Even
on
#Kony2012, UN
is UNprepared,
ICP Unanswered
Amid
Torture in
Libya
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 7 -- In
the past the
UN despite
corruption
scandals
and sitting
inert during
genocide in
Rwanda and
ethnic
cleansing in
the Balkans
was said to
carry the
torch for
obscure or
lost causes
that few
others cared
about. But
even this has
been lost, in
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon five
years.
On
March 7 as a
worldwide
social media
push took off
about a
signature UN
or Central
Africa issue
-- Joseph Kony
and the Lord's
Resistance
Army -- Inner
City Press
went to ask
about it at
the UN's noon
briefing,
assuming
that at least
this the UN
would notice.
But
no.
When asked
what the UN
and its
peacekeeping
missions in
the region are
going to
apprehend the
International
Criminal Court
indictee Kony,
Ban
Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesman
Eduardo del
Buey said, "I
have to
check into
that and get
back to you on
it, I don’t
have any
details
with me right
now." Video
here.
And
ten hours
later, no
information
was provided.
Nothing. The
UN has billion
dollar
peacekeeping
missions, and
a staffed up
Department of
Public
Information.
But there was
no
information:
nothing.
Whatever one
thinks of the
campaign, this
is the type of
issue on which
the UN is
supposed to
have
information,
and even be
taking action.
But... no
answer, even
ten hours
after the
question was
asked.
On
the same day,
Inner City
Press asked
UN envoy to
Libya Ian
Martin to
answer a
single
question,
about a widely
seen YouTube
video of
African
Libyans
being tortured
in a cage,
told to "eat"
the new Libyan
flag. Martin
refused to
answer the
question,
and refused to
take any
on screen
questions as
previously
envoys have
done.
The
UN now lives
in its own
world, cut off
even from
those issues
on which it
could
take the lead,
or at least
play a role.
The Emperor
has no clothes
but who will
say it? Watch
this site.
From
the
UN's
March 7 noon
briefing
transcript:
Inner
City
Press; There
is a lot of
discussion
today of a
campaign
around
Joseph Kony
and the Lord’s
Resistance
Army. So, I
wonder, I
haven’t
actually heard
much from
MONUSCO about
this problem
in some
time and
people are
reporting that
there were
attacks near
Dungu in
February, can
you say what
is, given the
increased
global
interest in
the
apprehension
of Mr. Kony,
who is
indicted by
the ICC, what
has
the UN been
doing and
what’s the
status of the
coordination
of UN
peacekeeping
missions and
what’s their
role in… in
what’s
described as
the hunt for
Joseph Kony?
Deputy
Spokesperson:
Well, I have
to check into
that and get
back to you on
it, I don’t
have any
details with
me right now.
, 
