UNITED
NATIONS, April
29 -- As new
UN envoy Mary
Robinson begin
work in the
Congo, here
one early
litmus test
for her. Can
she end the
unacceptable
stonewalling
on the 126
rapes by two
units of the
Congolese Army
in Minova in
late November?
Starting
November
27, UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous
repeatedly
refused to
answer Press
questions
about the
rapes.
Click here to view
November 27,
December
7, December
18. And click here for Ladsous and his
spokesman
Kieran Dwyer
on April 25,
refusing to
answer on
Minova.
When
finally the UN
set a deadline
for Congolese
action, it
allowed it to
pass without
action,
ostensibly
because the
authorities
suspended 12
people. Or did
they arrest
them? The UN
wouldn't say.
Last
week on April
25
Inner
City Press
asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
for an update
on
accountability
for the Minova
mass rapists,
since
MONUSCO's 3000
word press
statement had
not mentioned
the issue.
Nesirky
said that
he'd
have to check,
that he
had nothing on
that -- and
has provided
nothing since.
The
UN won't even
name the two
FARDC
battalions that
were involved.
On
April 25,
Inner City
Press asked
Ladsous for an
update on
Minova. His
spokesman
Kieran Dwyer
said no, the
topic of the
day was Mali.
But Ladsous
refused to
answer, on
Mali, who will
disarm the
MNLA, and
questions on
Western Sahara
and Cote
d'Ivoire as
well.
Into
this circle of
impunity steps
Mary Robinson
and her
reputation.
What happens
next? Watch
this site.
, 
