KINSHASA, Congo – The UN reports that the threat of violence from rebels are preventing thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from returning home.  Arsene Kirhero of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said “[w]ith dissident groups hiding in the forest, displaced persons dare not return to their village.  At the same time they are being mistreated by the army in the very areas where they are seeking refuge.” 

Investigators have discovered that the army has been forcing civilians to work as porters for long distances and was collecting “taxes” at roadblocks on market day.    The army has said there is only some truth to the allegations. 

Fighting in DRC’s eastern Nord-Kivu province has driven some 375,000 people from their homes since last December due to continued fighting between government forces, renegade troops and rebels.  160,000 have been displaced in the last two months.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica.com – Congo-Kinshasa: Army Abuse Compounds IDPs’ Lot in Ituri – 9 November 2007

AFP – DR Congo displacement worst since civil war – 9 November 2007

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

GULU, Uganda – Vincent Otti, who was second in command of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) disappeared for weeks after violence broke out in Uganda. Speculation arose that he was killed a few weeks ago during the violence. Earlier this week, a Uganda army spokesman, Lt Chris Magezi, confirmed to the BBC that Mr Otti and his wife and children were killed weeks ago.

Nevertheless, rebel leader, Joseph Kony has stated that the Northern Ugandan deputy leader Vincent Otti is purposively not deceased but alive and under arrest in Uganda. Joseph Kony claims that Mr. Otti was arrested for being a government spy. Otti has not yet been ordered an execution.

An LRA spokesman visiting Uganda, Martin Ojul , has denied rumors that Otti is suffering from Cholera.

Presently, Mr. Otti and Mr. Kony are two of four LRA commanders wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes committed during the 20 year war. Both men remain in hiding in the north-east region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A team from the South Sudanese government has been assembled to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo to report on Mr. Otti’s status.

Moreover, the OTP [Office of the Prosecutor] from the ICC is “in consultation with the Registry, is taking steps to assess the veracity of these reports (on Otti’s alleged demise) including making an official request to the Government of Uganda, the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other relevant authorities for additional information”

For more information, please see:

BBC – Uganda Rebel Deputy is not Dead – 9 November 2007

AllAfrica – Uganda: IICC Probes Vincent Otti’s Fate – 9 November 2007

BBC – Ugandan Deputy Rebel Feared Dead  – 7 November 2007

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Today, Ethiopian soldiers entered the northern town of Hodan, where insurgents regularly attack governmental soldiers and bases, and were quickly met with heavily armed insurgents. After a bloody battle involving Ethiopian tanks, machine guns and grenades, 18 people were left dead and dozens wounded. This was one of two violent clashes that took place in the streets of Mogadishu today.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced people have fled the capital since the fighting began late last year, however the number of refugees has increased dramatically in recent weeks as the violence and combat worsen. Those who remained in the capital are trapped in their homes, with no means of receiving police or medical assistance.  Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has been unable to reach those in need due to the incessant violence, and many of the wounded people bleed to death. According to Colin McIlreavy, the MSF head of mission for Somalia, many people are forced to remain where they are and hope the violence doesn’t reach them.

Later today, Islamist insurgents dragged the dead bodies of two Ethiopian soldiers through the streets of Mogadishu, as a group of people followed chanting “God is great” and pelting the bodies with rocks. The scene was reminiscent of the failed 1993 U.S. operation in which the dead bodies of U.S. soldiers were dragged in the streets after two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down.

The gruesome event was preceded by fighting in the Suqa Holaha neighborhood in northern Mogadishu. Ethiopian soldiers entered the town by the hundreds, according to a local resident, and were again met with fierce resistance.  The total death toll of soldiers today was nine. Thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the fighting began. Thus far, the transitional government has been unable to gain control of the country.

For more information please see:

AllAfrica.com – Somalia: 19 People Killed 9 of Them Ethiopian Soldiers After Bloody Battle Erupts in Mogadishu – 8 November 2007

AllAfrica.com – Somalia: Mogadishu Residents Trapped By Violence – 7 November 2007

BBC- Bodies Dragged Through Mogadishu – 8 November 2007

Reuters: Africa – Somali Insurgents Drag Dead Ethiopians in Street – 8 November 2007

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya – The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR) has accused the police of carrying out hundreds of extrajudicial executions during an operation against the Mungiki criminal sect. 

The Mungiki are a politico-religious group and a banned criminal organization in Kenya.  Earlier this year, the Mungiki gang went on a spree of beheadings and killings after clashing with the police in Nairobi.  Late last month local human rights groups accused the police of executing suspected members and dumping their bodies outside Nairobi when the morgue was filled to capacity.

KNHCR announced Monday that it has evidence that almost 500 suspects were shot and their bodies dumped during the past five months.  While not explicitly blaming the police for the deaths, the report does state that “circumstantial evidence” linked the police to the killings and that the force seemed to be blocking efforts to find the killers. 

The commission has called for a probe led by international experts and the UN to verify their investigation.  KNHCR’s Njonjo Mue announced today that post mortem reports on some of the suspects confirm that they were shot at close range.  Mr. Mue, the head of advocacy, explained to journalists that the reports show the cause of death was multiple organ injures due to multiple gun shots and that pathologists concluded the fatal bullets were shot from behind.   This supports the commission’s findings that the suspects were executed. 

The Police Commissioner, Hussein Ali, has accused KNHCR of spoiling the name of police to justify its existence.  Ali stated, “The police takes great exception to the grave accusations make recklessly by KNHCR, accusing police of involvement in the murder of missing persons.  These are allegations without a shred of evidence.” 

On Tuesday the police chief held a press conference, in which he rebuked the human rights investigators.  He emphasized that the KNHCR has no investigation experience and that Kenya’s legal system requires any crime to be reported to the police.   Therefore, any action taken outside that legal framework is illegal and unacceptable. 

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Post mortems on executed Kenyans – 7 November 2007

AllAfrica.com – Kenya: Ali Dismisses KIAI’s Report on Executions – 7 November 2007

AllAfrica.com – Kenya: Show Us Evidence on Killings, Says Ali – 7 November 2007

Time – Kenya Accused of Mass Killings – 6 November 2007

Reuters Africa – Kenya’s police deny killing hundreds of Mungiki suspects – 6 November 2007

AP – Kenyans Blame Police for Killings – 6 November 2007

By Meryl A. White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

GULU, Uganda – Over the past 18 years, a rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) killed over 1000,000 people in Uganda and displaced more than one and a half million civilians. During the 18 years of war, over 200,000 children were abducted. Today, an estimated 1.5 million people live in displacement camps.

On Tuesday, the LRA has asked for forgiveness from northern war victims. Martin Ojul, an LRA spokesman stated that “the LRA made plenty of mistakes and I ask forgiveness for what happened to our people.”

Archbishop of Gulu John Odama told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme, “Forgiveness is healing and it has a more lasting effect then revenge, the perpetuation of hatred, the perpetuation of war.”

Walter, a victim of the violence stated that “the government should not pursue these people into court. They should return to Uganda willingly and the government should just be open to them.”

Local leaders want the LRA commanders to undergo traditional rituals and face the victims’ families. However, rights groups reject forgiveness as “too soft.” These activists want an international court to decide the fate of rebel leaders.

Consy Lawil, 35, who lost her ears, nose, and lips when rebels sliced them off with a machete, believes that LRA leader, Joseph Kony should be taken to The Hague and jailed for his actions.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Uganda’s LRA rebels ask war victims for forgiveness  – 6 November 2007

BBC News –  How to Punish Uganda Rebels – 6 November 2007

BBC News – Uganda Rebels Ask For Forgiveness – 6 November 2007