On
Burundi, US
Ambassador
Power on Mass
Graves, Before
AU Reversal on
Peacekeepers
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 28 --
Before the
African Union
backtracked on
deployment of
a peacekeeping
force to
Burundi, Inner
City Press
asked first
the UN then
the US Mission
to the UN
about the
evidence of
mass graves in
the country.
On
January 31,
the US Mission
to the UN
provided this
quote from
Ambassador
Samantha Power
to Inner City
Press:
"These reports
underscore the
futility of
trying to
cover up such
crimes.
Perpetrators
of atrocities
in Burundi
must realize
that the
international
community is
watching and
those
responsible
for such
horrors will
be brought to
account. The
Security
Council was
just there,
ministers of
the AU are
meeting this
weekend to
discuss next
steps to
address a
grave and
growing
crisis, and
Burundi is a
party to the
International
Criminal
Court. If the
government of
Burundi wants
to prevent
more mass
graves, there
has to be a
prompt
inclusive
political
dialogue
outside
Burundi and a
significantly
expanded
international
presence to
offer
protection
inside.”
Now,
there will be
no African
Union
peacekeepers;
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
statements at
the AU Summit
in Addis Ababa
did not evne
seem to be
pushing for
them.
On January 29,
Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric
again, transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: on
Burundi, I'm
sure that you…
you and Mr.
[Jamal]
Benomar have
seen this
Amnesty
International
report with
photographs
and, in one
case, video of
what they say
are these mass
graves.
And I wanted
to know… I'd
asked you
yesterday if
there's any
plan by the UN
to preserve
such evidence,
but now that
there's
actual… I
mean, they've
taken photos,
but they're
not on the
ground; they
don't have
blue
passports.
What's the UN
going to do
about it?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
Obviously, the
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights is
extreme… is
very much
aware of these
reports.
I think, on 15
January, the
High
Commissioner
had already
flagged the
possible
existence of
at least nine
mass graves in
Bujumbura and
its
surroundings,
including one
in a military
camp
containing
about 100
bodies in
total of
people
allegedly
killed, I
think, around
11 December of
last
year. He
also said that
his office are
analysing
satellite
images in an
effort to shed
more light on
the extremely
serious
allegations.
The High
Commissioner
made clear
then and
remains as
clear today
that we
urgently need
an
independent,
thorough,
credible and
impartial
investigation
and that the
alleged
gravesites
need to be
safeguarded.
That's it.
So it's
all on Zeid,
nothing from
Ban Ki-moon.
On
January 27,
Inner City
Press
similarly put
questions
about the UN's
continued use
of Burundian
troops as
“peacekeepers."
The UN
Spokesperson
answered
Inner City
Press: On
Burundi, given
that the
government has
not responded
to, or has
blocked, the
human rights
experts from
Geneva, and
given the
other things
said on this
podium, what
sense does it
make for UN
peacekeeping
to continue to
use, and give
waivers to
Burundian
peacekeepers
in CAR? Is
there a
connection
between a
country’s
compliance
with the UN’s
demands,
requests, and
in fact paying
money, which
some say
doesn’t even
go to the
troops, for
service in
peacekeeping
missions?
UN Spokesman
Dujarric:
Peacekeeping
troops, units
that serve in
peacekeeping
missions,
undergo
various
vetting
processes that
involve the UN
and the host
country. ?? in
cases we have
not accepted
certain
individuals,
we’ve also
returned
battalions in
other cases.
This will be
continued to
be looked at
on a rolling
basis.
On
January 21
Inner City
Press in New
York learned
both of Pierre
Nkurunziza
plans to
parade
"community
work" for the
Security
Council
members on
January 22 and
has been
provided with
a letter
promoting
same, here.
On
January 22,
even after the
Council's
meeting with
Nkurunziza was
over, when
Inner City
Press asked
the UN for a
read-out there
was none, nor
any good
explanation of
why the UN
with its
country team
could not
arrange at
least an audio
stream of the
Council's (and
Nkurunziza's)
press
statements.
Inner
City Press
asked the head
of the
Campaign
Against the
Third Term
(“Halte au
troisième
mandat”) Vital
Nshimirimana
about the UNSC
visit, and why
the AU human
rights
observers are
not yet in
place. His
answers to
Inner City
Press:
"As for the
deployment of
the AU Human
rights
observers, I
would recall
that the same
was decided
back in June
following the
June 13, 2015
Johannesburg
Summit on
Burundi.
Initially, the
number was to
be about 70
observers but
the government
refused and
allowed a
narrow team.
"My thought
over the issue
is that
Nkurunziza has
chosen to
humiliate
everybody in
as much as he
does not care
about any
principle or
value. So, the
AU and other
bodies as well
choose to deal
with him very
carefully for
he is a man
(and a regime)
"irrational,"
likely to
commit
whatever
crime, insult
whomever.....
"With regard
to the UNSC
visit, I hope
this is the
very last
warning
towards a kind
of regime
likely to
commit
genocide. They
are expected
to dually and
objectively
assess the
situation and
especially the
strength and
presence of
Imbonerakure,
the CNDD-FDD
militia....
And this was
shown through
a huge anti-
peacekeeping
mission
mission to
Burundi,
MAPROBU
rhetoric.
Burundians
expect the
UNSC support
the deployment
of such a
mission in
line with the
responsibility
to protect
(Pillar III)
since Burundi
is no longer
able and is
unwilling to
protect
citizens from
crimes against
humanity
(ongoing from
April 2015)
and genocide
(of which
dozens of
signs suggest
that it is
likely to
happen and
some acts are
already
undertaken).
Lastly, the
UNSC is
expected to
talk with
Nkurunziza and
the AU as well
regarding
peace talks.
They should
assess
Museveni's
performance,
after what
conclude that
he should be
assigned AU
and UN teams
(to enhance
his capacity)
or change
him.... I
commend your
endeavors to
keep the world
informed about
the Burundi
crisis."
We'll
have more on
this --
including in
light the UN
Deputy
Spokesperson's
response to
Inner City
Press that
transcripts
may be
provided.
Here
are parts of
an Inner City
Press
interview with
a journalist
attacked by
the Nkurunziza
government and
for that
reason
anonymous:
In English:
"It would be
better if the
Security
Council met
for example
UPRONA leader
Nditije
Charles, with
the
non-governmental
branch of the
UPRONA party)
or his
Spokesman
Thacien
Sibomana. The
Council should
try to meet
civil society
but
there is
almost no one
left to really
speak with now
in Bujumbura.
All those
still in
Bujumbura,
they can't say
anything about
the abuses of
authorithies.
If it was
possible, they
should ask to
meet the young
men in prison.
They should
see themselves
how the
government
abuses those
young men,
with
tortures...
Tell them
visit to the
prisoners in
Gitega (those
who are
accused to
attempting a
coup d'etat)
UN has the
right to visit
prisoners."
Inner
City Press
note: another
source says
"the
government
moved several
detainees from
the SNR jails.
I highly doubt
they'd allow a
visit to
detainees."
Tellingly,
IWACU reports
that bike taxi
and motorcycle
taxi drivers
offered money
to protest in
favor of
Nkurunziza
weren't, after
the fact,
paid: here.
At the January
21 UN noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked UN
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
about the
"community
works" and
meeting(s). Video here, UN
transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
you this just
because I'm
trying to
cover it, and
I know that
you'd said
yesterday that
the Special
Adviser, Jamal
Benomar, is in
Burundi in
part of the
trip. So
what I wanted
to ask you is,
I've seen
documents that
show that the…
the… the…
tomorrow, the
meeting with
the President,
[Pierre]
Nkurunziza,
will involve a
demonstration
of “community
work”, i.e.,
people have
been asked to
go and I don't
know if it's
to show how
happy they are
— Gitega and
Karuzi.
Does the
Special
Adviser… not
the Security
Council, does
the Special
Adviser of the
Secretary-General
believe that
this type of…
of… of show is
the right one
and will they
be meeting
with UPRONA
and other
opposition
groups or
prisoners
currently in
jail?
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq:
Well, we'll be
able to
provide
details of the
meetings once
they've taken
place.
As you know,
the
expectation is
for the
members of the
Council to
meet with
President
Nkurunziza.
That hasn't
happened so
far, but once
that's
happened,
we'll see what
the
circumstances
are and what
the views of
Mr. Benomar
are.
This is
reminiscent of
the type of
dog-and-pony
show Sri
Lanka's then
President
Mahinda
Rajapaksa put
on for
visiting UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon and
that Inner
City Press accompanied
and covered
(apparently
not to the UN's
and its
allies' liking
- it has been
Banned from
trips since.)
But will the
UNSC, unlike
Ban, have the
fortitude or
leverage to
reject a dog
and pony show?
Watch this
site.
On January 19
at the UN,
Inner City
Press asked
Uruguay's Vice
Minister for
Foreign
Affairs Jose
Luis Cancela,
chairing the
Security
Council debate
on Protection
of Civilians,
about Burundi
and the
Council's
trip. Video
here.
On
January 21,
Inner City
Press and the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access asked
UK Permanent
Representative
Matthew
Rycroft about
his stop-over
on Addis
Ababa, "will
you as UK meet
with AU before
heading to
Burundi? About
AU's proposed
deployment?"
Rycroft replied,
"Yes! Looking
forward to
meeting
@AU_Chergui
today. Will
also return to
Addis with
whole UNSC
after
Burundi."
In
Addis,
Chergui had
filed the
Concept of
Operation for
the MAPROBU
peacekeeping
mission. We'll
have more on
this.
Burundian
civil society
has written to
Ban seeking
the
repatriation
of the
country's
peacekeepers.
Inner City
Press has put
the letter
from Vital
Nshimirimana
to Ban online
here, and
will be asking
the UN about
it. Watch this
site.
On
December 30
Nkurunziza
threatened to
have his
forces attack
peacekeepers
proposed for
the country.
On
December 16
Inner City
Press was
banned from
questions to
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, but
learned from
the mission
MINUSCA that
Baratuza was
already in
Entebbe. Inner
City Press
asked several
Security
Council
members, then
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric on
December17.
Dujarric told
Inner City
Press
Baratuza's
deployment is
suspended and
he is being
repatriated:
"based on the
information
we've received
regarding the
Lieutenant
Colonel, his
deployment has
been
suspended, and
he will be
repatriated
back to
Burundi." Video here. Dujarric told Inner
City Press
this shows the
UN system
working - on a
day when a
report on
rapes was
issued showing
UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous not
sufficiently
vetting for
human rights.
We'll have
more on this.
Amid the
escalating
killings in
Burundi, last
weekend's
summary
executions in
neighborhoods
opposed to
Pierre
Nkurunziza's
third term
stand out. But
Burundi Army
spokesman
Gaspard
Baratuza was
quoted on
December 12
blaming all of
the deaths on
attempts to
steal weapons
to free
prisoners.
Inner City
Press had
heard that Mr.
Baratuza was
already in the
process of
being deployed
to the UN
Peacekeeping
mission in the
Central
African
Republic
(MINUSCA) even
when he was
giving these
quotes,
issuing
statements and
speaking to
state-owned
radio, and so
asked
MINUSCA's
acting
spokesperson,
“Is Gaspard
Baratuza of
Burundi's army
getting a
MINUSCA job?”
On
December 16,
hours before
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon held a
rare press
conference,
MINUSCA's
acting
spokesperson
sent this to
Inner City
Press:
"To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
InnerCityPress.com
From: Vladimir
MONTEIRO [at]
UN.org
Date: Wed, Dec
16, 2015
Subject: ICP
question:
Gaspard
Baratuza of
Burundi's army
getting a
MINUSCA-related
post?
Cc: FUNCA [at]
funca.info
"No decision
related to Lt
Col Baratuza's
deployment can
be taken
before we
finish looking
into the
matter. We can
confirm that
Lt Col
Baratuza is in
Entebbe but he
has not yet
deployed to
MINUSCA.
Regards. VNM"
There are some
questions
about
Baratuza, a
Colonel in
Burundi's
Army, being
listed by the
UN as “Lt.
Col.”
Despite
multiple
follow-up
questions by
Inner City
Press, Mr.
Monteiro -
previously a
spokesperson
for the UN
electoral
mission in
Burundi -
replied that
“This is what
we can say
about this
issue.”
But the UN
should have to
say more.
Inner City
Press has
repeatedly
asked the UN
how its
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
under Herve
Ladsous vets
those who
deploy to UN
missions;
Inner City
Press exclusively
reported
on an October
1, 2015
meeting in
which Ladsous
told Burundi's
Vice President
Joseph Butare
that he is
“pragmatic” on
human rights.
, 
