By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 10, updated thrice -- Might a new report on the UN's use of private military contractors shake it out of denial?
The UN's use of PMCs or even mercenaries became a subject of contention back in April, when the Department of Peacekeeping Operations declined to confirm to Inner City Press its use of the PMC Saracen Uganda, part owned by a relative of Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni.
After several rounds of questions and stonewalling, Inner City Press simply published the contract information:
August 2010 SARACEN UGANDA LTD UGA CON/MON/10-085
Provision of Unarmed Security Services at Entebbe and Kampala
1-Aug-10 to 31-Jul-11 $170,685 MONUSCO
1-Aug-10 to 31-Jul-11 $170,685 MONUSCO
September 2010 SARACEN UGANDA LTD UGA
Security services $132,935 11KIN-200211 MONUSCO
Security services $132,935 11KIN-200211 MONUSCO
July 2011 SARACEN UGANDA LTD UGA
Security services $144,648 12KIN-200059 MONUSCO
Security services $144,648 12KIN-200059 MONUSCO
Only after Inner City Press published this did DPKO's spokesman belatedly admit (and spin) it, writing to Inner City Press that:
"I have a response on the parts of your questions related to MONUSCO. On private security more generally, I am still following up. Question: Is MONUSCO using the services of SARACEN, a Ugandan private security company?
"MONUSCO contracts private unarmed security companies to assist in access control procedures in all of its compounds. Saracen is contracted by MONUSCO for these purposes at its base in Entebbe, Uganda."
Inner City Press noted that while DPKO did not provide that actual contract information which Inner City Press published, this information says Saracen is under UN contract in Kampala as well. Inner City Press then awaited the response on "private security more generally."
But soon thereafter DPKO chief Herve Ladsous said publicly he would not answer any more Inner City Pressquestions due to critical coverage. And DPKO has in fact provided no information on this since.
Now comes a detailed report from Global Policy Forum, which recounts not only Saracen and MONUSCO, but the use of DynCorp by UNOPS and UNDP. (Click here for Inner City Press' so-far eight-part series on UN and UNDP corruption in Afghanistan).
GPF also cited G4S, which the UN Global Compact has allowed to join, telling Inner City Press its operations are "legal."
One hopes the GPF study will cause the UN to reform, or at least or relately that Ladsous, who has proved resistant to criticism and questions for example about his proposal that DPKO should use drones, will at least read it.
