Amid
Reports DRC
Shelled Rwanda
& Shot
Woman, UN's
Ladsous
Laughs
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 25 --
Amid reports
of the
shelling of
Rwanda from
the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo, and
for example
the shooting
of 58 year old
Catherine
Gahombo by the
UN's partners
the DRC Army,
questions were
asked inside
the Security
Council and at
the day's
noon briefing.
On
the obvious
question of
WHO shelled
Rwanda, Inner
City Press is
told
that UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous said
he didn't
know. This
stands in
contrast to
previous cases
where his UN
Peacekeeping
has
immediately
ascribed
shelling to
the M23
rebels.
Since
the UN has gone
so far in the
Congo as to
become a
combatant, it
cannot be
viewed as an
impartial
reporter.
Inner
City Press at
noon asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
about the DRC
Army shooting
of Ms.
Gahombo.
Nesirky
said he would
look into it.
Inner City
Press asked if
the UN's
MONUSCO
mission is
supposed to
protect
civilians,
what about
protecting
them FROM the
DRC Army where
necessary?
Nesirky
said
that in
conflicts,
civilians get
hurt. But
protection of
civilians is
the UN's
rationale for
using
helicopter
gunships
against
the M23. But
the UN
still works
with the DRC
Army units,
the 41st and
the US-trained
391st
Battalions,
which raped
135 Congolese
women in
Minova.
While
Ladsous was
inside
purporting to
briefing the
Council, a
member not
from Africa
negatively
reviewed
Ladsous'
performance to
Inner City
Press. The
reality is, Ladsous
has previously
argued for the
escape
of the Rwanda
genocidaires
into
Eastern Congo.
Click here for
one of the memos
on that.
How
can Ladsous be
the one
briefing on
the shelling
of Rwanda?
Ladsous
left
without a word
-- laughing,
in fact. Any
previous head
of UN
Peacekeeping
would have
spoken at the
stakeout and
taken
questions.
But Ladsous
refuses Press
questions. Video here, UK
coverage here.
A
scribe who has
twice acted
for Ladsous,
seeking to
censor
coverage
and even
questioning of
Ladsous,
arrived at the
stakeout,
seemingly
summoned to
tell (t)his
story. The
scribe did not
remain when
the
Security
Council's
president for
October, the
Permanent
Representative
of Azerbaijan,
read out a
statement.
Inner
City Press
asked if there
had been
discussion of
WHO shelled
Rwanda.
No,
apparently.
Afterward,
Rwandan
Ambassador
Gasana told
the press that
Rwanda has
soldiers on
the border who
can
act. This
statement may
be twisted by
the scribes;
after that,
Gasana
told Inner
City Press
that they,
including
Ladsous,
didn't even
care
about the
shooting of
Catherine
Gahombo.
It
seemed clear:
diplomats who
simply go
along with the
French flow on
DRC did want
to make sure
that Gasana,
personally,
was OK. He is
genial, but he
is not only
speaking for
himself. On
DRC, UN
Peacekeeping
is
increasingly
irresponsible.
Watch this
site.
, 
