By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 29 -- Protesters in Kidal were killed yesterday while opposing the visit of Mali prime minister Oumar Tatam Ly. UN "peacekeepers" from the MINUSMA mission told the protesters to leave -- despite the UN's stated commitment to the right to protest -- and then they were shot, by the Malian Army with which the UN is partnering. Two women are in critical condition.
Inner City Press went to the UN on Friday, a UN workday, and posed this question in writing since there was no in-person noon briefing:
"In Mali, after protesters in Kidal were subjected to live fire, please describe the role of the MINUSMA peacekeepers in the events, including in reportedly telling the protesters to leave the airport. Is that true? Is so, why did the UN tell protesters to leave, given the UN's stated commitment to the right to protest?"
In-person, Inner City Press asked UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous about Kidal, but he said nothing. Here is the UN's written response to Inner City Press, citing an UNclear MINUSMA press release:
Subject: Your questions for Friday
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Nov 29, 2013 at 12:42 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Nov 29, 2013 at 12:42 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Regarding the questions you asked by email, the Spokesperson has the following to say:
Regarding your questions on Mali, the UN Mission, MINUSMA, has provided the following information in a press release today:
Bamako, 29 November 2013 - MINUSMA strongly condemns the violence that took place yesterday in Kidal prior to the scheduled arrival of the Prime Minister and a Government delegation.
The Mission deplores the fact that, despite a security plan coordinated by the Malian Government on Wednesday in cooperation with MINUSMA and supported by Serval, incidents of a serious nature took place.
MINUSMA, in close cooperation with Serval, assisted the evacuation of three of the injured for medical care in Gao.
MINUSMA calls for restraint and a return to the negotiating table to continue discussions toward a solution in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2100 (2013) and the commitments made, including on security and investigation arrangements, in the Ouagadougou Preliminary Agreement.
If as reported the Malian Army shot protesters, leaving two women in critical condition, what does it mean to say the UN "deplores the fact that, despite a security plan coordinated by the Malian Government on Wednesday in cooperation with MINUSMA and supported by Serval, incidents of a serious nature took place"?
Is the UN deploring the protesters? Or the Malian Army shooting at them? Ladsous, as usual, would not respond (click here for compilation video, here for UK coverage).
It's worth nothing that even Reuters found the MINUSMA press release to "not shed much light on what actually happened in Kidal yesterday."
We say "even" because Ladsous has several times used Reuters at the UN as a pass-through for misleading or self-serving answering, for example as he covered up for monthsthe 135 rapes in Minova by his partners in the Congolese Army.
Reuters at the UN coordinated with AFP at attempt to get Inner City Press thrown out; AFP lead with the way Inner City Press asked Ladsous a question about the Minova mass rapes.
Ladsous is who he is -- but Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokespeople, even just to keep UN Peacekeeping here from making the whole UN look bad, need to provide more and better answers. Two questions Inner City Press asked on Friday weren't even acknowledged. Another DPKO question:
"With regard to Lebanon and UNIFIL, please state the UN's knowledge of Israel's "spying" stations and whether these spy on UNIFIL's communications as alleged by the Lebanese government and its Committee on Assessing the Dangers of the Israeli Telecomm Towers in Lebanese Territory."
To this, Ban Ki-moon's spokespeople replied to Inner City Press:
"Regarding your questions on Lebanon, the UN Interim Force, UNIFIL, says it has no information on this."
Well, beyond the UK coverage of Ladsous, here's coverage of the issue in Lebanon, on which Ladsous' UNIFIL said "it has no information." Watch this site.
