Inner City
Press: in what
you read and
what was
published in
UN News
Centre, is the
allegation
that the
weapons were
going to the
opposition or
going to the
government to
conduct
further
operations
against the
opposition?
Spokesman:
The
allegations
weren't made
by us.
Questions were
raised, I
think
including by
you or
somebody else,
that there may
have been
going to
somebody else,
and there may
be weapons on
board.
The only
weapons that
were on board
were those
belonging to
peacekeepers.
You would have
to ask the
opposition to
see what their
motivation was
to grab this
barge, take
the fuel, but
I can't…
Inner City
Press: does
UNMISS believe
that the
opposition was
grabbing
weapons they
thought were
meant for
them…?
Spokesman:
There were no
weapons on
board.
Again, I think
you have,
besides the
ones the
peacekeepers
had, which
have not been
returned.
Again, I can't
speak to the
motivation of
people who
have gone and
committed
illegal
actions
against the
United
Nations.
You have to
ask them.
Inner City
Press:
The more
nitty-gritty
question I
wanted to ask
is that most
people there
are saying
that it's
Johnson Olony,
not Riek
Machar.
You said that
Mr. Ladsous
had called
Riek
Machar.
It seems like
it's another
commander,
Johnson Olony,
who Mr. Gordon
Brown has
called a
warlord, who
may not be
under the
command of
Riek Machar…
Spokesman:
I'm sure that
contacts are
being held
from the
ground.
From here, we
spoke to Riek
Machar, who
portrays
himself as the
leader of the
opposition,
and therefore
has
responsibility.
Inner City
Press: there's
this case of
two
journalists
from Syria
from a group
called Raqqa
being silently
slaughtered,
Mr. Ibrahim
Abdul-Qadir
and Fares
Hamadi, who
were found
killed,
murdered,
inside
Turkey.
And so a
number of
press freedom
groups are
saying there
should be an
investigation.
The idea that
these were
guys seeking
out a
reporting
about ISIS
crimes.
Do the…?
Spokesman:
I don't need
to look into
that
report.
I don't want
to comment on
something I'm
not aware
of...
Inner City
Press: There's
a long story
in a
publication
called Kigali
Today where
they interview
an FDLR person
who they say
has escaped
into Rwanda
and who gives
a lengthy and
detailed
account of his
time with the
FDLR.
And he says
repeatedly
that the
FARDC, the
Congolese
Army, works
with the FDLR,
that many
FARDC
commanders are
in fact FDLR
members, and
the only
weapons, the
only
ammunition
FDLR has comes
from the
Congolese
Government.
Given the
mandate by the
Security
Council to
neutralize the
FDLR and
given, I guess
I'm wondering,
what is the
response of
MONUSCO or the
UN System to a
seeming
defrocking of
a connection
between the
two?
Spokesman:
I did not read
Kigali Today
today.
Everyone is
entitled to an
opinion.
Inner City
Press:
It’s more than
an opinion.
Spokesman:
You're
entitled to an
opinion.
I'm entitled
to an
opinion.
Obviously, as
you know,
MONUSCO,
within
parameters of
its human
rights due
diligence
policy, has
been
supporting the
fight against
the FDLR.
Inner City
Press:
The purpose of
my question
was to say it
seems in fact
that the
incoming
president of
Security
Council, Mr.
Rycroft, in a
Twitter
response today
said that he
hopes that
MONUSCO can
work with the
Government to
neutralize the
FDLR.
The article
alleges…
Spokesman:
I understand
what your end
goal is
here.
The UN does
work with the
Government to
the best of
its ability
within the
parameters of
its human
rights due
diligence
policy.
And then
that's
it. And
then I'm going
home.
The
UN's
peacekeeping
mission in
South Sudan,
under Herve
Ladsous, has
been slow to
report on
crimes against
(some)
civilians,
much less to
protect them
as this month
in Leer. Inner
City Press on
October 28
asked the UN
to respond to
criticism from
the African
Union, below.
Inner City
Press asked
on October 26
about Leer,
and on October
27 the UN came back with
this:
"Yesterday,
Matthew you
asked about
South
Sudan.
The Department
for
Peacekeeping
Operations
says that it
is aware of
reports of
SPLA [Sudan
People’s
Liberation
Army] attacks
in Leer.
While the UN
Mission in
South Sudan
(UNMISS) does
not currently
have presence
in Leer, it is
looking at
ways to
improve its
ability to
assess the
situation and
enhance the
protection of
civilians by
establishing
longer and
more
established
presence in
southern Unity
state."
But now that
the African
Union report
has been
released,
there are more
questions for
the UN and
Ladsous to
answer.
From Paragraph
27: "the
Commission was
unable to
access any
data in the
possession of
the UNMISS
which has been
documenting
the violations
committed
since the
start of the
violence in
December 2013
— despite the
resolution of
the Security
Council
mandating it
to cooperate
with AUCISS."
So,
despite the
UN's claims
about "Rights
Up Front," not
only did
UNMISS not
comply with
general
requirements
of reporting
on harm to
civilians -
the AU says
UNMISS didn't
even comply
with UN
Security
Council
resolutions.
Who will
answer for
this?
Inner City
Press: I'm
sure you've
seen finally,
after much
delay, the AU
[African
Union]
released its
report on
South
Sudan.
There's a lot
in it, and
many people
are saying
many things
about it, but
the thing I'd
wanted to ask
about is the
section that
has do with
the UN.
And it says…
this is in
paragraph
37. And
this is… it's
sort of
surprising.
It says, "The
commission was
unable to
access any
data in the
possession of
UNMISS [United
Nations
Mission in
South Sudan]
which had been
documenting
the violations
committed
since the
start of the
violence
despite the
resolutions of
the Security
Council
mandating it
to cooperate
with AU
CISS. So
what does DPKO
[Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations]
say?
Spokesman:
Well,
obviously, we
welcome the
report and the
issuance of
the report,
which the
Secretary-General
has called
for, had
called
for. I
think the
issue of
transparency
is an
important one,
as is the
issue of
accountability.
As for the
details of the
report, I
think we're
still reading
through
it. So
if I have
something to
add…
Inner City
Press:
Right.
Eventually,
there's some
direct
allegations
about the
mission…
Spokesman:
I understand.
Inner City
Press:
Okay. I
have one
more...
On
October 29,
Dujarric
returned with
this, on which
Inner City
Press followed
up:
Yesterday I
was also asked
about the
report of the
African Union
on the human
rights
situation in
South Sudan.
I can tell you
that in line
with relevant
Security
Council
resolutions,
the UN Mission
supported the
African Union
Commission of
Inquiry.
The Mission
fully
cooperated
with the
Commission's
investigation
team at all
stages of its
work in South
Sudan, in
accordance
with standard
practices and
policy,
including the
need to
preserve
confidentiality
and to protect
victims and
witnesses.
This support
is
acknowledged
in the report
of the
Commission, in
its paragraph
3 where it
states that
the Commission
would like to
thank the
former Special
Representative
of the
Secretary
General, her
interim
successor, and
their team for
the immense
support
provided to
the Commission
in the course
of its work in
South Sudan.
Inner
City Press
followed up:
Inner City
Press: thanks
for the
response on
the African
Union
report.
But,
obviously, I
mean, they
said that no
data was
provided to
them. So
maybe there's
some... I
just... I
guess I would
like you to
explain,
because this
same issue
seemed to have
come up with
the rapes in
the Central
African
Republic, that
the UN seems
to have some
reading of
confidentiality,
which either
makes it
impossible to
make
information
available or,
in this case,
you know...
[Cross talk]
Spokesman:
I think
they're two
different...
very much two
different
cases.
The case in
the Central
African
Republic, as
you know, is
the subject of
an inquiry.
On South
Sudan, you
know,
obviously,
people can
interpret it
different
ways.
Obviously,
there is a
need to
respect the
confidentiality
of witnesses
and
victims.
When you are a
human rights
investigator
and you
collect those
names and the
witnesses, you
do so in
confidence.
So it's
important to
protect
that. I
think it's
clear from the
AU mission's
report that,
overall, they
were very
grateful for
the support
and work from
the
peacekeeping
mission.
Inner City
Press:
But they said
any... the
Commission was
unable to
access any
data in the
possession of
UNMISS.
Spokesman:
Well, I think
people can
have different
interpretation.
Inner City
Press:
Right.
Spokesman:
The AU have...
has said what
it has said
and I have
said what I
have said.
An internal UN
document
leaked to
Inner City
Press, which exclusively
published it
here,
shows the high
degree of
dysfunction in
the country,
and in the UN.
, 
