By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 26
-- Before UN
Peacekeeping
held its
September 26
meeting about
the Central
African
Republic,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
Uganda
deciding not
to send its
troops as
peacekeepers
to the MINUSCA
mission, under
Herve Ladsous.
Dujarric
said
he would try
to get an
answer, but
none was sent
six hours
later. So when
Herve Ladsous,
the fourth
French chief
of UN
Peacekeeping
in a row, came
to the General
Assembly
stakeout past
6 pm on
September 26,
Inner City
Press several
times put the
question to
him: What
about the
Ugandans? Video here.
Ladsous
made
his opening
statement only
in French,
then ignored
the Press
question in
English about
Uganda pulling
out of his
peacekeeping
mission, at
the same time
that the
Philippines is
pulling out of
Ladsous'
mission in the
Golan Heights
after he
ordered their
troops to
surrender to
the Al Nursa
Front
extremist
group, which
still has
their UN
Peacekeeping
vehicles,
weapons and
uniforms.
Instead,
Ladsous
pointed at
Agence France
Presse, which
previously on
Ladsous'
behalf filed
complaints
against Inner
City Press, including
through UNCA,
now the UN's
Censorship
Alliance.
The first time
was when Inner
City Press
reported that
Ladsous
was by no
means the
first choice
to replace
Alain Le Roy
atop
peacekeeping,
but was
deposited into
the job after
the UN decided
that the first
choice, Jerome
Bonnafont, was
too flashy. So
they got
Ladsous.
Ladsous
on
September 26
proceeded to
brag about new
countries
coming into UN
Peacekeeping,
singling out
Sweden. Inner
City Press
once again
asked, what
about Uganda
pulling out of
the CAR
mission, and
added, what
about the
Filipinos
pulling out of
his mission in
the Golan? Video here.
Ladsous
as
has become his
practice - compilation here, UK
coverage here
- refused to
answer and
walked away
with two of
his aides.
They looked
back over
their
shoulders as
they went up
in the
elevator.
How
can a UN
official get
(over) paid
but answer no
critical
questions? How
can an
official under
whose watch
the Darfur
mission has
covered up
attacks on
civilians, and
who has
ordered at
least two
countries'
peacekeepers
to surrender
to terrorists,
keep his job?
The
questioning is
spreading and
one would
think would
come to a head
in the
upcoming
review of
peacekeeping,
which Inner
City Press has
heard and
reported will
be headed by
Louise Arbour.
The new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
asserts that
UN Under
Secretaries
General should
answer media
questions, and
there should
be
accounability.
We'll see.
, 
