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As
UN's Ladsous
Solicits
Drones for
Mali, UN Won't
Explain, Drops
Cote
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May 15
-- When UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous pushed
through his
proposal to
use drones or
“unmanned
unarmed aerial
vehicles” in
Eastern Congo,
he said that
it was a pilot
and that any
further use
would require
another
approval.
One of the places
Ladsous said
he wanted to
use drones was
former French
colony Cote
d'Ivoire.
Now in an
advance copy
of Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
report on
Ivory Coast,
to be issued
as a document
of the
Security
Council under
the symbol
S/2014/342,
Ban says a
Ivorian
"government
minister
advised that
the deployment
of unmanned aerial
vehicles in
Cote d'Ivoire
may no longer
be necessary."
But don't tell
Ladsous -- on May
5, Inner City
Press asked UN
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
about Ladsous
pitching
drones in the
Central
African
Republic --
and now Inner
City Press reports that
Mali has
arisen as
well, and "any
[UN]
peacekeeping
mission."
From
the UN's
May 5
transcript:
Inner
City Press:
while
Under-Secretary-General
Ladsous was in
Bangui, he
gave a press
conference and
he discussed
the use of
unmanned/unarmed
aerial
vehicles or
drones in the
CAR ( Central
African
Republic). So,
I wanted to
know, is it
the UN’s
position that
the current
MINUSCA
(United
Nations
Multidimensional
Integrated
Stabilization
Mission in the
Central
African
Republic)
resolution
would permit
use of drones
or is this
something that
they would
have to come
back to the
Security
Council or
some other
organ of the
United Nations
to get
approval for?
Deputy
Spokesman Haq:
I believe that
the current
resolution
does not
mention
unmanned
aerial
vehicle, so
any further
deployment of
that would
require the
Security
Council
consideration
as far as I’m
aware.
But
the UN at
Ladsous'
direction has
been soliciting
expressions of
interest,
until today,
for drones or
UAVs initially
for use in
northern Mali,
where Ladsous'
native France
has an
UNdisclosed
letter of
assist under
which other UN
member states
will be paying
it for
airfield
services.
(Outgoing
French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
in December,
his last
Council
presidency,
refused to
substantively
answer Inner
City Press' questions
about the
letter of
assist,
and now
doesn't answer
Press
questions at
all.)
The
question is,
if as stated
on May 5 any
UN use of
drones or UAV
outside of the
Congo requires
another
approval, why
is Ladsous
soliciting
drones for
Mali?
In fact, the solicitation
which we put
online here
says "While
the initial
deployment of
UAS is
expected to be
based in a
particular UN
Mission future
deployment
could be in any
peacekeeping
mission"
--
UN/PD
is seeking
Expressions of
Interest (EOI)
for the
provision of
Unmanned
Aerial System
(UAS) with
multiple
Unmanned
Aerial
Vehicles
(UAVs) in
support of
peace-keeping
operations in
Mali with the
basing of one
system at
Timbuktu and
Gao.
The
UAS provider
will be an
independent
contractor who
remains in
control of the
system and
aircraft and
shall be
responsible
for operation
and
maintenance of
the aircraft.
The flight
operating crew
and all
maintenance
personnel
shall at all
times remain
the servant or
agent of the
contractor.
All staff and
equipment
necessary for
the operation
of the
aircraft are
expected to be
self-sufficient
for all
technical and
subsistence
requirements,
although in
some
locations,
accommodation
and meals may
be provided
within UN
compound for
security of
personnel or
lack of
alternative.
The staff of
the
independent
contractor
will operate
closely with
UN aviation
and military
personnel and
interact with
the host
nation as and
when required.
The contractor
must provide
staff to
track,
control,
monitor the
UAS and
provide
analysis of
data received,
working
closely with
Mission
contacts.
While the
initial
deployment of
UAS is
expected to be
based in a
particular UN
Mission future
deployment
could be in
any
peacekeeping
mission.
It is
expected that
contracts will
be for a
period of 3
years,
extendable at
the option of
the UN to 4
and 5 years,
and will
generally
apply to a
single mission
area. UAV
capability
should provide
long endurance
and be able to
fly long range
to a point of
interest,
loiter on
patrol and
return to
base.
On
May
14, Inner
City Press asked
UN spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
Inner
City Press: I
wanted to ask
you about
drones or UAVs
(unmanned
aerial
vehicles). I
know that
they’ve been
used in the
eastern
Congo, I was
told here, I
think on 5
May, that
approvals will
be
needed for
them to be
used in
Central
African
Republic, as
Mr.
[Hervé]
Ladsous was
talking about
or elsewhere.
But now, I’ve
found this
solicitation
that
basically…
that the
procurement
division
solicited
drones for the
deployment in
northern Mali
and any
other UN
peacekeeping
mission, is
what it says.
So, I wanted
to
know, why, if
approvals are
needed, have
they been
sought or
obtained
and if now,
why is the
procurement
division
procuring
drones for
Mali?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
That’s a good
question. I
will find out.
But a full day later at the May 15 noon briefing, Dujarric
abruptly ended
the session as
Inner City
Press asked,
no answer on
drones? No.
How long can
this last?
Watch this
site.
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