On S.
Sudan,
Ladsous' VOA
Scam Censors
Ghana Arms,
Cluster Bombs
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
27 -- Here's
how it works
at the UN: in
South Sudan UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous
emflamed
people by
transporting
Ghana
soldiers'
weapons,
mislabeled, by
road into a
conflict zone.
When media
criticized the
UN, Ladsous
used a
Security
Council speech
to call for
the press
stories to
stop. But
he never
took questions
on this at the
UN Security
Council
stakeout.
On May 27 when
the Council
scaled back
the UN
Peacekeeping
mission
UNMISS,
Ladsous did
not come to
the UN
Television
stakeout, as
even his
predecessors
Alain Le Roy
and Jean-Marie
Guehenno would
have done.
Instead
Ladsous
arranged to
meet US state
media, Voice
of America, in
the hallway
and spoonfed a
quote.
Inner City
Press observed
this and
reported it, here
and here,
predicting a
propaganda
story would
could out of
it.
And now it
has, here.
Voice of
America
doesn't
mention the
Ghana weapons,
or Ladsous'
refusal to
make public
that report,
or one on
cluster bombs
-- which are
mentioned in
the Council's
March 27
resolution.
The soft-ball
story is
entirely pro
UN, quoting
Ladsous
without any
critical
questions. It
is pathetic.
This comes at
a time when Congress is
considering
formalizing
that Voice of
America must
be propaganda.
Is that even
necessary?
Background:
after the UN
Security
Council
amended its
South Sudan
mission's
mandate on May
27, including
support to
Juba's police
ostensibly
subject to the
UN's "Human
Rights Due
Diligence
Policy"
(Operative
Paragraph
4(a)(vi) of
the
resolution,
here) -- what
does that
Policy
actually mean?
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous
instead of
taking
questions at
the UN
Television
stakeout about
the policy,
and failures
in South
Sudan, met
Voice of
America's
scribe in the
hall. There is
history of
this: video
here.
There
were other
questions he
should have
answered,
about the
failure to
publicly issue
the report on
cluster bombs
or the
admitted
failure in
moving Ghana's
troops weapons
by land.
New questions
were raised
about UN
Peacekeeping
firing in the
air in South
Sudan, and
giving the
government as
little as 48
hours notice
to sign off on
logistics or
be charged
with
obstruction.
The human
rights due
diligence
policy is supposed
to mean that
the UN will
not support
units which
engage in
abuse for
which they are
not held
accountable.
But in the
Democratic
Republic of
Congo, after only two
FARDC soldiers
were convicted
for more than
130 rapes in
Minova in
November 2012,
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous has
NOT suspended
support to the
41st and 391st
Battalions
implicated in
the rapes.
Ladsous refused to answer questions
about the
rapes, and
has provided
no explanation
since the
impunity
ruling in the
DRC. Inner
City Press
asked again at
the May 27 UN
noon briefing.
So are Council
members
fooling
themselves, or
others, by
saying it's
meaningful
that UNMISS'
support in
South Sudan
would be under
this
UNexplained
and UNenforced
"Human Rights
Due Diligence"
policy?
And,
separately,
what of UNMISS
chief Hilde
Johnson
welcoming and
taking
photographs
with David Yau
Yau? We'll
have more on
this.
Background:
after the May
12 South Sudan
speech of UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
welcoming “the
ceasefire
agreement
signed in
Addis Ababa on
Friday,” Inner
City Press
asked Ban
about the
ceasefire
being broken,
and elections
now delayed
two or three
years.
Ban
replied that
he is
disappointed
that the
ceasefire “was
not honored in
Bentiu,” and
said he is
engaged with
the regional
IGAD leaders
about it. UN
Transcript
below. Ban did
not respond on
the delay in
elections,
even as he
called for the
elections in
(parts of)
Ukraine to go
forward this
May 25.
Ban's
opening
statement to
the press also
addressed Boko
Haram's
kidnappings in
Nigeria,
saying he has
sent UN envoy
Said Djinnit
there.
He did not
bring up
Syria, but two
of the
questioners
selected for
him by his
spokesman
brought up
Syria: the
projected
departure of
envoy Lakhdar
Brahimi, and
if Ban, said
to be too mild
on
accountability
in Syria,
supports a
referral to
the
International
Criminal
Court.
Inner
City Press has
reported
on a close
ally of
Tunisia's
former
dictator Ben
Ali Kamel
Morjane being
in the running
to replace
Brahimi: would
that reflect
weakness on
commitment to
democracy?
The cynically
sculpted
resolution to
refer to the
ICC not all of
Syria, to
exclude the
Golan Heights
and even some
fighting
Assad,
reflects
weakness not
strength on
international
justice. But
perhaps that
can be
addressed in
Ban's next
press
availability.
Watch this
site.
Footnotes:
in
fairness the Free UN Coalition for Access opines
that this Ban
press
availability
was better
than many of
Ban's in the
past. It was
not limited
to, although
it featured
many, of the
insiders of
the UN
Correspondents
Association
who met with
Ban and used
some quotes
but never
released a
tape or
transcript. It
included some
less than
fawning
questions.
And, we'd say
for both those
reasons, Ban
did better
than usual.
Could it be a
trend? We'll
see.
On the
other hand we
have to note
that standing
to the side of
Ban's stakeout
was his head
of
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous,
who outright
refuses
to answer
Press
questions
such as the
interplay
between the
UNMISS mission
and the IGAD
force.
In the face of
mounting,
factual
questions
about UN
Peacekeeping,
including
Ban's Human
Rights Due
Diligence
Policy in the
aftermath of a
mere two
convictions
for 130 rapes
by Congolese
Army units the
UN supports,
this cannot
continue. What
this site.
Update with UN
Transcript:
Inner
City Press:
You praised
the agreement
– the South
Sudan
agreement that
was reached in
Addis. But it
seems that
since then,
both sides
have said that
the ceasefire
has been
broken, and
also the
Government of
Salva Kiir has
said there
will be no
election in
2015; that it
should be put
back two or
three years. I
wondered if
you think that
is a good
thing for the
country, and
also what role
does IGAD
regional
force, in your
view, should
play with
UNMISS? Should
they
coordinate
militarily?
Should it be
under UNMISS?
What does the
UN think of
that?
SG: It
is
disappointing
that this
agreement on
Friday has not
been
implemented
and has not
been honored.
The fighting
has taken
place in the
area of
Bentiu, and I
am urging the
two leaders to
abide by their
agreement.
At the
same time, the
special envoys
of IGAD met
this morning
to discuss
this matter.
We will
continue to
work with the
IGAD
leadership. I
myself, as
well as my
Special
Representative,
Hilde Johnson,
will continue
to contact
both leaders,
so that they
are committed
to meet their
obligations
which they
signed just a
few days ago.
When
political
leaders commit
themselves,
they should
honour their
commitment. We
will continue
to do that,
and I asked
the Security
Council that
they should
continuously
be engaged,
and render
strong
political
messages,
including
taking
necessary
measures.
, 
