By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria – Yesterday, the Nigerian Federal Government told the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that it had 24 hours to resolve the issue regarding the detention of approximately 900 female Nigerian pilgrims on their way to Makkah.

Vice President Namadi Sambo held a meeting with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Khaled Abdrabuh, to urge the Saudi government to speed up its decision on the matter so Nigeria will have an idea what actions it will take to help its stranded citizens in the Kingdom.

“Should the Saudi authorities not desire our pilgrims to perform this year’s Hajj, they should let the country know,” said the Vice-President in a press statement issued yesterday. According to him, “caution and flexibility” must be applied by the Saudi government in dealing with the issue of whether or not it will allow the Nigerian female pilgrims’ performance of the Hajj to prevent a dispute between the two countries from arising and more importantly, to prevent these women from being “manhandled”. He said he has received reports that the Nigerian pilgrims were being subjected to dehumanizing treatment in the Kingdom.

It has almost been a week since Saudi authorities held hundreds of female Nigerian pilgrims at the King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah. These pilgrilms were heading to Makkah to perform this year’s Hajj, a mandatory pilgrimage for Muslims. However, their journey was cut short by Saudi immigration officers. The pilgrims were barred from leaving the airport on the ground that these women did not have a male relative, otherwise known as Muharram or Mahram, to escort them for the Hajj.

This came as a surprise to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.”This is the first time pilgrims have faced the possibility of mass deportation over the male escort issue”, the commission stated. According to the Uba Mana, a spokesman for the Commission, there is an existing agreement between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria that exempts female pilgrims from the male escort requirement. In fact, for the past years, state pilgrimage officials were allowed to stand in place as relatives of the women pilgrims.

The Saudi government has released stricter policies on the Hajj this year, particularly on prohibiting women pilgrims to perform the Hajj alone. There have been reports where the Saudi immigration even stopped women who traveled with their husbands.

Today, the Nigerian Senate has officially condemned the action of the Saudi government describing the issue as “beyond diplomatic”. It has also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene and urge the Saudi government to release the stranded pilgrims.

 

For further information, please see:

The Associated Press – 908 Nigerian female pilgrims held in Saudi Arabia – 27 September 2012

IOL News – Nigerian women stranded in Saudi – 27 September 2012

All Africa – Nigeria: Senate, House – Committee of Ulamas Should Dialogue With Saudis – 27 September 2012

Reuters – Saudi deports 150 female pilgrims, holds 1,000 more, Nigeria says – 27 September 2012

All Africa – Nigeria: FG Gives Saudi Arabia 24 Hrs to Resolve Issue Surrounding Detention – 26 September 2012

By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa—The mining strike from the past several weeks has evolved into violence and destruction being caused by truck drivers east of Johnannesburg. The Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said that the striking truck drivers who committed the violence would be approached and the situation handled by law enforcement. Mthethwa noted, “We are monitoring the situation and frankly, what we have been observing is pure criminality.”

The Union decided to strike since there has been a deadlock in wage negotiations since June of this year.

About 20,000 workers in the freight transport sector have been on strike over their wages since Monday of this week. An extended strike will affect not only the delivery of goods but also the delivery of gasoline and food products. This strike, including the mining strike will likely put a damper on South African’s economy should it continue.

Mthethwa further noted that these acts of violence and intimidation toward innocent people cannot be justified as a form of public protest. The police intend to act harshly against this type of lawless behavior and arrests will be imminent.

The South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) recently sent delegation to Ekurhuleni today in order to investigate problems being caused by the striking truckers. The police counted three people injured just this morning by the striking truck drivers. Also this morning, a light delivery truck was burned and the group of strikers stoned two trucks on the road.

Yesterday, two other vehicles were set on fire by the strikers in the Western Cape of the country. The Congress of South African Trade Unions spokesman Patrick Craven said today that “the Federation therefore joins Satawu in appealing to the workers on strike to avoid any resort to violence, even when provoked, and to implement Cosatu’s longstanding policy of protesting in a peaceful, lawful and disciplined manner.”

The Unions now demand a 12% increase after already rejecting a lower offer made by the employers on Tuesday. While talks have finished up for the day, no resolution was reached. However, the spokeswoman for the Road Freight Employers’ Association said that “[the Association] has committed [themselves] to being available for further talks. Nothing has been forthcoming thus far and we shall see where we go.”

 

For further information, please see:

Business Day Live – Satawu Sends Delegation to Investigate Violence by Striking Truckers – 27 September 2012

The Washington Post – South Africa Labor Strikes Spread to Transport Sector – 27 September 2012

Associated Press – South Africa Strikes Spread to Transport Sector – 26 September 2012

All Africa – Trucker Violence Condemned – 25 September 2012

 

By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan—Yesterday, the United Nations Security Council welcomed the progress made by both Sudan and South Sudan in Addis Ababa in negotiations to narrow the differences between the two rival countries. They are both still working to resolve the issues outlined in UN Resolution 2046—an attempt to create a road map for a peaceful new border security system between the two regions.

Badr el-Din Abdullah, the spokesman for the Sudanese delegation noted, “We have agreed on many topics but there are still issues for which we don’t have a deal yet, specifically the security issue.” Diplomats on both sides have put in an effort to mediate between the rivals, who both have a history of signing but not actually implementing deals.

Yesterday, Sudan created hope for the situation by conditionally accepting an African Union map creating a demilitarized border zone after having objected to it for months.

Jean Ping, the African Union Commission chairperson, encouraged the presidents of both South Sudan and Sudan, to take advantage of this opportunity for settlement and to reach an agreement on several topics including: their shared border, disputed areas, oil transportation costs, citizenship, and any other issues that have come up as a result of South Sudan’s newly established independence.

The United Nations gave the two countries the deadline of September 22 as their final deadline to reach a comprehensive agreement. The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir and his Sudanese rival, Omar al Bashir, should have also met today in Ethiopia to wrap up talks on a series of matters yet to be settled between the two countries.

The presidents of the two countries are also expected to come to a conclusion and a solution for the disputed region of Abyei. Previous attempts to solve this dispute have failed because neither side could agree on who could vote on this decision.

Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary General, congratulated the heads of these two nations but also urged them to fully take responsibility for this resolution so that the summit can conclude with success and the two can maintain future peaceful relationships. He said, also, that their commitment will “mark an end to the era of conflict and ushers in a new era of peace, cooperation and mutual development for the two countries and their people.”

 

For further information, please see:

Aljazeera – Sudanese Presidents Hold Talks in Addis Ababa – 23 September 2012

Sudan Tribune – African Union Calls for “Comprehensive” Deal Between Sudan and S. Sudan – 23 September 2012

The Washington Post – Sudan, South Sudan Leaders to Meet in Ethiopia to Resolve Disputes as UN Deadline Expires – 23 September 2012

All Africa – UN Security Council Urges Sudan and South Sudan to Reach Comprehensive Agreement – 22 September 2012

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

BANJUL, Gambia – Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has halted the execution of the 37 prisoners on death row. In a statement issued last week, President Jammeh said that the suspension is a response to “numerous appeals” from various social organizations, at home and abroad. His declaration to execute all death row prisoners last month gained many condemnations including from the European Union, the United Nations and Amnesty International.

Had the Gambian government carried out the execution, it would have marked the end of an execution-free regime that has been in place for almost 30 years.

The halt, however, is temporary. It will only remain in effect on the condition that violent crime does not rise in Gambia. “What happens next will be dictated by either declining violent crime rate, in which case the moratorium will be indefinite, or an increase in violent crime rate, in which case the moratorium will be lifted automatically,” the President stated.

Nevertheless, foreign governments, non-governmental organizations and human rights groups construe President Jammeh’s decision as a “sign of progress, however small”. According to them, his about-turn decision is an indication that public pressure on the Gambian President was successful. Sherman Nikolaus, an Amnesty International Gambia researcher notes, “for far too long the international and regional community has been far too quiet [on Gambia] – we haven’t been able to test if pressure does indeed work.”

Governments and organizations still think they can persuade President Jammeh to make the suspension of the execution permanent. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “[we just have] to exert more sustained pressure on the [Gambian] government to clean up its human rights act.” After all, Gambia is a signatory to to the 1984 Convention against torture and other cruel and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the 1966 International Covenant on civil and political rights, both of which refer to the death penalty.

The suspension of the execution precedes a series of pardons issued by the President.

5 days ago, President Jammeh pardoned the country’s former secretary general and head of the Civil Service, Ousman Jammeh, as well as the manager of the Kanilai Family Farms in Siffoe, Karafa Sanneh. These two were convicted for negligence of official duty, economic crimes and obtaining money by false pretense. Ousman Jammeh and Karafa Sanneh are also among the second batch of prisoners to be granted a presidential amnesty this week.

The Office of the President said that these pardons were issued “in exercise of [President Jammeh’s] prerogative of mercy”.

 

For further information, please see:

IRIN News – GAMBIA: Stepping up pressure on human rights – 20 September 2012

Jollofnews – Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh Pardons More Prisoners – 18 September 2012

Al Jazeera – Gambian leader halts executions – 15 September 2012

BBC News – Gambia’s President Jammeh halts executions amid outcry – 15 September 2012

 

By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya—Along Kenya’s southeastern Tana River Delta region, several mass graves have been discovered. This has shed new light on the ethic tribal violence in that region of the country. In the past month, over 100 people have been killed as a result of these tribal conflicts. This death toll was thought to continue to rise as the authorities attempted to identify and count bodies at these graves. However, no bodies were found.

This conflict began earlier this year, in mid-August, between the Pokomo people, who are mostly farmers involved in growing cash crops along the Tana River, and the Orma tribe, a group of semi-nomadic cattle herders. The violence between these two groups has often been attributed to disputes over water and grazing rights.

In the past, the root of many violent conflicts in Kenya stemmed from local tribal animosities. However, the country seemed to be a relatively peaceful and politically stable nation until only a few years ago.

In 2008, tensions over ethnic differences burst into violence after the round of contested 2007 presidential elections. The race stirred up much conflict between the incumbent’s tribe and their opposition. This developed into countrywide conflict and Kenya, as a nation continues to struggle with these types of ethnic and local tensions.

A team of pathologists and gravediggers began working earlier today to exhume the gravesites and look for bodies. At the outset, there was no real sense of what exactly they would find or how many bodies they would find. Police officials noted that any bodies found there are likely to have been buried there by a raiding party that carried off their comrades during an attack. Over 1,000 of paramilitary police have been sent to that region in order to quiet any future attacks.

The results of the search have resulted in only one human foot and no bodies. Aggrey Adoli, the regional police chief, suggested that the site may have been tampered with. He said, “We believed the bodies were removed to hide the identities. Our plan was to take fingerprints of the bodies and that would have led us to their origins.” Without any findings, the police decided to call off the operation.

After the continued violence that flooded the country since the contested elections several years ago, many people now fear a new surge of violence as the country prepares for another set of elections in March 2013.

 

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Kenya Tana River Delta: ‘Mass Graves’ Mystery – 20 September 2012

Capital News – No Bodies Found in Suspected Mass Grave in Kenya – 20 September 2012

The Telegraph – Mass Grave Fuels Kenya Tensions – 20 September 2012

International Business Times – Mass Graves Discovered in Kenya – 18 September 2012