By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un1sexviol020910.html
UNITED NATIONS, February 9 -- The UN on February 9 bragged about its work against Sexual Violence in Conflict, introducing Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's new Special Representative on the topic, Margot Wallstrom.
But when asked why the UN's Mission in the Congo MONUC works with Army united accused of mass rape by the UN's own Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, and why the UN never disclosed any discipline for Sri Lankan peacekeepers sent home from Haiti after being accused of sexual abuse, the UN had no answers. Video here, from Minute 16:23.
Inner City Press asked Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, about a portion of Alston's report describing that
"In Shalio (near Busurungi in North Kivu) it appears that the FARDC, led by Colonel Zimulinda, attacked a makeshift camp of Rwandan Hutu refugees on 27 April 2009. The FARDC surrounded the camp, shot and beat to death at least 50 refugees and burnt the camp to the ground. It also appears that some 40 women were abducted from the camp. A small group of 10 who escaped described being gang raped, and had severe injuries; some had chunks of their breasts hacked off. It is not known what has happened to the other 30 women."
Inner City Press has previously asked MONUC chief Alan Doss about the report, after it came out in October. Doss never announced any suspension of support to Zimulinda's unit. Rather, he made a misleading announcement of the end of the Kimia II operation. Soon thereafter, it was replaced by another operation, Amani Leo, in which MONUC supports questionable units of the Congolese Army.
Le Roy on February 9 said that the UN is "vetting unit by unit." He blurred a word, or made a Freudian slip, saying that "Alan Doss knows [or does] very well, each times there is full evidence" of abuse by a unit, "we stop our support." Video here, from Minute 18:50. So does Alan Doss do this well? Or is the claim that he "knows" very well the policy?
Inner City Press asked why, four months after Alston's report, which was followed by others (with Zimulinda called "Zimurinda"), the UN has apparently done nothing. Video here, from Minute 19:18. There was another recent report of the UN and accused mass rapist Bosco Ntaganda, which some in the UN think was unfair. But what about Zimulinda?
Why does it take the UN four months to study Alston's short report? Why has it taken the UN eight months and counting to "investigate" and act on Alan Doss' six line email to UNDP asking them to show "leeway" and give his daughter a job? Does Doss "do" well, or simply "know" well?
At the UN, is it all about who you know?
Le Roy answered a question by referring to a new UN web site purporting to provide transparency into the disposition of allegations of sexual abuse or exploitation by UN peacekeepers. Inner City Press pointed to a particular page, here, which reports that the UN made 82 communications about abuse to Troop Contributing Countries in 2009, and got 14 "responses."
Inner City Press asked, were the responses indications of prosecution? Or merely letters in response? This, Le Roy did not answer. He said "we cannot name and shame," because TCCs don't want it. But nor should the UN give blue helmets and immunity to soldiers who, if they rape, suffer only "repatriation." More disclosures should be made -- we will continue to pursue this. Watch this site.
