By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Two Kenyan hostages abducted by Somalia’s al-Shabab in January 2012 were released to their families on Thursday.

Yesse Mule and Fredrick Wainana were abducted from Gerille, Kenya by the al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab group.  They were seized three months after Kenya troops entered Somalia to fight al-Shabab.  They were moved to 19 different locations while being chained and blindfolded throughout the captivity.

Mr. Mule and Mr. Wainan, both government officials, were captured during an attack by about 100 al-Shabab fighters on a police camp in Gerille, a town on the Kenya-Somalia border.

“It was one of the worst moments. You are not sure about your life. You don’t know what will happen in the next second or minute.”  Mr. Mule told BBC.

Mr. Mule was the Wajir County district officer and Mr. Wainana a government clerk.  “We will continue to support them, including counselling them to ensure they get back to their normal life,” Interior Secretary Joseph ole Lenku told Capital News. “Once all that is done, we will post them to work at a station of their choice.”

Efforts to bring the two men back earlier had failed.  The militia stood their ground, however, demanding Muslim prisoners in Kenya be released.

While the two men were brought from location to location, Mr. Mule told BBC that at each location “Every room within a house is a cell. You are blindfolded and chained.  Both hands are padlocked to your legs.”

Kidnapping is a tactic used by militants to make a point or to publicize their activities.  Victims have been held captive for months or even years.  Some victims never make it back alive.  Al-Shabab has taken numerous foreign hostages throughout the years.

Kenya did not pay the ransom for the two men’s release.  Instead, al-Shabab handed them over to a group of traditional elders who negotiated their release.

The two men state they are not afraid to return to their jobs; however, the government has given them the option to transfer to a different region.

 

For more information, please visit:

Latin Business Today — Two Kenyan hostages released by al-Shabab — 2 August 2013

Metro News — Two Kenyan hostages released by al-Shabab — 2 August 2013

BBC News — Somalia’s al-Shabab frees Kenya’s Mule and Wainana — 1 August 2013

All Africa — Kenya: Al-Shabaab Releases Two Kenyan Hostages — 31 July 2013

Capital News — Kenyan officials abducted by Shabaab in 2012 freed — 30 July 2013

 

 

 

By Erica Smith
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo — The UN peacekeeping force in the DRC, or Monusco, issued a stern warning on Tuesday to rebel groups in the city of Goma in eastern DRC; The warning gave rebel groups 48 hours to hand over weapons or face military force. Monusco wishes to set up a security zone that spans from Goma to the nearby city of Sake, about 17 miles in total, where no one but peacekeepers or Congolese army personnel will be allowed to carry weapons. The area is home to more than 1 million people, including 70,000 who have been displaced by the recent renewal in fighting.

The Monusco warning does not specify any one group but it is widely believed to be targeted towards the M23 rebels. Fighting between the army and M23 has resumed since mid- July and the group has been particularly active in the area since last year when it held Goma for ten days in November.  Anyone carrying a weapon after 4 pm local time on Thursday will be considered “an imminent threat of physical violence to civilians and Monusco will take all necessary measures to disarm them, including by the use of force in accordance with its mandate and rules of engagement,”.

Monusco has accused M23 of killing and displacing civilians. “In these attacks … M23 has used indiscriminate and indirect fire, including by heavy weapons, resulting in civilian casualties,” the statement said. “The M23 has also targeted U.N. installations with its fire.”

The new Monusco warning comes after the UN authorized a new “intervention brigade” in March. The intervention brigade is authorized to take all necessary measures to protect civilians from harm. Humanitarian groups worry that adding another militarized group into the conflict will only escalate violence. Oxfam’s humanitarian program coordinator in Congo, Tariq Riebl issued a statement urging the UN to use caution when enforcing their disarmament demands  and not make a “a bad situation much worse.”

Amani Kabasha, a civilian spokesman for M23, told the AP that he did not believe the warning would apply to the M23 because M23 has agreed to peace talks and rebel leaders considered themselves to be partners of the government and welcomed the disarmament plan.“MONUSCO can attack armed groups that spread terror here, indeed it is long overdue,” Kabasha said. “I do not think we are affected by this measure because we are the partners of the Congolese government in making peace.”

 

For further information, please see:

The Gazette — East Congo residents protest UN security zone around Goma, say help needed elsewhere —  2 August 2013

Aljazeera — DRC rebels dismiss UN deadline to disarm — 1 August 2013

The Guardian — UN gears up for DRC offensive as Goma laments escalating violence — 1 August 2013

Euro News — UN sends ultimatum to M23 rebels in DRC to leave Goma or face force — 31 July 2013

The New York Times — U.N. Warns It Will Disarm Congo Rebels — 31 July 2013

BBC News — DR Congo unrest: UN orders Goma to be arms-free — 30 July 2013

Washington Post — UN Congo mission to establish security zone in Goma, says it will use force to disarm rebels — 30 July 2013

The New York Times — U.N. Approves New Force to Pursue Congo’s Rebels — 28 March 2013

By Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – A car loaded with explosives drove into an office housing Turkish embassy staff in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing three people and injuring nine.

Al-Shabaab, the Somali Islamist group, claims it carried out the attack on its Twitter feed.

“Mujahideen forced in Mogadishu have just carried out an operation targeting a group of Turkish diplomats in Hodan district,” al-Shabaab posted.

Al-Shabaab state they targeted Turkey because of their support for the Somali government and wanted to stop the establishment of Sharia.  This has not been the first time this group has targeted Turkish institutions.

A diplomat in Istanbul told AFP that the Turkish guards were able to kill two of the attackers before a third was able to detonate his vehicle.

One Turkish security officer was killed when the mission’s guards clashed with the attackers as they tried to enter the complex, one Turkish government official told Reuters.

“Turkey is very active in Somalia and when you are very active you become a target quite easily,” the diplomat told AFP.

Somalia’s government is being backed by international aid aimed at preventing al Qaeda-linked militants from entering in east Africa.

Turkey has given Somalia more than $400 million in aid since 2011 in an effort to help Somalia, most of the money coming from private companies.

These Al Qaeda-linked Shebaab insurgents have carried out multiple bombings and attacks that have ended in many deaths in an attempt to overthrow the internationally backed government.

Later this same day, unknown insurgents carried a bomb into a nearby hotel in central Mogadishu killing two people and wounding around ten.

In June this group attacked a main UN compound in Somalia’s capital, killing 22.

“All the Mujahideen who carried out the operation have returned safely back to their bases inside Mogadishu, preparing for the next operation,” al-Shebaab also stated on its Twitter feed.

“This cowardly act will not shake our commitment to continue working for the brighter, more democratic and prosperous future the people of Somalia deserve,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

 

For more information, please visit:

 

The Peninsula — Attack on Turkey mission in Somalia kills three — 28 July 2013

The Times of India — Suicide attack on Mogadishu Turkish compound kills two — 28 July 2013

Reuters — UPDATE 4-Al Shabaab claim attack on Turkish mission in Somalia, three dead — 28 July 2013

The Jerusalem Post — Car bomb hits Turkish staff building in Somali capital, 3 dead — 27 July 2013

BBC News — Deadly bomb hits Turkish target in Mogadishu — 27 July 2013

Yahoo! News — Suicide attack on Mogadishu Turkish compound kills two — 27 July 2013

 

By Erica Smith
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo — A new Human Rights Watch report detailing recent abuses carried out by the rebel group M23 in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has been released.

According to the report, the group has executed at least 44 people and raped at least 61 women since March. It is believed that the instances of rape may be higher than reported because of social stigma surrounding rape.  Women are also often threatened with reprisal if they report the crime or seek medical attention.

The report also details the coercive recruiting tactics of M23 in Congo and Rwanda, often young men in Rwanda are promised jobs in the Congo only to end up forced into the militia.  One man was killed for refusing to turn over his sons to the group.

The Rwandan military has been accused of directly supporting M23. Rwandan army officers have been sighted at M23 bases training new recruits and actively participating in recruitment efforts in Rwanda. Former M23 members reported seeing weapons, ammunition, food, and phone credit delivered from the Rwandan army.

“Not only is Rwanda allowing its territory to be used by the abusive M23 to get recruits and equipment, but the Rwandan military is still directly supporting the M23,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “This support is sustaining an armed group responsible for numerous killings, rapes and other serious abuses.”

The report came a day before the US Department of State called on Rwanda to stop supporting M23 and other rebel groups in the Congo.  The State Department also urged the Rwandan government to follow through on its commitments to a peace and security cooperation agreement signed by regional governments in the beginning of the year.

The U.N. has also previously accused Rwanda of supporting rebel groups in Congo.  An expert panel at the UN reported in June that Rwanda’s support for M23 had declined in recent months.  Human Rights Watch contends that the support coming from the Rwandan army is still significant. “It does appear the support is more limited than it was last year, but what we have documented in terms of support is still quite significant,” said researcher and report author Ida Sawyer.

M23 spokesman Kabasha Amani called the report very partisan and based on rumor. “It’s not a report, these are just rumors,” Amani said. “We have grown used to this. It isn’t the first time they’ve said these things.”

On Friday the Congolese government issued international arrest warrants for four former members of M23.  The warrants are for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and torture.

 

For further information, please see:

AFP — DR Congo issues warrants for Rwanda-based rebels — 26 July 2013

San Fransisco Chronicle — Congo issues warrants for former M23 rebel leaders — 26 July 2013

CBC News — Rwandan arms, fighters still sustaining M23 rebel forces in Congo — 23 July 2013

International Business Times — M23 Rebel’s Reign of Terror, Rape and Murder in DR Congo ‘Aided by Rwanda’ — 23 July 2013.

Voice of America — Human Rights Watch: M23 Abuses Continue — 23 July 2013

Voice of America — US Presses Rwanda to End Support for M23 Rebels — 23 July 2013

Human Rights Watch — DR Congo: M23 Rebels Kill, Rape Civilians — 22 July 2013

 

By Erica Smith
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

YAOUNDE, Cameroon — Eric Ohena Lembembe, a gay rights activist, was found dead in his home on July 15. Lembembe was the executive director of the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), which campaigns for AIDS sufferers in the country. Lembembe was an outspoken activist for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people.

 

Mr. Lembembe’s body was found by his friends Monday evening after he had not answered phone for two days. His friends founds his door padlocked from the outside but could see his body laying on a bed. The police were called and the door was kicked in. According to a witness, Lembembe’s neck and feet appeared to have been broken, and his face, hands, and feet had been burned with an iron.

Mr. Lembembe was one of Cameroons most well known gay rights activists. With CAMFAIDS he worked with Human Rights Watch (HRW), Alternatives-Cameroun, and the Association for the Defense of Homosexuals (ADEFHO), in researching and launching a March 2013 HRW report on prosecutions for consensual same-sex conduct. He and CAMFAIDS also meticulously documented arrests and violence against LGBTI people in Cameroon. Lembembe was also a contributor to the blog “Erasing 76 Crimes” and authored chapters in From Wrongs to Gay Rights about LGBTI rights around the world.

Homosexuality is punishable by a 5-year prison sentence in Cameroon. When anti-LGBTI prosecutions began to increase in Cameroon starting in 2005, Lembembe was one of the first to criticize the actions and shed light onto the issue. Lambembes death comes on the heels of other human rights organizations attacks in Cameroon in recent months.

The motive for his killing his unknown at this time but it is widely believed and speculated that he was murdered because of his sexuality and his work campaigning for LGBTI rights. “We don’t know who killed Eric Lembembe, or why he was killed, but one thing is clear: the Cameroonian authorities’ utter failure to stem homophobic violence sends the message that these attacks can be carried out with impunity,” said Neela Ghoshal from Human Rights Watch. “The police should not rest until the perpetrators of this horrific crime are brought to justice. President Biya should break his silence on the wave of homophobic violence in Cameroon and publicly condemn this brutal attack.”

There is fear among human rights groups that Lembembe’s murder will not be fully investigated by the police. “The friends who found Lembembe’s body have made a statement to the police, but at this point it’s hard to tell whether the police are really investigating,” said Ghoshal.

UNAIDS and the US Department of State both issued statements condemning the murder and urging Cameroonian authorities to fully investigate the case and speak out against violent actions taken toward LGBTI people.

 

For more information, please see:

Guardian — Cameroon gay rights activist found tortured and killed — 18 July 2013

UNAIDS — UNAIDS condemns killing of AIDS activist Eric Lembembe — 17 July 2013

Voice of America — Cameroon Urged to Assure Protection Following Death of Gay Activist — 17 July 2013

Advocate — Gay Rights Activist Killed in Cameroon — 16 July 2013

Human Rights Watch — Cameroon: LGBTI Rights Activist Found Dead, Tortured — 16 July 2013

U.S. Department of State — Murder of Cameroonian LGBT and AIDS Activist Eric Ohena Lembembe — 16 July 2013