UNITED
NATIONS, July
18 -- At the
South African
Mission to the
UN's
reception
Thursday for
Mandela Day,
the room was
packed and
people
stayed though
sweating to
sing, long
live Nelson
Mandela.
One
aspect of
Mandela's work
was downplayed
in the UN, or
is not being
followed in
today's UN,
and that is
anti-colonialism.
It was a fine
hour for the
UN when long
time colonies
were gaining
their freedom,
some through
the
Trusteeship
Council which
now lies
dormant.
But
colonialism is
not completely
finished, and
it is
perpetuated at
the
UN and its
Security
Council. A
recent
Security
Council trip
to West
Africa had
France
co-leading the
Cote d'Ivoire
leg, the UK on
Sierra
Leone and the
US on Liberia.
Click
here for
Inner City Press
story
on that.
Worse,
UN
Peacekeeping
has been led
for times in a
row now by a
Frenchman,
culminating
(or its
opposite) now
with Herve
Ladsous. He
flew to
Paris for the
Bastille Day
parade, at
which soldiers
from
FrancAfrique's
Mali, Chad and
Burkina Faso
marched. At
the UN,
Ladsous
refuses to
answer
critical Press
question about
his and
France's past
and
present.
Inner City
Press video here.
Ladsous
represented
France in the
Security
Council during
the 1994
Rwanda
genocide,
and bragged
about
convincing
Council
members to
support the
escape of the
genocidaires
into Eastern
Congo. Now
without
accountability
or answer
Ladsous runs
an
Intervention
Brigade -- of
African troops
no less -- in
Eastern Congo.
At least he
should answer
questions. And
there are many
questions.
Rwanda
questioned
Ladsous in a
closed door
Council
meeting;
Ladsous has
not
fully
answered. At
Thursday
night's
reception,
along with
Deputy
Secretary
General Jan
Eliasson and
Kim Won-soo,
Ladsous
represented
the
Secretariat.
As usual as
such events he
looked
uncomfortable
and
left early.
Only when
ordering Troop
Contributing
Countries
around,
it's said,
does he look
at ease. And
this on
Mandela Day.
Colonialism
should
end at the UN,
for its own
good. This we
pledge on
Mandela
Day. Watch
this site.
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