On UN
Rapes in CAR,
ICP Asks
Banbury, UN
Says 29 Cases,
Burundi
Answers To
Come
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 30 --
Amid a litany
of rape
charges
against UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous, Inner
City Press on
January 27
asked the UN
Spokesman to
confirm new
allegations in
the Central
African
Republic. The
spokesman
declined.
On January 29,
first High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Zeid
then this same
UN spokesman
issues
statement
about (what
else), new
rape charges
in CAR. But
even these
lists do not
appear to be
complete,
omitting
alleged rapes
that UN
officials have
spoken about
involving UN
peacekeepers
from Burundi,
the Republic
of Congo and
Gabon.
Inner
City Press
asked
Assistant
Secretary
General
Anthony
Banbury about
these still
unreported
cases, and why
it was him and
not the head
of UN
Peacekeeping,
Herve Ladsous,
who was
answering for
the charges at
the UN's
January 29
briefing.
Banbury said
reporting is
getting fast;
he also said
he “doesn't
buy” that
anyone fears
retaliation if
they report
sexual abuse
charges. Video
here.
Given
that even an
official at
the rank of
Ander Kompass
was pursued in
the UN “legal”
system for
reporting, the
claim seemed
strange.
Another
reporter said
it was not
credible; the
spokeman said
that's not a
question and
the briefing
was over.
Banbury,
visibly upset,
shed tears
during the
briefing. But
again, why
isn't Ladsous
as the person
responsible,
named in the
Deschamps
report as
having failed
to vet
contingents
subsequently
charged with
rapes, the one
answering
questions?
In the
briefing,
video of which
Inner City
Press will be
posting, the
UN set aside
the first
question for a
representative
of the UN
Correspondents
Association,
and then two
UNCA board
members: none
of these
questions
involved the
head of
peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous.
We'll have
more on this.
And on
this: it was
said that the
UN
Peacekeeping
"Conduct and
Discipline
Unit" will
answer all
journalists'
questions.
Inner City
Press inquired
how and sent
questions to
the designated
spokesperson.
Later in the
afternoon the
following
arrived:
"Regarding the
questions you
asked at the
latest noon
briefings on
sexual
exploitation
and abuse and
on Burundi,
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations has
the following
answers:
Q: What is the
status of each
of the cases
listed out by
Deputy SRSG
Diane Corner
in her
briefing to
the Press
Briefing Room?
What is the
status of the
cases
attributed in
the Washington
Post of
January 11,
2016 to U.N.
officials
involving
“peacekeepers
were from
Gabon,
Morocco,
Burundi and
France. The
prostitution
ring they
allegedly used
was run by
boys and young
men who
offered girls
'for anywhere
from 50 cents
to three
dollars,' and,
as I asked Jan
27 and today,
any
allegations in
CAR involving
peacekeepers
from Republic
of Congo?
A: Since the
establishment
of the mission
in April 2014,
we have
recorded 29
cases of
sexual
exploitation
and abuse by
UN
peacekeepers.
Investigations
on three cases
have been
concluded and
one was
substantiated.
Four alleged
perpetrators
have been
repatriated.
All other
investigations
are ongoing
and more data
will be
included in
the SG's
forthcoming
report on
Special
measures to
prevent from
sexual
exploitation
and abuse,
including
country-specific
information.
Q: Beyond
sexual abuse,
what is the
status of the
deployment (or
nor) of the
Burundian
officials I
have asked the
Spokesman
about,
including
Niyonzima and
Rusheshe?
A: UN
Peacekeeping
is looking
into the files
of these two
individual. We
will have
something to
say on this
issue in the
coming days."
So will
we.
Having been
told by
sources of
more rapes by
peacekeepers
in the Central
African
Republic,
Inner City
Press on
January 26 reported
them and on
January 27
asked the UN's
spokesperson
Stephane
Dujarric to
confirm them -
but wouldn't.
UN
transcript
here. Video here.
Now UN
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Zeid on
January 29
says:
"UN High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Zeid
Ra’ad Al
Hussein said
Friday he was
extremely
alarmed at
continuing
allegations of
sexual
exploitation
and abuse of
minors in the
Central
African
Republic (CAR)
by members of
foreign
military
forces. The
alleged crimes
mostly took
place in 2014,
but only came
to light in
recent weeks."
So what
is the
protocol of UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous, who
linked the
rapes to
"R&R," here? How many more do
they know
about?
The UN report
on rapes
in the Central
African
Republic,
released on
December 17,
found that UN
Peacekeeping's
Under
Secretary
General Herve
Ladsous
“illustrate[s]
the UN's
failure to
respond to
allegations of
serious human
rights
violations in
the meaningful
way.”
Ladsous
has yet to
take any
questions
about the
report -- this
as Inner City
Press
exclusively
hears from
sources of yet
more sexual
abuse cases in
CAR, involving
DR Congo AND
Republic of
Congo, and
changes of
abuses will in
detention.
On
January 27,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
these new
charges, transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: on CAR,
I've heard
there's a new
round of
sexual abuse
allegations
found by the
Mission
involving
soldiers from
the Republic
of Congo and
DRC
[Democratic
Republic of
the
Congo].
Is that the
case?
And what's
the… why… if
you haven't
yet announced
it, why
haven't you?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I don't have
anything to
share with you
at this point
on this.
Inner City
Press:
What's the
protocol for
the Mission
going public
when it
becomes
aware?
Because I've
heard of this
from pretty…
Spokesman
Dujarric:
This Mission
has been
extremely
proactive in
sharing
publicly
allegations.
So, when we're
ready to do
so, we will.
We'll
see.
On
January 26, a
new proposal
on the
systemic
problem of UN
peacekeeper
sexual abuse
was made by Code
Blue: to
take the UN’s
"oversight of
every aspect
of peacekeeper
sexual
exploitation
and abuse out
of the hands
of the UN
Secretariat
and place it
under an
external,
independent
management
board," as
Stephen Lewis
put it.
Inner
City Press
asked Lewis'
co-founder
Paula Donovan
about
retaliation
against
whistleblowers,
and about Ladsous having on camera
linked the
rapes to
"R&R,"
here.
Donovan
replied that
the board
would decide
how to have
eyes and ears
on the ground;
she called the
linking of
rapes to
recreation
"appalling."
It's the type
of thing an
oversight
board would
act on, she
said.
Following
up about the
UN merely
handing a
victim of
sexual abuse
in one of its
camps in South
Sudan the
contact
information of
the alleged
abuses, Inner
City Press
asked if that
would be
coverd by the
proposal.
Donovan said
it would or
should cover
every single
instance where
any part of
the UN system
was implicated
in alleged
sexual abuse.
Inner
City Press
then went to
the day's UN
noon briefing
and asked Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
the proposal,
and when Ban's
response to
the Deschamps
report will be
out. Video
here.
On January 5,
Ladsous
mission in CAR
issued a press
release about
yet more
allegation of
sexual abuse
of minors by
its
peacekeepers,
below.
On
January 18,
Inner City
Press managed
to ask UN
Deputy
Secretary
General Jan
Eliasson about
the report --
the UN Deputy
Spokesperson
appeared
intent on not
allowing the
question, but
Eliasson to
his credit
took it. Video
here, UN
transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: The UK
Ambassador
mentioned
sexual abuse.
DSG: Yes.
Inner City
Press: He did.
And so I
wanted to
know…
DSG: I did
also.
Inner City
Press: So,
since that
report came
out about the
Central
African
Republic, what
has the
Secretariat or
the 38th floor
done to ensure
that in the
future if a UN
staffer
becomes aware
of child rape,
that it goes
to the right
people?
DSG Eliasson:
This is very
serious. As
you know, the
Special
Representative
in Central
African
Republic
resigned, was
asked to
resign. One of
the others who
were named by
the Deschamps
group, panel,
was considered
to have abused
authority has
left the
United
Nations,
retired.
And we have a
group set up
right now, led
by the Chef de
Cabinet -
Edmond Mulet -
that is going
to work very,
very quickly
on following
up the
recommendations
of the panel.
Mr. Mulet and
his group will
report to the
Secretary-General
by the end of
this month.
We will look
into both
issues of
individual
responsibility,
but also
primarily on
the systemic
problems. This
reminded me of
my reaction to
the Sri Lanka
tragedy back
in 2009. The
panel came to
the conclusion
that it was
systemic
failure, so we
drew the
[conclusion]
to that – we
need to have a
systemic
response. That
was the origin
of Human
Rights Up
Front.
This time also
the Deschamps
report talks
about, almost
in the same
language –
systemic
reactions. I
also expect,
or we also
expect, Member
States again
to draw the
conclusions
from
this. In
so many cases
we have passed
on to the
Member States
very damning
reports, but
very little
sometimes has
been done by
Troop
Contributing
or Police
Contributing
countries. So
we need to
have nation
states
following up
these
[inaudible].
We will
have more,
too, on DSG
Eliasson's
reference to
the UN's
failure in Sri
Lanka. At the
January 19 UN
noon briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Deputy
Spokesperson
Farhan Haq if
Mulet's report
at the end of
January will
be made
public. Video
here.
We'll see.
Earlier in the
month,
Inner City
Press asked
the Permanent
Representative
of New Zealand
and of
Uruguay,
President of
the Security
Council for
January, about
the report(s).
Video
here.
Ambassador
Gerard van
Bohemen of New
Zealand
expressed
concern.
Ambassador
Rosselli of
Uruguay said
in his
national
capacity that
allegations
should be
dealt with has
his country
had,
apparently a
reference to
Haiti. It
appears the
Security
Council will
take up this
matter.
Earlier
at the January
5 UN noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric if
now Ladsous,
in the
Security
Council right
then on CAR,
would
belatedly
answer
questions,
since the
firing /
scapegoating
of former
mission chief
Babacar Gaye
clearly didn't
end the rapes.
From the
transcript:
I wanted
to ask but
CAR, since you
have this new
report.
One, I guess
I’d like to…
since Mr.
[Hervé]
Ladsous is
briefing the
Security
Council today
about CAR and
has yet to
answer any
questions on
the CAR sexual
abuse
allegations
report… I
guess it’s a
timely
request… can
he do a
stakeout, take
questions on
it?
Because it
seems like
Babacar Gaye
was fired, but
the problems
go on.
So this is a
request.
It seems like
a reasonable
one
But as
noted (and Vined, here), Ladsous did not
answer.
Back in
December, once
the report
came out from
under embargo
at the noon
briefing Inner
City Press
asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric what
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon will
do about the
findings
against
Ladsous, and
that he
escaped the
“abuse of
authority”
moniker only
because “the
mandate of the
Panel is to
assess whether
an abuse of
authority has
occurred in
connection
with the
Allegations.”
Since
the abusers
Ladsous let
into MINUSCA
were not the
French troops
who are
accused of
rape -- these
troops are not
in MINUSCA --
Ladsous'
malfeasance is
not “in
connection”
with the
Allegations.
But is it
acceptable?
Dujarric seems
unfamiliar
with the
report; he
implied that
the third
person found
to have abused
authority was
the Ethics
Officer, when
it was a lower
level official
in CAR. Inner
City Press
asked what
this all says
about Ban
Ki-moon's
management,
along with the
John Ashe / Ng
Lap Seng and
Bernardino
Leon scandal,
a question
Dujarric did
not allow
Inner City
Press to asked
Ban himself on
December 16.
“Those are
your words,”
Dujarric
replied. Yes,
they are.
When
the Panel's
three members
held their
press
conference,
Inner City
Press asked
about Ladsous'
failure to vet
and his
linking of
rapes to
“R&R.” Video here. Marie
Deschamps said
pointedly she
wouldn't
comment on
Ladsous'
remarks;
Yasmin Sooka
said these are
crimes for
punishment,
not
recreation.
As the
last question,
Inner City
Press asked
what it had
wanted to ask
Ban, and tried
to ask
Dujarric: what
does this say
about Ban's
management? Video of Q&A here. Didn't
Ban's chief of
staff
Malcorra,
criticized in
the report, do
it for Ban?
Didn't the
“senior
official” who
ostensibly let
the rape
information
die on the
vine in the
38th floor
work in an
atmosphere
created by
Ban's nine
years? We will
pursue this.
And this: if
OIOS' Lapointe
was wrong,
isn't James
Finness, who
continues the
OIOS campaign?
While the UK
has spoken,
where is
France, given
Sangaris and
Ladsous?
As to
Ladsous, the
finding was
made even
though the
three authors
of the report
do not
mention, and
apparently
have not yet
seen, the
notes from
Ladsous'
October 1,
2015 meeting
about the CAR
mission with Burundi's
Vice President,
in which
Ladsous said
he is
“pragmatic” on
human rights,
in Burundi and
by extension
elsewhere, nor
Ladsous'
September 11,
2015 on-camera
comments
linking the
rapes to
“R&R,” video here.
But
Ladsous still
as of December
17 holds the
senior UN
position into
which France,
which has
chosen the
last four
heads of UN
Peacekeeping,
put him in
September
2011. How much
longer?
By contrast,
the former
head of OIOS
Carman
Lapointe, of
whom the panel
finds an abuse
of authority,
is
conveniently
gone, as is
Babacar Gaye,
who worked for
Ladsous at the
CAR mission.
Perhaps
it was easier
for the panel
to make the
formal finding
against people
who had
already left
the UN by the
time the
report was
released.
One
wonders: if
responses like
Ladsous'
legalistic
(and largely
false)
November 2
letter were
received so
long ago
by the panel,
why did they
withhold the
report all the
way until
December 17,
the day AFTER
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's rare
(and last of
the year) press
conference?
High
Commission
Zeid, of whom
it is said he
was slammed in
the report, in
fact gets the
same treatment
-- critical,
but no formal
abuse of
authority --
as Ladsous,
who is
airbrushed out
and conditions
access to
information
and answers
about
Peacekeeping
on positive /
false
coverage.
The same
finding is
made with
regard to
former Chief
of Staff
Susana
Malcorra. Will
the critical
language hurt
what chance
she has, as a
non Eastern
European, to
try to follow
Ban Ki-moon as
Secretary
General?
More
generally, how
does all this
criticism
reflect on the
tenure of Ban
Ki-moon? The
report does
not mention
the concurrent
scandals
regarding UN
Secretariat
documents
purchased by
now indicted
Ng Lap Seng
through former
President of
the General
Assembly John
Ashe, nor Ban
Libya envoy
taking
instruction
and a cushy
job with the
UAE while
representing
Ban on and in
Libya.
In
December 2015,
Ban allowed
those who
cover him, at
least the UN
Correspondents
Association,
to sell
seats with him
for $6,000.
And it is
these same who
have
airbrushed out
Ladsous and
others.
The
Panelists --
Marie
Deschamps,
Hassan Jallow
and Yasmin
Sooka -- leave
unnamed a
senior officer
in Ban
Ki-moon's
office
(finding that
he misspoke
when he said
he had
informed
Deputy Jan
Eliasson),
without saying
if the officer
remains in the
same position.
We'll have
more on this. Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
, 
