Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the United Nations to Wall Street to the Inner City

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 1, updated -- With the Democratic Republic of the Congo accused of the extrajudicial killing of teenagers as part of the anti-gang Operation Likofi, the UN Security Council's Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict is now in the DRC.

  The mission is led by Luxembourg's Permanent Representative; the country's Deputy Permanent Representative, still in the Security Council on December 1, met with the month's Chadian president.

   But is this Security Council mission looking into this alleged killing of minors, and the DRC government having thrown the UN's Scott Campbell out of the country for reporting on it? Will it relate in any way to the impending January 2 "deadline" for neutralization of the FDLR?

  It is not at all clear -- Inner City Press has asked, here -- given that the trip is described as following up on the Working Group's most recent "concluding remarks" on DRC.

Updated of 7:22 pm - Luxembourg's mission to the UN has replied: "As conclusions made clear WG is concerned about violations vs children committed by national forces & non-State armed groups. As for disarmament Children & Armed Conflict WG stresses that DDR programme should take into account specific needs of children."

   Back on November 28, with six Ukrainians with the UN Peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo having been arrested for purchasing and possessing Congolese military uniforms. Inner City Press put this question and others to the UN's top two spokesmen:

“please state what rules in place, or if none, will be put in place, regarding UN affiliated personnel purchasing or possession the military uniforms of countries in which they serve. Relatedly, please state the UN's final conclusion of its investigation into reports of Ukraine using UN-marked helicopters inside Ukraine itself.”

UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq did not answer either of these DRC / Ukraine questions, instead saying regarding another UN helicopter-related investigation that “Regarding the South Sudan helicopter, the Board of Inquiry has finished its investigation and is currently in the process of preparing its report.”

  When the UN Spokesperson's Office closed four hours later, no further information was provided.

  And now in December -- still no real answers.

The Congo mission, like the one in South Sudan, is run by Herve Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row atop UN Peacekeeping. Tellingly, despite Inner City Press on November 28 asking for the third time for the UN to confirm receipt by Ladsous of a protest letter from Darfuri group, Haq dodged the question by repeating that the UNAMID mission, which already on November 9 said residents of Tabit in Darfur get along well with the military, is still trying to re-investigate. We'll have more on this.

Here were the questions Inner City Press asked:

In DRC, after the arrest of six UN peacekeepers from Ukraine for purchase and possession of Congolese military uniforms including one from the Presidential Guard, please state what rules in place, or if none, will be put in place, regarding UN affiliated personnel purchasing or possession the military uniforms of countries in which they serve. Relatedly, please state the UN's final conclusion of its investigation into reports of Ukraine using UN-marked helicopters inside Ukraine itself.

Also, please state the status of the promised report into the downing of a UN helicopter in South Sudan, allegedly by the forces of Peter Gadet.

In Haiti, MSF says more than 3,000 people with cholera symptoms have required emergency treatment in Port-au-Prince since mid-October, calling this as “exponential” increase. What is the UN's response, including specifically on allegations it is responsible for cholera in Haiti. And, please provide a read-out of Mr. Medrano's meeting this week with the DSG, or an on the record statement why no read-out is provided.

In Mali, please explain what provisions, including for discipline, are in place concerning 38 MINUSMA peacekeepers abandoning their posts. Also, please state the UN's final conclusion of all investigations into allegations of sexual abuse by MINUSMA peacekeepers and any discipline meted out.

Also, please confirm or deny receipt of the Darfuri group's letter sent to the SG, USG Amos and USG Ladsous which I asked about it two noon briefings earlier this week, and state any UN response to it.

Finally, for transparency, please confirm or deny that UK PM Cameron nominated Andrew Lansley to replace Valerie Amos at OCHA when he spoke with the SG at the G20 in Brisbane, and confirm or deny that SG requested that at least two other (UK) candidates be nominated.

Here were UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq's responses: