By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NDJAMENA, Chad – The government has declared a twelve day state of emergency in three regions of Chad. More than 20 people have died in ethnic clashes in the eastern provinces of Quaddaj and Wadi Fira and in the northern region of Borkou, Ennedi and Tibesti.

The bloodshed in Darfur, Sudan, has spilled over into Chad and the Central African Republic. Presently, there are 240,000 refugees from Sudan’s Darfur region in eastern Chad and 173,000 internally displaced people.

The latest of clashes in Chad are between two tribes, the Tama and the Zaghawa. The clashes lasted for a period of three days in the eastern district of Dar Tama. The fighting was sparked by claims that members of one tribe stole livestock and cattle from members of the other tribe.

Tama rebel leader Mahamat Nour has accused the Zaghawas of starting the current conflict. He said,”The Tama problem is a real problem, people are dying in their hundreds. All they had as cattle has been rustled.”

The Foreign Minister to Chad stated “We dare to hope that it will create conditions that will foster stability and reconstruction in the eastern region of our country that have been devastated by incursions of the Sudanese Janjaweed and other armed men coming from Darfur.”

Experts believe that a peace agreement between rival groups will help pave the way for the United Nations to send in peacekeeping forces in Chad’s insecure eastern border

Starting in early November, 3,000 EU troops and 300 UN police are expected to arrive in Chad to oversee relief efforts at displacement camps.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Chad Rebels agree move to peace – 4 October 2007

AllAfrica.com – Chad: Government, Rebels Reach Peace Deal – 4 October 2007

BBC- Chad State of Emergency Imposed- – 16 October 2007

Herald Tribune- Chad Declares State of Emergency in Three Regions – 16 October 2007

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NORTH KIVO, Democratic Republic of Congo – In the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, rebels under the leadership of General Laurent Nkunda have been given until October 15th to cease hostilities. The militants have been given the choice to enter the national army or face prosecution.

General Nkunda is currently backing DR Congo’s Tutsis population. He claims that he is protecting Tutsis from Hutus who escaped Rwanda and entered into the DR Congo after the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Nkunda firmly believes that Hutus in DRC have formed the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR). The Rwandan government denies supporting General Nkunda.

The fighting in North Kivu province forced thousands of people to become displaced when locals fled from their homes to avoid the violence. The “once-bustling” town of Mushaki, located 50 km west of Goma, is now deserted.

In Goma, the provincial capital, relief workers are preparing to accommodate at least 1,900 displaced families. The site’s capacity can hold 10,000 to 12,000 people. Furthermore, in the Masisi district, more than 16,000 people are sheltering along the roads that connect the villages.

Many people seeking relief avoid going to the displacement camps in Goma and travel up North into the Masisi Mountains. One reason for this growing trend is that the mountains in the north provide better grazing conditions for cattle “on which their livelihoods depend.”

The UNHCR stated that, “Displaced [people] report severe violations by armed groups, such as pillaging and destruction of houses, killings of civilians, recruitment of children into armed groups and cases of rape.” Between January and September 2007, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) reported more than 2,000 cases of rape in North Kivu.

In total, the United Nation’s believes that more than 370,000 civilians have been displaced in the province in the latest round of fighting.

For more information, please see:

All Africa.com – Congo-Kinshasa: Rape Cases Up By 60 Percent in North Kivu – UNHCR – 12 October 2007

BBC – DR Congo army moves on rebel HQ – 12 October 2007

BBC – DR Congo Key Facts – Accessed 12 October 2007

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia– Late Wednesday evening, a suicide bomber drove his pickup truck, filled with explosives, into the army base on the Somali transitional federal government in the town of Baidoa. According to witnesses, two Ethiopian soldiers were killed as well as the bomber himself. The intended targets of the attack were the mainly Ethiopian soldiers stationed at the base. Ethiopian and government soldiers have been battling with Islamist insurgents since the overthrow of the Islamic government in December. Thousands of soldiers and civilians have died due to the relentless violence.

Following the attack, a Mogadishu based private radio station, Radio Simba, broadcast an interview with Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, an Islamist insurgent claiming responsibility for the attack. Robow is believed to be the number two military official of the former Islamic government. He is also believed to be the leader of insurgents at the forefront of near-daily attacks. Security forces of the transitional army surrounded the building and arrested the manager of the radio station, Abdullahi Ali Farrah, and a newscaster, Mahamed Farah Talyani. The journalists were later released but the radio station was closed.

The tremendous blast from the explosion rocked a nearby hotel, shattering several windows. Although Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi was staying at the hotel, he was not presumed to be the target. The Prime Minister set up the hotel as a temporary headquarter for the parliamentary session. He was not injured by the bombing. Prime Minister Ghedi has been meeting with supporters in Baidoa regarding the issue to dissolve the government. President Abdullahi Yusuf argues that constitutionally the government’s current term ends this month since it was formed in 2004. However, Ghedi argues that it should end in October 2009 since the charter was signed in 2006. Twenty-two members of Parliament have threatened to resign unless a vote of confidence in the government is held. The government is weak and has failed to implement several agendas. President Yusuf wants to hold the voting this week and assemble a new government.

For more information, please see:

Reuters: Africa – Somali Radio Staff Detained after Islamist on Air – 11 October 2007

Yahoo News – Suicide Bomber Kills 2 in Somalia – 11 October 2007

AllAfrica.com – Somalia: Private Radio Station Close, Two of its Journalists Arrested – 11 October 2007

Reuters: Africa – Suicide Bomber Strikes Near Somali PM, Kills 2 – 10 October 2007