UN
on Rwanda Genocide Anniversary
Silent On Its Role, Event
Delayed, Ladsous Recycled,
Cameroon Arrest
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
April 7 – Today is the
anniversary of the start of
the 1994 Rwanda genocide, but
the UN won't mark it until six
days later on April 13. UN
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres is on a six day trip
to China. But his UN News'
story on the commemoration
does not mention the shameful
role not only in the pull out
of UN Peacekeepers, but of
UNDP staff assisting in the
genocide. Nor does it mention
the history of the UN's
just-previous head of UN
Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous,
see below - who has just been
given a position in, what
else, the Organisation
internationale de la
Francophonie. This is on
a French warrant a genocide
arrest is made in Cameroon, of
Philippe Hategekimana -- not
of those involved in the mass
targeted killings in the
Anglophone regions of that
country, but of a Rwanda
suspect. Plus ca change.
During
the Rwanda
genocide,
Herve Ladsous
as France's
deputy
permanent
representative
was asked to
stop
protecting the
genocidaires
in the zone
set up by the
Fernch
Operation
Turquoise, and
to stop the
calls to
murder from
Radio Milles
Collines.
As
Ladsous was
deposited by
France as its
fourth chief
of UN
Peacekeeping
in row, Inner
City Press asked if
this was
appropriate,
given Ladsous'
past and the
need for UN
Peacekeeping
to be and
appear to be
impartial in
Eastern Congo.
Ladsous
refused to
answer Inner
City Press'
questions,
then and
since.
While
we have
previously
linked to
Ladsous'
statements in
the Security
Council at
that time,
today we link
to a French
confidential
diplomatic
cable from
Ladsous,
bragging how
he refuted --
falsely --
that the Zone
was being used
as base for
military and
political
(Radio RTML)
attacks.
Click
here
to view the
memo.
Given
his history,
how was this
man accepted
to head UN
Peacekeeping?
Why was he
allowed to
refuse
questions, to
the point of
having his
spokesman seize the UN Television microphone
to avoid Inner
City Press
questions
about 126
rapes in
Minova by the
Congolese
Army, Ladsous'
partners?
After
the microphone
seizing, the
UN Department
of Public
Information
was
immediately
notified by
the Free UN
Coalition for
Access. But
nothing was
said; months
later, DPI
official
Stephane
Dujarric said
that he spoke
quietly to
Ladsous'
spokesman
about
it.
Then
Dujarric evicted
Inner
City Press from
the UN Press
Briefing Room,
from its UN
office, and
restricts it
still. We'll
have more on
this.
***
Your
support means a lot. As little as $5 a month
helps keep us going and grants you access to
exclusive bonus material on our Patreon
page. Click
here to become a patron.
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
Past
(and future?) UN Office: S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
For now: Box 20047,
Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2018 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com for
|
,
