By Matthew Russell Lee, Follow Up On Exclusives
UNITES NATIONS, September 24 -- Amid warning in Burundi of the risk of genocide, when UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on September 24 met with the country's foreign minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe, Inner City Press went to cover it as closely as possible.
The meeting went less than twenty minutes, but took nearly three hours for Ban's office to summarize. Inner City Press live-streamed the handshake and book signing on Periscope, as it did Alain Aime Nyamitwe's speech in the General Assembly hall. But when Ban's office issued a read-out, seemingly negotiated with Burundi, it did not mention the deployment of 228 UN Police, much less the UN's risk of genocide report. Here is the full text:
“The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Alain Aimé Nyamitwe, Minister of External Relations and International Cooperation of the Republic of Burundi.
The Secretary-General conveyed his concerns over the situation in Burundi. The Secretary-General stressed the importance of respecting the Arusha Agreement. The Minister assured the Secretary-General of the Government’s commitment to the implementation of the Arusha Agreement and dialogue.
The Secretary-General highlighted that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners continue to scale up their operations to support the populations. The Secretary-General urged the Government to do everything necessary to protect the lives and rights of all Burundians, regardless of their political affiliation, and fight impunity.”
The “scaling up” does not, it seems, include the deployment of the 228 UN Police. We'll have more on this. Meanwhile in Burundi, a forced rally against the risk of genocide report, here.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told Inner City Press on August 24 that Burundian Lt. Col. Alfred Mayuyu was deployed to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in July but is being repatriated to Burundi effective immediately. Vine I here.
This followed Dujarric's deputy Farhan Haq on August 5 telling Inner City Press that Mayuyu was not on “any roster” of MINUSCA, video here.
That was false - as was Dujarric's August 24 answer to Inner City Press, see below. Meanwhile the threat of genocide, according even to the UN, has continued to escalate.
On September 22, Inner City Press asked the UN about the report - even as the Ambassador to Burundi of Kenya (where Ban made his own son in law the head of the UN system), Ken Vitisia, denigrated the warnings of the UN experts. What kind of Ambassador is this? And what is the Ban Ki-moon connection? From the September 22 UN transcript:
Inner City Press: yesterday, the experts that were assigned by the Human Rights Council to look into Burundi came back with a very damning report that said: risk of genocide in the country. And so I'm wondering… I think I'd asked you this in writing, but has the Secretary-General or DPA [Department of Political Affairs] set up any meetings during this General Assembly on this country that the UN itself says stands at risk of genocide?
Spokesman: Yes, the Secretary-General will have a bilateral meeting with the Foreign Minister of Burundi either tomorrow or Saturday.
That's it?
On September 20 when Francois Hollande the president of France, which “holds the pen” on Burundi in the UN Security Council, came to hold a press conference, Inner City Press went early to ask him about it.
But before the press conference began, one of Hollande's Team not only declared rows of the UN Press Briefing Room “reserved” -- she also announced there would be only four questions, two international, which she pre-selected.
After this staged show, Inner City Press asked, Burundi? What will you do on Burundi, and cited the risk of genocide in the day's UN report. Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault turned and looked -- nothing. Beyond the Vine video, here.
Inner City Press went to formally tell UN Spokesman Dujarric, who has in the past lent out the UN press briefing room to France, and then to others, and got Inner City Press thrown out. Dujarric said curtly, “Thanks.” We'll have more on this.
On September 16, Dujarric told Inner City Press, Vine here, UN transcript here:
"I know, Matthew, you had been asking about Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Mayuyu, and I can tell you that it is my understanding that he was repatriated from MINUSCA (United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic) this morning."
On September 15, Inner City Press asked Dujarric three questions about Burundi, Vine here, UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: In Burundi, yesterday, a former member of the army, ex-FAB named Claude Mangera [sic - it's Nyongera] was killed and the police of the Government have said that he committed suicide with a grenade, which people there are viewing with a lot of suspicion, given how did he get it in there? They basically think he was executed. So I wanted to know and I’ve asked you before, this team on the ground, this vaunted team on the ground, what are they doing as these killings continue? Do you have any update on DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations) trying to get UN Police into the country under the resolution? And do you have any update at all on Mr. [Alfred] Mayuyu? I just want to check again since we’ve had…
Spokesman: Backwards, no, I don’t have an update on the individual you mentioned.
ICP Question: That means he’s still in the country?
Spokesman: I don’t have an update from what I last told you, so I would hope that, if he left the country, I would have been told. On your second part, obviously, we’ve seen the comments by the Government of Burundi not welcoming the deployment of UN police, to put it mildly. I think it is also up to the Security Council to ensure that its resolutions are respected. And on your first part, I have not seen those reports, but I’m happy to look into it.
Seven hours later, nothing.
In Washington, Burundi's government has paid lobbyist Scribe Strategies to, among other things, meet with the Atlantic Council, which until protests was poised to give an award to Gabon's Ali Bongo next week. Click here for that.
While Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Dujarric told Inner City Press the UN hasn't seen the reports of largely political prisoners moved from Mpimba prison, now this report:
“On 5 September 2016 the penitentiary authorities transferred twenty (20) prisoners from Mpimba Central prison to several different prisons. Eleven (11) prisoners were transferred to Gitega, fourteen (14) were transferred from Gitega to Rumonge prison. The operation was conducted at night raising concern over the security of prisoners. The majority of the detainees concerned are mostly political activists, supporters of the opposition party, Movement for Solidarity and Development 'MSD.' These political activists were arrested in March 2014 following clashes with the police. Some of the prisoners are former military and police officers arrested on suspicion of supporting the opposition parties and rebel groups.”
With the East African Community dialogue process stalled -- and Kenya's Ambassador to Burundi Ken Vitisia is involved, even as sources tell Inner City Press he owns / runs businesses in Bujumbura. We'll have more on this - and on the role of Ban Ki-moon's son in law Siddharth Chatterjee, who Ban on August 26 made UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya without recusing himself.
As to Ken Vitisia, despite or related to the scandal of child trafficking from Burundi on which we've previously reported, Kenya's Ambassador recently tweeted of Burundi, “great country beautiful girls .need to visit to see.”
This was co-directed to a UN official. Something is very wrong here. We'll have more on this.
Chatterjee tweets thanks to those who spread his military commander's attack on the Press and to other Kenyan ambassadors -what's his view of Vitisia, and of his father in law's failure in Burundi? We can't ask: Chatterjee blocks Inner City Press on Twitter, photo here.
Chatterjee served in the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka, involved in the Jaffna Hospital Massacre. This is today's UN under Ban Ki-moon, and may explain UNconcern with Burundi - or with the truth, for example as regards Mayuyu. Watch this site.
On September 4, Inner City Press asked Dujarric again about Mayuyu and was told he would "effort" an answer on September 6. So Inner City Press asked: From the UN transcript:
Inner City Press: I want to ask about Burundi first... on Mr. Mayuyu, which I’d asked you in writing, I just want to nail this one down…
Spokesman: I’m waiting… Everybody wants to nail everything down. I’m waiting for some information on that case, which I have not yet received.
On September 7, with Dujarric not having sent Inner City Press any update, Inner City Press asked him again - and was told that Mayuyu is fact has NOT been repatriated, there are “discussions ongoing” with the Burundian government. From the UN Transcript:
Inner City Press: on this question of Burundian military figure Mr. Mayuyu that I'd asked you about that you… first you'd said it wasn't on any roster. Then it was said that he had been repatriated. Now some are saying he hasn't been…
Spokesman: No, I didn't… I didn't… I think… I didn't say he had been repatriated.
ICP Question: So what was the meaning of that?
Spokesman: I said we are repatriating him. The discussions are ongoing with the Government of Burundi. As soon as we have a date, I will let you know.
ICP Question: Has he joined the military observing…
Spokesman: I'm not aware of what his specific role is.
So the August 5 statement was mislead, and the August 24 statement of “immediate effect” became inaccurate, unless two weeks can be considered “immediate.”
On September 7 when Inner City Press was asking Dujarric about nepotism and Ban Ki-moon signing the letter to name his own son in law Siddharth Chatterjee to the top UN job in Kenya, Dujarric said “ridiculous accusation” and walked out. This is Ban Ki-moon's UN.Beyond the Vine video here.
Now on August 29, when Ban Ki-moon's report is due on getting access for the African Union observers, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric (in writing since Dujarric canceled the noon briefing for the week)
“On Burundi, please deny or confirm that Ban's Secretariat has met with the Permanent Three members of the UNSC and, separately, provide a copy or link to the SG's report on Burundi due on August 28 (on deployment of AU observers, resolution at para 11).”
To this, Dujarric has replied: “No. Can not confirm.”
So where is the report? Inner City Press is told that, with no movement toward deploying any of the 228 police in the July 29 resolution, the Permanent Five members -- France, US and UK -- met with “the Secretariat.” We'll have more on this.
Back on August 24 Inner City Press asked Dujarric, if the August 5 answer was not intentional misrepresentation, what does it say about UN Peacekeeping's “vetting” under chief Herve Ladsous if they can't even find the name of a high profile human rights abuser. Vine II here.
This, Dujarric did not explain. Beyond the Vine here. He said not to “extrapolate from this one incident” - ironic, in that he, USG Cristina Gallach and SG Ban used a simple event Inner City Press wanted to cover as a pretext to evict it. We'll have more on this Inner City Press will continue on this.
