UN
To Start
Shooting in
DRC in 48
Hours, Won't
Name Units It
Supports
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
30 -- The UN
today said it
will start
shooting in
Eastern Congo
at any person
who has not
turned in
their weapons
in 48 hours,
thereby
effectively
declaring war.
Since
this is
something
quite new for
the UN, Inner
City Press at
the July 30
noon briefing
asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesman
Eduardo Del
Buey a series
of questions
-- none of
which he
answered. Video here.
Inner
City Press
asked if the
UN
acknowledges
that the
Geneva
Conventions
will apply to
it, as a party
to an armed
conflict. Del
Buey said he
would have to
check -- but
Inner City
Press asked
this question
weeks ago.
Twenty
four days ago,
Inner City
Press asked
the four
spokespeople
of UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous which
units of the
Congolese Army
the UN
provides
support to.
Under Ban's
supposed Human
Rights Due
Diligence
Policy,
the UN is not
supposed to
support units
engaged in
abuses.
But,
for example,
after the
391st
Battalion was
implicated in
135 rapes in
Minova in
November 2012
(and Ladsous
tried to
months to
cover this up,
video here),
the UN is
still
supporting the
unit. This
month the
391st
Battalion was
implicated in
the
desecration of
corpses.
On
July 30 Inner
City Press
asked Del Buey
to state if
the UN is
STILL
supporting the
391st
Battalion -- French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
told Inner
City Press it is
the "best
unit" in the
Congolese
Army, full
story here
-- and to at
least answer
the question
before MONUSCO
starts
shooting in
support of the
Congolese
Army, in 48
hours.
I'll
have to check,
Del Buey said.
When Inner
City Press
asked if this
would happen
in the next 48
hours, he said
his "crystal
ball is
covered and
smoky." Video
here. And
so it goes at
the UN.
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