Nigerian Floods Force Thousands to Flee from Communities

Nigerian Floods Force Thousands to Flee from Communities

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch, Africa

Floods in Nigeria are responsible for the deaths of dozens of people and have swept away entire farmlands. Moreover, torrential rains in neighboring Niger Republic caused two bus crashes on Monday, which resulted in the deaths of at least twenty people. The flooding is most severe in southwest Nigeria.

The flooding has forced thousands to flee from their communities. Moreover, the polluted water sources can increase the risk of malaria, waterborne disease, and respiratory infections. In Lagos, six people have died while another 4,000 have been left homeless. Many residents were forced to part their homes with only the few belongings that they could carry on their heads.

In Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun, more than 400 houses were flooded last week. More than 1,000 people are currently living in temporary shelters at local schools. The state commissioner for health, Abiodun Oduwole, has appealed for donations from world wide organizations.

UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has visited shelters in Abeokuta and has provided some medical relief aids. Such materials include mosquito nets, insecticide, vitamins, antibiotics and anti-malarial medicine.

Citizens plea for the Nigerian government to commence immediate deflooding of all affected areas. Shuaibu Umaru, who lost his house, called on the state government to redesign a bye pass road under construction “and re-channel the river so that the people living around would not be swallowed by the flood”.

For more information, please see:

IRIN – NIGERIA: More death and destruction as floods spread to central region – 07 August 2007

AllAfrica – Nigeria: Flood Wreaks Havoc Across the Country – 06 August 2007

AllAfrica – Nigeria: Floods Leave Thousands Homeless – 06 August 2007

Papua New Guinea: Tribal clash leads to police intervention

On Sunday, a young Wanigela man died after being stabbed by a group of drunken Koki men.  Wanting the Goilala community to turn over the perpetrator and pay compensation, Wanigela residents blocked off roads and started burning tires near Koki Market.  According to witnesses, they also began harassing the general public.  Around 5am on Monday, the Wanigela and Goilala groups began fighting again, prompting police action.

Police had been deployed on Sunday night to investigate, and were attacked when they arrived.  They were also caught between the two groups when fighting resumed Monday morning.  One Wanigela youth was shot during an early scuffle, and police reinforcements were called in.  They rounded up the Wanigelas, brought them back to their village, and were attempting to resolve the problems when the body of the young man was brought back to the village, inciting the Wanigela residents who then attacked the police.  Several police vehicles were stoned and a senior police officer was forced to take cover while attempting to address the crowd.

Residents report that two men are dead, one person is in critical condition, and six others are recovering from bullet wounds.  One of the deaths and all of the injuries are alleged to be caused by the police, who officially claim that they had only fired warning shots and tear gas canisters.  The police superintendent was not available to comment to the Post-Courier yesterday afternoon, but policemen who were at the scene confirmed that several people were struck by bullets fired by police officers.

The situation remains tense, and police are keeping an eye on the area.

Please see also:
“PNG police break up fight at market”  Radio New Zealand International (06 August 2007)
“Police fire shots to disperse PNG crowd”  New Zealand Herald (06 August 2007)
“Two dead, six hurt in Port Moresby skirmish”  Pacific Islands Report (07 August 2007)*
“2 die in Koki clash”  The National (07 August 2007)

* Please note that the Pacific Islands Report is a reprint of an article originally appearing in the Post-Courier, found here.

Shia cleric bans honor killings

On August 2, Lebanon’s most senior Shia Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, issued a fatwa banning “honor” killings.  The fatwa, or religious edict, was a response to the increasing number of honor killings in many Arabic countries, such as Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan.  An honor killing is when a man kills a female relative, usually a daughter, sister or cousin, for an act the man deems as indecent or immoral.  In delivering the fatwa, Fadlallah stated that “honor killings are a repulsive act banned by Sharia (Islamic Law).”

Unfortunately, honor killings have become increasingly common in recent years.  While most killings go unreported, especially in rural areas, it is impossible to know how many women are killed by their male relatives in honor deaths.  However, in Jordan, is it estimated that 20 female deaths result from honor killings each year.  Also, despite efforts from the Jordanian government to toughen punishments for those convicted of honor killings, Jordan’s judges still hand out lenient punishments.  In fact, across the Arab region, those who commit honor killings are usually never convicted or receive lenient punishments.

For more information please see:
London Times:  “Shia cleric bans ‘honour’ killings”  3 August 2007.

Guardian:  “Lebanon cleric bans honor killings”  2 August 2007. 

International Herald Tribune:  “Lebanon’s top Shiite Muslim cleric bans honor killings”  2 August 2007.

Middle East Times:  “Lebanon’s top Shiite cleric bans ‘honor killings’”  2 August 2007.

Ynetnews.com:  “Lebanon’s top Shiite cleric bans ‘honor killings’”  2 August 2007.

Egyptian Police beat man to death

Nasr Abdulah Al Sayeedi was beaten to death by Egyptian police.  The police held Sayeedi in custody in hopes of luring Sayeedi’s brother to turn himself in for unspecified charges.

Sayeedi was apprehended while returning to his apartment.  Reportedly, he heard screams in his apartment.  Upon entering the apartment, he found the police assaulting his wife and four daughters, while his mother lay on the floor.  “The officers nor the soldiers had mercy in their hearts, they dragged [Sayeedi] onto the stairs in front of us, swearing and beating him furiously, until he was put in the police car,” the victim’s neighbor reported.  (AHN Media)  The officers continued attacking the man while dragging him to the police station.  Additionally, the police compounded the beatings by not trying to preserve Sayeedi’s life.  According to Sayeedi’s lawyer, “We went to the police station to ask about him and maybe bail him out, [but] the officers refused to tell us about his condition and when we found him laying unconscious under a table, the police officer refused to call an ambulance so we carried him out by force to the emergency room where the medics there told us he was suffering from internal bleeding in the brain and must be operated on immediately.”  (AHN Media)  Sayeedi died the next day. 

Al Masry Al Youm newspaper reported that the death has caused an uprising in Sayeedi’s town.  In response to the police brutality, the townspeople attacked the police station.  They threw stones damaging the station by breaking windows.  The police have arrested 70 protestors.  The police controlled the townspeople through sending hundreds of soldiers, armored cars and security trucks to monitor the town.   

This is the most recent report of police brutality in Egypt.  The Taipei Times reported a police investigation regarding claims that a man was set on fire by police to obtain a confession.  Also, a police official is being tried for being videotaped using a stick to sodomize a bus driver.  The police’s surveillance and arresting power has been expanded since the constitutional amendments responding to terrorist fears.  This expansive police power has been compounded by the constitutional weakening of the judicial branch, allowing more unchecked abusive behavior.

 

Gulf News.  Egyptian police beat man to death.  3 August 2007.

AHN.  Man beaten to death by Egyptian Police again.  3 August 2007.

Taipei Times.  Egyptian soldiers beat refugees to death in front of Israelis at border: TV station.  4 August 2007.

Sierra Leone Court’s Recent Verdicts Against Former CDF Leaders

By Impunity Watch Africa

On Thursday the Special Court for Sierra Leone convicted two former leaders of Sierra Leone’s Civil Defense Force, finding Moinina Fofana and Allieu Kondewa guilty on four counts of “murder, cruel treatment, pillage, and collective punishment.”  Kondewa was also found guilty on the charge of conscripting child soldiers under the age of 15.  Both defendants were acquitted of crimes against humanity, and are expected to be sentenced in September.

The judgment went into detail on some of the crimes carried out by the militia.  They included an order to destroy an entire village treat every person there as a rebel who needed to be killed.

The judge’s verdicts, however, were not unanimous. One judge found both men not guilty on all eight counts. The case against Fofana and Kondewa had been controversial, as some saw the CDF as defending civilians against the rebels during the conflict.  Many Sierra Leoneans saw the CDF, also known as the Kamajor militia, as fighting a noble cause to defend the people against brutal rebel groups such as the RUF.  When the head of the CDF, Sam Hinga Norman, was indicted four years ago public outcry ensued.  He has since died in custody.

The court’s prosecutor, Stephen Rapp, described the trial as “very challenging” and admitted that the indictments had been controversial.  However, he stated that while the accused had been motivated by a desire to restore the national government, there was no justification for the crimes that had been committed.

50,000 people were killed, with many more injured and raped during the conflict.  The Special Court was created in 2002 and has indicted 13 people, among them former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who allegedly backed rebel forces in order to gain control of the diamond mines.  Taylor’s trail is being held at The Hague to prevent unrest in the region. His trial has been delayed until August 20 in order to give more time for his new attorney.

For more information, please see:

Awareness Times – Sierra Leone Judge Dissents with CDJ Judgment – 03 August 2007

Awareness Times – Amnesty International Speaks on Special Court’s Verdict in Sierra Leone – 03 August 2007

Earth Times – 2 Convicted of Sierra Leone War Crimes – 03 August 2007

BBC – Sierra Leone Militia Leaders Convicted – 02 August 2007

Relief Web – Former Sierra Leone Militia Leaders Convicted in War Crimes – 02 August 2007