| On Burundi
Referendum Inner City Press
Asks UN About Arusha But
Guterres Spox Evades
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Photo,
Video
UNITED NATIONS,
June 1 – On Burundi the day
after the May 17 referendum,
in the run up to which at
least 26 people were killed in
Cibitoke, Inner City Press
asked UN Spokesman Farhan Haq
about the deaths. He said
things were reportedly calm.
UN transcript
here and below. Maybe it
was reported as calm because
the local media was censored.
Per RSF, the reporter Jean
Bosco Ndarurenze was expelled
from a ruling party meeting in
the northern city of Kirundo
on May 7. His audio recorder
was confiscated and was then
returned on the condition that
its contents were deleted. As
Inner City Press previously
reported, Radio Insanganiro
reporter Pacifique Cubahiro
and his cameraman suffered a
similar fate when they tried
to do a report on the massacre
of 26 residents of a village
in the northwest of the
country. They were briefly
arrested and their recorded
video material was seized. On
June 1, Inner City Press asked
the UN's Haq, UN transcript here: Inner
City Press: I had asked you
before about Burundi after
the… the… the referendum on
the Constitution. You
had said that… that reports
were that it were calm but
that it hadn't yet been
finalized. Now the
constitutional court of the
Government has dismissed all
opposition petitions, claiming
intimidation and arrests
during the campaign should
invalidate this extension of
term limits for Pierre
Nkurunziza. What is the
UN's position, now that the…
the… the vote is essentially
legally final within Burundi?
Deputy Spokesman: Well,
regarding the referendum, I
would just refer you to the
Secretary-General's recent
report on Burundi, where he
did make it clear that it is
Burundi's sovereign right to
amend its Constitution.
At the same time, what we have
stressed is that there's no
alternative to dialogue, and
we particularly want the
involvement of the East
African Community (EAC) and
for their role in the
inter-Burundian dialogue, and
once more, we would like to
call for the unconditional
participation of all parties
in good faith in the next
session of the inter-Burundian
dialogue, and we urge the
leadership of the East African
Community to keep encouraging
the Burundian stakeholders in
this regard.
Inner City Press: Thank you,
but does the… does the UN
believe, now that it's seen
the draft, the… the text of
the amendments and the
now-final vote, that this
constitutional amendment is in
accord with the Arusha
Agreements that the UN has
worked on, you know, for some
years?
Deputy Spokesman: We
have been studying this
language, but the position I
have stated is the one that we
have." Failure. On May 21,
after Burundi claimed 74% in
favor and only three percent
abstaining, Inner City Press
asked UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres' spokesman
Stephane Dujarric, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: late last
week in Burundi, this
constitutional
referendum. They've just
announced the results.
They said that only 3 per cent
of people abstained, 74 per
cent in favour 19 against,
which would put Pierre
Nkurunziza able to stay in
power till 2034. And
people that abstained were
threatened with arrest or
worse. So, I wanted to
know, what is the UN's
statement on the election…
referendum?
Spokesman: You know,
the… we did not have…
obviously, we were not
participating in the
elections, in the observing or
in the running of the
elections. I would refer
you to what the
Secretary-General said in his
last report on Burundi, in
which he said there was no
alternative to dialogue but…
and, as he said, it is
Burundi's sovereign right to
amend its Constitution.
But I will leave it at that.
Inner
City
Press:
Wait. I just… I'm just trying
to compare it to your previous
answer on Venezuela. Did
the UN have observers there?
Spokesman: In Venezuela?
Inner
City Press: :
Yeah.
Spokesman: No.
Inner
City
Press:
Okay. So…
Spokesman: And I would
refer you… the
Secretary-General's report on
Burundi, I think, his last
report, was fairly clear-eyed
and direct about his
observations and his
recommendations for
Burundi. So I would
refer you to that.
Inner City Press: It's a
sovereign right, but does the
Secretary-General believe that
the… the constitutional
amendments now os… ostensibly
passed violate the spirit or
letter of the Arusha
Agreements?
Spokesman: Again, I
would refer you to the report
and, again, the
Secretary-General's point that
there's no alternative to
dialogue, especially the
ongoing regional
dialogue. Evelyn?"
Menawhie the US issued this:
"The United States notes that
the May 17 referendum process
in Burundi was marred by a
lack of transparency, the
suspension of media outlets,
and attempts to pressure
voters. The government
allowed vigorous campaigning
by the opposition during the
designated two-week campaign
period, but numerous cases of
harassment and repression of
referendum opponents in the
months preceding the vote
contributed to a climate of
fear and intimidation.
The absence of independent
observers also undermines
confidence in the reported
result. We remain concerned
that passage of the revised
constitution will be
interpreted as resetting
presidential term
limits. We recall the
ruling party’s commitment
under the Pretoria Protocol to
respect the principles of the
Arusha Agreement, including
respect for term limits.
Other amendments run counter
to the power-sharing
principles of the Arusha
Agreement. We condemn
the government’s recent
decision to suspend Voice of
America and BBC
broadcasts. This
decision along with other
media restrictions, arbitrary
arrests, and harsh sentences
for human rights defenders
signals continuing limitations
on civic and political space
in Burundi. We call on
the government to respect its
citizens’ rights to freedom of
expression, assembly, and
association. The United States
supports the Burundian people
and hopes for a future in
which they enjoy vibrant and
sustainable economic growth,
security, and fundamental
freedoms." From UN's May 18
transcript: Inner City
Press: Do you have anything on
Burundi and the referendum
that was held yesterday?
Fifteen people, it's said,
were killed in the run-up to
it. Is there a UN
statement on that event?
Deputy Spokesman:
No. I mean, we're aware
that the polls took place
yesterday. There's no
international or regional
observers accredited to
observe the referendum in
Burundi, but we did see the
reports that the situation
there was calm." The day
before, Inner City Press asked
Dutch foreign minister Stef
Blok, who said among other
things that leaders should
know when to leave. Video here.
On Cibitoke, tellingly, Isanganiro
journalist Pacifique
Cubahiro and his cameraman
were detained for looking into
it, and their images seized.
Meanwhile from UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres, whom
the Free
UN Coalition for Access
has shown linked
to UN censorship and from the
UN Security Council, so far
nothing. But France's
Ambassador in Burundi Laurent
Delahousse has seen fit to
reply, "Hippos?" to a tweet
about seven people reportedly
killed and left floating in a
river. See here.
Burundians have called it
shameful; Laurent Delahousse
has doubled down saying he was
protesting the use of
inapposite photos on social
media - this while France was
speaking about the Rohingya in
the UN Security Council, while
seemingly unaware as penholder
of Burundi meetings, or
killings. Would France
communicate this way about
Syria? It seems more akin to
French Ambassador Gilles
Thibault's communications in
Cameroon, ignoring or
downplaying the Biya
government's killings in the
Anglophone zones, like the UN
does. On May 14 Inner City
Press asked UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres'
deputy spokesman Farhan Haq,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: In Burundi,
as you… 26 people were killed
in Cibitoke, which is a… on
the border, and it’s a pretty
large number. And two
journalists that were
investigating it were
detained. Their files
were seized. And I’m just
wondering, the run-up to the
election, given the UN’s role
there, including Mr. [Michel]
Kafando, what does the UN have
to say about this murder of 26
people?
Spokesman: Of course,
we’re concerned about any
violence in the run-up to the
elections. We wanted and
have made clear the idea that
voting needs to be held in a
free and fair atmosphere where
people can vote without
fear. Regarding the
views of Michel Kafando, the
Special Envoy, he’s expected
to brief the Security Council
later this month, I believe in
a little over a week from now,
around the 24th. And so
he’ll express his views at
that point. But,
certainly, we are concerned
about any violence and want it
to be investigated thoroughly.
Inner
City Press:
And I wanted to ask, in
Vienna, what he said…
Spokesman: Hold on.
Inner City Press: Well, you
just… I have another question.
Spokesman: "Yeah, but
it’s on a separate topic."
We'll have more on this. With
the Council presidency for May
being taken over by Poland's
Ambassador Joanna Wronecka,
Inner City Press on May 3
asked her about the month's
program of work, and to be
kept informed. On May 9,
this: on May 10, after
Darfur, "the SC will then
proceed in closed
consultations with Any Other
Business on Burundi. Mr.
Michel Kafando, Special Envoy
of the Secretary-General for
Burundi will brief the
Council" - behind closed
doors, of course. Inner City
Press asked Francois Delattre,
UN Ambassdor of France which
"holds the pen" in the
Security Council on Burundi,
about the consultations and
though polite he seemed not to
know. Video here.
Inner City Press aims to
follow up, even amid exclusion
orders by Secretary General
Antonio Guterres' Stephane
Dujarric. The referendum,
which the US and others say
runs counter to Arusha, is set
for May 17. Watch this site.
Inner City Press on May 3
asked about UN sexual abuse
and exploitation, with 54 new
cases in just the first
quarter of 2018, and about DR
Congo interference in the
investigation of the murders
of UN experts Michael Sharp
and Zaida Catalan. In
response, she cited an Arria
formula meeting on May 7 about
Children and Armed Conflict,
and as an issue of particular
interest to her,
stigmatization in Myanmar. She
described the Council's recent
visit to that country and to
Bangladesh. For the Free UN
Coalition for Access, FUNCA,
Inner City Press asked that
the Polish Mission send out
daily emails about who has
requested Any Other Business
meetings and who the briefers
are. Back on April 2 Inner
City Press asked the then
incoming UNSC President Peru's
Ambassador Gustavo Meza-Cuadra
about Haiti and the cholera
the UN brought, and the
Western Sahara letter filed
with the Council on April 1. Meza-Cuadra said
the Peru had participated
extensively in the UN's now
defunct MINUSTAH mission; he
acknowledged the need for the
UN to raise more funds about
cholera. Video here.
On Western Sahara he
acknowledged receipt of the
letter alleging violations by
the Frente Polisario which the
UN says it has not observed.
He said it has been
circulated, and his political
coordinator after the meeting
denied reports of an "Any
Other Business" briefing about
Western Sahara before the
consultations on April 17.
There may be Council trips to
Iraq and to Myanmar /
Bangladesh. Inner City Press
for the Free
UN Coalition for Access
asked Meza-Cuadra
to revert to
the practice
of at least
purporting to
answer
questions
after closed
consultations
of the
Council. We'll
have more on this. Back on
March 1 with the Council
presidency being taken over by
Dutch Ambassador Karel van
Oosterom, Inner City Press
asked him about Burundi, where
the Council's decision to send
228 UN Police was never
implemented, and about the
(lack of) transparency of the
North Korea sanctions
committee which he chairs. He
replied that each sanctions
committee has its own
transparency procedures. Not
explained is when the votes
were taken, to make
confidential requests for and
rulings on exemptions such as
that involving DPRK Foreign
Trade Bank, see
Inner City Press' credited
scoop here.
We'll have more on this, as
well as on Burundi, where
Inner City Press was told the
day after the February 26
meeting that France, the
penholding, is working on a
press statement. Where is it?
The four prior rounds of
questions were mostly about
Syria, n which the Council
will meet March 12, 15 and 27,
see Inner City Press' coverage
here. Efforts to visit
Myanmar continue. Western
Sahara and MINURSO will be
disclosed - behind closed
doors - on March 21; the DR
Congo on March 7 and 19 after
OCHA's Lowcock and Sigrid Kaaf
visit the country. Karel van
Oosterom said he lived in
Damascus for four years, and
quoted Yogi Berra on the
difficulty of making
predictions, especially if
they are about the future. He
said the three non-European
parts of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands will sometimes be
in the chair, but not for now
during the month of
presidency. The flame out of
the country's previous foreign
minister for misstating what
he overheard in Moscow did not
come up; afterward Inner City
Press began to make a pitch
that the Netherlands, when it
deploys as in Mali, should
share its protective equipment
to avoid a deadly two-tier
situation of night vision
goggles for example among
different contingents. We'll
have more on this. On behalf
of the Free UN Coalition for
Access, Inner City Press asked
van Oosterom to
come to stakeout after all
closed door consultations,
such as did not happen on
Burundi. He said he'll try.
Watch this site. Back on
February 1 Inner City Press
asked Kuwait's Mansour
Al-Otaibi about Yemen and
about Secretary General
Antonio Guterres' meeting with
Sudan's President Omar al
Bashir, indicted by the
International Criminal Court
for genocide in Darfur. Photos,
Periscope.
On
Yemen, Inner City Press asked
if the name of Martin
Griffiths has been circulated
to Council members as
replacement for Ismael Ould
Cheikh Ahmed as UN envoy. He
said it has not been
circulated, adding that Kuwait
will support whomever the
Secretary General proposes. On
Guterres' meeting, for which
he'd have been required to
inform the ICC Prosecutor in
advance, Al-Otaibi said he
had no information, that Inner
City Press should ask
Guterres. We'll try. Al-Otaibi said
that there will be no Council
trip to Myanmar this month -
the government didn't say no,
he said, but indicated it is
not the right time. Jimmy
Carter may or may not appear
at an Arria formula meeting
Kuwait is organizing. We'll
have more on this - on behalf
of the Free UN Coalition for
Access, Inner City Press asked
Al-Otaibi to hold
question and answer stakeouts
after closed door
consultation. We'll be there.
Back in September to
Ethiopia's Tekeda Alemu, Inner
City Press asked Ambassador
Alemu four questions, the
answers to which sketch out
the Ethopian government's
worldview. Video here.
In response to Inner City
Press asking why Burundi,
where even the UN says there
is a risk of genocide, is not
on his September Program of
Work nor on the agenda of the
Council's visit to Addis
Ababa, Alemu said that you
can't compare Burundi to
Central African Republic, that
Burundi has “strong state
institutions.” But it is that
very “strength,” which some
say the country shares with
Ethiopia, and with until
recently military-ruled
Myanmar about which Inner City
Press also asked, that has led
to the human rights
violations. In this context,
Inner City Press asked Alemu
about the Oromo protests - and
crackdown - in his country. He
diplomatically chided Inner
City Press for not having
asked in private, saying that
social media has played a
dangerous role. On the other
hand, when Inner City Press
asked Alemu at the end about
the murders of two UN experts
Michael Sharp and Zaida
Catalan, he replied that while
the DR Congo is due to
sovereignty the one to
investigate the murders, the
gruesome nature of the
killings put a “great
responsibility” on the DR
Congo. We'l have more on this.
Alamy photos here.
Earlier on September 1 in
Alemu's briefing to countries
not on the Security Council,
Bangladesh specifically asked
that the Council remain seized
of the situation in Myanmar.
When Inner City Press asked
Alemu about this, he said he
still had to inform himself
more about that situation. The
Security Council is traveling
to Addis from September 5
through 9, when alongside
African Union consultations
the Council's member will meet
for an hour with Prime
Minister Hailemariam Desalegn,
Alemu said. The Council will
receive the “maiden briefings”
late in the month of the new
Under Secretaries General of
OCHA and on Counter-Terrorism.
There will be peacekeeping on
September 20, during the High
Level week of the UN General
Assembly, and Yemen on
September 26. But tellingly,
there will not be Burundi.
Watch this site.
***
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