American and Swedish experts for the United Nations, Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalan, were killed in the Congo on March 12th along with their interpreter Betu Tshintela. “The United Nations frequently engages experts under individual contracts to work on short-term projects either as a consultant or an individual contractor”according to the United Nations. These experts were looking into an alleged human rights violation by the Congolese army and militia group according to the AP. They were investigating alleged mass graves.
On Friday March 31st at a noon briefing at the United Nations by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, a reporter pressed this topic. “There’s an AP story datelined “Beni” about the Democratic Republic of the Congo that says that a third person, the interpreter, Betu Tshintela, was found with the two panel of expert members. Maybe this story was erroneous, but I just wanted to know from you, what’s the UN’s understanding of Mr. Betu Tshintela’s status?” the reporter asked. The story that he is referring to by the AP states that, “it is possible to identify the bodies as the two U.N. experts and their interpreter as being found near the Moyo River.”
Haq’s response to the reporter’s question served little insight. Haq said that ultimately it is not the United Nations place to confirm the report, but for the Congolese authorities who are investigating. The reporter asked a follow up question after Haq’s brief response asking if the United Nations had actually been to the site and who found the bodies. Haq said that the bodies were found by the Congolese and MONUSCO members, and that the reporter would need to ask the Congolese authorities.
Haq’s response to this question in particular felt curtailed and left the reporter visibly upset. He was shaking his head back and forth as he attempted to ask multiple follow up questions. The response from Haq left me feeling like the United Nations is sweeping these deaths under the rug and not protecting their own workers or even investigating their deaths.