A Voice for the Voiceless

Deteriorating Situation in Sudan

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan – South Africa is leading the voice of concern over the deteriorating situation in Sudan.  Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad commented on a UN report citing a “dramatic deterioration” in the security situation in Darfur and that the joint UN-AU peacekeeping force is seriously behind schedule. 

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno has already appealed to the Security Council for help in speeding up the delivery of units and equipment and to promote the political process to ensure full deployment of the desperately needed peacekeepers. 

Mr. Pahad expressed concern over Guehenno’s statements, and said that “it is clear the situation is deteriorating not just beyond the borders but also in the Darfur region.”  He also voiced concern over the recent attack by the Sudanese Army on a UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) convoy of more than 20 vehicles.  The convoy had been carrying rations for UNAMID personnel when it came under fire.  The convoy did not return fire. 

The Sudanese government has confirmed its commitment to ensuring the security and safety of UNAMID personnel and to the full implementation of the UN resolution approving the force. 

Recently, the rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), has accused the Sudanese government of bombing rebel positions in West Darfur.  According to Jem, there have been several civilian casualties as people flee the villages.   International sources confirmed with Reuters that government planes had been seen in action on Sunday, however there has been no confirmation from the government regarding the attacks.

Meanwhile, the situation is being further complicated by hostilities involving Chadian elements. There are numerous media reports that the Chadian government may have engaged Chadian rebels in Sudanese territory on a number of occasions.   Further reports state that the Chadian Air Force may have bombed some locations south of Darfur. 

Over 200,000 people have died during Sudan’s 5-year conflict and more than 2 million have been displaced from their homes. 

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica.com – Rebel Positions Bombed in West Darfur – 16 January 2008

AllAfrica.com – SA Concerned Over Deteriorating Sudan Situation – 16 January 2008

VOA News – Darfur Rebels Say Sudan Military Bombed Two Villages – 15 January 2008

BBC News – Sudan ‘bombing rebels in Darfur’ – 15 January 2008

Japan to Review Aid to Sri Lanka

By Juliana Chan
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The Japanese peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, said Tuesday that it may be necessary to review Japan’s multi-million dollar aid to Sri Lanka. Mr. Akashi is concerned by the Sri Lankan government’s decision to formally end a six-year ceasefire with the Tamil Tigers.

During Mr. Akashi’s two-day visit to Sri Lanka, he urged the government “to improve the island’s human rights situation and offer a devolution package to the rebels.”

Mr. Akashi and the rest of the international community are shocked and worried that the end of the ceasefire will lead to more violence and civilian casualties. The Sri Lankan government will formally annul the ceasefire on Wednesday, which some predict will lead to “all-out war and the breakdown of peace talks.”

President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government says that it is intent on defeating the rebels militarily. He accuses the rebels of not being sincere about talking peace, but instead using the peace pact to regroup and rearm.

Japan is Sri Lanka’s main foreign donor, giving about $9 billion in grants, loans, and aid since 1985. Japan has not pledged any aid yet for this year, but also has not halted any existing aid. Mr. Akashi said future aid would depend on closely monitoring the situation, which would be subject to continuous review.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Japan aid under review as Sri Lanka axes truce – 15 January 2008

AFP – Sri Lanka kills rebels, hits back at foreign critics – 14 January 2008

BBC News – Japan ‘reviews’ aid to Sri Lanka – 15 January 2008

BBC News – Sri Lanka ceasefire formally ends – 15 January 2008

Pensions Paid to Nigerian Rebel Fighters

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria –  Forty years after the end of the Nigerian conflict, rebel fighter soldiers who fought for a breakaway state have been given their pensions. Emeka Ojukwu, a Biafran separatist, was one of the ex rebels fighters who had received payment for his retirement. Mr Ojukwu, who is now 74, was pardoned in 1980. After receiving his pension check, he was perturbed and stated that It was “an insult for people to address me as a Lt Col.”

According to a 2000 BBC report, Ojukwu felt no remorse for the civil war. Ojukwu was quoted in a 2000 saying “Responsibility for what went on – how can I feel responsible in a situation in which I put myself out and saved the people from genocide? No, I don’t feel responsible at all. I did the best I could.”

The Nigerian government has pardoned 63 rebels in an attempt to show that the country has come along way since the civil war. In 1967, the eastern region of Nigeria tried to break away from the country, and the conflict resulted in millions of death. Many of the deaths resulted from famine, and inadequate medical care and aid.

In 2007, at the 40th anniversary of the commencement of the Biafran war, Emeka Ojukwu reported to the BBC that the Igbo community, who reside in south-east Nigeria, still felt excluded and marginalized from Nigerian society.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Pensions Paid to Nigerian Rebels  – 15 January 2008

BBC- Biafra: Thirty Years On  – 13 January 2000

All Africa – Nigeria: Ojukwu – ‘I’m a General… Calling Me Lt Col is an Insult’ – 15 January 2008

Iran’s Vague “Security Laws” Suppress Civil Society

By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch released a report calling on the Iranian government to amend or abolish laws that allow the government to arbitrarily suppress and punish individuals for peaceful political expression, association and assembly in breach of international law.

In “‘You Can Detain Anyone for Anything’: Iran’s Broadening Clampdown on Independent Activism,” Human Rights Watch documents the expansion in scope and number of the individuals and activities persecuted by the government over the last two years. The 51-page report accuses Iran of using vague “security laws” to suppress in effect any public expression of dissent. Furthermore, those arrested are subject to prolonged detention without charge, solitary confinement, and torture.

“Dozens of Iranian laws provide the government cover for suppressing any peaceful activity they perceive as critical of their policies,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities can trample over people’s basic rights and still claim to be acting legally.”

Since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad assumed office in August 2005, the Iranian government has increasingly used “security laws” as a pretext for persecuting civil society activists. A set of laws within Iran’s Islamic Penal Code entitled “Offenses Against the National and International Security of the Country” enables the government to stifle peaceful political activities and deny due process rights to anyone, including women’s rights campaigners, student activists, workers, and journalists and scholars.

The report also claims that Iranian authorities often hold detainees arrested on security grounds in facilities operating outside the mandated prison administration, most notoriously in Section 209 of Tehran’s Evin prison. There, detainees are purportedly subject to various psychological and physical abuses during interrogation and in detention.

For more information, please see:

AKI – Political crackdown on public dissent worsens, says rights group – 9 January 2008

Albany Times Union – Human rights? Not in Ahmadinejad’s Iran – 8 January 2008

Human Rights Watch – End widespread crackdown on civil society – 7 January 2008

Semblance of Normality in Kenya May be Fleeting

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya – Today, several schools in Kenya were reopened after weeks of shutdown due to rioting and looting following the December 27 presidential election. Children walking to school were a positive sign of normality in Kenya, despite the deep tension within the nation. Unfortunately, the image of progress may fade within next couple of days.

On Tuesday, the newly elected parliament is expected to meet and sit since the election. This is the first time the feuding parties will meet diplomatically. President Mwai Kibaki’s party, Party of National Unity (PNU), won 43 seats in parliament. His rival, Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) won 99 seats. Political analysts worry the country may continue to stand still since, Kibaki must get his bills passed through a parliament whose majority believes his administration is illegitimate.

Some opposition officials have vowed to occupy seats by force if necessary.

In response to Tuesday’s parliamentary assembly and the possibility of violence, the police, who have been accused by human rights workers of killing protesters, plan to barricade streets in the area to block any trouble outside.

Meanwhile, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is on his way from Geneva to Kenya to assist in mediation. Kibaki and his cabinet have already expressed their disinterest in outside mediation, after the United States and African Union failed to resolve the issue last week. Before leaving Geneva, Annan appealed to Kenya to remain calm during Tuesday’s assembly and the three day nationwide ODM rally due to start on Wednesday, despite the ban by police.

Western governments, including the United States, Britain and France, have expressed belief that the presidential ballot was flawed.  Kibaki’s rejection of outside mediation may continue to tarnish Kenya’s previous close relationship with the West.

Today, the European Union (EU) announced that it may suspend all aid and impose sanctions if mediation efforts to resolve the crisis failed. During 2002 and 2007, the EU provided 290 million euros ($431.1 million) in aid to Kenya. Another 383 million euros was planned for 2008-2013.

For more information please see:

Reuters: Africa – EU Could Cut Aid to Kenya- Senior Official – 14 January 2008

Reuters: Africa – Kenya’s Feuding Party Face Parliamentary Shutdown – 14 January 2008

Yahoo News (AP) – Kenya Minister Rejects Annan’s Mediation – 14 January 2008