Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the United Nations to Wall Street to the Inner City

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 23 -- The UN's Somalia sanctions report, in portions scarcely reported by Western wire services, notes violations by France, the US, the UK and the UN itself.

   Can the UN violate its own sanctions? It does: see Report at Page 333, Paragraph 88 and below.

  The UK among other things brought in weapons for its private security provider, G4S Security Services.

   Now the UK's Nicholas Kay is in charge of the UN's Somalia mission; while responsive, he has declined to answer about UN Mine Action Service chief David Bax providing information to US intelligence, telling Inner City Press this is a "question for New York" - where UNMAS and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations under Frenchman Herve Ladsous do not answer.

  As to France, the recent report says that "according to civil aviation records, the Government of France operated three military cargo flights to Somalia in October 2012, and one in February 2013, plus two military helicopter flights in August and December 2012 from Djibouti to Hargeisa. On 24 October 2012, the Monitoring Group witnessed at Mogadishu airport a large quantity of cargo, including large wooden boxes, being offloaded by unidentified French personnel, with the assistance of AMISOM military personnel, from a French military Transall registered 61-ZA.

  "The Monitoring Group is unaware of any notification by France to the Committee concerning military flights to Somalia, except the one approved by the Committee in December 2012. On 17 April 2013, the Monitoring Group sent a letter to the Government of France requesting clarification and additional information. In a letter dated 30 April 2013, the French Government confirmed to the Committee that such flights were conducted in order to transport support and assistance to Somali security sector institutions."

  As to the United States, and as may relate to Bax and UNMAS, the report states that "between 14 September 2010 and 30 March 2013, the Monitoring Group counted 236 flights to Somalia operated by Prescott Support Co. and RAM Air Services, mostly originating from Djibouti and bound for Bosaso and Galkayo, and sometimes Mogadishu.. These two U.S.-based private air companies operate flights to Somalia on behalf of the U.S. Government in support of Somali security sector institutions.

  "On one occasion, the Monitoring Group received uncorroborated information about the boarding at Galkayo airport of a handcuffed and blindfolded passenger, accompanied by several other individuals. However, the United States Government has not replied to date to the Monitoring Group’s request for additional information, including the passenger list, flight plan and cargo manifest, concerning that flight."

  And yet the UN (and US) demand compliance by others.

  As to the UN, the report states flatly that since January 2012, since January 2012, the UN "has provided Somali security forces with vehicles,and police and communication equipment, in technical violation of the arms embargo on Somalia." Now what? Watch this site.