By Tara Pistorese
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

JUBA, South Sudan—South Sudan President Salva Kiir has accused past and present government officials of stealing $4 billion in public funds from South Sudan. The alleged corruption follows less than one year after the nation seceded from Sudan.

The Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army were locked in battle from 1983-2005. The civil war claimed approximately two million lives—the highest civilian death toll since World War II.

In July, South Sudan’s capital city, Juba, split from the North and claimed 75 percent of the region’s oil. To this day, South Sudan is still battling with Khartoum over oil revenues, crude transit fees and border delineation.

South Sudan filed a complaint with the U.N. Security Council on Friday against Khartoum for repeated airstrikes against South Sudan border states. Khartoum, however, denies the accusations.

In January, South Sudan shut down the vast majority of its oil output to stilt Sudan’s ability to seize the oil in lieu of what Sudan called unpaid export fees. At that point, oil production formed 98 percent of the South Sudan’s revenue.

According to South Sudan’s Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin, more than half of the stolen funds were taken during the “durra” scandal, when a large government purchase of sorghum, the country’s staple food, was never distributed.

The 8.6 million people in South Sudan suffer some of the most devastating education and health statistics in the world. Similarly, just last month, the World Bank expressed its “deep concern” for Juba’s economy.

“We fought for freedom, justice and equality. Many of our friends died to achieve these objectives. Yet, once we got to power, we forgot what we fought for and began to enrich ourselves at the expense of our people,” reads a letter written on May 3 by President Kiir.

The letter, which was verified by Minister Benjamin on Monday, was addressed to 75 former and current government officials and asked for the return of all or a portion of the stolen funds in return for amnesty. “The credibility of our government is on the line,” President Kiir pleads.

Although it is unclear exactly when the money was taken, President Kiir believes it has “been taken out of the country and deposited in foreign accounts,” or that the funds were used to make cash property purchases.

President Kiir has reached out to leaders of eight other nations in regions of Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and Africa, for help recovering the missing funds.

 

For further information, please see:

Chicago Tribute—South Sudan Officials Have Stolen $4 Billion-President—4 June 2012

CTV News—S. Sudan President Asks Officials to Return Stolen Funds—4 June 2012

Expatica Switzerland—Sudanese Refuge Spike to South Worries U.N.—4 June 2012

Modern Ghana—Corrupt South Sudan Officials Have Stolen $4 Billion: Kiir—4 June 2012

Reuters-Africa—Sudan, South Sudan Start First Security Talks Since Border Clash—4 June 2012

 

By Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Today Charles Taylor, the ex-President of Liberia, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for his crimes committed in Sierra Leone during the country’s civil war in the 1990s.  The judgment handed down this morning in The Hague, Netherlands, is the first conviction of a head of state by an international tribunal, since the Nuremberg trials following World War II.

Taylor’s conviction was based on the crimes he committed during his presidency which lasted from 1997 until 2003; specifically the crime of trafficking weapons to rebels in Sierra Leone in exchange for “blood diamonds.”  The presiding judge said that Taylor was guilty of “aiding and abetting, as well as planning, some of the most heinous and brutal crimes recorded in human history.”  As the 50 year conviction was handed down, Taylor stood in front of the court with his eyes cast down to the floor.

The original indictment laid out specific crimes including conscription of children under the age of 15, multiple instances of mass rape, and sexual assault.  Taylor’s provision of weapons allowed for the rebel soldiers of Sierra Leone to rampage the country, committing numerous war crimes including: rape, sexual assault, sexual slavery, murder, terrorism, and looting.  Although Taylor was not convicted for these crimes, and likely never will answer for them, human rights activists were optimistic about the sentence.  Ibrahim Sorie, a lawmaker in Sierra Leone, stated, “It restores our faith in the rule of law, and we see that impunity is ending for top people.”

Prosecutor’s, who originally asked for an 80 year sentence, said they might choose to appeal the sentence both to lengthen the time Taylor will spend behind bars and to broaden his responsibility for the crimes committed by the rebel soldiers in Sierra Leone.  Peter Andersen, a spokesperson for the Special Court of Sierra Leone, said that the prosecution had hoped the court would find Taylor guilty of being a “superior leader” and having a direct influence on the atrocities committed.  Andersen also noted that the sentence was a major step forward for the people of Sierra Leone and may help them move closer towards reconciliation.

Taylor’s defense counsel plans to appeal the sentence immediately.  They believe it is clearly disproportionate and excessive, especially considering that Taylor is 64 years of age and a 50 year sentence means he will spend the remainder of his life behind bars in a British prison.  Morris Anya, one of Taylor’s lawyers, noted that Taylor voluntarily stepped down from office; a fact that the court overlooked in reaching their sentence.  Prosecutor’s contest this last fact, stating that Taylor did not voluntarily leave but was pushed out by an African leaders delegation and a rebel offensive; both urging an end to the bloodshed.

 

For further information, please see;

ABC News — Charles Taylor Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison — 30 May 2012

CNN — Charles Taylor Sentenced to 50 Years for War Crimes — 30 May 2012

New York Times — Taylor Receives 50 Years for Heinous Crimes in War — 30 May 2012

Wall Street Journal — Court Sentences Liberian Dictator — 30 May 2012

 

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The body of an unidentified boy suspected to be a member of the terrorist group, Al-Shabaab, lay lifeless at the Bakaara Market last May 22, publicly displayed for everyone to see.

The killing was part of Operation Free Shabelle, a military offensive by African Union member-states aiming to regain control of the Shabelle region of Southern Somalia from Al-Shabaab, an organization known to be affiliated with the international terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

According to Abdullahi Hassan Barrise, the Somali police spokesman, the boy was spotted carrying explosives which he allegedly planned to detonate in the area. When confronted by security officers, the boy tried to escape, prompting the officers to shoot him.

In an interview with the local newspapers, Barrise said the boy was one of the youths brainwashed by Al-Shabaab. On behalf of the Somali government, Barrise called upon the boys in Al-Shabaab to “repent” of their actions in the country. However, it is unclear if Barrise intends to give lighter punishment to the young combatants who will surrender peacefully.

Barrise further urged parents to caution and restrain their children from doing “risky behavior” which may ultimately harm them.

The scene of the killing, Bakaara Market, is one of Somalia’s biggest markets. It has seen its own share of violence and arms trade through most of Somalia’s civil wars. The recent increase of security forces in the area is in line with the Somali Army’s goal to “liberate the whole Shabelle region from Al-Shabaab” under Operation Free Shabelle.

The battle for control over this region has been ongoing since the early 1990s. It was only in 2007, however, that the Somali government, along with African Union member states, moved to toughen its stance through the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

“Although much of the Al-Shabaab has been eliminated from the whole of Mogadishu, the Somali government forces will not stop pursuing members of the organization in other regions still under Al-Shabaab’s control,” Barisse said.

This killing of a suspected juvenile members of Al-Shabaab may continue as Barrise intends to give current members a preview of the grim fate they face should they persist with their activities. Somali government forces have been displaying the bodies of people they link to Al-Shabaab. Such incidents are on the increase of late.

For more information please see:

Risaala Media Corporation – Anood: Operations Won’t Stop Till We Liberate The Whole Of Lower Shabelle – May 26, 2012

Somaliland Press – In Pictures: Operation Free Shabelle – May 25, 2012

Shabelle Media Network – Somali Police Displays the Body of Suspected Al Shabab Boy in Mogadishu – May 23, 2012

Risaala Media Corporation – Somalia CID Boss Displays The Body Of Suspected Young Al-Shabab Fighter – May 23, 2012

 

By Tara Pistorese
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

LILONGWE, Malawi — After succeeding to the Presidency following Bingu wa Mutharika’s death last month, Joyce Banda announced during her state of the union address on May 18 that she wishes to overturn the laws in Malawi criminalizing homosexuality.

Homosexuality is a serious criminal offense in thirty-seven African countries. In Uganda, a bill was recently introduced that would make the death penalty an available punishment for homosexuality offenses. However, since the bill’s introduction, there have been discussions of reducing the imposition of the death penalty to life in prison.

According to a Human Rights First news report, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people have become the targets of violent attacks. Two refugee women in Uganda were abducted, beaten and raped after providing assistance to LGBT refugees.

Lesbian and transgender male refugees have reportedly been the victims of “corrective rape” in Uganda, and a gay Somali teenager in Kenya was recently doused with gasoline and would have been set on fire if it hadn’t been for a Somali woman’s intervention. As it presently stands, South Africa is the only African nation with laws protecting gay rights.

In 2010, two men in Malawi, Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, were sentenced to fourteen-year jail terms after being charged with unnatural acts and gross indecency for celebrating their engagement.  Although then-President Mutharika pardoned the couple on “humanitarian grounds only” after the charges were internationally condemned, he insisted that the men had “committed a crime against our culture, against our religion, and against our laws.”

Several Western countries have threatened to cut aid to countries that fail to recognize gay rights. Since foreign aid makes up a large portion of the budget in Malawi, some view President Banda’s repeal of the homosexuality laws as an attempt to appease Western donors.

In President Banda’s state of the union address she stated that her administration wants to normalize relations with “traditional development partners who were uncomfortable with our bad laws.” However, according to the executive director of the Center for the Development of People, Gift Trapence, President Banda’s history reflects a liberal attitude on the issue.

“When she was vice-president she was invited to address a group of religious leaders and she spoke in favor of including LGBT communities in HIV interventions,” Trapence said.

A parliamentary vote is required to overturn the laws and it is currently unclear how much political support the President would garner in the conservative nation. Should President Banda’s proposal obtain parliamentary approval, the repeal would be added to a growing list of Mutharika-backed policies that have been reversed at President Banda’s hand since her predecessor’s death, and would make Malawi the first African county to overturn a ban on homosexual acts since 1994.

For further information, please see:

ABC, Associated Press—Malawi’s President Vows to Repeal Gay Ban—18 May 2012

Al Jazeera (AJE)—Malawian President to Repeal Gay Laws—18 May 2012

BBC News—Malawi to Overturn Homosexual Ban, Joyce Banda Says—18 May 2012

The Guardian—Malawi President Vows to Legalize Homosexuality—18 May 2012

Human Rights First—Secretary Clinton: Help Protect LGBTI Refugees from Violence—17 May 2012