Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

For UN in Central African Republic, Margaret Vogt Will Lead, Obo Still Unserved

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 11 -- With questions of nepotism swirling around the UN mission in the Central African Republic, Inner City Press on May 4 asked who will replace Sahle-Work Zewde as chief of the mission. Belgium's Permanent Representative told Inner City Press, “A Nigerian woman.”

The next day, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's acting deputy spokesman Farhan Haq:

Inner City Press: what’s the status of the new SRSG [Special Representative of the Secretary-General] there? I know that Ms. [Sahle-Work] Zewde was moved to Nairobi as the Head of that office; is there a new, I was told yesterday that basically there is a Nigerian woman about to be named as SRSG; is that… what was the process and what… were these issues considered, I guess I am saying. It seems like there are some problems with serving [ Central African Republic] under the previous regime there. So, I am just wondering, what’s the status of choosing a new leader?

Acting Deputy Spokesperson Haq: Well, I don’t have any fresh appointments to announce. If we do, we’ll let you know at that time.

Haq and Ban's Spokesperson's Office have not provided Inner City Press any information or made any announcement.

But when on May 11 Inner City Press asked asked Ban's adviser on Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy about the UN's failure to send anyone to Obo in the Central African Republic, her reply contained the name of the “new SRSG” -- Margaret Vogt, a Nigerian who has previously worked with Ibrahim Gambari.

UN's Ban and Bozize, Margaret Vogt & protection of civilians esp in Obo not shown

Whether Ms. Vogt has the will or mandate to improve things in the UN's CAR mission remains to be seen. And the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs still has not answered day-old questions about the failure to serve Obo. Watch this site.

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In Central African Republic, UN Abandons Obo Like Birao, New Nigerian SRSG to Hear CAR Alarm?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 4 -- Months after civilians in the Birao area of the Central African Republic were abandoned when the UN Peacekeeeping mission MINURCAT pulled out, a call has gone up to establish at least some kind of UN presence in CAR's Haut-Mbomou prefecture and its capital Obo.

Only two international medical NGOs serve the area, where children are abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army, according to Laura Perez of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center.

Inner City Press asked Ms. Perez why the UN was constrained from at least purporting to serve the area. She replied that there is a weekly airplane flight to Obo but that the UN Department of Safety & Security says UN staff can only go with a military escort, which hasn't been arranged.

Previously, Inner City Press has reported on nepotism and mismanagement in the UN mission in the Central African Republic. In late 2009, Inner City Press had asked SRSG Sahle-Work Zewde, Special Representative of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Head of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) about a series of BONUCA hires of relatives of the head of the UN Department of Political Affairs Africa II Division, Sammy Buo. She said she would look into it, take action and report back.

Nine months later, having heard nothing from her or about any changes, Inner City Press asked her for an update. “I don't want to speak about the past,” she said.

Inner City Press asked, “But are the individuals, including the former employee of the Executive Outcomes private military firm, still employed by the UN in the CAR?” She would not answer.

How can the UN credibly preach transparency and anti-corruption if these are its practices?

Now in 2011, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is promoting Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde to head the UN Office in Nairobi. Inner City Press asked Ms. Perez and her fellow panelists at the UN on Wednesday where the process stands on replacing Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde, and to assess the UN's performance.

Eva Smets of the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict declined to grade the UN's performance, but said that more resources at needed. Belgium's Permanent Representative to the UN Jan Grauls, who chairs the UN Peacebuilding Commission for CAR said that a replacement for Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde is just about to be named.

Further reporting by Inner City Press, confirmed by other missions, concludes that “a Nigerian woman” is about to be named.

The Danish Refugee Council's Patrice Effebi, in French, spoke of children demobilized from the Armée populaire pour la restauration de la République et la démocratie (APRD).

Grauls said that UN envoy Radhika Coomaraswamy will travel to CAR in October. While calling the Security Council, on which he used to serve, secretive he offered praise to the opening up of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which he attended this week. Grauls left for a teleconference with the World Bank about aid. Will it, the new SRSG or anything get the UN into Obo? Watch this site.

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Back in September 2010, before a UN "high level" event about CAR, Inner City Press made inquiries about the UN's problems with nepotism and even the hiring of mercenaries appear not to have been solved.

In late 2009, Inner City Press had asked Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde, Special Representative of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Head of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) about a series of BONUCA hires of relatives of the head of the UN Department of Political Affairs Africa II Division, Sammy Buo. She said she would look into it, take action and report back.

Nine months later, having heard nothing from her or about any changes, Inner City Press asked her for an update. “I don't want to speak about the past,” she said.

Inner City Press asked, “But are the individuals, including the former employee of the Executive Outcomes private military firm, still employed by the UN in the CAR?” She would not answer.

How can the UN credibly preach transparency and anti-corruption if these are its practices?

Inner City Press asked the World Bank's representative for the region about the Bank's and IMF's freezing of work with the Bank of Central African States. She acknowledged the freeze, but said that the CAR hadn't been hurt. If true, what does this way about the Bank of Central African States' work?

Finally, Inner City Press asked Jan Grauls, Permanent Representative of Belgium,about the World Food Program's recent call for $15 million to feed 600,000 people in CAR. Ambassador Grauls distinguish humanitarian aid from the peacebuilding funds he has been raising, but said that agriculture is among the best way to disarm former rebels. We have another question in and with Ambassador Grauls; watch this site.

UN's Ban and Ms. Zewde, action on nepotism in CAR not shown

Inner City Press formally asked the director of DPA's Africa II Division Sammy Kum Buo the following questions:

Mr. Buo -- I am writing a story about this morning's Security Council session on BONUCA / Central African Republic. I am also covering management issues in BONUCA and DPA and am writing for you to confirm or deny on deadline each of the following [about BONUCA staffers]

Is Gabriel Buh Kang a relative of yours? A cousin?

Is BONUCA staffer Ekei a relative of yours? Your niece?

What is the status of Brindou Germain Kabran ?

When in CAR, have you stayed with Brindou Germain Kabran?

Did you still collect DSA? Please provide records.

What can you say about the case of Gozo Tshamala?

On deadline, Matthew

Mr. Buo is also accused of hiring a former mercenary from Executive Outcomes, in violation of UN rules. While Mr. Buo has refused to respond, Inner City Press has discussed the matter with other Mission officials and finally, on December 21, with Mr. Buo's boss in DPA, Haile Menkerios. Mr. Menkerios confirmed he is aware of the issue. Inner City Press asked Mr. Menkerios what DPA's response would be. It is a management issue, Mr. Menkerios replied, that will be responded to in a management way.

But has it been?

Summary:

Subject: BINUCA

From: Name withheld due to retaliation concerns

To: matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

Dear Matthew Please innercity should absolutely look into this matter which is serious WHAT IS GOING ON IN BONUCA/BINUCA?

DPA has created a new mission called BINUCA to replace BONUCA starting January 2010 in Central Africa Republic. For more than 9 years, BONUCA a DPA led mission was plagued with nepotism and favoritism... Of particular importance is the role played by Mr Sammy Kum Buo, the Director of Africa II, very famous with his absence of political judgment (remember Rwanda where he was advising the SRSG Booh Booh) who had succeeded in appointing a niece called Ekei as Administrative Assistant, a cousin called Gabriel Buh Kang in the finance section... the recruitment of the security Officer, Antonio de Jesus a former memeber of Executive Outcome was done in violation of all the recruitment rule procedures. Buo is trying to maintain in the mission his friend Brindou Germain Kabran where he lives when he is mission in CAR despite he, receiving the DSA.. His fellow Cameroonian... Marie Claire Bikia, recruited as administrative Assistant, is trying to be promoted Gender assistant. She went several times in Turin for gender training.

In order to cover this integrity issues, Sammy Kum Buo with the support of or not of Lynn Pascoe is currently deciding on the future of the staffs by trying to impress upon the new SRSG, the Ethiopian diplomat, Ms Zewde who is in her first experience in the UN and doesn't know the administrative procedure. Sammy Kum Buo would like to keep his cousin, niece and friends and sacrifying the other staffs. This is UNACCEPTABLE Inner city press should try to raised this issue

Consider it done, or started. Watch this site.

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund. Video Analysis here

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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