Inner City Press

Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the United Nations to Wall Street to the Inner City

These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis

Google
  Search innercitypress.com Search WWW (censored?)

In Other Media-eg AJE, FP, Georgia, NYT Azerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .

,



Follow us on TWITTER

Home -

These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis

CONTRIBUTE

RSS

ICP on YouTube

BloggingHeads.tv

UN: Sri Lanka

VoA: NYCLU

FOIA Finds  

Google, Asked at UN About Censorship, Moved to Censor the Questioner, Sources Say, Blaming UN - Update - Editorial

Support this work by buying this book

Click on cover for secure site orders

also includes "Toxic Credit in the Global Inner City"
 

 

 


Community
Reinvestment

Bank Beat

Freedom of Information
 

How to Contact Us



In DRC, S. Africa Prepares to Redeploy, No Ladsous Answers on War Criminals

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 10 -- After M23 took Goma while the UN Mission MONUSCO did almost nothing, criticism of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations began to grow.

   Over the weekend, Ugandan President Museveni said MONUSCO is no more than "military tourism." At Monday's UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked if there was any UN or DPKO response, but there was none.

   Later on Monday, Inner City Press asked South Africa's Permanent Representative Baso Sangqu if it is true the South African forces currently serving in MONUSCO -- or MONUSELESS as many Congolese now call it -- will transition out to the neutral international force called for in the Kampala communique.

  Yes, Sangqu told Inner City Press. He called MONUSCO "a force not being seen to be doing enough. We're to a point where the TCCs [Troop Contributing Countries] don't want to implement, they must move. Africa is ready."

  Sangqu told Inner City Press this was discussed at the day's Secretary General luncheon, "we must do more." Inner City Press asked when to expect the South African switch.

   "Once concept of operations is endorse for the neutral international force," Sangqu replied.

   The discussion took place just after the opening ceremony for a photo exhibit celebrating the UN's -- and South Africa's -- work in Timor Leste.

  Ladsous was scheduled to appear, but given his refusal to answer even the most basic questions, like "what is the UN's role in Abyei," while on UN TV at the Security Council stakeout, time seems better spent following the Mali bilateral meetings in the Security Council.

   But on the link between Timor Leste and the UN in the Congo, we note a photograph recently tweeted at Inner City Press, of alleged war criminal Tono Suratman in the Congo with MONUSCO in 2010. Click here to view.  What standards does DPKO have? Even less, it seems, under Ladsous.

   DPKO chief Herve Ladsous responded soon after the Goma failure by claiming MONUSCO had done well, then refusing to answer Press questions about rapes in Minova by Congolese Army units the UN may or may not work with.

  Instead, Ladsous summoned hand-picked correspondents into the hallway. Video here.

   Recently Inner City Press learned that General Shavendra Silva of the Sri Lankan Army, whose troops are depicted in the UN's report on Sri Lanka as engaged in war crimes, went to Lebanon to "inspect" the troops of Ladsous' UNIFIL mission there. Ladsous has refused questions about having Silva as an adviser on Peacekeeping Operations.

   Inner City Press is told a tale of Ladsous' predecessor Alain Le Roy taking a personal interest in whether UNMIS (or UNAMID) dealt with ICC indictee Ahmed Harun in Southern Kordofan -- and answering questions about it.

   Ladsous by contrast refuses human rights questions. Well, he defended the Hutu governmental genocidaires in Rwanda in 1994, click here to see Inner City Press first profile. And watch this site.

Share |

* * *

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for Sept 26, 2011 New Yorker on Inner City Press at UN

Click for  BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

UN Office: S-253, UN, NY 10017 USA Tel: 212-963-1439

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Google
  Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

            Copyright 2006-2012 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com