Complaints
Against
DPKO After S.
Sudan Shot
Down Copter,
Where's
Black Box?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 11 --
Three weeks
after South
Sudan killed
four
Russian pilots
of a UN
helicopter,
the UN has yet
to issue any
findings.
Russia has
complained
publicly that
it it has not
yet
received the
black box from
the
helicopter.
Inner
City Press
asked UN
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
on Friday
about the
status of the
investigation
into the
shooting down
of the Mi-8
helicopter,
who has
custody of the
helicopter and
why the black
box
has not been
provided to
Russia.
Nesirky
said
he will check,
presumably
with the
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
whose chief
Herve Ladsous
refuses to
answer any
Press
questions.
But
meanwhile
Russian
sources tell
Inner City
Press they are
unhappy with
the leadership
of the UN
Mission in
South Sudan,
led by Hilde
Johnson. She
has been seen
by other,
including the
opposition in
South Sudan,
as far too
close to the
government.
This
ironically
mirrors the
situation in
Sudan, in
which the UNAMID
mission has
allowed
Khartoum to
essentially
veto its
Protection of
Civilians
strategy,
UN
whistleblowers
tell Inner
City Press.
Inner
City Press has
asked Nesirky
about that as
well, so far
without
answer.
DPKO's
lackadaisical
response to
the killing of
four Russian
pilots by
South
Sudan stands
in contrast to
its immediate
threat of war
crimes
prosecution
when its helicopter
was shot at
but not hit over
territory
controlled by
the M23 in
Eastern Congo.
Why
threaten
war crimes
prosecution
for a missed
shot, but
do so little
when a
helicopter in
hit and the
crew of four
all killed?
Russian
sources
complain about
a number of
double
standards,
including
between
straight-forward
UN personnel
and those
hired as the
Russian
pilots were.
The
other double
standard in
these
incidents is
who is thought
to have
done the
shooting.
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site.
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