On
Burundi, ICP
Asks Why UN So
Quiet on Mass
Graves, Simonovic's
Spin
By Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive publication,
credited here
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 11 --
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.
Transparently,
Inner City
Press
published the
DR Congo Group
of Experts
Update Report
including
about 18
Burundian
combatants, here
(credited
here) and
see below.
On
February 10,
AFP's English
language
reporter, not
even at the UN
Security
Council
stakeout for
the February
10 meeting on
Burundi, later
channeled
a "senior UN
official"
speaking "to
reporters"
that the UN is
really pushing
to go and
investigate
mass graves.
Inner City
Press put in a
question -- on
the record --
and, getting
no good
answer, asked
the UN
Spokesman on
February 11,
UN transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: on
Burundi, I've
seen that Mr.
Šimonovic
apparently
yesterday said
that the UN
wants to be
present when
mass graves
are
examined.
And I wanted
to know a
little bit
more about
that.
Has that
request been
made?
Has there been
a response by
the
Government?
And also why
Mr. Šimonovic,
ASG [Assistant
Secretary-General],
doesn't say it
in a more
public way?
Spokesman:
I think Mr.
Šimonovic has
been here
quite a few
times at the
briefings.
We'll try to
get him here
some
more. As
you know, I
think the High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights had
talked about
satellite
photos and
traces of
potential mass
graves.
A prosecutor
was named in
Burundi,
tasked to
investigate
those
reports.
As part of our
support, we
have offered…
the High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights has
offered
technical
support,
including to
the Government
of Burundi to
help with that
investigation,
including
forensic
experts.
I've not heard
that we have
gotten a
response back
from the
Government of
Burundi.
Inner City
Press:
Just one last
thing on this,
because he
seems to be
quoted:
"We would like
to be present
when this is
done."
And,
obviously,
there are many
people or at
least some
people in
Burundi that
would be
somewhat
suspect of a
Government
investigation
if the
Government is
the one…
Spokesman:
I think that's
in the vein of
asking,
offering to
the Government
to have UN
experts there.
On February 8,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
Spokesman
Stephane
Duajarric
about more
deaths in
Burundi and a
speech
attributed to
Pierre
Nkurunziza in
which he
likened
himself to
Jesus,and
those who
visited trying
to forestall
more killing
to “Satan,”
making offers.
Dujarric said
he would have
no comment on
the “very
colorful
statements
made,” video
here.
On
February 8,
Inner City
Press also
asked Dujarric
for any Ban
Ki-moon
response to
Sri Lanka's
Gotabaya
Rajapaksa
calling the
visit of UN
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Zeid “a
big joke;”
there was no
comment, video
here.)
At the
February 5 UN
noon briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's Deputy
Spokesperson
Farhan Haq
about Burundi,
video
here, transcript here.
Handpicked to
go and
memorialize
the trip was
Reuters, which
barely
reported what
happened.
There is a
history, of
Reuters UN
bureau here
and here;
on February 3,
Reuters
correspondent
Michelle
Nichols went
so far as to
cut off Inner
City Press'
questions to
the UN, Vine
here.
Inner
City Press in
the spirit of
transparency
is publishing
the (update)
report, dated
January 15,
2016, signed
by Coordinator
Gaston
Gramajo, and
its two
paragraphs
about 18
Burundian
combatants, here.
On January 29,
Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric
again, transcript
here.
So it's
all on Zeid,
nothing from
Ban Ki-moon,
who appears to
be playing
this like he
did Sri
Lanka...
On
January 27,
Inner City
Press put
questions to
the UN and US
Ambassador
Power about
the UN's
continued use
of Burundian
troops as
“peacekeepers,”
for which the
UN's Herve
Ladsous gave
the country a
waiver to
continue to
get paid for
under-equipped
troops in the
Central
African
Republic,
where they
have been
accused of
rape.
The UN
Spokesperson
answered
Inner City
Press: On
Burundi, given
that the
government has
not responded
to, or has
blocked, the
human rights
experts from
Geneva, and
given the
other things
said on this
podium, what
sense does it
make for UN
peacekeeping
to continue to
use, and give
waivers to
Burundian
peacekeepers
in CAR? Is
there a
connection
between a
country’s
compliance
with the UN’s
demands,
requests, and
in fact paying
money, which
some say
doesn’t even
go to the
troops, for
service in
peacekeeping
missions?
UN Spokesman
Dujarric:
Peacekeeping
troops, units
that serve in
peacekeeping
missions,
undergo
various
vetting
processes that
involve the UN
and the host
country. ?? in
cases we have
not accepted
certain
individuals,
we’ve also
returned
battalions in
other cases.
This will be
continued to
be looked at
on a rolling
basis.
Inner City
press: Will
you confirm
that they have
a waiver to
serve in CAR
until April,
by Mr.
Ladsous,
granted on
October 1?
UN Spokesman:
No.
At the
UN Security
Council
stakeout,
Inner City
Press waited
-- including
through two
North Korea
questions, and
softballs --
then asked if
this UN use of
Burundian
troops makes
sense. There
has yet to be
an answer,
although there
are
indications
one might be
forthcoming.
(More than 24
hours later,
no). Here
for now is
about the US
training
Burundian
troops.
Watch this
site.
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,
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.
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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