On
Darfur Rapes,
UK &
Lithuania Says
Raising to DPKO,
UN Says No
Update
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 27, more
here --
With UN
Peacekeeping
still
providing few
to no updates
on its UNAMID
mission's
under-reporting
of attacks in
Darfur,
including 200
reported rapes
in Tabit,
Inner City
Press on
January 26 asked
Security
Council
ambassadors
Mark Lyall
Grant of the
UK and
Raimonda
Murmokaite of
Lithuania,
"what happened
with UNAMID
going back for
real
investigation
of rapes in
Tabit?"
Lyall Grant replied,
"We continue
to press DPKO
to encourage
UNAMID to
revert on the
Tabit
allegations."
Murmokaite
added,
"have been
raising the
issue at
consultations,
will
continue."
And
so Inner City
Press at the
January 26 UN
noon briefing
asked
Spokesman Stephane
Dujarric, video here:
Inner
City
Press: two of
the Security
Council
ambassadors
this morning
said
they continued
to ask DPKO to
ensure that
the Tabit site
of alleged
mass rapes is
revisited. I
want to know
has any action
been taken on
that? Has
there been any
move by
UNAMID?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
The request to
visit Tabit
stands.
There's
nothing to
report.
Nothing
to report? Back
on January 8
Inner City
Press asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, video
here:
Inner
City Press:
what has the
UN system done
in order to
get access
again to
Thabit in
Darfur, where
there were
allegedly 200
rapes, and
then the
Government
didn’t allow
any
inspectors.
What have you
done since we
last spoke on
it?
SG
Ban: As for
the first part
of the
question, as
you know, we
tried to have
a thorough
investigation.
This report
might not have
been
sufficient
because of the
lack of full
cooperation of
the
authorities on
the ground.
That has
really
hampered our
authorities to
go into the
field and get
a thorough
investigation.
It is
important that
we have to
have a
thorough
investigation
and as a
matter of
principle,
there should
be a clear
accountability
process and
justice. I am
firm about
this matter.
And we will,
in the course
of time, have
better
information on
this matter.
While
appreciated,
it is widely
recognized
that the more
time goes by,
the more
difficult a
credible rape
investigation
becomes. So
why did UNAMID
issue a
cover-up
November 9
press release?
On December 12
in
International
Criminal Court
prosecutor
Fatou
Bensouda's six-month
report to the
Security
Council, she
said that the
reported rapes
in Tabit
should "shock
the Council
into action."
But will it?
To some, the
Council
appears to
have moved on.
Bensouda, who
like the
Security
Council
members was
given only the
Executive
Summary of Ban
Ki-moon's
cover up (of
cover up)
report on
Darfur,
thanked Ban
for the report
and hoped that
it would be
acted on.
Belatedly
ensuring that
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous
answers
questions
about his and
his
Department's
performance
would be a
start.
Ten days after
after the UN
issued a
statement on
its internal
investigation
into charges
it covered-up
attacks in
Darfur, its
UNAMID mission
there on
November 9
issued a
statement that
"village
community
leaders
reiterated to
UNAMID that
they coexist
peacefully
with local
military
authorities in
the area" and
that no
evidence of
rape was
found.
On
December 4,
Inner City
Press asked
Ladsous, Why
did UNAMID not
say on
November 9
that it was
surrounded by
soldiers? Video here, and
embedded
below.
As is his
habit, Ladsous
did not answer
on December 4,
even with his
UN
Peacekeeping
under fire for
cover ups. It
is a pattern
with Ladsous.
He refused
Press
questions for
months about
rapes in
Eastern Congo
in Minova by
DRC Army units
his UN
Peacekeeping
supports: video compilation here; Vine
here.
On the morning
of December 4
Ladsous
claimed to the
Security
Council that
UNAMID's
findings were
"inconclusive"
due to army
presence. But
his UNAMID's
press release
whitewashed
the situation
in Tabit and
did not
mention the
army presence.
The
covering-up
continues,
with no
credibility,
as Ladsous did
on the Minova
raped by DR
Congo Army
units his UN
Peacekeeping
supports.
On
November 25, a
wide range of
groups in
Darfur
petitioned the
UN Security
Council about
UNAMID's
malfeasance.
Inner City
Press that
morning
obtained the
letter (h/t)
and put
it online in
full here.
While
UN
Spokesperson
Stephane
Dujarric, when
Inner City
Press asked at
noon, said he
had not seen
the letter, by
6 pm when
Inner City
Press asked
November's
Security
Council
president
about the
letter, he
confirmed
receipt.
Quinlan said
he had
circulated the
letter to the
other 14
Council
members -- as
of 3 pm, one
of them had
not yet
received it --
and that he
expects the
issues to be
considered
when the
Security
Council takes
up UNAMID
"next week,
under Chad's
presidency."
(On
November 26,
the UK Mission
to the UN"s
Arran Skinner
told Inner
City Press, "I
can confirm
that we
received the
letter
indirectly. In
terms of
contents, on
alleged rape
cases, the
Security
Council issued
a press
statement
calling for a
full
investigation.
The UK
initiated the
call for a
press
statement and
so agree that
this issue
needs to be
looked at.")
On Ban
Ki-moon's
report into
UNAMID
under-reporting
attacks on
civilians and
even
peacekeepers,
Inner City
Press asked
and Quinlan
repeated it
should be
taken up soon,
the question
is finding the
right,
credible (or
disinterested)
briefer. Watch
this site for
that.
Inner City
Press at the
November 17 UN
noon briefing
asked Ban's
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
about Sudanese
forces having
filmed
UNAMID's
interviews.
Who is going
to take
action, on
whom, about
that? Inner
City Press and
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access are
asking.
We'll
be following
this. Watch
this site.
, 
