By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 8, more
here --
With Children
and Armed
Conflict the
subject of a
UN Security
Council's
debate on
September 8,
Forest
Whitaker spoke
in the Council
and then took
questions at
the media
stakeout
outside.
Inner City
Press asked
Whitaker about
South Sudan,
where his
foundation
runs a
program.
Whitaker said
while
agreements
have been
signed, the
conflict has
"not ended in
any way." Video here and embedded below.
Since he
played "The
Last King of
Scotland" Idi
Amin, Whitaker
was
asked about
the vote on
independence
on Scotland.
He said he
didn't have
the expertise
and turned the
question over
to the UN's
Leila
Zerrougui, who
also declined
to answer.
Whitaker's
foundation
also runs
programs in
Uganda, Mexico
and, he said,
in the United
States on
gangs. It is
considering
Myanmar, and
talking at an
early stage
about Lebanon.
Whitaker said
he needs more
data.
Here's
something on
which no more
data is
needed, only a
commitment for
UN
Peacekeeping
to end its
hypocrisy: why
will UN
Peacekeeping include the
child
recruiting DR
Congo Army
in its
upcoming
mission in
Central
African
Republic?
When UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous spoke
inside the
Council, he
did not
directly
address this
hypocrisy.
Obliquely he
said that
individual
soldiers from
this child
soldier
recruiting
army will be
screened.
But even that
is less than
meaningful.
For the 130
rapes in
Minova by the
DRC Army in
November 2012,
only two
soldiers were
convicted. So
the other
rapists could
serve in CAR
with Ladsous'
screening seal
of approval.
What of UN
Peacekeeping's
hypocrisy
under Ladsous,
who refuses to
answer
questions on
it (video
here, UK
coverage here),
and the lack
of oversight?
, 
