On
Human Rights, Inner City Press
Asks UN Why No Ad to Replace
Zeid, Failed On Cameroon,
Press
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
May 7 –
While outgoing UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights
Prince Zeid has
under-performed on files such
as the crackdown in Cameroon,
and has retaliated against
some staff and had his
spokesman lash out at and
exclude the critical Press, it
is still an important
position. So why hasn't UN
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres yet advertised the
vacancy and set up a public
process to choose a successor?
On May 7 Inner City Press
asked Guterres' spokesman
Stephane Dujarric, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: I want to
ask about the vacancy for the
High Commissioner of Human
Rights. Some people have
noted that it hasn't yet been
put out to advertise, despite
the… the… the stated
resignation of Prince
Zeid. Does the… does the
Secretary-General intend to
put it out and have an open
process…
Spokesman: I don't
think… if I'm not mistaken, I
don't think the current High
Commissioner resigned. I
think he decided not to seek.
Inner
City
Press:
Not to seek.
Spokesman:
Exactly. Slightly
different. There's a
procedure for it. I will
find out where we are on that
procedure…
Inner City Press: I
guess the main thing would be
to know whether he's going to
put up…
Spokesman: No, no, I
said, I will try to find out
what the procedure is." Five
hours later, nothing from
Dujarric, who played his role
in evicting and restricting
Inner City Press. Amid the
worsening crackdown by the
army of 36-year Cameroon
president Paul Biya in the
country's Anglophone areas, a
video has circulated depicting
soldiers burning down homes.
Click here
for one upload of it. Noted by
many residents and activists:
blue helmet of the type used
by UN peacekeepers. On April
30 Inner City Press asked UN
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres' spokesman Stephane
Dujarric about the video, the
day after publishing a story
about it, in Google News.
Dujarric said he hadn't seen
the video but militaries
should to use UN equipment or
colors, presumably when
burning civilians homes down.
Video here;
from the UN transcript:
Inner City Press: a video
emerged over the weekend from
Cameroon showing or depicting
soldiers burning people's
homes in the Anglophone areas,
and what… what a lot of people
focused on is that one of
them, at least, is wearing a
blue helmet. I don't
think it means the UN is doing
it, but I do wonder, what are
the rules? I wanted to
ask you, what are the rules if
people have served in UN
peacekeeping missions… have
you seen the video?
Spokesman: "I haven't
seen that particular video, so
I can't comment on the
particular helmet, whether it
was just blue or a UN
helmet. We have seen, in
different parts of the world,
various security forces and
army… we've seen reports of
them using equipment that they
own, which had been painted
white or blue and reused
domestically. It is a
responsibility to ensure that
no equipment that has UN
markings is ever used in any
domestic operation. But,
again, I'm not… that's a
matter… that's an issue of
principle. I haven't… I
can't comment on that specific
report." Hours later, still
nothing.
The lack
of confidence in the UN in
these areas, and on this
issue, was inflamed as UN
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres in October 2017
stopped by Yaounde on his way
from the Central African
Republic (where the UN pays
Biya's government for
peacekeepers who have been
charged with sexual abuse).
Guterres did not meet with any
opposition figures, and
accepted a golden statue from
Biya.
Guterres'
envoy Francois Lounceny Fall
has publicly said that
secessionist are extremists,
the word used by Biya to
justify the scorched earth
strategy exemplified by the
video. Inner City Press asked
UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Prince Zaid why his
Office hasn't updated the
death figures and he claimed
it was because the UN has no
access.
Guterres'
humanitarian Assistant
Secretary General Ursula
Mueller visited Cameroon, but
not the Anglophone areas.
(Inner City Press asked her
why, here).
Human Rights Watch didn't even
include Cameroon in its 2018
“World Report,” and told
Inner City Press this is
because it does not view it as
among the 90 most serious
problems in the world.
Guterres' Deputy Secretary
General Amina J. Mohammed as
in Abuja in her native Nigeria
when 47 Cameroonians were
illegally sent back by the
Buhari government. Buhari will
be in Washington on April 30
and a protest of Ambazonians
is planned. Earlier in April,
Inner City Press asked
the US State Department about
the refoulement to Cameroon
and received a day later a
statement. But what will
happen on this video, and on
the underlying issues? Watch
this site.
***
Your
support means a lot. As little as $5 a month
helps keep us going and grants you access to
exclusive bonus material on our Patreon
page. Click
here to become a patron.
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
Past
(and future?) UN Office: S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
For now: Box 20047,
Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2018 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com for
|
,
