As
Congress Lists
Hege as Former
DRC Expert, UN
Confirms
to ICP He's
Gone
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 10 --
Given the
importance
given to the
quickly
leaked reports
of Steve
Hege-led Group
of Experts on
sanctions on
the
Democratic
Republic of
Congo, it
surprised many
to suddenly
see, on
the witness
list for
tomorrow's
House of
Representatives
hearing on
Eastern Congo
"Mr.
Steve Hege
(Former Member
United Nations
Group of
Experts on the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo)"
And
so Inner City
Press asked
the UN
spokesperson's
office, "given
the previous
Q&A at
noon briefings
about Mr.
Hege, his
writings
about the FDLR
and Rwanda's
complaints,
can you please
state whether
Mr. Hege is
stil on the
Group of
Experts, if so
when his term
expires, and
if this
listing as
'former'
member is
accurate."
The
UN
Spokesperson's
Office answer
very quickly:
Subject:
Your
question on
Steve Hege
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Mon, Dec
10, 2012 at
3:24 PM
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Mr.
Hege served as
the
Coordinator of
the Group of
Experts on the
DRC,
extended
pursuant to SC
resolution
2021 (2011).
This Group's
mandate
expired on 30
November 2012.
Some
now surmise
this explains
the nearly
real-time
leaking of
Hege's last
reports: why
not? The
controversial
coordinator of
the Somalia -
Eritrea
sanctions
group, Matt
Bryen, did the
same at the
end.
Skeptics in
the UN say
they do this
as a form of
try-out for a
job in
the human
rights field
or academia.
And
that may be
where Hege is
better suited.
As a fan of
academic
freedom, Inner
City Press
supports the
right of a
professor or
pundit
to write an
article
dismissive of
the threat
posed by the
FDLR
militia.
(This
article,
with Hege as
only "contact,"
was removed
from the
Internet
as soon as
Inner City
Press linked
to it, which
has yet to
be explained.
Maybe now?)
But
once you do
that, you
should not
expect to be
or remain on a
UN Group
of Experts on
sanctions,
just as a
judge who
wrote an op-ed
criticizing
corporation
impunity would
be recused
from many
cases. In any
case, Hege is
now "former."
So
who will write
up, and
explain, the
UN official
telling the
Guardian
M23 was
looting the
Central Bank
in Goma when
the UN itself
now tells
Inner City
Press it never
happened? Click here
for that, and
watch
this site.
, 
