Rebels Bomb Nigeria Government Building

Rebels Bomb Nigeria Government Building

By Kylie M Tsudama

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

LAGOS, Nigeria – The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) detonated two car bombs near the Nigerian government building in Warri in southern Nigeria.

MEND is the main armed rebel group in the region.

“Two car bombs were detonated,” MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in response to the attacks.  “The third was called off after the operative in charge realized people were running in panic towards the car with the bombs.”

According to Linus Chima, a government spokesman, no government officials were injured in the explosions.  It is not yet known if anyone else was injured.

“It was a plan to scuttle the peace talks,” he said.

Delta State Commissioner for Information Oma Djebah said that the bombs were planted in vehicles about 650 feet away from the building where three state governors and the minister for the Niger Delta were meeting.  Their meeting was planned in order to strategize with militants who were given amnesty for agreeing to drop their arms.

“The people of the Niger Delta will not be intimidated or deterred by the act of a few opposed to a peaceful and non-violent approach to resolving the historic grievances of the region,” said Djebah.  “We assure that we will not be deterred in our determination to fast-track our development for our people.”

He added, “We are not moved by the act of the faceless human persons, we will continue to be focused.  The state governor has order [sic] all participant [sic] to move to a new venue and as I speak to Nigerians, the conference is ongoing.”

MEND, however, had warned the government of the attacks.

“In our usual effort to prevent the loss of innocent life, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta advises the immediate evacuation of the Government House annex Warri and its immediate surroundings up to the Delta state Broadcasting Corporation,” said a MEND statement.  “Organizers and participants at this jamboree will ignore this warning at their peril.”

This is the first attack that MEND has claimed responsibility for since January, when it called off a cease-fire with the government citing lack of progress.  MEND wants local control over the Delta’s petroleum resources.

“In the coming days, we will carry out a number of attacks against installations and oil companies across the Niger Delta and will spread out to companies such as Total [a major producer in the Nigerian hydrocarbons industry] which has been spared in the past,” Gbomo warns.  “We hope the actions which will follow will persuade Mr. Uduaghan [Delta State Governor] that we exist outside of cyberspace.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Car Bombs Hit Nigeria Oil City – 15 March 2010

Business Week – Nigeria Oil City Hit By Explosion After Rebel Warning – 15 March 2010

CNN – Rebel Group Bombs Nigerian Government Building – 15 March 2010

Reuters – Q+A-The Implications of Bomb Attaacks in Nigeria’s Oil Delta -15 March 2010

Xinhua – Bombing Occurs in Nigeria Despite Amnesty Conference – 15 March 2010

Niger Delta Peace Talks are “Frank and Fruitful”

By Jennifer M. Haralambides
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria – Formal peace talks began on Saturday between Nigeria’s main militant group and the country’s president for the first time since it declared an indefinite cease-fire last.

President Umaru Yar’Adua called the talks with the ex-chiefs of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) “frank and fruitful.”   MEND is one of the main rebel groups in the oil region.

For over three years, militants have waged a violent campaign against facilities, saying they are fighting for a greater share of the oil wealth for the local communities.

Henry Okah et Farah Dagogo represented MEND at the talks.  He said in a statement that the two hours of talks were “frank, cordial and useful.”

“This meeting heralds the beginning of serious, meaningful dialogue between MEND and the Nigerian government to deal with and resolve root issues that have long been swept under the carpet,” read Okah’s statement.

Wole Soyinka, Nigerian writer and Nobel Literature price winner also attended the talks.

This past June President Yar’Adua offered amnesty to rebels who surrendered their arms.  Even though MEND did not take initially did not take part in the amnesty, it declared an indefinite ceasefire in October to allow these peace talks to proceed.  Since the the main field commanders and thousands of gunmen agreed to the ceasefire, MEND has been severely weakened.

The government has proposed a massive infrastructure development program for the impoverished region.  Boy Loaf, a former top rebel commander, says development of the Niger Delta should start from the creeks or rebels will have an excuse to continue their attacks.

Activists warn that the former fighters could return to the creeks and resume the attacks if these talks do not quickly lead to changes in the oil-rich region.

“They should start the development from that creek because the  creek is the only hideout for our people . . . [S]o that the people can have a sense of belonging,” said Bay loaf.

The rebel activities in the Niger Delta reduced Nigeria’s oil output by almost one third, from 2.6 million barrels a day in 2006 to around 1.7 million barrels.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Nigerian President in “Fruitful” Oil Rebel Talks – 15 November 2009

AP – Nigeria Militants Start Peace Talks with President – 15 November 2009

Reuters – Nigerian Militants Say Peace Talks Start with Govt – 15 November 2009

Telegraph – Niger Delta Peace Talks Raise Hopes of Oil Boost and an End to Kidnappings – 15 November 2009

VOA – Nigerian President Holds Talks with Rebel Group – 15 November 2009

Nazi Victim Mass Graves Discovered in Austria

By Kenneth F. Hunt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

GROZ, Austria – Austrian governmental officials have announced the discovery of two mass graves created for victims of the Nazis in World War II.

The grave sites were found on property used by the Austrian Army in the city of Graz in southern Austria. The Austrian Army had been using the land as a sports field and recreational area for service men.

The mass graves were discovered on the basis of photographs taken during World War II. The aerial photos were taken by United States bombers and showed discernible uncovered graves with dozens of visible bodies.

Government officials have begin to seek out the property owners to begin exhuming the bodies. But Rudolf Gollia, the Austrian Interior Ministry spokesperson, said he could not confirm whether the Austrian army owns or rents the involved property.

The Austrian government says that the mass graves contain approximately 70 corpses. Officials have said that most of the victims were in Nazi concentration camps, and these victims were killed by Nazi leaders to prevent witnesses from testifying against them as Soviets entered the country near the end of World War II.

An Austrian Army report suggests that a few of the bodies might be American fighter pilots shot down in Austria by the Nazis.

For more information, please see:

ASSOCIATED PRESS – Austrian govt finds mass graves of Nazi victims – 12 March 2010

IRELAND ON-LINE – Dozens of bodies found in Nazi mass graves – 12 March 2010

NEW YORK TIMES – Austria: Mass Graves of Nazi Victims Are Found – 12 March 2010

China Increases Security in Tibet

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – Instead of releasing those who were arrested without charge during the March 2008 protests in Tibet, the Chinese government is stepping up security ahead of the protests’ anniversary in the Lhasa area.

The 2008 protests was the major protest held by Tibetans against the Chinese in twenty years.  Over a span of four days, hundreds of monks peacefully protested in and around Lhasa against China’s intrusive controls over religious, cultural, and economic activities.

However, Tibetan public began protesting against the police who were preventing the monks from leaving their compounds, which lead to Tibetan rioters burning Chinese shops and government buildings.

Since then, the Chinese have kept a close eye on Tibet.  China executed two Tibetans for the involvement with the 2008 riots last year.

Special police forces have been stationed across the Lhasa region, and the police are checking identification papers and searching homes.  Those who have been to Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, and other Tibetan cities in recent days have reported that police and paramilitary forces with automatic weapons have lined the streets.

Sophie Richardson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said, “Further repression will breed precisely the kind of instability the Chinese government fears.”

“Addressing underlying grievances and allowing Tibetans to enjoy basic rights of expression, assembly and due process is the only way to ensure the ‘harmony’ Beijing so craves,” added Richardson.

Both reports conducted by Human Rights Watch and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) show that Chinese government subjected Tibetans to arbitrary arrests and that little information has been provided as to the whereabouts of the detainees.

UNHCHR said the ethnic violence in China is the result of China’s “discrimination and failure to protect minorities.”

Lastly, Richardson commented, “National security concerns do not exempt Chinese government from its obligation to respect fundamental rights and freedoms.”

For more information, please see:

BBC – Heavy security in Tibet ahead of protests’ anniversary – 13 March 2010

Human Rights Watch – China: Accountability Overdue in Tibet Protests – 12 March 2010

NYT – China Increases Security in Tibet to Prevent Protests – 11 March 2010

Canada Ratifies U.N. Convention on Disabled Persons

By William Miller

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

OTTAWA, Canada – Canada ratified the World Body’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on March 11, 2010. Shortly after the signing, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon announced that Canada would make promoting rights for disabled people a priority.

Cannon asserted that rights for disabled persons were “fundamental Human Rights” at a news conference on Thursday, shortly after he had delivered the ratification. In support of the ratification, Cannon said “this is another addition to Canada’s foreign policy, which is based on the promotion of democracy, the rule of law and certainly based on human rights.”

In ratifying the Convention, Canada has committed to promote non discrimination accessibility and inclusion of disabled persons. The Convention also commits ratifying countries to establish independent organizations to oversee the implementation of the conventions principles.

The ratification will benefit nearly four and one half million Canadian Citizens with disabilities. The signing comes one week before the opening of the Paralympic Games in Vancouver.

Several groups have long promoted Canadian ratification of the convention and welcome the decision to do so.  Ray Smith co-chair of the Persons with Disabilities National Working Group said “ this means the government of Canada is committed to promoting an protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.” Marie White national chairperson of the Council on Canadians with Disabilities referred to the ratification as historic.

The Canadian Human Rights Convention also welcomed the ratification but has said the real test will be implementing the provisions into practice. Canadian Human Rights Chief Commissioner Jennifer Lynch said “ultimately, the successes of this ratification will relate to the degree to which the Convention rights are being enjoyed on the ground, not how they appear on the page.” The Human Rights commission also indicated that it would like to be involved in the implementation of the monitoring organization.

For more information, please see:

Canada.ca – UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities Ratified – 13 March 2010

Benzinga – Announcement: Canadian Human Rights Commission – 12 March 2010

Vancouver Sun – Canada Makes Rights of Disabled a Foreign Policy Focus – 12 March 2010