Darfur Refugees Forced Out

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

OTASH CAMP, Sudan – Recent reports state that Sudanese officials have been pressuring people to leave refugee camps in the Darfur province over the past weeks.  United Nations officials have said that the regime has resorted to forcibly loading some civilians onto trucks to clear them out. 

This week, UN officials announced that they have evidence Sudanese government forces were chasing refugees out of at least one camp, Otash, which houses 60,000 people on the outskirts of Nyala, south Darfur’s capital.  John Holmes, the UN humanitarian chief said in a statement: “Given that security forces were threatening the displaced with sticks and rubber hoses at Otash camp, the involuntary nature of this relocation is clear.”  UN officials say this “dangerous precedent” could jeopardize ongoing Darfur peace talks, currently taking place in Libya. 

Observers say Sudan hopes to empty the camps before January when the joint United Nations-African Union force of 26,000 peacekeepers is scheduled to deploy. 

Sudanese officials have admitted they want the camps to close because they have become too big, squalid and dangerous and have made the refugees too dependent on humanitarian aid.  They deny however that any one is being forced to leave, and dismissed such allegations as “more than fabrications” aimed at “distracting attention from the Sudanese government’s announcement of a unilateral ceasefire to accompany the peace talks.” 

Most Darfur refugees agree that conditions in the camp are poor but insist they have nowhere else to go, since their home villages are still too dangerous while the war between the rebels and the government continues. 

Since the conflict began in 2003, an estimated 200,000 people have died and more than 2 million have been displaced.

For more information, please see:

AP – Sudan Tries to Clear Out Darfur Refugees – 31 October 2007

International Herald Tribune – Sudan government strives to force Darfur civilians out of refugee camps – 31 October 2007

BBC News – Darfur camp eviction ‘fabricated’ – 30 October 2007

Guardian Unlimited – Darfur refugees forced out by troops, UN claims – 30 October 2007

For more information on the Darfur conflict, please see the following Impunity Watch reports: Peace Talks in Darfur Begin Without Rebels; Upcoming Peace Talks in Sudan in Jeopardy; New Atrocities in Darfur; Ceasefire Ends in Sudan; Ongoing Conflict in Sudan; Peace Talks on Darfur Scheduled for October 

BRIEF: ICC Report to the UN Released

The International Criminal Court’s third annual report to the United Nations, covering the period of 1 August 2006 to 1 August 2007 is now available.   The Prosecutor continued to investigate and prosecute the situations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Sudan, and the Central African Republic.   At the end of the reporting period, six warrants of arrest were still outstanding – two regarding the situation in Darfur, and four regarding Uganda.  The warrants for persons related to the conflict in Uganda have been outstanding since July 2005.   

Download icc_20062007_report.pdf

BRIEF: Children Tortured in Iraqi Prisons

BAGHDAD, Iraq-  Local NGOs have raised concerns regarding reports that children have been tortured and abused while being interrogated in Iraqi prisons.

“‘Children are being treated as adults in Iraqi prisons and our investigations have shown that they are being abused and tortured,’ said Khalid Rabia’a, a spokesman for the Prisoners’ Association for Justice (PAJ).”  (IRIN)

Mr. Rabia’a cited an example of five child prisoners who were between 13 and 17.  The children were interrogated because the Iraqi military operators had suspected that the children were supporting insurgents.  “‘The five children showed signs of torture all over their bodies.  Three had marks of cigarettes burns over their legs and one couldn’t speak as the shock sessions affected his conversation,’ Rabia’a said.” (IRIN)

The Iraqi government has denied the allegations and stated that those individuals who have abused adults or children through the prison system have been eliminated and punished.  However according to the IRIN, at least 220 children are being held in the Iraqi prisons.  An Iraqi official, who requesting anonymity, stated to IRIN that under his watch alone there were 20 children held captive and being abused.

The problem has been acknowledged by Iraqi Vice President Tarek al-Hashimy, who is beginning a campaign to end child abuse.

For more information, please see:

IRIN Middle East- IRAQ: Child prisoners abused and tortured, say activists- 25 October 2007

Nigeria’s Parliamentary Speaker Resigns After Scandal

By Meryl A. White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria – Patricia Etteh, Nigeria’s House of Representatives Parliamentary Speaker, has resigned after being found guilty of awarding contracts worth five million to refurbish houses and buy vehicles. Records show that Mrs. Etteh bought twelve cars and renovated her and her deputy’s residence.

President Umaru Yar’Adua, who promised zero tolerance on corruption, did not want to intervene in this situation. This affair has gripped the attention of the nation and has become a huge embarrassment for the President. Yesterday, President Umaru Yar’Adua stated that he would not make Speaker Etteh resign from the office.

The scandal surrounding Etteh became so controversial this month that a pro Etteh MP collapsed and died at Parliament.

The Odu’a Youth Leader’s Forum (OYLF) called for Etteh to resign and for the speaker pro tempore to preside over the Idoko panel report. Moreover, members of the House threatened to impeach Etteh if she did not step down from her position.

Just today, the lower house elected Terngu Tsegba, from the opposition party as the acting speaker. Mr. Tsegba will preside over the Iroko debate, which is expected to last for one week. In the near future, the Nigerian Parliament will hold an election to replace Mrs. Etteh.

For more information, please see:

All Africa – Nigeria: I Will Not Ask Etteh to Step Down – Yar’Adua – 30 October 2007

BBC- Nigeria speaker goes in graft row – 30 October 2007

All Africa – Nigeria: They Offered Me Bribe – Etteh – 22 October 2007

 

BRIEF: Israel’s AG suspends Gaza sanctions

JERUSALEM, Israel – On October 28, Israel confirmed that it began to restrict delivery of fuel to Gaza, pursuant to sanctions recently approved by Barak.  However, ten human rights groups have petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice to order Israel to freeze implementation of the sanctions.  The court rejected the petitioners’ demand for a freeze, but instead required the government to justify its decision by November 2.  According to the petitioners, the sanctions are a collective punishment that would cause “irreversible damage to the health and welfare of the residents of Gaza.”  While the court ordered Israel to justify the sanctions, they refrained from banning the sanctions completely.  In response to the court order, Israel’s Attorney General, Menachem Mazouz, suspended plans to restrict delivery of fuel and electricity to Gaza.  He stated that more research is required to implement the plan without causing a humanitarian crisis.

The European Union and United Nations criticized Israel’s decision to impose economic sanctions.  The European Union called the measures “collective punishment” and while noting the distressed caused by rocket attacks, stated that collective punishment is never the answer.  Also, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon repeated his call to militants to halt their rocket attacks but called Israel’s planned response to be “unacceptable.”

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – Israeli AG halts electricity cut to Gaza – 30 October 2007

BBC – Gaza electricity cuts suspended – 30 October 2007

Ha’aretz – Mazuz prohibits punitive power cuts in Gaza Strip – 30 October 2007

Forbes – Court orders Israel to justify Gaza sanctions – 29 October 2007

Yedioth – Petition: Prevent reduction of Gaza fuel, electricity supply – 28 October 2007