By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 14, updated
--
It is reported
that while UN
peacekeepers
were guarding
a bank in
Kidal, two
were killed by
a car bomb.
Rest in Peace.
Between the
Malian police
and army and
the French
Serval
contingent,
why were UN
peacekeepers
guarding a
bank? And by
working with
these forces,
have the UN peacekeepers
become parties
to a conflict,
combatants for
purposes of
international
law?
It's said the
UN was
guarding the
bank because
the Malian
forces can't,
under the peace
agreement. But
how then were
the Malian police
at the Kidal
airport,
shooting at
the
protesters?
The Kidal car
bomb comes a
day after UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous acknowledged
that the
Malian police
in Kidal shot
protesters in
last November
after UN
peacekeepers
and French
Serval forces
told the crowd
to disperse.
Last weekend
one of those
shot died.
Inner
City Press on
December asked
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous about
the incident,
and also how
France
obtained a
non-public
Letter of
Assist payment
from the UN
for airfield
services in
northern Mali,
how much it is
for and why it
is not more
transparent.
Ladsous
replied
that "I make
it a policy
not to respond
to you,
Mister," but
then provided
something of
an answer to
the first but
not second,
financial,
question. Video
here, from
Minute 15:45.
Inner City
Press YouTube
here and
embedded
below.
He
said, "I will
respond on
Kidal, because
indeed that
was a very
unfelicitous
occurrence.
Our UN Police
and Serval,
the French
troops,
ordered the
crowd to
disperse. It
appears Malian
police did
shoot, and
yes, three
civilians were
injured, one
of whom died
over the
weekend."
In
many
countries, if
an unarmed
civilian is
shot and
killed by
police the
officer is
suspended and
charges are
brought or put
before a grand
jury or other
tribunal. What
is happening
here?
Ladsous
said,
"We are
looking
further into
the matter. Of
course we have
to say if
indeed it is
established
beyond any
doubt that the
Malian police
did shoot,
that is not a
way to behave,
this is
absolutely
unacceptable."
But to
whom must it
be established
beyond a
doubt? In the
case of the
135 rapes in
Minova by the
391st and 41st
Battalions of
the Congolese
Army, the UN
has continued
to provide
material
support to
those two
units for the
eleventh
months before
any trial
started.
Ladsous
did
not say
anything in
response to
Inner City
Press'
question about
how France got
the Letter of
Assist, how
much it is for
and why it is
not more
public.
The
history
of Ladsous and
the policy he
adopted in May
2012 of not
answering
any of Inner
City Press'
questions,
including
about the
Minova rapes
except once at
the
International
Peace
Institute
across First
Avenue from
the UN, is
long; since
there was on
December 13 at
least this
plausible
interim answer
on the Kidal
shootings to
report, we
still leave it
here for now.
(Longer
form here, on
Beacon Reader.)
But
even on this
there are
questions of
policy -- to
use Ladsous'
word -- which
should
obviously be
answered or
responded to.
Does Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
stated Human
Rights Due
Diligence
Policy apply
to this case
of Malian
police
shooting at
unarmed
protesters?
Is the UN's
MINUSMA
mission still
working with
these Malian
police? If so,
does that make
the UN
peacekeepers
combatants?
And now: what
were UN
peacekeepers
doing guarding
a bank? These
questions
should be
answered.
Watch this
site.
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