On
Gabon, As
Atlantic
Council Drops
Prize to
Bongo,
Nepotism Not
Disavowed by
Ban's UN
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 12
-- As in Gabon
Jean Ping
accuses Ali
Bongo of
stealing the
election, in
front of the
UN on
September 8
there was
another anti
Ali Bongo
protest,
YouTube here,
following the
one on
September 6, Vine here, longer
YouTube video
here.
Signs included
50 years is
enough, a
reference to
Omar Bongo
handing over
the country to
his son, Ali.
More than one
person noted
that the UN
has become
that way: on
August 26, the
day after
Inner City
Press first
asked about
it, Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon gave
the top UN job
in Kenya to
his own son in
law Siddharth
Chatterjee,
without
recusing
himself. Now
Team Ban / Sid
has stoked
up his Sri
Lanka military
commander to
defends the nepotism,
here.
Also
surreal was
the Atlantic
Council
insisting they
would go ahead
and give Ali
Bongo a "Global
Citizen Award"
on September
19, telling
the Telegraph:
"The
Atlantic
Council is
honouring
Gabonese
President Ali
Bongo Ondimba
for his life
of public
service and
efforts to
improve the
lives of the
people of
Gabon –
demonstrated
through his
economic and
infrastructure
reforms – and
his consistent
campaign to
preserve
Africa’s
national
treasures and
put an end to
poaching,"
said Nicole
Hobbs, a
spokesman for
the Council.
Now
on September
12, their online
notice has
been updated,
dropping any
reference to
Bongo.
We'll have
more on this.
At the
UN Ban's
spokesman
won't say who
was on the
panel that
supposedly
picked Sid
Chatterjee;
Inner City
Press is
confined to
minders when
it seeks to
cover the UN's
second floor.
This is
censorship in
the UN; in
Gabon, the
Internet is
off (but Inner
City Press' photos
and Vine are
getting hits,
presumably
from the
diaspora or
others
concerned with
democracy and
human rights,
lacking in
Ban's UN
itself).
On
September 8,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarrica
about AU
mediator Idris
Deby not
arriving, and
the attack on
the ex-Justice
Minister, of
which Dujarric
tellingly said
he was
UNaware. Beyond
the Vine video
here; UN transcript
here:
Inner
City Press: I
wanted to ask
you about
Gabon.
You'd said
yesterday that
the UN envoy
will be
participating
in this A… I
guess, AU
mediation
team, which
seems like
it's been
delayed.
President
[Idriss] Déby
was described
as tired
returning from
the G-20 and
has not
arrived.
So I wanted to
know, does the
UN plan to go
forward in any
way on its
own? And
are they aware
of the
ex-justice
minister,
Serafin
Mandunga,
saying that
once he
resigned for
failure of a
recount that
his house was
attacked by
five armed men
and
everything…
Spokesman:
I haven't seen
those
particular
reports, but I
think the
Secretary-General
and his envoys
repeatedly
condemned
violence and
called out
anyone
engaging in
such
violence.
We do,
obviously,
know and
understand
that the AU…
excuse me…
that the AU
mission has
been delayed,
which included
Mr.
[Abdoulaye]
Bathily.
We will
continue to
work closely
with the AU to
try to
expedite the
arrival on the
mission.
I think it's a
very important
mission in
order to try
to de-escalate
the situation
and calm the
post-election
situation.
Meanwhile, Mr.
Bathily is
continuing to
talk to
various actors
on both sides
of the issue
in Gabon, and
he's also in
touch with
regional
actors as
well.
On
September 7,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric if
Ban favors a
recount. Beyond
the Vine video
here. From the UN
transcript:
Inner
City Press: I
wanted to ask
you, there was
a protest in
front of the
UN yesterday,
of Gabonese
very much
calling for a
recount,
etc. So
I wanted to
know, on the
question of
now… now Ali
Bongo has said
everything's
up to the
Constitutional
Court.
Seems like
there are
definitely
some
international
bodies saying
that there
should be a
recount in the
home province
of Ali
Bongo.
What does the
Secretary-General
believe?
Spokesman:
Just to update
you on Mr.… on
our position,
what Mr.
[Abdoulaye]
Bathily is
doing, first,
that he will
be part of the
African Union
mission that
will be going
to
Libreville.
Obviously,
he's already
there, but he
will be
joining the
mission,
starting 9
September.
He is
continuing to
encourage the
opposition to
file an appeal
with the
Constitutional
Court.
The deadline
to submit is
now set for 8
September at 4
p.m. local
time. In
this regard,
Mr. Bathily
met with John
Ping on 6
September to
encourage him
once again to
use the
existing legal
means to
channel his
dispute.
Mr. Bathily
will remain in
direct contact
with President
Ali Bongo
Ondimba as
well.
Minute later,
Ban's
spokesman when
asked about
Ban and
nepotism by
Inner City
Press called
it a
“ridiculous
accuations”
and walked
out. Beyond
the Vine video
here.
Nepotism
everywhere. In
front of the
UN on
September 7,
as in DC, a
Gabonese
encampment
remained.
On
Gabon on
September 1 in
front of the
UN Security
Council French
Ambassador
Francois
Delattre told
the press that
his country
“has
pronounced
itself” and
wants the
Security
Council to
condemn
looting and
call to
guarantee the
transparency
of the
election.
Inner City
Press put the
audio
on Soundcloud,
here.
But
what does that
mean? Is it a
code word for
more Bongo?
The US,
meanwhile,
said “we call
on the
Gabonese
Government to
release
results for
each
individual
polling
station.
This will help
give the
people of
Gabon, as well
as the
international
community,
confidence the
announced vote
tallies are
accurate.”
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, on a
two week
junket through
Asia, soon
through his
spokesman
echoed the US:
“The UN
supports the
call of
regional and
international
observers for
a transparent
verification
of election
results.”
Given the long
relationship
of France with
Omar Bongo and
now his son
Ali Bongo, who
“holds the
pen” for the
Security
Council on
this? Watch
this site.
, 
