On
Darfur
Killings,
Strange Claims
of Mandates,
Chapters &
Tanks,
Ladsous'
DPKO
Stonewalls
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
15 -- The
killing in
Darfur on
Saturday of
seven UN
peacekeepers
from Tanzania
continues to
be shrouded in
mystery,
including due
to the refusal
to take or
answer
questions by
UN
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
under Herve
Ladsous.
Ladsous
was
in France --
where else? --
over the
weekend at the
colonial
Bastille Day
military
parade.
In
New York when
the UN
Security
Council
requested and
got a briefing
about the
killing on
Monday
afternoon, it
was not from
Ladsous or his
deputy, but
rather Dmitry
Titov,
formally in
charge of the
Rule of
Law for DPKO.
Afterward,
following the
lead of
Ladsous but
not his
predecessor
Alain Le Roy,
no question
and answer
stakeout was
held.
In
terms of
written
questions,
Ladsous' top
four
spokespeople
have been
sitting for
sixteen days
now on
questions
submitted by
Inner City
Press. Ladsous
himself has
repeatedly
refused to
answer Press
questions. Video compilation here.
In
terms of the
call for
accountability
for the
killings in
Darfur, it's
noteworthy
that Ladsous
downplayed the
previous
kidnappings of
UN
peacekeepers
in the Golan
Heights,
confining even
the
announcement
of
a kidnapping
to a
“conversation”
with friendly
journalists.
Four
pilots for the
UN were killed
in South Sudan
in December,
and no one
has been held
accountable.
What message
did that send?
At
Monday's UN
noon briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Secretary
General
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
about the
Darfur
killings
and Tanzania's
statements:
Inner
City Press:
the spokesman
for the
Tanzanian
People’s
Defence Forces
has said, “we
are only
allowed to use
armoured
personnel
carriers
under Chapter
VI. This puts
our troops in
danger in
volatile areas
like Darfur.”
Maybe I am
missing
something, it
seems like it
is a
Chapter VII
mission. But,
the quote goes
on to say that
he’d like
to use tanks,
and I am
wondering
first of all,
if you could
clarify
if the Mission
is under
Chapter VII,
what the UN
thinks of
using
tanks and what
the purpose of
that convoy
was and
whether any
vehicles were
stolen?
Spokesperson:
Well, as I
have said,
there are
still details
emerging on
this. With
regard to the
first part of
your question,
I’ll check
with
Peacekeeping
Operations,
okay?
But
seven hours
later, there
was no answer
at all. This
is Ladsous',
and
therefore
Ban's, UN.
Watch this
site.
, 
