By Polly Johnson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

CONAKRY, Guinea – Families of the victims of the September 28, 2009 massacre in Conakry, in which junta troops murdered, raped, and tortured protesters at a political rally at Conakry’s biggest stadium, leaving one hundred and fifty seven dead, were unable to gather at the stadium to mark the one-year anniversary.

One year ago, thousands of peaceful protestors gathered at the Conakry stadium to protest the continued military rule of then-leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara. Unable to suppress the rally, armed guards, anti-riot police, and militia in civilian clothes sealed the exits and opened fire on the protestors in the packed stadium. In addition to the murders, hundreds of women were raped at the stadium and others were detained for rape later. Protesters were illegally arrested and brutally tortured. In an attempt to hide the evidence, armed forces buried the bodies in mass graves.

Both the United Nations and the International Criminal Court deemed the crimes that occurred during the massacre as crimes against humanity.

The massacre stemmed from Guinea’s political structure. The army, which had at that time grown to a body of over thirty thousand men, ruled the country. In 2008, army captain Camara seized power and became leader of the military regime known as the Conseil National pour la Democratie et le Development (CNDD), which planned the attack in advance, according to HRW.

Camara was wounded in an assassination attempt last December and has been incapacitated since. General Sekouba Konate has been leading the transition until the election of a civilian president

Current presidential candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo said that if he were elected president, he would consider putting in place a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, “not necessarily to punish people but to condemn the really barbaric acts that were committed and which should be completely banned from our armed forces and the police.” Diallo was badly beaten himself in the massacre and treated for broken ribs.

The country has made important strides in the past year. The military is less visible. There are hopes that the October elections will bring democratic rule to the country.

But the perpetrators of the massacre are still free, and, according to HRW, the only way to break the cycle of impunity in Guinea is to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“While the mothers, fathers, spouses, and children of those murdered one year ago still grieve for their loved ones, the people who planned, perpetrated, and tried to cover up this atrocious act remain free men,” said senior West Africa researcher at HRW Corinne Dufka.

“The new government should waste no time in tackling the vicious cycle of violence and impunity that created the conditions for massacres like the one last year,” Dufka said. “Strengthening the judiciary and ensuring that those responsible for the 2009 violence are behind bars is a very good place to start.”

For more information, please see:

AFP – Guinea presidential hopeful seeks massacre truth commission – 28 September 2010

AFP – A year after Guinea massacre, culprits still free – 27 September 2010

Associated Press – Guinea massacre victims’ families unable to gather – 28 September 2010

BBC – Did Guinea democracy activists give their lives in vain? – 27 September 2010

Bloomberg – Guinea Failing to Prosecute Massacre Perpetrators, Human Rights Watch Says – 27 September 2010

Human Rights Watch – Guinea: One Year On, No Justice for Bloody Stadium Massacre – 27 September 2010

By Laura Hirahara
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan- The referendum previously scheduled for January 9, 2011 in Sudan regarding the southern region’s succession is now in question, leading many to fear a return to the pre-2005 bloodshed that lasted over two decades and killed 2 million Sudnese, many from starvation.  Preparations for the vote are behind schedule and the voting rules that would determine who is to vote are still not in place.  President Omar al-Bashir has stated that the elections will be free and fair but many are accusing him of deliberately stalling.  Because the Southern Sudan region holds a majority of the oil fields, earlier this month U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said the “inevitable” vote for succession is a “ticking time bomb”.  Clinton’s statements reflect the concern that the North will not give up control of their oil interests without conflict.

Creating even more tension is the apparent intimidation of southern Sudanese living in the northern region.  Kamal Mohamed Obeid, Sudan’s Information Minister has stated that if the South votes for succession, any southern Sudanese living in the north will no longer enjoy the rights and privileges of citizenship in the north.  Sudan People’s Liberation Movement’s (SPLM) spokesperson, Yien Matthew Chol, said,

The NCP is making such a statement because they think that is going to coerce southerners to vote for unity. […] They have started treating southerners badly. Starting from five months ago, and now in Khartoum, you can never speak about separation. You will find yourself either disappearing, or in detention, or jailed. So, speaking about separation and the right of determination, as enshrined in the agreement, is something that the NCP sees now as a taboo.

Many are warning that if Sudan fails to hold the referendum on time and with transparency the consequences could reach farther than the country itself, creating instability in the entire region.  Organizations like Oxfam are pushing for aid groups to assist Sudan in preparing for the vote.  U.S. President Barack Obama has offered his support, stating that the Sudanese leaders who work to avoid conflict will be rewarded with improved relations with the United States, “even working to lift sanctions if leaders fulfill their obligations.  […But to those] who flout their responsibilities … there must be consequences.”

For more information, please see;

BBC- Barrack Obama Presses for Peaceful Sudan Referendum– 25 September, 2010

VOA- Southern Sudanese Intimidated in North, Says SPLM Spokesmas– 26 September, 2010

CNN- Obama, World Leaders Address Sudan Referendum at UN Summit– 24 September, 2010

By Polly Johnson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria – An outbreak of lead poisoning has resulted in the deaths of at least two hundred children in Nigeria, prompting the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to send a five-person team of environmental emergency specialists to Abuja, the capital city.

The source of the lead poisoning is from lead-contaminated waste dumped from illegal gold mining and extracting by locals. In addition to the deaths of two hundred children, up to eighteen thousand people have been affected, according to UN sources.

In order to assess the full scale of the poisoning, the UN emergency team will spend close to two weeks in Nigeria, analyzing the soil and drinking water in an area encompassing seven villages in the Zamfara state. In the villages where contamination has been confirmed, the villagers were grinding ore by hand to find gold and unknowingly freed lead particles, which are also contained in the rocks.

“Proper sampling from the mobile laboratory is urgently needed to determine the scope and magnitude of the crisis and to assist in developing a rigorous response,” OCHA said in a statement.

Children are more vulnerable to the effects of the contamination, and most of the deaths were among children under the age of five. In one village, thirty percent of the children under five have died from the poisoning, according to Médicin Sans Frontières (MSF).

“This is an incredibly serious and worrying situation,” said Lauren Cooney of MSF, adding, “while we still don’t know the full extent of the problem, we expect that there are going to be medium- and long-term health effects for people in these villages.” The poisoning also causes deafness, blindness, brain damage and muscular problems.

OCHA has allocated two million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are working with local health authorities and non-governmental organizations to treat victims of the outbreak.

Local officials insist that the situation is under control, even though the response has been hindered by heavy rains, which have made it difficult to reach the isolated villages.

For more information, please see:

Guardian – Nigeria gold rush sees 200 children killed in outbreak of lead poisoning – 22 September 2010

Radio Netherlands – UN investigates lead poisining in Nigeria – 22 September 2010

BBC – UN investigates Nigeria lead poisoning deaths – 21 September 2010

United Nations – UN probes outbreak of lead poisoning in northern Nigeria – 21 September 2010