Africa

Girl Soldiers

Among the millions of child soldiers across Africa kidnapped, drugged and manipulated into fighting, girls represent an estimated 30 percent. Girls face an even harder challenge following the release from soldiery. Many girls, like boys are abducted from their homes, drugged, beaten, and in many cases forced to kill their family members. But unlike boys, the girls are raped and/or forced to “marry” rebel leaders. Their children are then ostracized as “Kony children”, referring to Joseph Kony, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

The LRA, based in northern Uganda, kidnapped an estimated 25,000 children during the 20-year war against the government. According to Human Rights Watch, children were used in the frontlines, as spies, minesweepers and concubines.

Although several children, either abandoned or orphaned, joined the rebels out of desperation, the majority was kidnapped from the family.

On June 20th of this year, the UN-backed courts convicted junta leaders of using child soldiers during the Sierra Leone civil war. This marks the first time the use of child soldiers was treated as a war crime.

For more information please see:

“Another side of child-soldiering: girls” Yahoo News: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070825/ap_on_re_af/africa_s_child_war;_ylt=AqSK.u0PgSvdETjY_rF9F7.96Q8F 25, Aug. 2007.

Sudan Expels Western Diplomats

Khartoum, Sudan – Sudan expelled the European Commission envoy, Kent Degerfelt, and a Canadian diplomat, Nuala Lawler, on Wednesday.  Sudan’s state Suna news agency reports that they were asked to leave the country and were each declared persona non grata due to their “intervention in the internal affairs of Sudan.”  Foreign Ministry officials in Sudan have accused the two of meeting with Sudanese opposition leaders.

Canada and the EU, however, have said that they were given no reason for why they were expelled.  The Canadian Foreign Minister said Lawler was standing up for democracy and freedom in Sudan. The spokesman for the European Commission said Degerfelt was not in the country when he was ordered out.

Canada and the EU have both been highly critical of the Sudanese government’s role in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced since 2003 when a rebel group with ethnic-cleansing ideas took up arms in the Arab-dominated central government.  Khartoum has been accused of sending the janjaweed militias, who are blamed for atrocities during this conflict.

On Friday, Amnesty International accused the Sudanese government of continuing to deploy offensive military equipment in Darfur, in violation of a UN arms embargo and peace agreements.

Last month, the UN Security Council approved a joint AU-UN peacekeeping force for Sudan, and it is hoped that the troops will be sent by the end of the year.  However, the peacekeeping resolution does not give the troops authority to disarm or demobilize the janjaweed or other armed opposition groups.

Meanwhile, a UN report was released earlier this week detailing rapes in Darfur.  Sudan’s justice minister attacked the report on Thursday calling it a “false report” and questioning the commissioner’s credibility.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Sudan expels two Western envoys – 23 August 2007

Times Online – Sudan expels European and Canadian diplomats – 24 August 2007

Voice of America – Sudan Expels Canadian, European Diplomats for “Meddling” – 24 August 2007

Guardian Unlimited – Sudan expels western diplomats as pressure mounts over Darfur – 24 August 2007

Attack on Peacekeepers in DRC

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch, Africa

There was an attack on UN peacekeepers stationed in the Rusthuru region of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. The incident took place when North Kivu brigades were hit with rocks on August 20th in Bunugana village by rebels who wanted to prevent the UN police from entering their village.

The peacekeepers were attempting to gather information on the assault of two Congolese intelligent agents that took place last weekend. Three Indian peacekeepers and an officer from the Congolese police were wounded during the attack.

The rebels were part of a militia organized by General Nkunda, who was a former general in the Congolese army. Nkunda’s militia is responsible for attacking government positions in North Kivu. While the Congolese army and UN peacekeepers have been able to force Nkunda’s militia to withdraw in the past, there have still been numerous clashes between the militia and army.

The general instability in the region has resulted in the displacement of 10,000. Moreover, since 1999, fighting between six armed forces has resulted in the deaths of 50,000 people.

UN Refugee Agency estimates that over 10,000 Congolese crossed to Uganda’s southwestern district of Kisoro in attempts to seek refugee on August 21st. Presently, Uganda hosts about 29,000 refugees from eastern DR Congo.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica – Congo-Kinshasa: UN Peacekeepers Caught Up in Continuing Unrest in North Kivu – 23 August 2007

BBC – Congo Refugees Return from Uganda – 23 August 2007

IRIN – DRC: Thousands Disarm and Join Reintegration Process in Ituri – 21 August 2007

Tension Between Uganda and DR Congo

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch, Africa

The border separating the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda becomes increasing dangerous. Uganda is one of several countries involved in DR Congo’s five-year war. Currently, 17,000 soldiers, the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world, are stationed in DR Congo.

Last week, DR Congo’s army led a deadly attack across Lake Albert. Two people were killed when men dress in Congolese army uniform argues with security guards working at an oil barge owned by the company Heritage. The border between Uganda and DR Congo cuts straight through the lake. This makes it very difficult to control and patrol a watery frontier and especially so for 600 fishermen. In an unrelated incident, four Ugandan were arrested for trespassing.

Thousands of refugees fled from Congo into Uganda within the past three days. Ten thousands refugees spent the night in small town school. According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the refugees migrated after the UN mission in Congo, MONUC, fired shots into the air when a demonstration organized by militia General Laurent Nkunda turned violent. Luckily, Uganda has one of most generous refugees in the world. Presently, Uganda houses 218,000 refugees from South Sudan, DR Congo and Rwanda.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica – Uganda: Congolese Flee to Country – 22 August 2007

BBC – Uganda and Congo’s Trouble Waters – 16 August 2007

BBC – Uganda threatens Congo over Raid – 10 August 2007

UN Report Detailing Darfur Rapes

By Impunity Watch Africa

A UN report released today provides new details about the rape of dozens of Darfur women last year.  The report is a follow up to one issued in April 2007.  The women recounted that they were sexually assaulted in front of each other, beaten with sticks and forced to cook and serve food to their attackers.  Some of the victims became pregnant as a result of the attacks. The report accuses the Sudanese government of failing to investigate the rapes, allegedly carried out by Sudanese soldiers and allied militiamen.

For more information, please see:

UN News Centre – Sudan: Women and Children Must Be Protected From Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Says High Commissioner for Human Rights – 21 August 2007

Yahoo – UN Reports New Details on Darfur Rapes – 21 August 2007