UN
Can't Says
What Congo
Copters Were
Doing, of
Rapes,
Ladsous &
Drones
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 31 --
The UN on
December 28
announced that
two of
its
helicopters
were fired on
in Eastern
Congo two days
previous,
from positions
north of Goma
held by the
M23. No
injuries are
mentioned; the
M23 was
threatened
with
prosecution
for war
crimes.
Three
full days
after the UN
announcement
and threat,
Inner City
Press
asked the UN
some simple
questions: how
many times how
many UN
helicopters
were fired on
over M23
positions, and
what the UN
helicopters
were doing;
does MONUSCO
tell M23 when
it is flying
about
the territory
it controls?
Inner
City Press
asked for the
UN response to
the following
statement by
M23 spokesman
Lieutenant
Colonel
Vianney
Kazarama: "We
never
attacked
MONUSCO, we
fired at
helicopters
from the
FARDC, who
were
flying
reconnaissance
over M23
zones. If
MONUSCO wants
to fly
reconnaissance
over our
territory,
they must do
so by day and
they
must warn us.
At night, we
can't make out
the UN
symbol."
These
questions
should be easy
to answer. But
by close of
business
deadline, the
UN's response
was just
another
deferral: "On
the
latest
MONUSCO-related
questions:
DPKO advises
it is checking
with
the mission.
On the
FARDC-related
MONUSCO
question: DPKO
advises that
the human
rights
investigations
continue."
This
last concerns
the 126 FARDC
rapes at
Minova in late
November about
which DPKO
chief Herve
Ladsous has
repeated
refused to
answer Press
questions. On
November
27 he
refused Inner
City Press' questions
about Minova
then took a
handful of
favored
correspondents
out into
the hall
(none then
wrote about
the rapes).
On
December
18, Ladsous
had his
spokesman
seize the UN
TV microphone
to
try to avoid
the question
being asked.
The UN
Department of
Public
Information
has been
petitioned
about this but
as of yet has
done
nothing.
Inner
City Press on
December 31
asked the UN
to clarify a
statement that
Ladsous did
make earlier
in the month
to the French
publication La
Croix,
that he wants
to use drones
in Eastern
Congo, and
that drones
would have
saved
peacekeepers'
lives in Cote
d'Ivoire.
So
Inner City
Press asked,
Ladsous'
desire for
drones, does
it apply to
Cote d'Ivoire
as well as
DRC? Anywhere
else? What are
the approvals
that DPKO
recognizes as
necessary
before any use
of drones?
Does DPKO
acknowledge
that General
Assembly
approval would
be required?
On
this, the UN
replied "DPKO
says it is
continuing
with its
feasibility
study on the
use of unarmed
aerial
vehicles by
peacekeeping
operations,
and with its
consultations
with Member
States."
But
numerous
member states,
on the C34,
were critical
of Ladsous'
proposal,
wondering who
would get the
information,
one alleging
Ladsous
already
selected the
French company
Thales to
provide the
drones.
Several C34
members say
Ladsous is the
worst head of
DPKO
ever.
During
this tense
time, Ladsous
has gone to
ground. In
neither French
or
English Google
News is there
any mention of
Ladsous since
well before
Christmas.
What has he
been doing --
going to
public
relations
class? Or
channeling
drones?
Certainly,
DPKO
has not been
doing its job.
Inner City
Press asked,
"On
Sudan, this is
a request that
the UN confirm
or deny that
claim by
SLA -
Abdelwahid Nur
faction it has
on December 28
captured the
government
office and
army base in
Guldo district
near Central
Darfur
state's
Nertiti town,
any checking
by UNAMID, any
impact on
civilians."
To
this, the UN
replied, "On
Sudan: DPKO
advises it is
checking
with UNAMID
for an
update."
On
the obvious
issue of why
DPKO in the
Congo would
threaten ICC
prosecution
for missed
shots at its
helicopters at
night, while
making
no such threat
after South
Sudan killed
four UN crew
in shooting
down a
helicopter,
Inner City
Press asked
"given the
statement
about
prosecution
for war crimes
made by
MONUSCO, has
UNMISS made
such a
statement
about the
killing of the
four Russian
crew?"
Rather
than
take the
opportunity to
try to
distinguish
the two cases,
the UN
replied "On
UNMISS: All
mission
statements are
posted on its
website. You
can see there
the statement
made by
UNMISS."
It
hasn't
threatened
prosecution.
What explains
the double
standard?
DPKO is on
autopilot,
operating like
or by a drone.
Watch this
site.
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