In
DRC, S. Africa
Prepares to
Redeploy, No
Ladsous
Answers on War
Criminals
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 10 --
After M23 took
Goma while the
UN Mission
MONUSCO did
almost
nothing,
criticism of
the UN
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
began to grow.
Over
the weekend,
Ugandan
President
Museveni said
MONUSCO is no
more than
"military
tourism." At
Monday's UN
noon briefing,
Inner
City Press
asked if there
was any UN or
DPKO response,
but there was
none.
Later
on Monday,
Inner City
Press asked
South Africa's
Permanent
Representative
Baso Sangqu if
it is true the
South African
forces
currently
serving in
MONUSCO -- or
MONUSELESS as
many Congolese
now
call it --
will
transition out
to the neutral
international
force
called for in
the Kampala
communique.
Yes,
Sangqu told
Inner City
Press. He
called MONUSCO
"a force not
being seen to
be doing
enough. We're
to a point
where the TCCs
[Troop
Contributing
Countries]
don't want to
implement,
they must
move.
Africa is
ready."
Sangqu
told Inner
City Press
this was
discussed at
the day's
Secretary
General
luncheon, "we
must do more."
Inner City
Press asked
when to expect
the South
African
switch.
"Once
concept of
operations is
endorse for
the neutral
international
force," Sangqu
replied.
The
discussion
took place
just after the
opening
ceremony for a
photo
exhibit
celebrating
the UN's --
and South
Africa's --
work in Timor
Leste.
Ladsous was
scheduled to
appear, but
given his refusal to
answer even
the most basic
questions,
like "what is
the UN's
role in
Abyei," while
on UN TV at
the Security
Council
stakeout,
time seems
better spent
following the
Mali bilateral
meetings in
the
Security
Council.
But
on the link
between Timor
Leste and the
UN in the
Congo, we note
a
photograph
recently
tweeted at
Inner City
Press, of
alleged war
criminal Tono
Suratman in
the Congo with
MONUSCO in
2010. Click
here
to view.
What
standards does
DPKO have?
Even less, it
seems, under
Ladsous.
DPKO
chief Herve
Ladsous
responded soon
after the Goma
failure by
claiming
MONUSCO had
done well,
then
refusing to
answer Press
questions
about rapes in
Minova by
Congolese
Army units the
UN may or may
not work with.
Instead,
Ladsous
summoned
hand-picked
correspondents
into the
hallway. Video
here.
Recently
Inner
City Press
learned that
General
Shavendra
Silva of the
Sri
Lankan Army,
whose troops
are depicted
in the UN's
report on Sri
Lanka as
engaged in war
crimes, went
to Lebanon to
"inspect"
the troops of
Ladsous'
UNIFIL mission
there. Ladsous
has refused
questions
about having
Silva as an
adviser on
Peacekeeping
Operations.
Inner
City Press is
told a tale of
Ladsous'
predecessor
Alain Le Roy
taking
a personal
interest in
whether UNMIS
(or UNAMID)
dealt with ICC
indictee Ahmed
Harun in
Southern
Kordofan --
and answering
questions
about it.
Ladsous by
contrast
refuses human
rights
questions.
Well,
he defended
the Hutu
governmental
genocidaires
in Rwanda in
1994,
click
here to
see Inner City
Press first
profile.
And watch this
site.
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