By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

KIGALI, Rwanda – Today, Francois Karera, a former Rwandan regional official, was found guilty on three counts of genocide by the Tanzania-based International Criminal Court and sentenced to life imprisonment. Karera, now 63-years old, was arrested in Kenya in October 20, 2001 and immediately extradited to Tanzania. There he was charged with four counts of genocide and crimes against humanity for ordering and/or encouraging attacks on Tutsis in villages on April 1994.

Karere was a perfect or provincial governor in the capital of Kigali. According to court records and witnesses, Karera ordered the attacks of Tutsis in Ruhashi commune and in Nyarugenge commune, mainly at roadblocks. In considering his sentence after 33 days of trial, the tribunal judge, Erik Mose, took into account Karare’s authority, role, and the number of victims killed in the Ntamara Church. According to records, 5000 people were massacred.

Prior to his arrest and the establishment of the Tanzania-based court, Karera was quoted as saying, “If the reasons are just, the massacres are justified…In war you don’t consider the consequences, you consider the causes.” For this reason Karera said he was not worried that the United Nations would establish a tribunal to investigate the massacres and try suspects.

The UN court has been attempting to hold masterminds of Rwanda´s 1994 genocide responsible for their actions and the actions they ordered since its creation in 1997. The sentencing of Karera brings the number of people convicted to 30. Five defendants have been acquitted. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has until 2008 to complete its task in trying genocide suspects.

More than 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed Hutu extremists in 100 days.

For more information please see:

BBC- Life for Rwanda Church Killing – 7 December 2007

Reuters: Africa- Rwanda Genocide Court: Life Sentence on Ex-Governor – 7 December 2007

AllAfrica.com- Rwanda: Former Governor Jailed for Life on Genocide – 7 December 2007

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo –   Armed forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have seized the eastern town of Mushake. According to General Dieudonne Kayembe, fifty of General Laurent’s Nkunda’s rebels were killed. General Nkunda and his remaining forces are rumored to have retreated to nearby mountains.

Presently, the 82nd brigade of the Congolese armed forces has control over Mushake, which will give the government a strategic advantage to monitor a key transportation road in the region.

The United States, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda have pledged support to the DR Congo army. These countries have also pledged not to “harbour negative forces.”

The United Nation’s peacekeeping mission in DR Congo has been providing logistical, and humanitarian support. On Tuesday, the UN claimed that as a last resort, they would provide “fire support” against the rebel forces.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary Rice visited the Ethiopian capital to get support from Great Lakes African leaders to diffuse the situation. According to Reuters, she was unable to obtain a major breakthrough.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Army Seizes DR Congo Rebel base  – 5 December 2007

Reuters – Rice pushes leaders for end to Congo conflict  – 5 December 2007

AFP – Congolese report rapes, abuse by Angolan soldiers: MSF  – 5 December 2007

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan – The international community is increasing its demand for a cease-fire in Sudan.  A United Nations human rights expert announced on Tuesday that Sudanese forces have killed several hundred Sudanese civilians in ground attacks and aerial bombardments on villages in Darfur in the past six months.  Bystanders have also been caught up in clashes between the rebel groups and have been tortured and raped. 

Also on Tuesday, former US President Jimmy Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu called for an immediate cease-fire in Darfur and for the international community to honor its pledge to send in peacekeepers.  Carter and Tutu are two members of a group known as The Elders, a group launched on former South African President Nelson Mandela’s 89th birthday in July and dedicated to finding new ways to foster peace and resolve global crises.

The Elders chose Darfur as their first mission because it is “a blight on the conscience of humanity.”  Tutu told reporters on Tuesday that “[w]e felt we had a moral imperative to join and contribute to the efforts made by may people and organizations to stop the atrocities.”   The group issued a report and action plan detailing the problem in Sudan and called for immediate action.  The report also details recommendations for peace.

Key among the recommendations is the deployment of a joint AU-UN peacekeeping force.  The 26,000-member peacekeeping force is expected to take over for the current AU force of 7,000 and start deploying next year.  However, U.N. officials have accused the Sudanese government of stalling and creating barriers to an on-time deployment. 

Since the conflict began in 2003, over 200,000 people have died and more than 2.5 million have been displaced.  UN investigators have issued reports stating Sudan’s government has failed to protect civilians in Darfur from rape, torture, and violence.   Sudanese lawyer Salih Mahmoud Osman, the winner of a European Union human rights prize, announced on Tuesday that despite UN Security Council resolutions the number of dead in Darfur has risen to 500,000 and that rape is still being used as a weapon of war. 

For more information, please see:

Reuters Africa – Sudan forces killed 100s of civilians in Darfur – 5 December 2007

USA Today – Carter, Tutu call for Darfur cease-fire – 4 December 2007

AllAfrica.com – Sudan: The Elders Urge Immediate Action on Darfur – 4 December 2007

Reuters Africa – EU rights champion urges Europe to act on Darfur – 5 December 2007

AP – Sudan Told to Stop Blocking Peacekeepers – 4 December 2007

For more information on the Sudan situation, please see the following Impunity Watch reports:Peacekeeping Force in Sudan Possibly Delayed; Threat of War in Sudan; Continued Delays in Deployment of Sudan Hybrid Force;  Sudan Talks Falter; Upcoming Peace Talks in Sudan in Jeopardy; New Atrocities in Darfur; Ceasefire Ends in Sudan; African Union Peacekeepers Attacked in Darfur; Ongoing Conflict in Sudan; ICC Prosecutor Demands Arrests in Sudan; Secretary General Urges Sudan President to Commit to Ceasefire; Peace Talks on Darfur Scheduled for October 

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo – Democratic of Congo rebel leader Laurent Nkunda began an offensive attack on the nation’s army by retaking several rebel controlled villages in the east. Two days ago, the rebels attacked Government positions in Nyanzale, a northern section of the province. Presently, there has been heavy fighting in Mushake, a rebel town located 40 kilometers from Goma. In response, the United Nations has promised to join on with the DRC army to provide fire support against the militant rebels.

U.N. Monuc spokesman, Kamal Saiki that the UN will now “provide fire support, including artillery and close air support” as a last resort.

Presently, there are 15,000 UN soldiers in DR Congo that are tasked with peace securing missions. The new UN orders would mean that these peacekeepers would have legal authority to fire at rebel forces. To avoid further armed conflict, the peacekeepers are urging illegal fighters to put down their arms and to cease fire.

Currently, The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to suspend the delivery of food aid to as many as 300,000 vulnerable people because of the militant take-over of villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Fore more information, please see:

BBC – UN to join attack on Congo rebels – 4 December 2007

IRIN- DRC: Fighting interrupts food aid to 300,000 in the east – 4 December 2007 

All Africa.com  Congo-Kinshasa: UN Mission Calls On Illegal Fighters to Lay Down Their Arms  – 4 December 2007

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

EL ASHA, Somalia – The security situation in Somalia continues to hamper relief efforts. The presence of Ethiopian troops has only worsened the safety conditions and African Union soldiers along with Ugandan peacekeepers have been unable to stem the violence. Almost 6,000 people have been killed in fighting this year. After meeting with the UN Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, President Abdullahi Yusuf and new Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein have agreed to place security as their number one priority.

Yesterday, even as Holmes and Somali officials were discussing the growing crisis, eight people were killed in Mogadishu and the town of Jowhar. Holmes repeated sentiments issued by UN head Ban Ki-Moon earlier this month, that UN peacekeepers would not be viable since they can only keep the peace, not create it.

According to the UN, roughly 60% of Mogadishu’s residents left their homes and the World Food Program (WFP) estimates it feeds 21,000 people a day. Last month, UN officials described the situation in Somalia as the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa and not much has changed since Holmes’ visit this week. If anything, the conditions are worse. This month alone, 200,000 people left their homes to escape the incessant violence.

During Holmes’ four-day visit, he stopped by Afgooye, located west of Mogadishu, where nearly 200,000 people are living in squalid camps on the side of the road. Seeing the dire conditions first-hand, Holmes urged more assistance for the world’s worst developing humanitarian crises.  Holmes concluded his visit to the Horn of Africa by calling on the international community and humanitarian agencies to respond to the Somali crisis and urging the Somali government to work with them.

Aid agencies have made attempts to combat the crisis but both sides, the government and insurgents, have made their efforts difficult. Insurgents have stolen loads of food and piracy has plagued the distribution process. The capital, Mogadishu, has many security checkpoints and aid agencies are stopped continuously and at times charged money. Furthermore, in October the mayor of Mogadishu, former warlord Mohamed Dheere, detained the head of the WFP for five days, causing WFP to temporarily suspend food distributions to at least 75,000 people.

For more information, please see:

BBC- UN Says Somalia needs more help – 3 December 2007

AllAfrica.com- UN- Atrocities Fuel Worsening Crisis in Horn of Africa – 3 December 2007

Reuters: Africa- UN aid chief appeals for more help for Somalia  – 3 December 2007

Yahoo News- UN aid chief urges Somalia action as new cabinet unravels – 3 December 2007