On UN's Murky Repatriation to S. Africa from Darfur, Inner City Press Asks Why DFS Is Paying

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Series

UNITED NATIONS, February 25 -- UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous was willing to use Congolese troops in Central African Republic who ended up engaging in child rape and other abuses. Then they were given ample time to repatriate or leave the country; some twenty are still there.

  But there are other inconsistencies in Ladsous' peacekeeping, for example in Darfur. There, Ladsous more forcefully demanded the repatriation of South Africa's troops -- not for sexual abuse, but for “tactical” issues. Inner City Press exclusively learned of this and how last week, just before the UN threw Inner City Press out on February 19, and declared it Banned from all UN premises on February 22. Petition here.

  Here, exclusively, is the outrage. Unlike with “his” Congolese rapists in CAR, Ladsous so wanted the South African troops to leave Darfur that the UN Department of Field Support is paying for their repatriation, unlike in cases of other, poorer countries.

  This is the lack of oversight of UN Peacekeeping, that money can be used this way. Is is the same lack of oversight which allows Ladsous to cover up rapes, from Darfur to CAR, then to openly refuse to answer Inner City Press questions about the cover ups. But this one involves money, public money.

  On February 25 after filing a legal letter with the UN to not touch its office and papers, Inner City Press entered and asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript:

Inner City Press: In Darfur, the… South Africa has said that it's re… you know, pulling its entire force back, 1 April, and what I wanted to ask is whether… I've heard and published that it's due to something called a tactical violation by the South African battalion.  And I've also heard that DFS [Department of Field Support] is, unlike in other repatriation cases, stands to pay for the entire repatriation to South Africa.  Can you, one, state why they're being repatriated, and two, why DFS would pay for it?

Spokesman:  I do confirm that they are being repatriated.  I will get you some… I have some detail… I thought I had some details here, but we'll see what I can get you right after the briefing.

Inner City Press:  I guess my question is, given this… although this doesn't appear to be a case of sexual abuse repatriation, does Ban Ki-moon's stated commitment to transparency and repatriations cover repatriations like this?  And I want to insist to know who's paying, and if the UN is paying, why it's paying.

Spokesman:  I will get some… I will get more detail…

  We'll stay on this.

Amid a litany of rape charges against UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous, Inner City Press exclusively obtained and on February 12 published UN emails showing another round of sexual abuse of minors in Ouaka prefecture in the Central African Republic by UN Peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Click here to view.

 While the story continues, we note that Reuters UN bureau first triest to undermine the story, then stole it without credit - and on February 18 tried to undermine Inner City Press live-streaming Periscope video from the UN Security Council stakeout. Welcome to the UN Censorship Alliance.

  After Inner City Press on February 15 asked about the email its had published - and Reuters' UN bureau chief Louis Charbonneau, notably,tried to dismiss and then stole the story - on February 16 UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq in the noon briefing read out a statement confirming nearly all of the email Inner City Press had published: that there were four new victims, minors, troops from DR Congo.

 But Haq did not say that two of the victims had children from the statutory rape. So Inner City Press asked Haq to confirm that, and asked who would pay: the UN or the DRC soldiers? Haq said there are meetings in Ban's office to respond to just such issues, after December's Deschamps report. Video here.

 And then Reuters, even while its editor Dan Grebler said the first theft was being looked into, just retyped and stole it again, this time by its UN correspondent Michelle Nichols, here.

  It was this same Nichols who, at the UN Security Council stakeout on February 18 while Inner City Press was live-streaming after asking about a draft statement on Palestine, cut in loudly with "I see you Periscoping!"  And? So what? UN missions and the UN itself are broadcasting inside the UN on Periscope. Why would one media try to censor others?

  On February 15, Reuters first tried to claim these were "old" rapes, here -- then when shown otherwise, simply stole the story with no credit.This is apparently policy.

  So Inner City Press raised the issue of theft of exclusives (and lack of objectivity, at least at the UN) to Reuters itself. For now, we've received this, cc-ed also not only to the (repeat) offender but also to Reuters' genial seeming Brian Moss and Clive McKeef:

"Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. The appropriate Reuters staff will look into it and get back to you as soon as feasible.

Regards,
Dan Grebler
Desk Editor, Americas Desk"

  But but February 18, still no response. It's not that complicated.  Or was the Reuters correspondent's "intervention" the response? We'll have more on this too.

 The underlying emails, dated February 11, 2016, describe at least four underage victims, two of whom were impregnated by the rapist UN peacekeepers -- "in the locality Ngakobo in the Ouaka prefecture."

  On February 15, after emailing questions for two days to UN spokespeople in CAR and New York, Inner City Press at the UN's noon briefing asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq about the rapes, and the email it published on February 12. Haq answered, dodging on part of the email but not denying it. Video here.

 Then Associated Press asked, what about these new allegations? Video here. Haq answered - and from that, AP wrote its own derivative and belated story -- without credit, and without any mention of the critique of the UN in the emails. This is how it works, or doesn't.

 This too - Reuters UN "bureau chief" on Monday evening first reflexively came to the UN's defense saying that "Alleged Central African Republic rapes UN spox talked about today are same ones UN CAR said Feb 4 it was probing," citing (what else) a Reuters story of February 4 -- about a Human Rights Watch report about rapes in Bambari. But read the February 11 emails Inner City Press exclusively published, here:

“Herewith sharing with you a report I have just received from UNICEF indicating four minor girls aged between 16 and 17 years were victims of sexual exploitation and abuse allegedly committed by members of the DRC battalion in the locality Ngakobo in the Ouaka prefecture.”

  Up the email chain, Mercedes Gervilla in UN headquarters writes that “it would seem that many among the troops concerned, including Commanding officers were well aware of the abuse to which these children were being subjected. I also regret to inform you that in addition to these new 4 cases, there will likely be two more...”.  [We'll have more on this.]

  This is called... spinning for the UN. This is a trend at Reuters, even last week, here.



And there is a history: this same Reuters UN Bureau Chief Lou Charbonneau, when challenged, wrote to Stephane Dujarric, UN Spokesman, trying to get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN, here.

  When this was exposed, Charbonneau cited Reuters to get his email to the UN taken out of Google's search, saying he never meant for it to be public and it was somehow copyrighted. (See his filing here, made public by EFF's ChillingEffects.org). That's censorship... by Reuters.

  This this case, after being shown this reflexive defense of the UN was wrong, Reuters simply re-wrote the story and stole it, with no credit.

 And now we must go back: Charbonneau announced a policy of not crediting Inner City Press, see here.

 This was raised at the time to Reuters, including to Stephen J. Adler. What kind of company is this?

  (Inner City Press previously asked the decaying UN Correspondents Association, while it tried to censor Press coverage of its boss, to promulgate a best practice for media at the UN to credit others' exclusives; it never happened. AP at the UN speaks for this UNCA, and apparently it for AP.)

  

Exclusive: UN Emails Show New Rapes in CAR, Ladsous' Contingents by Matthew Russell Lee

 


Having been told by sources of more rapes by peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, Inner City Press on January 26 reported them and on January 27 asked the UN's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric to confirm them - but he wouldn't. UN transcript here. Video here.




  So what is the protocol of UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous, who linked the rapes to "R&R," here? How many more do they know about?

The UN report on rapes in the Central African Republic, released on December 17, found that UN Peacekeeping's Under Secretary General Herve Ladsous “illustrate[s] the UN's failure to respond to allegations of serious human rights violations in the meaningful way.”

 Ladsous has yet to take any questions about the report...

  When the Panel's three members held their December press conference, Inner City Press asked about Ladsous' failure to vet and his linking of rapes to “R&R.” Video here.  Marie Deschamps said pointedly she wouldn't comment on Ladsous' remarks; Yasmin Sooka said these are crimes for punishment, not recreation.

  As the last question, Inner City Press asked what it had wanted to ask Ban, and tried to ask Dujarric: what does this say about Ban's management? Video of Q&A here. Didn't Ban's chief of staff Malcorra, criticized in the report, do it for Ban? Didn't the “senior official” who ostensibly let the rape information die on the vine in the 38th floor work in an atmosphere created by Ban's nine years? We will pursue this.

  In December 2015, Ban allowed those who cover him, at least the UN Correspondents Association, to sell seats with him for $6,000. And it is these same who have airbrushed out Ladsous and others. We'll have more on this.

Exclusive: In UN's Murky Repatriation to S. Africa from Darfur, UN DFS Is Paying, Tactical Errors

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, February 24 -- UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous was willing to use Congolese troops in Central African Republic who ended up engaging in child rape and other abuses. Then they were given ample time to repatriate or leave the country; some twenty are still there.

  But there are other inconsistencies in Ladsous' peacekeeping, for example in Darfur. There, Ladsous more forcefully demanded the repatriation of South Africa's troops -- not for sexual abuse, but for “tactical” issues. Inner City Press exclusively learned of this and how last week, just before the UN threw Inner City Press out on February 19, and declared it Banned from all UN premises on February 22. Petition here.

  Here, exclusively, is the outrage. Unlike with “his” Congolese rapists in CAR, Ladsous so wanted the South African troops to leave Darfur that the UN Department of Field Support is paying for their repatriation, unlike in cases of other, poorer countries.

  This is the lack of oversight of UN Peacekeeping, that money can be used this way. Is is the same lack of oversight which allows Ladsous to cover up rapes, from Darfur to CAR, then to openly refuse to answer Inner City Press questions about the cover ups. But this one involves money, public money. We'll have more on this.

Amid a litany of rape charges against UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous, Inner City Press exclusively obtained and on February 12 published UN emails showing another round of sexual abuse of minors in Ouaka prefecture in the Central African Republic by UN Peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Click here to view.

 While the story continues, we note that Reuters UN bureau first triest to undermine the story, then stole it without credit - and on February 18 tried to undermine Inner City Press live-streaming Periscope video from the UN Security Council stakeout. Welcome to the UN Censorship Alliance.

  After Inner City Press on February 15 asked about the email its had published - and Reuters' UN bureau chief Louis Charbonneau, notably,tried to dismiss and then stole the story - on February 16 UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq in the noon briefing read out a statement confirming nearly all of the email Inner City Press had published: that there were four new victims, minors, troops from DR Congo.

 But Haq did not say that two of the victims had children from the statutory rape. So Inner City Press asked Haq to confirm that, and asked who would pay: the UN or the DRC soldiers? Haq said there are meetings in Ban's office to respond to just such issues, after December's Deschamps report. Video here.

 And then Reuters, even while its editor Dan Grebler said the first theft was being looked into, just retyped and stole it again, this time by its UN correspondent Michelle Nichols, here.

  It was this same Nichols who, at the UN Security Council stakeout on February 18 while Inner City Press was live-streaming after asking about a draft statement on Palestine, cut in loudly with "I see you Periscoping!"  And? So what? UN missions and the UN itself are broadcasting inside the UN on Periscope. Why would one media try to censor others?

  On February 15, Reuters first tried to claim these were "old" rapes, here -- then when shown otherwise, simply stole the story with no credit.This is apparently policy.

  So Inner City Press raised the issue of theft of exclusives (and lack of objectivity, at least at the UN) to Reuters itself. For now, we've received this, cc-ed also not only to the (repeat) offender but also to Reuters' genial seeming Brian Moss and Clive McKeef:

"Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. The appropriate Reuters staff will look into it and get back to you as soon as feasible.

Regards,
Dan Grebler
Desk Editor, Americas Desk"

  But but February 18, still no response. It's not that complicated.  Or was the Reuters correspondent's "intervention" the response? We'll have more on this too.

 The underlying emails, dated February 11, 2016, describe at least four underage victims, two of whom were impregnated by the rapist UN peacekeepers -- "in the locality Ngakobo in the Ouaka prefecture."

  On February 15, after emailing questions for two days to UN spokespeople in CAR and New York, Inner City Press at the UN's noon briefing asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq about the rapes, and the email it published on February 12. Haq answered, dodging on part of the email but not denying it. Video here.

 Then Associated Press asked, what about these new allegations? Video here. Haq answered - and from that, AP wrote its own derivative and belated story -- without credit, and without any mention of the critique of the UN in the emails. This is how it works, or doesn't.

 This too - Reuters UN "bureau chief" on Monday evening first reflexively came to the UN's defense saying that "Alleged Central African Republic rapes UN spox talked about today are same ones UN CAR said Feb 4 it was probing," citing (what else) a Reuters story of February 4 -- about a Human Rights Watch report about rapes in Bambari. But read the February 11 emails Inner City Press exclusively published, here:

“Herewith sharing with you a report I have just received from UNICEF indicating four minor girls aged between 16 and 17 years were victims of sexual exploitation and abuse allegedly committed by members of the DRC battalion in the locality Ngakobo in the Ouaka prefecture.”

  Up the email chain, Mercedes Gervilla in UN headquarters writes that “it would seem that many among the troops concerned, including Commanding officers were well aware of the abuse to which these children were being subjected. I also regret to inform you that in addition to these new 4 cases, there will likely be two more...”.  [We'll have more on this.]

  This is called... spinning for the UN. This is a trend at Reuters, even last week, here.



And there is a history: this same Reuters UN Bureau Chief Lou Charbonneau, when challenged, wrote to Stephane Dujarric, UN Spokesman, trying to get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN, here.

  When this was exposed, Charbonneau cited Reuters to get his email to the UN taken out of Google's search, saying he never meant for it to be public and it was somehow copyrighted. (See his filing here, made public by EFF's ChillingEffects.org). That's censorship... by Reuters.

  This this case, after being shown this reflexive defense of the UN was wrong, Reuters simply re-wrote the story and stole it, with no credit.

 And now we must go back: Charbonneau announced a policy of not crediting Inner City Press, see here.

 This was raised at the time to Reuters, including to Stephen J. Adler. What kind of company is this?

  (Inner City Press previously asked the decaying UN Correspondents Association, while it tried to censor Press coverage of its boss, to promulgate a best practice for media at the UN to credit others' exclusives; it never happened. AP at the UN speaks for this UNCA, and apparently it for AP.)

  

Exclusive: UN Emails Show New Rapes in CAR, Ladsous' Contingents by Matthew Russell Lee

 


Having been told by sources of more rapes by peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, Inner City Press on January 26 reported them and on January 27 asked the UN's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric to confirm them - but he wouldn't. UN transcript here. Video here.




  So what is the protocol of UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous, who linked the rapes to "R&R," here? How many more do they know about?

The UN report on rapes in the Central African Republic, released on December 17, found that UN Peacekeeping's Under Secretary General Herve Ladsous “illustrate[s] the UN's failure to respond to allegations of serious human rights violations in the meaningful way.”

 Ladsous has yet to take any questions about the report...

  When the Panel's three members held their December press conference, Inner City Press asked about Ladsous' failure to vet and his linking of rapes to “R&R.” Video here.  Marie Deschamps said pointedly she wouldn't comment on Ladsous' remarks; Yasmin Sooka said these are crimes for punishment, not recreation.

  As the last question, Inner City Press asked what it had wanted to ask Ban, and tried to ask Dujarric: what does this say about Ban's management? Video of Q&A here. Didn't Ban's chief of staff Malcorra, criticized in the report, do it for Ban? Didn't the “senior official” who ostensibly let the rape information die on the vine in the 38th floor work in an atmosphere created by Ban's nine years? We will pursue this.

  In December 2015, Ban allowed those who cover him, at least the UN Correspondents Association, to sell seats with him for $6,000. And it is these same who have airbrushed out Ladsous and others. We'll have more on this.

On “UN” Helicopter in Ukraine, UN Tells Inner City Press That Kyiv Has Been Contacted by UN Peacekeeping of Herve Ladsous: Now What?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 13 -- Ukraine is a major provider of helicopters and air services to the UN, and amid the Kyiv government's “counter-terrorism” offensive on May 13 video surfaced of a white helicopter marked “UN,” here.

The UN has in the past complained of governments using UN-marked equipment for their own military goals. So Inner City Press submitted these questions on deadline to Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric and his deputy Farhan Haq:

This is a Press request for UN comment on deadline on this video http://youtu.be/W0P_sv_x4E0

featuring “UN” helicopters in Ukraine. Is this appropriate? Why would Ukraine have helicopters with such markings inside Ukraine? What does the UN allow Ukraine to use them for? What will the UN do? On deadline.

Hours went by without any substantive answer. Inner City Press asked about the issue at the UN Security Council stakeout, video here from Minute 5:17.

 More than six hours later, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Office of the Spokesperson provided this response to Inner City Press:

Subject: On Ukraine.
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Tue, May 13, 2014 at 7:40 PM
To: Matthew.Lee@innercitypress.com

The Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities concerning this issue. It is the responsibility of Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) that provide Contingent Owned Equipment to peacekeeping missions to remove all logos and signage bearing the UN's name once such equipment has been repatriated to the home country or is no longer being used for official UN purposes. Moreover, every Letter of Assist, signed between the UN and TCC, also clearly states that “the Government may only use such painted and marked Aircraft for flights, which have been tasked by the United Nations.”

   We will await more -- that is, the response of the Kyiv authorities and what the UN actually does. Inner City Press asked another question as well, and has questions pending back to the first week of Dujarric's tenure in March. Watch this site.

   

For UN in Central African Republic Mission, Africans of CEEAC in Leadership Or Just Troops, A La Francaise?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 22 -- A week after Inner City Press exclusively reported from well-placed sources that the head of the UN Department of Field Service Ameerah Haq will leave this Peacekeeping job in October, for the UN mission in Central African Republic MINUSCA to begin on September 15 an issue has arisen.

   Congo-Brazzaville's Ambassador to the UN Raymond Serge Bale tweeted that the neighboring African countries of the CEEAC should be represented in the leadership of MINUSCA.

  French Ambassador Gerard Araud, taking a break from vituperatively denying blocking human rights monitoring in Western Sahara, tweeted that the contingents of the CEEAC should be integrated into MINUSCA on a priority basis.

  But the word was leadership - into the leadership, not just as soldiers or contingents to serve under other leadership. Inner City Press pointed this out in reply, and this:

   A problem here is the UN Peacekeeping has been ruled four times in a row now by a Frenchman, most recently long-time French diplomat Herve Ladsous.

  Now Ladsous' co-equal in DFS from South Asia stands to be replaced.

Among the candidates to take over the position, ostensibly co-equal with Ladsous, include American Jane Holl Lute and the current head of the UN Office of Human Resources Management, Catherine Pollard.

  What about an African? Several UN sources muses this would be a perfect time for Ladsous to leave. "Better him than Haq," as one source put it.

  But the alternate theory has Secretary General Ban Ki-moon throwing geographical and ideological balance to the wind in UN Peacekeeping. In this theory, the US would have to give up the Department of Safety & Security -- "he's only an Acting USG," the proponent pointed out -- so as to not have too too many American Under Secretaries General. 

  The shame would be, Kevin Kennedy is one of the better and more accessible USGs, by contrast to Ladsous whorefuses Press questions about rapes and UN Peacekeeping from the Congo to Mali, and about the Hutu FDLR, click here for video.

  It was back in October 2013 that Inner City Press reported that Ladsous was trying to get Haq out, to assert more control. On October 7, 2013 Inner City Press reported, "While an earlier Ban Ki-moon reform involved splitting Peacekeeping into two separate components, DPKO and DFS, now Ladsous wants to dominate both of them, by pushing Haq out of DFS and installing a person of his own choosing. More on that in a future story." This, is that story. And there will be more, including in connection with MINUSCA and with Araud, at least until he leaves, slated for July. Watch this site.

   

At UN, Ameerah Haq to Leave, Holl Lute & Pollard in Hunt, Sources tell ICP, Ladsous Redux

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, April 14 -- The head of the UN Department of Field Service Ameerah Haq will leave this Peacekeeping job in October, Inner City Press is exclusively informed by well-placed sources.

  Among the candidates to take over the position, ostensibly co-equal with Herve Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row atop the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, include American Jane Holl Lute and the current head of the UN Office of Human Resources Management, Catherine Pollard.

  Given that the top contributors of peacekeeping troops to the UN are from South Asia -- India, Pakistan, Nepal and Ameerah Haq's native Bangladesh -- it would look strange to have DFS headed by an American while DPKO remains owned by France. Several UN sources muses this would be a perfect time for Ladsous to leave. "Better him than Haq," as one source put it.

  But the alternate theory has Secretary General Ban Ki-moon throwing geographical and ideological balance to the wind in UN Peacekeeping. In this theory, the US would have to give up the Department of Safety & Security -- "he's only an Acting USG," the proponent pointed out -- so as to not have too too many American Under Secretaries General. 

  The shame would be, Kevin Kennedy is one of the better and more accessible USGs, by contrast to Ladsous whorefuses Press questions about rapes and UN Peacekeeping from the Congo to Mali, and about the Hutu FDLR, click here for last week's video.

  It was back in October 2013 that Inner City Press reported that Ladsous was trying to get Haq out, to assert more control. On October 7, 2013 Inner City Press reported, "While an earlier Ban Ki-moon reform involved splitting Peacekeeping into two separate components, DPKO and DFS, now Ladsous wants to dominate both of them, by pushing Haq out of DFS and installing a person of his own choosing. More on that in a future story." This, is that story. And there will be more. Watch this site.

   

In Mali, Is There Any UN Probe of Deadly Shooting of Protesters in Kidal? Any Recusal of Ladsous from Letter of Assist Payments to France?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 11 -- As UN Peacekeeping becomes more and more of a combatant in Africa, for example acting with the Malian Army as they shot unarmed protesters in Kidal, at the UN in New York more of its briefings are closed, and its chief Herve Ladsous has until now resisted and refused Press questions. Video here, UK coverage here.

So Inner City Press on December 10 asked Ladsous' deputy Edmond Mulet about the deadly live fire at the Kidal airport: is UN Peacekeeping, as even this month's Security Council president Gerard Araud suggested to Inner City Press, conducting an investigation into its actions in northern Mali?

Mulet to his credit did stop on the way from the Security Council to the elevator to say that DPKO is speaking with the Malian authorities. But he used a phrase, lessons learned, which often precludes accountability.

Ultimately it is Ladsous who must answer this question. This morning he is briefing the Council about the Democratic Republic of the Congo, over which he has finally launched his drone. But the briefing is closed. He should take this question, and others, later in the week: but will he?

He should also answer whether he recused himself from any involvement in the UN's non-public Letter of Assist to pay UN money to France for airfield services in northern Mali -- as luck has it, in Kidal where the deadly shooting of unarmed protesters took place.

The argument being made is that only the Department of Field Support is involved in procurement. But it is not clear that sole source "Letters of Assist" really constitute procurement: they are more like set-asides.

In any event, it was DFS' Ameerah Haq who was speaking at the International Peace Institute on the topic of peacekeeping and human rights -- at least technically more in the bailiwick of Ladsous' post if not personality. So, beyond this question to IPI, the larger question remains: was Ladsous recused from this Letter of Assist payment to France? And how much is the payment for? Watch this site.

   

As Uganda Complains of Non-Payment for Peacekeeping Helicopters, UN Tells Inner City Press that Member States Bear the Risk

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 26 -- A full week ago, Inner City Press asked the UN for its response to Uganda complaining about delay in reimbursement for its three helicopters destroyed in Kenya on the way to the peacekeeping mission in Somalia, for which the UN pays:

Inner City Press: Uganda is complaining that its three helicopters that were destroyed in 2012 on the way to AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia), that they have not been compensated by the UN for them and they say they are still waiting for that. What’s the delay, it’s been a year and three months now, what’s the procedure for compensating countries for destroyed materiel and what’s the problem in this case?

Acting Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq: Well, we’ll have to check with… as you know, there is a [United Nations Support Office for the African Union Mission in Somalia], called UNSOA for short, and we’ll have to check with UNSOA how that particular payment is being handled through the Support Office. You might also want to check with the African Union about whether they can confirm any sort of payment for AMISOM.

  Now after seven days, the UN has responded with this, that they are not paying:

Subject: Your question on Ugandan helicopters
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Tue, Nov 26, 2013 at 10:18 AM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

Regarding your question on Ugandan helicopters, we have the following from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations:

“The helicopters in question were being provided by the Government of Uganda to the African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM. In line with established procedures, the Member State is to bear the risk of loss or damage to the aircraft and to insure against these. DPKO-DFS understands that the African Union has communicated this situation to the Government of Uganda.”.

  From public report it seems clear Uganda does not understand or agree with this. This, and building up big arrears to Troop Contributing Countries like Rwanda, Nigeria, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, raises questions. We'll have more on this. Watch this site.

   

As UN Slammed on Haiti Cholera Impunity, It Looks at its Own Waste in Mali, Ladsous Knee-deep

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 26 -- The UN's bid for impunity for bringing cholera to Haiti was assailed at a legal conference on Saturday, with Seton Hall law professor Kristen Boon saying that the UN does not possess absolute immunity, it's conditional on provision to provide forum for remedy.

But the UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous has refused to comply with its Status of Forces Agreement and set up any standing claims commissions.

Recently the UN lied or mis-spoke to Inner City Press -- it said that now UN Peacekeeping screens for cholera. Then when Inner City Press asked for the second time the next day, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's acting deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq admitted this is not the case. But media reported that the UN now screens, and the UN did not correct it.

  It's worth noting -- and putting into context -- that the Security Council's resolution 2100 setting up the mission in Mali, MINUSMA, provides for

"the Secretary-General to consider the environmental impacts of operations of MINUSMA when fulfilling its mandated tasks and, in this context encourages MINUSMA to manage them, as appropriate and in accordance with applicable and relevant General Assembly resolutions and United Nations rules and regulations, and to operate mindfully in the vicinity of cultural and historical sites."

  Sophie Ravier, Environmental Officer of the UN Department of Field Support -- whose Ameerah Haq Inner City Press is told and has reported is to be sent off to ESCAP in Thailand by Herve Ladsous -- has said that "The reconnaissance team visited a few locations to assess them from a security perspective, but also looked at the environmental aspects of those locations including water, energy and possible waste management solutions."

  It's nice for the UN, now, to be saying it is looking at " possible waste management solutions" rather than simply putting cholera infested feces into people's drinking water as in Haiti. But what about the thousands of families injured, killed, by the UN's gross negligence?

  And whatever belated review UN Peacekeeping is doing on its waste in Mali, Ladsous has incorporated into the mission a country on the UN's list of child soldier recruiters, and has yet to act on its rapes, or those of his partners in the Congo.

  How can Ladsous and Ban Ki-mon preach or even speak of rule of law, while refusing to answer questions about their responsibility for deaths in in Haiti? Ladsous, who refuses all Press questions (video here, UK coverage here) is polluting, Haiti style, the entire UN. Watch this site.

   

Exclusive: At UN, As Ban Ki-moon's Five Year Rule Is Violated at ESCAP in Bangkok, Ladsous Wants to Push Haq There, UNreformed

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, October 7 -- There should be no more than five years at any one UN position, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced.

  But Inner City Press notes, for example, that the head of the Bangkok-based Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore, has been in place more than SIX years now. She was put into the position in August 2007, and it is now October 2013.

  But there's more to this than just another example of the UN not living up to its stated principles, as with its Human Rights Due Diligence Policy with continued aid to the two Congolese Army units implicated in the 135 rapes in Minova in November 2012.

Inner City Press is not the only one who noticed that Heyzer's Under Secretary General position at ESCAP could be freed up. 

  Well placed sources exclusively tell Inner City Press that the head of UN Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row to hold THAT position, wants to push out his co-equal Under Secretary General for the Department of Field Support, Ameerah Haq.

  While an earlier Ban Ki-moon reform involved splitting Peacekeeping into two separate components, DPKO and DFS, now Ladsous wants to dominate both of them, by pushing Haq out of DFS and installing a person of his own choosing. (More on that in a future story.)

  Singapore is a serious UN country, so another USG post would have to be identified and given to Heyzer or another Singaporean. But Ladsous, or better said France, has this kind of control in the UN system.

  Beyond this abuse of Ban's supposed five year rule, it brings up the need for a more meaningful reform: no COUNTRY should be able to control a UN department for more than five years. France has held onto Peacekeeping, even since demanding it in exchange for not vetoing Kofi Annan becoming Secretary General. Here they are:

Secrétaires généraux adjoints des Nations Unis aux Opérations de Maintien de la Paix :

Kofi Annan : de mars 1993 à décembre 1996

Bernard Miyet : de janvier 1997 à octobre 2000

Jean-Marie Guéhenno : d'octobre 2000 à juillet 2008

Alain Le Roy : du 30 juin 2008 au 2 septembre 2011

Hervé Ladsous : à compter du 2 septembre 2011

This is UNacceptable: over 16 years, 9 months. It should end.

  At the other end of the UN spectrum, it's every UN department for itself. The Publishing Unit faces a zeroing out of jobs, from 150 position not long ago. To save some posts, in order to scan old documents in the basement of the UN library, sources exclusively tell Inner City Press that the UN is turning to its new Daddy Warbucks: Qatar.

  Warbucks because while the UN pleads for Qatar's money, that country's royal family funds war in Syria. But the UN says nothing. At least, then, the UN should create a bidding war to save more staffers' jobs. We are against lay-offs, but also against the UN becoming beholden to particular states, creating under Ban Ki-moon a UN "a la carte," to use another French phrase like faux (but not Pho).

  Meanwhile in the Department of Safety and Security, more security has been gained, commitments from acting Under Secretary General Kevin Kennedy. This emerged at the best "End of General Debate" party of the season, under the (broken) satellite dish over the East River Friday night. Compared to the faux ceremony of the UN Correspondents Association Executive Committee, which after spying for the UN through its first vice president had to beg interns to come via a rare flyer, DSS had steak and an open bar and plenty of good vibes.

  UNCA is given its clubhouse, in which it held a faux UN briefing by Gulf-supported Syria rebel boos Jarba (a/k/a Jarbucks), by the UN Department of Public Information, regarding which we have received a detailed recruitment complaint, regarding which we have publicly requested an explanation. The new Free UN Coalition for Access holds, if the explanation makes sense, it's fine. But to not respond, or to only selectively respond, is not. More on this to follow. Watch this site.