By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

BAMAKO, Mali—France has began a mission with African nations to flush out Islamist militant groups linked to al-Qaeda in the northern region of Mali. Recently there has been mounting alarm over threats from these insurgents to both regional and western national security.

These insurgents have ruled a large area of northern Mali since March of this year. This has divided the country in two. Francois Hollande, the President of France, gave a speech in Senegal and discussed “a reign of terror” in Mali, with “hands cut off, women raped and an area awash with weapons.” During Hollande’s trip to Africa, he began to rally regional leaders on the cause to work with Mali to change the state of affairs in the country.

The French plan is to create a force made up of troops from Mali and other countries in the Economic Community of West African States. While several countries are willing to cooperate, many of them do not have the capacity to mount an offensive operation without logistical and intelligence support. The French are willing to contribute but have decided not to send out ground troops and America is reluctant to get involved.

Late last week, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution giving the West African states 45 days to create a plan to take back Mali’s northern region. This resolution has taken on a sense of urgency after these insurgents were linked to last month’s attack on the United States consulate sites in Libya that killed the United States ambassador there and three other American citizens.

West African nations have tentatively offered to send 3,300 personnel to aid Mali in its fight. The bulk of the personnel would come from Nigeria. Non-combat personnel will also be sent into Mali including police officers, engineers and doctors. Guinea-Bissau has offered to send its own personnel as well even though its army is currently occupied governing the country.

The Ivory Coast is another big backer of military support, along with Nigeria even though the Ivory Coast is hosting United Nations peacekeeping missions after its own civil conflicts.

To further complicate the situation, these insurgents are holding six French hostages—two were kidnapped in Mali last year. Dominique de Villepin, the former prime minister, warned that France should be cautious in this mission, saying that he feared that the country could get caught in a “trap.”

 

For further information, please see:

The Economist – An African Journey – 19 October 2012

FT World – Africa Force to Take on Mali Militants – 18 October 2012

The Telegraph – African Force Set for Northern Mali – 18 October 2012

The Wall Street Journal – Plan to Combat Mali’s Militants – 17 October 2012

By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

ACCRA, Ghana—Today, police in Ghana began investigating the death of a young Chinese boy who was killed during a security crackdown of illegal gold mining in Ghana. The security officials arrested approximately 100 Chinese nationals in Ghana during a round-up in the Ashanti region of Ghana which is rich in gold and near Ghana’s second largest city of Kumasi. These Chinese nationals remain detained in Ghana. The Ghanaian military argue that the death was an accident, but that further investigation is under way.

Chris Kpodo, Ambassador of Ghana said, “We have received reports about the death of a 16-year-old boy of Chinese nationality. It is regrettable, and the government has ordered an investigation into the incident.” He also noted, “We will be granting the ambassador (of China) a diplomatic access to visit the detainees and speak with them.”

Any Chinese men and women in poor health have been released on bail. The rest of the individuals who were arrested were given water and medicine and provided with health checks.

In the past year, there have been many incidents of Chinese citizens being detained and arrested for illegal gold mining. The Ghanaian security officials have just recently vamped up their efforts in cracking down on these types of activities.

Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Gong Jianzhong, said last month that many Chinese miners are also victims. They lack poor paperwork and therefore become trapped in Ghana by local agents and mine owners. Jianzhong hopes that Ghana can solve this problem at its root rather than only arresting illegal Chinese miners and possible killing some of them.

According to Ghanaian law, foreign companies in Ghana are only allowed to work independently in certain large and open-pit mines. Dai Yan, the former counselor to Ghana, noted that China is not a colonizer “as the West has historically been, and mining cooperation is supposed to be mutually beneficial as Ghana is rich in resources and China can provide technology, equipment and funding.” He also added that this type of cooperation may work to expand job creation.

The Chinese Embassy has now called on all Chinese nationals in Ghana to fully abide by Ghanaian related laws and regulations in order to safeguard and protect their own interests.

 

For further information, please see:

China Daily – Ghana Detains 100 Chinese for Illegal Mining – 14 October 2012

Global Times – Ghana Killing Protested – 14 October 2012

Reuters – Ghana Investigating Death of Chinese Boy During Miner Round-Up – 14 October 2012

Updated News – Ghana Investigating Death of Chinese Boy During Miner Round-Up – 14 October 2012

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali rebel group Al-Shabaab has banned foreign aid agency Islamic Relief from providing aid to territories under its control.

In a statement posted on Al-Shabaab’s official Twitter account, the Somali-based cell of Al-Qaeda gave the following reason for the ban: “Islamic Relief has repeatedly failed, despite the persistent warnings, to comply with the operational guidelines.” It accused Islamic Relief of “covertly extending the operations of banned organisations, particularly WFP.”

The World Food Programme (WFP) and other United Nations organizations were denied access to Al-Shabaab controlled areas two years ago by the rebel group. Al-Shabaab also forced out the International Committee of the Red Cross, along with 16 other aid agencies from Southern Somalia, earlier this year. According to Al-Shabaab authorities, these “western charities” allegedly exaggerated the scale of drought in Somalia and passed such inaccurate information to foreign agencies.

Al-Shabaab’s tweet came as a surprise to  Islamic Relief who has been providing aid to Somalia since 1996. Islamic Relief found it unusual for Al-Shabaab to issue such a ban without notifying the aid agency beforehand. The UK-based aid agency says it has yet to be officially informed of the decision. “Normally, al-Shabaab will talk to you first, then they will show their dissatisfaction,” said Iftikhar Ahmad Shaheen, regional director for east Africa at Islamic Relief. “We didn’t hear anything from them whatsoever for the past month… The staff [in Somalia] didn’t know anything.”

Shaheen also denied being funded by and conniving with the WFP. “I can testify that to the best of my knowledge, for the past five to six years, Islamic Relief has never worked with WFP in Somalia,” Shaheen told the press last week.

Islamic Relief is currently working on an appeal to Al-Shabaab to withdraw the ban. Shaheen noted that if the prohibition will not be lifted, “it could put many lives at risk, jeopardising our work providing food, water, sanitation, healthcare and support for income generation to 1.3 million people in Somalia.”

Two weeks ago, another aid agency, Oxfam, issued warnings that “water and food shortages are at critical levels” across the country with conditions “likely to deteriorate in parts of the country over the coming months.” It reported that southern Somalia – especially parts of the Gedo region, Lower Juba and Bakool – remains in crisis.

A severe drought hit Somalia last year that affected nearly 12 million people and caused several areas in the country to be declared as famine zones. The 2011 drought is recorded as one of the worst droughts to affect east Africa.

 

For further information, please see:

AFP – Somali rebels ban aid group Islamic Relief – 09 October 2012

Al Jazeera – Al-Shabab bans Islamic Relief aid group – 08 October 2012

BBC News – Somalia’s al-Shabab militants ban Islamic Relief aid – 08 October 2012

The Guardian – Somalia facing aid shortfall after al-Shabaab bans Islamic Relief – 08 October 2012

The Daily Mail – Terrorists on Twitter: Islamic extremists al-Shabaab launch micro-blogging account (… and guest what, they follow no-one!) – 9 December 2011

 

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

BAMAKO, Mali – On Wednesday, a top U.N. Human Rights official accused radical Islamist rebels in northern Mali of using intimidation, and money from ransoms and drug trafficking to maintain control over the region.

Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonovic made these remarks at a news conference in the U.N. Headquarters in New York, following his recent visit to Mali. The Islamists benefitting from the black market revenues have been enforcing an extremist interpretation of Sharia (Muslim law) and restrictions particularly targeting women since they took over the region in March.

“They are buying loyalty. They have tremendous resources to buy loyalty because they are now having kickbacks from narco-traffickers in the region,” said Šimonovic. Mali is a transit corridor for cocaine and other drugs from South America to Europe.

“There is also substantial ransom money that is being controlled by them,” Šimonovic said. However, Šimonovic added that this did not translate to support from the civilian population as “the overwhelming majority of people in the north are not supportive of the rebels and dislike what is happening.”

Šimonovic enumerated a whole laundry list of human rights abuses in his report which included: “very drastic punishments,” the recruitment of child soldiers, public executions, amputations, mutilations, and enforced marriages that are actually a smokescreen for enforced prostitution, terming the whole situation as “very bad.”

Šimonovic emphasized that children are particularly vulnerable to enlistment as child soldiers. Often children are enlisted to plant improvised explosives, with their families being given $600 for enlistment, and then $400 a month in a country where over half the population lives on $1.25 a day. Many teachers have also fled, fearing the imposition of this strict interpretation Sharia, which means many children are also missing out on education.

With respect to women’s rights, Šimonovic  said, “The number of enforced marriages is increasing, the price to buy a wife is less than $1,000. After getting out of their families, the women, once forcefully married, quite often are by their so-called husbands married to other men after a very short while, which is in fact then a smokescreen for enforced prostitution and rapes that are taking place,”

One displaced woman he interviewed in the northern town of Mopti said she could no longer return to her hometown of Gao, where she had been a merchant, because women are not allowed to work under the strict interpretation of Sharia.

“Everybody is banned from listening to music, from smoking, women have to be covered but the women are also targeted in the sense of restricting their ability to work,” Šimonovic said.

Šimonovic  said that “These were appalling violations of human rights,”. “But they were largely ad hoc in nature.” However, since Islamic groups such as Ansar Dine, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA), and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) took over the region, it witnessed human rights abuses of a “different character,” he noted.

The rebels captured the region in late March amid the chaos triggered by a military coup, and have since declared independence for the region they call ‘Azawad.’

 For further information, please see:

RTT News – Islamists Accused of Using Intimidation, Drug Money to Control Northern Mali – 11 October 2012

ANGOP – Mali Extremists Abusing Rights, Targerting Children, Women – 11 October 2012

UPI – Mali Rebels Tied to Drug Trade – 11 October 2012

BBC News – Mali Islamists ‘Buying Child Soldiers, Imposing Sharia’ – 10 October 2012

All Africa – Mali: Islamists Use Fear, Drug Money to Maintain Control of Northern Mali – UN Rights Official – 10 October 2012

UN News Centre – Women Primary Victims of Violence in Nothern Mali, says UN Rights Official – 9 October 2012

 

By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

CONAKRY, Guinea—Human rights organizations and groups today applaud the African country of Guinea. Guinea has just created a Cabinet position dedicated only to human rights in Guinea, which has one of the worst records in that part of the continent. The reputation developed after a violent and shocking massacre several years ago in 2009. During this incident, peaceful protesters were physically mowed down in the country’s national soccer stadium and dozens of women were gang raped.

Hundreds of victims of this massacre and rapes are still awaiting justice. Human Rights Watch said that the Guinean government should increase their support for domestic investigations of these crimes in order to hold those responsible for their actions without any more delay.

Elie Keppler, the senior international justice counsel for Human Rights Watch said, “The victims and loved ones of those who perished have yet to see the men who carried out the horrific crimes that took place on September 28, 2009, brought to book.” Keppler also noted that, “the persistent failure of the government to hold human rights violators to account over decades of repressive rule in Guinea has fueled further abuses.”

Two years ago, in February 2010, a panel of judges from Guinea were appointed to investigate these crimes and made important advances in the investigations by interviewing more than 200 victims and filing charges against more than 7 people who were connected to the crimes. However, today, still more than 100 victims are waiting for their chance to give their own statements and several mass graves have yet to be investigated.

Thierno Sow, who is head of Guinea’s largest human rights group, said that with this new Cabinet position, it is the first time that human rights occupy such an important place in the Guinea government system.

In October 2009, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor placed the massacre under preliminary examination, however it did not actually open its own investigation. This new Cabinet position, however will finalize the transition the Guinean government to civilian rule and give the government its own autonomy to make sure that human rights are protected.

This post was created and implemented just last week during a Cabinet reshuffle which also finalized the purging of the last remaining three members of the military also holding positions in the government.

 

For further information, please see:

Boston.com – Guinea Creates 1st Human Rights Ministerial Post – 11 October 2012

JournalStar – Guinea Creates 1st Human Rights Ministerial Post – 11 October 2012

Yahoo – Guinea Creates 1st Human Rights Ministerial Post – 11 October 2012

Human Rights Watch – Guinea: Stadium Massacre Victims Await Justice – 27 September 2012