By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 17 -- The UN Security Council heard Wednesday morning from Agence France Presse' Somalia reporter Mustafa Haji Abdinur, who called himself a “dead man walking.” Meanwhile in Somalia, the cabinet has passed a law which would end confidentiality for journalists' sources.
One wonders, will the UN and the Security Council member states, including permanent members, who support and have leverage with the Somali government, use it to stop this law?
As regard the UN, a Mogadishu whistleblower contacted Inner City Press to recount how the head of the UN Mine Action Service there, David Bax, shares information with US intelligence.
While the whistleblower also recounted other practices and abuses at the UN in Somalia, Inner City Press focused on this abdication of impartiality in handing information to US intelligence. The whistleblower said clearly: this puts UN staff at risk, makes THEM “dead people walking” sometimes.
But despite Inner City Press putting the question in writing to UNMAS' director and to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations led by Herve Ladsous, no answer came.
The Free UN Coalition for Access and Inner City Press pursued it with Nicholas Kay, the UN's envoy to Somalia, who at least responded. But he said, sorry, that's question for New York.
Inner City Press asked it at the noon briefing in New York, of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokespeople including outgoing Deputy Eduard Del Buey, but still no substantive answer.
Now in the name of the whistleblower we continue. It is recounted how David Bax, formerly with the South African military, controls jobs and accommodations and even the bar in the UN Compound in Mogadishu.
The whistleblower describes in some detail how these are used in a quid pro pro fashion, calling it harassment. DPKO and Ladsous individually have been told about this, but nothing has been done.
More nitty gritty, and as a segue, the bar in the compound in controlled by Bax, he makes money off it (and screened a grisly video there recently.)
Meanwhile (and this is the segue), at the UN in New York the bar in the Delegates Lounge is to re-open later today, Inner City Press is told by well placed sources. [Update: confirmed, here.]
The bottles will be hidden, unlike in the past, consistent with other recent changes. But it will be fully stocked. (In more positive news, we'd like to see a farewell for the Deputy Spokesperson there - we'd heard he was leaving, then a recruitment notice on the UN's "Inspira" data base, which requires a password to view.)
Will the Somalia law be blocked? Will any action be taken on the whistleblower's detailed complaints about UNMAS' Bax in Mogadishu? Watch this site.
