By Tamara Alfred
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

In an index of failed states compiled by Fund for Peace and released by Foreign Policy this week, Somalia has topped the list for the fourth year in a row, followed by Chad, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Somalia, out of a population of nearly 10 million, as many as three million are thought to be in need of humanitarian assistance.  Another two million have been uprooted in the nation’s conflict with Islamist insurgents who have pledged their allegiance to al Qaeda.  According to the United Nations, the country has not had a fully-functioning national government since 1991.

J.J. Messner, a Fund for Peace senior associate, told CNN that just because a country is high on the list does not necessarily mean it is a failed state, but that it is facing enormous social, economic and political pressures.

“Bur for many countries, very little is, sadly, changing,” Messner said.  “We see that for many countries there is very little improvement.”

Coming in second on the list was Chad.  Only 23% of Chadians in urban areas have access to clean water and that number is even lower in rural areas due to a lack of sanitation facilities in the country.  Life expectancy is at a mere 49 years of age.  Most of the government’s money, despite being fairly wealthy from oil discoveries, goes to the purchase of arms to ward off rebel groups.

Sudan, ranked third, and its troubles have been well-documented.  Violence has spread recently from Darfur to Abyei and Southern Kordofan as the nation prepares to separate into two.  According to Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, more than 360,000 people have been displaced in Sudan in the last six months, adding to the already 2.7 million forced from their homes since fighting began in Darfur in 2003.

The Democratic Republic of Congo came in fourth on the list.  Often referred to as the “Rape Capital of the World,” the UN approximates that 200,000 women have been raped there since armed conflict between various militias began in the late 1990s.  In the eastern part of the country it is still commonplace for soldiers to use sexual violence against innocent villagers.  The nation will face a big test in November when it holds a presidential election nearly a decade after its civil war officially ended.

The criteria used in ranking the states included mounting demographic pressures, mass movement of refugees or internally-displaced persons, vengeance-seeking group grievance, chronic and sustained human flight and uneven economic development.  Additional criteria included legitimacy of the state, violations of human rights and rule of law and progressive deterioration of public services.

Three other African nations rounded out the top ten: Zimbabwe (#6), Central Africa Republic (#8) and Cote d’Ivoire (#10).  Only three non-African nations made the top ten: Haiti (#5), Afghanistan (#7) and Iraq (#9).

For more information, please see:

Afrique en ligne – African nations top 2011 Failed States Index list – 23 June 2011

Foreign Policy – The Hall of Shame – 22 June 2011

CNN – Somalia is again at top of failed states list – 21 June 2011

Foreign Policy – Postcards from Hell, 2011 – 20 June 2011

CNN – Despite rallies supporting him, Somali PM steps down – 19 June 2011

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Earlier this month, the Ethiopian government removed price controls that have been in place since January of this year. The price controls were initially implemented to stabilize the price of food staples such as meat, bread, and cooking oils. Now that the controls have been removed, food prices are soaring, and many Ethiopians feel the government’s actions are causing turmoil.

During the six months the price controls were in place, the government did not observe significant changes in the price of food. However, since they were lifted, the meat market has collapsed, with the price of meat increasing $2 per kilogram in the last few weeks.

Other goods’ prices have increased similarly. Chickpea flour was $0.65 per kilogram and is now $1.60 per kilogram. Coffee, Ethiopia’s most important crop, is now too expensive for most of its citizens to purchase. An Ethiopian taxi driver reported “[My] family can no longer honor a basic Ethiopian courtesy by serving [coffee] to guests”.

The Ethiopian government blames these increasing food prices on the international market. However, the International Monetary Fund (“IMF”) counters the government’s claim by asserting that the government is over-borrowing and printing too much currency, explaining in May that Ethiopia’s money supply has expanded by 35 percent. The IMF claims this increased money supply is causing the spiraling food prices.

To combat the rising food prices, Ethiopians are boycotting meat and have created a text message campaign to voice their concerns. A local meat seller said “the campaign has affected [my] customer base but [I] can’t afford to reduce prices”. He further explained that under the price controls, he made a marginal profit. Once the price controls were lifted, he had to double his prices to remain in business.

Complicating the issue further, the government has sold land to Saudi Arabia and China for rice production. The government maintains that the land they sold to foreign investors is not being effectively used, and its sale will help Ethiopian communities. Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, made assurances that only three percent of the arable land was being sold to other countries for food production, that the land is low-land that farmers do not want to plow, and that it is malaria ridden. However, BBC reported “local people used the land for agriculture, hunting and for gathering fruit in times of famine.”

In response to the increased food prices, Murray State University economist and native Ethiopian Seid Hassa said “the measure was taken without any careful study about the causes of rampant inflation, and the ruling party took the measures to distract public anger and potential unrest”.

For more information, please see:
Ezega – Ethiopia: Government Lifts Price Caps, Food Prices Zoom – 22 June 2011
Washington Post – Ethiopia food prices spike after govt lifts price caps, making food unaffordable for many – 21 June 2011
Bloomberg – Ethiopian Annual Inflation Rate Increased to 34.7% in May on Food Prices – 13 June 2011
BBC – Ethiopia weighs benefits of foreign ‘land grabs’ – 10 June 2011

by Reta Raymond
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

TRIPOLI, Libya –  Rebel forces in Libya recently produced a cell phone video to CNN depicting a woman being raped and sodomized by a man that the rebels believe is one of Gadhafi’s soldiers. The video has not been authenticated independently. While the man seen in the video is not dressed in uniform, both he and the cameraman have a distinct Tripoli accent. Much of the fighting between Gadhafi’s forces and the resistance has taken place in Tripoli, supporting the allegation that the men in the video are Gadhafi’s soldiers. Rebel forces claim they have confiscated numerous cell phone videos of women being raped and tortured.

Rebel spokesman Abdullah al-Kabeira says rape has been “used as a weapon of war, because it [is] systematic.” However, the Libyan government has vigorously denied the allegations of rape used as a war tactic, as Prime minister Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmudi stated “th[ese], like the other mercenaries lies, are false.”On 26 March, Libyan law student Iman al-Obeidi reported to international journalists at a hotel in Tripoli that she had been raped by soldiers from Gadhafi’s regime. Investigations have since been initiated by the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) at the Hague, to determine whether the use of rape in Libya’s conflict warrants a war crimes tribunal.

The ICC also believes that drugs, such as Viagra, were provided to troops to encourage rape. ICC chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said that the investigation was still ongoing, but “the victims are coming forward.” Libyan psychologist Siham Serewa found that 5 percent of the 50,000 surveyed refugees in camps report they had been raped.

Additionally, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has expressed her concern. Clinton stated “Gadhafi’s security forces and other groups in the region are trying to divide the people by using violence against women and rape as tools of war, and the United States condemns this in the strongest possible terms.”

In Libya rape is particularly effective because both the woman, her family and sometimes an entire village are dishonored by the rape. Those women who are impregnated by their rapist are sometimes subject to “honor killings” by their fathers. Hana Elgadi, an aid worker, says that the killings are motivated by a sense of  love for their daughters, stating “[The fathers] believe they are saving the girl.”  The shame imposed on the family by society is so great that rebel forces have allegedly destroyed the confiscated rape videos to protect the victims and their families.

For more information, please see;

BBC –Libya rape victims face ‘honor killings’ – 14 June, 2011

BBC – Libya:  Clinton condemns rape as a weapon of war – 17 June, 2011

CNN – Libyan rebels say captured cell phone videos show rape, torture – 17 June, 2011

CNN – Libyan government denies rape allegations – 18 June, 2011

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

SOUTH KORDOFAN, Sudan – On Wednesday, June 15, 2011, President Barack Obama appealed to Sudan to enact a ceasefire after 64 people were killed in air strikes conducted by Sudanese government forces.  Thousands were displaced after an upsurge of fighting in the South Korforfan region.  Reports place the number of displaced around  60,000.

Clashes in Sudan began on June 5, 2011, after northern forces attempted to disarm members of the Nuba ethnic group.  During the Second Civil War that started in 1983, those belonging to this group fought for Southern Sudan.  On Monday, Peter Gadet, a former southern general turned military commander, led rebels on an attack that killed 29 people in the state of Warrap.  In previous weeks heavily armed cattle raiders engaged in battles in Lakes, killing at least 71 people.

In the past month, clashes occurred in Abyei and South Kordanfan, raising fears that north-south conflicts will reignite.  The civil war between the north and south, which endured for decades and killed approximately two million people, ended in 2005 with a peace agreement.   Under the agreement, residence of southern Sudan could vote on whether to secede from the Muslim and Arabic-speaking north.  In January, 99% of southern Sudanese voters favored independence.  The South will become independent on July 9, 2011.

With independence, the South will gain control of 75% of the daily oil production in Sudan.  Sudan currently produces 490,000 barrels of oil daily.  Companies from China, Malaysia, and India are the primary producers of Sudan’s oil.

The United Nations describes Tuesday’s violence as an “intensive bombing campaign.”  The UN also reported facing difficulties delivering aid to refugees because Sudanese authorities are blocking aid efforts.   UNHCR spokeswoman Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba stated “we need the cooperation and the support of the government to allow us safe passage wherever we need to go.”  Human Rights Watch also reports witnessing house-to-house searches and “widespread abuse” in Southern Kordofan by the Sudanese government.

Calling for a ceasefire, President Obama stated “There is no military solution.  The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan must live up to their responsibilities.”  He continued by stating that “The government of Sudan must prevent a further escalation of this crisis by ceasing its military actions immediately, including aerial bombardments, forced displacement and campaigns of intimidation” to prevent a return to civil war.

Southern Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin welcomed President Obama’s comments and noted that rather than force, the situation called for a well-planned disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration program.

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Almost 100 killed in south Sudan clashes – 15 June 2011

BBC – Sudan: Barack Obama calls for ceasefire – 15 June 2011

Bloomberg – Sudanese Fighting Displaces 60,000 in Southern Kordofan State, UN Says – 15 June 2011

Reuters – UPDATE 1-Obama calls for ceasefire in Sudan – 15 June 2011

By Tamara Alfred
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KHARTOUM and ABYEI, Sudan — An independent United Nations expert on human rights issued a statement on Wednesday criticizing the human rights situation in Sudan that has arisen due to the political, military and humanitarian crises currently engulfing the country.

Fighting broke out in Abyei in mid-May when alleged southern Sudanese forces attacked a U.N. Mission, protected by the Sudanese army, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 soldiers.  The Sudanese army retaliated and took control of the town, expelling southern Sudanese units of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army.  The takeover was followed by extreme violence that led to the displacement of thousands of southern Sudanese.

“I visited Abyei and I am concerned not only of the destruction, massive displacement of the residents, and the attendant human rights crisis,” said Justice Mohamed Othman Chande during a news conference in Khartoum, “but also the future status and security of the residents of Abyei.  I received allegations of killings, rape and other forms of inhuman and degrading treatment during and subsequent to the attack.”

South Sudan officials estimate that more than 80,000 people fled during the attacks on Abyei.  Many fled to Wau, the capital of Western Bahr-el-Ghazal in South Sudan.  One woman told a reporter that she had journeyed for four days, without food or water, to escape the violence.  Another woman’s two-year-old son died of dehydration on the way.

“I had to just bury him and keep going with my other children,” said the woman.

In addition to the violence, Chande also criticized the lack of humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons in south Darfur, as well as the state of political freedoms.

“The state of emergency in Darfur continues to curtail fundamental rights and freedoms, [including] arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions without judicial oversight,” said Chande.

U.N. peacekeepers have been stationed in Abyei since 2005 in an attempt to monitor the various peace agreements made in the warring nation.  However, earlier this week, Sudan’s envoy to the U.N., Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, informed the U.N. Secretary-General than UNMIS would not be welcome once the country splits.

Southern Sudan is scheduled to become an independent nation on July 9, after 50 years of civil war between the Arab north and African south.  Abyei lies in a contested and fertile border region that both the north and south claim ownership over.  After the events in May, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir declared that “Abyei is northern Sudanese land.”

For more information, please see:

CNN – U.N. expert criticizes human rights situation in Sudan – 9 June 2011

The New York Times – North-South Clashes Break Out in a Center of Sudan Tensions – 6 June 2011

Slate – So Much for the Peaceful Division of Sudan – 1 June 2011

Foreign Policy – Terror in Abyei – 31 May 2011