On
Burundi, UN
Silent on
Third Term,
Ntibibogora
Failed Vetting
in 2014
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, June
9 -- 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.
On June 9,
Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric about
civil society
opposition to
the electoral
commission
proposing
presidential
polls for July
15, including
it seems for a
possible third
term. What
does UN envoy
Said Djinnit
think of a
third term? Video here.
Dujarric again
refused to
answer
directly,
while calling
on Burundians
to follow
Djinnit.
Follow him
where?
Inner City
Press asked
about Italy
suspending
inclusion of
Burundian
forces in its
training
program, see
below: Inner
City Press has
learned that
Jérôme
NTIBIBOGORA
was rejected
by vetting
even in 2014.
Dujarric
replied that
this is up to
the Italian
government.
But what is
the UN doing,
including with
respect to
1000 Burundian
police slated
to begin
"peacekeeping"
in Somalia on
June 11? We'll
see.
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,
and translated
by the Free UN
Coalition for
Access here);
it explains
the demand
that Djinnit
be replaced.
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"
Inner City
Press renewed
its questions
on June 9, and
got this
reply:
"Dear
Matthew, I can
confirm that
Jérôme
NTIBIBOGORA
has never
attended nor
is expected to
attend courses
at CoESPU. His
candidature
was submitted
twice and
rejected twice
by COESPU.
On the first
occasion, in
2014, this
officer did
not pass the
vetting in
place for
these courses
(as per mail
yesterday); on
the second
occasion,
already in
2015, all
Burundi
candidatures
were already
on freeze.
Giovanni
Davoli,
Spokesperson,
Italian
Mission to the
UN"
, 
