Impunity Watch: Africa

Brutal Rape of 11 Month Old in DRC

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo - An 11 month baby girl has died following her rape in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The alleged rapist is a twenty year old man, who faces a life sentence.

The brutal rape and death come after a Red Cross hearing in Geneva that denounced the “systematic violence” against girls and women in DR Congo.

ICRC official, Dominik Stillhart stated, “What really shocked me personally the most, was the systematic violence especially against women and girls which is producing immense suffering.”

An estimated 16,000 victims of rape, with most rape victims suffering from obstetric fistula, have been treated at the Panzi General Hospital in Bukavu alone since 2000. Furthermore, additional cases of sexual assault and rape are unlikely to be reported, due to the social stigma attached to rape and the fear of embarrassment.

Human Rights Watch has accused The United Nations Mission located in Monuc, Congo, of failing to act against widespread abuse and rape of women in the region. Presently, around 5,000 UN peacekeepers are in DR Congo to secure peace after a five-year conflict officially ended in 2002.

Presently, in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) province of Equateur, the government has imposed a nighttime curfew in the area to curb incidents of murder and rape by armed men.

For more information, please see:

BBC - DR Congo child rape victim dies  - 29 November 2007

IRIN - DRC: Campaign against sexual violence in South Kivu  - 29 November 2007

IRIN- DRC: Curfew imposed in Equateur to stem worsening insecurity  - 28 November 2007

Peacekeeping Force in Sudan Possibly Delayed

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan – Deployment of a joint UN-AU peacekeeping force to Darfur may be delayed due to several challenges in the region.  On Tuesday the head of UN peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guehenno, “complained that Sudanese government red tape and lack of resources are delaying the deployment of an international force to protect civilians in the war-stricken region of Darfur.”

The joint peacekeeping force, named UNAMID, was approved in July in order to eventually take over for the current 6,000 ill-equipped African Union forces that have been in the area since 2004.  Khartoum has put up much resistance to the force, and only accepted it on the condition that it be mostly composed of African troops.  Further demands from Khartoum have made it “impossible for the mission to operate” according to Guehenno.   The UN is still awaiting authorization for non-African troops, land for the UNAMID bases, and authorization for night flights. 

It is now five weeks before the scheduled deployment and transfer of authority to UNAMID and the UN and AU have both been facing problems getting the needed troops. The force is also short of critical mobility capabilities such as helicopters. 

Additionally, the ongoing conflict between the government and rebel groups has made things even more difficult and dangerous for those in the area.    Peace talks began in Libya on October 27 but have been boycotted by most of the rebel groups.  Jan Eliasson, the UN’s top political envoy for Darfur says the atmosphere is less positive than it was this summer and that they “will only be able to make progress if the parties show seriousness, political will, and a focused commitment to peace.” 

Violence in Darfur has displaced 30,000 people since October alone, brining this total for this year to 280,000.  Since fighting began in 2003, over 200,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million have been displaced.  On Monday, the International Crisis Group issued a report cautioning that new dynamics in Darfur could lead to an Arab insurgency, further leading to worries of increased danger.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica.com – Sudan: Darfur Fighting ‘Displaced 30,000 in October’ - 28 November 2007

BBC News – Sudan ‘blocking’ Darfur mission - 28 November 2007

LA Times – Darfur may not get peacekeeping force - 28 November 2007

Aljazeera.net – UN: Sudan blocking Darfur force - 28 November 2007

AFP – Darfur peace force delayed: UN official - 27 November 2007

For more information on the Sudan situation, please see the following Impunity Watch reports: Threat of War in Sudan; Continued Delays in Deployment of Sudan Hybrid Force;  Sudan Talks Falter; Upcoming Peace Talks in Sudan in Jeopardy; New Atrocities in Darfur; Ceasefire Ends in Sudan; African Union Peacekeepers Attacked in Darfur; Ongoing Conflict in Sudan; ICC Prosecutor Demands Arrests in Sudan; Secretary General Urges Sudan President to Commit to Ceasefire; Peace Talks on Darfur Scheduled for October 

Present Clashes in Chad

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

ABECHE, Chad- According to the Chad army, several hundred rebel fighters were killed near the eastern border. The present clashes have ended the month- long cease fire. The clashes took place near the volatile border of Sudan’s Darfur region, an area where 4,000 European Union peacekeepers are expected to be sent next year.

A rebel leader of the Union Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD) has confirmed that seventeen of his armed militants were killed. The leader also claimed that 100 government soldiers were killed in the fighting that took place in the small towns of Forchana and Hadjer Hadid, located 70 kilometers east of Abeche. The UFDD has also stated that they will abandon the peace agreement signed with the government.

A military spokesman has reported that the "partial [rebel] toll is around 50 vehicles seized, around 40 vehicles destroyed, several hundred dead and several prisoners of war."

Presently more than 60 people are being treated for combat related injuries in the hospital in Abeche. Aid workers based in Forchana have reported hearing machine gun and heavy gun fire on Monday morning. 

EU peacekeepers are hesitant to enter the region. One Chad based diplomat said, “This is a forewarning ... nobody from the EU is going to feel confident now that there has been heavy fighting.”

For more information, please see:

BBC - Hundreds Dead in Chad Fighting  - 27 November 2007

Reuters South Africa - Chad fighting points to risks of EU deployment   - 27 November 2007

Janes- Potential for renewed hostilities as Chad truce lapses  - 27 November 2007

Somali Refugees Granted Asylum

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya- More than half of Mogadishu’s population has fled the city since fighting began between forces of the transitional government backed by Ethiopian troops and Islamic insurgents. According to the UN, more than one million Somalis are homeless and nearly 200,000 have fled their home in the past two weeks alone. Many of the refugees fled to nearby Kenyan camps, despite the fact that Kenya closed its border with Somalia in January.

Two weeks ago, a group of Somali refugees flew from Mogadishu to Uganda via Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Of that group, 18 were forcibly deported back to Mogadishu without being given a chance to file for asylum according to Emmanuel Nyabera, spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR. The UNHCR was denied access to the detained women and children. The remaining refugees were held in the airport and chose to engage in a hunger strike until they were allowed into the refugee camp.

The Kenyan police believed the group were not refugees but in fact victims of a human trafficking ring. According to the airport police commander, Joseph Mumira, the group was not being deported but taken back from where they came. This past weekend a Nairobi court held the deportation of refugees to a war zone against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Later the group, which included seven women and five children, was allowed into Dadaab camp. The Muslim Human Rights Forum of Kenya condemned the deportation of the first group but applauded the government’s decision to grant asylum despite the delay.

Meanwhile on Saturday, the Kenyan police detained a group of refugees who illegally arrived through the Liboi border in two vehicles. The group of 50 Somalis were arrested and deported. 

Since the closing of the Kenyan border, hundreds of Somalis fleeing Mogadishu have been living in a makeshift camp in Doble.

For more information please see:

BBC- Hunger Strike Somalis get Asylum - 26 November 2007

Reuters: Africa- UN says Somali Asylum-Seekers let into Kenyan Camp - 26 November 2007

BBC- Somali Refugees on Hunger Strike - 21 November 2007

AllAfrica.com- High Court Reprieve for Somali Asylum Seekers - 24 November 2007

BRIEF: Kenya's Police Alleged to Have Killed Over 8,000

Photo- Police in Kenya, AFP/BBC

NAIROBI, Kenya- The Oscar Foundation Free Legal Aid Clinic has come forth claiming that the Kenyan police have killed more than 8,000 Mungiki people since 2002.  These people were executed or tortured by Kenya's General Service Unit during a crack-down on the banned Mungiki politico-religious sect in slum areas.

A Kenyan police spokesperson called the report "fictitious" and states that instead criminals are responsible for the deaths.  The Oscar Foundation, however, claims that they have "documented 8,040 cases of death by execution and torture perpetuated by state agents and another 4,070 cases of disappearance where victims remain unaccounted for in the period between August 2002 and August 2007".  The report is based on autopsy reports, relative interviews, and other records.

The Oscar Foundation report closely follows a statement by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights that linked Kenyan police to 500 Mungiki executions in the past 5 months.  It also comes out ahead of the Kenyan general election next month, where President Mwai Kibaki will seek his second term.

For more information, please see:

AFP - Lawyers say police killed 8,000 Kenyans in sect crackdown - 25 November 2007

BBC News - Kenyan police 'killed thousands' - 25 November 2007

Malaysia Sun - Kenyan police blamed for mass murders - 25 November 2007

BRIEF: Chinese Peacekeepers Not Wanted in Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan-Chinese engineers arrived on Saturday in Sudan as part of the UN peacekeepers to work alongside the African Union peacekeepers to continue security in Darfur.  The 135 engineers are supposed to implement building bridges and roads, as well as digging wells.  However, the rebel group, Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), wants the Chinese to leave Sudan and have accused the Chinese of being a culprit of the Darfur conflict.  According to Reuters, Jem leader Khalil Ibrahim stated that "we oppose them coming because China is not interested in human rights.  It is just interested in Sudan's resources.  We are calling on them to quit Sudan, especially the petroleum areas."  When asked about whether Jem would target the engineers, Ibrahim stated, "I am not saying I will attack them.  I will not say I will not attack them, what I am saying is that they are taking our oil for blood."  The rebel group has stated that they will accept peacekeepers from any other country except for China.  The President of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has stated otherwise.  The President announced that China and Pakistan were the only non-African countries he would accept.  According to the BBC, one month ago Jem attacked the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company, a Chinese-controlled consortium in Sudan's oilfields.  At that time, Jem stated that the Chinese company had one week to leave Sudan.  This conflict continues to add to the struggles in Sudan, and according to AFP "since February 2003, more than 200,000 people have died from the combined effects of the war, famine, and disease in western Sudan's Darfur region, while 2.2 million others have been left homeless."

For more information, please see:

AFP - China peacekeepers arrive in Darfur - 24 November 2007

BBC - Darfur rebels spurn Chinese force - 24 November 2007

Reuters - Darfur rebels reject new Chinese peacekeepers - 24 November 2007

Notable Progress between Mugabe and the MDC

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe- After speaking to President Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Zimbabwe’s leading opposition group, South African President Thabo Mbeki claims that significant progress has been made concerning the political crisis within the country. Mbeki has been actively mediating a solution between Mugabe and the MDC after several claims of political oppression and abuse by security forces and supporters of Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF party.

Last month, several members of the MDC were allegedly assaulted. Three MDC officials were abducted from their homes in Chipinge South. George Makuyaya, the MDC's parliamentary candidate for next year's elections was one of the three men allegedly kidnapped in the middle of the day. In another incident, Tobias Gundavakura, the MDC ward chairman for Mutare was attacked by a machete. Furthermore, the MDC claims most of its meetings have been banned without reason.

Along with concerns of political violence and sanctions, the MDC has accuse Mugabe and his government of rigging past elections. As part of the negotiations, the MDC is demanding the passage of democratic reforms for the upcoming 2008 election.

Although the negotiation talks have stalled due to missed deadlines in several months, the parties have agreed to four of the five points on the agenda. The first four agenda items were constitution, electoral laws, security legislation, and media laws. The last point which deals with the political climate, along with demilitarization of state institutions, the role of traditional chiefs, use of food aid for political benefit and foreign broadcasts into Zimbabwe, may prove to be a more “sticky” subject. However, both sides are confident the agenda will be addressed before the upcoming election.

The rise in political oppression coincides with the economic depression which has ranked the country's inflation rate at over 8,000 percent, the highest in the world. Many critics have blamed the crisis on government mismanagement but Mugabe continues to accuse the West of conspiring against him.

For more information please see:

Reuters: Africa- Mbeki Confident of Solution to Zimbabwe crisis - 23 November 2007

BBC- Mbeki Upbeat after Zimbabwe Talk - 23 November 2007

AllAfrica.com- Zimbabwe: Mbeki Pressure Mugabe - 23 November 2007

Impunity Watch- Political Oppression and Violence - 25 October 2007

Five Nigerian Men Charged with Terror Plot

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

Five Islamic Radical Nigerian men have been charged with a plot to attack Nigerian government buildings in three major cities. Three of the men had previously attended an Algerian training camp organized by an Al-Qaeda linked terror organization. The charge sheet stated that the men, all in their early thirties, "did conspire to commit terrorist acts."

This is the first conviction to be brought against suspected Nigerian militants. In the past, there was not enough substantive evidence to bring an indictment against suspected militants. Moreover, Nigeria has not suffered a terrorist attack from a group affiliated with an outside terrorist network like al-Qaida.

Between 2005 and 2007, three of the accused men trained with the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). In January 2007, the GSPC renamed itself the Islamic Maghreb after receiving authorization from Osama Bin Laaden to name itself as an Al-Queda affiliate. 

According the authorities the five militants were in possession of a rifle, live ammunition, seven sticks of dynamite, a bag of fertilizer and other explosives when detained.

The U.S. Embassy warned in September that Western interests in Nigeria were at risk of "a terrorist attack."

For more information, please see:

VOA news - Suspected al-Qaida Terrorists Face Trial in Nigeria - 23 November 2007

Reuters Africa - Nigeria charges Islamist suspects with "terrorism" - 23 November 2007

BBC – Five Nigerians on Terror Charges  - 23 November 2007

Riots Hit Dakar

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

DAKAR, Sengal-   In Dakar, the capital of Senegal, rioters threw stones and burned tyres in response to a new government policy to remove vendors.  Rioters also blocked main streets and toppled cars. The clash broke out following a trade union demonstration against rising food and oil prices. Garbage cans, old tyres, and wooden stalls were lit on fire to gain attention to the riots.

In response, police fired tear gas at hundreds of protesting street vendors. Moreover, the police arrested at least 15 people involved in the riot.

In Dakar, thousands of people earn their livelihood by peddling food and goods on Dakar’s streets.  In a recent study, the World Bank said 95 percent of workers in Senegal are found in the informal sector.

Last Thursday, new policy by President Abdoulaye Wade banned thousands of street vendors from informal trading in the city. These new laws were passed because uncontrolled street vending had cost Senegal around 125m Euros because traffic jams were deterring investors.

In March, Dakar is to host a 57 nation Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit. In an attempt, to meet the needs of the organizers, the city has undergone a major “facelift,” by building new hotels, conference rooms, bridges and roads.

According to the UN Human Development Index, Senegal is grouped in the bottom 20 of the world's poorest countries. More than 27.5 percent of Senegal's employable population have no jobs or are not adequately employed.

For more informaton, please see:

Reuters - Worst riots in years hit Senegalese capital    - 21 November 2007

BBC - Street vendors riot in Senegal  - 21 November 2007

IC Publications - Senegal vendors riot in Dakar over ban  - 21 November 2007

One Million Displaced in Somalia

Displaced persons camp south of Mogadishu – CNN

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees  (UNHCR) announced today that the number of displaced people in Somalia has hit a “staggering” one million.   About sixty percent, or 600,000 people are thought to have fled the capital of Mogadishu since February, with nearly 200,000 being displaced in the last two weeks alone. The total population is approximately 8.8 million according to the most recent World Almanac.

Citizens have been forced out of their homes due to a renewed conflict between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian-backed government forces.  The UNHCR has stated that those who have fled may end up living in desperate conditions.  Those in the Afgooye area, about 30km from Mogadishu, are “using plastic bags and rags to patch up their flimsy mud and straw huts.” 

Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in December of last year in an effort to drive the Islamic Courts Union out of Mogadishu and to establish and restore the UN-backed transitional government.  Following the invasion, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi promised his troops would remain for only a few weeks, however they have yet to leave and have become involved in a guerilla-type conflict.  Islamists responded to the invasion by launching an insurgency against the Somali government and Ethiopian troops. 

Meanwhile, Ethiopia is calling on the UN Security Council to deploy peacekeepers to Somalia.  The African Union previously pledged 8,000 troops to assist the weak government, however to date only 1,500 Ugandan troops have arrived. 

The increased violence and instability in the region has prompted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to rule out sending any peacekeepers to the Horn of Africa, except for a “coalition of the willing.”  On Monday, the Security Council admitted that there is a need for a contingency plan for possible deployment of UN troops, but gave no promises.  Previous peacekeeping efforts by the UN and the US were extremely unsuccessful and disastrous in the mid-1990s and Somalia has since had a difficult time getting assistance. 

For more information, please see:

CNN – Million displaced in Somalia - 20 November 2007

BBC News – ‘One million’ homeless in Somalia - 20 November 2007

Reuters Africa – Number of displaced Somalis hits 1 million - 20 November 2007

AFP – Ethiopia urges quick deployment of peacekeepers in Somalia - 20 November 2007

VOA News – Tensions Grow in Somalia - 20 November 2007