United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon names retired Dutch general to head Gaza war inquiry

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon names retired Dutch general to head Gaza war inquiry

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday named a retired Dutch general to head an inquiry into attacks on United Nations facilities during Israel's recent war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and the use of UN sites to store weapons.

UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters the investigation would be "an internal and independent United Nations Headquarters Board of Inquiry into certain incidents that occurred in the Gaza Strip between July 8 and August 26, 2014."

The world body has said that tens of thousands of dwellings were damaged or destroyed in 50 days of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants, and 108,000 people were left homeless in an impoverished, isolated territory.

In one incident, more than a dozen people were killed at a UN school during Israeli shelling. Israel has cited militants' use of UN facilities to store rockets as a reason for targeting them.

Haq said Patrick Cammaert, a retired Dutch general and former force commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, will head the investigation.

Other inquiry members will be Maria Vicien-Milburn of Argentina, Lee O'Brien of the United States, Pierre Lemelin of Canada and KC Reddy of India.

On the mandate of the investigation, Haq said "it will review and investigate a number of specific incidents in which death or injuries occurred at, and/or damage was done to United Nations premises.

"The Board will also review and investigate incidents in which weapons were found to be present on United Nations premises," he added. "The Secretary-General expects that the Board will enjoy the full cooperation of all parties concerned."

Israel's military in September opened five criminal investigations into its Gaza war operations, including attacks that killed four Palestinian children on a beach and 17 people at a UN school.

An estimated 20,000 homes were badly damaged or destroyed in the fighting and Gaza's power station and other major infrastructure were hit. Rebuilding could take years.

More than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed during the Gaza war. Sixty-seven Israeli soldiers and six civilians in Israel were killed by rockets and attacks by the militants aligned with Hamas, the group that controls the Gaza Strip.

Protect the Future of U.N Peacekeeping

PROTECT THE FUTURE OF U.N PEACEKEEPING

On a Friday in early October -- amid a flood of news on ISIL and an escalating Ebola crisis -- it might have been easy to miss this headline: Nine United Nations Peacekeepers were ambushed and killed by gunmen in Mali. Less than a week later, another Peacekeeper in Mali was killed in a rocket attack. However, much as these tragedies may seem part of peacekeeping's inherent risks, they were more than just a couple stories amid a mass of troubling news.

The ambush, the deadliest single attack on the force in its year and a half on the ground, represents the next chapter in a troubling trend. Thirty-one peacekeepers have been killed in Mali since the operation first deployed in July 2013, and ninety more have been wounded -- making it the deadliest place in the world for UN Peacekeepers. Attacks have come in the forms of improvised explosive devices, landmines, suicide attacks, and as was most recently the case, ambushes by gunmen.

In the past several years, especially as threats from global terrorists have risen in places like Mali and the Central African Republic, UN Peacekeeping has been sent to tackle some of the most dangerous missions in its nearly 70-year history. Perhaps it is unsurprising, then, that just in the past five years, violent attacks against UN personnel have increased by nearly 20 percent.

The landscape of Peacekeeping is clearly changing. Blue helmets are not regarded with the same political neutrality they once were. Peacekeeping is more dangerous than ever for roughly 120,000 men and women serving in 16 missions around the world, and we must take measures to protect them.

Presently, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is initiating a Strategic Review of Peacekeeping, a process which all member states -- most especially the U.S. -- should embrace and utilize as an opportunity to close dangerous gaps in security. The review is slated to address six critical needs that would define UN peacekeeping, all of which would contribute to improved safety, either directly or indirectly. They include: improving rapid deployment; creating greater mobility; strengthening medical support; enhancing information and analysis; augmenting expertise on organized crime; partnering with regional organizations; and notably, specifically improving protection for peacekeepers.

These goals should be a rallying cry for member states to prioritize the safety of the UN's men and women putting boots on the ground, and it is heartening that the Administration, through Vice President Biden, has signed on as an early backer. During September's UN General Assembly meeting, the Vice President convened a gathering of 30 UN member states to secure new commitments of funding and troops to support the Secretary-General's Strategic Review.

As Biden said then, "When we ask them to do more than ever, that is the Peacekeepers, in even more difficult and more dangerous environments, we owe them more. The result is that peacekeeping is under greater strain than it ever has been... We are already making contributions, all of us. But we can and should do more together, and we can do it, in our view, more effectively. That's why the United States, Mr. Secretary-General, welcomes the comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations that you have put forward."

This conversation must continue with concrete benchmarks for the Reform's progress, or the consequences will be severe. Additionally, troop and funding commitments must be paired with the right tools, including: information analysis from the ground on threat assessments; proven technologies that enable 24-hour surveillance, such as Unarmed Unmanned Arial Vehicles and night vision to monitor insurgents when they are most likely to move; armored vehicles; counter-narcotics and organized crime units to prevent the financing of terrorist organizations; and helicopters that can move forces, food, and aid to the populations who desperately need them.

With all that of course comes a necessary training component, as well as requisite levels of funding. As it stands now, the U.S. is in danger of not paying its full share of peacekeeping dues unless Congress acts to address the current law on peacekeeping assessment rates. As the American public has made clear for years, fully honoring our peacekeeping dues needs to be a priority for Congress and the Administration.

Simply put, UN member states, must create an environment in which Peacekeepers have the tools and resources to best protect themselves. If we cannot make peacekeeping safer, then we cannot ensure that top troop-contributing countries will see fit to provide the human capital fundamental to protecting civilians who are in desperate need of peacekeepers.

There was once a time when the blue helmet carried with it a globally unique sense of neutrality and authority that was both literally and figuratively enough protection to carry out a mandate. Those days are clearly coming to a close, and the UN and its members -- U.S. included -- need to prepare.

At Brussels conference, Ban spotlights crisis in Central African Republic

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) with Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, during the fourth European Union-Africa summit, taking place in Brussels, Belgium. UN Photo/Evan Schneider

AT BRUSSELS CONFERENCE, BAN SPOTLIGHTS CRISIS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

2 April 2014 – Stating that the world failed to stop the Central African Republic’s slide “into a grave political, economic and humanitarian crisis,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged African and European leaders meeting in Brussels to act quickly to end the killing, protect civilians and prevent further inter-communal strife, including through the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force.

“We have not made the difference that we promised we would make – to prevent the preventable,” Mr. Ban told the High-Level Meeting of the European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) on the crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR).

He noted that after a year of largely continuous violence, the situation in the country remains “highly volatile” with the people suffering “grave deplorable atrocities” and in desperate need of assistance.

Mr. Ban has been at the EU headquarters in Brussels since yesterday, holding a series of meetings with political leaders on a host of issues. At today’s CAR-focused talks, he said the people of the crisis-torn country need support in a number of critical areas and that the international community has a collective responsibility to respond.

Thousands of people are believed to have been killed, and 2.2 million, about half the population of CAR, need humanitarian aid as a result of the conflict that began in December 2012, when mainly Muslim Séléka rebels launched attacks.

More than 650,000 people are still internally displaced, and over 290,000 have fled to neighbouring countries in search of refuge from the conflict, which has taken on increasingly sectarian overtones.

On the current security situation, Mr. Ban said that killings, targeted attacks and other atrocious human rights violations continue in a context of total impunity. Genocide was avoided in large measure because of the mass exodus of minorities to areas where they felt they were safe – with their own people.

Commending the AU-led peacekeepers (MISCA) and the French peacekeeping operation known as Sangaris for their efforts to restore peace and security, he warned: “They are under-resourced and overwhelmed. Reinforcements are needed right away.”

The next priority for the international community is to provide assistance to the CAR’s Transitional Government, which needs help in getting police, judges, prison guards and others back on the job.

The Head of State of the Transition, President Catherine Samba-Panza, is committed to restoring State authority, Mr. Ban noted. “But with no budget, her abilities are sharply constrained. Funding for humanitarian aid is also falling short of the amounts needed and of pledges made, with only 20 per cent of the resources received,” he added.

The final priority action area will be to ensure an inclusive political process. “Community and religious leaders have an important role to play. The people of the CAR must see that accountability applies to all – that the rule of law matters no matter who they are or what they believe, from leaders to individual combatants,” declared the UN chief.

While the international community had not made the difference that it had promised, “today, with even modest support, we have the opportunity to reverse course and help ensure that the people of the CAR can enjoy the fruits of their country’s natural riches and re-establish the coexistence that has been their proud history,” said Mr. Ban.

Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting following his talks with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, the Secretary-General recalled the recommendations he presented last month to the UN Security Council to transform MISCA into a UN peacekeeping operation.

“But this will take time. Meanwhile, I have a plan to address immediate needs,” Mr. Ban told the press, pledging to do everything possible to improve the international response towards ending the violence. “We also need to get more aid through,” he pleaded, adding that there is hope for the people of CAR to stabilize, rebuild and develop their country, provided they receive the necessary help.

Answering a reporter’s question on the scope of the recommended UN peacekeeping force for CAR, the Secretary-General said: “I have recommended that at least, we need to have 10,000 military personnel, 1,800 police officers and 20 correctional officers. This is within 12,000 altogether. I hope the Security Council will approve my recommendation as soon as possible. My expectation is that the Security Council may take action early next week.”

Mr. Ban expressed appreciation to several European countries, such as Denmark and Finland, who have generously offered to provide additional financial support to help pay the salaries of CAR Government officials, as well as to the EU for its $30 million to help with institution building.

During their meeting, Mr. Barroso and Mr. Ban also reviewed developments in Mali, the broader Sahel, the Africa’s Great Lakes region, and discussed global challenges, such as climate change.

“I fully support the visionary commitment of the European Union to reduce by 40 per cent greenhouse gases by 2030. I hope the European Union will lead this campaign and agree on this vision at the forthcoming June summit meeting so that they can come with a very ambitious target to the climate change meeting that I am going to convene on September 23 this year,” the UN chief said, adding that the EU’s leadership is needed on this matter.

source: http://www.un.org/News/ 

United Nations proposes 12,000-strong force for Central African Republic

UNITED NATIONS PROPOSES 12,000-STRONG FORCE FOR CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

United Nations (United States) U.N Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recommended Monday deploying nearly 12,000 peacekeepers in Central African Republic to reestablish Law & order in a country that has erupted in chaos and sectarian killing.

The former French colony was thrown into turmoil after rebels from the mainly Muslim Seleka group seized power in a March 2013 coup, triggering Muslim-Christian violence that has left thousands dead and prompted fears of genocide and ethnic cleansing.

In a report to the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council, Ban specified that the peacekeeping mission should focus, in the initial stage, on "the protection of civilians" as part of a "military surge."

However, Ban warned that "the scale of the needs in the CAR is daunting" and it is understood that even in the best case, UN peacekeepers couldn't be deployed for another six months because of the time required mounting such an operation.

The mandate of the proposed force would be progressively expanded to support the political transition process, in particular restoring the government's authority over the country and organizing elections. The peacekeeping force would also be charged with safeguarding the delivery of humanitarian aid, the respect of human rights and the return of the estimated quarter of the country's 4.6 million people displaced by the violence.

"It is envisaged that the strength of the peacekeeping operation would comprise up to 10,000 troops and 1,820 police personnel," and include logistical and transport support, such as helicopters, the report explained. The deployment would be rolled out in stages.

In the report "To deal with immediate security needs, there will be an initial surge of military personnel and corresponding military enablers,".

"Police will also be phased in and, as the security environment improves, should eventually replace the bulk of the initial military surge capacity," first in the capital, Bangui, and then in the provinces. Little by little, a large civilian component would be added, though the report does not specify exact numbers.

These civilians administrators, engineers, rights observers and lawyers will be charged with helping organize elections, promoting national reconciliation and rebuilding a national government that hasn't been effective for months and which no longer provides essential services for the population.

- 'Dramatic deterioration'

Ban said that he was "deeply concerned about the dramatic deterioration of the situation" in CAR and paid tribute to French and African forces for "their dedication and courage to implement their mandates."

An African Union-led force, MISCA, nearly 6,000-strong, is already engaged on the ground, as are 2,000 French soldiers from its Sangaris operation.

"In spite of the progressive effectiveness of MISCA and Sangaris, the current deployment of international security forces is not sufficient, and lacks the civilian component," Ban said in the report.

"To address the current situation of violence and impunity, a military response alone will not be sufficient, no matter how robust," he added, calling for police forces to help protect civilians. The report gives no figures on the cost for such an operation, but a UN official said it would come to between $500 and $800 million a year.

The Security Council will now be able to work on a draft resolution that would give a green light to the peacekeeping force Ban is requesting. France hopes to submit a text to its partners before the end of the month.

The African Union would also have to accept turning over the reins of its operation to the United Nations: it is expected that most of the 6,000 MISCA troops would become UN peacekeepers. Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza said there was no chance of bringing rapid stability to the Central African Republic without "massive support and assistance from the international community."

United Nations wants 3,000 more troops for CAR African Republic

Victims of Christian-Muslim violence gather at the Mpoko refugee camp in Bangui, Central African Republic, on February 20, 2014. Hundreds of thousands of people have also been displaced by the brutal surge of killings, mutilations, rapes and looting. (AFP photo / Fred Dufour)

United Nations wants 3,000 more troops for CENTRAL African Republic

UNITED NATIONS: U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to the international community to send an additional 3,000 troops and police to Central African Republic to combat worsening sectarian violence until a likely UN peacekeeping force is established.

He told the United Nation Security Council he would shortly report to the 15-member body with a recommendation for a U.N peacekeeping force with a robust mandate to protect civilians and promote stability in the landlocked former French colony.

Ban, who has said he is gravely concerned the violence could spiral into genocide, warned that a “de facto partition” of the country was setting in. At least 2,000 people have been killed and some 700,000 have been displaced since December.

“The deployment of a peacekeeping operation, if authorized, will take months. The people of the Central African Republic do not have months to wait,” he said. “The international community must act decisively now.”

Ban proposed that an international force of African, French and European troops be increased by a third within weeks to 12,000 soldiers and police. The force would bridge a gap of up to six months until a UN peacekeeping force, if approved by the Security Council, could be established in the country.

“The security requirements far exceed the capabilities of the number of international troops now deployed,” Ban said. “I call for the rapid reinforcement with additional deployments of at least 3,000 more troops and police.”

The bridging force should focus on containing the violence, protecting civilians, preventing more displacements, creating a secure environment for aid delivery, and laying the groundwork for the handover to a UN force as soon as possible, he said.

United Nation aid chief Valerie Amos said on Thursday she had been shocked by what she had seen during a three-day visit to the poor nation at the heart of Africa. “There are not enough troops on the ground,” Amos told a news conference in Bangui, after returning from a trip to the north of the country.

French United Nations Ambassador Gerard Araud said French and African forces had started to stabilize the situation.

“The priority today: What we are going to do in the coming months to try to alleviate the suffering of the Central African people?” he said. “The secretary-general made some proposals. The Security Council is going to have a look at them.”

The European Union is already deploying 1,000 soldiers to join 6,000 African and 2,000 French troops, who have struggled to stop the fighting sparked when the mostly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power a year ago in the majority Christian state.

“I am grateful for these commitments. But more are needed, quickly, and the wider international community must share the burden,” said Ban, who also proposed that the international troops all be brought under a coordinated command.

Ban also proposed that the African Union force be provided with logistical and financial support, including rations, water and fuel, estimating that such a “bare essentials” package would cost $38 million for six months.

African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security Smail Chergui welcomed the call for financial support for African troops.

Ban said urgent financial support was also needed to help the Central African Republic government “get police back on the streets, judges back in the courtrooms, and prison guards back on the job.” He said Denmark and Norway had already pledged money for this aspect of his initiative.

“We have the power to stop the killing and save the Central African Republic from its current nightmare,” Ban said.

UN Urges Reinforcements for Central African Republic

UNITED NATIONS URGES REINFORCEMENTS FOR CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Thursday for the rapid deployment of at least 3,000 additional troops and police to conflict-wracked Central African Republic to prevent further religious killings that have forced almost one million people to flee their homes and are partitioning the country into Muslim and Christian areas.

That would bring the international forces in the country to more than 11,000.

Ban's call followed an appeal for more troops by United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos at the end of a three-day visit to the country earlier Thursday.

She told reporters she and her colleagues "were shocked by what we saw" in the remote town of Bossangoa, which has been at the epicenter of the fighting between the country's Muslim minority and the nation's Christian majority. She said tensions between communities are high and people fear for their lives.

Ban paid tribute to the nearly 6,000 African Union peacekeepers and 1,600 French troops in the country, but told the United Nations Security Council that the requirements to restore security to the lawless country "far exceed" their capabilities and the 500 troops promised by the European Union.

The secretary-general said he will soon be recommending a United Nations peacekeeping operation with "a robust mandate" to take over peacekeeping duties in the country. But the U.N. deployment will take months and "the people of Central African Republic don't have months to wait," he said.

Ban therefore called for reinforcement of the AU and French troops with additional deployments of at least 3,000 more troops and police "in the coming days and weeks," equipped with aircraft to operate wherever required.

He said French President Francois Hollande has pledged an additional 400 troops, the EU has said it will double its contingent to 1,000, and the AU will propose an expansion of its force.

But Ban said more troops and police are needed urgently "and the wider international community must share the burden." United Nations officials say they are privately hoping that European countries will provide even more troops and police.

The secretary-general called for "a coordinated command" for the AU, French and EU contingents that would focus on containing the violence, protecting civilians, providing security to deliver humanitarian aid to over 2.5 million people more than half the 4.6 million population and prepare for the handover to a United Nations peacekeeping force "as soon as possible."

He also urged that African troops joining the force be provided with logistical and financial support, estimating this would cost $38 million for six months.

Central African Republic, long one of the world's poorest and most unstable countries, plunged deeper into chaos nearly a year ago when the Muslim rebels from the north invaded the capital and overthrew the president of a decade. The rebels pillaged neighborhoods, raping and killing people with impunity for months, giving rise to the Christian militia. Those fighters attempted a coup in early December, and violence between the two communities exploded in the days that followed.

The president installed by the Muslim rebels has since gone into exile, and a nascent civilian government is attempting to restore order.

The United Nations Chief painted a grim picture of the country, saying "it is a calamity with a strong claim on the conscience of humankind."