UNITED NATIONS, May 13 -- The UN in the Congo claimed that it would not work with the Congolese Army if indicted war criminal Jean-Bosco Ntaganda was a part of it. Then the UN reduced the claim to that it would not work on Congolese Army operations in which Bosco played a part. Now, faced with Army minutes showing Bosco as a deputy commander in an operation MONUC works with, the claim is further reduced. The permanent representative of a Congo-interested country, part of the Contact Group, told Inner City Press on May 12 that at least the UN will not "sit down and take a photo with Bosco Ntaganda." That's not saying much.
On May 13, in advance of a Security Council trip to the Congo led by France's Jean-Maurice Ripert, Inner City Press asked Ripert for his and France's position on how the UN should distance itself from indicted war criminal Bosco Ntaganda. Ripert said, "France is very clear on that: we are a party to the Rome Stat[ute], we will not meet with people who are involved or indicted." Video here, from Minute 7:45.
But should the UN be working with the Congolese Army and its operations in the Kivus in which Bosco is listed in minutes as deputy coordinator? "This is a question you have to ask to the UN," Ripert answered, "not to France."
Alan Doss of MONUC, April 4 minutes show below
He went on, in response to another question, to say that the purpose of the Congo leg of the trip is to "monitor" the UN Mission. Doesn't monitoring include determining, factually, whether the UN Mission is working in an operation in which a war criminal is deputy coordinator?
Footnote: In the interim, in the run-up to the Council's visit to the Congo, Inner City Press did "ask to the UN," as Ripert suggested, and got back this, which drops the UN's claim that it hadn't seen the April 4 FARDC minutes in question:
Subj: Your question on Jean-Bosco Ntaganda
From: unspokesperson [at] un.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: 5/13/2009 12:48:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
1.) We stand by our 30 January statement, that MONUC will not support operations with the FARDC in which Jean-Bosco Ntaganda plays a role.
2.) Both the MONUC Force Commander and SRSG have made this clear to their interlocutors at senior levels of the DRC Government and military. These interlocutors have assured MONUC that Bosco does not figure in the chain of command for operations in the Kivus.
3. MONUC has no executive law enforcement powers to execute the arrest warrant but is on record that it is prepared to assist the DRC Government in arresting Bosco should it decide to do so.
So what to make of the April 4 FARDC minutes? Watch this site.
