On UN
Day, Ban's UN
Is Protested
in Bangui But
Spox Won't Say
Why, Rapes,
Impunity
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 24--
How low has
the UN fallen,
in terms of
corruption,
not stopping
rapes, and
retaliating
against the
Press that
asks the
questions? April 16 eviction here and here.
May
14 New York
Times here; petition here, today's
story here.
On
October 24,
“UN Day” as it
happened, the
UN was
protested in
Bangui for its
rapes and
impunity. Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric had a
canned
statement
about
protests,
without any
mention of
what the
protests were
about; he
cited injuries
but only to UN
peacekeepers.
It was another
version of the
UN's smearing
even of child
rape victims
under Ban
Ki-moon.
A memo
by the UN's
Mercedes
Gervilla, excerpted
from
uncritically
by Reuters,
smears those
claiming rape
by
peacekeepers
in the Central
African
Republic. Were
this done, in
this way,
about others
alleging rape,
there would be
an outcry.
Reuters
doesn't
report, but
Inner City
Press has,
that Ban
Ki-moon has
allowed the
conflict of
interest in
which Mercedes
Gervilla's
cover-up
mandate
overlaps with
that of her
hsuband,
Michael Dudley
of the Office
of Internal
Oversight
Service, which
participated
in Ban
Ki-moon's
retaliation
against CAR
whistleblower
Anders
Kompass.
(In
Ban's UN it's
all in the
family: Ban
promoted his
own son in law
Siddharth
Chatterjee to
the top UN job
in Kenya,
without
recusal.)
While
rape victims
are being
smears, and UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous this
week refused
to answer
Inner City
Press'
question if
there have
been any
convictions at
all, here
was Ladsous
linking the
rapes to
"R&R,"
more than a
year ago. Ban
Ki-moon kept
Ladsous in
place and is
responsible.
On
October 13
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
the smearing
and conflict
of interest, UN transcript
here:
Inner
City Press: As
I'm sure you
know, as to
the sexual
abuse
allegations in
the Central
African
Republic,
there's been a
published
report using
and quoting a
24 August memo
from Mercedes
Gervilla of
the UN
peacekeeping,
basically
saying that
the accusers
may be lying,
that their
testimony was
coordinated.
It's the kind
of thing that,
at least here
in the United
States, this
is viewed as
kind of
explosive.
This is kind
of smearing
alleged
victims of
rape. So
I wanted to
know, what's
your comment
on UN
peacekeeping
writing such a
memo?
And since it
says that she
was citing the
UN Office of
Internal
Oversight
Services
(OIOS), it's
widely said
among staff
and some
others that
her spouse,
Michael
Dudley, is
working for
OIOS.
What
safeguards do
you have in
place to make
sure that
these two
units don't
conspire to
smear victims?
Spokesman:
I think…
There's no…
there is no
conspiracy.
The head of
the conduct…
of the conduct
and discipline
unit is a
dedicated
staff member,
and I think we
all appreciate
her
work.
The document
that was
reported on at
Reuters, I
can't comment
on the
veracity of
things that
are leaked,
whether it's
true, whether
it's not
true.
What is true
and what is
going on is
that OIOS is
finishing up
its
investigation
into what
happened in
Kemo
prefecture,
and we hope to
have that
soon.
Thank you.
ICP
Question:
And will the
supposed
repetitive
nature of
child victims
of sexual
abuse be held
against them?
Spokesman:
I think the… I
don’t think…
nothing is
being held
against
anyone.
What is
happening is
that there is
a thorough
investigation
that took
place of the
incidents that
may have taken
place in
Kemo.
I'll be right
back.
Inner City
Press quoted
from the
report - fell
apart under
probing - but
Dujarric left
the podium and
room, a trend
in the late
Ban era.
Beyond the
Vine video
here.
On
June 7, when
Ban Ki-moon
was criticized
for not fully
and publicly
addressing the
rapes, Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
spokesman, UN transcript
here and
below.
On
July 1, Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric said
he would be
providing the
nationalities
of
peacekeepers
newly accused
of sexual
abuse or
exploitation
later that
afternoon.
He did
not, nor in
the days that
followed.
Before noon on
July 5, with
Dujarric
present in the
building but
declining to
hold a noon
briefing in
the room from
which he
ordered Inner
City Press to
leave, used as
a pretext to
evict it,
Inner City
Press asked
him:
"1) On
July 1
Spokesman
Dujarric
declined to
provide the
nationality of
the
peacekeepers
involved in
the sexual
abuse /
exploitation
cases
disclosed that
day at the
noon briefing
'because the
concerned
Member States
will be
notified
shortly,
hopefully
later today.
Once they've
been notified,
we should be
able to share
with you that
information.'
I inquired on
the afternoon
of July 1, but
nothing.
Please now
state the
nationality/nationalities,
explain the
dealy and
state when the
UN informed
the nation(s)
and how."
Three
hours later,
with Dujarric
in a baseball
cap outside
the UN "focus
booth" it must
now use to
return phone
calls - some
about Ban
Ki-moon and
corruption -
there was
STILL no
answer or
explanation.
This is
today's UN.
On
June 22 UN
staff unions
issued their
own statement,
including on
the
retaliation
under Ban, see
below. On June
24, Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
about it, video here, UN
transcript
here.
We'll
have more
on this.
Back on June
7:
Inner
City
Press:
these are
questions
about Central
African
Republic but
also sexual
abuse.
Down in
Conference
Room 3 this
morning, in
one of the
side events of
the HIV event,
Stephen Lewis
said that the
Secretary-General,
Ban Ki-moon,
has yet to
react publicly
and fully to
the December
2015 CAR
review panel
report and
that they're
basically
putting their
faith in next
SG. Do
you… where has
he responded
publicly and
fully, and
will he take a
question on
this at his
stakeout later
this week?
Spokesman:
He will take
whatever
question is
thrown at him.
Inner City
Press:
Really?
Spokesman:
The
Secretary-General
has, through
the
appointment of
Jane Holl
Lute, through
the actions
that have been
taken by DPKO
[Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations]
and DFS
[Department of
Field
Support], I
think, reacted
very strongly
to the
report.
There's more
transparency.
There are more
updates.
Contingents
are being
removed.
Contingents
are not being…
are not being
replaced.
All sorts of
measures are
put in
place.
Trust Funds
were
established.
So, I think
the facts of
what we have
done since
then, I think,
speak for
themselves
with all due
respect for
Mr. Lewis.
Inner City
Press: I
guess then I'd
like to ask
about another
mister, Mr.
Kompass.
Mr. Kompass
has now
resigned from
the UN system
and has said
it's because
he has found
virtually
total impunity
in the wake of
the charges
that he
forwarded to
the
authorities.
Do you have
any
comment?
Have you seen
what Mr.
Kompass has
said about the
UN system, and
what's your
response to
that?
Spokesman:
No, I mean I…
we wish Mr.
Kompass well.
Inner City
Press:
And I have
another CAR,
just
non-sexual
abuse.
Spokesman:
Quickly.
Question:
Sure.
This has to do
with there's a
report in the
French media
of prosecution
of French
soldiers in
the… in the…
got to say
this right
because it is
in French… in
the “Régiment
d’infanterie
de marine”,
and I don't
want to get
this
wrong,
“violemment
agressé des
civils” in
2014 they're
being
prosecuted.
And I wanted
to know, is
this something
the UN… now
that the
French
authorities
have… they
didn't make it
public at the
time, but it's
now been
reported.
Is this
something the
UN's either
human rights
people knew
about or the
mission, and
what do you
say about
this…
Spokesman:
I don't know
about this
particular
case, but
obviously, we
welcome the
prosecution of
anyone accused
of sexual
abuse.
Back
on June 2,
when Ban
Ki-moon did
not even
mention
peacekeepers'
rapes in the
French
organized
Security
Council debate
on sexual
violence in
conflict,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, video here, UN
transcript
here.
On May
26 amid UN
Peacekeeping
scandals
ranging from
rapes and
sexual
exploitation
to the
“protection of
civilians”
crisis
exemplified by
the failure at
Malakal in
South Sudan,
DPKO chief
Herve Ladsous
and DFS' Atule
Khare held a
press
conference.
While
Ladsous has
engaged in
censorship for
some time,
refusing to
answer Press
questions,
Khare on May
25 indicated
he would take
a question.
But apparently
the DPKO-DFS
partnership or
"brotherhood"
is not equal:
Ladsous'
predilections
won out.
Khare
spoke of
recycling in
Darfur, and of
the Tanzanian
battalion
agreeing to
paternity
tests. When
Inner City
Press asked,
quite audible,
for Ladsous to
clarify his
September 11,
2015 linking
of rapes to
"R&R," he
declined.
Nothing on
Malakal,
either. This
is Ban
Ki-moon's UN.
After Ladsous
refused these
audible
questions,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's deputy
spokesman
Farhan Haq
about Malakal
and, again,
about the
UNIFIL food
re-sale
scandal
exposed by El
Pais. Haq said
the
investigations
are ongoing.
This too is
Ban's UN.
This
too: on May 18
the annual
meeting
between the UN
Security
Council and
DPKO Force
Commanders
which has
always before
been open -
has gone
behind closed
doors.
This was
particularly
inappropriate
given the
Force
Commanders
present:
rape-central
MINUSCA
commander
Lieutenant
General Balla
Keïta;
Lieutenant
General Derick
Mbuyiselo
Mgwebi (South
Africa) of the
UN
Organization
Stabilization
Mission in the
DRC (MONUSCO),
Lieutenant
General
Yohannes
Gebremeskel
Tesfamariam
(Ethiopia) of
the UN Mission
in South Sudan
(UNMISS), and
Major General
Michael
Lollesgaard
(Denmark) of
the UN
Multidimensional
Integrated
Stabilization
Mission in
Mali
(MINUSMA).
Why is this
meeting
closed? Why is
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous, who
linked rapes
to R&R,
not scheduled
for a Q&A
Press
conference?
Even to
stakeout the
closed
meeting, Inner
City Press is
this year
required by
DPI's Cristina
Gallach and
ultimately Ban
Ki-moon
required to
have a UN
“minder” as it
seeks to speak
on background
with sources.
This is
censorship and
UN decay.
Still,
it seems that
at least one
member state
not on the
UNSC this year
was asked to
leave; others
wondered why
the meeting
was closed, or
at least some
part of it not
left open.
Inner City
Press said to
French
Permanent
Representative
Francois
Delattre,
apparently NOT
on the
Security
Council's
mission to
Somalia, "ca
doit etre
ouvert." He
replied,
politely, that
he wasn't
sure.
On May
17, Ban's
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric
announced the
availability
of the UN's
own count of
sexual abuse
and
exploitation
allegations in
2016, 44. Of
this, 29
MINUSCA, 7
MONUSCO, 2
MINUSTAH, one
each in
UNMISS, UNOCI,
MINUSMA,
UNISFA, UNSCO
and UNSMIL
(Libya). Is it
credible? When
is the UN
Peacekeeping
Q&A?
After a bill
on UN
peacekeepers'
sexual abuse
and
exploitation
passed the US
Senate Foreign
Relations
Committee,
Inner City
Press on April
29 asked the
spokesman for
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon what
he thought of
the bill, video here, UN
transcript
here.
On
April 20,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
rapes inside
the UN's
"protection"
camps, UN
transcript
here.
On
April 12 Inner
City Press
asked Ban
Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
about an April
13 hearing in
the US House
of
Representatives
about impunity
for UN rapes.
Just as the UN
skipped court
hearings on
bringing
cholera to
Haiti, Haq's
answer did not
say that the
UN would
attend the
hearing. Video
here.
Inner
City Press
live-tweeted
the House
hearing on
April 13, in
which Aicha
Elbasri
described
Herve Ladsous'
cover up in
Darfur, and
former OIOS
auditor Peter
Gallo
described how
top UN
officials just
USE the OIOS
(as they have
to de-link Ban
Ki-moon from
the Ng Lap
Seng scandal).
Brett Schaefer
said there is
a need for US
training of
other
countries'
peacekeepers.
There's truth
in that, but
one of the DRC
Army units
implicated in
the mass rapes
in Minova was
US trained.
Chairman
Chris Smith
cited the UN's
"zero
tolerance,
zero
compliance
culture;" in
the Senate
there were
strong
argument for
reducing the
UN's funding.
On
April 14,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, video here, UN
transcript
here.
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