UN's
Lazzarini on
Somaliland
Airspace But
Not UNMAS Bax
& US
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
26, more
here --
After the UN
system
unilaterally
transferred Somaliland
airspace to
Mogadishu, UN
flights were
suspended
until Turkish
brokered talks
defused the
UN's gaffe.
When the UN's
top humanitarian
in Mogadishu
Philippe
Lazzarini took
questions by
Twitter on May
26, Inner City
Press asked:
"UNilaterally
transfer
of
Somaliland
airspace to
Mogadishu -
what was
impact on
humanitarian
access?
Status?"
Lazzarini did
answer this
question --
but not the
other one
asked by Inner
City Press,
about the UN's
loss of
impartiality
when the UN
Mine Action
Service's
David Bax began
working with
the US /
Bancroft Global
Development, see
below.
On Somaliland
airspace, Lazzarini
replied:
"@innercitypress:
Currently no
impact.
Airspace was
temporarily
suspended for
UN flight last
year, but
since
resolved."
But what did
the UN learn
from the
suspension?
Inner City
Press thanked
and retweeted
Lazzarini and
then
asked, "Not to
be repeated?"
This went
UNanswered, as
did this:
"Given UNMAS
Bax & (US)
Bancroft
Global Development,
does UN
(im)partiality
impact aid
access?"
No answer to
this. nor to a
series of
questions by
Hargeisa based
Free
UN Coalition
for Access
member
Mohamoud
Walaaleye,
including
about
Khaatumo.
Background:
After the UN
told Inner
City Press
that its
Somalia
de-mining boss
David Bax was
fully
exonerated by
an
investigation
by the UN
Office of
Project
Services that
followed an
Inner City
Press exclusive
expose of Bax
sharing
information
with US
intelligence
through
Bancroft
Global
Development,
Inner City
Press has
obtained a
UNOPS letter
to Bax that
says "However,
the Internal
Audit and
Investigations
Group referred
several issues
to management,
including your
trip on an
African Skies
Limited
flight."
There
is a problem
here: as even
the UN's
report on
mercenaries in
Somalia notes,
Bancroft has
had a
financial
relationship
with African
Skies Limited,
to provide
security at
the Mogadishu
airport. Click
here for UN
report,
see Paragraph
45.
So a favor
from African
Skies Limited
is a favor
from Bancoft,
to which Bax
gave
information
including
genetic
information
from suicide
bombs.
UNOPS'
Paul Lucas'
"Dear David"
letter, dated
December 9,
2013, also
references
sexual
harassment.
That involved,
among other
things,
putting UN
staff at risk
by doing
favors for "a
girlfriend,"
and breaking
the rules of
Bax' own UNOPS
camp.
The
larger
question is
even when the
UN conducts an
investigation
and announces
a results,
including case
exoneration,
can it be
believed? On
investigation
into charges
of gang rape
by UN
peacekeepers
in Mali, the
UN has told
Inner City
Press that the
investigation
is complete --
but not the
result.
Back
on November 4,
2013, Inner
City Press
asked Anton
Katz, Chair of
the UN
"Working Group
on the use of
mercenaries as
a means of
impeding the
exercise of
the right of
peoples to
self-determination"
about the
Group's report
on Somalia -
and if he had
met David Bax.
(He had, in
Cape Town.)
The report
states for
example that
"The
Working
Group was
informed by
UNMAS that to
avoid this
problem, their
agreement with
Bancroft
requires that
when
conducting EOD
and
counter-IED
operations,
Bancroft
employees must
remain a
minimum of 500
metres behind
any front
line. This
type of rule
might serve as
an appropriate
safeguard in
other
contracts as
well... The
Working Group
notes that at
least one
employee of
Bancroft
pleaded, and
was found,
guilty in a
South African
court of,
inter alia,
recruiting
persons for
mercenary
activities in
Côte d’Ivoire
and providing
logistical
support for
the venture
[See High
Court of South
Africa
(Transvaal
Provincial
Division),
case number
A2850/03 of 2
and 20 May
2005 (ZAGPHC
248).]"
Why
are the UN,
AMISOM and
UNMAS working
with Bancroft
Global
Development?
What do they
do together?
Inner City
Press has been
informed by
whistleblowers
beyond Somalia
that Bax has
been part of
the process by
which genetic
and DNA
information
from IED
bombings have
been
transferred to
US
intelligence.
There are also
detailed
accounts of
Bax using UN
and private
contractor
resources,
without
mandate, for a
close friend.
The problem
here, it is
reiterated, is
that it put
others at risk
on Bax's whim.
We'll have
more on this -
because the UN
Secretariat
says again and
again that it
puts staff
safety first.
This for
example is the
rationale, as
Inner City
Press also exclusively
reported, for
threatening to
close down in
New York the
UN cafeteria
and Dag
Hammarskjold
Library.
As
with January
Security
Council
president,
Inner City
Press offered
thanks to Katz
for the
briefing for
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
which will
continue to
push for
increased
transparency
from the UN on
cases like
that of Bax,
particuarly
given the
slated
changing of
the guard in
the UN
Spokesperson's
office, click
here for that.
Watch this
site.
, 
