UN
Still Won't
Answer on
Minova Rapes,
Pitches Panzi,
Ladsous
Schmoozes,
Flees
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 17 --
After at least
70 rapes by
the Congolese
army
in Minova in
late November,
Inner City
Press on
Decmeber 17
again
asked at the
UN, who did
it, and does
the UN work
with them?
Hours
later, the UN
replied with
"the answer to
your question
about DR
Congo: MONUSCO
is continuing
its
investigations
of the
reported rapes
in Minova."
But
Inner City
Press has
asked which
FARDC units
were in Minova
in late
November, and
which FARDC
units the UN
work with --
both of which
top
UN Peacekeeper
Herve Ladsous
has simply
refused to
answer.
So late
Monday Inner
City Press put
the question
to Ladsous'
follow USG
Valerie Amos,
who has
promised to
revert.
Inner
City Press
asked other
questions on
Monday:
Inner
City
Press: there
was a pretty
good
high-profile
police major
of the
Congolese
National
Police, Bertin
Shimumano, who
was apparently
shot
and killed
over the
weekend in
Goma, and I
wanted to know
if MONUSCO
has any idea
who may be
behind that.
There are also
reports of not
only an FARDC
[Forces
armées
de la
République
démocratique
du
Congo]
build-up in
Goma, but some
allied
militias, some
of whom have
shown up in UN
human rights
reports, Mai
Mai units, and
I wanted to
know, what is
MONUSCO’s role
in what is
perceived to
be build-up
for maybe
another battle
of Goma and
are they going
to support
FARDC? Have
they decided
which units
they would
support and
these militias
and also if,
is there any
update on the
Minova
incident and
which
FARDC units
are, were
present at the
time of those
70-plus rapes?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky:
Thanks,
Matthew, if I
have anything
further beyond
what I have
said today in
what I was
able to read
out, then I
will
let you know.
I don’t have
anything
further on the
particular
questions that
you have
raised.
Inner
City
Press: But
since MONUSCO
is reporting
on this
build-up of
M23,
I wonder is it
still within
their mandate
to look at
build-up of
other militias
equally
accused of
human rights
violations, or
have
they shrunken
their mandate
down to that?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I am sure
MONUSCO, I am
sure the
mission is
operating
within its
mandate and
doing
everything
that it can
do. But, I do
not have any
specific
details on
precisely what
you are
driving at at
the moment.
Then
came this
limited
response:
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Mon, Dec
17, 2012
at 8:20 PM
Subject: DR
Congo
To: Matthew
Russell Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Please,
find
the answer to
your question
about DR
Congo: MONUSCO
is
continuing its
investigations
of the
reported rapes
in Minova. The
director of
the Panzi
hospital,
Doctor
Mugwebe, was
attacked but
never shot.
His gardener
tragically
died during
the attack.
Dr.
Mugwebe is
currently in
Brussels and
visited UNHQ
on Friday.
That's
great, but
it's not what
was asked. And
Monday evening
in the
Delegates'
Entrance Herve
Ladsous showed
up, not to
answer these
questions but
to schmooze
for ITAR-TASS,
then
disappear.
This is not
diplomacy,
this is not
the UN, this
is not
acceptable.
Watch this
site.
, 
