UN: Humanitarian Aid Halted by Israeli Fuel Embargo

UN: Humanitarian Aid Halted by Israeli Fuel Embargo

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

GAZA CITY, Gaza – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warned that its fuel supplies will run out on April 24 unless it receives fresh petrol supplies.  UNRWA chief in Gaza, John Ging, said that Israel must supply gasoline to Gaza immediately or the UN will not be able to distribute necessary food aid to Gaza residents.

Ging said that the supply of fuel from Israel to Gaza has been “totally inadequate” for 10 months until it was finally halted two weeks ago. “The devastating humanitarian impact is entirely predictable,” he said.

“Neither UNRWA nor the World Food Programme… will be able to resume food distribution until they receive diesel for the trucks involved in transporting the food,” Ging said.  A shortage of diesel and petrol means UN food assistance to 650,000 Palestinian refugees will stop today, and aid from the World Food Programme for another 127,000 Palestinians due in the coming days will also be halted.

It addition to affecting the distribution of food aid, the blockade also creates a health care crisis.  According to the lack of fuel, 20 percent of ambulances out of commission and another 60 percent with less than a week’s worth of fuel.  The Palestinian Red Crescent Society, operating on limited fuel reserves, has reduced its services to emergency cases.

Ging added that “laundry services at the largest hospital, Shifa, have been cut by 50 percent and we all know what that means in terms of public health.”  In addition, doctors and health care professionals face difficulties getting to work because of the halt of public transportation.

The Israeli-imposed blockade, following the Hamas takeover of Gaza, prevents exports and allows in only limited supplies of food, fuel and aid.  A complete petrol blockade began on April 9, following a Palestinian attack on the main fuel terminal at Nahal Oz.

On April 22, the deputy head of the energy department in Gaza, Kanaan Obeid warned that Gaza’s sole power plant would shut down within the next 30 hours.  On April 23, Israel permitted one million liters of diesel fuel to be delivered directly to the power plant, averting its closure.  The fuel will be sufficient to power the plant for three days.

Commenting on the blockade, Robert Serry, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East, said “the collective punishment of the population of Gaza, which has been instituted for months now, has failed.”  He added that the recent Palestinian attacks against crossing points into Gaza, saying they were “deeply disturbing.”

Serry appealed to Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups to end these attacks.  “These attacks endanger both international and Israeli civilians, and cannot possibly contribute to Palestinian efforts to ease the blockade of Gaza. On the contrary, they serve only to deepen and prolong it,” he said.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Gaza Fuel Embargo “Block UN Aid” – 24 April 2008

Guardian – Fuel Shortage Forces UN to Halt Food Handouts in Gaza – 24 April 2008

AFP – Fuel Shortage Could Halt Gaza Food Distribution: UN – 23 April 2008

BBC – Israel Resumes Gaza Fuel Supplies – 23 April 2008

Human Rights Watch – Gaza Fuel Cuts: Civilians Pay the Price – 23 April 2008

International Herald Tribune – UN Warns that Food Distribution will Halt Unless Israel Supplies Diesel – 23 April 2008

UN News Centre – Gaza: UN and Partners Set to Meet on Critical Humanitarian Situation – 23 April 2008

Yedioth News – UN: Collective Punishment of Gazans has Failed – 23 April 2008

Chinese arms shipment to Zimbabwe Heads Back to China

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – A Chinese ship that was carrying three million rounds of assault rifle ammunition, 3,000 mortar rounds and 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades to Zimbabwe is being brought back to China, the Chinese government said today.  The ship, identified as the An Yue Jiang and belonging to COSCO, a state-owned shipping firm, was forced to abandon plans to unload in the South African port of Durban last week.

The news comes after the United States urged countries in southern Africa — particularly South Africa, Mozambique, Angola and Namibia — not to allow the ship to dock or unload.  It also asked China to withdraw the weapons shipment and halt further arms shipments to Zimbabwe until the post-election crisis is resolved.

However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said, “The cargo was not unloaded because the Zimbabwe side failed to receive the goods as scheduled, so the Chinese company made the decision according to this situation.”  She also reiterated the shipment was a purely commercial transaction that did not break any laws or international obligations and had nothing to do with the ongoing political crisis.

The Chinese ship has sparked international condemnation for attempting to transport weapons to Zimbabwe that could be used to crackdown on Zimbabwe’s political opposition. China’s decision to turn the ship around was welcomed by the dockworkers, trade unionists, religious leaders, Western diplomats, and human rights workers.

China is a major supporter of Zimbabwe’s ruler Robert Mugabe, who has touted a “look East” policy of closer cooperation with China.  However, Beijing has shown signs of increasing embarrassment over its association with Mugabe.  Last year, China said that it had decided to halt all assistance to Zimbabwe except humanitarian aid. It was unclear if the contract of the weapons trade was signed before that pledge.

For information, please see:

AFP – Chinese arms shipment to Zimbabwe turning back: Beijing – 24 April 2008

AP – Zimbabwe arms deal is off – China – 24 April 2008

New York Times – Zimbabwe-Bound Ship Heads Back to China – 24 April 2008

Reuters – China says arms bound for Zimbabwe to be recalled – 24 April 2008

Wall Street Journal – China defended its arms shipments to Zimbabwe – 24 April 2008

XinHua – China arms trade conforms to laws, int’l obligations – 24 April 2008

Life Sentence for Malasebe’s Murders

By Ryan L. Maness

Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Oceania

SUVA, Fiji — Justice Nazhat Shameem handed down sentence for the three men convicted of in relation to murder of Tevita Malasebe last June.  Detectives Lole Vulaca and Rusiate Korovusere, who were both convicted of murder, were sentenced to life in prison.   Sergeant Pita Matai, the supervising Sergeant of the Vulaca and Korovusere, was convicted of being an accessory to murder and was sentenced to two years in prison.

When handing down sentence, Justice Shameem noted that Matai’s actions on behalf of his men had frustrated the evidentiary investigation into Malasebe’s death.  Because of that interference she said, “Perhaps, we will never know who inflicted the terrible injuries on Malasebe in the Crime Office (at Valelevu Police Station).”

The sentencing was welcomed by the Citizens Constitutional Forum.  Reverend Akuila Yabaki, the Chief Executive Officer of the CCF, said that he was glad that the sentences were handed down, but was disappointed that those people who were responsible for protecting the people had taken advantage of a helpless citizen, costing that citizen his life.  He also said that the National Council for Building a Better Fiji should seriously look at the role of disciplinary forces in Fiji and that measures should be taken to cure any deficiencies in the charter process.

For her part, Malasebe’s mother was less satisfied by the results of the trial.  While she said that she had forgiven the families of her son’s murders, she also said that she believed that all eight of the men should have been given life sentences.  Radio New Zealand International also reports that she seeks to appeal the acquittals of the five men who were originally charged with her son’s murder.

The Fiji Police also announced today that it will offer further training to its police officials in the future.  Police spokesperson Ema Mua said that the public’s faith in the police needs to be restored.  Speaking in response to the Malasebe murder, she said, “There’s a real need now for officers to know how to deal with that sort, because no one is guilty unless proven by the courts. So yes, we are looking at introducing further training, further courses for officers when it comes to dealing with situations like this.”

For more information, please see:

Radio New Zealand International — Fiji police to improve training after two officers murdered suspect — 24 April 2008

Radio New Zealand International– Fiji police says officers’ life sentences are fair — 24 April 2008

FijiVillage — Life Sentence Welcomed by CCF — 24 April 2008

Fiji Times — Police officers go in for life — 24 April 2008

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Limited — Public will never know says Judge — 23 April 2008

Radio New Zealand International — Fiji police murder victim’s mother unhappy with ruling — 23 April 2008

Female Suicide Bombers Kill Police, Others

By Christopher Gehrke
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, South America

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A female suicide bomber blew herself up north of Baghdad yesterday, killing six and wounding twelve others.

The bombing took place outside a police station in the Diyala province, where several other attacks have occurred recently.

Most of the dead were policemen, according to a police source.  There have been several attacks by female suicide bombers in Iraq in recent weeks.  Diyala is one of the northern provinces where al Qaeda has sought sanctuary after being driven out of Anbar province in the west and Baghdad.

On Monday, a female suicide bomber detonated near the office of an anti-al-Qaeda group in Baquba, killing three of its members.

The bomber activated her vest, filled with explosives, in the Al-Mafraq neighborhood north of Baghdad.

Ahmed Alwan, a doctor at Baquba hospital, said three anti-al-Qaeda group members were killed and four other people wounded in the attack.

“The woman attacker tried to get inside the office that lies in the middle of the market.  The guards at the first checkpoint stopped the woman and asked her to open her robes to check if she wore an explosive belt, but at this moment she exploded herself outside the office,” said Abu Talib, a Sons of Iraq commander.

Al-Qaeda has been targeting groups who have sided with the US military to fight them in recent months.  These groups are made up of mostly Sunni Arab former insurgents, using women as a way to carry out attacks with an element of surprise.

For more information, please see:
Reuters – Female suicide bomber kills six north of Baghdad – 22 April 2008

AFP – Female suicide bomber kills three in Iraq city – 21 April 2008

Los Angeles Times – Female suicide bomber kills four in Iraq – 22 April 2008

UPDATE: Khieu Samphan’s Attorney Disrupts Proceedings

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The Khmer Rouge Tribunal adjourned a preliminary hearing for Khieu Samphan because his lawyer, Jacques Verges, erupted at the tribunal judges after learning his documents had not been translated into French.

Jacques Verges left the courtroom telling reporters that the judges had recommended to Khieu Samphan to find a new lawyer. He also told reporters, “French is an official language of the tribunal. There is not one page of the case file against Mr. Khieu Samphan translated into French. I should be capable of knowing what my client is blamed for. He continued by saying, “This is a scandal! This never happens except in dictatorships!”

The tribunal judges later said they would issue a warning to Jacques Verges for causing a postponement of the hearing.

Jacques Verges is famous for his legal work involving Gestapo officer Klaus Barbie, the Venezuelan terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal, the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, and the confessed serial killer Charles Sobhraj.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune – Attorney for Khmer Rouge Head of State Scolds Judges – 23 April 2008