UNITED
NATIONS, July
19 -- With UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous not
answering
questions,
either in
Security
Council
consultations
from
Council member
Rwanda or from
the Press
outside the
Council,
information
about Eastern
Congo and the
Ladsous'
controversial
Intervention
Brigade comes
through the
UN's noon
briefing, on a
delay.
On
July 8,
Rwanda's
foreign
minister
Louise
Mushikiwabo
wrote to UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon about
among other
things
“ongoing
patterns of
enhanced
collaboration
between the Forces
Armées de la
République
Démocratique
du Congo
(FARDC) and
FDLR, often
with the
knowledge
and/or support
of certain
Force
Intervention
Brigade
contingents.”
When
Inner City
Press at the
July 19 noon
briefing asked
Ban's
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
two questions
about the
Eastern DRC,
his
reply included
that Ban has
replied to
Rwanda, saying
his inquiries
with the UN
mission
MONUSCO have
not verified
statements in
Minister
Mushikiwabo's
letter and
asking for
evidence. Video
here from
Minute
11:13.
(Rwanda's
Mission
to the UN
tells Inner
City Press
that “We
indeed
received
that letter on
Wednesday. The
SG was
responding to
a letter by
our
MoFA informing
that GoR has
credible
information
and concrete
evidence on
the
collaboration
between the
FDRL and the
FARDC, as well
as
MONUSCO-FIB.
He basically
requested our
Minister to
provide
evidence
mentioned in
the letter. We
sent it to
Kigali and a
appropriate
response will
be provided.”)
For
some of this
evidence, Ban
should be
asking the UN's own
Group of
Experts.
Inner City
Press exclusively
put
online the
full text of
their report,
which details
FARDC arming
the FDLR.
Inner
City Press
also asked
Nesirky on
July 19 about
a claim by the
M23
that they
captured a
Tanzanian
fighter. After
5 pm on
Friday, the UN
replied:
Subject:
Your
question on
the DRC
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at]
un.org
Date: Fri, Jul
19, 2013 at
5:25 PM
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
On
the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo,
MONUSCO has no
information
confirming the
capture of a
Tanzanian
soldier.
We
appreciate the
answer, of the
type of
question that
not only
Ladsous
but his four
spokespeople
for the last
20 days have
refused to
provide. To
move this
issue forward,
we note that
M23 buttressed
their claim
with the
serial number
on the
fighter's AK47
(1372) and
later a
photograph of
his passport,
as Christopher
George Yohana,
born on the
Fourth of July,
1990.
If
authentic, it
would appear
that a
Tanzanian
mercenary was
fighting
with the FDLR.
Already, a
well placed UN
Security
Council tells
Inner
City Press
there are
major problems
with the
national
make-up of the
Intervention
Brigade. This
would seem to
confirm /
complicate
that.
Watch this
site.
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