By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

LUSAKA, Zambia – Human Rights Watch issued a report yesterday accusing Zambia’s government of failing to stop the escalating violence against women and prevention of access to antiretrovial treatment for AIDS patients.  The report was based on 83 interviews conducted earlier this year of women, police, health counselors, and governmental and non-governmental organizations.   

The Zambian government was commended for its action in dealing with HIV/AIDS treatment, however the report was clear to establish that for many women an HIV positive diagnosis is the equivalent of a death sentence.  While the government has made AIDS treatment drugs free and put more than 93,000 patients on them with the help of international donors, women are still discriminated against and do not receive equal access to treatment. 

The stigma attached to HIV-positive people is still common and significantly affects women’s access to testing and treatment.  Fear of violence from their husbands lead some women to hide their medications and may even prevent them from being tested.  Many women are also left without money for transportation or food after divorce or their husband’s death due to property laws that favor men and “property grabbing” in which the deceased husband’s family seizes all his property, often leaving the widow destitute.  The result is that many women are unable to go to health clinics or afford the proper diet necessary while on medication.

Human Rights Watch called on Zambia to enact and enforce legislation on gender-based crimes and to ensure the the new constitution fully protects women’s equality.  “The Zambian government should also establish systems to enable healthcare providers, including HIV treatment providers, to respond to gender-based abuses. At a minimum, the government should ensure that healthcare providers in the HIV sector receive adequate training, clear guidelines, and support to detect and respond to gender-based abuses.”

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch News – Zambia: Abuses Against Women Obstruct HIV Treatment – 18 December 2007

AFP – Human Rights Watch slams Zambia over violence against women – 18 December 2007

International Herald Tribune – Human Rights Watch says domestic violence, poverty keeps AIDS drugs from Zambian women – 18 December 2007

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter for Western and Central Africa

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo –  In attempts to end the conflict in the east of the country, the Democratic Republic of Congo government has announced a peace conference. The government has invited all parties to the table, including rebel leader, General Laurent Nkunda. The nine day conference is set to commence on December 27, 2007. The conference will take place in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

Vital Kamerhe, head of the National Assembly and a deputy from the Sud-Kivu region stated that the conference seeks to “bring an end to the war…and to create the basis for a durable peace.”

As a pre-condition for the talks, Gen Nkunda, has asked the Congolese government to disarm the Rwandan Hutu rebels that he claims are attacking ethnic Tutsis.

This week alone, the United Nations has predicted that over 60,000 people have fled the North Kivu region to escape the fighting. Hundreds of victims, hungry and suffering from disease, have fled toward Minova, a town in South Kivu. There are currently 800,000 civilians displaced by the ongoing war, according to the UN.

The Democratic Republic of Congo army has reported on Tuesday they had pushed back Laurent Nkunda’s rebels in North-Kivu after six hours of intense fighting. The current conflict has resulted in nineteen deaths.

For more information, please see:

AFP – “DR Congo troops push back insurgents; 19 dead”  –  18 December 2007

BBC – Dr Congo Invites Rebels to Talks  –  18 December 2007

AFP – Congolese authorities announce Kivu peace conference   – 18 December 2007

BOSASSO, Somalia – French journalist Gwen Le Gouil was kidnapped in Puntland, Somalia. According to conflicting reports either three or five armed men abducted the journalist two days ago after he arrived in the city from Mogadishu. Le Gouil, an Albert Londres award winner for his report on humanitarian workers in Sri Lanka, was researching a story on human trafficking in Somalia when the attack occurred.

The kidnappers have demanded $70,000 (£35,000) ransom for Le Gouil’s release. According to Puntland’s deputy Governor Yusuf Mumin Bidde, government officials and elders were dispatched to Puntland to negotiate with the abductors. However, reports speculate that Le Gouil has been moved to Marero, after kidnappers opened fire on negotiators today.

Once known for its stability, Puntland, a port town of Bosasso, has been the center of recent kidnapping, hijacking and piracy.

In the meantime, there are reports that Somalia pirates attacked an Italian-owned cargo ship, MV Jolly Turchese, today. The Italian Ministry has not received any information or communication from the ship, and Andrew Mwangura, director of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, says the information is sketchy. Mwangura believes the ship was headed to Kenya’s Mombasa port after delivering cargo through the Suez canal when it was attacked off the coast of Somalia. Presently it is unknown if the ship and its crew were captured or if they escaped.

For more information please see:

BBC- French newsman ‘safe’ in Somalia – 17 December 2007

Reuters: Africa- Suspect pirates attack Italian ship – group – 17 December 2007

Reuters: Africa- Gunmen kidnap French journalist in North Somalia – 16 December 2007

AllAfrica.com- Somalia: French Journalist Kidnapped By Armed Men – 17 December 2007

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo – A UN mission in the DRC reported yesterday that hundreds of under-aged boys and girls are being forcibly recruited by rival armed groups and sent to the front lines of the escalating conflict in the North Kivu province in the far eastern part of the country.   “Many testimonies gathered recently confirmed that after being forcibly recruited, children receive military training and are sent to the front line for fighting, while others are used for logistical tasks or as sexual slaves.”

The UN mission, known as MONUC, has identified two groups, one of which is led by the renegade General Laurent Nkunda, as the main groups responsible for the recruitment.  The groups are known to be deliberately canvassing and searching schools and camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) looking for children.  This has led to the closure of a number of schools and families that have tried to resist the recruitment have faced retaliation. 

Since 2004 the UN has rescued an estimated 8,500 child soldiers, however it is believed that many of these children have been re-recruited in the last few months or have been used as sex slaves.  MONUC pledged to increase its efforts to protect children and to prevent their forced recruitment, and called on the rebel groups to abort the process.

The UN has been increasingly worried about the humanitarian situation inside North Kivu, where tens of thousands of people are on the move due to increased fighting.  An estimated 800,000 Congolese are now internally displaced within the province with 170,000 of those in the last four months alone.

The security situation in North Kivu has made it difficult for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other aid agencies to reach many areas of the province, which borders Rwanda and Uganda.  More than 4,500 MONUC troops have been deployed to help protect Goma and the key town of Sake.

For more information, please see:

UN News Centre – DR Congo: UN mission says recruitment of child soldiers is surging – 14 December 2007

AP – UN: Congo Groups Recruiting Children – 14 December 2007

The Age (Australia) – More needs to be done for child soldiers, says UN official – 14 December 2007

HARARE, Zimbabwe – According to researchers of Amnesty International, the frequency and severity of beatings and torture of political opponents has increased since a mediation process began. South African President Thabo Mbeki has been facilitating the mediation between the government and opposition leaders, on behalf of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), in hopes of resolving their issues.

The report was released after the researchers returned from Zimbabwe earlier this week. According to the organization, several identified police units have been responsible for the ongoing violence against human rights and opposition groups, mainly the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The report is a summary and analysis of evidence and accounts from a range of sources including victims, doctors and lawyers.

According to the report, the Zimbabwe police would quickly stop all demonstrations by human rights groups. Once in police custody, members of those groups would be assaulted and denied access to lawyers or medical care.

The demonstrations are mainly in response to the government’s failure to address the economic and humanitarian crisis. The official inflation rate as of October was 14,000% and basic commodities are scarce. Furthermore, several groups have made allegations of human rights violations including the MDC and the Women in Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA).

For more information please see:

AllAfrica.com- Zimbabwe: Amnesty Reports Increased Police Torture of Innocent Civilians – 14 December 2007

Yahoo News (AFP) – Zimbabwe Police Still Beating, Torturing Opponents: Amnesty – 13 December 2007

Amnesty International- Zimbabwe: Police Still Torture While Political Solution to Crisis Being Sought  – 14 December 2007