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

With Northern Congo Civilians Unprotected from Lord's Resistance Army, UN envoy Meece Does Manhattan

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 9 -- Amid criticism that the UN Mission in the Congo MONUSCO under Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's envoy Roger Meece is downplaying human rights violations in order to remain close to Joseph Kabila, Meece briefed the Security Council on June 9.

  Ban's report to the Council mentions some 100 human rights violation through May of this year in the run up to November's elections. But the UN has not provided details on these violations.

  It had been announced that Meece would take questions from the press after the meeting. But after chatting with his staff and US Ambassador David Dunn, Meece headed up to the stairs to leave the building.

  Inner City Press pursued him, after first his staff then Meece himself, what about the stakeout?

  “Who else is there?” Meece asked, before relenting and coming back. He delivered a summary then asked for questions.

  Inner City Press asked about the 100 human rights violations, and why the details are not public or publicized by MONUSCO. Meece responded in terms of the National Elections Commission, and said that things are better now than for the 2005-06 election in that three armies have made peace.

  The Lord's Resistance Army, of course, is not one of these three ostensibly peaceful or integrated armies. Inner City Press asked if Meece will, as NGOs have urged, be sending peacekeepers to Bas Uele in North Congo, where the LRA is killing and kidnapping civilians.

  Meece answered as the UN so often does, that it is a vast area, hard to defend. He added that there had been a meeting in Addis Ababa last week about the LRA. But if the mandate of MONUSCO is to protect civilians, to many MONUSCO's presence in Bas Uele is insufficient.

Meece & UN symbol, peacekeepers in Bas Uele not seen

  There is also, unmentioned by Meece at his begrudging stakeout, the problem of a lack of helicopters. India previously provided them for a price to MONUSCO, then said they needed them back. Some blamed India; others called for other donors, perhaps South Africa. What about the Ukrainian attack helicopters which the UN pushed to transfer from Liberia to Cote d'Ivoire? Is the Congo less important?

  Inner City Press concluded by asking Meece how long he had been in New York this time. Meece acknowledged he was in New York around May 17, for a meeting sponsored by the French Mission to the UN during their Council presidency, then again this trip, starting last week. There is grumbling among UN staff who care about the Congo. Meece took the three questions and left.

There are of course other questions, such as the follow through on those responsible for rapes in Walikali, a scandal with which Meece's tenure at MONUSCO began, amid disputes about what he knew and when he knew it.

The UN should be trying to publicize the situation in the Congo, where so many have died. But some atop the UN, it seems, are tempted to dodge the press and even, some say, their duty stations. Reforms at the UN? It would have to start with accountability.

Meece will be appearing again in New York on June 10 and may further address these issues. Watch this site.

* * *