After
Ladsous
Refuses Press
Qs in NY, RFI
Without Rapes,
DRC Calls Inaccurate
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 2 --
On January 5,
after yet more
alleged rapes
by UN
Peacekeepers
were reported
in the Central
African
Republic,
Ban's head of
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous
pointedly
refused an
Inner City
Press question
about the
rapes (Vine
here),
which by
contrast the
Ambassadors of
New Zealand
and Uruguay
answered.
We say
“seemingly-controlled”
because none
of the 12
questions even
mentioned the
rape scandals
swirling
around
Ladsous' DPKO,
which less his
linking of
rapes to
R&R.
In fairness to
RFI, those few
times Ladsous
grants
interviews to
handpicked
scribes in New
York,
conditions are
imposed, for
example what
cannot be
asked about.
(Some media
are so lame
they wouldn't
even try to
ask. AFP at
the UN, for
example,
airbrushes
French Ladsous
from the
stories it has
to publish
about the
peacekeeper
rape scandals
- while making
bogus attempts
on those who
actually cover
Ladsous, for
example in
2011 and
even now,
today, here,
in Vine
here.)
But even this
RFI interview
has caused
trouble: the
DR Congo says
that Ladsous
was
“inaccurate”
in claiming
that Generals
Sikabwe Fall
and Bruno
Mandevu had
been moved to
other
assignments.
So even in
such a
controlled
session,
Ladsous has
these
problems. How
can UN
Peacekeeping
be reformed
this way?
On
January 18,
the UN
confirmed to
Inner City
Press that the
whistleblower
of the CAR
rapes, Anders
Kompass, has
been cleared,
without
reference
however to any
reforms. Inner
City Press on January 18
asked:
Inner City
Press: Anders
Kompass, the
whistleblower
in the CAR
[Central
African
Republic] rape
inquiry, has
said that he
received a
letter from
OIOS [Office
of Internal
Oversight
Services]
saying that
he's been
exonerated and
cleared.
And he also
said… this is
what I wanted
to ask you
about… is… you
know, that he
doesn't
understand… he
said he's
saddened, and
it's a mystery
why most of
the UN
leadership
decided to do
this to me
when they know
very well how
badly the UN
was handling
these type of
cases.
So, this seems
to be… what do
you… one,
would you
confirm the
OIOS sent such
a
letter?
And, two,
although he
doesn't name
names, he in
the… in this
process has
named fairly
high
names.
What's your
response to
what he's
saying?
Deputy
Spokesman
Farhan
Haq:
Well,
regarding his
case, yes, I
can confirm
that the
Office of
Internal
Oversight
Services has
written to
him, and
they've
confirmed that
the cases
against him
are now
closed.
And so that is
where we stand
on all the
various cases
concerning Mr.
Kompass.
Regarding how
we deal with
these matters,
as you're
aware, the
Secretary-General
appointed a
panel headed
by Judge Marie
Deschamps to
deal exactly
with that very
question.
And she came
out with a
report, of
which you are
all, I think,
fully
informed.
You've heard
what she had
to say.
You've seen
the report,
which we have
made available
in its
entirety, and
it is now
being studied
for follow-up
action.
So, we
continue to
see what we
can learn from
this and how
we can do
better.
Inner City
Press:
But, has
anything been…
I guess… one
of the things
that he talks
about in his
interview is
to say that…
that he wants
to make sure
that other UN
staff are not
dissuaded from
blowing the
whistle.
Although he's
now been
cleared, it
obviously was
quite a
process.
There was an
attempt to
remove him
from his job,
which he was
only restored
by the
internal
justice
system.
Are there any
steps taken to
actually
encourage,
rather than
discourage, UN
staff to come
forward when
they're aware
of the rape of
children?
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq:
Well,
certainly, the
Secretary-General
believes that
all staff
should be
encouraged to
come
forward.
This is the
purpose of all
of our various
newer
initiatives,
including, for
example, the
Human Rights
Up Front
initiative.
But, beyond
that, you,
yourself, just
pointed out
that he was
cleared by the
internal
justice
system.
And that is a
sign that we
hope staff
take to heart,
that the
internal
justice system
does, in fact,
work.
And although
it is… can be
a tedious
process and,
for the people
participating
in it, it can
be
frustrating,
we have tried
to make sure
that the
internal
justice system
is
strengthened
enough that it
will come to
the right
conclusions as
you go through
the process.
Does
this really
encourage or
discourage UN
whistleblowers?
We're still
waiting for
that answer.
But even as
Ban and his
spokespeople
refused to
answer basic
questions
ranging from
Sri Lanka to
Burundi,
corruption
cases to
rapes, his UN
Correspondents
Association
now known as
the UN
Corruption
Association,
having charged
$6000 for
seats next to
Ban,
continues to
promote him -
without
questions,
literally. It
seems Ban will
appear at UNCA
on January 29.
UNCA
head Giampaolo
Pioli, who
tried to get
the
investigative
Press thrown
out of the UN
for accurately
reporting that
Pioli had
accepted rent
money from
Palitha
Kohona, Sri
Lanka's
ambassador,
then gave a
"UN screening"
on a war
crimes denial
film in the
Dag
Hammarskjold
Auditorium,
has issued
this, only to
those who pay
UNCA money,
leaked by a
disgusted UNCA
member:
"Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
would like to
meet with UNCA
members and
all UN
correspondents
for the New
Year's visit
this
Wednesday, Jan
6th, 2016 from
10:35 to 10:50
am in the UNCA
room. It will
be an
opportunity
for him to say
a few words to
all of our
colleagues and
to exchange
his best
wishes. There
will not be a
Q&A
session but as
in every year
it is a great
occasion to be
together.
Please
attend."
Well,
no. Providing
a rah-rah
session with
no Q&A is
pathetic. And,
"all
correspondents"
will not enter
the UN
Corruption
Association,
which charges
money for
access to Ban.
January 6 was
canceled, but
may be set for
a repeat on
January 29.
And yet,
Ban should be
asked, and
should answer,
questions such
as those
raised by the
new rape
changees in
CAR,
particularly
now that his
head of
Peacekeeping
has again
refused to
answer. We'll
have more on
this.
Ban's envoy to
Libya Bernardino
Leon was
exposed by
leaks as
having taken
instructions
and then a job
from the
United Arab
Emirates.
And Ban's head
of UN
Peacekeeping,
Herve
Ladsous,
is listed in
UN Dispute
Tribunal
documents as
having tried
to cover up
child rapes in
Central
African
Republic by
peacekeepers
from his
native France.
Inner
City Press,
which Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric did
not call on
despite
calling two
separate times
on the same UN
Correspondents
Association
scribe, asked
audibly, “Do
you have any
update on the
John Ashe
indictment?
Bernardino
Leon? These
were major
developments
this year.” Vine here.
But Ban
refused to
answer the
question. He
walked out of
the briefing
room, shaking
hands scribes.
The press
conference
began with
Dujarric
setting aside
the first
question for
the head of
UNCA, who
thanked Ban
for attending
an event on
Wall Street for
which UNCA
charged $6,000
to sit with
Ban. This
is the UN
Corruption
Association.
A
question on or
to cover up
the sexual
abuse scandal
was arranged,
with Agence
France Presse
congratulating
Ban for this
response to
the sexual
abuse scandal.
(Senegalese
Babacar Gaye
was urged to
resign,
Ladsous who on
camera linked
the rapes to
“R&R," video here, remains in
place.)
Ban read out a
wan answer on
Burundi;
his deputy
spokeperson
refused an
Inner City
Press question
on Burundi at
the previous
day's noon
briefing.
We'll have
more on this.
Ban once
promised
monthly press
conference but
his last one
was three
months before,
then nine
months before
that. On
September 16
with the UN
being less
than
successful in
mediating in Yemen
and Libya,
Syria and
South Sudan,
accused of
rapes in
Central
African
Republic and
killing 8,000
in Haiti with
cholera (after
40,000 died in
Sri
Lanka with
little
response from
the UN),
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon was
asked, What is
your legacy?
Dujarric
himself cut
off Inner City
Press
questions on
what Ladsous
said, and
declined to
answer on
Reddit in an
“Ask Me
Anything.” (He
didn't say
he's ANSWER
everything,
one wag
pointed out.)
But
even beyond
the scandals,
Ban did not in
his opening
statement
mention
Somalia, or
CAR, or
Darfur; none
of the
questions
selected by
Dujarric was
about Africa.
(One wire
points out
Africa was
part of a
UN-at-70
question;
noted.)
Inner City
Press also
tried to ask
about Burundi
-- nothing -
and South
Sudan, on
which we are
preparing a
story.
It was
Voice of
America with
the “What is
your legacy”
question. Ban
said he'd
answer next
year. Inner
City Press
might answer
sooner. Watch
this site. Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
, 
