On
Burundi, PBC
Hears
Re-Opened
Radios Are
Restricted,
ICP Asks Ban's
Spox
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March
9 -- When
the Burundi
configuration
of the UN
Peacebuilding
Commission met
on March 9,
the conference
room was too
small and the
meeting was
not televised,
at least not
to the outside
world (see
below). There
was talk of
Burundi's
Pierre
Nkurunziza
have allowed
two of four
closed radio
stations to
re-open.
But Special
Adviser Jamal
Benomar said
these two
stations were
not critical
of the
government;
beyond that,
it has emerged
that the
stations'
directors had
to sign a
commitment
about their
future
coverage. Some
in the UN, it
is clear,
would like to
do just this -
in fact,
that's why
Inner City
Press could
not watch the
meeting on UN
in-house TV in
its shared
office the UN
has seized,
and so came to
the meeting.
In
Conference
Room 8, the
Permanent
Representatives
of Tanzania,
Belgium,
Burundi,
Norway, The
Netherlands,
and others,
and Deputies
from France,
Rwanda and
others. France
was given the
floor first in
the debate;
its Deputy
Alex Lamek
after a bland
speech left
the meeting,
his seat taken
by another
French mission
staffer.
Belgium called
for a
re-opening of
all media
without
restriction.
There
were other
speeches, but
Inner City
Press had to
go upstairs,
with its its
currently
reduced access
pass, and ask
the UN's
Deputy
Spokesperson
why Ban had
praised the
re-opening,
with
restrictions,
of only two of
the four radio
stations
closed. Vine
here; UN transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: About
Burundi.
You'd said
that the
Secretary-General
discussed it
with the
[German]
Foreign
Minister.
Just came from
a meeting down
in Conference
Room 8 of the
Burundi
configuration
peacebuilding,
and there Mr.
[Ivan]
Šimonovic said
that the two
radio stations
that were
reopened were
forced to sign
commitments
about their
future
coverage.
And Mr.
[Jamal]
Benomar said
that the two
stations were
not critical
of the
Government.
I'm asking you
because the
Secretary-General
praised this
as a move
toward freedom
of the press,
the reopening
of two
stations in
Burundi.
And now two
people that
work for him
said that they
were never
critical of
the Government
and they were
forced to sign
commitments
about their
future
coverage.
So, I wonder,
what did he
mean by
that?
Was this
really a
positive step,
or was there
some
difference of
opinion
between the
38th Floor and
these other
two floors
that these
gentlemen are
on?
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq: No,
no, the
Secretary-General's
comments were
regarding the
general
principle of
allowing media
to go about
their
tasks.
Obviously, we
would be
concerned
about any
restrictions
imposed upon
the media, but
at the same
time, we
appreciate any
efforts to
open up space
for freedom of
expression and
freedom of the
press
Inner City
Press:
But, what
about telling
a media, as a
condition of
reopening, it
has to commit
to a certain
kind of
coverage?
That's what
they're
discussing
down in
Conference
Room 8.
Deputy
Spokesman:
Ultimately,
what we want
is for the
media to be
free to do
their work
unconditionally.
On January 29,
Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric
again, transcript
here.
So it's
all on Zeid,
nothing from
Ban Ki-moon,
who appears to
be playing
this like he
did Sri
Lanka...
At the
UN Security
Council
stakeout,
Inner City
Press waited
-- including
through two
North Korea
questions, and
softballs --
then asked if
this UN use of
Burundian
troops makes
sense. There
has yet to be
an answer,
although there
are
indications
one might be
forthcoming.
(More than 24
hours later,
no). Here
for now is
about the US
training
Burundian
troops.
Watch this
site.
We're
told that
Ambassador
Albert
Shingiro, who
blocks the
Press on
Twitter, told
the scribes
that US Power
said she would
send “a strong
message to the
government of
Rwanda."
Again,
Shingiro
blocks the
Press on
Twitter: some
diplomat.
On January 22,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Deputy
Spokesperson
Farhan Haq for
the UN's
response to
Pierre
Nkurunziza
denying the
existence of
his party's
youth militia,
and why there
was no video
or even audio
stream of the
Security
Council's -
and
Nkurunziza's
-- press
statements. Video here.
Haq
replied that
"the
facilities are
difficult,"
that the UN
Spokesperson's
Office had
reached out to
the traveling
party for
information
but hadn't
gotten any.
The Free
UN Coalition
for Access
calls this a
failure.
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 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,
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 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?”
Ultimately,
after the
questioning,
he didn't.
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.
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