By Jennifer M. Haralambides
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

JUBA, Sudan – On Sunday, tribesman attacked a south Sudan village, overwhelming the soldiers who were guarding the settlement and killing roughly 72 people.

A group of fighters from the Lou Nuer ethnic group attacked Duk Padiet village, which is inhabited by the Dinka Hol Tribe.  Kuol Diem Kuol, a southern army spokesman, said this was not a raid for cattle and resources, this was a militia attack against security forces.

“They overran our company plus the youth of the village,” he said.

Kuol believes that those who raided his village are the same group of Lou Nuer fighters who attacked the Jonglei village of Wernyol last month killing 40 and wounding 64.

This year alone, more than 1,200 people have been killed in the numerous ethnic clashes that have taken place in the oil-producing region.  Many of the victims have been women and children.  Linked to long-running feuds over cattle rustling, and fueled by a ready supply of guns the conflicts continue to take the lives of many innocent people.

Politicians in Southern Sudan have accused northern Sudan rival tribes of raiding their country side with the intention of spreading instability just before the national elections.  Regardless of any northern interference, southern Sudan is made up of a patchwork of rival ethnic groups who have been fighting over grazing land, cattle, and other resources for some time.

The national election is due next year and southern Sudanese will be voting in a referendum to decide whether to secede from the north in 2011.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Scores killed in South Sudan Clashes: Official – 21 September 2009

BBC – Dozens Die in South Sudan Attack – 21 September 2009

Press TV – Dozens Dead in Separate Sudan Clashes – 21 September 2009

Reuters – Armed Tribesmen Attack South Sudan Villagers, Soldiers – 20 September 2009

By Kylie M Tsudama
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Charles Taylor has denied that he commanded the release of peacekeepers, but rather that he conveyed the international community’s message.

“It’s a lie.  I did not command him.  The only thing I did on the UN situation was to tell Issa Sesay to release those people and to release them unconditionally,” Taylor said.  “I told him the concerns of the international community and that if they did not release the peacekeepers, the international community will come down on them like a hammer.  The whole issue was not my decision.”

A witness testified that RUF (Revolutionary United Front) rebels abducted UN peacekeepers in 2000 and the hostages were eventually handed over to the UN in Liberia after Taylor ordered Sesay, Sierra Leonean rebel leader, to release them.  The witness also testified that Taylor was not sincere in his commitment to bring peace to Sierra Leone.

Taylor also denied giving Sesay arms and ammunition to take back to Sierra Leone.

Although a witness testified that in 1997 a Liberian rebel known as Jungle said he picked up weapons from Taylor’s White Flower residence, Taylor testified that his residence was never used to transport weapons.

“Nobody ever picked up weapons from White Flower.  Nobody ever picked up a single weapon there, not even Benjamin Yeaten,” Taylor said.  “I say he is lying.  He must be confused.  In fact, White Flower does not exist in 1997.  I moved into that building in January 1998.”

Taylor also denied allegations that he backed and controlled RUF rebel leader Foday Sankoh during the country’s 11-year war.  Taylor maintains that his last correspondence with Sankoh was in May 1992 so there was no way that these allegations could be true.

It was admitted that there was a possibility that some of Taylor’s NPFL (National Patriotic Front of Liberia) could have been in contact with some of Sankoh’s “Special Forces” but that if he had any knowledge of it he would have put it to a stop.

“If I had known that any senior operator was in contact with Sankoh, he would have been removed and punished,” Taylor testified in front of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

The court will be observing the Islamic holiday Ramadan on Monday.  Taylor’s testimony will resume on Tuesday.

For more information, please see:

CharlesTaylorTrial.com – Taylor Did Not Have Any Contact With RUF Leader Foday Sankoh After May 1992, He Says – 17 September 2009

CharlesTaylorTrial.com – Taylor Refutes Rebel Radio Operator Evidence – 16 September 2009

CharlesTaylorTrial.com – Nobody Ever Transported Weapons From Taylor’s White Flower Residence to RUF Rebels in Sierra Leone, He Says – 15 September 2009

CharlesTaylorTrial.com – Taylor Did Not Command RUF to Release UN Hostages, Only Conveyed A Message From the International Community, He Says – 14 September 2009

Impunity Watch – Charles Taylor Still on Stand Defending His Actions – 12 September 2009

by Jennifer M. Haralambides
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – On Thursday, Islamist rebel group al-Shabaab vowed that the movement will continue terror attacks on foreign targets, and that they are calling on foreign militants to join them in their radical efforts.

The commando operation, allegedly by the U.S., that killed kenyan-born Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in southern Somali on Monday has triggered an angry response from the Al-Shabaab, who are fighting the nation’s U.N.-backed government.  Nabhan was believed to be a central operative for the global terrorist group al-Qaeda and responsible for a 2002 bombing and attempted shooting of an Israeli jet.

Even though the raid may have gained valuable counter-terrorism intelligence, it may have risked igniting the already intense “anti-western” opinion in the country.  This attitude has been fostered by the al-Shabaab who Washington says is al-Qaeda’s proxy in Somalia.

Now the rebel group is calling out to foreign countries for Muslim religious warriors to come and participate in their war.

“We call for all Muslim fighters in the world to come to Somalia,” said Sheikh Mahad Abdikarim, commander of al-Shabaab forces in the Bay and Bakol regions . . . “If Burundians and Ugandans, who are not Muslims, are allowed to stay in Somalia, who can refuse our Muslim brothers to join us in the struggle?” he asked.

Sources say that Monday’s use of helicopter-troops has marked an apparent change in the U.S. military’s tactical approach.

Al-Shabaab, along side other Islamic opposition fighters, has pushed the pro-government forces back to Mogadishu.  Here the two sides are engaged in ongoing street battles as the opposition attempts to take over the current administration of President Sharif.

So far, the fighting has killed more than 18,000 civilians since the start of 2007.  In this time,  Somalia has become a safe haven for militants, including foreign jihadists, who are plotting attacks within the region and in foreign locations.

For more information, please see:

Daily Nation – Al-Shabaab Vows More Terror Attacks – 18 September 2009

Reuters – Somali Rebels Call fo Foreign Reinforcements – 16 September 2009

VOA – Al-Shabab Asks Foreign Fighters to Come to Somalia – 16 September 2009

By Kylie M Tsudama
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NEW YORK, United States – Although the United Nations estimates that the number of child soldiers has fallen to 250,000 from 300,000 worldwide five years ago, Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict, said this is a “terrible year for children in armed conflict.”

In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Coomaraswamy detailed he grave situation that children and child soldiers face in the conflicts around the world.  She said that the toll on children and the people in general is especially high in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and the Central African Republic (CAR), as well as many Asian countries.

Children in DR Congo caught in the fighting between government troops and Hutu rebels has led to a large number of children being killed and maimed.

“The nature of conflict is changing and civilians are increasingly on the frontline.  The toll on children is more brutal than ever,” she said.  Adding, “Children, many of them are used as suicide bombers as well as fighters… But, we also have a situation where large numbers of children are arrested and detained in the counter-terrorism activity.  And, this is of concern to us.  We also are concerned about collateral damage that often results with child victims.”

Child soldiers have already been released in Chad and Burundi earlier this year, while there are children in CAR that are set to be released this year.

Prior to the release of Burundi children, the number of cases rape and sexual violence, abduction and detention of children and child recruitment by the Forces Nationales pour la Liberation (FNL) rebel group increased.  Although the children have been released in Burundi, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says that a climate of impunity still exists for violators of children’s rights there.                                   

The Secretary General called on authorities to investigate and prosecute cases in a “rigorous and timely” manner in order to “redress impunity for crimes against children.”  He also called on the relevant governments to come up with a comprehensive strategy “that ensures an end to impunity through the prosecution of perpetrators and that takes measures to provide support for girl and boy victims of sexual violence.”

The Security Council Working Group may consider taking a trip to Burundi in the coming months to survey the situation and monitor the country’s progress.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica – Burundi: Tackling Impunity for Violators of Child Rights Next Step for Burundi, Says Ban – 18 September 2009

Relief Web – Tackling Impunity for Violators of Child Rights Next Step for Burundi, Says Ban– 18 September 2009

UN News Centre – Tackling Impunity for Violators of Child Rights Next Step for Burundi, Says Ban – 18 September 2009

Manila Bulletin – UN Warns of ‘Terrible Year for Children’ – 17 September 2009

VOA – UN Report Describes ‘Terrible’ Year for Children in Armed Conflict – 16 September 2009

By Jared Kleinman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KAMPALA, Uganda – Police fired live ammunition and tear gas at protestors on September 10th, killing 21 and injuring 86 people.  The protestors were demonstrating against the police’s refusal to allow King Ronald Mutebi II, ruler of the Baganda tribe, access to the Kayunga district.  After the Bagandan ruler’s travel ban had been imposed, the Bagandan youth took to the streets, stealing ammunition from police and other confronting officers.  The protestor’s actions escalated tensions and infused riots which resulted in violence and bloodshed.  663 people were ultimately arrested.

(Source: CNN – Ugandan police ride past a burning barricade in the Natete suburb of Kampala on Friday.)

The King Ronald Mutebi II, known locally as the kabaka, is the leader of the Bagandan people, Uganda’s largest ethnic group.  The kabaka attempted to enter the district in order to observe preparations and make a formal presentation for the festivities of National Youth Day that was scheduled to take place September 12th.  The Kayunga district, in which the kabaka was denied access, is populated with a renegade rival group, the Banyala, who reject the kabaka’s authority.  The government’s refusal to allow the kabaka access to the Kayunga district was taken as an insult to the Badandan people and as a result riots ensued.

Kings in Uganda are limited to a ceremonial role overseeing traditional and cultural affairs. Government officials and the Buganda kingdom have been at odds for years, sparring over land, sovereignty and political power.  “The government is wrong to undermine cultural institutions, which are the backbone of Uganda’s heritage,” said Mzamiru Balidha, a resident of Kampala.  “Cultural leaders must be left alone since they are not interfering in politics.”

It still remains unclear whether any of the protesters initially engaged in violence.  The police’s reaction to the protestors by firing tear gas and live ammunition is what remains under review.  “The available evidence raises serious concerns that police used excessive force in confronting demonstrators,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.  “Violence during protests may require that the police use force, but it must be proportionate,” said Gagnon.  “Here it appears that the police use of live ammunition prompted an escalation in bloodshed.”  “A thorough investigation is needed to find out who is responsible for yesterday’s violence.”

For more information, please see:

Bloomberg – Ugandan Riot’s Death Toll Rises to 21; Arrests Made, DPA Says – 14 September 2009

CBC News – Ugandan Riots Kill 21 – 14 September 2009

CNN – At Least 21 People Died in Ugandan Riots, Police Say – 14 September 2009

HRW – Uganda: Police Restraint Needed in Response to Protests – 11 September 2009