In
CAR France Put
Muslims at
Risk, FOMAC
Collusion, UN
Censors
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 14 --
After the UN's
envoy to the
Central
African
Republic
Babacar Gaye
was asked on
January 13 by
Inner City
Press about
Chadian
"peacekeepers"
and undue
influence on
CAR from
outside, i.e.
from France,
the UN simply
edited it out
of its
summary.
Video here, from Minute 12:06; compare
to UN's
sanitized summary,
here.
Now on January
14 the UN's
own Office of
the High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights reports
that its "mission
received
multiple
reports that
the
disarmament of
ex-Séléka
carried out by
the French
forces left
some Muslim
communities
vulnerable to
anti-Balaka
retaliatory
attacks."
This
might be
called the
polar opposite
of
"Responsibility
to Protect" --
the affirmative
putting of
civilians at
risk, on
religious
lines.
The OHCHR also
notes that "witnesses
consistently
reported that
ex-Séléka,
wearing the
armbands of
Chadian FOMAC
peacekeepers,
went from
house to house
searching for
anti-Balaka,
and shot and
killed
civilians. The
team also said
it received
credible
testimonies of
collusion
between some
Chadian FOMAC
elements and
ex-Séléka
forces."
The UN Human
Rights Council
takes up CAR
on January 20.
Will these UN
reports of
France and
FOMAC be
addressed?
On January 13,
Gaye said that
the problem
was the
Chadian
component of
the Seleka rebels;
he
acknowledged
that there was
an intention
to assign the
troops from
Chad outside
of Bangui. But
he said for now
they remain there,
patrolling
with the
Sangaris
forces of
France, both countries'
colonist.
Of Bozize, he
said that
Michel Djotodia
blames human
rights
violations --
be to
discussed in
Geneva January
20 -- on Bozize
followers, but
said Bozize's
name had not
come up in the
talks in Chad.
(The UN had
refused, when
Inner City
Press asked,
to even
confirm that
Gaye and his
UN mission had
any role in
the talks in
Chad).
Now that
Michel
Djotodia has
resigned,
after that
two-day
meeting held
in Chad,
confirmed
along with the
disproportionate
role of Chad
and France in
CAR is another
point.
The UN has
been
marginalized
even in the
Central
African
Republic. This
UN has allowed
itself to
become, often,
a mere fig
leaf for big
powers, here
the former
colonial
rulers.
When Inner
City Press on
January 8
asked UN
spokesperson
Farhan Haq of
any UN role or
presence at
the next day's
meeting in
Chad at which
France says
the country's
leadership
will be
determined,
Haq would not
directly
answer. Video
here from
Minute 18:50;
UN transcript:
Inner
City Press: On
the Central
African
Republic, Mr.
[Laurent]
Fabius and a
Defense
Minister are
both quoted as
saying that it
will be
determined
tomorrow at a
meeting held
in Chad
whether the
current
interim or
temporary
Prime Minister
remains in
power, that it
will be
decided by
regional
countries. And
I wanted to
know, given,
you know, the
UN’s mission
and role in
the Central
African
Republic, is
the UN
attending that
meeting? Do
they have any…
what’s their
presence there
and what would
they say to
those who say
that there
should be more
involvement in
Central
African people
in deciding,
you know, who
the leader is,
rather than
the
neighbouring
countries or
France?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
I wouldn’t
speculate on
what the
meeting has to
accomplish.
We’ll actually
see what the
outcome of the
meeting is
once it takes
place. At this
stage, it’s
speculative to
see what the
meeting
entails for
the leadership
of the Central
African
Republic.
Inner
City Press: Is
Babacar Gaye
going? I just
want to know
that before it
takes place.
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
We’ll try to
monitor the
meeting as
best we can. I
don’t have any
details to
give you right
now, but once
the meeting
happens, we’ll
let you know.
Now
what? On
January 6 some
noted that UN
Department of
Political
Affairs chief
Jeffrey
Feltman
avoided
directly
answering on
France's lack
of
impartiality
in its
intervention
in its former
colony.
Feltman seemed
to focus on
the UN's role
on
humanitarian
issues -- even
on that, the
UN has been
subject to
scathing
criticism from
Doctors
Without
Borders --
while leaving
the finding of
a political
solution to
others.
Reuters
quotes three
French
officials, two
named and one
unnamed,
opining about
who should
lead CAR,
including,
"Djotodia and
us, it's not a
love story.
The quicker he
goes, the
better things
will be. We
are making do
with him and
holding him
back."
And yet
Reuters, now
the colonial
news wire, did
not mention
FrancAfrique
or this
colonial
relationship,
whether such
picking of
leaders from
outside like
France did
with Ahmad al
Jarba in
Syria, is
appropriate.
This is, to
some, "the
international
community."
Back on
January 6 as
the Central
African
Republic
consultations
of the UN
Security
Council
stretched past
6 pm,
Permanent
Representatives
then even
Deputy
Permanent
Representatives
left, even as
new Council
member
Lithuania
spoke.
One
departing
diplomat told
Inner City
Press that US
Ambassador
Samantha Power
"gave a moving
speech" but "it's
not longer a
time for
speeches but
action."
Inner
City Press
asked the
diplomat if
the sentiment
is to move to
a UN
peacekeeping
mission, or
stay with
MISCA (in
which
component
contingents
have fought
each other)
and the French
SANGARIS
force, accused
of disarming
the Seleka but
not
anti-balaka
militia.
The
answer was
UNclear. The
briefer was
the head of
the UN's
Department of
Political
Affairs,
Jeffrey
Feltman, whose
statement
during the
open meeting
said "this is
the first case
for the Secretary
General's
new Rights
Upfront
agenda." That
was the UN's
belated
reaction to
its own
systemic
failure during
the killing of
tens of
thousands of
civilians in
Sri Lanka in
2009.
But
last month
Doctors
Without
Borders
pilloried the
UN for not
protecting
civilians,
even inside
its own
compounds, and
for not
deploying
despite
requests to
Yaloke and
Bouca. UN
humanitarian
chief Valerie
Amos told
Inner City
Press she
was
"disappointed"
by MSF's
letter.
What would
Feltman say?
When finally
Feltman
emerged, Inner
City Press
asked him
about reports
of France
disarming the
Seleka, not
the
predominantly
Christian
anti-balaka.
Feltman
replied that a
"non-discriminatory
way" is
required, all
most be
disarmed. He
said more
coordination
is needed
between the
UN, France's
Sangaris, and
MISCA.
Moments
later, Inner
City Press
asked Jordan's
Permanent
Representative
Prince Zeid,
the president
of the
Security
Council for
January, about
perceived
(im)partiality.
He responded
that the
situation is
complex, as
African
members
pointed out,
and that he
and other new
Council
members had
material to
work through.
We'll see.
* * *
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