State of Emergency Declared in Chad

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NDJAMENA, Chad – The government has declared a twelve day state of emergency in three regions of Chad. More than 20 people have died in ethnic clashes in the eastern provinces of Quaddaj and Wadi Fira and in the northern region of Borkou, Ennedi and Tibesti.

The bloodshed in Darfur, Sudan, has spilled over into Chad and the Central African Republic. Presently, there are 240,000 refugees from Sudan’s Darfur region in eastern Chad and 173,000 internally displaced people.

The latest of clashes in Chad are between two tribes, the Tama and the Zaghawa. The clashes lasted for a period of three days in the eastern district of Dar Tama. The fighting was sparked by claims that members of one tribe stole livestock and cattle from members of the other tribe.

Tama rebel leader Mahamat Nour has accused the Zaghawas of starting the current conflict. He said,”The Tama problem is a real problem, people are dying in their hundreds. All they had as cattle has been rustled.”

The Foreign Minister to Chad stated “We dare to hope that it will create conditions that will foster stability and reconstruction in the eastern region of our country that have been devastated by incursions of the Sudanese Janjaweed and other armed men coming from Darfur.”

Experts believe that a peace agreement between rival groups will help pave the way for the United Nations to send in peacekeeping forces in Chad’s insecure eastern border

Starting in early November, 3,000 EU troops and 300 UN police are expected to arrive in Chad to oversee relief efforts at displacement camps.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Chad Rebels agree move to peace – 4 October 2007

AllAfrica.com – Chad: Government, Rebels Reach Peace Deal – 4 October 2007

BBC- Chad State of Emergency Imposed- – 16 October 2007

Herald Tribune- Chad Declares State of Emergency in Three Regions – 16 October 2007

BRIEF: Eritrea Ranked Last in Press Freedom

ASMARA, Eritrea – Eritrea has been ranked last in the world in press freedom in an annual index and report released by Reporters Without Borders today.   Eritrea closed all private press in 2001 and has been consistently and harshly criticized by press freedom organizations. The press release issued by Reporters Without Borders said that “Eritrea deserves to be at the bottom.  The privately-owned press has been banished by the authoritarian President Issaias Afeworki and the few journalists who dare to criticise the regime are thrown in prison.”

Eritrea replaced North Korea in last place, and four other African countries – Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, and Somalia – rank in the bottom 20 of 169 countries.  Mauritius and Namibia were tied for 25th place and were the highest ranking African countries.  South Africa, Cape Verde, Togo, and Mauritius also made the top 50.

Although the report was particularly critical of Eritrea, it also singled out cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Niger.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica.com – Eritrea: Country Ranks Last in Press Freedom Index – 16 October 2007

AFP – Eritrea takes over as world’s worst for press rights – 16 October 2007

Voice of America News – Iceland First, Eritrea Last on World Press Freedom Index – 16 October 2007

US and Turkish Relations Strained over Armenian “Genocide”

By Vivek Thiagarajan
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

ANKARA, Turkey- The United States House Foreign Affairs Committee has passed a bill recognizing the Turkish acts of 1915-1923 as “genocide” against the Armenian people.   This action was greatly disfavored by the both the Turkish government and the Bush Administration.   Immediately after the non-binding bill passed, Turkey recalled its ambassador from the United States.

The Armenians report the total number who died during that period through systematic deportations was around 1.5 million Armenians.   Conversely, the Turkish figure places the number around 300,000 Armenians who died.   The Turkish government is quick to point out that both it was an interethnic war where Turks died too, and that the “genocide” occurred during the context of the World War I.

Nancy Pelosi and the democratic-led Congress championed the bill with strong backing from the Armenian American community.   The passing of the bill has been praised by the Armenian President Kocharyan.   “We hope that this process will lead to the full recognition by the United States of America of the fact of the Armenian genocide,” he said.   (BBC News- Armenia welcomes ‘genocide’ vote)

President Bush tried to stop the Committee from passing the bill, the first step in having it voted on in the House of Representatives, because it will strain US diplomatic relations with Turkey.   He has stressed the importance of Turkey in stabilizing Iraq.   Turkey has been an American ally, and the US uses its military base located in Turkey.

Turkish President Gul alleged that US politicians were “sacrific[ing] big problems for small domestic political games.”   (BBC News- Armenia welcomes ‘genocide’ vote)  Gul has stressed that the diplomatic relations between the US and Turkey will be strained because of the bill.   The Turks fear that the “genocide” bill will allow other countries to draw comparisons between the Turks’ actions and the Nazi Germans.   However, the strong reaction to the bill seems to be counter to President Gul’s speech in Strasburg, France, where Gul stated that he believed that article 301, which prohibits a Turk from criticizing Turkishness, ought to be changed.

It is necessary to shed light on acts against humanity to recognize the value of each person’s life.   However, the situation between the Turks and the Armenians happened ninety years previous to the Committee bill.   Also, Armenians living in Turkey are wary that this bill could cause a backlash against them.  Turkey is in a pivotal time as it desires to join the European Union while engaging PKK in Northern Iraq.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press- Turkish General Warns US Over Ties- 14 October 2007

BBC News- Q&A- Armenian ‘genocide’- 11 October 2007

BBC News- Turkey condemns US Armenia vote- 11 October 2007

BBC News- Armenia welcomes ‘genocide’ vote- 11 October 2007

New York Times- Turkish General Warns U.S. on Resolution- 14 October 2007

Reuters AlertNet- Rice urges Turkey to show restraint on N.Iraq- 13 October 2007

Reuters AlertNet- Armenian-American clout buys genocide breakthrough- 12 October 2007

BRIEF: South Sudan Sends Demands to Government

KHARTOUM, Sudan – The ruling party of south Sudan, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), suspended participation in the national government on Thursday and submitted their list of demands on Sunday.  The SPLM has withdrawn from the government alleging it had failed to follow through on implementing the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended Africa’s longest civil war and created a coalition government in Khartoum.

The most contentious issues between the SPLM and the government include the demarcation of the north-south border, withdrawal of northern forces from the south, and the protocol on the oil-rich Abyei region.

The recent withdrawal of south Sudan from the government and increasing violence in the region are causing a wave of international concern.  UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the US State Department urged both sides to keep the 2005 peace deal alive between both parties.  Peace talks are scheduled to begin in Libya later this month.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Southerners hand demands to Sudan government – 14 October 2007

VOA News – SPLM Suspends Participation in Sudan’s National Government – 14 October 2007

AllAfrica.com – Sudan: Must State Remain One United Country? – 14 October 2007

Impunity Watch – Ceasefire Ends in Sudan – 11 October 2007

Israeli soldiers transferred to Iran

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

LONDON, England – A London-based Arabic newspaper, Asharq al-Awsat, reported that two Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser, 31, and Eldad Regev, 26, were transported from Lebanon to Iran, in anticipation of their possible release.  Goldwasser and Regev were captured in July 2006, by Hezbollah.

Asharq al-Awsat reports that a high ranking Iranian official said that the two Israelis were transported to a country outside of Lebanon and then to Iran by a special unit of the Revolutionary Guard.  The source claimed that the release of the soldiers could be part of a prisoner-swap brokered by Germany.  In exchange for the release of Goldwasser and Regev, Germany may release an Iranian intelligence agent, Kazem Darabi, who is in prison for the murder of four Kurdish dissents in 1992.  The source said that negotiations were being conducted by the UN and Germany.

Senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office categorically denied the report, labeling it “juicy nonsense” and Iranian “misinformation.”  The families of the captured soldiers also expressed skepticism regarding the reports.  The family of Goldwasser added that regardless of the location of the soldiers, that Israel would continue their efforts in securing their release.

Israel also denies the claim that it believes that Goldwasser and Regev died during the attack.  Instead, it reaffirmed a report released in December 2006.  In the December report, the Israeli Defense Force found evidence showing that the two were injured during the attack, one critically, but that both were alive when they were captured.

The Asharq al-Awsat report does not mention a third captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, whose continued captivity is highly publicized.

For more information, please see:

Telegraph – Captured soldiers “in Iran” – 15 October 2007

Ashaq al-Awsat – Israeli soldiers abducted by Hezbollah in Iran – Source – 14 October 2007

Jerusalem Post – Israel: Goldwasser, Regev not in Iran – 14 October 2007

Middle East Times – Captive Israeli held in Iran says report – 14 October 2007

Yedioth – Report: Israeli captives transferred to Iran – 14 October 2007

Ha’aretz – Israel denies it believes troops captured by Hezbollah are dead – 11 October 2007