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

UN and Pilot Error Blamed for Nepal Copter Crash, Srebrenica Immunity Claim, Child Soldier Silence

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, June 18 -- The causes of the crash of helicopter in March serving the UN in Napal have been announced in a report to the government: pilot error, and the UN's flouting of rules. In New York, Inner City Press asked UN spokespeople what the UN will do about these finding, about the status of its own delayed investigation, and whether the contractor Vertical T will continue with UN contracts. Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson has promised an answer; the UN Mission in Nepal spokesperson has said this has to wait, and to look at the Mission's web site. But it appears that even the UNMIN website is down, as of Wednesday night. Something is wrong with this.

  With this, too -- one week ago, Inner City Press asked about the child soldiers Sudan said it captured from the Justice and Equality Movement rebels it stopped at Omdurman on May 10. The exchange was pleasant enough:

Spokesperson:  Matthew, welcome back.

Inner City Press: Thanks a lot.  A couple of questions from that trip that I was not able to get answered.  One is on Sudan, this attack on the Khartoum suburb of Omdurman.  The Sudanese say they captured child soldiers that had been recruited by JEM... So what's the follow up?  What's the UN going to do, given that there are 89 child soldiers in the custody of the Sudanese?  Is there any attempt to get them released?

Spokesperson:  I’ll ask that question for you.

     A week later, having heard nothing back but having learned from sources in the region that UNICEF has visited the children, and that many were forcibly recruited from refugee camps near Goz Beida in eastern Chad, Inner City Press asked UNICEF to "confirm or deny that some were forcibly recruited by JEM from camps in Chad, including but not limited to those around Goz Beida... What will happen with them? Then, what ramifications will their be for those who recruited them?"

UN's Ban on big Saudi plane, carbon offsetting and Nepal copter answers not shown

  UNICEF spokesman Chris de Bono responded that

"the children are in the care of the National Council for Child Welfare and are subject to national processes. UNICEF will continue to watch the process and make any representations necessary for their welfare or the protection of their rights. On the ramifications for those who recruited them, the final outcome will be determined by the relevant national or international authorities. UNICEF's advocates for an end to child recruitment and seeks to assist in the release and reintegration of children who have been recruited. While it calls for an end to impunity, it plays no direct role in the prosecution of perpetrators."

   This "call for an end to impunity" was echoed at Wednesday's noon briefing, ironically with regard to a court case in The Hague in which family members of those killed in Srebrenica are trying the hold the UN accountable. Inner City Press on June 17 asked about the UN's position in the case, "Is the UN actively a defendant and being sued in The Hague?" The spokesperson said, "I can get you the answer from the Legal Affairs Office." On June 18, the spokesperson responded

"The survivors of the Srebrenica massacres are right to expect justice for the most heinous crimes committed on European soil since World War II.  The Secretary-General shares their feelings and expresses his deepest sympathies to them and to the relatives of those brutally executed at Srebrenica almost 12 years ago.  As we have so often said, those indicted for having planned, orchestrated and carried out the attacks must be brought to justice.  Nor should the UN rest until it is fully equipped to efficiently participate in the prevention of such tragedies from occurring in the future within its peacekeepers' midst. The fact that the United Nations is immune from legal process under the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations in no way diminishes the United Nations commitment to assist the people of Srebrenica in the aftermath of their tragedy.  The UN continues to do everything within its ability to bring those responsible for the atrocities to justice, and to assist in the recovery of Srebrenica and the region."

   But as the lawyer from the Mothers of Srebrenica put it, "If the UN knew it could not hide behind its status of immunity it would proceed more carefully in conflict regions. I think it would make the UN stronger. It would have to be more careful in carrying out its mandates." He expects that the case will eventually end up at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. We'll be there; watch this site.

Footnotes: we do, however, have responses on both of our questions to Peacekeeping about drones:

DR Congo envoy "Doss has indicated that if MONUC was tasked to carry out additional tasks the Mission would need additional enablers and capability and possibly additional specialized forces.  These additional assets could, conceivably, include unmanned aerial vehicles."

  In Abkhazia, "UNOMIG has limited capacity to monitor airspace over the zone of conflict.  There have been reports of some UAV overflights over the Kodori valley which UNOMIG could not confirm.   It however followed up on those reports with the Georgians who have denied any are flying there."

  One hopes that the UN would at least monitor its own drones...

* * *

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

            Copyright 2006-08 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com -