Ladsous'
DPKO Allows
Rape Grace
Period to
Ban's
Diligence
Policy
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 13 –
When UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous on
February 6 belatedly
answered a
Press question
about the 126
rapes by
the Congolese
Army in
Minova, he
said that “our
own UN
investigations
have
identified 126
cases of rape
and in most
cases
the identity
of
perpetrators.”
Under
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
stated Human
Rights Due
Diligence
Policy, once
the UN knows
the identify
of the
perpetrators
of abuse,
it should not
longer work
with or
support them.
So
one would
expect the UN
to have
suspended
support or
working with
the
perpetrators.
But it now
appears that
the UN or at
least Ladsous'
UN
Peacekeeping
allows some
sort of rape
grace period.
On
February 7
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's top
three
spokespeople
in
writing:
follow
up question to
at least two*
of USG
Ladsous'
answers
yesterday,
didn't
want to ask
them in the
next noon
briefing but
here they are
in
writing:
MINOVA:
now
that the UN
has identified
most of those
who committed
the rapes
in Minova in
late November,
what
specifically
has been done
to
implement the
Human Rights
Due Diligence
Policy? Have
any FARDC
units
stopped
receiving
support from
MONUSCO? Have
any of the
individuals
left their
FARDC units?
If possible,
how many
individuals
are there,
and do they
include
commanders?
But
Ban's
spokesperson's
office did not
answer these
written
questions.
And so four
days later at
the February
11 noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked:
Inner
City Press: on
Wednesday last
week, the
Under-Secretary-General
for
Peacekeeping,
he appeared to
say that the
UN is aware of
the identity
of most of
those who
committed the
rapes in
November in
Minova, but
I’d sent this
to you, too,
he seemed to
indicate that
they did
know, but they
are counting
on the
Congolese
authorities to
bring
about
prosecutions.
But, I am
really
wondering if
we can get
some
statements
specifically,
what steps
have been
taken under
the human
rights due
diligence
policy not to
work with
either these
individuals
and do the
individuals,
including the
commanders of
the units or
only
the line
soldiers? Is
there some way
to know? I
mean, what’s
the
next step or
what’s been
done, given
that they know
who did it?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I am sure my
colleagues
from
Peacekeeping
Operations are
listening to
you
attentively
and let’s see
what we can
come up
with.
And
24 hours later
at the
February 12
noon briefing
Nesirky read
this
out:
I
was asked
yesterday
about rapes in
Minova, in the
eastern
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo. The
investigation
led by the
Congolese
authorities
and supported
by the United
Nations
Organization
Stabilization
Mission in the
Democratic
Republic of
Congo
(MONUSCO)
is now on the
ground in
Minova and
surrounding
areas. The
investigation
will include a
large number
of interviews
with victims
and witnesses.
In line with
our human
rights due
diligence
policy, a
review of the
Mission’s
support to
units of the
Congolese
Armed
Forces
involved in
human rights
violations
will take
place once the
investigations
have
concluded.
But
Ladsous said
the UN already
knows the
identity of
the
perpetrators.
So why are is
the UN waiting
until the
Congolese
investigation
is
finished,
while still
working with
and supporting
the
perpetrators?
Is is, as
appears to
some, that the
UN or at least
Ladsous' UN
Peacekeeping
allows some
rape grace
period? Watch
this site.
Footnotes:
Inner City
Press back on
Feburary 7
asked two
other follow
up questions
which have
still not been
answered on
February 13;
since then,
questions
about UNAMID,
UNMISS and
alleged abuse
by UN Police
in Haiti. We
thought
Ladsous' DPKO
had turned the
corner. But...
To be
continued.
, 
