By: Dan Krupinsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Judges at the Special Court for Sierra Leone denied the appeal of former Liberian president Charles Taylor on Thursday, confirming his 50-year sentence for war crimes.

Taylor was found guilty of 11 counts of war crimes, including murder, rape, torture and the enslavement of child soldiers, on April 26, 2012. The atrocities in Sierra Leone were carried out by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a guerrilla army. Taylor supplied them with guns, training and recruits in return for diamonds, actions that the Court determined amounted to “aiding and abetting” the crimes.

In addition to aiding and abetting, Taylor also planed some of the attacks carried out by the guerrillas.

“Their primary purpose was to spread terror. Brutal violence was purposefully unleashed against civilians with the purpose of making them afraid, afraid that there would be more violence if they continued to resist,” said Presiding Judge George Gelaga King.

Taylor is the first head of state to be convicted of war crimes by an international court since the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders after World War Two.

“This verdict shows no person, no matter how powerful, is above the law,” said the court’s prosecutor, Brenda Hollis.

The reaction in Sierra Leone was understandably positive.

“It’s a victory for me against tyranny,” said Edward Conteh, whose hand was cut off by rebels, according to Reuters. “I’m happy Charles Taylor is behind bars for 50 years because I’m a victim of the war.”

The ruling means that Taylor, 65, will more than likely spend the rest of his life in a high security prison cell. A final decision will be made next week on where we will serve his sentence, but the UK is currently the only country that has publicly offered to accommodate him.

“The sentence is fair in the light of the totality of the crimes committed,” said Judge King. “The defense failed to demonstrate any discernible errors in the trial chamber’s sentencing.”

Taylor’s lead defense attorney, Morris Anyah, said Taylor took the verdict with great stoicism and also added that Taylor would not have been convicted if he had had a powerful ally.

“If Charles Taylor had had a friend among the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, this case would not have had the traction it has had,” he said.

Thursday’s ruling is the final judgment at the court, which indicted 13 of the main facilitators of the violence in Sierra Leone. Two died before trial and one more remains unaccounted for and possibly dead. Another died before hearing a verdict. All of the others were tried and convicted.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Judges uphold Charles Taylor’s jail sentence – 26 September 2013

The Guardian – Charles Taylor’s 50-year sentence upheld at war crimes tribunal – 26 September 2013

Reuters – Liberia’s Charles Taylor loses appeal against war crimes conviction – 26 September 2013

The Telegraph – Charles Taylor to spend rest of life in British jail for Sierra Leone war crimes – 26 September 2013

 

By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria – Suspected Islamist militants have opened fire on security forces in Nigeria’s capital this past Friday, killing at least seven. Security forces state this shootout was with Boko Haram, but witnesses claim it was an attack of unarmed squatters.

The State Security Service (“SSS”) did not give any details as to how many people were killed in the attack. A witness told BBC that he saw nine bodies.

The SSS intelligence service said its forces had been searching an area behind the Apo Legislative Quarters for weapons after a tip-off from arrested members of the anti-government Boko Haram group when they came under fire and shot back.

It mentioned injuries, but no deaths.

This will be the first clash involving Islamists in the capital this year if Boko Haram did open fire. Boko Haram is a group that wants to impose sharia or Islamic law in northern Nigeria.

Boko Haram is most active in north-eastern Nigeria, where a state of emergency was imposed in May.

Attacks in the north-east have increased recently despite a massive military deployment to the worst-affected areas.

However, other witnesses claim that the shooting came during an attempt to move squatters. Six witnesses told Reuters the house was owned by a military man who wanted them to leave his property.

The BBC’s Mohammed Kabir Mohammed in Abuja says the shooting occurred at a two-story building which has been built, but not yet complete. Young men have been using the building to sleep at night.

Although witnesses claim a different number of bodies seen, a doctor who declined his name because he was not authorized to speak to the news stated that there were seven dead.

A Reuters reporter saw a police vehicle dump three bodies and then drive off, “leaving a trail of blood.”

Also, there was no security presence at the hospital, as might have been expected if there had been Boko Haram suspects among the wounded.

A statement from the SSS said: “No sooner had the team commenced digging for the arms than they came under heavy gunfire attack by other Boko Haram elements. Some persons were injured and 12 others have been arrested in connection with the incident.”

However, a 28-year old witness being nursed for leg wounds stated that he was one of the squatters during the attack. He further said that the owner had come on Wednesday and told them to leave, but they refused because they were paying a security guard to be there.

The witness, Mohammed, further stated that the security guard left on Thursday and then around midnight five pick-up trucks arrived carrying armed personnel.

“They began firing. It was crazy,” Mohammed said. “We were running helter skelter and bullets were flying.”

Last month, the army said it had killed Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau but this has not been confirmed and the militants’ attacks have continued.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News – Nigeria’s ‘Boko Haram’: Abuja sees security forces targeted – 20 September 2013
Aljazeera – Deaths reported in Nigeria shootout – 21 September 2013
Chicago Tribune News – Nigerian forces raid building in Abuja, seven killed – 20 September 2013
Africa Review – Boko Haram attack’: Abuja sees security forces targeted – 20 September 2013
War News Updates – Multiple Attacks By Boko Haram And A Massacre Are Being Reported In Nigeria – 20 September 2013

By: Dan Krupinsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya – The four-day siege at Nairobi’s Westgate Mall is finally over, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced on Tuesday.

In an address to the nation, Kenyatta said that five terrorists were killed, while 11 others believed to have been connected to the attack have been taken into custody. 61 civilians and six soldiers are also among the dead, according to Kenyatta, but more bodies, including possibly those of additional terrorists, may be buried in rubble, after three stories of the mall collapsed during the attack. The Red Cross put the death total at 62, and said that 65 people are still unaccounted for.

Kenyatta praised the people of his nation for their united stance and support during the siege.

“Fellow Kenyans, we have been badly hurt and feel great pain and loss, but we have been brave, united and strong.  Kenya has stared down evil and triumphed,” he said.

Somalia’s al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it was payback for Kenya’s military operations in Southern Somalia.

According to witnesses, the attackers questioned many of the civilians about their religious beliefs, and allowed Muslims to go free.

Remarkably, reports have circulated that a four-year old British boy was spared after he confronted a gunman and told him that he was a ‘very bad man’ as he protected his six-year old sister and mother, who had been shot in the leg.

The gunman then reportedly handed the children candy bars, and said “Please forgive me. We are not monsters.”

While most of the gunmen reportedly spoke English, Kenyatta would not confirm reports that some of the attackers were from outside the region, and possibly Westerners.

“Intelligence reports had suggested that a British woman and two or three American citizens may have been involved in the attack,” he said.  “We cannot confirm the details at present, but forensic experts are working to ascertain the nationalities of the terrorists.”

Reports of the potential involvement of a British woman have caused many to wonder it could be Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of one of the bombers responsible for the London subway attacks in 2005. She has been dubbed “white widow” by the British press.

Lewthwaite is wanted for planning other attacks in Kenya, and has been linked to terrorist groups in the country.

Kenyatta declared that the attackers will be held fully accountable for the “mindless destruction, deaths, pain, loss and suffering we have all undergone as a national family.”

“These cowards will meet justice as will their accomplices and patrons wherever they are,” he vowed, pledging to work with allies in fighting terrorism.

Kenya will officially have a three-day mourning period.

For further information, please see:

All Africa – Kenya: Govt Says Army in Control of Besieged Mall, All Hostages Free – 24 September 2013

CNN – Attackers defeated in mall siege, Kenya’s president says – 24 September 2013

Daily Mail – Astonishing Moment: British boy, four, confronted Kenyan mall gunman – 23 September 2013

Voice of America – Kenyan President Declares Mall Siege Over – 24 September 2013

Washington Post – Kenyan president says siege of Nairobi mall is over, declares mourning period for the dead – 24 September 2013

By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya – Most of the hostages caught in the Nairobi mall attack in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, have been rescued. Kenya’s military reported that it has secured “most parts” of the upscale shopping mall where al-Qaeda linked militants armed with assault rifles and grenades killed 68 people in an attack and two-day siege.

The assault began before sundown on Sunday.

The militants are believed to be from Somalia’s al-Shabab movement. Now only a small number of hostages remain under the control of the militants.

“All efforts are underway to bring this matter to a speedy conclusion,” the government’s defense forces statement reported.

Officials have not immediately released the number of hostages that were rescued or the number of hostages that remain in the mall. Four Kenyan military personnel were wounded in the rescue operation, the military said.

Many of the rescued hostages, mostly adults, were suffering from dehydration, a military spokesman told The Associated Press. The military spokesman, Col. Cyrus Oguna, also refused to release the number of hostages rescued or that remained, but did state that some of the attackers had “most probably” been killed in the operation.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the attackers “ruthless and completely reckless terrorists.” Kerry spoke Sunday with Somalia’s foreign minister and U.N. ambassador.

There are now reports that the gunmen are currently holed up in a supermarket. Civilians in the complex are believed to be held as hostages or in hiding.

Correspondents say the full extent of the attack will not be known until the military is back in control.

The BBC’s Gabriel Gatehouse says he cannot see or hear anything that suggests a “final push” by security forces that surround the complex.

The Somali militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility on Twitter for Saturday’s attack, which was allegedly carried out by 10 to 15 gunmen with AK-47s and other sophisticated weapons. Al-Shabaab, which said the attack was retribution for Kenyan forces’ 2011 push into Somalia, threatened more violence.

“The Mujahideen entered #Westgate Mall today at around noon and are still inside the mall, fighting the #Kenyan Kuffar inside their own turf,” the group said on Twitter.

“What Kenyans are witnessing at #Westgate is retributive justice for crimes committed by their military,” the group said.

Some witnesses said the militants released Muslims, but non-Muslims were targeted.

This is one of the worst incidents in Kenya since the attack on the U.S. embassy in 1998.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News – Nairobi Westgate attack: ‘Most hostages are rescued’ – 22 September 2013
Huffington Post – Most Nairobi Mall Hostages Rescued, Kenyan Army Says – 22 September 2013
USA Today – Kenya military says most hostages rescued in mall siege – 22 September 2013
Ryot – Kenya Military Says Most Hostages Have Been Rescued Following Bloody Attack at Westgate Mall (GRAPHIC PHOTOS) – 22 September 2013
Chicago Tribune – Kenya says it’s in control of Nairobi mall, ‘most’ hostages freed – 22 September 2013
CNN – 39 killed and more carnage feared as Kenya mall attackers face off – 21 September 2013

By Erica Smith
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya — At least 68 people were killed and 200 wounded in a terror attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi this Saturday and Sunday.

The attack started around lunch time yesterday when grenades were thrown into the crowd. Lunch time is peak foot time traffic at the mall. After the grenades were thrown gunman started firing indiscriminately into the panicked crowd. Shoppers took cover and hid in shops and under tables, the grocery store that spans most of the mall was a main hiding place for many people, and the main scene of a fire fight between security forces and attackers.

Reports indicate that different groups of armed men attacked the mall in coordinated groups. Kenyan officials say that about 10,000 people shop at the mall on the weekend and that it is a popular destination for the wealthy and foreigners.

Al-Shabab, an Islamist group from Somalia, has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The attackers also took hostages and a standoff  has ensued.

“Waiting ambulances are parked outside while sporadic gunfire can be heard coming from inside Westgate Mall,” NPR’s Gregory Warner reported from Nairobi early Sunday. “Kenyan police said that the gunmen have been ‘contained’ but there are still hostages in unsecured locations. Special police forces are securing the building.”

As of the writing of this article, there are still hostages in the mall and the standoff  between the attackers and security forces is still ongoing. Kenyan security forces are reporting that the mall is mostly under their control and that most of the hostages have been rescued.”Our concern is to rescue all hostages ALIVE and that is why the operation is delicate,” the Kenya Defense Forces said on Twitter.

For further information, please see:

Guardian —  Nairobi siege: some hid, others played dead as gunmen stalked the mall — 22 September 2012

NPR — Nairobi Mall Attack: Civilians Remain Hostages; Dozens Dead — 22 September 2013

Yahoo News — Most hostages rescued, shopping mall mostly secure: Kenyan army — 22 September 2013

BBC News — Nairobi Westgate shoot-out kills 11 in Kenya — 21 September 2013

Guardian — Nairobi mall attackers could not have picked a better target — 21 September 2013