As ICP
Asks of French
Bestiality,
AFP Cuts In,
"Journalists
First"
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March
31 -- Amid a
litany of rape
charges
against UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous, Inner
City Press
exclusively
obtained and
on February 12
published UN
emails showing
another round
of sexual
abuse of
minors in
Ouaka
prefecture in
the Central
African
Republic by UN
Peacekeepers
from the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo. Click
here to view.
On March 23 at
the UN
Security
Council
stakeout,
Inner City
Press asked
the DRC's
foreign
minister about
the rapes, and
he said the UN
rapes as well.
Video
here, from
Minute 6:11.
On
March 31,
after being
Banned from
the stakeout
as the Council
met about new
rapes in CAR,
Inner City
Press
belatedly
entered. After
outgoing UNSC
President
Gaspar Martins
read Press
Elements,
Inner City
Press began to
ask him about
the
allegations
again the
French
Sangaris
force,
including
bestiality.
To cut
off Inner City
Press'
question,
Agence France
Presse's
Carole Landry
said,
"Journalists
first." Video
here.
Landry
is on the
executive
committee of
the UN
Correspondents
Association,
which headed
by Giampaolo
Pioli has
lobbied UN
official
Cristina
Gallach to
oust Inner
City Press
from its
shared office
and from the
UN. But should
Gallach be
partnering
with a group
that tries to
shout down
others, or
call them
non-journalists,
at the
stakeout?
After Pioli on
March 24 came
to the Council
stakeout and
four times
called Inner
City Press an
"a*hole," audio
here,
nothing was
done. Pioli
was present on
March 31 but
apparently
stood behind
"enforcer"
Landry of AFP.
Below
is what Code
Blue put out
on the evening
of March 30.
But first, the
UN's belated
spin, hours
after USG Gallach's
eviction order
- and after
Inner City
Press ran into
Burundi's
Ambassador
Albert
Shingiro in
the UN lobby -
since it does
not have
access to its
long time
office- and he
spun Burundian
troops' good
behavior:
"On Friday 25
March the
United Nations
Multidimensional
Integrated
Stabilization
Mission in the
Central
African
Republic
(MINUSCA)
announced that
it had
received new
allegations of
sexual
exploitation
and abuse that
had taken
place between
2013 and 2015
by UN and
non-UN
personnel, as
well as by
local armed
groups, in the
Kemo
prefecture of
the Central
African
Republic.
Further
information
was also
provided by
the
Spokesman's
Office on
Monday, 28
March.
A MINUSCA-led
integrated
team comprised
of Office of
Internal
Oversight
Services
(OIOS), Human
Rights, Child
and Women’s
Protection,
Conduct and
Discipline,
UNICEF, UNFPA
and UNHCR
travelled to
the area and
is now on the
ground. The
exact number
and nature of
these
extremely
troubling
allegations
are still
being
determined.
The team has
identified the
contingents in
question as
those provided
by Burundi and
Gabon.
Allegations
made against
the French
Sangaris
forces in the
same area are
also being
investigated.
Alleged
victims are
being
interviewed
and will be
provided with
assistance and
psycho-social
and medical
support.
The Burundian
and Gabonese
units
allegedly
involved will
remain
confined in
camps during
the
investigation,
except for
essential
tasks.
The United
Nations has
formally
notified the
Troop
Contributing
Countries in
question, as
well as to the
French
authorities,
informing them
of these
allegations.
The Troop
Contributing
Countries have
been requested
to send
investigators
immediately to
participate
jointly in the
ongoing
investigation.
The Under
Secretary-General
for Field
Support Atul
Khare met with
the Permanent
Representative
of Burundi on
Wednesday, 30
March and the
Security
Council will
be briefed on
the latest
developments
in closed
session on
Thursday, 31
March. A
meeting with
representatives
of Gabon will
take place as
soon as
possible.
More
information
will be
provided as it
becomes
available."
, 
