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On Congo, Obasanjo
Is Optimistic, Theron on Abuse by UN Peacekeepers, General Wants Camouflage
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
November 17 -- The UN Mission in
the Congo today condemned rebel general Laurent Nkunda for his forces
continues
advance on Goma, immediately after UN Envoy Olusegun
Obasanjo was described as
"optimistic" following his meeting with Nkunda. On BBC, Obasanjo
said
he believes Nkunda's statement that his assaults are intended only to
protect
minorities -- and not only Tutsis -- throughout the Democratic Republic
of the
Congo. Obasanjo did not mention the exploitation
of natural resources, which is
seen as driving much of the conflict.
It appears
that the UN's disarray extends
to a lack of coordination between the the UN's Mission and its Envoy,
and is
not confined to the Uruguayan troops who reportedly fled from Nkunda,
nor the
Indian general who has criticized the use of white UN vehicles.
Bipin
Rawat, who commands UN troops in North Kivu province, was quoted that
"camouflage
and concealment are basic to any army. Here, I'm being expected to go
into a
jungle with white trucks and white armoured vehicles. The CNDP Nkunda's
rebels]
can spot us from two kilometers away."
Inner City
Press asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe for Ban Ki-moon's or his
Peacekeeping hierarchy's response to their Kivu commander's critique.
Video here,
from Minute 17:29. "I
have not seen anything from MONUC on this, I'd have to look into it for
you," Okabe said. Then she cut off Inner City Press' next question, say
"You've had two questions." But neither question was answered.
UN's white APC in Congo, UN night moves not shown
Questions
that are unanswered, and not even asked, involve Uganda's
denial that it is
running training camps for more anti-Kabila rebels, reportedly for
Peter Kerim,
a supposedly
disarmed warlord who kidnapped and killed Nepali UN peacekeepers
before being rewarded with a colonel's post in the Congolese Army.
One might
ask the UN if they have any idea about this claim and about Kerim. But
what
would be the point, if the UN in New York doesn't even know about the
statements of its envoy or it Indian commander in North Kivu?
Footnote: the
Indian battalion in North Kivu has
been credibly accused of sexual abuse of young Congolese girls. At UN
headquarters on Monday, a new UN Ambassador of Peace with special focus
on
violence against women was unveiled: Charlize Theron. Inner City Press
asked
Ms. Theron if she believes the UN does enough on violence against woman
by UN
Peacekeepers, given that the UN says it cannot discipline these
blue-helmeted
soldiers but only only their home country does so. Video here,
from Minute
11:19.
"Of course I have a
responsibility,"
Theron answered, saying that "everyone in this Organization feels the
same." That is debatable, but time will tell what Ms. Theron does on
the
issue. Another movie star Ambassador, George
Clooney, spoke out about a UN
corruption case of a no-bid contract to military firm Lockheed Martin,
finally
leading the UN official Jane Holl
Lute to admit that mistakes were made. Might
Ms. Theron accomplish something of the same on reigning in sexual abuse
by UN
Peacekeepers?
Click here for Inner City
Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
These
reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click
here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
Feedback: Editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
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earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available
in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
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