By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 23 --
Two days after
UN
Peacekeeping
boss Herve
Ladsous
refused to
answer Press
questions
whether troops
under his
command would
even try to
protect Bukavu,
and for his
response to
protests
against UN
personnel
there and in
Bunia and
Kisangani,
Inner
City Press put
these and
other
questions to
the UN in
writing.
As
to the UN's
Mission in the
Congo,
MONUSCO, Inner
City Press
asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman at
what would
have been
noon briefing
time, if one
had been held,
to "Please
describe
any and all of
MONUSCO's
interaction
with or
support of
elements of
the Mai Mai or
NYATURA so far
this year."
Already,
after
Inner City
Press repeatedly
asked, the UN
belatedly
admitted
flying
Congolese
authorities to
meet members
of a Mayi Mayi
militia,
which the
authorities
described as
recruiting the
militia to
fight
the M23
mutineers.
But
after than
three hours on
November 23,
it was
Ladsous'
spokesman
Kieran Dwyer
who purported
to respond.
But on this,
all he said
was "I am
looking into
this."
Inner
City Press
also asked
Ban's
spokespeople
to "please
specify all
damage or
injury to UN
system staff,
facilities or
property in
the
Democratic
Republic of
Congo since
November 20,
including but
not
limited to in
Bukavu, Bunia,
Goma, Kinshasa
and
Kisingani."
More
than three
hours later,
all Dwyer
responded with
was, "I am
looking into
this."
How
could the
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
purport to
have no
answer to
this? Since
November 20
and 21,
UN personnel
have been
attacked;
several
Congolese
protesters
have been shot
dead, at least
three
in Kisangani,
click here.
In Bunia, at
least six were
killed, four
of them
students, click
here (all
in French, a la
Ladsous).
UN
buildings have
been set
aflame, rocks
thrown at
cars, mortars
reportedly
fired at the
MONUSCO base
in Monigi. But
past 5 pm in
New York, no
information at
all was
provided.
Back
on November
21, it was
Kieran Dwyer
who for
Ladsous asked
UN
personnel to
not give Inner
City Press the
microphone as
its question
"would MONUSCO
protect
Bukavu" was
asked. Video
here, at
Minute 10:13,
13:25 and
especially
11:50.
Inner
City Press
asked Ban
Ki-moon's
three
spokespeople
to "please
state the
Secretariat's
position on
its Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations'
spokespeople
directing
staff of the
UN Media
Accreditation
and Liaison
Unit and UN
Television /
audio to hold
the
Security
Council
stakeout
microphone
away from
Inner City
Press, most
recently by
spokesman
Kieran Dwyer
on November
21." Video
here, at
Minute 10:13,
13:25 and
especially
11:50.
This
question was
paradoxically
referred to
Dwyer himself,
and he did not
purport to
answer it or
even claim "I
am looking
into it."
Previously,
Kieran Dwyer
demanded that
Inner City
Press censor a
mention of
Ladsous from a
quote given on
the record by
a Security
Council
ambassador.
Among the
November 23
noon requests
to Ban's
spokespeople
by Inner City
Press, there
was another,
entirely
factual
question about
Herve Ladsous
which was
referred to
Dwyer, but to
which he did
not even say
"I
am looking
into this."
Meanwhile,
Ladsous'
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations is Tweeting short
statements
saying it is
focused on
protection
children. How?
We will
have more on
all this. Watch
this site.
