New UN
Sex Abuse
Charge in CAR,
After Ladsous
Linked Abuse
to "R&R"
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 15,
updated
-- When
peacekeepers
from France
allegedly
raped children
in the Central
African
Republic and
the UN learned
about it more
than a year
ago, the UN
and UNICEF did
nothing,
until French
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous asked
to fire the
whistleblower
Anders Kompass
in March of
this year, as
stated in two
UN
Dispute
Tribunal
rulings.
On
September 11,
refusing to
answer on
this, Ladsous
instead linked
the rapes to
soldiers' lack
of
"distraction"
and saying
rapes could be
avoided by
some
"relatively
cheap
R&R." Video here.
On
September 15,
the UN Mission
in CAR,
MINUSCA,
issued this:
"On 12
September
2015, the
United Nations
Multidimensional
Integrated
Stabilization
Mission in the
Central
African
Republic
(MINUSCA)
received an
allegation of
sexual
exploitation
committed by
one of its
civilian
staff.
"MINUSCA has
informed the
CAR
authorities of
this
allegation and
the United
Nations Office
of Internal
Oversight
Services has
immediately
taken steps to
investigate
this case,
consistent
with
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
Zero Tolerance
Policy on SEA.
"MINUSCA
condemns in
the strongest
possible terms
any instance
of sexual
exploitation
and abuse
committed by
UN personnel
in the CAR.
SRSG
Onanga-Anyanga
who has
discussed this
new case with
both High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights, Mr.
Zeid Ra’ad
Al-Hussein,
and USG DPKO
Mr. Herve
Ladsous,
reiterates his
personal and
institutional
commitment to
ensure that
the rights and
dignity of
victims are
protected, an
investigation
is carried out
swiftly, and
that justice
is done.
"There are
currently seventeen
allegations of
sexual
exploitation
and abuse by
UN personnel
in the CAR
that have been
reported to
MINUSCA. Of
these 17
cases, 13
involve
allegations
against our
military, one
involves
allegations
against our
police, one
case is
against a
civilian, and
in one case,
the
perpetrator’s
status is
unknown. Each
and every case
has been
documented and
initial
fact-finding,
preservation
of evidence,
and/or
investigations
have been
initiated."
Update:
after Inner
City Press
published the
above, as
issued, with
16
allegations,
the UN issued
a correction,
that it is 17.
But they did
not change the
breakdown of
13 military, 1
police, 1
civilian and 1
other, which
still adds up
to 16.
Inner City
Press: I'd
wanted to ask
you this on
Friday or Mr.
Ladsous, but I
want to ask
you, from this
podium, he
said, in
discussing
rapes, he said
that
peacekeepers
there don't
have enough
recreation,
that they
don't have
enough
comfort.
He said that
they are
looking into
getting them
flights to get
them fresh
air, and
although he
did use the
word, he's not
excusing
it. I'm
going to tell,
many people
saw this as
basically a
statement that
somehow
linking the
rapes to a
lack of other
distractions…
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I think… I
think it's a
complete
misinterpretation
of what Mr.
Ladsous
said. He
stressed a
number of
times that
there was no
excuse...
Inner City
Press:
Then what
about the
flights?
I'm sorry.
Spokesman:
I'm a little
over-caffeinated
with me today
so just bear
with me.
He repeatedly
said that
there was no
excuse for
rape.
Okay.
That is
clear.
That is UN
policy, and I
think that's
everyone's
policy.
There is no
excuse for
rape.
What he said
in talking
about the case
of one
contingent
that had been
deployed in
basically a
very hardship
peacekeeping
operation for
more than
three
years.
When troops
are not
rotated, when
troops don't
have an
opportunity to
be rotated out
for [rest and
recuperation]
and that's
true for any
armed forces,
it creates the
conditions
where there
can be all
sorts of abuse
or other
things
developing.
It is not an
excuse for
rape.
And I think
it's clear
that we have
seen rape and
horrendous
sexual abuse
by soldiers in
many parts of
the
world.
Some of them
come from very
rich
armies.
Some come from
very poor
armies.
There is no
excuse.
What he was
saying and I
think people
would agree
with it, that
three years
for any
contingent
being
stationed in
very difficult
circumstances
is too long.
Inner City
Press: I
guess what I
want to say,
US military,
an admiral in
the Pacific
was fired for
comments
exactly like
that for which
the person…
the person
excused
himself and
apologized… he
said
distraction,
comfort.
Spokesman:
Matthew,
Matthew.
I read what
you wrote.
I'm aware of
the other
case. I
think they're
complete…
they're not
comparable.
Inner City
Press:
Where are the
flights
going?
Where are the
[rest and
recuperation]
flights
going?
Spokesman:
I will come
back…
Back in
1995 for
similar
comments, US
Admiral
Richard C.
Macke was
fired, as
reported in
the LA
Times and
the New
York Times,
which said
Macke
"apologized
after members
of Congress
and Japanese
officials
complained,
but it was too
late.... A
senior White
House official
said tonight
that Anthony
Lake, the
national
security
adviser, had
heard of
Admiral
Macke's
remarks and
told the
Defense
Department
that the
statements
were 'not
acceptable.'"
Anthony
Lake is now in
the UN system,
as the head of
UNICEF
- does he
think UN
Peacekeeping
chief Ladsous'
similar
comments in
2015 are
acceptable? Or
does he,
apparently
like his and
some other
major member
states, hope
no one notices
what Ladsous
says and,
worse, does?
UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon has
yet to act.
Nor have
Ladsous'
French
sponsors, who
dumped
him on the UN
after he'd
previously
been rejected
for the post
by Ban's
predecessor
Kofi Annan,
said anything.
When
Inner City
Press started
asking about
this, Ladsous
took to saying
"I
don't respond
to you,
Mister," right
on UNTV.
Instead he
summoned
Agence France
Presse,
Reuters and
others to
private
briefings, as
here
in the hall.
These media
didn't report
Ladsous'
antics -- nor
despite being
present at
Ladsous'
September 11
press
conference did
they report
his linkage of
soldiers'
rapes to their
lack of
"comfort" or
R&R. This
is today's UN.
It was
Senegalese
Babacar Gaye,
the head of
the CAR
mission, and
not overall
Peacekeeping
chief Ladsous
who was fired
by UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon; Inner
City Press
obtained and
put Gaye's
letter online
here (credited
here and here) citing
systemic
problems.
Before
Ladsous'
carefully
controlled
four day visit
to the country
- no questions
on the
peacekeeper
rapes,
colonial
photographs
sent out - UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric told
Inner City
Press, which
asked, that
Ladsous would
take questions
when he
returned,
including
about
peacekeepers'
sexual abuse.
But when
Ladsous
appeared at
the September
11 UN noon
briefing, UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric for
the second
time did not
allow Inner
City Press to
ask Ladsous a
single
question.
Dujarric gave
the first
question to
the UN
Correspondents
Association,
which after a
perfunctory
questions
about the
number of
sexual abuse
cases said its
“real”
question was
if Ladsous
will meet
Obama. (Yes,
apparently,
and
inappropriately,
see below). Video here.
Inner
City Press
prepared to
ask Ladsous an
obvious
question: what
is his
response to
appearing in
at least two
UN Dispute
Tribunal
rulings as
having tried
to get the
whistleblower
Kompass fired?
But Dujarric
gave the
second
question to a
Reuters
reporter
who has
previously
channeled
Ladsous, then
to Agence
France Presse,
whose UN
reporter in
2011 asked
UNCA's board
to act on
Inner City
Press'
reporting on
Ladsous.
Even with the
questions
allowed,
Ladsous'
answers should
get him fired.
First,
speaking of
sexual abuse,
he said he
didn't want to
“deflower”
the subject.
Vine here.
Then
explaining the
peacekeepers'
rapes he said
that a
solution would
be to get them
more
“recreation”
(translating
back and forth
with Dujarric,
Ladsous began
to say “R and
R”).
Ladsous
was asked,
what do you
mean? He said
that Asian
countries are
good at this.
We'll have
more, but on
top of his
role in covering
up rapes in DR
Congo, Darfur
and now CAR,
this should
get Ladsous
fired. More here.
, 
