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On Burundi, UN Silent on Third Term, Ntibibogora Failed Vetting in 2014

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 9 -- After the UN Security Council, the United States and the UN Peacebuilding Configuration on Burundi on May 15 issued statements urging calm in the country given the return of Pierre Nkurunziza to presumably run for a third term, on May 29 Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric about UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous accepting an allegedly abusive Burundian police officer Godefroid Bizmama into his MINUSMA mission in Mali. Video here, and embedded below.

  On June 9, Inner City Press asked Dujarric about civil society opposition to the electoral commission proposing presidential polls for July 15, including it seems for a possible third term. What does UN envoy Said Djinnit think of a third term? Video here.

  Dujarric again refused to answer directly, while calling on Burundians to follow Djinnit. Follow him where?

  Inner City Press asked about Italy suspending inclusion of Burundian forces in its training program, see below: Inner City Press has learned that Jérôme NTIBIBOGORA was rejected by vetting even in 2014.

  Dujarric replied that this is up to the Italian government. But what is the UN doing, including with respect to 1000 Burundian police slated to begin "peacekeeping" in Somalia on June 11? We'll see.

  Amid calls to replace UN enovy Said Djinnit as "pro-Nkurunziza," which Inner City Press has asked the UN about, on June 8 another letter went in, signed by Vital Nshimirimana. Inner City Press is putting it online here (it is in French, and translated by the Free UN Coalition for Access here); it explains the demand that Djinnit be replaced.

  Some note that Ban Ki-moon, now on travel in Central Asia but still quiet on human rights there too, gave in to requests to replace his Yemen mediator Jamal Benomar and ask, why not here? But those requests were from Saudi Arabia. Watch this site.

  On June 8, Inner City Press asked Maman S. Sidikou, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for Somalia, about Burundian forces serving in AMISOM.

  Sidikou replied that their "morale" remains high, and that one thousand are coming into Somalia from June 11 to 18. So is there no human rights due diligence for this?

  The UN claims due diligence but gives no details at all. On June 8 Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric:

Inner City Press: On Burundi, I asked you before about Godefroid Bizimana.  Now I'm going to ask about Jérôme Ntibibogora, who is a Burundian police officer who, civil society there, say was involved in an attack against a hospital and firing at protesters.  He's set for deployment in the Central African Republic after being trained by an Italian centre known as CoESPU, a Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units.

Spokesman Dujarric:  As much as I have everybody's files and names under my fingertips, I will check…

Inner City Press: I've actually heard from the Italian mission that they've put some of their training on hold, but likewise has the UN put anything on hold of deployment of police officers from Burundi?

Spokesman:  I think we'll… you know, there is a Human Rights Due Diligence Policy and people are being screened.

Inner City Press:  But, Godefroid seems to…

Spokesman:  Has he been appointed?

Inner City Press: That's why I'm asking [about
Jérôme]..

  Early on June 8, based on more information from Inner City Press' sources in Burundi, Inner City Press asked Italy's Mission to the UN:

"In covering the crisis in Burundi, multiple sources there have informed Inner City Press that a Burundian police officer named Jérôme NTIBIBOGORA, implicated in the crackdown in Bujumbura, is now set to be deployed to the UN Peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA -- but only after he is “trained” by / in Italy.

"This a Press request for your Mission to confirm or deny that Jérôme NTIBIBOGORA / NTIBIBOGORA Jérôme or any other Burundian police or military personnel involved in putting down protests to Pierre Nkurunziza's attempted third term is scheduled or considered for training or any preparatory work in Italy prior to a deployment with UN Peacekeeping.

"For your information in responding on deadline to this, Inner City Press' sources in Burundi said that Jérôme NTIBIBOGORA / NTIBIBOGORA Jérôme has so far been involved in at least two recent troubling incidents: killings at the hospital of BUMEREC (in Bujumbura) on May 14, 2015 and firing live ammunition at unarmed protesters on June 5, 2015, resulting in the death of a protester named Theogène who was a student at University of Burundi. Overall, what due diligence does Italy do in its work with UN Peacekeeping?"

  The UN Mission of Italy, running for a seat on the UN Security Council against Sweden and the Netherlands, answered also on the morning of June 8:

"Dear Mr. Lee, while at this stage I do not have any information on specific officers from Burundi, I can nevertheless confirm that any training activity by the COESPU (Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units) in Vicenza, Italy, with officers from that country, is currently on hold, due to the ongoing situation in Burundi.
 
Giovanni Davoli, Spokesperson, Italian Mission to the UN"

  It's appreciated. But are there Burundian officers "in the pipeline"?  Inner City Press asked: "Does “on hold” mean there are no Burundian personnel in the pipeline of your training program, to be deployed to peacekeeping missions? And, once you check in across the Atlantic, can the state the status of any of the individual named, and describe Italy's due diligence policy more generally?"

  Italian Mission spokesperson Davoli replied:

"Dear Matthew, in general, single participants, before being accepted into the courses, are screened trough the resources available to us and to our partners in COESPU, to make sure they are compatible with the values of the Center.

On this particular individual, we are checking with Italy if we have any record, which means we won’t get any more details before tomorrow. In any instances, the participation of officers from this particular country is on hold, therefore there is no Burundian in the pipeline, until further notice.

Giovanni Davoli, Spokesperson, Italian Mission to the UN"

  Inner City Press renewed its questions on June 9, and got this reply:

"Dear Matthew, I can confirm that Jérôme NTIBIBOGORA has never attended nor is expected to attend courses at CoESPU. His candidature was submitted twice and rejected twice by COESPU.
On the first occasion, in 2014, this officer did not pass the vetting in place for these courses (as per mail yesterday); on the second occasion, already in 2015, all Burundi candidatures were already on freeze.

Giovanni Davoli, Spokesperson, Italian Mission to the UN"


 

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