In Addis, Still No DRC Envoy, Ladsous But Nothing on Drones or Minova
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, February 25, 2013 - Before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
flew to Addis Ababa to witness or "guarantee" a peace agreement for the
Democratic Republic of Congo, his spokesman in New York said Ban's new
Special Envoy to the region would be announced soon. So many expected the
name to be announced or floated Sunday in Addis.
During the ceremonial meetings before the signing, and during the signing
session itself, the Africa Union tweeted summaries of some attendees
speeches, but not Ban's. AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma,
in his speech, quoted a length from a letter by Patrice Lumumba to his wife.
The UN's output considered of three photographs, one with UN Peacekeeping
chief Herve Ladsous prominently in the foreground
<
https://twitter.com/innercitypress/status/305631279620177920> (and Ban's
chief of staff Susana Malcorra behind him).
Even two hours after Ban's speech and the ceremony was finished, there
was radio silence with the UN. After two Press complaints, of the type being
made systematic by the new Free UN Coalition for Acces
<
http://www.funca.info> s, a series of readouts and Ban's speech were sent
out.
In his speech, Ban said he would name a Special Envoy... soon. He said he
would provide more detail on the so-called Intervention Brigade.
He did not mention the new drones for the MONUSCO mission pushed through
by Ladsous, despite opposition expressed to the concept by members of the
Among the questions unanswered is who will be getting the information feed
from Ladsous' drone, and more fundamentally, who gets to decide this:
Ladsous himself?
Ladsous has said he might share the intelligence with not only the MONUSCO
Force Commander but two of the regional groups also guaranteeing the
framework agreement.
Could Permanent Five members of the Security Council, or just France for
which Ladsous served as Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN during the
1994 genocide in Rwanda, get the intelligence from Ladsous?
Who sets the rules? Inner City Press has repeatedly asked this, like why
Ladsous has yet to act on his stated knowledge of the identities of the
majority of the Congolese Army November 20-22 rapes at Minova, but answers
have not been provided. Now FUNCA is asking why not.
What would Lumumba have thought and done, wonders one wag, of Ladsous and
his double role?
Relatedly, despite Ban's statements about his offiicals making public
financial disclosure, there has been no such disclosure by Ladsous -- nor by
Ban's current DRC or just MONUSCO envoy Roger Meece. Leading by example? See
video here <
http://youtu.be/uBk6C89GseI> .
The UN readout of Ban's meeting with Ethiopia's (and AU chairman) Desalegn
did not mention Abyei, where the "UN" peacekeeping mission is entirely made
up of Ethiopian troops.
Last week, Inner City Press asked the UN about the deadly clash with
Misseriya nomads in or near Abyei; days later, no response has been
provided.
There are, however, the photographs. Ah, social media. Watch this site.
Update - and when later the UN sent its transcript of Ban's press conference
in Addis, both questions were listed as "inaudible;" Ban's two responses,
full of material added in brackets, did not mention the M23 or the Kampala
talks.
Received on Mon Feb 25 2013 - 13:39:21 EST
