By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 20 -- From Liberia, Inner City Press received troubling whistleblower reports earlier this week and sought confirmation, on matter ranging from the deaths of UN peacekeepers and the facilities they are provided, to the unique lodging arrangement of the UN's Special Representative in Monrovia.
To a series of UNMIL spokespeople, Inner City Press asked:
Please confirm or deny, and comment: A member of India’s all-female police unit deployed by UNMIL has been seriously hurt in a traffic accident on or about 17 Oct, in Monrovia.
Please confirm or deny, and comment: Ms. Sheena, a constable, is battling multiple fractures of limbs and head injuries at a local hospital.
Please confirm or deny, and comment: the injured constable, a member of the team guarding the Liberian President’s office round the clock, was crossing the road past midnight looking for bush cover to relieve herself due to lack of adequate toilet facilities at the deployment site for the female police team.
Please confirm or deny, and comment: female peacekeepers have to rely on bush cover at night to answer nature’s call;
Please confirm or deny, and comment: So far three Indian peacekeepers have died while on UN peacekeeping duty in Liberia since their deployment four years ago;
Please confirm or deny, and comment: two of them in traffic accidents and one due to lack of proper and timely medical attention for illness.
Please confirm or deny, and comment: the SRSG in Liberia living in a UN-furnished, UN maintained apartment lavishly decorated at the expense of the United Nations.
Please confirm or deny, and comment: the free, UN maintained accommodation is part of her contract.
Please confirm or deny, and comment: the rest of the staff in the UN Mission in Liberia, including 2 Deputy SRSGS and the entire staff stay in rented houses paying between US $1,000 and 3,000 every month.
Inner City Press sent these questions to UNMIL spokesperson Yasmina Bouziane then to Michael Sahr, Margaret Odoch-Jato and Zayzay Kolubah, finally receiving responses from Ms. Bouziane, 24 hours after the stated deadline:
Subject: Re: Press questions re UNMIL, on deadline from resident correspondent at UN HQ
From: Yasmina Bouziane
Date: Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 11:46 AM
To: Matthew Lee [at] InnerCityPress.com
Cc: Martin Nesirky, Farhan Haq, Nick Birnback, Susan Manuel, George Somerwill, Anayansi Lopez, Josephine Guerrero, Ben Malor, Michel Bonnardeaux
Dear Mr. Lee,
Please find below responses to the queries you raised on behalf of Inner City Press.
Regarding the traffic incident on the 17th of October involving an UNMIL Female FPU in Monrovia, the investigation is still on-going to determine the exact circumstances of the incident.
The UNMIL FPU member is in stable condition after being treated at the UN Level 3 Jordanian medical hospital, for a minor head injury and a broken arm and leg. Last Sunday 17th October, the President of Liberia, accompanied by the UNMIL SRSG, paid a visit to the patient at the hospital. The President and the SRSG expressed their support and appreciation for the commitment of all UNMIL FPU staff in carrying out the duties mandated to them.
UNMIL is indeed saddened to have lost 3 Indian FPU staff since the beginning of the mission; two (one man and one woman FPU member) died in the course of performing their duties and one woman succumbed to illness with complications caused by malaria and typhoid; the Police Contributing Country expressed satisfaction at the level of care that was given to the FPU staff at the time.
On your query regarding lavatory facilities for the FPU guard post located outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building: Existing arrangements are in place for access to the near-by UNMIL Headquarters Annex building, which is a 2 minute walk from the guard post.
As for your queries about accommodations:
The UNMIL SRSG lives in a simple furnished apartment within the UNMIL headquarters. The SRSG pays for the accommodation herself, according to the UN rules and regulations that govern all staff members who are provided with UN accommodation.
The SRSG’s acceptance to stay within the headquarter premises saves the mission resources it would have otherwise used to provide security arrangements, if she had taken up an outside residence.
As for all other UN staff members, they are responsible for obtaining their own accommodation which must have a UN mandated minimum level of security, known as MORSS compliance. The costs of the accommodations are borne by the staff members and it is up to the discretion of an individual staff member how much he or she wishes to spend on living space within the local price range available.
Sticking for now to the accommodations questions -- it is amazing that the UN would send its peacekeepers to guard a Liberian ministry without making provision for them to use the toilet there, and that the President of Liberia would accept this, even after her visit -- it remains to be seen how much Ellen Margrethe Loj pays for this on-base housing.
In Darfur, executives like in four contiguous trailers in what's called “Guantanamo Bay,” surrounded by barbed wire. Liberia is described as much safer -- except, it seems, for Indian peacekeepers. To be continued, watch this site.
