By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 27 – Before UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' current trip to the Central African Republic, Inner City Press asked him about UN sexual abuse there, and about the UN's inaction on mass killings in neighboring Cameroon. Guterres purported to answer on the former, and "didn't hear" the 15-second question on Cameroon. (Then Guterres' Department of Public Information two days later threatened Inner City Press' accreditation, see below.)
On October 24 once Guterres was in CAR, with a personal photographer deployed in advance and his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, Inner City Press asked deputy spokesman Farhan Haq if Guterres in CAR will meet with Mr. Renner Onana, named as a bad actor in the UN's own report on its sexual abuse in CAR. Video here. A full day later, during a trip that DPI's Alison Smale said will be a litmus test of UN story-telling, the UN hadn't even answered this basic question. So on October 25, Inner City Press asked Haq again, noting it had found online a photo of Renner Onana, with a promotion, greeting Fabrizio Hochschild, a main adviser to Guterres. Haq said he was still checking - this just after he'd said Guterres is working on freedom of information - and that Onana might still be employed by the UN but on leave. How hard is it to find out? Either the UN for some reason can't find out, or doesn't want to say. Because when Inner City Press asked again on October 26, still no answer. Video here. From the October 26 transcript: Inner City Press: On the trip, you'd used this phrase, you know, that he met with the victims, all to the good, and that he plans to end impunity. I wanted to ask now… this is the third time, and it seems like it should be pretty straightforward. Mr. Renner Onana was named in the UN's own report and in multiple press reports about it as having… being he was criticized in the report for the cover-up, what was called… viewed as the cover-up of sexual abuse. So, I wanted to know, given that there's a photograph that he got a promotion, is he still at the mission? And how do you explain it with the idea of… this is not about a Member State disciplining or not disciplining a peacekeeper. Was there some other finding outside of the UN's own report about what happened that exonerated him? What… what was done in terms of accountability? Deputy Spokesman: Well, we're… like I said before, we're checking up on this. I don't have the details for you yet, but we've asked our colleagues for details about this particular situation. As you know, when we pursue accountability in cases involving staff, we do that also in line with following due process, which is also one of our standards. Inner City Press: But, how can… you'd said yesterday that maybe he was still, I guess, on the payroll, but not in the country. Do they not know where he is? Was he given a promotion? Deputy Spokesman: I'm trying to get details about what his precise status is. I don't have that yet." And what he "had" on October 27 was even more outrageous. From the UN's October 27 transcript: Inner City Press: I've been asking you, I guess for three days as well, about Renner Onana. Deputy Spokesman: Oh, yes. And it's a good thing that you're asking about that because I have something for you. What I can say is that the individual is currently head of a regional office in the UN Mission, MINUSCA. All matters relating to the individual accountability of those concerned were reviewed and addressed according to internal processes by the Office of Human Resources Management and Department of Field Support and the appropriate application of rules and policies. Appropriate decisions were taken, the specifics of which remain confidential per standard practice in order to respect due process for all. Inner City Press: Can you understand why people… the removal of Mr. [Andres] Kompass who actually made public the sexual abuse of children in CAR and the apparent promotion of an individual that withheld the information, at least according to the UN's own report on the matter, would seem contradictory? Deputy Spokesman: To correct the record of what you're saying, Mr. Kompass was reinstated, and there was, as you know, an inquiry that dealt specifically with his case, which we respected. Inner City Press: And he came back and said he was totally disgusted with the system, given what it had done. I think the disparate treatment between Mr. Kompass and Mr… I wanted to know, did Mr. Renner work for Fabrizio Hochschild? I've been waiting four days for your answer. I was doing… It seems that he was promoted to become MINUSCA's Director of Political Affairs during the same time period that Mr. Hochschild was the DSRSG [Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General] in MINUSCA. So I wanted to know, this now is obviously… this is why I'm wondering. I was asking what was the connection? Did the Secretary-General interact with him? Does he believe, given what he said about zero tolerance and transparency recently as to Mr. [David] Kaye's report, that… that… that the questions raised by just comparing the UN's report on sexual abuse and the promotion of this individual and his apparently close connection to a main advisor of the Secretary-General would give rise to concern? Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding that, like I said, there were measures taken in place. I… as I just mentioned, in respect with due process, the steps remain confidential. As for who Mr. Onana works for, he works for the mission, MINUSCA, and that's his job." This job is to conceal UN rapes. Story-telling indeed.
