UN Calls NYPD On Congo Staffer They Used Against Rebels, "UN Put My Family in Danger"

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 9 -- While the UN Security Council held consultations Monday about its peacekeeping mission's involvement in the armed conflict between rebel groups and the Congolese Army, a related but more personal drama played out just outside the UN on First Avenue.

The UN summoned New York City police officers to deal with John Dimandja Wembalonge. John C. Fernandez of the NYPD's Threat Assessment Unit counseled Mr. Dimandja to "stay away from the UN," following an e-mail Dimandja had sent to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, reproduced in full below.

In it and related correspondence to the UN, Dimandja explained that he was a national staff member of the UN Mission in the Congo who had fled death threats after helping the UN disarm rebels in Ituri in Eastern Congo.

Now Dimandja's family remains in the region at risk. "The UN is doing nothing," Dimandja told Inner City Press on First Avenue on Monday night. He said that the chief of the UN's Department of Field Services Susana Malcorra had, though an intermediary named Cedrick, told him to bring in his internal UN employment file, called at PHP, that perhaps a job could be found for him in New York and then his family brought.

"But that will be too late," Dimandja told Inner City Press, and Officer Fernandez.

According to Dimandja, while working for the UN in Ituri he was sent in to meeting of Lendu militias to convince them to disarm..Dimandja took pictures and video, and had, he says, much success in disarmament. But when militia leader Mathieu Ngudjolo was indicted for war crimes, Dimandja's video footage put him in danger.

"They were trying to kill anyone who had taken pictures," he told Inner City Press. Who? "The militias had become soldiers in the Congolese Army," he said. It was the same government soldiers who the UN assists who were trying to kill him.

UN disarmament meeting in Ituri, protection of UN national staff not shown

Dimandja says a UN official, Philip Toulet, advised him to pay a bribe to Congolese police, and to get paperwork to flee to the U.S. and seek asylum. He arrived in New York a year ago, and went straight to UN headquarters. He says the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, ostensibly in charge of investigations, referred him to the staff counsel. He got nowhere, and lacking the funds to stay in New York City, he went upstate to Rochester for three months.

Since being back in New York, he has sought to meet with Ban Ki-moon. But his e-mails, culminating in a threat to step in front of Ban's motorcade, resulted only in interventions by NYPD. "Stay away from the UN," Officer Fernandez advised him Monday night. "Perhaps this gentleman can help you." Here's hoping.

Some of Dimandja's e-mails

Subject: Urgent
From: John Dimandja
Date: Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 12:51 PM
To: Ban Ki-moon, Susana Malcorra, DSG Migiro

Dear Mr. Secretary General

Good afternoon, I am John Dimandja UN staff from MONUC, I would like to bring up to your attention that I have not a way to contact you due to multiple obstructions on your way, have prevented me to meet with you, and the New York local police is already informed about the plan that I am going to make very soon for meeting you.

Dear Sir, I am going to stop your vehicle everywhere I can, in way to put myself in contact with you, it will appear like a terrorist act but I am not a terrorist I am UN staff's member who is looking for a very urgent assistance.

The reason I am writing this mail to you is to inform you in advance that this will surely happen, you are kindly recommended to inform your security body about it, if they gunshot on me believe that you kill your own staff member, please be advised that this E-mail is copied to the local police of New York City in charge of the UN premises security (17 precinct community affairs New York, NY 10022) The way to avoid this sad event is to respond promptly to my request of appointment.

I would like again to inform you, Mr. Secretary General that my family is living day after day in a permanent danger and in fear of death because the community of rebels that wanted to kill me had his base in UGANDA this is the reason why my family is hidden in UGANDA.

I am expecting to hear very soon from you

Best regards

John Dimandja.