General suspended for the cover-up of crimes during the operations

[Spiffor]

At last our generals must hold some accountability for their actions Sure, the gesture is political, as we try not to piss of the locals, but it's a nice change of pace.

A broad inquiry about the situation in Ivory Coast uncovers, among other things, the death of one of our prisoners, and the fact that Gen. Poncet, then leader of the military operation, tried to cover it up.

Not only has the guy been suspended, he's been publically suspended, and that news gets discussed in France. That's quite new: for a long time, military issues barely belonged to the public opinion, unless they were huge. And the military was known for its secrecy.

It is also surprising (and bold) that the minister of defense decided to punish the general, instead of scapegoating the lowliest grunt involved in the matter. When I'm reading these news, I'm thinking that maybe democracy does mean something

From the BBC:

French suspend general over death
The former commander of French troops in Ivory Coast has been suspended for allegedly covering up the death of an Ivorian held by French forces.

Gen Henri Poncet and two other soldiers - who were also suspended - committed "serious breaches" of military law and orders, the defence ministry said.

The death occurred in May, when the three were stationed in Ivory Coast as part of France's peacekeeping mission.

Gen Poncet commanded the force from May 2004 to June this year.

The 4,000-strong French contingent, supported by UN troops, is enforcing a fragile truce between northern rebels and the government.

The country has been divided in half since the rebels tried to overthrow President Laurent Gbagbo in September 2002.

[MrFun]

Re: General suspended for the cover-up of crimes during the operations

Originally posted by Spiffor
When I'm reading these news, I'm thinking that maybe democracy does mean something

It means you can eat all the canned spinach you would ever want to eat!

[Spiffor]

I'm surprised at the lack of reaction. A general suspended over the death of a common criminal, and nobody here cares? I didn't know you guys were so used to something like that.

[Cyclotron]

Well, doesn't "suspended" imply something temporary? He's not being dishonorably discharged or anything.

[VetLegion]

First, how come they only suspend the general and the grunts. Isn't there supposed to be a command chain between them? Or did it happen this way: grunts commit the crime -> their officers react -> general covers up?

Secondly, has anyone in the French army ever been tried for command responsibility?

[Spiffor]

Indeed. But it's already quite a ruckus for merely covering up the death of a common criminal. Especially since it is publicly done, and made big news in France.

It does really change from the secrecy that we expect from our military, and above all, it is a huge change with the old times, when the only moment a general was held "accountable" is when he actively hurt the interests of the government.

Somebody posited that this evolution shows how France slowly adapts to the role of its military as a peacekeeping force. To the fact that the unstable areas under our protection are not outright war zones, and as such rules have to be respected.

It is quite a progression IMO, and it might seriously help us being an effective peacekeeping force.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by VetLegion
Secondly, has anyone in the French army ever been tried for command responsibility?

I think the last time sothing like that happened was when the attempted putschists were tried, after the Algeria war.

Though there is currently another general being grilled, for his lack of protection of the civilian population during a massacre in Bosnia.

[Cyclotron]

While I'm not surprised, and rather cynical that he'll really take the fall for this (though I don't know the situation very well), but increasing accountability for the military's actions is always a positive development.

[Tattila the Hun]

J'Accuse!

[Theben]

Originally posted by Tattila the Hun
J'Accuse!

[Dinner]

So how did the prisoner die?

[Spiffor]

Le Monde doesn't know, and neither do I

However, it basically transpires that the military consistently lied on this matter, claiming self-defense (i.e., that it happened during the peacekeeping), whereas the inquiry now shows that he died while in captivity.

The inquiry isn't complete yet, which is why the general and the soldiers haven't undergone an actual trial yet. I suspect the inquiry will reveal the exact circumstances of this death, and not only the fact that the army lied.

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by Oerdin
So how did the prisoner die?

From what I red in the Figaro, it seems that he was killed by a platoon when he was attempting to escape in a forest. The report made by the officer commanding the platoon included a lie (the shooting was not done in self-defence as stated), and was covered by the officer commanding the batalion, then by the general commanding Licorne.

[Pekka]

I've found the fact that it's always french when there's new scandal on UN peacekeepers raping and running child prostitution rings, making the sex crimes actually more frequent than the local thugs can do.

Nice job

[Dinner]

Now, now, the African peace keepers are also well known for rape and child prostitution.