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UN Staffer Urged Harder Repression in Cameroon, ICP Asked UNHCR, Post Gone, Spin

By Matthew Russell Lee, interviews I, II, video

UNITED NATIONS, September 9 – How does the UN respond when its staff call for "harder repression" of their opponents, linking themselves with the UN? In the case of a Francophone Cameroonian UNHCR staffer who called for more of the crackdown already underway from the Paul Biya government in Anglophone Cameroon, the UN three times refused to answer Press questions. Then, as outrage grew, UNHCR told Inner City Press that the staff had deleted the Facebook post, having herself faced unspecified death threats. But what is the UN's policy, when its staffers identify themselves online as with the UN? In New York at the September 6 UN noon briefing Inner City Press asked Secretary General Antonio Guterres' lead spokesman Stephane Dujarric about something it first tried to ask UNHCR in writing: a self-described UNHCR "Community Protection Officer" Nadine Njoya born in Yaounde calling Anglophone protesters and urging a "harder repression." Inner City Press then tweeted the photos, here.



Dujarric said he would look into it. But when Inner City Press asked again on September 7, he passed the buck to UNHCR - and the UN transcript edited out Inner City Press saying it HAD asked, or tried to ask, UNHCR (by emailing the photos to Antonio Guterres former spokesperson and adviser Melissa Fleming). So Inner City Press emailed not only Ms. Fleming, the long time spokesperson for now-Secretary General Antonio Guterres, but also three other UNHCR spokespeople, and has just received the response below: "Dear  Matthew, The comments posted were not a UNHCR position and were done in staff member’s personal capacity. Please note that the staff member has since deleted the post, after realizing it was inappropriate and also receiving death threats. We are sharing with you below her response on the issue. “…..I do confirm that I did a comment on Tuesday 05/09 on my personal Facebook account. That comment was to give my opinion on the content of some flyers carrying threatening messages that are currently dispatched by unknown people in my country (Cameroon). I have attached the flyers here to and as you will notice, parents are warned not to send their children to school and the unknown persons behind the flyers, clearly promise to kill the children that would be sent to school or anyone who will not comply with their “ghost town” instruction. Therefore, my comment was to condemn the authors of those 2 flyers, as I felt that the rights of the Cameroonian children to safety, life and education were violated and fear/terror among the population was disseminated! It’s unfortunate that my words were taken out of their context. I do take note of your advice and please be informed that I had to delete my Facebook account yesterday……”  On the Burundian refugee returns from Tanzania: UNHCR stands ready to assist any refugee who expresses the desire to return to Burundi – as long as the decision is voluntary. In a recent meeting with UNHCR on August 1, Burundi and Tanzania reaffirmed their commitment to the principle of voluntary repatriation of refugees. The two countries also acknowledged that while some refugees may opt to return, others may still have well-founded reasons for not returning." We'll let it speak for itself, except for asking, When did UNHCR know about this? Why was the question never answered until Inner City Press asked four UNHCR spokespeople? Is this how, for example, UNRWA or even other UN agencies operate? Finally, for our readers to comment on online on Twitter and elsewhere, is UNHRC's and UN's response appropriate? Watch this site.

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