On
Mines,
UN Defends TNC
of Libya as on
Reprisal, No
SOFA in Abyei?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 1 --
When the UN
held a press
conference
Tuesday
about landmine
usage in
Libya, one
expected them
to at least
mention
that some of
the use was by
the rebels or
Transitional
National
Council.
But
when Inner
City Press
asked about
the documented
usage by
rebels of
Belgian made
PRB-M3
anti-vehicle
mines on the
side of the
main road into
Ajdabiya,
the UN's
Program
Manager for
the Joint Mine
Action
Coordination
Team
in Libya Max
Dyck quickly
defended the
TNC. Video
here from
Minute
8:15.
He
urged to "take
it into
context,
saying it was
"done early in
conflict, in
March."
(Actually, it
was filmed as
late as April
17, 2011).
Dyck
continued,
"This issue's
been addressed
with the
NTC...
That was the
only incidence
of landmine
use by the NTC
revolutionaries."
When
Inner City
Press tried to
ask a follow
up question,
the Deputy
Spokesman did
not
allow it
(while
allowing the
next
correspondent
to follow up).
Since
there were
virtually no
other
questioners,
Inner City
Press was then
able to ask
Dyck about his
tone: did it
mean that to
work with the
NTC, the UN
had to praise
it? Video
here, from
Minute 12:01.
Dyck
did not
answer, rather
the Acting
Director of
the United
Nations Mine
Action
Service,
Justin Brady
did, saying
that the UN
raised it to
the NTC as
soon as they
became aware,
and that the
NTC attributed
it to "local
commanders."
One
wonders if
this is a
predictor of
what the UN
will do, or
not do, in
looking
into the
reprisal
killings by
NTC forces in
Libya: 53
bound bodies
in
Sirte, a whole
village chased
away.
(c) MRLee
UNMAS' Dyck
& Brady:
where have you
gone, Maxwell
Curley?
These were
questions
Inner City
Press
put to
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
on October 31:
Inner
City
Press: all of
the people
have been
chased out of
a town called
Tawerghaand...
53 bound
bodies of
Qadhafi
supporters
presumably
were
found in a
hotel in
Sirte. So
what’s the
response in
terms of
accountability
for what would
pretty clearly
be war crimes?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well, as you
know — two
things really
— first of
all,
the Security
Council
resolution on
this point is
very clear.
And
that’s
speaking
directly to
the Libyan
authorities,
namely that
they were
expressing
grave concern
about
continuing
reports of
reprisals,
arbitrary
detentions,
wrongful
imprisonment
and
extrajudicial
executions.
And as you
will also
remember from
last
week, there
was a
statement from
the Commission
of Inquiry on
Libya
that urges the
National
Transitional
Council and
indeed future
interim
authorities to
undertaken
independent,
impartial,
transparent
investigations
into all
allegations of
violations of
the rights of
detainees in
their custody
and if they
deem it
necessary,
recommends
— meaning the
Commission of
Inquiry — that
they seek the
support
of the
interntional
community. So
I think you
can see that
there is
a body of
opinion out
there that
says that the
Libyan
authorities
will need to
investigate
all cases of
alleged abuse,
reprisals and
that is
precisely what
the National
Transitional
Council has
undertaken to
do and the
interntional
community will
watch that
very
closely.
Inner
City
Press: I just
wanted to
know, sort of
what the role
of the
UNSMIL Mission
would be,
particularly
in the case of
these Tawergha
people, they
are not dead
or at least
yet, they are
in the desert
and
they can’t
return to
their town. Is
there some
effort being
made
by Mr. Martin
or UNSMIL to
actually act
on these still
pending
situations?
Spokesperson:
I’d have to
check
precisely on
that. As I
think I
mentioned last
week, there
are human
rights
officers
within the
Mission, and
so let
me check to
see what I can
get for you on
that.
A
full day later
no answers had
been provided,
and Nesirky
canceled the
November 1
noon briefing.
While
the Mine
Action Service
does some good
work, it
seemed Tuesday
to go out of
its way to
praise the
government of
Sudan, blaming
all land mines
in
the country on
"non state
actors."
Sudan blocked
even the
medical
evacuation of
four UNISFA
peacekeepers
injured by a
mine,
four of whom
ended up
bleeding out
and dying.
But
when Inner
City Press
asked if any
Status of
Forces
Agreement or
other
safeguard
was no in
place to
evacuate mine
removal
personally,
Brady said to
ask the
"Office of
Military
Affairs."
Video here,
from
Minute 17:55.
Footnote:
Inner
City Press
asked about
Syria's use of
landmine on
its border
with Lebanon.
Brady said
Syria is a
sovereign
country and
not a party
to the
convention. He
said it
ill-serves the
country, but
to ask the
Permanent
Mission of
Syria. Video here,
from Minute
15.
So
landmine
questions are
referred by
the Mine
Action Service
to other parts
of
the UN and to
Permanent
Missions,
while the Mine
Action Service
takes
it upon itself
to case the
case for the
TNC, even as
reprisals
continue.
Still, some
good work is
done. Watch
this site.
, 
