UN
Says It Hasn't
Heard from
Uganda on M23,
Ging Says They
Allow Access,
Syria Compared
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 5 --
Expressing
outrage at the
UN Group of
Experts
report that
Uganda as well
as Rwanda
support the
M23 in the
Democratic
Republic of
Congo, Ugandan
media has
reported that
its
former UN
Ambassador
Ruhakana
Rugunda would
meet with
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon.
Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
on Monday
about this,
and Uganda's
statement that
it might
remove its
peacekeepers
from
Somalia and
other
countries.
Nesirky
said
he was "not
aware of any
meeting
scheduled
today of that
nature" and
that "the UN
has had no
official
communication
from
government of
Uganda with
respect to
this matter."
Video
here, from
Minute 28.
The complaint
of Rwanda has
included
questioning
the
impartiality
of the
coordinator of
the Group of
Experts, Steve
Hege, pointing
at his 2009
academic
writings
dismissing the
threat posed
by the FDLR
militia. When
Inner City
Press first
identified and
pointed at
these
writings, they
were taken off
the Internet.
Other
reports have
the Uganda
delegation
meeting "with
the UN
Security
Council."
There were no
meeting in the
Security
Council suite
of
rooms on
Monday --
Inner City
Press checked
in front -- so
these
would be
bilateral
meeting with
particular
Council
members.
The
Security
Council or at
least
prominent
members have
denounced M23
for
setting up
"parallel
structure" in
Rutshuru and
environs.
This has
implied that
there is
something
particularly
pernicious
about an armed
group opposing
a government
taking the
step of
setting
up parallel
structures.
The
UN's deputy
humanitarian
chief John
Ging on Monday
confirmed to
Inner
City Press
that "the
opposition in
Syria" has set
up such
parallel
structures (video
here, from
Minute 15:54)
-- a move that
the same
Security
Council
members
applaud.
So, not to be
overly naive
or only so to
demostrate an
academic
point, it is
not "setting
up parallel
structures"
per se that is
being
condemned, it
is only when
BY
certain
groups, or
against
certain
governments.
As
regards the
DRC, Inner
City Press
asked Ging if
there is
humanitarian
access to the
area
controlled by
M23. He said
yes, listing
as the
primary
impediment
"the terrain."
Video
here, from
Minute
10:05.
Inner
City Press
asked Ging if
he agreed with
the Security
Council's
condemnation
of M23 setting
up parallel
structures.
Ging replied,
"it's a
difficult
question, the
imperative of
aid delivery
is
there. We want
to see the
people getting
the assistance
they
desperately
need. It's
about saving
lives. I don't
want to go
further
than that, as
you can
imagine." Video
here, from
Minute 11:20.
This
is the
humanitarian
answer, and
perhaps that
of
international
humanitarian
law. If you
are going to
control
territory, you
take on
certain
responsibilities.
And
where is the
Ugandan
delegation?
Watch this
site.
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