By Matthew Russell Lee
ENTEBBE, October 6 -- UN corruption and inefficiency echoed, at least for some, at the first stop on the UN Security Council's trip to Sudan. At the Entebbe Regional Center, the advance Press delegation was met by the former head of UN Procurement, Paul Buades, who left his position after controversies about favors done for contractors from his native France and other countries.
Buades greeted Inner City Press, going on to say that he is happier in the field, and that his also controversial deputy Dmitri Dovgopoly has taken over in New York now that he has become Director of Mission Support for the UN's shrinking mission in the Congo, MONUSCO.
Even shrunken, MONUSCO has a budget of over $1.3 billion dollars. Nevertheless when hundreds of women were being raped 20 miles from a UN Peacekeeping base in early August, the peacekeepers did nothing.
Now, Buades told the Press, a new budget for “Community Liaison Interpreters” must be prepared. He said nothing about the cell phone service and repeaters that Assistant Secretary General Atul Khare told the Council about back in September.
Inner City Press asked Buades how many international staff are are this Entebbe Regional Center, and how many national staff. The answers veered all over. Buades deferred to the Deputy Chief of the Entebbe Regional Center, Yury Cherep, who said 400 total, including 67 international and 143 national.
But who then are the rest? Pressed, Cherep added that there are 40 UN Volunteers - whose costs are nevertheless paid by the UN -- and 16 “contractors.” While this still doesn't add up to 400, Inner City Press looked around the Entebbe base and found for example a locked trailer with a sign, “AMHOLD LTD Consultants.” Who are these people?
Previously Pacific Architects & Engineers (PAE), which is a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, got a no bid contract to build “Super Bases” in Darfur, while pushing the UN around about the air field services contracts in Entebbe and what used to be MONUC in the Congo.
At a UN press conference, Inner City Press asked UN good will Ambassador George Clooney -- currently in Juba, we're repeatedly told -- what he thought of Lockheed Martin's deal. “I don't like no bid contracts,” Clooney responded.
Now Clooney is in Juba -- a Permanent Five Ambassador says he is with Ann Curry, others speak of some exclusive Tweeting deal with MSNBC -- where the Council is expected later on Wednesday. First, they were taken on a tour of the base, after a briefing by Buades.
Inner City Press was told that the Ambassadors questions, and Buades' answers, were off the record. so they will not be reported here. To the Press, Buades made a pitch for help with “swamp ” land given to the UN by the Ugandan government of Yoweri Museveni.
Yury Cherep to Amb Susan Rice, Rugunda, Churkin, # of staff not shown
“It will cost a lot to bring it up to level,” Buades said. One Ambassador said, don't pay to do landfill. A staffer replied that there was an environmental impact assessment going on. Another Ambassador laughed, pointing at the crane out on the swamp. They'll leave when the concrete is poured, he said. Indeed.
The Press was taken to a big room where, after meeting with the Council, President Yoweri Museveni will hold a press conference. He is sure to be asked about his offer of 20,000 troops for Somalia. But what about the human rights violations of which the Ugandan and Burundian troops already in Somalia are accused? Will that be allowed to be raised? We'll see. Watch this site.
Footnotes: in a back part of the base, Buades and Cherep showed the Council and press a cafeteria for 100 peacekeepers, with a volleyball court outside. While one sign said UNMIS (South Sudan), there was another sign, “French Classes.” They described sending Toyotas down the Congo River from Kinangani to Kinshasa, while some Ambassadors shook their heads. It felt like Congressional oversight, without the oversight.
