By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 9, updated -- Despite spending billions of dollars in public funds, and enjoying or abusing immunity as in Haiti, the UN is often irrelevant when real peace talks start.
This may now take place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - but earlier this year when in Burkina Faso Mali reached a deal with rebels, the UN despite having three envoys played no role.
Now in the DRC, where a "national dialogue" has been announced to be mediated by the president of next door Congo-Brazzaville, it appears the UN again has no role.
Inner City Press went to the UN's August 9 noon briefing and asked, what is the role of the MONUSCO mission or of envoy Mary Robinson?
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's associate spokesperson Farhan Haq said he is not aware of any UN role at all, that Mary Robinson is working with countries in the region.
Why then did Mary Robinson do an interview with the UN's own Radio Okapi, the purpose of which seems to have been to pledge support for the new Intervention Brigade which declared a 48 hour ultimatum in North Kivu recently?
And why did Haq, when Inner City Press asked, have nothing to say about Doctors Without Borders sounding the alarm on security threat in Pinga in the Kivus? Haq said he wouldn't speak for MSF -- and this extended to the MSF worker recently killed near Juba in South Sudan, Haq said the UN had nothing to say.
When aid workers were killed in Darfur, the UN spoke. What's different -- South Sudan? Or MSF?
Coming full circle to Haiti, when Inner City Press asked Haq about the comment by Herve Ladsous' predecessor at UN Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno having tweeted that the UN needs to "come clean" about cholera, Haq said there would be no response to what Guehenno said in his "private capacity." Video here, from Minute 2:07.
So much impunity, but so little role in the peace deal in Mali, and the "national dialogue" in the DRC. Watch this site.
Subject: Your question at noon on the DRC
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Aug 9, 2013 at 2:34 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Aug 9, 2013 at 2:34 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Regarding your question on fighting in Pinga, we have the following additional information from the UN Mission, MONUSCO:
MONUSCO reports that, since 5 August, following reports of localized clashes in Pinga, North Kivu province, its peacekeepers have provided protection to more than 450 civilians and four humanitarian workers. The clashes reportedly involved combatants from local armed groups. The Mission is closely monitoring the situation.
But what about which FARDC units MONUSCO is supporting? Watch this site.
