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By Matthew Russell Lee, Video here, Vine here

UN GATE, Sept 6 -- Stephane Dujarric, the lead spokesman of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and now Guterres' Global Communicator Melissa Fleming and even Assistant Spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino, have joined their boss in personally covering up child rapes and sexual abuse by UN personnel, including recently a child rape by a UN "peacekeeper" from Paul Biya's Cameroon in DR Congo.

  On September 5, mere hours after spinning at least ten UN child rape allegations to correspondents who rarely ask or publish about them, while refusing to answer Inner City Press' questions, the UN cursorily disclosed yet another charge, of sexual exploitation by a Brazilian "peacekeeper" in Lebanon. Talk about conflict prevention.

  Even18 hours later, the questions Inner City Press e-mailed to Guterres, Dujarric, his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, Melissa Fleming and Guterres' Brazilian chief of staff Maria Viotti had not been answered or acknowledged, despite Dujarric's on camera commitment / lie about answering Inner City Press' questions. Video here.

So Inner City Press asked yet again on the (early) morning of September 6, before heading to enter and cover the SDNY federal courthouse: "September 6-1: On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - as I asked you in writing yesterday afternoon with no response (please note that the public does not pay you in order to cover up UN child rapes by refusing to answer basic question and withholding if-asked information the UN has) this is a request that you immediately provide the "if asked" information about the case of a Brazilian UN peacekeeper charged with sexual exploitation in UNFIL / Lebanon just cursorily e-announced, and that you immediately provide the "granular" information that was promised today at noon to correspondents who barely ask or publish about this topic. Also, again, what is Guterres' answer, which you refused to provide after banned Inner City Press asked you and others in writing on the morning of August 19 that you "immediately provide all if-asked and additional information about the new allegation of SEA announced at 11:01 am today, of child rape by a Cameroonian "peacekeeper" in DR Congo, and a separate child rape and also sexual exploitation by Gabonese peacekeers in CAR, as well as the previously unanswned question about exploitation by Tanzanian peacekeeper - and also why previously published charges are no longer in the data to which UN Peacekeeping Conduct and Discipline points, including what if being done for these victims and any steps taken to avoid this constant repetition of abuse despite the SG's ostensible commitments. Again, are new allegations being buried elsewhere on the data page? Inner City Press is asking in writing because banned from the noon briefings and any follow up questions, now for more than a year. On August 24 Inner City Press re-applied for admission to cover the UNGA high level week; on August 30 it was summarily rejected, with no or only Kafka-esque reasoning. Yesterday and today, as before none of Inner City Press' written questions, including on Cameroon, have been answered."

And after that, published immediately and in full by Inner City Press here, this from deputy spokesman Farhan Haq: "On your question Sept 6-1, we can say the following:     The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has received an allegation of sexual exploitation involving a member of the Brazilian military contingent deployed to the Mission.     The allegation refers to an exploitative relationship involving two adult women that allegedly took place from March 2019 to June 2019.     The Member State has appointed a National Investigation Officer and indicated that the matter will be investigated by the TCC. The UN has withheld payment for the subject pending the results of the national investigation. The Mission has referred the two alleged victims for appropriate assistance in line with the UN strategy on assistance and support to victims.  

 The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has received an allegation of sexual exploitation involving three members of the Republic of the Congo military contingent formerly deployed to the Mission.     The allegation refers to an exploitative relationship with three adult women that allegedly took place from December 2013 to unspecified date in 2016 and one of the women gave birth to a child.    Given the absence of response from the Republic of the Congo on the UN’s request to appoint a National Investigation Officer, the UN will investigate the matter. The alleged victims were referred for appropriate assistance in line with the UN strategy on assistance and support to victims." Inner City Press appreciates these two answers, which should have been expected earlier, but notes the telling refusing of Guterres' UN to answer the questions about Cameroon peacekeepers' child rapes in CAR, and this question:

"September 6-2: In light of the charges of sexual abuse against Cameroon peacekeepers on which you have refused to answer Inner City Press' questions, what is the SG's explanation of that Cameroon is dispatching more than a thousand troops to help bring peace to its troubled neighbor, the Central African Republic. The troops are leaving as analysts say they are already stretched handling such internal crises as piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, the Boko Haram insurgency and the separatist crisis that has left at least 3,000 killed in three years. The Cameroon military band plays as the first contingent of over 300 peacekeeping troops leaves for the neighboring Central African Republic on September 4. Cameroon’s defense minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, said they have been well trained to join the U.N. peacekeeping mission. What training? What accountability?" Watch this site, especially on accountability.

  After and while refusing all written questions from Inner City Press about these UN rapes, on September 5 Dujarric read out in the briefing he bans Inner City Press from a series of statistics that he did not put online. He seemed to say there were "only" 39 allegations in the second quarter, involving "only" ten girls - that is, ten child rapes. To a few correspondents who if the past is any guide will not publish on the information or on Guterres' and Dujarric's open censorship, Dujarric promised to give more "granular" information in his office. Inner City Press has asked for this information for months - let's see if it goes online. Watch this site.

  On the morning of August 27 Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres, Dujarric, Fleming and others: "On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - this is a request that you immediately provide the "if asked" information supplied about other cases in the past about the cursory update this morning listing a SEA case by a Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) peacekeeper at MINUSCA in CAR. This information was provided in the past, before you banned Inner City Press (which re-applied on August 24, 2019 to cover the UNGA high level week). Also, again, what is Guterres' answer, which you refused to provide after banned Inner City Press asked you and others in writing on the morning of August 19 that you "immediately provide all if-asked and additional information about the new allegation of SEA announced at 11:01 am today, of child rape by a Cameroonian "peacekeeper" in DR Congo, and a separate child rape and also sexual exploitation by Gabonese peacekeepers in CAR, as well as the previously unanswered question about exploitation by Tanzanian peacekeeper - and also why previously published charges are no longer in the data to which UN Peacekeeping Conduct and Discipline points, including what if being done for these victims and any steps taken to avoid this constant repetition of abuse despite the SG's ostensible commitments. Again, are new allegations being buried elsewhere on the data page? Inner City Press is asking in writing because banned from the noon briefings and any follow up questions, now for more than a year. On August 24 Inner City Press re-applied for admission to cover the UNGA high level week. Yesterday as before none of Inner City Press' written questions, including on Cameroon, have been answered. This is a request that you immediately confirm receipt of these questions and requests. " But five days later there has been no answer, including after a desultory noon briefing by Soto Nino on August 30 when Dujarric like Hua Jiang went on another vacation. But their and Guterres' UN sent this out:

"From: malu malu [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Aug 30, 2019 at 4:23 PM
Subject: U.N. eAccreditation request for Matthew Lee Ref # M5413398 has been declined
To: Inner City Press:

Greetings Matthew Lee from Inner City Press,  Your media accreditation request, with reference no: M5413398, has been declined for the following reason: Media accreditation was withdrawn on 17 August 2018."

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