After
ICP Asks Why
Banned for
Covering UN's
CAR Rapes,
Spox Says "I'm
Done"
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
1 -- 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.
At the March
31 UN noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, UN transcript here:
Inner City
Press: what I
wanted to ask
is this...
given that
this is a
high-profile
consultation
of the
Security
Council, why
is the glass
door to the
Security
Council locked
and the guard
didn't allow
me through the
turnstile?
Spokesman:
Matthew,
Matthew, I'm…
today I'm
taking a
vacation from
your access
issue.
On April 1,
assuming
Dujarric was
over his paid
vacation,
Inner City
Prss asked
again, UN
transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: I'd
asked you
yesterday
about the
glass door to
the Security
Council being
locked during
the
consultations
and being
denied the
ability to be
waved through
the… the
turnstile.
But, you said
you were on
vacation.
I wanted to
ask you what
happened after
that, because
it's deeply
troubling to
me. When
I finally got
through, when
I finally got
through, I
went down the
ramp, and one
of the… one of
the
ambassadors
was
speaking.
I set up with
my tape
recorder and
was told I
have to
leave.
I…
Spokesman:
Matthew, if
there's…
Inner City
Press:
This is very
serious,
because I am
not able to do
my work.
Spokesman:
Matthew, if
there is an
issue, before
you tweet
about it,
before you try
to physically
open the door,
walk into the
MALU office
and ask for
them to… ask
for them to
ensure that
the security
guard lets you
through.
If there's any
issue, the
proper place
to deal with
it is MALU.
Inner City
Press: I asked
you something
very
specific.
Even once
through, even
once through
the gate…
Spokesman:
If there
is. If
there is an
issue…
Inner City
Press: Well,
then where is
MALU when they
locked the
door?
Why are the
doors being
locked?
Spokesman:
Maybe just go
in. You
have
everybody's
phone numbers.
Inner City
Press: I
have a
question. I
have a
question.
Spokesman:
I'm done
[beginning to
walk off]
Inner City Press:
You're not
done.
Spokesman:
I am done
[walking away]
Inner City
Press: I
guess you're
done.
This is
today's UN.
We'll have
more on this.
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."
, 
