UN
Silent As
Staffer Killed
in Mali,
Ladsous
Berated
Malians About
France
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 7 --
When UN
Peacekeepers
are
determined, by
the UN itself,
to have killed
three
civilians in
Mali by using
excessive
force, what
accountability
is
there?
None - and UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous on
April 2
refused to
answer
questions
about his own
responsibility.
Video
here. Vine here.
On August 7 at
the UN's noon
briefing Inner
City Press
asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric if it
was true that
a UN staff
member was
killed in an
attack in
Sevare in
Mali, and
another taken
hostage.
Dujarric said
he would not
answer "for
this podium."
But throughout
the afternoon
of August 7,
Dujarric did
not answer in
any other way.
Amid
increasing
reports of the
UN staffer's
death,
allegedly
confirmed by
MINUSMA -
which sent out
no
announcement
-- Inner City
Press
re-inquired
with the
spokesperson's
office and
obtained a
hard-copy only
statement,
re-typed
below. Then
the UN
Spokesperson's
Office closed.
Ladsous, it
seemed,
remained on
vacation. Here
is the
statement:
“Early this
morning,
unidentified
armed men
launched an
attack on a
Malian
military site
in the town of
Sevare, in the
Mopti region.
The attackers,
who were
pushed back by
the Malian
Armed Forces,
then took
refuge in a
hotel in town
(Byblos).
Confrontation
between the
attackers and
the Malian
Armed and
Security
Forces
continued
throughout the
morning and
shots continue
to be fired
sporadically
at the hotel
and in its
vicinity.
“Available
reports
indicate that
a member of
the
international
personnel
associated
with MINUSMA
was killed in
the attack.
MINUSMA
condemns this
despicable
attack in the
strongest
terms. MINUSMA
continues to
very closely
monitor
developments
and to
coordinate its
efforts with
the Malian
authorities
and the
representatives
of the
international
community and
Barkhane.
“At the
request of the
Malian
authorities,
MINUSMA has
taken measures
to ensure the
transport of a
Malian rapid
intervention
team from
Bamako to
Sevare as
reinforcements
for the
national armed
and security
forces who are
on location.
This team is
accompanied by
MINUSMA Police
experts who
will provide
technical
support, if
necessary.
MINUSMA has
also
reinforced
security at
the Sevare -
Mopti airport
and deployed a
medical team
that is
already
stationed at
the airport to
provide any
necessary
assistance.”
, 
