Amnesty
Says Mali
Tortured
Jailed
Children, UN
Says Age
UNclear
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 5 --
The UN mission
in Mali,
MINUSMA, works
closely
with Mali's
Army. Recently
for example after
MINUSMA told
unarmed
protesters to
leave the
airport in
Kidal, Mali's
Army shot
them,
critically
wounding two
women.
Inner City
Press asked UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous about
Kidal -- as is
the pattern,
no answer, video compilation here, UK
coverage here).
Then Inner
City Press
twice asked
the UN
Spokesperson's
Office. So
far, nothing
but a vague
MINUSMA press
release which
even Reuters
-- denier
of
FrancAfrique
-- calls
vague.
But
the
imprisonment
of children is
an issue one
assumes the UN
would
remain strong
on. Two days
ago Inner City
Press asked
UN
Spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
about Amnesty
International's
report that
Mali has
locked up
children:
Inner
City
Press: on
Mali, there
was a report
put out by
Amnesty
International,
naming very
specifically
children that
are
incarcerated
by the Malian
Army and
authorities
and saying
they
should be
released and
describing
exactly how
they were
imprisoned.
Given that
MINUSMA
(United
Nations
Multidimensional
Integrated
Stabilization
Mission in
Mali) works
with the
Malian army
and there
is a UN
presence
there,
including
human rights
monitoring,
has the UN
chimed in on
this? Are they
seeking the
release of
these children
detainees of
the Malian
authorities?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I’ll need to
check. I don’t
have anything
on that,
Matthew.
More
than 48 hours
later, with
other
questions on
Mali including
about the
UN's
procurement
there pending,
UN
Peacekeeping
through
Nesirky's
office
provided this
response, on
children:
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date:
Thu,
Dec 5, 2013 at
4:19 PM
Subject: Your
question on
Mali
[children]
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Regarding
your
question on
Mali and
minors in
detention,
please see the
following from
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations:
“MINUSMA
and
UNICEF are
working
closely with
the Malian
authorities on
the
issue of
minors in
detention. A
small number
of individuals
are
reportedly
detained by
the Malian
gendarmerie.
Their age,
however,
remains to be
determined due
to lack of
birth
certificates
and other
documentation.
The
United
Nations has a
good working
relationship
with the
Malian
justice and
correction
authorities
and we are
confident that
a
specific
mechanism to
address this
issue can be
put in place
jointly
by the United
Nations and
the Malian
Government.”
If
the UN has
such a "good
working
relationship
with the
Malian
justice and
correction
authorities,"
where's the
investigation
and
prosecution of
those in the
Malian Army
who shot
unarmed
protesters in
Kidal?
Meanwhile,
here's part of
what Amnesty
said
about these
child
soldiers:
One
of
the five
children is a
child soldier
who joined the
Movement for
Oneness and
Jihad (MUJAO).
The other four
were arrested
because of
their
suspected
links to armed
groups... One
boy (16) was
arrested in
Kidal by
Malian
security
forces more
than two
months ago
when he came
out of a shop
and a grenade
went off
across the
road. The
security
officers
accused him of
throwing the
grenade and
beat him,
blindfolded
him, tied his
hands and feet
together and
burnt him with
a cigarette
all over his
arms.
Another
boy
(15) joined
MUJAO as he
was
desperately
poor and heard
they were
paying people.
He left after
months of not
being paid and
was
arrested by
Malian
security
forces in his
home village
of Kadji (near
Gao). The
Malian
soldiers tied
him up, beat
him in the
back and
blindfolded
him.
These
are the UN's
and Ladsous'
partners; when
asked, the UN
defends them
and says the
ages (of those
beaten and
burned with
cigarettes)
are
UNclear. To
this low have
Ladsous and
France's
intervention
in Mali
taken the UN.
How much lower
can they go?
Inner
City Press
continues
to await
answers to
questions it
posed at the
December 5 UN
noon
briefing about
procurement
for UN
peacekeeping
in Mali and
particular
French
companies, as
well as the
US' PA&E.
Watch this
site.
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