On
Burundi, ICP
Asks US Power
of Rejected AU
Force, She
Hopes Not
Final Answer
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 21 --
After
Burundi's
Assembly and
spokespeople
for president
Pierre
Nkurunziza
flatly
rejected the
African
Union's
planned
deployment of
up to 5,000
peacekeepers,
Inner City
Press on
December 21
asked US
Ambassador
Samantha Power
about it. Video here.
Power
said "we hope
that's not
their final
answer,"
adding that
the mediation
by Ugandan
president
Museveni
cannot just
involve people
who tell the
government
what they want
to hear.
From the US
Mission
transcript:
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
about Burundi:
the African
Union, they
came out with
a proposal to
send 5,000
peacekeepers
and the
president’s
advisor and
now the
assembly or
parliament
there have
said no, and
that they
think it’s a
violation of
the
sovereignty.
What do you
think the
Council – or
what will you
as the U.S.,
what would you
have the
Council do to
deal with the
crisis there?
Ambassador
Power: Well
the Council
has already
spoken to
this. We very
quickly came
together with
a press
statement
backing what
the African
Union had put
out in its
communiqué and
its decision
to send 5,000
troops. Indeed
the Council
also urged the
conversations
with potential
troop
contributing
countries to
begin
immediately –
because we all
know, whether
for a
sub-regional
force, a
regional
force, or
anything to do
with the UN
that the
start-up time
and logistic
effort can be
very
complex.
So, again, we
think it’s
very important
that a mission
like that be
in a position
to offer
civilians
confidence,
protection, to
be able to
report out to
the African
Union and to
the broader
international
community
about how
things are
transpiring.
And we
understand
from our
African
colleagues
here that the
conversations
with the
Burundian
government are
continuing, so
we hope that
that’s not the
final answer
and again it’s
just a few
days since the
African Union
issued its
communiqué and
made its
decision, so
we’re going to
be in close
contact with
our African
friends to
determine next
steps here.
I do want to
draw your
attention to
the mediation,
because
fundamentally
any protection
or prevention
presence is
dealing with
the systems
and not the
root causes,
and the
mediation has
to get at root
causes. It has
been – too
much time has
passed without
the Burundian
government
engaging the
opposition,
and we
understand
from President
Museveni that
he is now very
eager to get
going toward
the end of
this month.
But the terms
of that
mediation are
also very
important. And
I draw your
attention to
both the
African
Union’s
discussion of
what that
mediation
should look
like and the
Council’s
statement from
over the
weekend,
because it is
very clear
that this has
to be a
negotiation
between the
government and
a
representative
sampling, an
inclusive
sampling of
the opposition
– not simply
handpicked
individuals
who are there
to tell the
government
what it wants
to hear. So
progress needs
to be made on
that in
parallel with
determining
what an
international
presence in
Burundi should
and would look
like.
Meanwhile the
Nkurunziza
government
with the
agreement of
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous
has undertaken
to deploy
officers
allegedly
involved in
human rights
abuses into
Ladsous'
Central
African
Republic
mission,
MINUSCA.
On December 17
Inner City
Press was
told, the
third time it
asked, that
the Burundi's
Army spokesman
Gaspard
Baratuza's
deployment to
the UN mission
in CAR had
been
suspended, and
Baratuza was
being
repatriated.
UN spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, who
has shielded
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon from
such Press
questions,
said "it's an
example of the
[vetting]
policy
working."
But
Inner City
Press has
obtained the
Burundi
government
document for
the deployment
not only of
Baratuza but
other officers
in Ladsous'
MINUSCA. Today
we focus and
ask about
Major Pierre
Niyonzima.
According to
Inner City
Press'
sources,
Niyonzima not
only defended
extrajudicial
executions, he
participated
in them.
On May 14,
they say,
Major
Niyonzima was
the Senior
army officer
who led the
attack on the
hospital where
those accused
of involvement
in the
attempted coup
were
slaughtered.
They say
Niyonzima
reports to
Guillaume
Bunyoni and
has been
involved in
killings in
Musaga,
Nyakabiga and
Mutakura.
We'll have
more on this,
and on other
deployees to
Ladsous'
MINUSCA,
including
Jimmy
Rusheshe.
On December 21
Inner City
Press asked
the UN's
Deputy
Spokesperson
Farhan Haq
about these
deployments,
and the
Burundian
government's
rejection of
the African
Union's
proposed
deployment, video here, transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: on
Burundi, as
you know, the
African Union
Peace and
Security
Council has
made this
proposal 5,000
peacekeepers
and set a
96-hour
deadline for
the Government
to
respond.
The assembly
has met and
rejected it
and said it
would be a
violation of
the
sovereignty of
the
country.
So, I wanted
to know, what
is the
Secretariat…
Mr. [Jamal]
Benomar, what
do they… you
think of both
the [African
Union Peace
and Security
Council]
taking a
seemingly
fairly
aggressive
protection of
civilian
stance and the
Government
rejecting
it?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Well, first of
all, regarding
that, I
believe that
the
discussions
will continue
with the
African Union
and the
Government of
Burundi.
But, we
certainly
support the
efforts by the
African Union
and its Peace
and Security
Council to
deal with the
protection of
civilians in
Burundi.
We've made
clear our
alarm at
recent
developments
and the need
for there to
be additional
steps to bring
the tensions
on the ground
to a
halt. As
you know, the
Security
Council itself
has been
apprised by
the
Secretary-General
of various
options for
the way
forward, and
we await their
guidance on
that.
Meanwhile, Mr.
Benomar has
started some
of his
travels.
I believe he
was in
Washington,
D.C., in the
last few days,
and he is
expected to
head to the
region
shortly.
Inner City
Press: I
wanted…
something a
little more
specific.
It has to do
with this
vetting of
troops from
Burundi, but I
guess you
could say
elsewhere.
I know it was
said last week
that Gaspard
Baratuza, a
Deputy
Spokesman of
the army, was
being
repatriated.
Deputy
Spokesman:
Yes.
Inner City
Press:
But, I've
since seen a
letter… it was
his deployment
letter, but it
also involved
two other
majors in the
army who are
said to have
been involved
in the… the
assault on a
hospital in
May, right
after the coup
attempt in
which people
were killed in
their beds,
and these
involve Mr.
Pierre
Niyonzima and
Jimmy
Rusheshe.
And both of
them,
according to a
letter from
the Burundian
Army, are…
were being
deployed to
the UN in the
Central
African
Republic.
So, I wanted…
I guess I want
to ask you,
like, what
does the
vetting
consist
of? What
was the
vetting that
Mr. Baratuza
failed that
these two
individuals
apparently
don't fail,
given their
involvement in
extrajudicial
executions?
Deputy
Spokesman:
As we get
information…
if any
information
causes us to
have concerns
about
deployment, it
is reviewed in
that
light.
In that light,
Mr. Baratuza,
his suspension
was first
delayed, and
then he was
repatriated.
And so,
depending upon
the
information,
as we get it,
we'll act upon
it.
Inner City
Press:
So, does… I
guess what I'm
saying is does
the… either
the human
rights
presence of
the UN in
Burundi have
information
about those
who commanded
the assault on
this hospital,
it's called
Bumerec
Hospital, in
May and the
connection to
the people
that were
being
deployed?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Like I said,
we… yes, we do
have a human
rights
presence in
Burundi.
As we get
information,
we act upon,
and that
includes
anyone being
deployed.
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.
Ban
Ki-moon and
his spokesman
declined to
take Inner
City Press'
questions on
December 16,
as they did on
December 14. Vine here. But concerned
members of the
UN Security
Council have
now been asked
about Baratuza
by Inner City
Press. Watch
this site. Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
, 
