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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT

UNITED NATIONS GATE, January 8 – When youth leaders from South Sudan and DR Congo took questions on 26 October 2018, it was across the street from the UN and Inner City Press went to ask and live-stream. Video here. It asked about the performance of the UN Mission UNMISS. Inner City Press asked the spokesmen for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in writing, "South Sudan's Susan Kyunon Sebit William  told Inner City Press that UNMISS does not sufficiently protect civilians, particularly women, citing Terrain Hotel etc. What IS the UN doing? What did it learn?" Apparently nothing - these was no answer, more than six weeks later. Now while Guterres and his spokesmen refuse to answer on a $100,000 study buried by UNMISS, the UN Security Council on the evening of December 21 issued this Press Statement that began: "The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the assault, detention, and abuse of the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) team by government officials on 18 December 2018 in Luri, South Sudan." Now this more detailed account, from Addis: "A CTSAMVM Monitoring and Verification Team(MVT) consisting of three international observers and one driver including Col. Mohamad Fadhul (Team Leader) Col. Adina, Maj. Chemjor were restricted from accessing the Luri Training Center and detained at a building before the training center for more than 4 hours. At this point, the soldiers at the checkpoint seemed to be in compliance with the blanket authorization and allowed the MVT to continue inside the training area. The misconduct described above occurred within the camp by higher ranking personnel. During detention, the MVT members were physically assaulted, blindfolded and handcuffed, kicked, and stripped of their clothing. The three male members of the team were stripped down to their underwear and the female member forced to remove all her clothing and remained completely naked. The perpetrators of this grave assault - a total of approximately 10 men, some of whom were in military uniforms - robbed team members of their money and items such as a silver wedding ring and threatened to kill the team driver for having taken the team to the Luri training facility After 4 hours of this physical abuse and threats to the CTSAMVM members, a man identifying himself as a brigadier general with the TGONU's National Security Service (NSS) told the CTSAMVM members that the area belonged to NSS. He also said that since Dr. Riak was training his forces, why shouldn't the SSPDF train its forces too.  This incident is a flagrant and grave violation of the two cessation/peace-agreements signed by the parties to the internal armed conflict in South Sudan on 21 December 2017 (the ACOH) and on 12 September 2018 (the R-ARCSS)... the criminal nature of this event places into serious question the feasibility of holding important meetings of the various transitional security mechanisms mandated by the R-ARCSS in Juba. If members of a CTSAMVM international-observer monitoring team can be treated with such disrespect and violence at a training facility in Luri, how can representatives of Opposition Parties be advised that their own safety and security in Juba is assured.  It is important to underscore that the CTSAMVM officials who are victims of this assault include a Colonel with the Sudanese Armed Forces, a female Colonel with the Ethiopian Army, and Major with the Kenyan Armed Forces, representatives of IGAD States which continue to contribute significantly to the South Sudanese peace process with their resources, to include funds and personnel." We'll have more on this - and on this: how badly run is this UNMISS mission? Today, as Guterres after Inner City Press questions to him about UN corruption he encourages banned Inner City Press from a "UN Human Rights" event on December 10, we have another story from within the UN Mission in South Sudan. This comes as Guterres and his spokesmen, rather than answer questions about UN corruption from staff and Inner City Press instead rough up and ban the Press and refused all questions about the UN's use of money. Today we exclusively published below on this waste and cover up, document here for download on Patreon, here on Scribd. Then on the morning of December 17 Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres and his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, "December 17-3: On South Sudan, please immediately state the status of the $100,000 “independent” review of civilian staffing in UNMISS commissioned by SRSG David Shearer, the Terms of Reference of which were provided to Inner City Press by whistleblowers asking why the report has been buried. When will it be made public? Where is Wolfgang Weisbrod Weber? Elizabeth Lercara Chester? Anees Ahmed? How much did it cost?" Five hours later at close of business, Dujarric had not answered this or any other Inner City Press question. And here now a real story from within UNMISS, from sources who hate to see what SRSG Shearer and Guterres are doing to the UN: "Mr. Lee: You have written several articles about corrupt hiring practices at UNMISS under the leadership of SRSG David Shearer.  In the midst of your reporting, SRSG Shearer launched what he called an “independent” civilian staffing review.  The results of this review have not been released, even though the review was completed over a month ago.
The terms of reference for the review are attached.  The review was led by a former ASG supported by two senior staff (D1 and P5), and cost the mission approximately $100,000 in direct expenses, plus weeks of staff time.
Description
Estimated cost
Non-staff member senior consultant (former ASG)
$30,000
Two round trip business class tickets from NY to Juba ($7,000 x 2)
$14,000
DSA with accommodation for two consultants (30 days x $120 per day x 2)
$7,200
Special flights within mission (8 flights with same day return x $6,000)
$48,000
TOTAL estimated cost
$99,200
A final copy of the report was submitted privately to SRSG Shearer when the review team completed its month-long mission at the end of October 2018. No copy of the report has been distributed within the mission. Nor has copy even been shared with the senior management team, including the DSRSG and Chief of Staff—whose areas of work were included in the review.
This lack of transparency surrounding the review team’s report is particularly concerning given that its results were intended to factor into the mission’s broader strategic planning efforts. Yet, these broader strategic planning efforts have been proceeding without benefit of the very costly staffing review.
It appears that SRSG Shearer disagrees with some of the report’s key findings and recommendations. The findings and recommendations apparently do not comport with the SRSG’s preconceived views of how civilian staffing should be restructured. As your recent reporting demonstrated, one of the SRSG’s primary goals is to put more of his “favorites” into senior positions, regardless of UN hiring rules, and consolidate more power within his own front office.
By confidentially sharing this information with you, I hope to bring more transparency and accountability to how decisions are being made at what is now the UN’s largest peacekeeping operation." And here is the document, for now, showing the team of long time UN insiders going all the way back to the UN's (failed) mission a Referendum still not held in Western Sahara: "Composition 14. The Review team will comprise of the following members:
a. Dr. Wolfgang Weisbrod Weber (Team Leader, external expert) b. Ms. Elizabeth Lercara Chester c. Mr. Anees Ahmed
15. The team will be supported by UNMISS Strategic Planning Unit and Best Practice Unit
(Point of Contact, Mr. Naoki Ishikawa).
Budget
17. The cost for the visit will be covered by UNMISS." So where is the product of this public spending? Who will be held accountable, including for Guterres' censorship of Press? Should be Guterres. Watch this site. On December 10 Inner City Press reported here about a UN official Inner City Press has long been told and reported about (from 2007 in Liberia to 2016 with Ladsous), Stephani Scheer (said to be 'Cindy', in the book about the Oil for Food scandal "Backstabbing for Beginners"). Because Guterres' decayed UN has reached the point where it physically ousts those who ask Guterres about (his) corruption and then refuses to response to written questions on such matters, here it is, as sent to Inner City Press, Guterres' USG Jan Beagle and other email address on which we will have more: "Hello Matthew, I sent this to you and UN official in the same address. Staff are crying here because the lady dismantled  the section after being exposed to get unnecessary benefits with retired former boyfriend of UN Staff member (Christopher Fathers). She is only remaining two weeks to retire but revenged the staff. You know She is an American but going to live in South Africa hiding USA taxation of her huge amount she got from the missions including Oil for food program in Iraq. [See above, and Backstabbing for Beginners. More from UNMISS staff:] The mother  of corruption in UNMISS is on the farewell this month. She  has been considered the most influential and monster  woman messing up the whole system. She had a plan  to get million dollars in the name of restructuring with her former boy friend Christopher but failed after  being exposed. Now she has  decided to abolish the GSS office at the last minute and fired those innocent staff members at  her retirement (see the attachment). The current SRSG does not have the knowledge on the administrative reconfiguration of different functions.  The mother of corruption has considered him as a small boy and did not share him any plan on reforming the staff structure. He only spent playing music and guitars with his fans while staff are severely affected and being suffered due to   maladministration . Majority staff have lost respect for the current SRSG [David Shearer] and his team. He is not proactive in identifying and  preventing potential staff problems.  The Secretary General of whistle-blower policy  has  officially been annulled in UNMISS. No guarantee for whistle-blowers in the UNITED NATIONS! Thank you Inner City for  becoming our voice!" No problem. Here's from the 7 December 2018 memo (Scribd; download on Patreon) from Scheer, as Director of Mission Support of UNMISS: "With the dissolution of GSS [some] staff could not be accommodated under the new functions as their qualifications and experience do not satisfy the requirement" -- unless they are cronies of Guterres, or Shearer, or Scheer. We'll have more on this.

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