In UNSC Guterres Supports Equatorial Guinea 40 Year Ruler Obiang Like Biya of Cameroon

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR LetterPFT Q&A

UNITED NATIONS GATE, February 4 – When the Presidency of the UN Security Council was taken over by Equatorial Guinea on February 1 its Ambassador Ndong Mba held a press conference to take questions. But it was only from the media NOT banned by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, his Alison Smale and spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Now on February 4 Equatorial Guinea is holding and Guterres has performed at a Security Council meeting on “Mercenary activities as a source of insecurity and destabilization in Africa," chaired by 40 year ruler Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo who, not unrelatedly, faced a bid to overthrown him in December 2017. He fought it off with the help of his friend, 36 year Cameroon ruler Cameroon, with verbal support from Guterres. On February 4 Guterres said in the Security Council - after UNTV was told not to film him on the way in - that "Equatorial Guinea itself has reported serious attempts against its own government.  Indeed, last year, Ambassador Anatolio Ndong Mba of Equatorial Guinea underscored to this Council the need for 'vigilance and control of groups that sow insecurity and instability.'" In the run up to the noon briefing Inner City Press was banned from for the 215th day, Evelyn Leopold a retired Reuters correspondents said loudly that she didn't understand why there was a meeting about mercenary; she has previously said of Cameroon, video here, "the Anglophone did some shooting today" then acknowledged she never wrote about the country. This is today's UN. In the Press-less February 1 press conference, one of the few remaining independent minded journalists asked Mba why there is no meeting this month on Cameroon (where Paul Biya is slaughtering Anglophones daily). Mba archly replied, video here, that he had no comment as Cameroon is not on the Council's agenda (colonial power France, and turncoat UK haven't even asked, as UK Minister Liam Fox bragged about a New Age natural gas deal with Biya). Remarked on only by banned Inner City Press: Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema was the firstto congratulate Paul Biya on his seventh term, on 20 October 2018, two full days before the dubious results were announced. But who's counting? Now this, from Chinese state media: Officials of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea said on February 2 that they have agreed on plans to construct a bridge to link both countries.  "It is an integrating project that establishes the possibility of movement between the two countries. Once this project is realized, we will have another possibility of traveling by land through Cameroon and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea," said Paul Tasong, Cameroonian ministerial delegate from the Ministry of Economy Planning and Regional Development.  At the end of the day, the agreement was reached during a meeting in Cameroon's commercial capital Douala between delegations led by Tasong and Baltasar Engonga Edjo, Equatorial Guinean minister in charge of regional integration.  The bridge will be constructed over the Ntem River, on the corridor linking Kribi, Campo in Cameroon and Bata in Equatorial Guinea.  A memorandum of understanding will be signed between both countries on March 15. One Belt One Road?  On Cameroon, Mba said he could not comment on Cameroon because "it is not on the program of work of the Security Council." Video here. But there IS no program of work, still - so it's a strange defense, a bridge to nowhere. On February 1 in the mere eight questions taken there was not one about human rights in Equatorial Guinea, which has had the same president for forty years. The first question was taken by the United Nations Correspondents Association, whose Valeria Robecco said there are two issues in Africa: Boko Haram and the DR Congo. That'll all? This UN Correspondents Association - which at most represents 10% even of the journalist who come into the UN each year, and did nothing about its partners Guterres, Dujarric and Smale's censorship - has said nothing about, for example, the automatic exclusion by Guterres' UN of journalists from Taiwan. We'll have more on this UNCA and the permanent seat they devote to China. On February 1, Inner City Press live-tweeted the increasingly craven "press conference" until, at the end, one of the few independent thinking and asking correspondents made it a point to ask why Cameroon was not on the agenda. Ngong Mba answered archly that he would not say anything about Cameroon, since it is not on the Security Council's agenda. That's deference, from a country with a 40 year president to another with a 36 year ruler, currently slaughtering Anglophones with very little said by UNSG Antonio Guterres including in his meetings with Mba's Cameroonian counterpart when he was chair of the UN Budget Committee where Guterres wanted favors. Mba to his credit did reveal that Kuwait has asked for an Any Other Business meeting about Hebron. The session was brief, perhaps in part because there was no Program of Work handed out. Those who want to knock Kosovo off the quarterly reporting schedule refused to agree to a February 7 meeting. Mba cited the US in September as also not having a program of work. But there was a hand out of the rest of the schedule. Not so with Equatorial Guinea. They should be sending their information to Inner City Press which covers the UN Security Council closely - in person until roughed up and banned by Guterres amid its questions about his spending and silence on Cameroon, Obiang style -  but we'll see. Watch this site, daily.  In the eight questions there was no follow up on the expulsion of Guterres' envoy Nicholas Haysom from Somalia.  Nothing on Burundi, or Gabon or Togo.  But on those, the answer presumably would have been the same. This is today's UN, so far unchanged by the other "new" UNSC members Germany, Indonesia, South Africa and Belgium...

Heading UNSC Equatorial Guinea Dodged on Cameroon Despite No Program Now Bridge In Chinese State Media

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFT Q&A

UNITED NATIONS GATE, February 3 – When the Presidency of the UN Security Council was taken over by Equatorial Guinea on February 1 its Ambassador Ndong Mba held a press conference to take questions. But it was only from the media NOT banned by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, his Alison Smale and spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Nevertheless, one of the few remaining independent minded journalists asked Mba why there is no meeting this month on Cameroon (where Paul Biya is slaughtering Anglophones daily). Mba archly replied, video here, that he had no comment as Cameroon is not on the Council's agenda (colonial power France, and turncoat UK haven't even asked, as UK Minister Liam Fox bragged about a New Age natural gas deal with Biya). Remarked on only by banned Inner City Press: Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema was the firstto congratulate Paul Biya on his seventh term, on 20 October 2018, two full days before the dubious results were announced. But who's counting? Now this, from Chinese state media: Officials of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea said on February 2 that they have agreed on plans to construct a bridge to link both countries.  "It is an integrating project that establishes the possibility of movement between the two countries. Once this project is realized, we will have another possibility of traveling by land through Cameroon and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea," said Paul Tasong, Cameroonian ministerial delegate from the Ministry of Economy Planning and Regional Development.  At the end of the day, the agreement was reached during a meeting in Cameroon's commercial capital Douala between delegations led by Tasong and Baltasar Engonga Edjo, Equatorial Guinean minister in charge of regional integration.  The bridge will be constructed over the Ntem River, on the corridor linking Kribi, Campo in Cameroon and Bata in Equatorial Guinea.  A memorandum of understanding will be signed between both countries on March 15. One Belt One Road?  On Cameroon, Mba said he could not comment on Cameroon because "it is not on the program of work of the Security Council." Video here. But there IS no program of work, still - so it's a strange defense, a bridge to nowhere. On February 1 in the mere eight questions taken there was not one about human rights in Equatorial Guinea, which has had the same president for forty years. The first question was taken by the United Nations Correspondents Association, whose Valeria Robecco said there are two issues in Africa: Boko Haram and the DR Congo. That'll all? This UN Correspondents Association - which at most represents 10% even of the journalist who come into the UN each year, and did nothing about its partners Guterres, Dujarric and Smale's censorship - has said nothing about, for example, the automatic exclusion by Guterres' UN of journalists from Taiwan. We'll have more on this UNCA and the permanent seat they devote to China. On February 1, Inner City Press live-tweeted the increasingly craven "press conference" until, at the end, one of the few independent thinking and asking correspondents made it a point to ask why Cameroon was not on the agenda. Ngong Mba answered archly that he would not say anything about Cameroon, since it is not on the Security Council's agenda. That's deference, from a country with a 40 year president to another with a 36 year ruler, currently slaughtering Anglophones with very little said by UNSG Antonio Guterres including in his meetings with Mba's Cameroonian counterpart when he was chair of the UN Budget Committee where Guterres wanted favors. Mba to his credit did reveal that Kuwait has asked for an Any Other Business meeting about Hebron. The session was brief, perhaps in part because there was no Program of Work handed out. Those who want to knock Kosovo off the quarterly reporting schedule refused to agree to a February 7 meeting. Mba cited the US in September as also not having a program of work. But there was a hand out of the rest of the schedule. Not so with Equatorial Guinea. They should be sending their information to Inner City Press which covers the UN Security Council closely - in person until roughed up and banned by Guterres amid its questions about his spending and silence on Cameroon, Obiang style -  but we'll see. Watch this site, daily.  In the eight questions there was no follow up on the expulsion of Guterres' envoy Nicholas Haysom from Somalia.  Nothing on Burundi, or Gabon or Togo.  But on those, the answer presumably would have been the same. This is today's UN, so far unchanged by the other "new" UNSC members Germany, Indonesia, South Africa and Belgium...

In Bangui, UN Didn't Report French Rapes to Central African Republic Authorities, Cover Up

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 30 -- French soldiers in the Central African Republic sexually abused children, and after more than nine months, no action has been taken. 

  On April 30 prosecutors in CAR's capital Bangui said they were never told about the allegations or report by the UN. What is the UN's function, when the rape of CAR children is reported only to France, and not to CAR? 

  Inner City Press asked UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq about the process, how long the UN would wait -- without answer. Haq spoke positively of French president Francois Hollande now saying "no mercy" to the perpetrators. After nine months?

  Now it emerges that troops for example from Equatorial Guinea are also named in the UN report. Was Equatorial Guinea also told by the UN (and not CAR)?  This is a cover-up, in more ways than one.

  Herve Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row in charge of UN Peacekeeping, has made an announcement from Bangui: that he will deploy drones there. 

But who will get the information, and what will be covered up, like the rapes?

The UN's own in-house organ UN News Center, not mentioning the rapes of course, quotes Ladsous that "the arrival of attack helicopters and drones would help." 

 The story is more complex. Inner City Press has asked the UN questions, below.

  Yesterday's Guardian report focused on a UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights staffer Anders Kompass -- who some media insist on identifying as an "aid worker" -- saying he is being retaliated against for sharing this information with the French.

  As Inner City Pres previously reported, there is more to this story and to Kompass, in the public record. Kompass shared information with Morocco, to undermine human rights reporting in Western Sahara. Inner City Pressreported on Kompass and this in December; the leaked documents are online.  

 What is the relationship between the two stories, beyond the UN's near total lack of transparency and standards? 

  On April 29, the UN came out with a statement that Kompass was suspended with pay for leaking a report to French authorities with the name of victims and witnesses. Inner City Press asked UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq these questions, here

Inner City Press: since this report was given in mid-2014, one, can the U.N. say whether any of the alleged perpetrators have been disciplined?  It's almost a year at this point.  So you're saying they're looking into it now.  I'm staring now at an e-mail of Rupert Colville of that office who is asking about Anders Compass in December in connection with the leaking of information to Morocco about Western Sahara, which was revealed in these Moroccan leaked cables.  And I wanted to know, when was he suspended?  And what's the relationship of these two? At the time, Mr. Colville said there was an OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services] investigation of the leaking regarding Western Sahara.  So the question is: are there two investigations?  Is there one investigation?  And can you tell us on what date Mr. Compass was suspended?

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  Some of these details will, of course, have to wait.  The actual investigation that the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights is doing into this.  So I would wait for that to be completed.  I am aware of a separate issue involving the Office for the… for Internal Oversight Services.  But that's… that is, I believe, on a different matter.  But I'll have… but, of course, right now, I need for those particular things to be finished so I can comment on them.  Otherwise, I don't have the details of either of those investigations while they're underway.  So I'd expect your patience while we go through that. Regarding the case of Mr. Compass and his… Compass and his start date, like I said, he's been placed on administrative leave with full pay pending the results of the investigation.  Regarding what you said about the French and any follow-up action, I think that's a question to ask the French authorities.  Like I said, we have been made aware by the French that they are conducting their own investigation into this.

Inner City Press: But since the current UN mission works with the French authorities in a cooperative context and you have this human rights due diligence policy, doesn't the UN have some duty to know what the French authorities have done?

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, regarding human rights due diligence, it's our human rights people who have investigating this.  And we're following up on that. So we’re…

Question:  I know.

Deputy Spokesman:  These are not UN forces.  These are forces under the control of…

Question:  The policy covers UN working with outside forces that may have committed human rights violations.  And the question is, what has the UN done to make sure that these rapes and abuses didn't take place--

Deputy Spokesman:  I just read out a statement stating what we have done.

Question:  Are you still working with the same forces that are accused of the rapes?

Deputy Spokesman:  And as far as that goes, like I said, you would be well advised to ask the French how they're following up, but they are also conducting their own investigation, and that… like I said, the substance of this is very serious, and we do expect that there would be follow-up on that.  

 But has there been? The head of UN Peacekeeping, former French diplomat Herve Ladous, has invoked the UN's stated human rights due diligence policy to not work with the Congolese Army in combating the Hutu FDLR rebel. But apparently no invocation, or even inquiry under, the UN's human rights due diligence policy as to the army of his native France. This is outrageous.

Here's their statement:

The United Nations, through its Office of Human Rights in Bangui, conducted a human rights investigation in late spring of 2014, following serious allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of children by French military personnel, prior to the establishment of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Central African Republic.

The resulting report was provided to an external party in mid-July 2014 in unedited form, which included the identities of victims, witnesses and investigators.  The unedited version was, by a staff member’s own admission, provided unofficially by that staff member to the French authorities in late July, prior to even providing it to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) senior management.  This constitutes a serious breach of protocol, which, as is well known to all OHCHR officials, requires redaction of any information that could endanger victims, witnesses and investigators.

There is also an internal investigation into the handling of this matter by OHCHR, including the manner in which the confidential preliminary findings were initially communicated to external actors, and whether the names of victims, witnesses and investigators were conveyed as part of that document.  One staff member has been placed on administrative leave with full pay pending the results of the investigation.

Our preliminary assessment is that such conduct does not constitute whistleblowing.

We'll have more on this - and on the behavior in CAR of MINUSCA, run by Frenchman Herve Ladsous.

 Inner City Press back on November 21, 2014, asked the New York spokesman for High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid for

"an update on action on the leaked cables, related to Western Sahara, involving current OHCHR official Anders Kompass and one, previously head of OHCHR's office in NY, who's just left. What steps has OHCHR taken on the cables / issues?"

  Now three weeks later there has been no answer. from the OHCHR spokesperson in New York. But we now publish this response from OHCHR Geneva spokesperson Rupert Colville to similar questions:

From: Rupert Colville [at] ohchr.org
Date: Friday 12 December 2014
Subj: Investigation leaked cables Western Sahara and OHCHR

The investigation is being carried out, at our request, by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) in New York, which is an operationally independent office that assists the Secretary-General in fulfilling his internal oversight responsibilities. While the investigation is under way, there is nothing else I can say on the matter.

  Colville was asked, among other things, “Is Anders Kompass still in active duty during this investigation? Who is leading this investigation?”

  The UN system often uses the pendency of an investigation as a way to wait for the “problem” to go away. As the publication Tel Quel, here, has noted, many in the media are not covering the leaks.

  Relatedly, the leaks are now being covered up or censored. Two recent uploads, about Morocco and the African Group at the UN, were put on “ filefactory.com” -- then taken down after, the site says, a complaint under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

  This is a new trend -- attempt to use copyright law to take down leaked documents. Reuters, for example, filed a “for the record” complaint with the UN trying to get Inner City Press thrown out - then, when the “for the record” complaint was leaked and published, conned Google into blocking it from Search, calling it copyrighted. Click here for that.

So that media uses or abuses copyright to censor its own “for the record” complaint filed with the UN, and does not cover these new leaks about Western Sahara, Morocco, and the UN. This is a new trend. Watch this site.

  In the above, the referenced former head of OHCHR's New York office is Senegal's Bacre Waly Ndiaye, noted Tijania Sufi. The cables reveal a deep scandal in the UN system. Now OHCHR in Geneva is saying it will not comment until an investigation, Inner City Press understands by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, is complete. But there is no indication that will be publish. This is one of the ways the UN covers up.

 There other ways, beyond Western Sahara. On rapes in DR Congo by Army units the UN support, Ladsous refused to answer Press questions for months.  Video here of then and now spokesman pulling microphone away from Inner City Press. These practices are being opposed by the newFree UN Coalition for Access.

 Now on UN Peacekeeping's November 9 press release covering up mass rape in Thabit in Darfur, Ladsous has not answered any questions; UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on November 21 told Inner City Press the UN won't comment on leaks. The Western Sahara leaks are so extensive that despite a seeming media blackout byWestern wire services, they will not go away. 

While Ladsous is not the only UN official exposed by the cables, his extraordinary campaign of refusing Press questions, to the point of physically blocking Press filming (Vine here), as well as a DPKO to OHCHR connection, make him key to the case. As to MINURSO, Ladsous is blamed for the non-deployment of Bolduc. 

  Back on November 14 Inner City Press asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq about Bolduc and an investigation of leaks in Geneva of which sources tell it.Video here.

  On November 5, Inner City Press reported on leaked cables showing among other things the UN's Ladsous undermining MINURSO on the issue of human rights, and improper service of Morocco by Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights staffers Anders Kompass and Bacre Waly Ndiaye.

    Since then, along with anonymous death threats, Inner City Press has received additional information including of a UN Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation of Anders Kompers and Bacre Waly Ndiaye.

  On November 14, Inner City Press asked the UN's Haq, per UN transcript:

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  You had a question on Western Sahara?

Inner City Press: It's a two-pronged question.  What Stéphane [Dujarric] said earlier in the week about Kim Bolduc, the new SRSG [Special Representative of the Secretary-General].  I wanted to just kind of confirm it.  In reading it, does that mean that she has never has been allowed in?  And, if so, where has she been since August?  What is the plan to resolve that?  And I also wanted to ask you about regarding the cables that I base the initial question on.  Can you confirm that OIOS [Office for Internal Oversight Services] is conducting an investigation at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on at least two staff members who apparently leaked this information to the Moroccan Government?

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  On that, I cannot confirm that.  As you know, the OIOS conducts its work independently.  At some point, once they have completed their work, they apprise us [inaudible].  But I wouldn't be aware of any work that is ongoing.  Beyond that, regarding Kim Bolduc, as you know, both Christopher Ross and Kim Bolduc briefed the Security Council on 27 October.  And at that point, the Security Council reiterated its desire, first of all, to see Ambassador Ross's facilitation resume and reiterated its desire to see Kim Bolduc be able to take up her duties at the helm of MINURSO [United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara] as soon as possible.  And we look forward to the resumption of Mr. Ross's visit to the region and also to the deployment of Kim Bolduc.

Inner City Press:  But is she currently, I mean, she is the SRSG?

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  She is the SRSG, but she has not been able to function with her MINURSO duties in-country.

  In-country, eh? We'll have more on this. And on this: Inner City Press is informed that while Ladsous claims to have performed as required in connection with the appointment of Bolduc, even on this he is accused of failing to do his duty, as on many other parts of his job.Video compilation here; recent Vine here.

   Document leaks from inside the UN have identified improper service of Morocco, on the question of Western Sahara, by a staffer at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Anders Kompass.

  Inner City Press has waited to report on them; the spokesperson for the High Commissioner has today said his office is aware the leaked cables, which contain the perspective of certain diplomats, and that the situation is being investigated to clarify the facts.”

  Whatever the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, now under Jordan's Prince Zeid, does about the content of the leaks, more will be required in the UN Secretariat in New York -- particularly at the top of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which runs the MINURSO mission in Western Sahara.

  The cables show that Herve Ladsous, a long-time French diplomat now the boss of DPKO and thus of MINURSO, was flacking for Morocco on the supposed quality of its human rights mechanisms. This directly undercuts the MINURSO mission, for which Ladsous is supposed to be working.

   

In DC After Shots Fired in Ethiopia Embassy Compound, Immunity Questions Raised at US State Department

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 30, more here -- Fifty five days after bodyguards of Democratic Republic of the Congo president Joseph Kabila beat up protesters in Washington but were not charged, only told to leave the country, on September 29 shots were fired in the compound of Ethiopia's Embassy in Washington, video here and embedded below.

  In the video, the man shooting the gun retreats into the embassy, while protesters remain outside, taking down the flag. So is the incident covered by diplomatic immunity?

  The question arose at the US State Department's briefing on Septembre 30, two hours after US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power had told reporters about US meetings at the highest level with Ethiopia. What impact would those relations have?

  Inner City Press earlier today reported on the US' court filing supporting immunity or impunity for the United Nations for having brought cholera to Haiti, click here for that.

   These questions of immunity keep arising. Back in August, an assault with a chair reportedly occurred at the residence of the Ambassador of Equatorial Guinea in the Arlington suburb of Washington.

  Due to diplomatic immunity, no arrest was made. ARLnow.comreports that 

Police were called to the home of Ambassador Ruben Maye Nsue Mangue after a female 911 caller reported that “there’s someone going crazy at her house” and a man “hit her in the head with a chair,” according to scanner traffic.

“I’ve been there before,” said a responding officer. “There have been previous calls from this address.” The female victim was struck “several times,” police said. Paramedics transported her to Virginia Hospital Center with a head wound, but no arrests were made.

“The subject has full diplomatic immunity and was not arrested,” Arlington County Police said in a crime report today. Police said the assault was “domestic” in nature but declined to reveal the identity of the suspect. “We won’t go in to those details at this time,” ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck told ARLnow.com. “The State Department was notified by our officers and it’s in their hands at this point.”

   While outrageous, this also strikes some as contrary for example to how India's diplomat Devyani Khobragade was treated, compared with others. We'll have more on this.

   On the DRC, US State Department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf on August 8 said:

"We are troubled by the attacks against several protesters by members of the official delegation from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  It was Wednesday evening.  Take the right to freedom of expression very seriously, and violence against peaceful protesters is totally unacceptable.  We communicated our concern to the delegation in the strongest possible terms.  We requested waivers of immunity to permit those involved to face prosecution, and if such waivers were not issued, we required that the immediate departure from the country of the individuals involved.  They did not waive immunity and the individuals involved left the country on Thursday."

 So amid the speeches in the Security Council on Thursday, August 7, officials from the DRC were leaving the US after attacking protesters and refusing to waive immunity.

   On August 7 in New York, Kobler said it had been transparent, than when the UN Security Council's sanctions committee denied the waiver requested by Herve Ladsous, the FDLR leader was returned "to the bush."

  Inner City Press asked, isn't he subject to an arrest warrant in Rwanda? Kobler said he was unaware of that.

  On the mere two convictions for the 130 rapes by the Congolese Army in Minova in November 2012, Kobler said the legal process was OK --video here -- but that the investigation was not sufficient.

  The third Press questions, which Kobler did not answer, concerned the rehabilitation of General Amisi after a failure to investigate the charges against him. 

  On back June 27 amid reports that the UN flew a sanctioned militia leader of the FDLR militia on a UN aircraft in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujurric about it at the UN noon briefing on June 27:

Inner City Press: why did MONUSCO [United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] fly him to Goma to Kisangani and then to Kinshasa when, in fact, I think there’s an arrest warrant for him?

Spokesman Dujarric: I’m not aware of any other services provided to him by MONUSCO.

 But it turns out that UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous flew the sanctioned FDLR leader from Eastern Congo to Kinshasa. Rwanda complained about this, in writing, on June 26.

  On July 16, Inner City Press asked Rwanda's Deputy Permanent Representative what has been Ladsous' Department of Peacekeeping Operations' response. 

  There has BEEN no response - in more than three weeks. Video here, and embedded below.

  Little more than an hour later, Ladsous floated into the Security Council to talk about Central African Republic -- without having answered a written complaint from a Security Council member in more than three weeks. We call this: unaccountable. 

Dujarric on June 27, and in the subsequent times Inner City Press asked, insisted that not only Mary Robinson (who today left her post as the UN's Great Lakes envoy) but also US envoy Russ Feingold requested the waiver, and that the FDLR leader Gaston Iyamuremye a/k/a Rumuli had not traveled to Rome, arguing that only that was important.

  Inner City Press disagrees -- why would UN Peacekeeping underHerve Ladsous given his history on Rwanda, representing France in the Security Council in 1994 arguing for the escape of the genocidaires into Eastern Congo, fly a sanctioned FDLR figure linked to the genocide around? 

  On July 15,  Haq said Rumuli  was escorted from Kinshasa back to the east. Video here.

  Inner City Press asked about MONUSCO escorting Rumuli.

  Haq said what he had read did not say MONUSCO did the escorting. So who did? And if not the UN, how does the UN know where Rumuli went? Watch this site.

   

By DC, Equatorial Guinea's Diplomatic Immunity Said to Cover Chair Attack, Indian Diplomat Khobragade's Case Contrasted

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 26, more here -- Twenty days after bodyguards of Democratic Republic of the Congo president Joseph Kabila beat up protesters in Washington but were not charged, only told to leave the country, an assault with a chair reportedly occurred at the residence of the Ambassador of Equatorial Guinea in the Arlington suburb of Washington.

  Due to diplomatic immunity, no arrest was made. ARLnow.com reports that 

Police were called to the home of Ambassador Ruben Maye Nsue Mangue after a female 911 caller reported that “there’s someone going crazy at her house” and a man “hit her in the head with a chair,” according to scanner traffic.

“I’ve been there before,” said a responding officer. “There have been previous calls from this address.” The female victim was struck “several times,” police said. Paramedics transported her to Virginia Hospital Center with a head wound, but no arrests were made.

“The subject has full diplomatic immunity and was not arrested,” Arlington County Police said in a crime report today. Police said the assault was “domestic” in nature but declined to reveal the identity of the suspect. “We won’t go in to those details at this time,” ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck told ARLnow.com. “The State Department was notified by our officers and it’s in their hands at this point.

”

   While outrageous, this also strikes some as contrary for example to how India's diplomat Devyani Khobragade was treated, compared with others. We'll have more on this.

   On the DRC, US State Department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf on August 8 said:

"We are troubled by the attacks against several protesters by members of the official delegation from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  It was Wednesday evening.  Take the right to freedom of expression very seriously, and violence against peaceful protesters is totally unacceptable.  We communicated our concern to the delegation in the strongest possible terms.  We requested waivers of immunity to permit those involved to face prosecution, and if such waivers were not issued, we required that the immediate departure from the country of the individuals involved.  They did not waive immunity and the individuals involved left the country on Thursday."

 So amid the speeches in the Security Council on Thursday, August 7, officials from the DRC were leaving the US after attacking protesters and refusing to waive immunity.

   On August 7 in New York, Kobler said it had been transparent, than when the UN Security Council's sanctions committee denied the waiver requested by Herve Ladsous, the FDLR leader was returned "to the bush."

  Inner City Press asked, isn't he subject to an arrest warrant in Rwanda? Kobler said he was unaware of that.

  On the mere two convictions for the 130 rapes by the Congolese Army in Minova in November 2012, Kobler said the legal process was OK -- video here -- but that the investigation was not sufficient.

  The third Press questions, which Kobler did not answer, concerned the rehabilitation of General Amisi after a failure to investigate the charges against him. 

  On back June 27 amid reports that the UN flew a sanctioned militia leader of the FDLR militia on a UN aircraft in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujurric about it at the UN noon briefing on June 27:

Inner City Press: why did MONUSCO [United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] fly him to Goma to Kisangani and then to Kinshasa when, in fact, I think there’s an arrest warrant for him?

Spokesman Dujarric: I’m not aware of any other services provided to him by MONUSCO.

 But it turns out that UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous flew the sanctioned FDLR leader from Eastern Congo to Kinshasa. Rwanda complained about this, in writing, on June 26.

  On July 16, Inner City Press asked Rwanda's Deputy Permanent Representative what has been Ladsous' Department of Peacekeeping Operations' response. 

  There has BEEN no response - in more than three weeks. Video here, and embedded below.

  Little more than an hour later, Ladsous floated into the Security Council to talk about Central African Republic -- without having answered a written complaint from a Security Council member in more than three weeks. We call this: unaccountable. 

Dujarric on June 27, and in the subsequent times Inner City Press asked, insisted that not only Mary Robinson (who today left her post as the UN's Great Lakes envoy) but also US envoy Russ Feingold requested the waiver, and that the FDLR leader Gaston Iyamuremye a/k/a Rumuli hadnot traveled to Rome, arguing that only that was important.

  Inner City Press disagrees -- why would UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous given his history on Rwanda, representing France in the Security Council in 1994 arguing for the escape of the genocidaires into Eastern Congo, fly a sanctioned FDLR figure linked to the genocide around? 

  On July 15,  Haq said Rumuli  was escorted from Kinshasa back to the east. Video here.

  Inner City Press asked about MONUSCO escorting Rumuli.

  Haq said what he had read did not say MONUSCO did the escorting. So who did? And if not the UN, how does the UN know where Rumuli went? Watch this site.

   

On African Union Request to UN Security Council For ICC Deferral on Kenya, Ban Ki-moon's Africa Adviser Maged Made No Calls, of Trip of 5 and Signers

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 23 -- Before the African Union summit which gave rise to, as Inner City Presspublished in full yesterday, an AU request to the UN Security Council to defer the International Criminal Court's Kenya case, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and others made calls to AU heads of state.

  Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesperson Martin Nesirky about the calls on October 14. Nesirky replied, "I can tell you that a number of telephone calls were made, and not just by the Secretary-General."

  On October 23, the day after publishing the full text of the AU letter (here), Inner City Press asked Ban's Special Adviser on Africa Maged Abdelaziz (formerly Egypt's Ambassador to the UN) about the calls, and whether he made any of this.

  He said he had not made any of the calls, but that he was aware of them. He told Inner City Press that five AU heads of state will travel to The Hague and to New York. He said the AU is not "against" the ICC, but when there are failures to respond to AU requests, the issue of targeting arises.

  Before the AU and Kenya letters were filed, French Ambassador Gerard Araud told Inner City Press he thought the ICC ruling that President Kenyatta would not have to be "continuous present" during this case meant the Security Council would not have to get to the issue of deferral.

  Now the request is filed, but Western media are quoting unnamed Western diplomats that the request will not be granted. At the US State Department briefing on October 23, deputy spokesperson Marie Harf was asked about the request and said it is being studied.

  Someone will have to go on the record. As to the AU letter, Inner City Press asked an African mission to the UN and was told that the lack of some signatures (Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde and Cameroon) is "not an issue," and was reminded that there are only 49 signature lines because the follow countries are, for now, suspended: Guinea Bissau, Madagascar, Sao Tome & Principe, Central African Republic (see Araud, above) and Egypt (see Maged Abdelaziz, above).

  Forty five signatures, including ICC backers Cote d'Ivoire and Botswana, for example, are a lot. Now what is the Security Council's response? Watch this site.