baratuza's
deployment is
suspended and
he is being
repatriated:
"based on the
information
we've received
regarding the
Lieutenant
Colonel, his
deployment has
been
suspended, and
he will be
repatriated
back to
Burundi." Video here. Dujarric told Inner
City Press
this shows the
UN system
working - on a
day when a
report on
rapes was
issued showing
UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous not
sufficiently
vetting for
human rights.
We'll have
more on this.
Amid the
escalating
killings in
Burundi, last
weekend's
summary
executions in
neighborhoods
opposed to
Pierre
Nkurunziza's
third term
stand out. But
Burundi Army
spokesman
Gaspard
Baratuza was
quoted on
December 12
blaming all of
the deaths on
attempts to
steal weapons
to free
prisoners.
Inner City
Press had
heard that Mr.
Baratuza was
already in the
process of
being deployed
to the UN
Peacekeeping
mission in the
Central
African
Republic
(MINUSCA) even
when he was
giving these
quotes,
issuing
statements and
speaking to
state-owned
radio, and so
asked
MINUSCA's
acting
spokesperson,
“Is Gaspard
Baratuza of
Burundi's army
getting a
MINUSCA job?”
On
December 16,
hours before
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon held a
rare press
conference,
MINUSCA's
acting
spokesperson
sent this to
Inner City
Press:
"To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
InnerCityPress.com
From: Vladimir
MONTEIRO [at]
UN.org
Date: Wed, Dec
16, 2015
Subject: ICP
question:
Gaspard
Baratuza of
Burundi's army
getting a
MINUSCA-related
post?
Cc: FUNCA [at]
funca.info
"No decision
related to Lt
Col Baratuza's
deployment can
be taken
before we
finish looking
into the
matter. We can
confirm that
Lt Col
Baratuza is in
Entebbe but he
has not yet
deployed to
MINUSCA.
Regards. VNM"
There are some
questions
about
Baratuza, a
Colonel in
Burundi's
Army, being
listed by the
UN as “Lt.
Col.”
Despite
multiple
follow-up
questions by
Inner City
Press, Mr.
Monteiro -
previously a
spokesperson
for the UN
electoral
mission in
Burundi -
replied that
“This is what
we can say
about this
issue.”
But the UN
should have to
say more.
Inner City
Press has
repeatedly
asked the UN
how its
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
under Herve
Ladsous vets
those who
deploy to UN
missions;
Inner City
Press exclusively
reported
on an October
1, 2015
meeting in
which Ladsous
told Burundi's
Vice President
Joseph Butare
that he is
“pragmatic” on
human rights.
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