By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 30 -- Two day after the details of the peacekeepers detained and restricted in the Golan Heights were first published here, but with the UN still refusing to say who was detaining and restricting them, UN Peacekeeping at 7:21 pm on August 30 provided this update:
"The situation on the ground is calm but tense. The 44 Fijians peacekeepers of Position 27 remain detained. Fighting at Position 68 had stopped several hours ago.
"Also today, Observation Post 52, manned by 3 UN military observers and 5 UNDOF soldiers, came under fire. The Mission subsequently evacuated all 8 from the post to a safe location.
"Later, UNDOF evacuated Observation Post 56, manned by 3 peacekeepers, in light of a nearby mobilisation of armed elements. UNDOF is working tirelessly towards the immediate and unconditional release of all the detained peacekeepers."
In terms of who is doing the detaining and attacking, the UN Security Council at 5:21 pm on August 30 put out this Press Statement which while vague narrowed it down:
"Also today, Observation Post 52, manned by 3 UN military observers and 5 UNDOF soldiers, came under fire. The Mission subsequently evacuated all 8 from the post to a safe location.
"Later, UNDOF evacuated Observation Post 56, manned by 3 peacekeepers, in light of a nearby mobilisation of armed elements. UNDOF is working tirelessly towards the immediate and unconditional release of all the detained peacekeepers."
In terms of who is doing the detaining and attacking, the UN Security Council at 5:21 pm on August 30 put out this Press Statement which while vague narrowed it down:
"The members of the Security Council strongly condemned continued attacks today on United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) positions in the Golan Heights. They reiterated their strong condemnation of the ongoing detention of 44 Fijian peacekeepers from position 27, as well as the surrounding of position 68, where Security Council-designated terrorist groups and non-state armed actors continue to trap 40 Filipino peacekeepers."
The UN Security Council cites "SC-designated terrorist groups" soon after their resolution on ISIL and Al Nusra.Here's a page with photos and rationale.
And the "non-state armed actors"? A previous grabbing of Golan peacekeepers, not followed up by UN Peacekeeping's Ladsous, involved the Al-Yarmouk Brigades. Now it's time to name names, something that UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous has for too long refused to do.
And so we note the reporting, here in Al-Monitor, that "Jabhat al-Nusra, along with Fallujah-Houran Brigade, Syria Revolutionaries Front, Saraya al-Jihad, Bayt al-Maqdis and Ahrar al-Sham, began a battle called 'the real promise' to seize control of the devastated city of Quneitra and the crossing connecting it with the Golan Heights."
So there are some names. Kidnapped for their own good has also been a line UN Peacekeeping has used. Now some are under fire - but UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous won't say by whom.
On August 28 after the UN belated announced that “forty-three peacekeepers from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) were detained early this morning an armed group in the vicinity of Al Qunaytirah.. in addition, another eighty-one UNDOF peacekeepers are currently being restricted to their positions in the vicinity of Ar Ruwayhinah and Burayqah,” Inner City Press began looking into it.
Soon Inner City Press reported with on the record sourcing that the 43 peacekeepers detained are from Fiji, and that those “restricted” are from the Philippines. This comes after Filipino leadership already said it plans to pull its troops out both the Golan Heights and Liberia. Now what?
The UN confirmed "Fiji and Philippines," but only anonymously, initially to scribes. This is Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping.
