10 Oct 2012

UN / MALI

The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights today said that what was needed inMaliwas "for the government to take control over rebel controlled area and an organization of a credible election." UNTV

Posted at: October 10, 2012 4:05 pm

Duration: 02:46

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: UN / MALI
TRT: 2.46
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 10 OCTOBER 2012, NEW YORK

SHOTLIST:

FILE – 2011, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters

10 OCTOBER 2012, NEW YORK

2. Wide shot, Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights briefing journalists
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, United Nations:
"The situation is hard, it is difficult both in North and in South. A government of national unity is a step forward and what is quite needed is for the government to take control over rebel controlled area and an organization of a credible election. The sooner those processes are over the better for the country."
4. Cutaway, journalists listening
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, United Nations:
"The situation is very bad the pattern of human rights violations is changing. During the first phase we had violations that were related to rebels taking control. They included summary execution of the captured soldiers; instances of looting, of rapes. However what is new now is that Human rights violations are becoming more systematic. It's related to take over of the radical Islamists."
6. Cutaway, journalist listening
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, United Nations:
"It is frightening to hear that lists are being compiled of women who are either pregnant or have children and they're not married and we do not know what is going to happen to them."
8. Cutaway, journalist
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, United Nations:
"If the United Nations are going to be taking part in any sort of support they have to abide to principle of Human Rights Due Diligence Policy requiring that  United Nations can support security forces whether national forces or whether foreign forces only if we are speaking of forces that are respecting human rights."
10. Cutaway, journalists at press conference 
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, United Nations:
"Government and some other civil society actors such as Islamic Council are communicating to some forces in North, especially to Malian rebels in North trying to decouple them from the radical Islamists who are coming from elsewhere and who are under string influence of Al-Qaida."
12. Cutaway, two journalists listening
13. Wide shot, Ivan Simonovic ends conference

STORYLINE:

The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights today said that what was needed in Mali was "for the government to take control over rebel controlled area and an organization of a credible election."

Ivan Simonovic told journalist today (10 October) at the United Nations (UN) that "the sooner those processes are over the better for the country".

Simonovic  who recently concluded a four-day visit to Mali, cited ongoing human rights abuses in the northern part of the country, he said that the "situation is very bad."

During the first phase of the conflict the human rights violations were mostly related to a rebel takeover. They included summary executions of soldiers, instances of looting, and rapes. However, Simonovic said that what is new now was that Human rights violations were becoming more systematic", and that was due to a radical Islamic take over in the North.

Highlighting the plight of women in Mali, he cited  talks of secret lists being compiled with names of women who were "either pregnant or have children and they're not married and we do not know what is going to happen to them".

Responding to the possibility of the Security Council approving a mandate for ECOWAS to assist the Malian government with troops,  Simonovic said, "If the United Nations are going to be taking part in any sort of support they have to abide to principle of Human Rights Due Diligence Policy requiring that  United Nations can support security forces whether national forces or whether foreign forces only if we are speaking of forces that are respecting human rights."

Commenting on the possibilities of dialogue, he said that government and some other civil society actors were communicating with some forces in north, trying to "decouple them from the radical Islamists who are coming from elsewhere and who are under string influence of Al-Qaida".

Fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels broke out in northern Mali in January. The instability and insecurity resulting from the renewed clashes, as well as the proliferation of armed groups in the region, drought and political instability in the wake of a military coup d'état in March, have led over 250,000 Malians to flee to neighboring countries, with 174,000 Malians estimated to be internally displaced.

Filed under MALI Sahel.