By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 2 --
When civilians
are shot and
killed by an
army that UN
Peacekeeping
is supporting,
one expects
the UN to be
able to
explain what
happened.
But after just
this happened
in Mali last
week, and UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous
refused to
answer the
Press
question,
Inner City
Press put it
to Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson
on Monday, and
he said he had
no more
information [video here with raw transcript
and embedded
below]
Inner
City
Press: I
wanted to ask
about the
incidents that
took place in
Kidal. There
seem to have
been two
different
incidents, but
in one
account, UN
peacekeepers
told
protestors at
the airport in
Kidal to
disperse and
the protesters
ended up being
fired on.
Then, there
may have been
some actual
armed groups
that also
attacked the
army, but have
you been able
to find out
what the
MINUSMA
[United
Nations
Multidimensional
Integrated
Stabilization
Mission in
Mali]
peacekeepers,
did they tell
protesters to
disperse? If
so, were the
protesters
armed or was
there some
suspension of
the normal
right to
engage in
protest?
Spokesperson
Nesirky
: Well, I do
understand
that the
Mission,
MINUSMA,
issued a
statement on
this. A nd I
don’t have
anything
further on
that at this
point. And if
that changes,
I’ll certainly
update you.
But, at this
point, I don’t
have anything
further on
that, Matthew.
Inner
City
Press: I’m
only asking
because I
think, I mean,
because I have
seen the
statement, and
I appreciated
you sending
it, but it
doesn't really
explain this,
it doesn’t
address this…
Spokesperson:
Well, as I
said, that’s
what we have
at the moment.
Ladsous
meanwhile
was in the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo, to
celebrate the
launch of
drones he had
pushed for in
the UN since
France
installed him
as their
fourth had of
UN
Peacekeeping
in a row in
September
2011. There he
will
ostensibly do
a press
conference
with UN envoy
Martin Kobler
-- Kobler did
his on UN TV
with questions
by Twitter,
will Ladsous?
After
back and forth
about security
- not
peacekeepers -
in Libya and
layoffs of
security staff
in the UN
itself, Inner
City Press
asked about
Madagascar:
Inner
City
Press: Can I
ask you about
Madagascar?
Spokesperson:
Yes,
you did
mention…
Inner
City
Press: It has
to do with
Andry
Rajoelina I
know that it
seems that the
UN is
providing some
kind of
electrical…
electoral
assistance
running up to
the election.
Spokesperson:
Maybe
electrical, as
well. I don’t
know.
Inner
City
Press: Yeah,
it could be.
But, it may
get blacked
out by this,
because Mr.
Rajoelina,
under the SADC
(Southern
African
Development
Community)
road map, was
not supposed
to either run
or endorse
candidates.
And on 1
December, he
appeared at a
rally for a
series of
legislative
candidates and
they’re
actually
running under
a ticket known
as With
President
Andry
Rajoelina.
Either you
have it or DPA
(Department of
Political
Affairs) maybe
could answer
this. Does the
UN believe
that Mr.
Rajoelina
appearing at
these rallies
and running a…
a ticket of
his supporters
is complying
with the road
map? And if
not, is the UN
electoral
assistance,
which was
supposedly
tied to
complying with
the road map,
still in place
for the 20
December
election?
Spokesperson:
Well,
the road map
is certainly
the guiding
principle here
and I’ll check
with the DPA
to see whether
they have any
updates on
both the UN’s
involvement in
helping with
the election
process and
its views on
these latest
developments.
But, I don’t
have anything
right now.
And so
it goes at the
UN. When the
UN answers
this, we'll
have more to
say. Watch
this site.
, 
