By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, April 25 -- With the UN deploying an “intervention brigade” in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which DRC officials say is meant to eliminate the M23 rebels as both a military and political groups, who has the UN chosen as its Force Commander?
A Brazilian general who in a previous UN deployment in Haiti in 2007 was charged with cracking down on the Cite Soleil shantytown. He's General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz; here's from The Guardian in 2007:
“Germain claims his son was killed by peacekeepers from the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (Minustah). 'Les blancs' - the foreigners - had been patrolling the street in three armoured personnel carriers (APCs), he said... 'We want justice for Berhens,' said Dario Germain's half-brother, Andre Ville, holding up a piece of cardboard. Scrawled on it were the numbers 21119, 21110, and 21121 - the numbers of the three APCs near by at the time of the shooting.
“After Berhens was hit, the armored vehicles parked outside the Germain house for about ten minutes. A neighbor went to the peacekeepers - he thinks they were Brazilian. 'I told them, you have just shot a child,' he said. 'They replied: "He was holding a gun".'
“Brazilian General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz was appointed force commander of Minustah in January. He is determined to do away with the gangs and restore services. 'You cannot give in to criminals,' he said. 'They kidnap, traffick drugs, rape, torture and kill people.' As The Observer accompanied the general to a UN base at the start of a massive anti-gang crackdown, gang members opened fire on the UN position. 'The difference between us and the gangs,' said General Dos Santos Cruz, 'is that we have rules of engagement. They shoot women and children, we don't.'”
But it looks like in this case the UN peacekeepers under his control DID shoot a child. Who will be the Berhens Germain of Eastern Congo?
On April 25 Inner City Press posed a DRC question, as well as questions on Mali, Western Sahara and Cote d'Ivoire, to the head of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Herve Ladsous. He refused to answer any of the questions, saying, “I don't respond to you.” Video here.
In 2012-13, Ladsous covered up for four months 126 rapes in Minova by the Congolese Army, his partners. Is he the right person to be atop DPKO as it starts an “Intervention Brigade,” under General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, in Eastern Congo? Watch this site.
Footnote: A UN-interesting question about Brazilian General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz is his views on the Brazilian policy, announced since 2007, of “Responsibility WHILE Protecting.” We'll see.
