In Mali, Another Chadian Killed, Inner City Press Asks Ladsous of 2-Tier Peacekeeping, He Walks

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 3 -- As Inner City Press has reported on UN Peacekeeping's unseemly two-tier structure, under which in Mali African Ambassadors complain their troops are left in danger, not allowed to use the equipment of NATO members in the UN mission, DPKO chief Herve Ladsous has refused to answer, and Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Stephane Dujarric has enabled and assisted Ladsous.

  On September 23 when Ladsous held a “press availability” with Mali's foreign minister, Inner City Press asked the former about Al Qaeda (he answered) and Ladsous about Chadian peacekeepers denied access to NATO-members' in MINUSMA's equipment. After Mali's foreign minister answered -- Ladsous whispered to him, apparently not to -- Ladsous said, Mister you should know I never answer you questions. YouTube of UNTV Video, here.

   Ladsous' spokesman had told UN TV's boom operator to stay away from Inner City Press - despite the right of Mali and its foreign minister to not be drawn into censorship by the UN of Ladsous and, ultimately, Ban Ki-moon.

On October 3, Ban Ki-moon issued a canned statement about another Chadian peacekeeper in Mali killed - precisely the issue on which his Ladsous has refused to answer questions. So on October 4, Inner City Press asked Ban's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: 

Inner City Press: on the death of the peacekeepers in Mali, I know, back in July, I'd asked you about this… what I'd heard from African PRs [Permanent Representatives] from troop-contributing countries that they're not allowed to… they don't have access to the same equipment and information as the NATO members that are in MINUSMA.  Has that issue of… you said that the protocol was being reviewed.  Has that issue been solved yet, or where does it stand in terms of a review so that the same intelligence and equipment that's available to the Dutch peacekeepers is available to the Chadian peacekeepers?

Deputy Spokesman:  I mean, the thing I'd… what I'd told you a few months ago, that still applies, that there was a review to make sure that we could have a better way of handling the situation of contingent-owned equipment.  So I don't have any further details on that to share since then, but that has happened.

Inner City Press:  Okay.  Because I'm just wondering as it relates to this attack…

Deputy Spokesman:  Sure.

   Sure? Inner City Press ran to the stakeout and asked Ladsous, but he refused to answer. Vine here.