By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

BANGUI, Central African Republic – Rebel groups continue to recruit child soldiers according to a report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) last week.

 

Based on the UNICEF report, roughly around 2,000 children in Central African Republic (CAR) have been enlisted by various militias since last month’s takeover of the capital, Bangui.

“We have verified cases, but no precise number. What we are hearing from partners in the field is that there has been an increase in terms of the geographic scope and the magnitude of the practice. . . Children are recruited to be used as spies, porters, messengers, cooks, in addition to fighting on the front lines as well,” UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado said.

Several journalists for the Associated Press (AP) personally witnessed dozens of young boys patrolling Bangui. “They were riding in pickup trucks with other rebels and in some cases on foot patrol, always closely supervised by older, heavily armed fighters,” wrote Krista Larson, one of the AP journalists at Bangui. When approached by the AP reporters, one of the young soldiers revealed to them that he is 14 years old and joined the Seleka rebel alliance three months ago.

The UNICEF report states, however, that despite such “clear evidence of the continuing recruitment and use of children by armed groups”, Seleka officers persistently deny this practice.

In fact, the country’s new information minister, Christophe Gazam Betty, disagrees with the figures given by the UNICEF. Betty insisted that there are only about 40 child soldiers who are still with the Seleka group. “If there are combatants who are under the age of 18, there is a system in place through the United Nations,” he said. “They will be separated and picked up by UNICEF.”

Declaring it as a grave violation of international law, the UNICEF explicitly condemned the use of child soldiers.

“Recruiting children is both morally unacceptable and prohibited under international law,” said Souleymane Diabate, UNICEF’s country representative. “We have called on the new leadership in CAR to ensure that all children associated with armed groups should be released immediately and protected from further violations,” Diabate added.

The UNICEF remains hopeful that the rebels will heed the organization’s call to end the practice. In the report, the UNICEF cited previous instances where the rebel groups who make up the alliance currently in power have successfully disarmed their young members.

“Some child soldiers can be returned to their families or to other relatives. Others will be placed in foster homes where possible, though some will be given training on living independently,” Shannon Struthers, UNICEF senior adviser for emergencies, told the press as she explained the process of disarming children in CAR.

 

For further information, please see:

Associated Press – Child Soldiers Patrol C. African Republic Capital – 20 April 2013

AfriqueJet – CAR: UNICEF says CAR rebels still recruiting child-soldiers – 13 April 2013

UPI – UNICEF: Central African Republic still recruiting child-soldiers – 12 April 2013

Voice of America – UN: CAR Groups Still Recruiting Child Soldiers – 12 April 2013

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria – Last Wednesday, President Goodluck Jonathan announced a new committee that will work on an amnesty deal with insurgent groups including Boko Haram.

“Goodluck Jonathan has approved the constitution of a Presidential Committee to constructively engage key members of Boko Haram and define a comprehensive and workable framework for resolving the crisis of insecurity,” his office said in a statement.

This new Presidential committee, also known as the National Security Council, is tasked to develop a framework under a Federal Government dialogue through which disarmament of extremist groups could take place within a 60-day time frame. After the deadline, the government is expected to offer members of these groups amnesty for as long as they guarantee that they will no longer fight government troops and harm civilians.

“The 26-member committee will also develop a support programme for victims of the Boko Haram crisis as well as produce mechanisms to address the underlying causes of insurgencies,” Presidential spokesperson Reuben Abati added.

The National Security Council, which aims to put an end to the series of bombings and shootings in the northern region of the country, is based on a program similar to the one created in 2009. The 2009 program proved to be successful in quelling the insurgency in Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta.

On the contrary, several human rights activists believe that granting extremist groups an amnesty “will not work”.

To begin with, it remains highly uncertain whether or not these groups will accept a deal with and concede to the government, they pointed out.

Shehu Sani, a well-known activist who rejected his own nomination onto the committee, told AFP that the lack of coordination among committee members may cause the program’s failure. “I suggested the need to consult the leadership of the (Boko Haram) group discreetly through some names I mentioned in order to get their input,” Sani said. “That advice was ignored. This new government approach will not get us anywhere and I don’t want to soil my reputation,” he continued as he explained his reason for turning down his nomination.

Thomas Mösch, head of Deutsche Welle’s Hausa Service, also asserted that the new program should not be expected to be successful just because the previous one was. “In the Niger Delta, we had groups that were interested in economic improvement, first of all for themselves and for their local communities. With Boko Haram it is totally different. First of all, we don’t have one group that follows a specific strategy, if they do – it is not visible. Then the core group of Boko Haram when they started with their violent attacks were taking revenge for the killings of their own leader and brothers,” Mösch said.

 

For further information, please see:

All Africa – Nigeria: Datti Ahmed Rejects Amnesty Committee – 19 April 2013

All Africa – Nigeria: As Jonathan Names Amnesty Panel, Boko Haram to Get 60 Days to Disarm – 18 April 2013

All Africa – Nigeria Pushes Amnesty Plan for Islamist Militants – 18 April 2013

IOL News – Nigeria edges towards amnesty deal – 18 April 2013

Reuters – Nigeria president considers amnesty for Islamist rebels – 17 April 2013

By Hannah Stewart
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Al-Shabaab carried out a suicide attack on the court complex in the capital city on Sunday, and a bomb was detonated later on the airport road, leaving at least 30 people dead.

Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group, claimed the attacks.  The attack on the court consisted of a suicide bombing followed by additional explosions, and several assailants stormed the court complex shooting live rounds.  At least four legal professionals were killed, including a judge and three lawyers.  Shortly afterward a car bomb detonated hitting several cars carrying Turkish aid workers on the airport road several kilometers from the court complex.

International humanitarian law, also called “the laws of armed conflict” is applicable in Somalia.  As such, the courthouse was not a legal military target and the aid workers are protected civilians.  These deliberate attacks, resulting in the death of civilians, are violations of the international humanitarian law.  However, an al-Shabaab spokesman told the media that the court was a legitimate military target as they were ruling contrary to Sharia, or Islamic law.

The number of fatalities from the attacks has continued to rise.  Medina Hospital, one of the Mogadishu’s main hospitals, told Human Rights Watch that it received at least 18 bodies and 4 people died at the hospital.  International and Somali media reported that at least 30 people died and dozens were wounded.

Among the dead were a Somali journalist who had acted as the courts’ media adviser and two human rights lawyers.  Respected attorneys Professor Mohamed Mohamud Afrah, the head of the Somali Lawyers Association, and Abdikarin Hassan Gorod were killed when al-Shabaab gunmen opened fire inside the court complex.

Afrah and Gorod had recently represented a woman who faced criminal charges after she accused government security forces of rape.  They also represented a journalist who had interviewed the woman, and also faced charges in a politically motivated trial that received international attention.  This woman was initially sentenced for “falsely accusing” government forces; however, the court of appeals eventually dropped all charges.

Al-Shabaab once controlled almost all of Mogadishu; however, African Union and Somali forces reclaimed the city in 2011.  As such, Sunday’s events marks the deadliest Islamist militant attack in years for the city.  President Hassan Sheik Mohamud, called the attack “nothing but a sign of desperation by the terrorists, who’ve lost all their strongholds and are in complete decline, right across Somalia.”

For more information, please see:

All Africa – Somalia: New Al-Shabaab Attacks are War Crimes – 16 April 2013

Human Rights Watch – Somalia: New Al-Shabaab Attacks are War Crimes – 16 April 2013

The Guardian – Tributes Paid to Somali Human Rights Lawyers Killed in al-Shabaab Attack – 15 April 2013

The New York Times – Coordinated Blasts Kill at Least 20 in Somalia’s Capital – 14 April 2013

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

BUJUMBURA, Burundi – Despite its recent adoption by the Burundian National Assembly on April 3, Burundi’s new media law is already receiving fire from various human rights organizations.

According to the groups, the newly passed bill is an unconstitutional restriction on freedom of expression and independent journalism. Among other things, it increases penalties, reduces safeguards for sources, and bars journalists from reporting a list of topics that could be detrimental to the government.

Under one provision, journalists are prohibited from publishing news that could affect “national unity; public order and security; morality and good conduct; honor and human dignity; national sovereignty; the privacy of individuals; the presumption of innocence.” They are also not allowed to tackle issues that involve “propaganda of the enemy of the Burundian nation in times of peace as of war” and “information that could affect the credit of the state and the national economy.” Doing so would be considered illegal, especially if it were interpreted as affecting national unity or order, and could lead to exorbitant penalties.

Although the bill eliminated imprisonment as punishment, it replaced prison terms with “extortionate fines” which were substantially increased to up to 8 million Burundian francs (roughly US$5,000) – a substantial amount in the struggling Eastern African country.

Another provision of the bill requires news agencies to “rigorously check” their sources without elaborating on how to carry it out.

“This sweeping language means that topics journalists could legally cover would be severely restricted,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “They might not even be allowed to write about inflation, much less security issues or political killings,” he continued.

The Union of Burundian Journalists (UBJ) said the bill is unconstitutional. If nothing else, its main aim is to “close independent media” according to UBJ’s president, Alexandre Niyungeko. “This bill denies the freedom of expression and media, it is against the country’s constitution and other international laws such as the universal declaration of human rights,” Niyungeko added.

For the new media bill to be passed into law, the Senate has to approve it and turn it over to the President for his signature.

Reporters Without Borders released a statement last week urging the Senate not to pass the bill because it “would considerably reduce the freedom of Burundi’s journalists and media.” “What with this law and the impact of the recent Ruvakuki case, the Burundian media could be prevented from playing its role in the democratic debate,” the statement pointed out.

Reporters Without Borders discussed the same bill with government authorities last year where they agreed on several positive amendments to the law, removing a number of restrictions. However, for reasons that remain unclear, the version that was approved by the national assembly was the original draft.

 

For further information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Burundi: New Law Would Muzzle Journalists – 12 April 2013

WAN-IFRA – Journalists in Burundi and Kuwait suffer setbacks – 12 April 2013

IFEX – New law would limit protection of sources, increase fines for journalists in Burundi – 5 April

Afrique Jet – Burundi: Media bill triggers protest in Burundi – 4 April 2013

Reuters – Burundi parliament passes tough media law – 4 April 2013

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

YAMOUSSOUKRO, Cote d’Ivoire – The military trial against the Republican Forces of Côte d’Ivoire (FRCI) began last Thursday. 33 soldiers have been charged with committing crimes against the population, including premeditated murder, voluntary and involuntary homicide, and theft.

All 33 soldiers are accused of abusing civilians during the post-election crisis from November 2010 to May 2011. In the span of six months, at least 3,000 people were reportedly killed. Some of the deaths were allegedly linked to former President Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to concede despite international recognition of the results that proclaimed his opponent, Alassane Ouattara, the victor.

After the crisis, a national commission of inquiry created by President Ouattara, in cooperation with international and local human rights groups and a United Nations-mandated international commission of inquiry, have documented war crimes and crimes against humanity by both pro-Gbagbo forces and the FRCI during the crisis.

According to the military prosecutor’s office, the first trial on Thursday involved cases related to events that happened December last year in the central town of Vavoua. Reports say that a number of FRCI soldiers who are currently under trial opened fire on protesters, killing at least five people.

However, both international and local human rights groups are not too impressed with the trial.

“The opening of trials against soldiers from the Republican Forces is an important step forward in Côte d’Ivoire’s fight against impunity,” said Matt Wells, West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW). “But Ivorian authorities need to also pursue the more sensitive cases involving the Republican Forces for which victims have seen no justice, particularly the grave crimes committed during the post-election crisis.”

Civil society organizations interviewed by HRW are worried that “ongoing impunity for one side of the conflict – the government forces – risks sowing the seeds for future violence.” According to them, this is because of the sensitive nature of the cases of abuse during the post-election period — cases that not only involve large scale atrocities, but also deal with serious political, ethnic, and religious issues.

“Prosecuting people for serious international crimes can be difficult, but the lack of justice can carry high costs,” Wells added. “Chronic impunity has appeared to feed the repeated episodes of violence in Côte d’Ivoire over the last decade, with civilians paying the greatest price.”

HRW urged Ivorian authorities to strengthen support for prosecuting those implicated in the war crimes and crimes against humanity during the post-election crisis. The human rights group also demanded the government to “investigate and prosecute any soldiers involved in the July 2012 attack on the Nahibly displaced persons camp, and in the cruel and inhuman treatment of detainees in August and September.”

 

For further information, please see:

Amnesty International – Annual Report 2012 –  11 April 2013

Human Rights Watch – Côte d’Ivoire: Soldiers on Trial for Abuses – 11 April 2013

istockAnalyst – HRW: Ivorian justice lacks balance – 11 April 2013

Tamil Guardian – Trial of soldiers accused of abuse begins in Côte d’Ivoire – 11 April 2013

Yahoo News – Report: Uneven justice could hurt stability in Ivory Coast – 5 April 2013