By Jennifer M. Haralambides
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NIAMEY, Niger – United States, African Union, and United Nations want Niger’s military junta to act quickly on pledges to restore democracy, saying sanctions could be lifted following moves to establish civilian rule.

During Thursday’s military coup, President Mamadou Tandja was taken into custody and the government was dissolved.  Because of this, the African Union imposed sanctions on Niger and demanded that they return to constitutional rule.

Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary General condemned the coup and appealed for the respect for human rights.

Colonel Goukoye Abdul Karimou, a junta spokesman, said that the situation was “under control” and that there was no “single voice of dissension” in the West African State.

“We are taking care of [Tandja] – remember he is one of our elder soldiers,” he said.

He also reassured reporters that most of the cabinet ministers captured along with the president had been released and returned home.  The three who remain captured will be freed in a couple of days.

The coup took place on Thursday when troops stormed the palace during a cabinet meeting seizing Mr. Tandja and his ministers before announcing that they were suspending the constitution and dissolving all state institutions.

Those supporting the coup call themselves the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD).  This coalition is made up of political parties, trade unions and human rights groups formed last year to protest against the constitutional changes.

The leaders of this council promised to turn Niger into an example of “democracy and good governance” and to save its people from “poverty, deception and corruption.”

The United States said it believed the coup had been triggered by Mr. Tandja’s actions late August, when he held a controversial referendum to abolish term limits on the presidency.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State William Fitzgerald said that the US position is clear:  they have to show as soon as possible that they are genuinely seeking to restore the constitution and move to a return to democratic and civilian rule.

Even though the African Union and regional group ECOWAS have condemned the takeover by force, there have been few kind words for Tanjda who’s rule was controversial and subject to sanction.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Niger Demonstrators Celebrate Coup – 20 February 2010

BBC – African Union Suspends Niger After Military Coup – 20 February 2010

National Post – Niger Coup Serves as Wake-Up Call – 20 February 2010

Reuters – US Says Niger Junta Faces Choice on Democracy – 20 February 2010

Reuters – Niger Opposition Rally Pressures Junta for Elections – 20 February 2010

By Jonathan Ambaye
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa Desk

ASMARA, Eritrea -In light of sanctions imposed on Eritrea by the United Nations Security Council, much blame is being put on the United States government for influencing the Council to push their own agenda. Eritrean media outlets are claiming that the sanctions that came in December after the U.N. Security Council Accused Eritrea of providing funds and weapons to Islamist insurgents in Somalia where violence has killed 21,000 people since 2007. The decision was supported by 13 of 15 council members and was designed to target Eritrea’s leadership, imposing an arms embargo as well as asset freezes and travel bans on individuals and firms to be designated by an existing sanctions committee.

These sanctions are believed to have been a part of a conspiracy “masterminded by United States intelligence agencies, especially the CIA,” said President Isaias Afwerki.  Protests  against the recent sanctions are being planned by the Eritrean Diaspora in the U.S.  to take place in Washington D.C.  at the White House.  The Eritrean government has responded to these protests by saying that they are not involved in any way with the planning or execution of the protest. “to the contrary, it is the people who arose spontaneously when they heard about this unjust sanction. Actually, young women, men, elders, and even children were very angry because they’ve been victimized for the second time. So, it was absolutely popular appraisal against the unjust resolution. This resolution is not only targeting Eritreans, it is targeting the Horn of Africa entirely,” said an Eritrean official.

The official also went on to explain the sanctions were not justified because the Council had no way of proving Ertitrea’s complicitiy in the ongoing security instability in Somalia. The official further said, “United Nations had nothing to do when member states were asking about the evidence. Some of them were blackmailed and some of them were silenced. Until today, there has been no proof that has come out from the U.N. and people are asking where is the proof? Where is the beef? Because no proof was submitted against Eritrea.”

For more information please see:

Reuters – Eritrean Media Blames US For UN Sanctions – 17 February 2010

Reuters – Eritrean Rebels Say Killed 17 Intelligence Agents – 18 February 2010

VOA – Eritrea Official Denies Asmara’s Involvement in Organizing Protest Against UN – 17 February 2010

By Jonathan Ambaye
Impunity Watch Journal, Africa Desk

BRUSSELS, Belgium-Today the European Union decided to extend its sanctions on Zimbabwe for another year.  After deciding not enough progress has been made in implementing the country’s power-sharing agreement, 27 nations voted in favor of extending the sanctions that were imposed on Zimbabwe in September 2008. A statement by the EU published in the bloc’s official journal read, “In view of the situation in Zimbabwe, in particular the lack of progress in the implementation of the Clobal Political Agreement signed in September 2008, the restrictive measures… should be extended for a further period of 12 months.”

President Robert Mugabe and his rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai formed a “unity” government just about one year ago. The aim of this “unity” government was to end political unrest targeting a majority of supporters who backed Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (“MDC”).

Zimbabwe’s relationship with the European Union has been strained for the last ten years as a result of a string of elections that were marred by violence and widespread allegations of human rights abuses by Mugabe’s government. Since then, his government has been closely watched by the EU. Some of what the sanctions include is travel bans and assets freezes for many affiliated and part of Mugabe’s government. 

Many of the problems that have arisen within the “unity” government stem from Mugabe’s view of MDC members as just a Western puppet, lacking any objective or substantive perspective on development in Zimbabwe.

For more information please see:

AFP – EU Renews Sanctions On Zimbabwe for Another Year – 16 February 2010

BBC – EU Renews Sanctions On Zimbabwe – 16 February 2010

Telegraph – EU Renews Zimbabwe Sanctions – 16 February 2010

By Kylie M Tsudama

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MTWAPA, Kenya – Hours before Kenya’s first gay wedding was to due take place, it was violently stopped by protesting youths and police.

Dozens of Christian and Muslim adolescents raided the apartment where the gay couple and another man lived in order to stop the wedding.  The youths banded together under the name “Operation Gays Out.”

The police intervened and arrested several wedding guests, five of whom were suspected homosexuals.

“I sent Mtwapa OCS to rescue them from angry residents baying for their blood because they were trying to conduct that marriage between two men,” said Kilifi police chief Grace Kakai.

Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya and almost all of Africa is homophobic.  South Africa is the only African country that allows gay marriage.

When asked about Kenya’s intense homophobia, Kenyan police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said, “It’s culture, just culture.  It’s what you are taught when you are young and what you hear in church.  Homosexuality it unnatural.  It’s wrong.”

The wedding was supposed to be secret.  It was to take place at a private villa but a group of locals found out and a mob quickly formed.  They headed to Kikambala, a beach town on Kenya’s coast, where the ceremony was to be held.  Bystanders heard them say that the people at the wedding should be burned.

“You know, down at the coast, where there are so many tourists, people tolerate a lot,” said Kiraithe.  “But this is too much.  These people were nearly stoned.”

The two men who were set to be married were not arrested but the five who were may be subject to testing to determine whether or not they had “illegal carnal knowledge of each other.”  No reason has been given for letting the engaged men go.

Muslim and Christian clergymen condemn the planned marriage.

Sheikh Ali Hussein of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya said, “We cannot allow these young boys to ruin their future through homosexuality.  We shall use all means to curb this vice.”

Added Bishop Lawrence Chai of the National Council of Churches of Kenya, “This is immoral and we shall not allow it, especially here in Mtwapa.”

A Kenyan gay rights organization has appealed to the Human Rights Commission to step in.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Five Arrested in Kenya Over Planned Gay Wedding – 12 February 2010

BBC – Kenyan Police Raid ‘Gay Wedding’ and Arrest Five Men – 12 February 2010

Daily Nation – Mob Attacks Gay ‘Wedding’ Party – 12 February 2010

NY Times – Kenyan Police Disperse Gay Wedding – 12 February 2010

BBC – Kenya Chiefs Block Mombasa Gay Wedding – 11 February 2010

By Kylie M Tsudama

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

GOMA, DR Congo – On Friday the world celebrated International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers.  Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to release all children recruited as soldiers, especially females.

Both the national army and the rebels are recruiting child soldiers.  Young females are especially at risk of being recruited as sex slaves and are therefore less likely to be released.

“Used as combatants, labor and sex slaves, victims of months-long violence and rape, girls are all too rarely freed by the armed forces and groups,” said UNICEF.

Forced child recruitment and re-recruitment is continuous in eastern DR Congo.

Only twenty percent of those children that have been freed to UNICEF were girls.  UNICEF has recognized that a bigger effort needs to be made in order to release more girls who deserve to live like a child and go to school and reunite with their families.

“The place for children, whether boys or girls, is within the family, not in a military environment,” said Pierrette Vu Thi, a UNICEF representative in DR Congo.  “All the children forcedly recruited in armed forces and groups, and especially young girls, are traumatized by their experience and need special attention.  It is vital that they return to a child’s life as quickly as possible.”

UNICEF Eminent Advocate for Children, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, said that almost 250,000 children are serving in armed conflicts around the world.

“Oblivious to danger in the face of death, easily impressionable and vulnerable, children are expendable pawns in a deadly game orchestrated by adults,” said Teresa.

UNICEF is taking all necessary measures to end child recruitment in DR Congo.  The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration program (DDR) was launched in 2004.  Since then, more than 36,000 children have been recovered from armed forces and groups.  Of the 6,000 children that were freed in 2000, only 1,222 of them were girls.

Along with MONUC (United Nations Mission in DR Congo), Save the Children, COOPI (Cooperazione Internazionale), and other NGOs, UNICEF is advocating for the release of as many child soldiers as possible, paying special attention to the release of young girls.

On January 10, 2009, the DR Congo government adopted a law that punishes those who recruit children with a twenty year prison sentence.  While many children remain in armed forces and groups, this law is an important step in moving away from the use of child soldiers.

For more information, please see:

All Africa – Girls Less Likely Than Boys to Be Freed From Ranks of Child Soldiers – UN – 12 February 2010

Examiner – International Day Against (Recruiting) and Use of Child Soldiers Today – 12 February 2010

Relief Web – Forced Recruitment of Child Soldiers in DRC: Where Are the Girls? – 12 February 2010

UN News Centre – Girls Less Likely Than Boys to Be Freed From Ranks of Child Soldiers – 12 February 2010