A Voice for the Voiceless

UN Releases Their Report on Ethiopia’s Eastern Region

OGADEN, Ethiopia- On Wednesday, the United Nations (UN) released their report on the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. The region, which borders Somalia and is predominantly inhabited by Somalis, has been caught between the clashes of the government and rebels for several months. The anticipated report comes after the UN humanitarian assessment team visited the region from August 30th to September 5th.

The report comes after the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) alleges violations of human rights by government military. The government has denied all allegations. The team visited three of the five zones in the Somali Regional State. According to the ONLF, the Fik and Warder zones are the areas where the worst atrocities were committed; the UN mission was only granted access to “routes approved by the regime.”

The report however did not comment on the claims of abuses. Yet, taking into account the deteriorating situation in the region and direct accounts of human rights abuses, the report does urgently recommend an independent investigation of those allegations.

Instead, the main focus of the report was the humanitarian and food situation. The OFLA has also accused the government of creating a man-made famine. The report expresses concerns of drastic food, drug and medical shortages that will likely reach emergency level very shortly. The region has long been extremely poor but the increased fighting between the ONLF and the government has worsened the conditions. Furthermore, the government commercial and livestock trade restrictions have only aggravated the situation. The price of food has nearly doubled.

The report calls for immediate and “impartial” food distribution to 600,000 people in the region for the next three months. The government has promised to ensure the needs of the people through its collaboration with the UN. The report further appeals to both sides to guarantee the food and medical aid reach those in need.

For more information please see:

BBC – UN Seeks Ethiopia Abuses Inquiry – 20 September 2007

Yahoo News (AFP) – UN Calls for Probe into Alleged Eastern Ethiopia Rights Abuses – 19 September 2007

AllAfrica.com – Ethiopia: UN Report Warn of Food Crisis in Ogaden – 20 September 2007

Israel to impose sanctions on Gaza

On September 19, Israel formally declared Gaza to be a “hostile entity”.  This declaration came after Prime Minister Olmert met with members of the security cabinet in the morning.  The government has been under growing pressure to react following a rocket attack on a training base that injured 69 recruits.  Declaring Gaza to be a “hostile entity” will enable Israel to cut off or limit the delivery of utilities, like water, fuel, and electricity.  Israel hopes that the sanctions will cause the Palestinians in Gaza to pressure Hamas and militant groups to stop the rocket attacks on Israel.  Israel’s policy of air strikes and limited incursions into Gaza have had little success in stopping the attacks.

Prime Minister Olmert’s office did not set a starting date for the sanctions, but rather that they will be employed after an examination of the legal and humanitarian ramifications.  Israel’s Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, said that the sanction will not affect the humanitarian situation in Gaza.  She claimed that “all the needs that are more than the humanitarian needs will not be supplied by Israel to the Gaza Strip.”  The humanitarian situation in Gaza is already grim since the region already experienced a economic sanctions this year, when the EU cut off electricity supplies following Hamas’ take over in June.

Hamas spokesperson, Fawzi Barhoum, described Israel’s decision as a “declaration of war against Hamas.”  He claimed that Israel’s aim was to “starve our people and force them to accept humiliating formulas that could emerge from the so-called November peace conference.”  He claims that the sanctions will be ineffective since Palestinians in Gaza are supporting Hamas by all means.

Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, called Israel’s decision as “illegal and null and void.”  He argued that since Gaza is not an independent state, but rather an occupied territory of Israel, Israel cannot view it as a “hostile entity”.  He stated that to stop the delivery of utilities to the region would be a collective punishment against all residents of Gaza and would violate international law.

UN officials agreed with Erekat and that any stoppage of utilities would be a violation of international law.  UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, stated that “such a step would be contrary to Israel’s obligations towards the civilian population [of Gaza] under international humanitarian and human rights law.”  Even though Israel withdrew its troops in 2005, it is still considered to occupy Gaza since it controls Gaza’s borders, air space and territorial waters.

Despite the UN’s negative reception, the US supports Israel’s decision.  US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said that the US also considers Hamas to be a “hostile entity”.  But she also stated that the US would not “abandon the innocent Palestinians” of Gaza.  Rice met with Israeli government officials, including Tivni and Olmert, today and will visit with the Palestinian president, Abbas, tomorrow to discuss restarting the peace process.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera- Israel labels Gaza “enemy entity”– 19 September 2007

BBC- Israel declares Gaza “hostile”– 19 September 2007

BBC- Israeli u-turn urged over Gaza– 19 September 2007

The Guardian- Israel declares Gaza “enemy entity”– 19 September 2007

Ha’aretz- ANALYSIS: Gaza as a “hostile territory” – a decision in the dark- 19 September 2007

Middle East Times- Israel declares Gaza “hostile entity”– 19 September 2007

Reuters- Israel declares Gaza “enemy entity” as Rice visits– 19 September 2007

Washington Post- Hamas says Gaza sanctions “declaration of war”– 19 September 2007

Child Soldiers in DRC

KINSHASA, Congo – According to the United Nations, children in Kinshasa, Congo, are being recruited as child soldiers in violation of international law. In the past week, militants under former army general, Laurent Nkunda, have raided four primary schools and ten secondary schools to round up children to join his battle.

UNICEF has reported that 54 children have been recruited in northeast Kivu. Moreover, there are reports that in the west, there has been “forced recruitment of all males over the age of 15.”  The United Nations believes that more than 1,000 children have been recruited into the militia.

Female children are usually recruited to serve as sex slaves. In this capacity, young girls are often raped, tortured, mutilated or murdered by militants. The male children primarily serve as fighters. Males are taught from an early age to murder, maim, and rape. Recruitment also puts young children at risk of measles and cholera because they are living with spontaneous groups of people in poor living conditions without parental authority. Children who try to escape from the militant gangs are ultimately recruited by rival forces in the eastern part of Congo.

More than 80,000 children have been separated from the militia. Many of these children end up participating in petty crime or fall prey to other gangs.  Moreover, children become alienated from their former communities. Furthermore, since these children lack educational skills, they often lack the proper skills to reintegrate into civilian life. Presently, 5,500 children face the threat of re integration into militia groups.

UNICEF is currently trying to provide sanitary conditions for children living in camps and makeshift shelters. The agency is presently providing vaccination, nutritional supplements, and purified water to victims of the violence.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo news – Congo warlord recruiting children – 19 September 2007

AllAfrica – Congo-Kinshasa: Fighting Exposes Children to Forced Recruitment, Exploitation – UN – 19 September 2007

Christian Science Monitor – Ranks of Child Soldiers Swell Again in Congo – 19 September 2007

Lebanese MP killed in car bombing

Antoine Ghanim, a anti-Syrian Lebanese MP was killed in a car bomb attack.  Ghanim and at least three others died when his car exploded in Sin al Fil, a mainly Christian suburb of Beirut.  Ghanim is the seventh anti-Syrian figure to be killed since 2005.  Ghanim’s death occurs six days prior to when the Lebanese parliament is scheduled to elect a new president.

For more information please see:
BBC- Lebanese MP ‘killed in bombing’– 19 September 2007

The Daily Star- MP Antoine Ghanem killed in Lebanon car bombing– 19 September 2007

Syria on Nuclear Watch List

On September 14, 2007, Andrew Semmel, the acting deputy assisting secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, confirmed that Syria is on the US’s Nuclear Watch List.  This announcement follows an Israeli air strike against Syria on September 6.  Since Israel has issued a blanket restriction on the media from reporting on the raid, the target or purpose of the strike remains unknown.  However, it is speculated that the target was a nuclear plant.  Semmel stated that there were indications that North Korean engineers are helping Syria to develop nuclear weapons.

The US government has confirmed that the North Koreans supplied Syria with missile technology and that North Korean technicians are currently in Syria.  But, Semmel also stated it is thought that Syria would not make serious attempts to develop nuclear weapons.  This thought rests on the belief that the country lacked the money and technical expertise to develop nuclear weapons.

In addition to the theory that Israel targeted a possible nuclear plant, there are two other suggested reasons for the raid.  First, that Israel targeted a shipment of weapons from Iran passing through Syria on their way to Hezbollah in Lebanon.  Second, that the raid was test run should Israel ever want to attack Iran.

Israel and Syria technically remain in a state of war and the two countries oscillated between peace talks and possible acts of war this summer.  Thus Syria’s reaction to this incident may push the two countries closer to engaging in military combat.  On September 12, Syria filed a formal complaint to the UN over Israel’s raid.  But thus far, this is Syria’s only response to the raid.

For more information please see:
AFP – Speculation heats up over what Israel hit in Syria – 16 September 2007

London Times – Israelis ‘blew apart Syrian nuclear cache’ – 16 Sept 2007

Washington Post – N. Korea denies nuclear ties to Syria: report – 16 September 2007

New York Times – U.S. official says that Syria may have nuclear ties – 15 September 2007

Guardian – U.S.: Syria on Nuclear Watch List – 14 September 2007

ABC News – U.S.: Syria on Nuclear Watch List – 14 September 2007

Economist – Mysterious Happenings – 13 September 2007

BBC – Syria complains to UN over Israel – 12 September 2007

BBC – New twist to Syria-Israel tension – 6 September 2007