In
S. Sudan,
India Tells
Press 2
Peacekeepers
Killed, 1
Critical,
Accountability?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 19 --
From South
Sudan, the
Indian mission
at the
UN in New York
has been
informed that
two of its
peacekeepers
in
Akobo were
killed, and an
additional
peacekeeper is
in critical
condition.
The
UN Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations has
said nothing
yet. But
India's
Permanent
Representative
Asoke Mukerji
reminded Inner
City
Press that on
the day he
presented his
credentials
and began at
the
UN, five
Indian
peacekeepers
were killed in
South Sudan.
In
this instance,
there were 40
peacekeepers
in the base in
Akobo -- and
civilians, on
which Inner
City Press
aims to report
more. Some
1500
youths, said
to be of the
Lou Nuer tribe
supportive of
ousted Vice
President Riek
Machar, "fired
indiscriminately"
at the UN
base.
Mukerji
called
for the
prosecutions
of those who
kill
peacekeepers.
He
separately
reminded Inner
City Press of
the ruling of
the previous
UN
Legal Counsel
Patricia
O'Brien that
with the Force
Intervention
Brigade on the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo -
and now with
peacekeepers
in Mali
shooting at
civilians and
co-housing
with
France's
Serval force
-- UN
peacekeepers
are becoming
combatants,
parties to
armed
conflict.
Murkerji
said that
troop
contributing
countries
should be told
this. This
would seem to
be the job of
the chief of
UN
Peacekeeping Herve
Ladsous
(who says he
"has a policy"
of not
answering
Press
questions)
and of the
President of
the Security
Council.
This
month that is
France's
Gerard Araud,
who left a
December 19
Peacekeeping
seminar before
the moment of
silence, tweeted
by Inner
City Press,
for the Indian
peacekeepers.
Most recently
he refused to
answer
specific
questions
about
intermingling
with Serval
making UN
peacekeepers
combatants,
calling it
micro-management
and chiding
the
question.
We
are
endeavoring to
find out more
about the
killings in
South Sudan,
and for
accountability.
So far,
without any
assistance or
transparency
from Ladsous'
UN
Peacekeeping.
Watch this
site.
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