By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 17 -- UN Peacekeeping underHerve Ladsous has allowed civilians to be killed with no reaction.
But when some of this litany of failure of his Department of Peacekeeping Operations was publicly presented to the UN Fifth (Budget) Committee on May 16, it was typed up without even mentioning the person responsible, Ladsous, by a wire demonstrably engaged in censorship.
This was noted; now a French report of RTL "avec AFP"which belatedly DOES mention Ladsous: but only to type his defensive quotes. Still, when even the French wire which has tried to get the investigative Press thrown out for its critical coverage of Ladsous links him to his failures, it could belatedly be the beginning of the end.
The UK New Statesman already reported last Fall on Ladsous' refusal to answer Press questions about his failures.
Today's French account emphasizes that the UN report does not criticize Ladsous' missions in Mali (begun by the French Serval force initially without Security Council approval), nor in Central African Republic -- where the French Sangaris force initially disarmed the Muslim ex Seleka leaving Muslim civilians "vulnerable" in the UN's Navi Pillay's understated analysis.
But it easily could have: in Mali, UN Peacekeepers stood by as their "partners" in the Malian army shot unarmed protesters by an airport in North Mali, where France is now in line to get paid by other UN member states to provide "air field services."
And Ladsous' scribes have yet to link him to or question him about his refusal to implement the UN's supposed Human Rights Due Diligence Policy and cut support to the Congolese Army's 41st and 391st Battalions after only two soldiers were convicted of the 130 rapes at Minova in November 2012.
That is why this coverage is accelerating: the person put in charge by an ostensibly public organization of over 100,000 people with guns is so unaccountable as to outright refuse to answer critical press questions, for example in April about the Hutu FDLR, here.
In any other public organization, or private sector company, such a "leader" would be relieved of responsibility. How has the UN fallen this low? The same can be asked of the UN refusing to accept its responsibility for UN Peacekeeping bringing cholera to Haiti.
And why even just this month has there been no explanation of Ladsous procuring drones for Mali without the required approvals -- Inner City Press has asked three times -- or for Kyiv using inside Ukraine "UN" marked helicopters (Inner City Press has asked four times, more here)?
Even with these omissions, consider from the report these since Ladsous took over the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in 2011:
August - September 2012: Attacks on civilians by armed group in Katoyi, North Kivu (MONUSCO) Killed: >112. Action under Ladsous? No. After: Human rights investigations launched
4 January 2013 Intercommunal fighting over disputed access to gold mine (UNAMID) Killed: 100 Action under Ladsous? No. After: Government officials transported to area to “defuse tensions”...
8 February 2013 Attack on community in Wangar, Jonglei State by armed elements from rival community (UNMISS). Killed: >100. Action under Ladsous? No. After: Investigation launched. Communities and national authorities actively engaged to “prevent retaliation.”
3-6 April 2013 Intercommunal fighting in parts of Central and Southern Darfur (UNAMID) Killed: >100. Action under Ladsous? No. Aftter: Inter-agency assessment mission protected,,.
July 2013 Intercommunal violence in several locations in Pibor County (UNMISS) Killed: >328 Action under Ladsous? No. After: Investigation launched....
22-30 July 2013 Intercommunal fighting in Central Darfur (UNAMID) Killed: 150 Action under Ladsous? No. After: Humanitarian aid to displaced civilians facilitated
8-22 August 2013 Intercommunal fighting in Eastern Darfur (UNAMID) Killed: 500-600 Action under Ladsous? No. After: “Technical and logistical support” provided...
And this is not even including the more recently failures in South Sudan, and rapes by Ladsous' partners in the Congolese Army in Minova, and subsequent impunity.Ladsous refused to answer Press questions on any of this. Why is he still in his post? #Ladsous2014. Watch this site.
