After UN's Ladsous Linked Rapes to "R&R" Trips for Peacekeepers, India PR & Deputy PR Disagree, Say He Should Explain, Video Here

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 17 -- When peacekeepers from France allegedly raped children in the Central African Republic and the UN learned about it more than a year ago, the UN and UNICEF did nothing, until French UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous asked to fire the whistleblower Anders Kompass in March of this year, as stated in twoUN Dispute Tribunal rulings.

  On September 11, refusing to answer on this, Ladsous instead linked the rapes to soldiers' lack of "distraction" and saying rapes could be avoided by some "relatively cheap R&R," and adding that some "South Asia"Troop Contributing Countries do just that. Video here.

 On September 17, Inner City Press asked the Permanent Representative of India, Asoke K Mukerji, and his Deputy Bhagwant Bishnoi about what Ladsous said. Video here. First, Bhagwant Bishnoi distinguished India from what Ladsous said, saying they only rotate troops in the most difficult circumstances. In some, one a year, if more volatile, more often.

  Then Ambassador Mukerji said clear, India's is a professional army, not a part time army, there are no "R&R" trips and that is for whoever said it to explain. Video here.

  That would be Ladsous, who refuses to answer Press questions. He took no questions as he rushed out of the Security Council on September 17.

 (India's Prime Minister will participate in the high level meeting on peacekeeping on September 28, which we'll cover.)

 On September 17, the UN Mission in CAR, MINUSCA, issued this statement now about a pornographic film involving peacekeepers:

"The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) is deeply concerned at reports of a pornographic film circulating in the city of Batangafo, center-west of the Central African Republic, which allegedly involves peacekeepers.

"MINUSCA immediately took steps to try to verify these disturbing allegations. To this end, MINUSCA met with the Mayor and the Deputy Prefect of the locality, and with representative of the local population.

"A fact finding mission also visited Kabo, about 55 km from Batangafo, to raise the issue with the Mayor and the Deputy Prefect and members of the local community.

"To date, MINUSCA’s contacts with the authorities and local residents have not provided any evidence to substantiate the allegations of a film involving UN personnel.  However, the Mission is committed to establishing the truth and requests that anyone in possession of evidence to substantiate these allegations should submit this to the Mission’s attention. This may be done via any MINUSCA office.

"MINUSCA would like to reiterate its strict adherence to the United Nations’ zero tolerance policy with regard to all acts of misconduct and sexual exploitation and abuse."

  One wag said, once Ladsous linked rapes to recreation, this should not be surprising.

  On September 15 MINUSCA disclosed yet another "allegation of sexual exploitation committed by one of its civilian staff."

  Inner City Press on September 15 asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, video here, transcript here:

Inner City Press:  Since Mr. [Hervé] Ladsous said that one of the reasons these abuses take place is people don't leave the country and go for R&R elsewhere for recreation, one could say, how long has the person been in the country?

Spokesman:  Matthew, I think… I think you continue to gain great pleasure in distorting what Mr. Ladsous said…

Inner City Press:  You can read the transcript.  He said…

Spokesman:  Listen, I think you raised that issue yesterday.  I answered clearly this is a case… a possible case of sexual abuse, which is to be condemned and which will be pursued as far as we can, both internally and with the relevant judicial authorities.

Inner City Press:  How long has it been since the person left the country?  The reason I ask is that he made the linkage.  He's the one that brought up people traveling…  [Cross talk - actually, talk over, by scribes]

Spokesman:  Matthew, I will say this one last time.  Civilian staff and military staff work under two different regimes.  So you're… to compare soldiers that have been in-country in very difficult circumstances for three years and civilian staff is not to be comparable.  Yes, ma'am?

  Later on September 15, Dujarric declined a Press question about what Ladsous said, ironically during a Reditt "Ask Me Anything" session. Ask Me Anything, except...

  On September 14, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about what Ladsous had said, similar to comment which as noted below have gotten other military officials fired, even after they apologized. (Ladsous has not apologized, clarified, or answered any Press questions.) September 14 video here, transcript here:

Inner City Press: I'd wanted to ask you this on Friday or Mr. Ladsous, but I want to ask you, from this podium, he said, in discussing rapes, he said that peacekeepers there don't have enough recreation, that they don't have enough comfort.  He said that they are looking into getting them flights to get them fresh air, and although he did use the word, he's not excusing it.  I'm going to tell, many people saw this as basically a statement that somehow linking the rapes to a lack of other distractions…

Spokesman Dujarric:  I think… I think it's a complete misinterpretation of what Mr. Ladsous said.  He stressed a number of times that there was no excuse...

Inner City Press:  Then what about the flights?  I'm sorry.

Spokesman:  I'm a little over-caffeinated with me today so just bear with me.  He repeatedly said that there was no excuse for rape.  Okay.  That is clear.  That is UN policy, and I think that's everyone's policy.  There is no excuse for rape.  What he said in talking about the case of one contingent that had been deployed in basically a very hardship peacekeeping operation for more than three years.  When troops are not rotated, when troops don't have an opportunity to be rotated out for [rest and recuperation] and that's true for any armed forces, it creates the conditions where there can be all sorts of abuse or other things developing.  It is not an excuse for rape.  And I think it's clear that we have seen rape and horrendous sexual abuse by soldiers in many parts of the world.  Some of them come from very rich armies.  Some come from very poor armies.  There is no excuse.  What he was saying and I think people would agree with it, that three years for any contingent being stationed in very difficult circumstances is too long.

Inner City Press:  I guess what I want to say, US military, an admiral in the Pacific was fired for comments exactly like that for which the person… the person excused himself and apologized… he said distraction, comfort.

Spokesman:  Matthew, Matthew.  I read what you wrote.  I'm aware of the other case.  I think they're complete… they're not comparable.

Inner City Press:  Where are the flights going?  Where are the [rest and recuperation] flights going? 

Spokesman:  I will come back…

  Back in 1995 for similar comments, US Admiral Richard C. Macke was fired, as reported in the LA Times and the New York Times, which said Macke "apologized after members of Congress and Japanese officials complained, but it was too late.... A senior White House official said tonight that Anthony Lake, the national security adviser, had heard of Admiral Macke's remarks and told the Defense Department that the statements were 'not acceptable.'"

  Anthony Lake is now in the UN system, as the head of UNICEF - does he think UN Peacekeeping chief Ladsous' similar comments in 2015 are acceptable? Or does he, apparently like his and some other major member states, hope no one notices what Ladsous says and, worse, does?

  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has yet to act. Nor have Ladsous' French sponsors, who dumped him on the UN after he'd previously beenrejected for the post by Ban's predecessor Kofi Annan, said anything.

 When Inner City Press started asking about this, Ladsous took to saying"I don't respond to you, Mister," right on UNTV. Instead he summoned Agence France Presse, Reuters and others to private briefings, as here in the hall. These media didn't report Ladsous' antics -- nor despite being present at Ladsous' September 11 press conference did they report his linkage of soldiers' rapes to their lack of "comfort" or R&R. This is today's UN.

  It was Senegalese Babacar Gaye, the head of the CAR mission, and not overall Peacekeeping chief Ladsous who was fired by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon; Inner City Press obtained and put Gaye's letter online here (credited here and here) citing systemic problems.

  Before Ladsous' carefully controlled four day visit to the country - no questions on the peacekeeper rapes, colonial photographs sent out - UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told Inner City Press, which asked, that Ladsous would take questions when he returned, including about peacekeepers' sexual abuse.

But when Ladsous appeared at the September 11 UN noon briefing, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric for the second time did not allow Inner City Press to ask Ladsous a single question. Dujarric gave the first question to the UN Correspondents Association, which after a perfunctory questions about the number of sexual abuse cases said its “real” question was if Ladsous will meet Obama. (Yes, apparently, and inappropriately, see below). Video here.

  Inner City Press prepared to ask Ladsous an obvious question: what is his response to appearing in at least two UN Dispute Tribunal rulings as having tried to get the whistleblower Kompass fired? But Dujarric gave the second question to a Reuters reporter who has previously channeled Ladsous, then to Agence France Presse, whose UN reporter in 2011 asked UNCA's board to act on Inner City Press' reporting on Ladsous.

Even with the questions allowed, Ladsous' answers should get him fired. First, speaking of sexual abuse, he said he didn't want to “deflower” the subject. Vine here. Then explaining the peacekeepers' rapes he said that a solution would be to get them more “recreation” (translating back and forth with Dujarric, Ladsous began to say “R and R”).

  Ladsous was asked, what do you mean? He said that Asian countries are good at this. We'll have more, but on top of his role in covering up rapes in DR Congo, Darfur and now CAR, this should get Ladsous fired. More here.
   

At UN, World War I Marked by Citation to Gandhi & Sykes-Picot But Not Islamic State or Gaza

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 13 -- To commemorate World War I and the founding of the (doomed) League of Nations, the UN Security Council this week traveled to the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium. 

  Not leaving New York, dozens of UN Permanent Representatives on August 13 viewed photos of that memorial and others, from Tanzania to Jamaica, Egypt to Iraq, in an event sponsored by India's Mission to the UN.

Indian Permanent Representative Asoke Mukerji read a quote from Gandhi in 1914, the Indians' voluntary military service for Empire was linked to them receiving the privileges due them afterward: “our desire to share the responsibilities of membership of this great Empire, if we would share its privileges” -- it did not happen.

Egypt's Permanent Representative cited the Sykes-Picot Agreement, now mocked by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Syrian Permanent Representative Bashar Ja'afari was present, next to Sri Lanka's Palitha Kohona. Under Secretary General Vijay Nambiar, previously India's Ambassador, was there, along with USG Ameerah Haq and Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping Edmond Mulet.

The Permanent Representative of New Zealand, as aspirant to join the Security Council as Australia leaves, was present, as was Permanent Representative Patriota of Brazil.

The Deputy Permanent Representatives of fellow-BRICSA South Africa was there, along with the Deputy of Lebanon and the Democratic People Republic of Korea. It was a UN event, full house in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium.

There was barely a reference to Gaza, and a single mention of Ukraine. The Permanent Representative of Greece said that the Indian cemetery is in Macedonia, as she put it. 

Nigeria's Permanent Representative, resisting speaking from her seat and making others turn around to listen, strode to the podium and noted, among other things, that 944 Nigerian soldiers lost their lives in World War I. There was a reference to the UN being the pinnacle of multi-lateral diplomacy. But how much has really improved? Watch this site.

   

Before UN Base in Akobo, South Sudan Went Incommunicado, US Susan Rice Told Inner City Press DPKO Should Improve - Has It?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 20 -- After the UN belatedly confirmed the death of two peacekeepers in Akobo, South Sudan, 11 hours after India's Permanent Representative to the UN Asoke Mukerji told Inner City Press about them, the Security Council convened on Friday morning.

   Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant if he thinks there may have been a communications problem for the UN and its Akobo base, given that India knew about the deaths 11 hours before the UN. 

  Lyall Grant said that in the closed door consultations, questions will come up.

  Here's one: back in August 2010, when it was exposed that the UN did nothing amid mass rape in Walikale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- foreshadowing the UN's Herve Ladsous' cover-up of the DRC army's mass rapes at Minova in November 2012 -- then US Ambassador Susan Rice told Inner City Press the UN should improve its communications.

From the US Mission's 2010 transcript, video here --

Inner City Press: On DRC, what does the U.S. think that MONUSCO could do in terms of communicating with civilians? People talked about satellite phones, flares, what are the ideas you have?

Ambassador Rice: Focused on Congo. We did discuss, and I myself raised in the form of brainstorming, some possible ideas for how to enhance communication between remote villages where there's no cell phone coverage and you know, a company forwarding operating bases of MONUSCO. And I don't want to put any of them out as considered proposals, but certainly radios and satellite phones are among the tools out there that could conceivably be utilized. How feasible they are, whether the radio coverage in dense bush is feasible, at what distance, whether the costs of cell phone-or satellite phone-usage are prohibited, I don't have the answers to those. But those are the kinds of ideas certainly that members of the Council are starting to generate. We expect further insights and ideas from MONUSCO and we're going to come back to this and insist that there be both a greater understanding than I frankly feel exists in the Council as to the extent and the limitations of MONUSCO's ability to communicate with outlying villages and then some very specific steps that can be taken to enhance that communication.

   Has it happened? What exactly were the communications by the UN with its Akobo base, communications that the Indian Battalion was able to have? Will the US or another mission follow up on this?

  On December 19, Indian Ambassador Mukerji asked Inner City Press if there had been any accountability for the previous killing of Indian peacekeepers in South Sudan, and called for that in this case.

  The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, whose Herve Ladsous' spokesperson stood to the side while Mukerji spoke to the press, never issued anything publicly on December 19. One of his or Ladsous' favored scribes re-reported what Mukerji had said, along with a notation from DPKO to take the information with caution.

   Eleven hours later, the UN Mission in South Sudan via its just started Twitter account said its helicopter flights had confirmed the death of two Indian Battalion soldiers, and as Mukerji had told the Press, the wounding of another.

  The question arises: how could the Indian Mission in New York get this information 11 hours before DPKO? The UN said its communication with its Akobo base were down. Obviously, India's communications weren't down. What is wrong with Ladsous' DPKO, and the UN more generally?

  Mukerji reminded Inner City Press of the ruling of the previous UN Legal Counsel Patricia O'Brien that with the Force Intervention Brigade on the Democratic Republic of the Congo - and now with peacekeepers in Mali shooting at civilians and co-housing with France's Serval force -- UN peacekeepers are becoming combatants, parties to armed conflict.

  Murkerji said that troop contributing countries should be told this. This would seem to be the job of Ladsous (who says he "has a policy" of not answering Press questions) and of the President of the Security Council.

  This month that is France's Gerard Araud, who left a December 19 Peacekeeping seminar before the moment of silence, tweeted by Inner City Press, for the Indian peacekeepers. Most recently he refused to answer specific questions about intermingling with Serval making UN peacekeepers combatants, calling it micro-management andchiding the question.

  Then the French Mission to the UN deleted the question and Araud's answer from its "transcript" of Araud's stakeout.

We are still endeavoring to find out more about the killings in South Sudan, and for accountability. So far, without any assistance or transparency from Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping. Watch this site.

Update: Forty minutes after publication of the above, DPKO through the UN Spokesperson's Office belated e-mailed out that "aerial assessment" confirmed death of two peacekeepers. What -- UN has no communications like India does? Watch this site.

   

UN in South Sudan Confirms Akobo Deaths Fully 11 Hours After India Told Inner City Press, Why the Delay?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 20 -- India's Permanent Representative to the UN Asoke Mukerji told the Press on the afternoon of December 19 of the killing of two of his country's peacekeepers in Akobo in South Sudan. Click herefor that Inner City Press story.

  Mukerji asked Inner City Press if there had been any accountability for the previous killing of Indian peacekeepers in South Sudan, and called for that in this case.

  The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, whose Herve Ladsous' spokesperson stood to the side while Mukerji spoke to the press, never issued anything publicly on December 19. One of his or Ladsous' favored scribes re-reported what Mukerji had said, along with a notation from DPKO to take the information with caution.

   Eleven hours later, the UN Mission in South Sudan via itsjust started Twitter account said its helicopter flights had confirmed the death of two Indian Battalion soldiers, and as Mukerji had told the Press, the wounding of another.

  The question arises: how could the Indian Mission in New York get this information 11 hours before DPKO? The UN said its communication with its Akobo base were down. Obviously, India's communications weren't down. What is wrong with Ladsous' DPKO, and the UN more generally?

  Mukerji reminded Inner City Press of the ruling of the previous UN Legal Counsel Patricia O'Brien that with the Force Intervention Brigade on the Democratic Republic of the Congo - and now with peacekeepers in Mali shooting at civilians and co-housing with France's Serval force -- UN peacekeepers are becoming combatants, parties to armed conflict.

  Murkerji said that troop contributing countries should be told this. This would seem to be the job of Ladsous (who says he "has a policy" of not answering Press questions) and of the President of the Security Council.

  This month that is France's Gerard Araud, who left a December 19 Peacekeeping seminar before the moment of silence, tweeted by Inner City Press, for the Indian peacekeepers. Most recently he refused to answer specific questions about intermingling with Serval making UN peacekeepers combatants, calling it micro-management andchiding the question.

  Then the French Mission to the UN deleted the question and Araud's answer from its "transcript" of Araud's stakeout.

We are still endeavoring to find out more about the killings in South Sudan, and for accountability. So far, without any assistance or transparency from Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping. Watch this site.

   

In French UNSC Month, Araud Speaks for More UN Contracts for France, Only Once on South Sudan, Erases Mali Question

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 19 -- Amid the carnage in South Sudan, the only time this month that UN Security Council president Gerard Araud has spoken at the Council stakeout on the matter was two days ago on December 17.

Today December 19, Araud left a Council meeting on Peacekeeping chatting with UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row to hold the post. Later in the session, Indian Permanent Representative Asoke Mukerji spoke of Indian peacekeepers killed in Akobo. Neither Araud nor Ladsous returned.

  In fact, when at the US' request the Council belatedly gets a briefing on South Sudan on the morning of December 20, it will reportedly not be from Ladsous -- who refused to speak with the Press on December 17 -- but rather from his deputy, Edmond Mulet.

  One of Araud's most traveled quotes this month was an attempt to get more money from the UN for France, delivered as part of an answer to Inner City Press' question on December 10 about France getting a non-public "letter of assist" payment from the UN for work in Northern Mali.

  The French Mission left that answer in its December 10 transcript; the issue was picked up, without Araud's name, in Le Monde.

But in the December 17 transcript, Araud's long and bristling answer to another Inner City Press question about Mali, are Ladsous' UN peacekeepers there becoming parties to the armed conflict, combatants, by shooting at civilians and co-housing with the French Serval forces, was entirely omitted from the Mission's "transcript," here. Compare to UN Video, here, from Minute 12:48 to 14:13.

  So does the French mission just erase the questions it doesn't like, or try to discourage them by telling the questioner to do more research before asking? 

  This was done on the case of a Central African Republic figure aligned with Chad and France's former favorite, Bozize; this was done twice on the conversion of Ladsous' "UN" peacekeepers into bank guards and combatants.

  These are questions that any president of the Security Council should answer; this is particularly true of a Council president whose country has controlled the Department of Peacekeeping Operations for more than sixteen years in a row. Watch this site.

   

In South Sudan, India Tells Press Two Peacekeepers Killed, One in Critical Condition, Call for Accountability

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 19 -- From South Sudan, the Indian mission at the UN in New York has been informed that two of its peacekeepers in Akobo were killed, and an additional peacekeeper is in critical condition.

  The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations has said nothing yet. But India's Permanent Representative Asoke Mukerji reminded Inner City Press that on the day he presented his credentials and began at the UN, five Indian peacekeepers were killed in South Sudan.

  In this instance, there were 40 peacekeepers in the base in Akobo -- and civilians, on which Inner City Press aims to report more. Some 1500 youths, said to be of the Lou Nuer tribe supportive of ousted Vice President Riek Machar, "fired indiscriminately" at the UN base.

  Mukerji called for the prosecutions of those who kill peacekeepers. He separately reminded Inner City Press of the ruling of the previous UN Legal Counsel Patricia O'Brien that with the Force Intervention Brigade on the Democratic Republic of the Congo - and now with peacekeepers in Mali shooting at civilians and co-housing with France's Serval force -- UN peacekeepers are becoming combatants, parties to armed conflict.

  Murkerji said that troop contributing countries should be told this. This would seem to be the job of the chief of UN Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous (who says he "has a policy" ofnot answering Press questions) and of the President of the Security Council.

  This month that is France's Gerard Araud, who left a December 19 Peacekeeping seminar before the moment of silence, tweeted by Inner City Press, for the Indian peacekeepers. Most recently he refused to answer specific questions about intermingling with Serval making UN peacekeepers combatants, calling it micro-management and chiding the question.

We are endeavoring to find out more about the killings in South Sudan, and for accountability. So far, without any assistance or transparency from Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping. Watch this site.

   

Amid Diplomacy & Double Standards at UN, Fond Farewell to India's Deputy Permanent Representative Manjeev Singh Puri

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 13 -- Amid the chaotic whirl of the UN's diplomatic holiday party season, some farewells cannot be missed. Thursday night's for India's Deputy Permanent Representative Manjeev Singh Puri was one such event.

  There were hurdles to surmount: his goodbye meeting with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, listed for 4:40 pm, was postponed for a photo op of Ban receiving Ake Sellstrom's second Syria chemical weapons report (Ban took no questions). Manjeev said bye to Ban at 5:40; Ban but not bloggers later appeared at the Bahrain national day.

  Then, crossing Second Avenue to the Indian mission on 43rd Street, an African Permanent Representative told Inner City Press he was supposed to "go to Francophonie first" -- but decided "Manjeev is more important." Despite other actual superpower events, this priority was shared.

  Inside the Indian mission, Under Secretaries General like from the Department of Political Affairs (recounting travels in Syria before his Lebanon posting for the US government made this no longer comfortable) and other African Permanent Representatives noshed on spicy meat rolls.

  Making an appearance was Hardeep Singh Puri, heading back to India, and his successor as Permanent Representative Asoke Mukerji. Manjeev's successor, who he's been showing around the UN, was there: B.S. Bishnoi.

  Afghanistan's Zahir Tanin told Inner City Press that from his perspective, the Inter Governmental Negotiation on Security Council reform held earlier in the day had gone better than expected. 

  As Inner City Press note, it began with less the forty countries signed up, down from a previous ninety, due to dissatisfaction with President of the General Assembly John Ashe's Advisory Group of six and their recent "non-paper" supplemented by a memo from San Marino's Permanent Representative Daniele Bodini, one of Ban Ki-moon's golf partners.

Recently another Permanent Representative went to ask how he, too, could golf with Ban and was told he'd have to find out which clubs to join. That too is how the UN goes, double standards everywhere -- but with Manjeev Singh Puri going, some laughter and sharp analysis will be lost. Watch this site.