In
Uganda, UNDP's Belated Announcement of Program Halt Leaves Questions Unanswered
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee at the U.N.
UNITED NATIONS, June
28 -- On June 29 in Uganda, ten days after Inner City Press'
questions about disarmament abuses began and two days after a more quiet
announcement, the United Nations Development Programme is slated to go public
with the news that it has suspended its programs in eastern Uganda. This follows
the newspaper The New Vision picking up on Inner City Press'
reports (click
here to view; the
AP
in New York has also followed up). In the field of public relations, the advice
is often to get out in front of events, rather than play catch-up. When that is
missed, it's spin, spin, spin.
In the
Kampala-based New Vision, Ugandan
People's Defense Force spokesman Felix Kulayigye is
quoted as disputing Inner
City Press' reports, stating that "statistics showed that the cordon-and-search
had been more successful than voluntary surrendering of guns" and that "this
month, the UPDF recovered over 1,100 guns compared to 636 guns recovered in two
years ending March 2006." It all depends on the tactics used...
The AP
has UNDP's spokesman declaiming that "our operations in the region have halted
due to a continuing difficult security situation and concerns about Ugandan
military operations in the area." UNDP's letter goes further, referencing recent
reports of
"killings, beatings, arbitrary detention, intimidation and harassment."
Wednesday in New York, nine days after Inner City Press first raised these
questions, UNDP's spokesman came to speak to Inner City Press for
over an hour, describing the announcement to slated for Thursday in Kampala, saying it will
refer to "security" issues rather than human rights abuses, and arguing that UNDP was and is a "small player" in Uganda's Karamojo region. The spokesman
congratulated Inner City Press for raising the issues, and asked in essence what
more could the UN do at this time?
Plenty,
according to a source in the Prime Minister's Office (OPM) in Kampala. In a
second email to Inner City Press, the source paints a picture quite different
from that offered by UNDP's spokesman in New York, writing that
"OPM terminated the contract of the 4th
advisor, Techeste Ahderom, because of management and performance issues arising
out of this situation. We have brought these matters to UNDP attention but have
received no constructive feedback. As a result the program, support to
implementation of the IDP Policy, which Techeste was managing has suffered
serious setbacks. The human security / Karamoja program is having similar
problems and Robert Scharf has been warned on a number of occasions. One of
Robert's main responsibility was to support coordination of the implementation
of the KIDDP at the highest level including ministry of Defense and internal
affairs. For over six months now he has failed to convene a single meeting - OPM
role in the promotion of voluntary disarmament has been compromised... In the
Mine Action Programme a UK based NGO was recruited to conduct mine assessments
in northern Uganda - more than 90% of DFID money has gone to contracts of so
called experts. They have failed to produce a credible report and the financial
accountability is questionable but UNDP continues to disburse funds to this
NGO."
On the
question of UNDP's use of funds, the agency's spokesman did not bring any budget
documents during his visit Wednesday to Inner City Press. Asked to explain the
use of the $293,000 spent before the program was suspended, the spokesman
referred to start-up costs, including the need to "set up offices in huts." He
stated that now no UNDP program staff remain in the field. He congratulated
Inner City Press for raising the issues, which have now been picked up by
Ugandan press, click here
for The New Vision, and
with more UNDP involvement, the
AP.
This
news travels
On
Wednesday in New York, UNDP's
spokesman urged Inner City Press to shift the focus of its two week old inquiry, to turn to wider programs and
other funders. The story and its implications are certainly wider than UNDP, and
will be followed where they lead. But here are a list of questions provided to
the UNDP spokesman prior to his hour-long presentation, and still not answered:
-On what date did
UNDP suspend its support of programs in Eastern Uganda?
-What if any are the
conditions of the suspension?
-What is the overall
spending figure for UNDP's programs throughout Uganda for 2006?
-Your 6/27 message
states that 'cordon and search' operations "undermine the possibility of
achieving lasting peace and development for the region" and that "UNDP has
joined with other development partners in Uganda to voice concern about this
exercise to Ugandan authorities." Who are the "other development partners in
Uganda" referenced in this statement?
-Your message states
that UNDP "is aware of the allegations of abuse by the Ugandan military...
including the ones you have raised" but further claims that UNDP "does not have
the mandate to independently investigate accusations of human rights abuses by a
national military against citizens of that country."
-If UNDP does not
"have the mandate to independently investigate accusations of human rights
abuses by a national military against citizens" of a country where UNDP
operates, who in UNDP's opinion does have such a mandate?
-UNDP's then-Country
Director, Cornelus Klein, made a speech on May 25, 2006 where he applauded
Ugandan Government efforts at disarmament and specifically singled out the work
of the UPDF with praise. He said "Uganda… is seizing the opportunity to address
small and light weapons concerns. While UNDP currently provides modest support
to the nation, it is Uganda that can support and lead other countries in doing
the same. Let me take this opportunity, therefore, to applaud the Government for
its strong leadership and commitment. I also wish to express our thanks to the
National Focal Point, the UPDF, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Safer Africa
whose excellent work we have all seen this morning, and all other partners that
have worked collectively towards this important achievement. I hope that the
well trained, hard working and dedicated people we have seen handling this
process will remain busy for a long time so that all illicit weapons in the
country are destroyed."
Six
days prior to Mr. Klein's speech, as recounted in my first message to you nine
days ago, the first reported attack by the UPDF in Kotido sub-county, where on
May 19th the UPDF encircled a village and attacked to force the residents to
turn over their weapons, resulting in four people being killed by the UPDF or
its local defense units, including a 15-year old girl. Over 100 homes were
burned and the village's protective fence was destroyed. Many residents were
taken and detained in the UPDF barracks in Kotido. On the same day, May 19th, in
Nadunget sub county, the UPDF reportedly encircled a village at 4 a.m.. People
were ordered out of their huts and beaten while the army searched the village.
Although reportedly the army found no weapons or ammunition, ten men from the
village were taken and detained at the Moroto army barracks.
Question:
When he gave his speech on 25 May 2006, was Mr. Klein aware of these separate
attacks by the UPDF some six days earlier?
--Reportedly, Mr.
Klein left Kampala "at the end of May, after eight months in Uganda." Where is
Mr. Klein now? Can he and his successor Theophane Nikyema be interviewed?
Beyond
these still unanswered questions, there were questions that were half-answered,
or answered through Internet research:
Does the Office of
the High Commissioner for Human Rights have a presence in Uganda and a mandate
to review Ugandan Government military operations against Ugandan citizens?
The
answer is yes - click
here to
view, and to read on pages 61-63 that
"In the
sub-region of Karamoja, in northeastern Uganda, the traditional culture of
cattle rustling with its increasingly violent modern expressions, persistent
Government neglect, and an unsuccessful disarmament programme have led to
serious security concerns, human rights violations, violence, and a total lack
of protection for civilians. Administration of justice structures, law
enforcement institutions, and other central Government services are virtually
non-existent in the sub-region; as a result, a parallel system of traditional
justice, based on reprisals and revenge, has emerged instead... In recognition
of the need to consolidate peace with the need for justice, accountability, and
reconciliation, OHCHR will establish itself as the lead agency within the United
Nations Country Team, in cooperation with civil society actors and the Amnesty
Commission, to help to develop national reconciliation strategies, which could
include truth-telling, repentance, and compensation, to complement the ongoing
peace process. In the Karamoja sub-region, OHCHR will explore ways to enhance
the protection of civilians, combat impunity, help to restore security through
community-based mechanisms, and facilitate inter-ethnic dialogue on peace and
human rights education. These activities will be conducted in partnership with
the United Nations Country Team, which is deepening its engagement in Karamoja
in response to the Government's Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development
Programme (2006–2008)."
We will have more on this wider plan; for now we
note that the UNDP spokesman on Wednesday stated that while UNDP is usually
publicly quiet, it raises the human rights issues it sees to the head of the UN
Country Team, who in turn forwards the information to UN Headquarters. In this
case, UN Headquarters has yet to make a comment.
Question: When
UNDP becomes "aware of allegations of abuse" by the national military of a
country where it works, does it provide this information to any UN entity with a
mandate to independently investigate such things?
This
question, Inner City Press asked to two representatives in Kofi Annan's
spokesman's office, without on-the-record response. UNDP's spokesman described
to Inner City Press UNDP's desire to stay quiet in order to be able to continue
to work in countries, as it does in Myanmar on HIV/AIDS. Asked about the wisdom
of such silence, or even incongruous UNDP praise, for as for the Millennium
Development Goals progress of Uzbekistan, also known for torture, the spokesman
only answered, "good question." But what's the answer?
At the
noon briefing,
Inner City Press asked Kofi Annan's spokesman to comment on UNDP's suspension of
programs in eastern Uganda due to disarmament abuse by the government. The
spokesman said that UN agencies are expected to monitor and ensure that funds
are not misused; on UNDP's suspension of programs in eastern Uganda, he said
there'd be no statement "yet." Perhaps UNDP's press release slated for June 29
in Kampala will trigger some response by the Kofi Annan's spokesman, even during
the Secretary-General trip, which will include the African Union's weekend
meeting in Banjul, where Mr. Annan will,
he responded,
meet with Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe.
Mid-afternoon,
both co-chairs of the S-G's Alliance of Civilizations took questions from
reporters. Fox News asked how the Alliance is funded. "We're transparent, ask
the Secretariat," was the answer. Inner City Press asked if the Alliance or its
High Level Group has discussed the crackdown on the Uighurs, Muslims in western
China's Xinjiang province. "I like that question," Spain's foreign minister
said. But he then did not really answer, except to note that both China and
India are represented in the High Level Group. But what about the Uighurs?
Endnotes: most UN
reporters on Wednesday covered the lifting of the budget cap. Freer pundits
opine that the fireworks are still to come, Friday before the 4th of July (for
which UN grounds passes are much in demand).
In other
uncovered United Nations news, the Global Compact Board met on Wednesday.
Despite assurances that its members could be interviewed, Sir Mark Moody-Stuart
proved unavailable at the meeting's conclusion, heading he said to Washington,
DC. While the meeting was closed to the media, Inner City Press has learned that
three of the ten corporate members of the board were absent:
Anne Lauvergeon of France-based Areva, Mr. B
Muthuraman of India-based Tata Steel, and Hiroyuki Uemura of Japan-based
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company. In baseball, that Middle American sport,
getting a hit three times out of ten is good. And speaking of baseball and
coming full circle (or around the bases), UNDP on Thursday, the same day as its
Kampala announcement, is celebrating for Dominican hurricane assistance one of
the owner of the Boston Red Sox, the corporate jet of which was used for
extraordinary rendition flights whisking terrorism suspects without any
process to parts unknown. And speaking of kidnapping, while clashing continues
for one soldier taken hostage, five UN soldiers from Nepal remain captive in the
DR Congo's Ituri region, now for more than one month...
From today's mail
bag, from within Uganda's Office of the Prime Minister
Subject: Re: Uganda's
Involuntary Disarmament
From: [Name withheld]
To: Matthew Lee [at]
innercitypress.com
Sent: Wed, 28 Jun
2006 08:58:47 -0700 (PDT)
Hi Matthew,
Several Issues.
Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) was not involved in the selection and
recruitment of advisors/managers (2 in the Mine Action Programme - Hartmut
Thomas and Jane Brouillette and 1 Human Security - Robert Scharf). These
advisors/managers are paid from project resources to work with and build the
capacity of OPM. In practice these advisors do not recognize OPM structures and
prefer to report and take direction from UNDP while based at OPM. OPM terminated
the contract of the 4th advisor (Techeste Ahderom) because of management and
performance issues arising out of this situation. We have brought these matters
to UNDP attention but have received no constructive feedback. As a result the
programme (support to implementation of the IDP Policy) which Techeste was
managing has suffered serious setbacks. The human security/Karamoja programme is
having similar problems and Robert Scharf has been warned on a number of
occasions. One of Robert's main responsibility was to support coordination of
the implementation of the KIDDP at the highest level including ministry of
Defense and internal affairs. For over six months now he has failed to convene a
single meeting - OPM role in the promotion of voluntary disarmament has been
compromised...
UNDP has imposed a
DEX execution modality that has not allowed us any say in the manner in which
resources are managed - in the Mine Action Programme a UK based NGO (Mine Action
Trust) was recruited to conduct mine assessments in northern Uganda - more than
90% of DFID money has gone to contracts of so called experts. They have failed
to produce a credible report and the financial accountability is questionable
but UNDP continues to disburse funds to this NGO. Reliable sources tell us that
this NGO used a local CBO to get registered with the NGO board and later
sidelined them when the UNDP contract was awarded.
These advisors
continue to mobilize resources to justify extension of their contracts. If these
advisors work for OPM should we not have a say in these matters? It is common
practice for proposals to be written and sent to donors without our input. We
are forced to accept this kind of support because we do not have enough
resources of our own but is it fair?
We are disappointed
that such malpractices continue to tarnish the good name of the UN. If UNDP
genuinely believes in building national capacity this is not how to do it and
stories such as the one you wrote can only get worse. I hope you will use your
good offices to put an end to all this malpractices.
Ending
malpractice(s) is one of journalism's missions.
Feedback: editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
USA (UNHQ-NYC)
Tel: 718-716-3540
Disarmament Abuse in Uganda Leads UN Agency to Suspend Its Work and Spending
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee, Senior Reporter
June 27, 2006 --
Abuses by the Ugandan government's "cordon and search" disarmament program in
the Karamojo region have resulted in a suspension of United Nations Development
Programme spending and activities in northeast Uganda, a UNDP spokesman
acknowledged in writing on Tuesday.
In a
third email to Inner City Press, the spokesman states that "UNDP does not
support the recent operations of the Ugandan military [the Ugandan People's
Defense Force, UPDF] in 'cordon and search' in any manner and has warned that
such approaches undermine the possibility of achieving lasting peace and
development for the region. UNDP has joined with other development partners in
Uganda to voice concern about this exercise to Ugandan authorities." The
spokesman confirmed that UNDP's program directed at the Karamojong pastoralists
was budgeted at $1 million in UN funds, to include "voluntary" disarmament
program, but that the program has been suspended after spending $293,000. The
spokesman added that "the UPDF neither informs nor coordinates with the UN nor
requests support from the UN in its actions. UNDP and other donors strongly urge
these operations to cease and to return to agreed strategies."
It is
still unclear what these "agreed strategies" were, and who agreed to them.
UPDF
& UNDP (cordon & search not shown)
Beginning
eight days ago on June 19, Inner City Press asked UNDP to respond to the
following:
"In Kotido
district on May 19, 2006, in Jimos village, the UPDF and LDUs encircled a
village and attacked them to force them to turn over their weapons. 4 people
were killed by the UPDF/LDUs including a 15 year old girl. Over 100 homes were
burnt and the protective fence shelters used to protect the collective living
space from enemy armed raiders were burnt. Many inhabitants, including many
women, were taken and detained in the UPDF barracks in Kotido.
"In Moroto
district, at Loputiput and Longoleki village, in Nadunget sub county, on May 19,
2006, the army encircled the village at 4 a.m.. People were ordered out of their
huts and beaten while the army searched the village. Even though it appears the
army found no weapons or ammunition, ten men from the village were taken and
detained at the Moroto army barracks.
"Also in Moroto
District, newly disarmed villages began being attacked on June 3 and there are
at least a dozen attacks have occurred. For example, on June 1, 2006, a
prominent Karamajong peace leader who people had worked with to design a
voluntary disarmament program saw what was occurring in forced disarmament and
so to save his village brought in a dozen guns that were in his village. He then
asked the UPDF / LDUs for protection against the armed raiders. He was told they
would not protect the village. On June 3 his village was attacked by armed
raiders and he and some of his sons were killed and over 118 head of cattle were
stolen.
"On
May 26, 2006, in Loperot parish attacks killed an old woman, 4 women were raped,
many people were beaten. One boy who was shot in the leg and beaten was then
forced to drink three liters of local liquor. He was later admitted in Matani
Hospital in Moroto district."
Eight
days after Inner City Press raised these issues to UNDP, the agency's spokesman
has responded in writing that " Regarding your query as to specific reports of
human rights abuses and other incidents in the region: UNDP, as stressed in our
previous conversations, does not have the mandate or capacity to carry out
investigations of human rights abuses. UNDP has no staff working in the villages
cited in your question and no direct knowledge therefore of these particular
incidents. However, UNDP is aware of these reports, takes them seriously, and,
as noted above, has conveyed its concerns about UPDF actions in the Karamoja
region to Ugandan national authorities and suspended work its own work in the
region."
What is
new in Tuesday response is the final phrase, "suspended... its own work in the
region." It is unclear why UNDP's chief for External Communications would unable
to confirm such action, or suspension, for more than a week, and did not provide
financial information until Tuesday's message. The day previous, Inner City
Press received a communication naming the $1 million figure, and blaming the
"failure" of the program in Karamojo on UNDP itself. There is much on which to
follow up. The UNDP Spokesman's third email to Inner City Press is below:
From: William.Orme [at] undp.org
To: Matthew.Lee [at] InnerCityPress.com
Cc: [2 in OSSG, 2 in UNDP]
Sent: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 14:40:03 -0400
Subject: RE: NE Uganda and UNDP
Matthew, I'm sorry I missed you
yesterday...Your main line of questioning has to do with the Ugandan military's
operation in the area over which UNDP and the UN generally has no connection or
control... We can inform you about our own operations, though. You can use all
of this on the record if you wish... A summary:
UNDP in no way supports “involuntary” or
“forceful” disarmament in eastern Uganda. UNDP advocates voluntary disarmament
linked to the strengthening of human security as the best way forward. UNDP
supports peacebuilding and development in Karamoja and has encouraged voluntary
weapons collection processes, as outlined in the Government’s Poverty
Eradication and Action Plan, that first take into consideration and address the
root causes of insecurity and work together with local communities towards
finding sustainable solutions.
UNDP does not support the recent
operations of the Ugandan military (UPDF) in “cordon and search” in any manner
and has warned that such approaches undermine the possibility of achieving
lasting peace and development for the region. UNDP has joined with other
development partners in Uganda to voice concern about this exercise to Ugandan
authorities.
There is no and has never been any UNDP or
UN funding of or involvement with UPDF disarmament activities, contrary to
published assertions to the contrary. The UPDF neither informs nor coordinates
with the UN nor requests support from the UN in its actions. UNDP and other
donors strongly urge these operations to cease and to return to agreed
strategies.
In 2006 UNDP began work on an independent
community development and human security project in the Karamoja region, one
component of which was the encouragement of voluntary disarmament. The project
was budgeted initially for $1 million, to be financed from UNDP’s Uganda country
office [Due to a misunderstanding on my part I erroneously identified to you in
our conversation Tuesday the government of Denmark as a funder of this project.]
Only $293,000 has been spent to date and all UNDP activities in the region are
now halted, given that they are unworkable at this time, for the reasons noted.
Regarding your query as to specific
reports of human rights abuses and other incidents in the region: UNDP, as
stressed in our previous conversations, does not have the mandate or capacity to
carry out investigations of human rights abuses. UNDP has no staff working in
the villages cited in your question and no direct knowledge therefore of these
particular incidents. However, UNDP is aware of these reports, takes them
seriously, and, as noted above, has conveyed its concerns about UPDF actions in
the Karamoja region to Ugandan national authorities and suspended work its own
work in the region.
There is extensive information about
UNDP’s DDRR work and the funding of such on our website: www.undp.org/bcpr/whats_new/publications.shtml.
Please bear in mind however that our (now suspended) work in NE Uganda is not a
DDRR program, which typically take place in post-conflict situations with
international involvement and oversight, usually in the context of the presence
of a peacekeeping force. As we have discussed, none of this is the case in
northeastern Uganda.
William Orme
Chief, External Communications
United Nations Development Programme
Again,
there is much on which to follow up. Developing...
Disarmament Abuse in Uganda Blamed on UNDP, Still Silent on Finance
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee, Senior Reporter
June 26, 2006 --
Three days after Secretary General Kofi Annan said that budget information
should be immediately available, and six days after such information was
requested, the UN Development Programme has still not disclosed how much it has
spent in Uganda, including on controversial programs in the northeast where
Karamojong villages and women and children have been attacked in the name of
disarmament.
On June
20, Inner City Press asked UNDP for financial information about its involvement
in and awareness of disarmament programs in Uganda. On June 23, Inner City Press
asked the Secretary General about UNDP's failure to provide information. The
Secretary General replied that such data is or should be public information, for
the public. Later on Friday, among with much invective, UNDP's spokesman William
Orme stated that he had to contact Kampala for the data, to be expected Monday.
As of
press time on Monday, despite communications to UNDP by telephone and email, the
data has not been provided. In the interim this has arrived, from the office of
the Prime Minister in Uganda, noting a rumor that the program may end, and
blaming UNDP for the abuse:
Subject: Uganda's Involuntary Disarmament
To: editorial [at] innercitypress.com
From: [Name withheld in this format]
Sent: Mon, 26 Jun 2006
Thanks for highlighting this issue of
great concern to our community. I write with grave concern about the recent
rumours that the Karamoja UNDP supported project might be closed down following
concerns raised in NY regarding forceful disarmament activities by the UPDF.
Before such a decision is taken it would
only be fair to review why the $1million UNDP support to the Karamoja Integrated
Disarmament and Development Programme (KIDDP) "Creating Conditions for Promoting
Human Security and Recovery in Karamoja" has failed to take off. We at the
office of the Prime Minister have serious concerns about UNDP management of this
and other related projects. The continued deployment of incompetent "technical
advisors" in the name of national capacity building continues to frustrate
otherwise well intended programmes.
Karamoja needs this support, let's
address the source of the problem. I believe UPDF and Government of Uganda have
their cases to answer but so does UNDP in getting inexperienced advisors...
Whether
these issues explain UNDP's failure to provide information requested six days
ago, information that the Secretary General has said should be available to the
public, presumably immediately, is not yet known. Nor despite six days has UNDP
provided a figure such as above, $1 million. Inner City Press has asked the
correspondent above to name the "incompetent 'technical advisors.'" On
UNDP's web site,
there is a May 25, 2006,
speech by UNDP's Cornelis Klein,
acknowledging UNDP's support to the Government of Uganda and praising the
Ugandan People's Defense Force.
UNDP's
Klein in Uganda
Here is UNDP's
spokesman's most recent communication to Inner City Press, on Friday after
deadline:
Subject: RE: Message to UNDP spokesman
from Inner City Press
"To clarify: You asked us this afternoon,
for the first time, for a copy of a project document describing the small UNDP-managed
community development project in the region of Eastern Uganda populated by the
Karamajong, of which, as I explained, voluntary disarmament is one relatively
minor though important component. You also asked today about the overall cost of
the UNDP project. I said I would request the information from our country office
in Kampala and that given the time difference and weekend the earliest we could
provide a response would be Monday, and we would try to do so... you have
additionally asked whether our project is active in a several specific villages
that you identify; again, we will seek confirming information from the project
manager in Uganda, and will provide it as soon as we have it...You have
reiterated your original request for information on / confirmation of reported
abuses committed by Ugandan troops under the Ugandan’s military’s own
disarmament program. More on this below. As I said, I was surprised by the tone
and content of your question at today's and yesterday's noon briefing, implying
that UNDP has somehow failed to respond to your initial query regarding the
allegations of abuses by Ugandan troops in Eastern Uganda (per your email
below), and had also failed to provide requested financial information about the
UNDP-managed developed project in eastern Uganda (information which you never
once requested when we spoke or in your subsequent email). Neither is true. I
was further surprised to hear that you had apparently repeated this accusation
in a question to the Secretary-General today. It seems necessary to state for
the record what has actually transpired in your interaction with the UNDP
Communications Office in the course of this week.
Your first inquiry was devoted solely to
the issue of reported human rights abuses by Ugandan military troops against the
Karamajoa community, several of which you detailed. You asked UNDP for
information and comment on this issue and this issue alone for the one and only
time in the late afternoon of this past Monday, 12 June, first by phone and then
by follow-up e-mail...
The information you provided would appear
to indicate that these reported abuses were carried out by Ugandan troops
involved in the government’s military-run disarmament program. I stressed in our
conversation Monday that UNDP, as the UN’s development agency, does not have the
mandate to independently investigate accusations of human rights abuses by a
national military against citizens of that country, in whatever country, so
could not be an on-record UN source to either confirm or comment on the
allegations of abuses as described in your email. Others in the UN system have
that capacity and authority. I did say we would try to find out what we could
about the basic facts of the matter from our Uganda-based colleagues and then
share them, on background, to aid your reporting. Which we did. We also said we
would learn more in the next day or two from those directly involved in the
project (at that point beyond phone contact in eastern Uganda), should you wish
to pursue it further.
When we heard back from you this
afternoon, I reiterated that UNDP Uganda was aware of these reports, and had
conveyed its concern about these reported abuses to Ugandan authorities. The
follow-up questions you cite below that you said I 'declined to answer' I did
not answer as I do not know the answers and do not want to mislead or misinform.
Having now been asked, I will try to obtain this information, and will share it
with you when I do."
While the above is
filled with misstatements -- as simply two examples, the financial information
was requested on Tuesday, June 20, from the UNDP staffer to whom the agency's
spokesman referred Inner City Press, after she declared that everything she'd
said was "on background" and could not be used, not to assist in reporting or in
any other way -- as of close of business Monday the information had still not
been provided. And the beat goes on...
In
fairness, this post-deadline update, a message received after publication from
UNDP's spokesman:
"I remain concerned that there is some
misunderstanding that there is some UNDP support of or involvement in the
Ugandan military's disarmament drive in the region, which there is not. Hence
we have no information financial or otherwise to give you about that. We do,
however, as I noted, have a small community development project in the area,
about which I do have information for you, though I am unsure if that is your
real interest here."
After
what's now a week, no financial information? Or, no financial information
provided, due to assumptions about the interest in the data, or the possibility
of misunderstanding? This is a reason that something like a Freedom of
Information Act at the UN is needed: the financial data should be provided as a
matter of right, without a week's delay and nor attempts to spin. Inner City
Press will have more on this later in the week.
Feedback: editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
Alleged Abuse in Disarmament in Uganda Known by UNDP, But Dollar Figures Still
Not Given: What Did UN Know and When?
Byline: Matthew Russell
Lee at the U.N.
UNITED NATIONS, June 23 -- While UN Secretary General Kofi Annan states that the
details of programs and funding through UN agencies is publicly available, the
UN Development Programme on Friday said it was still unable or unwilling to
specify how much money has been spent on disarmament programs in northeastern
Uganda, a region in which UNDP now acknowledges it is aware of
allegations of abusive
involuntary disarmament by the Ugandan military.
In a media availability late morning on Friday,
Inner City Press asked
the Secretary General how the press and public can have prompt access to
information about funding activities of UN agencies, particularly where as in
Uganda allegations of abuse exist and are known to the agency; the question
referred back to a previous question about a UN Freedom of Information Act. Mr.
Annan stated that
"this kind of information is generally open... But I wish you pursue it, they
should be able to give it to you."
An hour later in a contentious on-the-record interview, UNDP spokesman William
Orme did not provide any financial information, but stated that UNDP "is aware
of the allegations of abuse by the Ugandan military... including the ones you
[Inner City Press reports] have raised" and that UNDP "has made their concerns
known to Ugandan officials."
Asked directly when and to whom in Uganda UNDP's concerns have been expressed,
and how and when UNDP became aware of the allegations, UNDP's Mr. Orme stated,
"that's all I'm prepared to say."
Uganda
per UNHCR
Inner City Press asked Mr. Orme is there are any written agreements between UNDP
and the government of Uganda. Mr. Orme recited that all UNDP project are carried
out with the knowledge and consent of the host governments. Asked if this
knowledge and consent is oral or in writing, Mr. Orme answered, "In writing."
Asked the documents are available, Mr. Orme replied, "What documents?"
"The ones reflecting knowledge and consent."
Mr. Orme did not provide access to any documents. On UNDP's
web site, the most recent "country
cooperation framework for Uganda" is from December 2000, more than five
years old, and expired. On Friday, Mr. Orme said that there may be no documents
about UNDP's programs in Eastern Uganda. Of these programs, he stated that they
are development programs, with some voluntary disarmament included. Inner City
Press asked if these voluntary disarmament programs have taken place in the same
areas as the allegedly abusive involuntary disarmament operations by the Ugandan
People's Defense Force in conjunction with Local Defense Units (LDUs) -- for
example, in Inner City Press' June 21
report, provided to
UNDP for comment on June 19, in three districts bordering Kenya: Kotido, Moroto
and Nakapiripirit.
Four days ago, Inner City Press asked UNDP and some others in the UN system to
comment on:
In
Kotido district on May 19, 2006, in Jimos village, the UPDF and LDUs encircled a
village and attacked them to force them to turn over their weapons. 4 people
were killed by the UPDF/LDUs including a 15 year old girl. Over 100 homes were
burnt and the protective fence shelters used to protect the collective living
space from enemy armed raiders were burnt. Many inhabitants, including many
women, were taken and detained in the UPDF barracks in Kotido.
In
Moroto district, at Loputiput and Longoleki village, in Nadunget sub county, on
May 19, 2006, the army encircled the village at 4 a.m.. People were ordered out
of their huts and beaten while the army searched the village. Even though it
appears the army found no weapons or ammunition, ten men from the village were
taken and detained at the Moroto army barracks.
Also in Moroto District, newly disarmed villages began being attacked on June 3
and there are at least a dozen attacks have occurred. For example, on June 1,
2006, a prominent Karamajong peace leader who people had worked with to design a
voluntary disarmament program saw what was occurring in forced disarmament and
so to save his village brought in a dozen guns that were in his village. He then
asked the UPDF / LDUs for protection against the armed raiders. He was told they
would not protect the village. On June 3 his village was attacked by armed
raiders and he and some of his sons were killed and over 118 head of cattle were
stolen.
On
May 26, 2006, in Loperot parish attacks killed an old woman, 4 women were raped,
many people were beaten. One boy who was shot in the leg and beaten was then
forced to drink three liters of local liquor. He was later admitted in Matani
Hospital in Moroto district.
Inner City Press' June 19 written questions to Mr. Orme also stated that "this
is an inquiry about a UNDP program in Uganda -- assistance with the disarmament
of the Karamajong people. What is UNDP's role in this program? What oversight is
UNDP giving to how the program is going? Have problems been seen with forcible
disarmament, abuses of women and children and post-disarmament looting of
Karamajong cattle and villages? Any information you can provide on UNDP's
awareness of and involvement in these issues will be appreciated." Inner City
Press named a deadline of 5 p.m. eastern June 20.
On June 20, Mr. Orme had his staffer Cassandra Waldon telephone Inner City
Press; near the end of the conversation she stated that everything she said was
"on background" and "you can't use it." Inner City Press then asked, among other
things, for financial information and for an on-the-record response as quickly
as possible. Even so, Inner City Press waited an additional day before
publishing its initial
report.Two days later no on-the-record response had been given, and no
financial information, and so the question was raised in rushed form to
Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Inner City Press asked about "UNDP-funded disarmament in Uganda of pastoralist
tribes that use the guns really to defend their herds. I guess what I want to
ask is, although we are still pursuing it, there seem to be abuses in the
program; we have asked how much funding UNDP provides for the disarmament of
pastoralist tribes. I will say that for four days we have been unable to get
even a number about how much is funded. So I guess, this idea of freedom of
information act, which I once asked you about before…is it your sense that a
UNDP agency should be able to, in four days, disclose how much it is funding a
program?"
The Secretary General
responded: "I am not sure I would tie that to a freedom of information act.
I am not sure whom at UNDP you asked, but this kind of information is generally
open; the UN peacekeeping budgets are open, and the amounts of money we spend on
disarmament efforts are public information, for the public. So I really don’t
know whom you asked in UNDP, and why you haven’t got it. And really, don’t
expect me to give you an answer. But I wish you pursue it. They should be able
to give it to you."
One observer noted that while the Department of Peacekeeping, which Mr. Annan
previously headed, may quickly provide financial information, UNDP for now
operates differently, including with a lesser degree of responsiveness to
questions from the press and even from the Office of the Spokesman for the
Secretary General.
Minutes later at the
noon
briefing, the OSSG's Marie Okabe was asked what the procedure for getting
such information is, without having to ask the Secretary General. Ms. Okabe
replied that the requested information was now upstairs.
But upstairs just after the noon briefing, Inner City Press was directed to
again call UNDP spokesman William Orme. Mr. Orme did not however on Friday
provide a single piece of financial information, despite Inner City Press' June
20 question about how much money has been spending on UNDP disarmament programs
in northeastern Uganda. Mr. Orme stated that he now had to seek the information
in Uganda. Inner City Press asked how it is possible that UNDP Headquarters in
New York does not have or will not disclose such a figure. No explanation was
not provided; Mr. Orme has stated that the information will be provided on
Monday. We will await it, in writing. In the interim, if answers cannot be had
inside UN Headquarters, they will be sought elsewhere: watch this site.
* * *
Also at the noon briefing, Inner City Press
asked
for response to a
call by
Uganda's envoy in Juba for the UN military option to arrest Joseph Kony, Vincent
Otti and three others in the Lords Resistance Army. At press time, the
spokesman's office said:
"In
response to your question from today's Noon Briefing: As requested by the
Security Council (SC) in Resolution 1663, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
continues to go everything within its mandate and capabilities against the LRA,
however our forces are extremely limited by both. It must be stressed that the
Governments of the region (Sudan, Southern Sudan, Uganda, DRC) have significant
more capacity to act against the LRA than UNMIS does. (UNMIS has only 700 guard
troops in all of Equatoria - an area the size of Austria - while reports have
put combined SAF-SPLA-UPDF at 50,000, although SAF is withdrawing and UPDF
presence may fluctuate). UNMIS is also configurated towards implementing a
classic Chapter 6
monitoring and verification mission and, as such, does not possess any offensive
assets. Areas of focus to assist against LRA now that UNMIS deployment is
reaching completion are more pro-active patrolling in known LRA areas, and
assistance facilitating the coordination of information between thre three
military forces on the ground - SAF, SPLA and UPDF. To do more would require a
stronger mandate and much more robust resources."
It's a response, and it was fast. But presumably the call for UN military action
was directed at the 17,000 UN troops in the DRC with MONUC. To be continued.
Heard in the hall: an outgoing ambassador told Inner City Press that the fix
is in on the UN budget crisis. "There is no more crisis," he said, "the United
States caved in." He predicted that on Wednesday the cap will be lifted, along
with happy talk about reforms that have been achieved. Asked if Japan had left
the U.S. alone with its threats, the diplomat said, "Japan chases behind the
U.S. and then doesn't back them up. But don't quote me by name!" Okay...
On a
lighter note, on Thursday evening photos of Angkor Wat were unveiled in the UN's
visitors' lobby, where they will remain on display until August 18. The opening
ceremony was graced by Cambodian dancers as well as a mobbed table loaded with
sushi. A heart-felt celebration of global culture.
Strong Arm on Small Arms: Rift Within UN About Uganda's Involuntary Disarmament
of Karamojong Villages
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee at the U.N.
UNITED NATIONS, June
21 -- As the United Nations prepares for a two-week conference on small arms,
questions about a UN-funded disarmament program in Uganda have gone unanswered,
including at a press conference mid-Wednesday. Amid happy talk about member
states reducing weapons, and side-questions about the 100,000 protest letters
the National Rifle Association has submitted, the reported abuse of the
Karamojong pastoralists has thus far not been deemed worthy of on-the-record
comment by the UN Development Programme, which funds the involuntary disarmament
being carried out by the Ugandan People's Defense Force (UPDF) in conjunction
with local militias called Local Defense Units (LDUs).
That some
of the most detailed reports come from well-placed sources inside the UN may
reflect an intra-UN rift in how to engage with the Ugandan government's
strong-arm tactics. This is what Inner City Press has been told, by
knowledgeable sources including within the UN, and what it has for three days
asked for UNDP comment on:
--on May 19, 2006 in Jimos village in
Kotido sub-county in northern Uganda, the UPDF and LDUs encircled a village and
attacked to force the residents to turn over their weapons. Reportedly, four
people were killed by the UPDF / LDUs, including a 15-year old girl. Over 100
homes were burned and the village's protective fence was destroyed. Many
residents were taken and detained in the UPDF barracks in Kotido.
--Also on May 19, in Moroto district at
Loputiput and Longoleki village, in Nadunget sub county, the Ugandan army
encircled the village at 4 a.m.. People were ordered out of their huts and
beaten while the army searched the village. Although reportedly the army found
no weapons or ammunition, ten men from the village were taken and detained at
the Moroto army barracks.
--on May 26, 2006, in Loperot parish
similar disarmament attacks killed an old woman. Reportedly four women were
raped.
--On June 3, 2006 in Moroto District,
newly-disarmed villages began being attacked; since then a dozen other attacks
have occurred. Some background: on June 1, 2006, a local Karamajong who had
previously worked on a voluntary disarmament program saw what was occurring in
forced disarmament and so in order to save his village brought in a dozen guns
that were in his village. He then asked the UPDF / LDUs for protection against
other armed raiders. He was told they would not protect the village. On June 3
his village was attacked by armed raiders and he and some of his sons were
killed and 120 head of cattle were stolen. In Kotido district, over two dozen
such raids have occurred.
N.
Uganda per UNHCR
While
this inquiry at present is about what if anything did the UN and its agencies
know, and when did they know it, experts consulted about the context of the
narrative above point out that the treatment of the Karamojong has been un- or
under-reported due to their characterization as cattle rustlers rather than
pastoralists, like the Masai. The Karamojong are portrayed lagging behind the
wider narrative, popular at the World Bank and elsewhere, of Uganda as a UN- and
U.S.-supported success story albeit one with a one (or no) party state, the
single leader of which some Karamojong recently shot at. A question raised is
whether women and children should suffer this impacts, from a UN-funded program.
Military and human rights analysts note that the Ugandan army has had "slippage
in discipline" at least since its profitable incursions in the Democratic
Republic of Congo. There is much more to be reported, from Kampala and the
villages named above.
But at UN
Headquarters in New York, because the UN Development Programme funds this
disarmament program, Inner City Press emailed UNDP for comment, as well as for a
description of UNDP's procedures for overseeing the disarmament and other
programs that it funds. After allowing time for UNDP staff in New York to
contact their colleagues in Uganda, and specifying a Tuesday 5 p.m. deadline,
Inner City Press telephoned and spoke with a UNDP official who insisted on
anonymity, and used the words "on background" even for the generalities offered,
which included phrases such as "we are aware of violence" and "there are
challenges on the ground" and "we know that there are problems."
When
asked what UNDP is doing about these problems, the official said that UNDP
"maintains dialogue with its partners" and keeps this behind closed doors. But
now Inner City Press has been told that the UPDF disarmament program is slated
to be expanded, including with the use of helicopter gun ships. And so
ill-timed these voices are compelled to be raised. If the UN is providing
guidance, no one is hearing it.
Inner
City Press also raised this narrative to the spokesman for the Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights, by email, to the director and spokespersons
for the children's agency UNICEF, who stated they will "revert" by week's end,
to the spokeswoman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA and to the World Food
Programme. At the noon briefing on Wednesday, Inner City Press asked the
president-designate of the Small Arms Conference, Sri Lanka's permanent
representative to the UN Prasad Kariyawasam, what safeguards are in place for
such involuntary disarmament. His response was indirect, that while there is no
one entity overseeing the UN's disarmament efforts and no ombudsman, at the
upcoming conference "no government is prohibited from critically assessing
implementation" of disarmament. He added that "when we adopt a final document we
will perhaps address" the issues and "have remedies for alleviation of any
mishandling." (The questions and answers are in this
footage of the briefing,
from minutes 30 through 33 and 47 onwards.)
Inner
City Press asked how many countries the UN funds involuntary disarmament in. Amb.
Kariyawasam's co-briefer, who afterwards stated she has no business card from
the UN's Department of Disarmament Affairs, said the questions should be
directed to UNDP. When told that no on-the-record response had been
forthcoming, another staffer, Francois Coutu, said that since he used to work
for UNDP, he would try to get an answer. So too did the Office of the Spokesman
for the Secretary General. But this should not be like pulling teeth. And the
question, who is overseeing UNDP-funded involuntary disarmament programs, has
yet to be answered.
Mid-afternoon Wednesday, UNDP indirectly asked for yet more time. Kofi Annan's
spokeswoman said, orally and in writing, that violence against civilians,
particularly women and children, is to be condemned. But by who? At 6 p.m. press
time, the Secretary General's spokesman's office provided an update, that "UNDP
is aware of these allegations and is looking into them," including by attempt to
contact an Eastern Uganda staff members. Inner City Press had previously emailed
this staff member, and received in return this response: "This
is an automatic reply. I am away from the office and unable to read my email. I
will read your message when I return on 23 June." And then we all will read UNDP's
on-the-record response on these issues, it is hoped. Developing...
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