By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The trial against Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, continued this week with testimony from a Gambian who served in Taylor’s Special Security Service (SSS).  The Prosecution continued their examination of Suwandi Camara, who testified regarding Taylor’s presence in Libya in the early 1990s, his use of child soldiers, his forces in Liberia, and his ties to the rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF).   

Camara testified that he saw Taylor in Libya twice and detailed his various assignments at that time.  He also testified that while an instructor at Cobra Base, which was used to train soldiers about guns and to give them advanced commando training, he saw many thirteen year old boys being trained.  He testified that the Small Boy Units (SBU) would often have 230-240 soldiers and that some of the soldiers could be as young as nine or ten. 

The cross-examination of Camara challenged the majority of what he had stated, arguing that Camara had not personally seen or heard the evidence he testified to.  Camara responded that 75% of his testimony was what he saw or heard himself.   Camara had also given several interviews to the prosecution, which resulted in statements and clarifications as well as interview notes written by the investigators.  The cross-examination focused heavily on inconsistencies between those written documents and the testimony given in court. 

After a brief redirect Court was adjourned until next week, when Crimebase Witness TF1-026 will take the stand in open court, but with a pseudonym and screen.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica.com – Prosecution Witness Testifies Concerning Taylor’s Presence in Libya – 11 February 2008

AllAfrica.com – Prosecution Witness Camara Continues Testimony – 12 February 2008

AllAfrica.com – Cross-Examination of Suwandi Camara Continues – 13 February 2008

AllAfrica.com – Cross-Examination of Camara Concludes; Defense Counsel Accuses Witness of Lying – 15 February 2008

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The trial against Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, continued this week with testimony from a Gambian who served in Taylor’s Special Security Service (SSS).  The Prosecution continued their examination of Suwandi Camara, who testified regarding Taylor’s presence in Libya in the early 1990s, his use of child soldiers, his forces in Liberia, and his ties to the rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF).   

Camara testified that he saw Taylor in Libya twice and detailed his various assignments at that time.  He also testified that while an instructor at Cobra Base, which was used to train soldiers about guns and to give them advanced commando training, he saw many thirteen year old boys being trained.  He testified that the Small Boy Units (SBU) would often have 230-240 soldiers and that some of the soldiers could be as young as nine or ten. 

The cross-examination of Camara challenged the majority of what he had stated, arguing that Camara had not personally seen or heard the evidence he testified to.  Camara responded that 75% of his testimony was what he saw or heard himself.   Camara had also given several interviews to the prosecution, which resulted in statements and clarifications as well as interview notes written by the investigators.  The cross-examination focused heavily on inconsistencies between those written documents and the testimony given in court. 

After a brief redirect Court was adjourned until next week, when Crimebase Witness TF1-026 will take the stand in open court, but with a pseudonym and screen.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica.com – Prosecution Witness Testifies Concerning Taylor’s Presence in Libya – 11 February 2008

AllAfrica.com – Prosecution Witness Camara Continues Testimony – 12 February 2008

AllAfrica.com – Cross-Examination of Suwandi Camara Continues – 13 February 2008

AllAfrica.com – Cross-Examination of Camara Concludes; Defense Counsel Accuses Witness of Lying – 15 February 2008

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyans are eager to return to life before December 27, but Kenyan leader have yet to agree on a final resolution. President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga have agreed to a power sharing solution but the manner of that is still under debate. Even former UN boss Kofi Annan has expressed frustration at the slow progress, “I thought we could have moved much fast than we have.”

Returning back to normalcy will take years. It took only a few days to turn one of the most stable South African countries into a state of chaos. The post-election violence resulted in 1,000 dead, more than 600,000 displaced, extensive property damage, damage to the national image and economic structure, and the exposure of an ethnic resentment that may take years to repair.

Annan is hopeful that the parties will agree to a resolution soon. Both sides signed a 10-point preliminary agreement on Thursday to resolve their political crisis. Odinga and Kibaki agreed to an independent review committee, consisting of Kenyan and non-Kenyan experts, to investigate all aspects of the December 27 presidential election. The committee is expected to start work on March 15 and report their findings within three to six months. The agreement also calls for a new constitution. A rerun election and a court resolution has not been agreed upon.

At first, Odinga rejected all suggestions of a dual government and Kibaki insisted his position was non-negotiable. Now both parties have agreed to a power-sharing solution but are dead-lock as to the manner, whether through a prime minister post or another way.

Several Western diplomats have urged the power sharing resolution including the United States. US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is expected to accompany US President Bush on his trip to several countries in Africa. Rice will then travel to Kenya to back the mediation efforts.

Meanwhile, as the rival leaders slowly come to a solution, the violence continues. Although the looting, murder and arson has diminished, a less talked about violence continues: rape. Within three weeks after the December 27 election, 135 women and children, including a two-year-old child, was treated at Nairobi’s Women Hospital for a sexual assault. In the Mathare slum, Dr. Joseph Osoo treats up to 45 rape victims a day in his two-room clinic. It used to be one victim a week.

Most of the victims were gang raped, including one Kiyuyu woman who was raped in front of her 4-year-old son two hours after receiving a cell phone text message warning her of the impending assault. Many more rapes have likely been unreported, due to a lack of transportation. UNICEF reports that the escalating sexual violence will eventually show up in the country’s HIV statistic.

So as the leaders, talk, negotiate, and re-negotiate a resolution, women and children are used as a silent tactic against opposing ethnic groups in a crisis triggered by a disputed election.

For more information please see:

Yahoo News – Rape is Weapon in Kenya Violence – 13 February 2008

BBC- Bush to Send Top Envoy to Kenya – 14 February 2008

Yahoo News- Kenya Rival Agree to Review Election – 15 February 2008

Reuters: Africa – Annan: Kenya Rivals Closer to Agreement – 15 February 2008

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

N’DJAMA, Chad – The government of Chad will continue to search for rebels in the capital, N’Djamena, by using the method of “house to house” searches. Many of the searches have produced child rebels, who after detection, were paraded in front of reporters and journalists.

The rebels who are eighteen have not received any special treatment upon detection. The government has referred to the juvenile rebels as “child mercenaries,” rather than “child soldier.”

The government insists that house to house raids will last until every rebel is found. Moreover, officials announced that any person hiding a rebel in their home will be treated like a rebel themselves.

Chad’s former colonial power, France, has helped in the transport of materials and weapons to Chad’s army. France has acted in accordance with a military co-operation agreement between the two nations.

French military spokesman, Cmdr. Christophe Prazuck, stated that French forces opened fire “about 10 times” during the violence, but only in self-defense. Also, there was no fire from French airpower.

Presently, the government is trying to determine the location of three key opposition leaders who are in hiding.  A spokesman for Mr Choua’s Assembly for Democracy and Progress, reported to AFP news agency that the leaders were “kidnapped by about 15 soldiers from the presidential guard.”

France and Amnesty International, a human rights advocacy organization, have expressed their concern over the whereabouts of the three missing opposition leaders. Former President Lol Mahamat Choua, is one of the opposition leaders who had disappeared while rebels were attacking the city. The other two are opposition alliance spokesman Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh and veteran Ngarlejy Yorongar.

Presently, there is major concern for victims of the violence, as many are fearful to return to their homes in N’Djama. “We are afraid to go back,” 20-year-old N’djamena resident Patrice Djerane who is hiding out near the dusty border town of Kousseri. “We’ll go back when peace comes. Until then, we’ll wait.”

For more information, please see:

BBC- Chad Vows Raid To Seek Rebels   – 14 February 2008

All Africa – Chad: Refugees From N’djamena Still Fearful of Returning – 14 February 2008

AP – Official- France Helps Chad  – 14 February 2008