On
Burundi, Ban
Is Asked Again
to Replace
Djinnit, Letter
Here
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, June
8 -- Nineteen
days after the
UN Security
Council, the United States
and the UN
Peacebuilding
Configuration
on Burundi on
May 15 issued
statements
urging calm in
the country
given the
return of
Pierre
Nkurunziza to
presumably run
for a third
term, on May
29 Inner City
Press asked UN
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous
accepting an
allegedly
abusive
Burundian
police officer
Godefroid
Bizmama into
his MINUSMA
mission in
Mali. Video
here, and
embedded
below.
Amid calls to
replace UN
enovy Said Djinnit
as
"pro-Nkurunziza,"
which Inner
City Press has
asked the UN
about, on June
8 another
letter went
in, signed by
Vital
Nshimirimana.
Inner City
Press is
putting it online
here (it
is in French);
it explains
the demand
that Djinnit
be replaced.
Here is Inner
City Press'
translation
from the French:
"Mr.
Secretary
General,
The crisis in
Burundi is due
to the
obstinacy of
President
Pierre
Nkurunziza,
still
determined to
seek a third
term against
the wishes of
the Burundian
people and in
violation of
the pillars on
which national
institutions,
namely the
Arusha Accord
for Peace and
Reconciliation
and the
Constitution
of the
Republic of
Burundi, rest.
The bloody
repression of
peaceful
protests
characterized
by the
discipline of
protesters,
who frequently
since the
national
anthem even in
the case of
police
aggression,
has cased
unspeakable
consequences
for political,
economic and
social life,
just as it has
gravely
damaged the
already
fragile
national
security.
We are aware
that dialogue
is, and
remains, the
best means of
peaceful
resolution of
conflicts.
If the
initiative of
dialogue has
not produced
results, it’s
essentially
because the
mediator has
not respected
the elementary
aspects for
the conduct
and
realization of
a fruitful
dialogue
during
conflict,
which pushes
us to demand
his recusal, a
demand which
is justified
for the
following
reasons:
The
consultations
led by the
special
representative
of the
secretary
general of the
United Nations
in the Great
Lakes region,
Mr. Said
Djinnit, from
beginning to
end proved
that the
dialogue
already begun
lacked a clear
agenda, since
they were
limited to
discussing the
consequences
of the
repression of
protesters,
without
touching the
question of
what drove the
people
to
protest the
violation of
the
foundational
texts of
actual
institutions,
in the
occurrence of
a third term
The attempt at
this dialogue
was made
impossible by
certain
elements who
have yet to be
defined,
notable the
parties to the
dialogue, the
object of the
dialogue, and
the management
of the
proceedings.
To this date,
the mediator
seems not to
know that the
parties are
chiefly the
groups of
protesters and
the government
The
incapability
of resolving
the procedural
questions,
notably the
liberation of
hundreds of
protesters who
currently are
held hostage
by the
government,
the
cancelation of
arrest
warrants
against the
leaders of the
movement
oppositing the
third term, to
allow them to
participate in
dialogue, the
reopening of
media, and the
formal pledge
by the police
to not fire of
protesters
again
The parties to
dialogue blame
the serious
inadequacy on
the fact that
he did not
take into
consideration
the presence
of leaders of
the movement.
In spite of
the fact that
this concern
was shared
with the
mediator, he
did not
undertake any
measure, even
though he knew
the role of
the leaders
placed under
arrest warrant
in the
coordination
of the
movement. At
the moment,
some are
wondering
which criteria
guided the
mediator in
the choice and
invitation of
participants
to this
dialogue
Communication
on the content
of the talks,
in deadlock
the night
before the
summit,
without
procedural
agreement by
the parties,
which must
have
influenced the
position of
the summit of
heads of state
of the
community of
the east
African states
Moreover, we
consider that
a frank and
sincere
dialogue is
quasi
impossible on
national
territory
where certain
opposition
leaders or
leaders of
civil society
cannot leave
their homes to
participation
in the
management of
public
affairs, while
dozens of
others are in
exile. Hence
the absolute
necessity of
organizing a
dialogue on
neutral
territory,
offering the
necessary
security
guarantees for
all parties
taking part in
dialogue.
The
organizations
of civil
society repeat
their
willingness
for dialogue
on condition
that said
dialogue be
carried out
with
sufficient
guarantees and
carried out
under the
rules, meaning
impartiality,
neutrality,
and
objectivity.
Since the
mediator must
be someone who
inspires
confidence in
all the
parties in the
conflict, from
the moment
that some
opposition
groups have
already openly
stated their
opposition to
the mediation
of Mr. Said
Djinnit, we
believe that
it would be
wiser to
designate
another
mediator who
inspires
confidence in
all the
parties.
Counting on
your unfailing
attachment to
the cause of
peace in the
world we
implore you to
accept, Your
Excellence Mr.
Secretary
general, the
expression of
our
distinguished
consideration."
Some note that
Ban Ki-moon,
now on travel
in Central
Asia but still
quiet on human
rights there
too, gave in
to requests to
replace his
Yemen mediator
Jamal Benomar
and ask, why
not here? But
those requests
were from
Saudi Arabia.
Watch this
site.
On June 8,
Inner City
Press asked
Maman S.
Sidikou,
Special
Representative
of the
Chairperson of
the AU
Commission for
Somalia, about
Burundian
forces serving
in AMISOM.
Sidikou
replied that
their "morale"
remains high,
and that one
thousand are
coming into
Somalia from
June 11 to 18.
So is there no
human rights
due diligence
for this?
The UN claims
due diligence
but gives no
details at
all. On June 8
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
Inner
City Press: On
Burundi, I
asked you
before about
Godefroid
Bizimana.
Now I'm going
to ask about
Jérôme
Ntibibogora,
who is a
Burundian
police officer
who, civil
society there,
say was
involved in an
attack against
a hospital and
firing at
protesters.
He's set for
deployment in
the Central
African
Republic after
being trained
by an Italian
centre known
as CoESPU, a
Centre of
Excellence for
Stability
Police Units.
Spokesman
Dujarric:
As much as I
have
everybody's
files and
names under my
fingertips, I
will check…
Inner City
Press: I've
actually heard
from the
Italian
mission that
they've put
some of their
training on
hold, but
likewise has
the UN put
anything on
hold of
deployment of
police
officers from
Burundi?
Spokesman:
I think we'll…
you know,
there is a
Human Rights
Due Diligence
Policy and
people are
being
screened.
Inner City
Press:
But, Godefroid
seems to…
Spokesman:
Has he been
appointed?
Inner City
Press: That's
why I'm asking
[about Jérôme]..
Early on June
8, based on
more
information
from Inner
City Press'
sources in
Burundi, Inner
City Press
asked Italy's
Mission to the
UN:
"In
covering the
crisis in
Burundi,
multiple
sources there
have informed
Inner City
Press that a
Burundian
police officer
named Jérôme
NTIBIBOGORA,
implicated in
the crackdown
in Bujumbura,
is now set to
be deployed to
the UN
Peacekeeping
mission in the
Central
African
Republic,
MINUSCA -- but
only after he
is “trained”
by / in Italy.
"This a Press
request for
your Mission
to confirm or
deny that
Jérôme
NTIBIBOGORA /
NTIBIBOGORA
Jérôme or any
other
Burundian
police or
military
personnel
involved in
putting down
protests to
Pierre
Nkurunziza's
attempted
third term is
scheduled or
considered for
training or
any
preparatory
work in Italy
prior to a
deployment
with UN
Peacekeeping.
"For your
information in
responding on
deadline to
this, Inner
City Press'
sources in
Burundi said
that Jérôme
NTIBIBOGORA /
NTIBIBOGORA
Jérôme has so
far been
involved in at
least two
recent
troubling
incidents:
killings at
the hospital
of BUMEREC (in
Bujumbura) on
May 14, 2015
and firing
live
ammunition at
unarmed
protesters on
June 5, 2015,
resulting in
the death of a
protester
named Theogène
who was a
student at
University of
Burundi.
Overall, what
due diligence
does Italy do
in its work
with UN
Peacekeeping?"
The UN Mission
of Italy,
running for a
seat on the UN
Security
Council
against Sweden
and the
Netherlands,
answered also
on the morning
of June 8:
"Dear
Mr. Lee, while
at this stage
I do not have
any
information on
specific
officers from
Burundi, I can
nevertheless
confirm that
any training
activity by
the COESPU
(Center of
Excellence for
Stability
Police Units)
in Vicenza,
Italy, with
officers from
that country,
is currently
on hold, due
to the ongoing
situation in
Burundi.
Giovanni
Davoli,
Spokesperson,
Italian
Mission to the
UN"
It's
appreciated.
But are there
Burundian
officers "in
the
pipeline"?
Inner City
Press asked:
"Does “on
hold” mean
there are no
Burundian
personnel in
the pipeline
of your
training
program, to be
deployed to
peacekeeping
missions? And,
once you check
in across the
Atlantic, can
the state the
status of any
of the
individual
named, and
describe
Italy's due
diligence
policy more
generally?"
Italian
Mission
spokesperson
Davoli
replied:
"Dear
Matthew, in
general,
single
participants,
before being
accepted into
the courses,
are screened
trough the
resources
available to
us and to our
partners in
COESPU, to
make sure they
are compatible
with the
values of the
Center.
On
this
particular
individual, we
are checking
with Italy if
we have any
record, which
means we won’t
get any more
details before
tomorrow. In
any instances,
the
participation
of officers
from this
particular
country is on
hold,
therefore
there is no
Burundian in
the pipeline,
until further
notice.
Giovanni
Davoli,
Spokesperson,
Italian
Mission to the
UN"
, 
