By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Full Text
UNITED NATIONS, June 29 -- The new UN Democratic Republic of the Congo sanctions report, which Inner City Press put exclusively online earlier today, puts disproportionate focus on one armed group, the M23.
The Group of Experts accept MONUSCO's estimate of FDLR troop strength, and appear not to have heard of the UN's claimed conditionality policy. Even with regard to the Congolese Army units they depict engaged in human rights violations, from rape to torture, to mention is made of UN support for the FARDC.
We are already covered Col. Faida Fidel Kamulete, the commander of FARDC 2nd battalion of 601st Regiment based at Tongo, who said “FARDC and FDLR do not fight each other.”
Likewise we've covered Col. Willy Bonane Habarugira acting commander of FARDC forces in the Safisha Operational Zone (Ituri), who organized the looting of the UN in Bunia.
But now consider the filmed torture at Hotel Pygmy in Mambasa town (see annex 44) and “rape, harassment, extortion and arbitrary arrests” by “soldiers from the FARDC 905th Regiment, under the command of Col. John Tchinyama” - Report at Paragraph 75. The Ituri Brigade of MONUSCO was right there. What did they do?
What about the Mai Mai's “Morgan talking to FARDC officers on a satellite phone prior to and during the attack on Mambasa. These people further informed the Group that allies within FARDC guided Morgan along routes through which he could avoid encountering government forces” - does the UN still support those FARDC units, which the Report leaves unnamed in Paragraph 74? We are asking.
The 135 rapes in Minova by two units of the Congolese Army have not resulted in any suspension of UN support, despite only two arrests being made for the rapes. This, like the inclusion of a listed child soldier recruiter into the new UN mission in Mali, is the responsibility of Herve Ladsous, the fourth French head of UN Peacekeeping in a row.
Ladsous in his previous incarnation as French deputy permanent representative at the UN during the Rwanda genocide argued for the escape of the genocidaires into Eastern Congo. When asked by Inner City Press about it, he started talking about “innuendo” and refusing to answer questions.
The UN's and Ladsous' non-enforcement of human rights due diligence and conditionality policies were air brushed from Reuters gloss on this report -- not surprising, not only politically but also in light of recent evidence that Reuters gives the UN information the UN should not have, here: quid pro quo?
But now, the question have been put to no fewer than four DPKO spokespeople. Watch this site.
