On DR Congo, UN On Nov 6 Told ICP It Expected Agreement, Now Vague on "Format," Verifying Kiwanja & Bunagana Reprisals?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 11 -- Now that the UN has used attack helicopters to drive out the M23 rebels, and the Congolese Army is reported arresting and even robbing civilians in the area, the government of Joseph Kabila declined to sign the peace agreement on Monday in Kampala.

  Back on November 6 when Inner City Press asked, UN acting deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq replied that "our expectation remains that the parties will be able to deal with each through an actual agreement."

  But now that Kabila and his foreign minister Raymond Tshibanda say they want only a "declaration," Ban's two envoys, Mary Robinson and Martin Koblers, along with the US' Russ Feingold and his EU and AU counterparts called on both sides to be flexible on "format." So much for the UN's expectations.

  And what of the UN's inquiries, which took so long (and still without effect) on the 135 rapes by the Congolese Army in Minova a year ago? On November 11, Inner City Press asked:

Spokesperson Nesirky: Thank you, last question, please?

Inner City Press: I want to ask you about DRC ( Democratic Republic of the Congo) and also Lebanon. In the DRC there are these reports--

Spokesperson Nesirky: I said last question, so choose.

Inner City Press: I’ll go with the DRC, but… There are reports of people being arrested by the Congolese army in Kiwanja and in Bunagana for suspected collaboration with M23 (23 March Movement), these are apparently civilians that weren’t part of the armed group. What is MONUSCO (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), is MONUSCO aware of this? Are they tracking this and what do they say about it?

Spokesperson Nesirky: We’ll check with the Mission. Thanks very much. Have a good afternoon.

  Later on Monday, as Ban Ki-moon told the General Assembly of "good news from the Democratic Republic of the Congo" where he said it is "essential that the Government quickly restore its authority," his spokesperson sent this to Inner City Press:

Subject: Your question at noon on the DRC
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Mon, Nov 11, 2013 at 3:24 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

Regarding your question on reports about reprisals in Bunagana and Kiwanja, the UN Mission, MONUSCO, is aware of the allegations and is trying to verify them.

  Verify like Minova? And then what - continue to support the FARDC units even while no one is prosecuted?

From the November 6 transcript:

Inner City Press: Laurent Mende, the Minister of Information and Communications, has said the DRC Government may not sign the Kampala agreement and instead just issue some kind of a statement, a unilateral statement. They are saying now that since they were defeated militarily, there is no reason to sign an agreement and I wondered, since the announcement by M23 seemed tied to a signing of an agreement, does the UN believe that the understanding is that an agreement will actually be signed by the two parties?

Deputy Spokesperson Haq: I am not going to speculate on what may happen in the coming days, but our expectation remains that the parties will be able to deal with each through an actual agreement.

And now, even that UN position changes. Watch this site.

   

On Sudan and Polio, SPLM-North Wanted Meeting That UN Found UNnecessary, Ladsous No Answers on Abyei (Nor DRC or Lebanon)

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 11 -- Why did the planned polio vaccination in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states not take place? Inner City Press on Monday asked UN Humanitarian operations chief John Ging if the SPLM-North rebels were as reported requesting not to deal with Sudanese officials. Video here, from Minute 15:35.

  Ging replied that the "technical agreements" for the vaccination were in place, and that the UN had agreed with Khartoum that no more meetings were needed. But the SPLM-North felt differently, and said so. When Sudan did not show up for the final meeting, the vaccination campaign was off.

  Inner City Press asked November's Security Council president Liu Jieyi about any "allocation of blame" between Sudan and the rebels. Video here, from Minute 2:28.

  He replied that the Council is working right now on a way to enable the vaccination. Will this mean a press statement or presidential statement?

  UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous also briefed the Security Council behind closed doors, but unlike his predecessors -- and unlike Ging, and in the past Haile Menkerios -- provided no information on the topics, including Abyei, the referendum and the his still not released report on the UN's failure to protect the Dinka Ngok Paramount Chief there.

  This lack of transparency of UN Peacekeeping under Ladsous is becoming more and more pronounced. At Monday's UN noon briefing, Inner City Press said it it had questions about the Democratic Republic of the Congo and about Lebanon. (UN Peacekeeping has missions in both places.)

  Spokesperson Martin Nesirky said, Choose one. But on Inner City Press' question of what Ladsous' MONUSCO mission is doing about reports of arrests and even robbery of civilians in Kiwanja and Bunagana, Nesirky had nothing. Still the Lebanon question, about spying, could not be asked. This is the UN, and Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping. Watch this site.

   

On DR Congo, UN's Ban Ki-moon Won't Join Uganda & Say Stop Fighting, As He Did in Syria (But Not on Sri Lanka)

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 1 -- Some thought the UN, at least its Secretariat, was supposed to be about peace. But when it failed to even call for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka as tens of thousands of civilians were killed in a final government assault, that supposition was called into doubt.

  And now in 2013, with the government of Uganda calling on the Congolese Army and the M23 to ceasefire and try to finalize a deal in Kampala, Inner City Press on Friday asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky if Ban agreed with the call for a ceasefire, particularly by the Congolese Army to which the UN provides support, including with attack helicopters.

  Nesirky sure didn't say yes. Video here and embedded below. First he disputed that the Kampala talks had stopped and to be re-started. He said they had never stopped. (A wire service said they "collapsed," and also reported looting in Bunagana by the UN's partners, the Congolese Army.)

   Then, as Inner City Press asked again for a UN view on a ceasefire, he said that would be up to the Kampala talks, then that Mary Robinson -- Ban's envoy -- would have to be checked with. Four hours later: nothing.

This stands in contrast, for example, with Syria where Ban did call for a cessation of fighting. But of course the politics of the Western Permanent Three of the Security Council differ on Syria, where they want the leader out, from DR Congo, where they support Joseph Kabila, giving their blessing to his "National Dialogue" which even the legal opposition boycotted.

On Syria, Saudi Arabia which Ban Ki-moon effusively praised recently when they said they'd reject the Security Council seat they without opposition won has reported declined to meet with Ban's envoy Lakhdar Brahimi -- Ban's Mary Robinson for the Levant so to speak.

But after Brahimi was asked, and didn't disagree, that the Saudi's declined his visit, when Inner City Press asked Nesirky to confirm it Friday, Nesirky would not. Politics, politics. But for whom? Watch this site.

   

In DR Congo, Will UNSC Visit Opposition Like Tshisekedi or Bunagana, or "Pull a Ripert"?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 4 -- As the UN Security Council moves from its European meeting to Joseph Kabila, his foreign minister Raymond Tshibanda and others in Kinshasa, the question arises: will they meet with opposition figures like Etienne Tshisekedi of the UDPS?

  As Inner City Press filmed and covered at the UN, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Tshisekedi when it served him (meaning Ban). 

  Last Saturday, Ban met with Saudi-sponsored Syria rebel boss Ahmad al Jarba, who has never won a vote inside Syria. On the democratic legitimacy scale, the countries which met with Jarba a week ago have no basis to avoid Tshisekedi.

  But the point of this trip, to accompany and cover which France was allowed to pick and ban particular media, seems different. Is it really a fact finding trip? Would the Council visit -- would Kabila permit them to visit -- M23 territory in Bunagana and elsewhere?

  Inner City Press has asked and is informed that "the program is still in flux." But when and where will the Council's program be made public?

  On a previous Security Council trip to Eastern Congo, which Inner City Press accompanied after France's attempt to block was opposed by then-UNSC member South Africa, the Council visited an IDP camp outside Goma.

  Inner City Press took and sent out photos of then French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert preening in front of France 24 while a restive crowd of camp residents complained. Finally the Congolese security forces beat up an elderly lady; no one did anything. And this time? Watch this site.

  Ban Ki-moon's Spokesperson Martin Nesirky on camera admitted that the decision on which media would be allowed to go on and cover the UNSC's Africa trip was made "in consultation" with the lead mission for the trip: France. Inner City Press YouTube channel video here: http://youtu.be/N_nn8lToeUU

This was sent to Inner City Press:

From: Jerome Bernard [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 6:46 PM
Subject: Re: Security Council trip to Africa
To: Matthew Russell Lee [at] InnerCityPress [dot] com
Cc: Free UN Coalition for Access @FUNCA_info

Hi Matthew,

I am sorry but because of the very limited number of seats in the UN plane it won't be possible for you to travel with the Security Council for this trip to the Great Lakes Region of Africa.

I am sure there will be other opportunities for travel in the future.

Best regards,

Jerome Bernard
Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

  Inner City Press was told that Bernard would be providing information from the trip. We're still waiting. Watch this site.