Amid
Ladsous'
Stonewalling,
Who Shot
Peacekeepers,
Probing with
Khartoum?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 23 --
The day after
UN Peackeeping
boss Herve
Ladsous
refused to
answer
Inner City
Press'
questions
about Kadugli
in South
Kordofan and
deadly attacks
on
peacekeepers
in Darfur, the
UN had no
further
information on
Darfur and
could not
confirm or
deny
the reported
killing of two
children by
shelling in
Kadugli.
Nor
could or would
the UN or
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations say
whether the
six recently
injured
peacekeepers
in Eastern
Congo were
attacked by
the M23 or the
FDLR or Mayi
Mayi militia.
On
October 22,
according to
DPKO's
transcription,
Inner City
Press
asked:
Question
(Matthew
Lee, Inner
City Press): A
question about
Sudan. You
said
that you are
right-sizing
the Darfur
force, but it
seems like
five
peacekeepers
have been
killed there
this month –
first four at
the
beginning of
the month and
then a South
African
recently. And
at
least it seems
that the
attack was
done with
anti-tank guns
and other
very serious
weaponry. What
steps is
UNAMID going
to take to
protect
the
peacekeepers?
And also the
peacekeepers
that you have
in Kadugli
in Southern
Kordofan, I
wanted to know
do they have
any at least
observing
mandate? Can
they, if they
become aware
of fighting or
attacks on
Kadugli? I
heard that you
mentioned in
the Council in
the
South Sudan,
Sudan
briefing, you
mentioned
stuff about
Kadugli, is
that as DPKO
or simply
passing it on
from others?
USG
Ladsous:
Mister, I told
you already
that I would
answer your
questions when
you stop
making
insulting
insinuations
about me.
Thank
you.
Question
(Matthew
Lee, Inner
City Press):
What is
insulting
about these
questions?
Peacekeepers
are dead. Can
you answer the
question?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Moving on.
On
October 23
Inner City
Press asked
Nesirky again
about reports
that
the Darfur
peacekeepers
were attacked
with anti-tank
weapons, to
stop
any
investigation
of human
rights abuses
in Hashaba.
Nesirky still
did not have
the specifics
of the attack,
but said
UNAMID is
committed to
investigating.
But
as Inner City
Press asked,
investigating
WITH the
government?
This is
the type of
question, with
all due
respect, that
Under
Secretary
General
Ladsous is
being paid to
address.
Even
further back,
six Indian
peacekeepers
in the DRC
were injured.
Some
reported said
by the M23
mutineers,
some said by
the FDLR or
Mayi
Mayi militia.
Since
fortunately
they survived
-- as of last
report,
given DPKO's
chief's
communications
strategy, one
never knows --
don't they
have some idea
who attacked
them? Nesirky
said he would
check.
Again, this is
the type of
question, with
all due
respect,
that Under
Secretary
General
Ladsous is
being paid to
address.
And
that, is no "insulting
innuendo" --
Ladsous'
justification
for refusing
to answer
questions
including
about deadly
attacks on UN
Peacekeepers
under his
"command."
Watch this
site.
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