Somalia’s Plea for More Aid

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

EL ASHA, Somalia – The security situation in Somalia continues to hamper relief efforts. The presence of Ethiopian troops has only worsened the safety conditions and African Union soldiers along with Ugandan peacekeepers have been unable to stem the violence. Almost 6,000 people have been killed in fighting this year. After meeting with the UN Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, President Abdullahi Yusuf and new Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein have agreed to place security as their number one priority.

Yesterday, even as Holmes and Somali officials were discussing the growing crisis, eight people were killed in Mogadishu and the town of Jowhar. Holmes repeated sentiments issued by UN head Ban Ki-Moon earlier this month, that UN peacekeepers would not be viable since they can only keep the peace, not create it.

According to the UN, roughly 60% of Mogadishu’s residents left their homes and the World Food Program (WFP) estimates it feeds 21,000 people a day. Last month, UN officials described the situation in Somalia as the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa and not much has changed since Holmes’ visit this week. If anything, the conditions are worse. This month alone, 200,000 people left their homes to escape the incessant violence.

During Holmes’ four-day visit, he stopped by Afgooye, located west of Mogadishu, where nearly 200,000 people are living in squalid camps on the side of the road. Seeing the dire conditions first-hand, Holmes urged more assistance for the world’s worst developing humanitarian crises.  Holmes concluded his visit to the Horn of Africa by calling on the international community and humanitarian agencies to respond to the Somali crisis and urging the Somali government to work with them.

Aid agencies have made attempts to combat the crisis but both sides, the government and insurgents, have made their efforts difficult. Insurgents have stolen loads of food and piracy has plagued the distribution process. The capital, Mogadishu, has many security checkpoints and aid agencies are stopped continuously and at times charged money. Furthermore, in October the mayor of Mogadishu, former warlord Mohamed Dheere, detained the head of the WFP for five days, causing WFP to temporarily suspend food distributions to at least 75,000 people.

For more information, please see:

BBC- UN Says Somalia needs more help – 3 December 2007

AllAfrica.com- UN- Atrocities Fuel Worsening Crisis in Horn of Africa – 3 December 2007

Reuters: Africa- UN aid chief appeals for more help for Somalia  – 3 December 2007

Yahoo News- UN aid chief urges Somalia action as new cabinet unravels – 3 December 2007

Claims of Governmental Abuse Continue in the Ogaden Region

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Yesterday, the UN Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, concluded a one-week tour of the Horn of Africa, which included Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Holmes visit only reiterated the desperate and devastating conditions that are continuously issued in news reports. Somalia and Ethiopia’s Somali region, Ogaden, are in desperate humanitarian need, mainly the result of “serious international crimes.”

Conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), a rebel movement that claims it is fighting for self-determination for the region, continue to mount. For several months the ONLF has urged the UN to investigate allegations of man-made famine and genocide. According to Human Rights Watch, governmental officials, such as Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, are ignoring the rampant violations of human rights. Reports and interviews by the humanitarian group has found that the Ethiopian troops are burning villages, sexually abusing women and girls, imposing trade and commercial blockages, and stealing livestock, a vital asset for the predominantly pastoralist community.

Despite such claims and the urge by Human Rights Watch for the UN to follow-up on the allegations, Holmes responded by passing the request to the Ethiopian government. After his visit to the region, Holmes said the humanitarian crisis in Ogaden is not catastrophic and could be averted, although 953,000 are in need of help. After meeting with Meles, Holmes received assurance from governmental officials that the needs of the people will be addressed.  Following the meeting, allegations were released that troops were employing terror tactics such as hanging civilians to crackdown on insurgents. The ONLF spokesman, Abdulrahman Mahdi, says Holmes visit was “stage-managed” by the government to hide the truth that 99% of the people in the country-side are starving and soldiers were killing people “like goats.”

Prime Minister Meles dismisses all claims of a humanitarian crisis, saying a crisis “didn’t exist. Doesn’t exist. Will not exist” in the region. The Ethiopian government accuses the ONLF of being terrorists funded by Eritrea, its rival and neighbor.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica.com- UN- Atrocities Fuel Worsening Crisis in Horn of Africa – 3 December 2007

CNN- Ethiopians Says Soldiers Killing Villagers ‘Like Goats’ – 29 November 2007

AllAfrica.com – UN Presses Country t o Probe Ogaden Allegations – 30 November 2007

BBC- Ethiopia Assures No Ogaden Famine  – 28 November 2007

Yahoo News- Ethiopian Rebels Claim Army Hanging Civilians in Ogaden – 29 November 2007

Iraq: Turkey attacks Kurds

By Vivek Thiagarajan
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

On Saturday, the Turkish military claimed that it inflicted “significant loses” on the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK).  (CNN)  The military claimed to have killed 50-60 Turkish rebels inside Iraq.  The Turkish military did not state whether it had used the American intelligence that President Bush had promised.  However, an unnamed PKK military official has claimed that no attack occurred.

Since early fall Turkey has threatened to attack the PKK in Iraq, which is a Kurdish militia seeking to gain independence from the Turkey.  In the past few months, the PKK increased its attacks on the Turkish military.  The constant attacks caused the Turkish government to act in order to respond to the building pressure by its public demanding justice for the troops that were killed.

Turkey immediately mobilized its troops to the Iraqi border, because it believed that the PKK rebels had attacked in Turkey and then fled to a base in northern Iraq.  However, the Turkish government showed reluctance to attack and physically invade Iraq.  Although, the military received immediate support from the parliament to launch an attack Prime Minister Erdogan and President Gul were hesitant to attack.

Their hesitancy was both justified and wise because launching an invasion into Iraq could both destabilize the region and Turkey.  The Iraqi region has been destabilized since the downfall of Saddam Hussein.  However, the northern region under the control of the Kurds and President Barzani has remained stable, because of their embrace of the Americans.  However, Turkey has chosen not to recognize Barzani as the official voice of the Kurdish people.  This is probably because the Turks fear that if Barzani is recognized as the official voice for the Kurds, then it may encourage the PKK to continue their struggle so that they may ultimately be recognized as the spokesmen for the 15 million Kurds in Turkey.  Additionally, the Turks have been hesitant to enter Iraq to pursue the PKK, because they understand that with the transient nature of the PKK.  It is possible that killing the current PKK members  may only increase the militia’s enrollment by angering more Kurds within Turkey and encouraging them to join the cause.

These limited attacks will only be successful for the Turkish government, as long as it does not lead to a full scale invasion.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera- Turkey ‘right to intervene in Iraq’- 2 December 2007

BBC News- Turkish army fires on PKK in Iraq- 1 December 2007

CNN (AP)-  Turkey attacks Kurd rebels in Iraq- 1 December 2007

Gulf News- Kurdish officials deny Turkish incursion into Iraq- 2 December 2007

Impunity Watch- Tension Mounts between Turkey and Iran against Kurdish militia in Iraq- 28 October 2007

Impunity Watch-Turkey: Military may pursue PKK into Iraq- 11 October 2007

Increase in Israeli Strikes against Gaza

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Gaza – In the past week, Israeli military operations have killed about 20 people, mostly militants.  Most recently, on December 4, a missile strike targeting a training base for Hamas’ armed wing in southern Gaza.  According to Palestinian medical workers, two militants were killed and two others were wounded in the strike.

On December 2, an air strike killed five members of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, near the Khan Younis.  According to Hamas, the men were on night patrol and were 500 meters from the border.  However, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) states that the strikes were triggered when an armored unit spotted a mortar launching team near the border.  During this incident, at least three men were also injured.  Some of the injured were members of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a smaller militant group allied to Hamas.

Also on December 2, Gaza medics report that one individual was killed and three others wounded in an incident east of Gaza City.  Residents recall hearing gunfire in the area.  The Israeli military stated that troops returned fire when Palestinian gunmen opened fire.

In addition to increased military strikes inside Gaza, on November 30, the Israeli Supreme Court held that Israel could impose fuel cuts but had to postpone planned electricity cuts.  Israel’s highest court agreed that there was no need to issue a stay on the fuel cuts, especially since the government took measures to ensure that fuel delivery to Gaza’s only power plant would be maintained.

However, while the court ruled that the Israeli government took measures to ensure that the reductions do not cause humanitarian harm.  Several hospitals in Gaza report dangerously low fuel supplies, which are required to run generators, threaten their ability to provide Palestinians with medical care.

Israel seeks to use these sanctions as a less lethal method to combat rocket attacks launched from Gaza.  In recent years, Israel has been faced with the difficult question of how to efficiently combat the persistent rocket fire from Gaza.  On December 3, IDF reports that three soldiers were lightly wounded by shrapnel from a mortar shell fired from Gaza.  During the same attack, three other mortars were launched, but no causalities resulted.  Also, earlier on December 3, fifteen other mortar shells were fired from Gaza, but again, no causalities resulted.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Israel hits Gaza amid fuel fears – 3 December 2007

Jerusalem Post – Gaza: At least four gunmen  killed by IDF – 3 December 2007

Reuters – Two Hamas militants killed in Gaza air strike, medics say – 3 December 2007

Al Jazeera – Deaths in Israeli attack on Gaza – 1 December 2007

BBC – Five killed in Israeli Gaza raids – 1 December 2007

Reuters – Six Palestinians, including militants, killed in Gaza – 1 December 2007

Al Jazeera – Israeli court backs Gaza fuel cuts – 30 November 2007

UPDATE: Teacher Pardoned in Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan – Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher jailed in Sudan last week for naming a class teddy bear Muhammad, was freed this morning after serving four of her fifteen day sentence.  The crime under Sudan’s Islamic Sharia law could have resulted in punishment of up to 40 public lashes, six months in prison, and a fine. 

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir pardoned Gibbons after a meeting this morning with two British Muslims from the House of Lords.   A senior presidential adviser said al-Bashir insisted that Ms. Gibbons received a “fair trial” but that she was pardoned as a result of efforts by the British Muslim delegation.

Ms. Gibbons had been in custody for a total of eight days and was transferred to the British embassy in Khartoum.  In a statement made this morning, Ms. Gibbons said “I have great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone and I am sorry if I caused any distress.”   

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Teddy row teacher freed from jail – 3 December 2007

Guardian Unlimited – Briton Pardoned in Sudan Islam Insult – 3 December 2007