Colombian Displacement Second Only To Syria
By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
BOGOTÁ, Colombia – The number of internally displaced persons in Colombia has surpassed 6 million, according to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees. The report surveys the number of refugees, displaced persons, asylum seekers and “others of concern.”
“It’s not just the FARC,” says UNHCR Colombia Representative Martin Gottwald. Forty percent of human rights violations in Colombia are perpetrated by new “irregular groups,” many of which have evolved from long demobilized paramilitary groups.
The high number of internally displaced persons and refugees are the result of 50 years of conflict between the Colombian government and different groups, including the FARC, or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The FARC and the Colombian government have engaged in peace talks on-and-off since November 2012.
The release of the report comes on the heels of the 2015 Global Peace Index, which ranked Colombia as 146 out of 162 countries worldwide. The report named the high number of displaced persons and refugees as a driving factor behind the low score.
About a week before the release of the report, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres publicly expressed concern over the effects of the ongoing conflict. He called for “solutions… to guarantee the safety and dignity of refugees and people displaced inside Colombia,” and said that the UNHCR would be ready to support the peace process.
Guterres also commented on the rising number of internally displaced persons and refugees worldwide, citing that one in every 122 people is a refugee, internally displaced person, or asylum seeker. Criticizing global inaction on the issue, he said: “It is terrifying that on the one hand there is more and more impunity for those starting conflicts, and on the other there is seeming utter inability of the international community to work together to stop wars and build and preserve peace.”
For more information, please see:
BBC – Profiles: Colombia’s armed groups – 29 August 2013
Miami Herald – U.N. Report: Colombia continues to lead world in displaced, refugees – 18 June 2015
UNHCR – World-wide displacement hits all-time high as war and prosecution increase – 18 June 2015
AU Voices Disapproval of ICC While Bashir Escapes Arrest
By Max Bartels
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor
Johannesburg, South Africa
African Union chairman and Zimbabwean head-of-state Robert Mugabe voiced his disapproval of the international criminal court on Tuesday after the court issued an order for the arrest of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. Bashir was attending a summit of African leaders in Johannesburg, South Africa when, following the meeting he quickly boarded his plane and flew back to Khartoum to avoid being taken into custody.Bashir is the subject of the arrest warrant for genocide regarding his as president of Sudan, which includes the region of Darfur. According to the United Nations 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and the ethnic conflict still continues today.
Mugabe and South African President Jacob Zuma voiced their disapproval of the International Court and its actions on the African continent. Mugabe is reported to have stated that the International Criminal Court is not wanted in Africa. Mugabe also claimed that Zuma shared this believe stating Zuma told him he would not allow Bashir to be arrested in South Africa. South Africa is a member of the statute, which created the International Criminal Court, and Zuma’s alleged statements have caused many in the international community to demand action from the Court and the United Nations. Nick Kaufman, a lawyer who is representing victims in Darfur demanded the Court’s prosecutor file for a formal finding of “non-compliance” and report it to the United Nations.
South Africa released a statement stating that since Bashir was attending a meeting of the African Union he enjoyed diplomatic immunity while in South Africa. A South African court disregarded the claim of immunity and issued a warrant for Bashir’s arrest but by then he had already departed. Mugabe went further in his statements against he International Court saying that now many countries regret signing on to the treaty. Many African leaders have expressed concern that the Court targets African heads of state. It is true that the indictees of the Court have all been African, however, seven out fo nine were refred to the court by African governemtns. The Court has also initiated investigations in Afghanistan, Columbia, Georigia, Honduras, Iraq, South Korea and Ukraine.
For more information, please see:
The Associated Press — AU Head Mugabe Says International Court Unwelcome in Africa — 16 June, 2015
Voice of America — AU Summit Ends With Growing Concern About International Court — 16 June, 2015
The Guardian — Give a Voice to Darfur Victims in ICC Debate — 18 June, 2015