On S.
Sudan, Ladsous
Leaves Questions
UNanswered,
Spins VOA
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
27 -- After
the UN
Security
Council
amended its
South Sudan
mission's
mandate,
including
support to
Juba's police
ostensibly
subject to the
UN's "Human
Rights Due
Diligence
Policy"
(Operative
Paragraph
4(a)(vi) of
the
resolution,
here) -- what
does that
Policy
actually mean?
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous
instead of
taking
questions at
the UN
Television
stakeout about
the policy,
and failures
in South
Sudan, met
Voice of
America's
scribe in the
hall. There is
history of
this: video
here.
There
were other
questions he
should have
answered,
about the failure
to publicly
issue the
report on
cluster bombs
or the
admitted failure
in moving
Ghana's troops
weapons by
land.
New questions
were raised
about UN
Peacekeeping
firing in the
air in South
Sudan, and giving
the government
as little as
48 hours
notice to sign
off on logistics
or be charged
with obstruction.
The human rights
due diligence
policy is supposed
to mean that
the UN will
not support
units which
engage in
abuse for
which they are
not held accountable.
But in the
Democratic
Republic of
Congo, after only two
FARDC soldiers
were convicted
for more than
130 rapes in
Minova in November
2012, UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous has
NOT suspended
support to the
41st and 391st
Battalions implicated
in the rapes.
Ladsous refused to answer questions
about the
rapes, and
has provided
no explanation
since the
impunity
ruling in the
DRC. Inner
City Press
asked again at
the May 27 UN
noon briefing.
So are Council
members
fooling
themselves, or
others, by
saying it's
meaningful
that UNMISS'
support in
South Sudan
would be under
this
UNexplained
and UNenforced
"Human Rights
Due Diligence"
policy?
And,
separately,
what of UNMISS
chief Hilde
Johnson
welcoming and
taking photographs
with David Yau
Yau? We'll
have more on
this.
Background:
after the May
12 South Sudan
speech of UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
welcoming “the
ceasefire
agreement
signed in
Addis Ababa on
Friday,” Inner
City Press
asked Ban
about the
ceasefire
being broken,
and elections
now delayed
two or three
years.
Ban
replied that
he is
disappointed
that the
ceasefire “was
not honored in
Bentiu,” and
said he is
engaged with
the regional
IGAD leaders
about it. UN
Transcript
below. Ban did
not respond on
the delay in
elections,
even as he
called for the
elections in
(parts of)
Ukraine to go
forward this
May 25.
Ban's
opening
statement to
the press also
addressed Boko
Haram's
kidnappings in
Nigeria,
saying he has
sent UN envoy
Said Djinnit
there.
He did not
bring up
Syria, but two
of the
questioners
selected for
him by his
spokesman
brought up
Syria: the
projected
departure of
envoy Lakhdar
Brahimi, and
if Ban, said
to be too mild
on
accountability
in Syria,
supports a
referral to
the
International
Criminal
Court.
Inner
City Press has
reported
on a close
ally of
Tunisia's
former
dictator Ben
Ali Kamel
Morjane being
in the running
to replace
Brahimi: would
that reflect
weakness on
commitment to
democracy?
The cynically
sculpted
resolution to
refer to the
ICC not all of
Syria, to
exclude the
Golan Heights
and even some
fighting
Assad,
reflects
weakness not
strength on
international
justice. But
perhaps that
can be
addressed in
Ban's next
press
availability.
Watch this
site.
Footnotes:
in
fairness the Free UN Coalition for Access opines
that this Ban
press
availability
was better
than many of
Ban's in the
past. It was
not limited
to, although
it featured
many, of the
insiders of
the UN
Correspondents
Association
who met with
Ban and used
some quotes
but never
released a
tape or
transcript. It
included some
less than
fawning
questions.
And, we'd say
for both those
reasons, Ban
did better
than usual.
Could it be a
trend? We'll
see.
On the
other hand we
have to note
that standing
to the side of
Ban's stakeout
was his head
of
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous,
who outright
refuses
to answer
Press
questions
such as the
interplay
between the
UNMISS mission
and the IGAD
force.
In the face of
mounting,
factual
questions
about UN
Peacekeeping,
including
Ban's Human
Rights Due
Diligence
Policy in the
aftermath of a
mere two
convictions
for 130 rapes
by Congolese
Army units the
UN supports,
this cannot
continue. What
this site.
Update with UN
Transcript:
Inner
City Press:
You praised
the agreement
– the South
Sudan
agreement that
was reached in
Addis. But it
seems that
since then,
both sides
have said that
the ceasefire
has been
broken, and
also the
Government of
Salva Kiir has
said there
will be no
election in
2015; that it
should be put
back two or
three years. I
wondered if
you think that
is a good
thing for the
country, and
also what role
does IGAD
regional
force, in your
view, should
play with
UNMISS? Should
they
coordinate
militarily?
Should it be
under UNMISS?
What does the
UN think of
that?
SG: It
is
disappointing
that this
agreement on
Friday has not
been
implemented
and has not
been honored.
The fighting
has taken
place in the
area of
Bentiu, and I
am urging the
two leaders to
abide by their
agreement.
At the
same time, the
special envoys
of IGAD met
this morning
to discuss
this matter.
We will
continue to
work with the
IGAD
leadership. I
myself, as
well as my
Special
Representative,
Hilde Johnson,
will continue
to contact
both leaders,
so that they
are committed
to meet their
obligations
which they
signed just a
few days ago.
When
political
leaders commit
themselves,
they should
honour their
commitment. We
will continue
to do that,
and I asked
the Security
Council that
they should
continuously
be engaged,
and render
strong
political
messages,
including
taking
necessary
measures.
, 
