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By Matthew Russell Lee,

UNITED NATIONS, March 20 -- Four UN cases of sexual exploitation and one of child rape were disclosed late on March 19 on the UN's website and Inner City Press immediately reported them: all in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the accused all from South African, all cases "pending." Since there was a recent group of "UN SEA" allegations against the South African contingent in DRC, it was unclear if these were the same or related case. So Inner City Press on March 20 asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who as it turned out had a prepared if-asked statement, that these are in fact new cases, that the UN is concerned - but not so concerned that he read out the statement without being asked, by the press he threw out of the Briefing Room and still restricts. This is the UN's disclosure, once a month, while they spin.  Even with his if-asked, Dujarric could not explain the notation on each case "Pending ID of personnel involved." He promised to revert on this, which he has yet to do on Inner City Press' March 19 question about UN action on PTSD after two suicides by Japanese peacekeepers after returning from South Sudan. This is today's UN. Amid the UN's decade long claim of “zero tolerance” for sexual abuse and exploitation, on March 13 a press conference was announced with decade long, now part-time, UN official Jane Holl Lute. Inner City Press asked her why the UN Peacekeeping mission UNMISS has denied South Sudan's request for a role in investigating alleged sexual abuse of South Sudanese IDPs in Wau by UN Police from Ghana. Video here. Back in late January  UN international staff member in Mali was disclosed to have been accused of rape, and an Ethiopian peacekeeper with the UN Mission in Liberia was accused of sexual exploitation. While the alleged rapist - the UN has not disclosed his nationality - has been put on leave, the sexual exploitation change is listed only as "pending." Photo here. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says he has a "zero tolerance" policy for sexual harassment - this as he held an UNdisclosed (until Inner City Press asked), and many say UNjustifiable, meeting with Sudan's Omar al Bashir indicted for crimes by his forces in Darfur.  Guterres chief of "Global Communications" Alison Smale argued that all UN staff including victims should "speak with one voice" which several staff told Inner City Press they took to mean, Don't make the UN look bad.

 On March 13, Inner City Press also asked how soldiers for example from Sri Lanka are vetted by the UN, given a showing that the four past commanders sent from Colombo to UNIFIL had troubling war records. Related story here.

She referred the UNMISS question to her Conduct and Discipline Unit colleague, who said joint investigations should be possible under the model Status of Forces Agreement (certainly news to Juba).

The second question on vetting wasn't answered at all. There was a third question, which Inner City Press also put to Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric: how did the UN investigate the complaint by the Bishop of Bangassou in the Central African Republic that IDPs there were sexually exploited by UN “peacekeepers” and some became pregnant?

Dujarric cited OIOS, the same UN Office of Internal Oversight Services in which the South Sudanese government said it has no confidence. Dujarric added that Guterres met the Bishop during what Inner City Press dubbed, from a DPI Town Hall meeting, his “litmus test” visit to CAR.

In the March 13 press conference Inner City Press asked if Jane Holl Lute's office (report here) has jurisdiction over alleged abuse or exploitation by UN officials against UN staff or contractors, as is alleged at UNFPA in India. Getting no answer, Inner City Press tried to explain: blue on blue SEA.

 Jane Holl Lute said she doens't like - or has zero tolerance for - the term “blue on blue.” But what about the UNFPA case? Or one was are looking into regarding UNHCR in Sri Lanka under Guterres? Watch this site.

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