By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 23 -- After Burundi's Assembly and spokespeople for president Pierre Nkurunziza flatly rejected the African Union's planned deployment of up to 5,000 peacekeepers, Inner City Press on December 21 asked US Ambassador Samantha Power about it.Video here.
Power said "we hope that's not their final answer," adding that the mediation by Ugandan president Museveni cannot just involve people who tell the government what they want to hear. Video and transcript below.
On December 23, seeing a Burundi flag and signs across First Avenue from the UN Inner City Press ran out there and conducted interviews,video here, in English and (halting) French. Others spokes in Swahili and Kirundi. At least 87 killed in one day, one sign said. The UN's response to date was described as weak. But what will happen next?
On December 22, after the UN again asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson for Ban's view -- still UNclear -- the US State Department said, "We would strongly prefer that the government in Burundi welcome the AU mission on the timeline set out. We defer to the African Union on the next steps. We offer our full support to the AU government. We have urged Burundi to accept the AU mission. We will continue to support the deployment of these troops to protect civilians and to allow space for the internationally mediated dialogue to find a sustainable political solution to this crisis. We remain gravely concerned with the situation on the ground."
Compare to the UN, on the same day, December 22, video here:
Compare:
From the US Mission transcript:
Inner City Press: I wanted to ask about Burundi: the African Union, they came out with a proposal to send 5,000 peacekeepers and the president’s advisor and now the assembly or parliament there have said no, and that they think it’s a violation of the sovereignty. What do you think the Council – or what will you as the U.S., what would you have the Council do to deal with the crisis there?
Ambassador Power: Well the Council has already spoken to this. We very quickly came together with a press statement backing what the African Union had put out in its communiqué and its decision to send 5,000 troops. Indeed the Council also urged the conversations with potential troop contributing countries to begin immediately – because we all know, whether for a sub-regional force, a regional force, or anything to do with the UN that the start-up time and logistic effort can be very complex.
So, again, we think it’s very important that a mission like that be in a position to offer civilians confidence, protection, to be able to report out to the African Union and to the broader international community about how things are transpiring. And we understand from our African colleagues here that the conversations with the Burundian government are continuing, so we hope that that’s not the final answer and again it’s just a few days since the African Union issued its communiqué and made its decision, so we’re going to be in close contact with our African friends to determine next steps here.
I do want to draw your attention to the mediation, because fundamentally any protection or prevention presence is dealing with the systems and not the root causes, and the mediation has to get at root causes. It has been – too much time has passed without the Burundian government engaging the opposition, and we understand from President Museveni that he is now very eager to get going toward the end of this month. But the terms of that mediation are also very important. And I draw your attention to both the African Union’s discussion of what that mediation should look like and the Council’s statement from over the weekend, because it is very clear that this has to be a negotiation between the government and a representative sampling, an inclusive sampling of the opposition – not simply handpicked individuals who are there to tell the government what it wants to hear. So progress needs to be made on that in parallel with determining what an international presence in Burundi should and would look like.
Meanwhile the Nkurunziza government with the agreement of UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous has undertaken to deploy officers allegedly involved in human rights abuses into Ladsous' Central African Republic mission, MINUSCA.
On December 17 Inner City Press was told, the third time it asked, that the Burundi's Army spokesman Gaspard Baratuza's deployment to the UN mission in CAR had been suspended, and Baratuza was being repatriated. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who has shielded Secretary General Ban Ki-moon from such Press questions, said "it's an example of the [vetting] policy working."
But Inner City Press has obtained the Burundi government document for the deployment not only of Baratuza but other officers in Ladsous' MINUSCA. Today we focus and ask about Major Pierre Niyonzima.
According to Inner City Press' sources, Niyonzima not only defended extrajudicial executions, he participated in them. On May 14, they say, Major Niyonzima was the Senior army officer who led the attack on the hospital where those accused of involvement in the attempted coup were slaughtered. They say Niyonzima reports to Guillaume Bunyoni and has been involved in killings in Musaga, Nyakabiga and Mutakura. We'll have more on this, and on other deployees to Ladsous' MINUSCA, including Jimmy Rusheshe.
On December 21 Inner City Press asked the UN's Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq about these deployments, and the Burundian government's rejection of the African Union's proposed deployment, video here,transcript here:
Inner City Press: on Burundi, as you know, the African Union Peace and Security Council has made this proposal 5,000 peacekeepers and set a 96-hour deadline for the Government to respond. The assembly has met and rejected it and said it would be a violation of the sovereignty of the country. So, I wanted to know, what is the Secretariat… Mr. [Jamal] Benomar, what do they… you think of both the [African Union Peace and Security Council] taking a seemingly fairly aggressive protection of civilian stance and the Government rejecting it?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, first of all, regarding that, I believe that the discussions will continue with the African Union and the Government of Burundi. But, we certainly support the efforts by the African Union and its Peace and Security Council to deal with the protection of civilians in Burundi. We've made clear our alarm at recent developments and the need for there to be additional steps to bring the tensions on the ground to a halt. As you know, the Security Council itself has been apprised by the Secretary-General of various options for the way forward, and we await their guidance on that. Meanwhile, Mr. Benomar has started some of his travels. I believe he was in Washington, D.C., in the last few days, and he is expected to head to the region shortly.
Inner City Press: I wanted… something a little more specific. It has to do with this vetting of troops from Burundi, but I guess you could say elsewhere. I know it was said last week that Gaspard Baratuza, a Deputy Spokesman of the army, was being repatriated.
Deputy Spokesman: Yes.
Inner City Press: But, I've since seen a letter… it was his deployment letter, but it also involved two other majors in the army who are said to have been involved in the… the assault on a hospital in May, right after the coup attempt in which people were killed in their beds, and these involve Mr. Pierre Niyonzima and Jimmy Rusheshe. And both of them, according to a letter from the Burundian Army, are… were being deployed to the UN in the Central African Republic. So, I wanted… I guess I want to ask you, like, what does the vetting consist of? What was the vetting that Mr. Baratuza failed that these two individuals apparently don't fail, given their involvement in extrajudicial executions?
Deputy Spokesman: As we get information… if any information causes us to have concerns about deployment, it is reviewed in that light. In that light, Mr. Baratuza, his suspension was first delayed, and then he was repatriated. And so, depending upon the information, as we get it, we'll act upon it.
Inner City Press: So, does… I guess what I'm saying is does the… either the human rights presence of the UN in Burundi have information about those who commanded the assault on this hospital, it's called Bumerec Hospital, in May and the connection to the people that were being deployed?
Deputy Spokesman: Like I said, we… yes, we do have a human rights presence in Burundi. As we get information, we act upon, and that includes anyone being deployed.
Obtained by Inner City Press
Ladsous' lack of vetting was criticized in the recently released report into the cover up of peacekeepers' rapes in the Central African Republic. Earlier, Inner City Press exclusive reported on Ladsous in his October 1, 2015 meeting with Burundi's vice president saying that he is "pragmatic" on human rights.
On December 16 Inner City Press was banned from questions to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, but learned from the mission MINUSCA that Baratuza was already in Entebbe. Inner City Press asked several Security Council members, then Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric on December17.
Dujarric told Inner City Press Baratuza's deployment is suspended and he is being repatriated: "based on the information we've received regarding the Lieutenant Colonel, his deployment has been suspended, and he will be repatriated back to Burundi." Video here. Dujarric told Inner City Press this shows the UN system working - on a day when a report on rapes was issued showing UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous not sufficiently vetting for human rights. We'll have more on this.
Amid the escalating killings in Burundi, last weekend's summary executions in neighborhoods opposed to Pierre Nkurunziza's third term stand out. But Burundi Army spokesman Gaspard Baratuza was quoted on December 12 blaming all of the deaths on attempts to steal weapons to free prisoners.
Inner City Press had heard that Mr. Baratuza was already in the process of being deployed to the UN Peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) even when he was giving these quotes, issuing statements and speaking to state-owned radio, and so asked MINUSCA's acting spokesperson, “Is Gaspard Baratuza of Burundi's army getting a MINUSCA job?”
On December 16, hours before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held a rare press conference, MINUSCA's acting spokesperson sent this to Inner City Press:
"To: Matthew.Lee [at] InnerCityPress.com
From: Vladimir MONTEIRO [at] UN.org
Date: Wed, Dec 16, 2015
Subject: ICP question: Gaspard Baratuza of Burundi's army getting a MINUSCA-related post?
Cc: FUNCA [at] funca.info
"No decision related to Lt Col Baratuza's deployment can be taken before we finish looking into the matter. We can confirm that Lt Col Baratuza is in Entebbe but he has not yet deployed to MINUSCA. Regards. VNM"
There are some questions about Baratuza, a Colonel in Burundi's Army, being listed by the UN as “Lt. Col.”
Despite multiple follow-up questions by Inner City Press, Mr. Monteiro - previously a spokesperson for the UN electoral mission in Burundi - replied that “This is what we can say about this issue.”
But the UN should have to say more. Inner City Press has repeatedly asked the UN how its Department of Peacekeeping Operations under Herve Ladsous vets those who deploy to UN missions; Inner City Pressexclusively reported on an October 1, 2015 meeting in which Ladsous told Burundi's Vice President Joseph Butare that he is “pragmatic” on human rights.
Ban Ki-moon and his spokesman declined to take Inner City Press' questions on December 16, as they did on December 14. Vine here. But concerned members of the UN Security Council have now been asked about Baratuza by Inner City Press. Watch this site.
