Latin American Drug Cartels Penetrate West Africa

Latin American Drug Cartels Penetrate West Africa

By Ryan C. Kossler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Colombia – Latin American drug cartels have crossed the Atlantic Ocean seeking to expand their share of the drug market into West Africa.  The Drug Enforcement Agency’s regional director for Europe and Africa said that “the same organizations that we investigate in Central and South America that are involved in drug activity toward the United States are engaged in this trafficking in Western Africa.”  He further said that “there’s not one country that hasn’t been touched to some extent,” by the Latin American drug cartels.

There are several factors that have led the cartels’ to seek West Africa as a viable market source.  West Africa is one of the poorest and least stable regions in the world.  Its Governments are weak and often corrupted and law enforcement in the region is also often riddled with corruption.  Further, due to its large population of desperate indignant inhabitants, it is relatively simple for the cartels to recruit soldiers from the area.  The combination of these factors makes West Africa particularly vulnerable to penetration by the drug cartels.

Geography also plays an important role.  West Africa is close to Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, which are the three Latin American countries that produce most of the world’s cocaine.  Cartels transport the drugs through Venezuela and across the Atlantic Ocean to the West Africa region.  A recent U.N. report said that nearly 1,000 tons of pure cocaine is produced each year.  Of this nearly 1,000 tons, approximately 60 percent evades the detection of law enforcement agencies, making for a wholesale global market value of $70 billion dollars.

Colombia’s Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) has already been identified by the DEA as one of the Latin American groups involved in the drug trafficking in West Africa.  Recently, Colombian and United States officials signed an agreement that would allow the United States access to Colombian military bases.  This agreement is intended to help battle the drug epidemic in the region.  Unfortunately, surrounding nations have condemned the agreement.  Nations such as Venezuela and Ecuador provide refuge to criminal organizations such as Colombia’s FARC and have been vocal in stating that they would not condemn any military activity against these organizations within their borders.

The United States has pressed Latin American countries to meet there counter narcotics obligations.  In a recent annual report, the United States identified Bolivia as the world’s third largest cocaine producer and charged Venezuela as failing to do enough to fight the drug trade.  The United States, however, said that it would continue to provide humanitarian aid to the Latin American countries, even though the aid was intended to be dependent on the countries counter narcotics obligations.

For more information, please see:

CNN – Latin American Drug Cartels Find Home in West Africa – 21 September 2009

The Spectator – South American Spat – 24 September 2009

Reuters – U.S. keeps Venezuela, Bolivia atop narcotics list – 16 September 2009

Canadian Terror Suspect Sues Canada for Their Role in His Detention in Sudan

By William Miller

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

OTTAWA, Canada – Abousfian Abdelrazik has filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon claiming that they violated his rights as a Canadian citizen when they denied him flying credentials back to Canada after he had been placed on the UN no-fly list at the request of the United States government. He is suing Ottawa for twenty-three million Canadian dollars for a list of charges including false imprisonment, negligence, and breach of his rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He further accuses Cannon of misfeasance in public office, intentional infliction of emotional distress and breaches of his rights under the Canadian Charter and is suing him for three million dollars.

Abdelrazik is a Muslim living in Canada with dual citizenship in both Canada and his home country of Sudan. He first came to Canada in 1990 as a refugee in fear of prosecution for his opposition to the Sudan government. He became a Canadian Citizen in 1995. In 2003, Abdelrazik returned to Sudan to visit his sick mother and was promptly arrested by authorities. He was detained for twelve days and later imprisoned for eleven months. Abdelrazik claims he was tortured during his detention and was visited by agents of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service who refused to help him and told him he was no longer wanted in Canada. He claims that while imprisoned in Sudan, Canadian government officials questioned him about his connections to terrorist groups but told his late wife they did not know where he was.

Abdelrazik was released in July of 2004 only to find out he could not return to Canada because his passport had expired while he was in prison and the Canadian government refused to issue him new travel documentation. As a result, he was stranded in Sudan and was ultimately imprisoned again for nine months. Abdelrazik claims he was again visited by Canadian officials during his imprisonment who refused to help him and only wanted to know about his possible connections to terrorist agencies. After his release Abdelrazik was granted safe haven at the Canadian Embassy in Sudan where he remained for over a year. In March 2009 a Canadian Federal Judge ruled that Canada had violated Abdelrazik’s right under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by not helping him return to Canada. Abdelrazik was issued an emergency passport and returned to Canada in June.

Abdelrazik is also seeking his removal from the UN terrorist watch list. He admits to traveling to many war torn regions but claims he did so to promote humanitarian efforts. He adamantly denies any connection with terrorist organizations. Canadian federal police and spy agencies have investigated his alleged ties to terrorist cells in Montreal and connections to Ahmed Ressam who is currently in prison for his attempt to bomb an airport in Los Angeles. The RCMP and other agencies however, admit that they do not have evidence to charge Abdelrazik with any crimes and no charges have ever been filed against Abdelrazik for his involvement with any terrorist group.

Abdelrazik does have scarring on his back which is consistent with his claims that he was tortured while imprisoned in Sudan. His allegations that Canadian officials visited him in prison and refused to help him have yet to be proven.

Abousfian Abdelrazik is suing the Canadian Government for failing to help him return to Canada after he became stranded in Sudan. (PHOTO: AFP)

For more information please see:

Globe and Mail – Abdelrazik’s Lost Years – 28 September 2009

AFP – Canadian Torture Suspect Sues Over Alleged Torture in Sudan – 24 September 2009

National Post – Abdelrazik Sues Canada for $27 Million – 24 September 2009

Canada.com – Abdelrazik Demands Canada Remove Him From UN Terror List -23 July 2009

Israeli, Palestinian Clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque Threaten to Spark Third Intifada

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

JERUSALEM, Israel/West Bank – On September 27, fighting inside and outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem has further heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, tensions that have already been strained after recent Israeli refusals to halt settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

 

After noon prayers on Sunday, September 27, fighting broke out, though the exact chain of events is unclear. Israeli police said that Muslim worshippers began throwing rocks at tourists. Palestinians have claimed that Jews from radical groups attempted to enter the mosque on the eve of the Jewish holy day, Yom Kippur. Regardless of what set off the initial event, Palestinians began loud protests, and Israeli police responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Thirty to forty people were injured and at least five people were arrested.

 

Mosque officials reported that they had asked Israeli police to not open the Moroccan Gate to any tourists on Sunday, in order to prevent any protests from Jewish settlers, but the police refused to do so. Instead, mosque officials said that police opened the gate early in the morning, and protected the settlers as they entered the mosque compound.

 

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, accused the Israelis of deliberately stoking tensions.

 

“At a time when [U.S.] President [Barack] Obama is trying to bridge the divide between Palestinians and Israelis, and to get negotiations back on track, Israel is deliberately escalating tensions in Jerusalem,” said Erekat on Sunday evening.

 

Erekat said the situation was reminiscent of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to the site in 2000. Sharon’s visit to Islam’s third-holiest site triggered the start of the Second Palestinian Intifada, or Uprising.

 

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesperson, called for Palestinians to rise up in response to the incident, calling it a “Zionist crime.”

 

With Israeli government offices closed for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, there was no official comment immediately following the skirmishes. There was no sign that any fighting at the Dome of the Rock continued the next day, though teens in Bethlehem threw rocks at an Israeli military watchtower, and Israeli military personnel responded by throwing a stun grenade.

 

For more information, please see:

 

Al-Jazeera – Arab Officials Condemn Aqsa Raid – 28 September 2009

 

Ha’aretz – Erekat: Israel Deliberately Escalating Tensions in Jerusalem – 28 September 2009

 

Ma’an News Agency – Bethlehem Teens Hurl Stones at Watchtower After Al-Aqsa Violence – 28 September 2009

 

Reuters – Palestinian “Moderate” Govt Slams Israel on Mosque – 28 September 2009

 

Palestinian News Network – Extremists Have Attempted for Weeks to Storm Al Aqsa – 27 September 2009

 

Guinea Security Forces Kill 9 During Protest

By Jennifer M. Haralambides

CONAKRY, Guinea – In a rally against Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, security forces violently quelled the crowds, killing at least 9 people.

Junta leader, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, who took power in a bloodless coup last year, had initially pledged not to run in a presidential election planned for this coming January, although now it looks as though he will run.

Because of this, hundreds of demonstrators joined together to rally against his campaign holding up signs reading “No to Dadis” and “Down with the Army in Power.”  They were quickly dispersed by the military who used tear gas, live ammunition and baton charges to break up the crowds.

“I have counted nine bodies but we have not yet been able to reach the stands in the stadium where there are also some dead,” said Thierno Maadjou Sow, president of the Guinean Human Rights Organization.

Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Toure, two former prime ministers, were injured during the demonstrations and then taken to the Alpha Yaya Diallo camp, which is the headquarters of the junta in power.  Witnesses say that many more prominent opposition leaders were injured and taken into custody during the violence.

The security forces are still in effect and have been setting up roadway checkpoints.

“This is only the beginning of demonstrations and counter-demonstrations we can expect in the next few months,” said Gilles Yabi, a Guinea expert.

The military take-over by Captain Camara had some initial support, although the recent anti-government protests to Camara’s potential run for the presidency show that the tide has shifted.

If Captain Camara stands for president, it will be a violation of the agreement between the military and civil forces which has kept him in power.
For more information, please see:

AFP – At Least 10 Killed at Guinea Demonstration – 28 September 2009

BBC – Protesters Killed in Guinea Rally – 28 September 2009

Reuters – Guinea Forces Kill 9 in Crackdown – Group – 28 September 2009

Canadian Foreign Minister Protests Iran Head of State by Walking Out on Speech

By William Miller

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

NEW YORK, United States – Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other Canadian officials boycotted a speech given by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the United Nations General Assembly to protest Iran’s human rights violations and President Ahmadinejad’s anti-Semitic remarks. Canada was joined in the boycott by Israel who was also not present for Ahmadinejad’s speech. Other nations, including the US, were present when the Iranian head of state began his speech but walked out as the speech took on more anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli tones.

A spokeswoman for Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon told the Canadian press that Cannon would not attend Ahmadinejad’s speech because Ahmadinejad is hostile to Canada’s ally Israel, continuously delivers anti-Semitic speeches, and commits countless human rights violations against his own people. The spokeswoman specifically cited the violent acts by the Iranian government towards election protestors in Iran who protested the results of the Iranian presidential election claiming the results were fraudulent. Opposition groups say there where at least seventy-two protestors killed by the Iranian government in the aftermath of the election. Iranian government officials, however, claim only thirty-six were killed. Hundreds of others remain imprisoned for their part in the protests.

Cannon himself also pointed to Iran’s detention of an Iranian-Canadian citizen as one of his reasons for not attending Ahmadinejad’s speech in an interview with Fox News. Iran has resisted all attempts by Canada to negotiate his release, claiming that the detainee was involved in a plot against the government although no charges have been brought against him. Iran has also denied his Canadian citizenship.

Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmaud Ahamadinejad (PHOTO: Canadian Press)

President Ahmadinejad has a reputation for making anti-Semitic speeches for some time and has incited walkouts at UN events before. Diplomats from nations including the US, Britain, and France have protested his speeches in the past. He has called Israel “the most cruel and repressive racist regime” and has called for their destruction. He has also angered world leaders by claiming the Holocaust was fabricated and never actually took place. Although President Ahmadinejad’s speeches are condemned by the leaders of many nations he maintains a right as head of state to speak at the U.N. General Assembly and has been hailed by some world leaders who share his hostilities towards Israel.

For more information pleas see:

Canadian Press – Canada to Boycott Ahmadinejad’s UN Speech – 24 September 2009

Fox News – Canadian Walkout on Ahmadinejad – 24 September 2009

Reuters – Ahmadinejad Prompts Walkout From UN Racism Summit – 20 April 2009