FARC Rebels Kill 13 Colombian Soldiers

By Ellis Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia – Thirteen Colombian soldiers have been killed in an ambush by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the eastern province of Arauca, the country’s army said in a statement. Two sergeants and 11 soldiers were killed.

US ambassador says ex-Marine held by Colombia rebels not part of US mission Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). (Photo Courtesy of GETTY)

Another soldier was injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment, the military said. The wounded soldier was transported to a hospital in the area. Last month, 15 soldiers were killed by the rebel group in the same region.

Army commander Gen. Juan Pablo Rodriguez traveled to the area to oversee the operation to track down the FARC guerrillas who carried out the attack. The FARC is Colombia’s main guerrilla and are estimated to have about 8,000 fighters, according to the defense ministry.

Even though FARC rebels and the Colombian government have been holding peace talks in Cuba, both sides are continuing to target each other militarily. The Colombian government and the FARC rebels have been holding peace talks in Havana, Cuba since November of 2012.

On August 23rd, the FARC announced a “pause” in the talks and the government subsequently withdrew its team of negotiators. The FARC announced a “pause” in order to study a proposal that any peace deal must be put to a referendum.

The chief government negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, said both sides would be back at the table on August 26th to continue peace talks. As of now, the two sides have reached an agreement on land reform, the first of six points on their agenda.

Current talks are now focused on political rights for the rebels, including the insurgents’ insistence that none of them be sentenced to prison. The FARC have also demanded seats in Congress and their own news media, but it has also for the first time acknowledged shared responsibility for the country’s suffering and a willingness to make amends to the victims.

The FARC has been at war with the Colombian government since the 1960s, making it the longest running insurgency in Latin America. The Colombian government has made fighting the FARC a top priority and has obtained billions in U.S. aid for counterinsurgency operations.

A recent study by Colombia’s National Centre for Historical Memory estimated that 220,000 people have died as a result of the five decades of conflict.

The FARC is on both the U.S. and EU lists of terrorist groups. The FARC’s operations are financed through drug trafficking, extortion and kidnapping.

For more information please see:

CNN – 13 Colombian soldiers killed by rebels – 25 August 2013

ABC News – 13 Colombian Soldiers Killed, Talks to Resume – 25 August 2013

The Telegraph – Farc kills 13 Colombian soldiers ahead of talks – 25 August 2013

Fox News Latino – FARC rebels kill 13 soldiers near Colombia’s border with Venezuela – 25 August 2013

BBC – Colombian soldiers killed in ambush in Arauca province  – 24 August 2013

Liberian Police Corruption Impedes Country’s Progress

By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Africa

MONROVIA, Liberia – Police corruption in Liberia denies Liberians equal and impartial justice and impedes upon the country’s post-civil war decade long development, Human Rights Watch said in a report.  The United Nations (“UN”) plans on down-scaling its presence in Liberia, but should do so after these abuses are stopped.

Night patrol with the police. With road blocks around central Monrovia, the police have managed to reduce violence and crime in the town. (photo courtesy of Human Rights Watch)

In a 64 page report about this abuse it describes the police’s many criminal activities, such as charging crime victims at every stage of an investigation, extorting goods from street vendors, and bribing criminal suspects to pay for their release.  These actions violate Liberians’ rights under international and national law, as well as remove any trust the public has in officers.

“Police should protect the population, not prey on vulnerable people,” said Corinne Dufka, senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.  “Liberians have had all too many years of chaos and violence. A professional police force is critical to uphold people’s rights and create a rights-respecting society.”

In February the UN recommended more resources going to law enforcement to ensure Liberia’s security sector gains the trust of its citizens and can operate independently once the UN withdraws.

“Improving the criminal justice system, addressing impunity for crimes and increasing access to justice and security services for all Liberians remain particularly important for the consolidation of peace,” the UN Mission in Liberia said in its report to the Security Council.

The UN has been in Liberia for 10 years to stabilize the country after years of civil war.  It now plans to cut its troops in Liberia in half between 2013 and 2015.  However, a recent UN assessment of the national police found “abusive behavior, a lack of professionalism, and serious resource challenges that leave the force unprepared to become Liberia’s security.

“Liberians have had all too many years of chaos and violence. A professional police force is critical to uphold people’s rights and create a rights-respecting society,” said Corinne Dufka.

Human Rights Watch spoke with 120 people who were victims to the police abuse and corruption.  They told Human Rights Watch that the police officers typically ask crime victims to pay to register their cases, for transport to the crime scenes, and for pens and other items used in the investigation.

“I don’t go to the police for anything,” one Monrovia resident told Human Rights Watch. “They always want from me and I don’t have.”

Human Rights Watch also spoke to 35 police officers who expressed their own frustration with a lack of adequate support for their work.  These officers described their inadequate supplies, low salaries, and pressure to pay their superiors to obtain desirable posts and promotions.

“They come crying to you and you don’t even have a drop of gas,” one officer said, describing the difficulty of traveling to a crime scene to investigate a crime report. “We are not supposed to ask someone for money, but because you don’t have, we ask the person for money to go.”

“The Liberian government has made noteworthy efforts in recent years to promote human rights,” Dufka said. “Persistent police corruption and abuse, however, undermine the nation’s goals of national security and economic development.”

For more information, please visit:

Human Rights Watch – Liberia: Police Corruption Harms Rights, Progress – 22 August 2013
Reuters – Rampant police corruption harms Liberia’s progress: report – 22 August 2013
Thomas Reuters Foundation – Liberia: Police Corruption Harms Rights, Progress – 22 August 2013
AfriqueJet – Liberia: Police corruption harms human rights, progress – 23 August 2013
News24 – Police corruption harms Liberia’s progress – 22 August 2013
Tolerance.ca – Liberia: Police Corruption Harms Rights, Progress – 22 August 2013

 

Alleged Human Rights Violations Lead to Detainment of South Sudanese General

By Dan Krupinsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

JUBA, South Sudan – The commander in charge of troops in the Jonglei state in South Sudan was detained by the nation’s army officials in the wake of allegations that soldiers under his command committed human rights abuses, including the killing of civilians.

General James Otong has not been formally charged, and army spokesman Philip Aguer said he will not be until the investigation into the alleged killings and human rights violations by the troops is complete. The general has been relieved of his command, however.

“Because of some allegations that some civilians have been killed, some properties were destroyed and looting took place…the commander of the area has to answer,” Aguer said.

A house in Pibor County burns after attacks from cattle raiders in July. (Courtesy of AFP)

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir ordered army officials to arrest, charge and bring to trial any soldiers accused of committing human rights abuses in Jonglei State, in a speech last month.

According to Aguer, to this point he has received information on only one event, which occurred in late July. According to reports, two soldiers opened fire on four civilians that were walking to Pibor town. Two women were killed in the shooting, and the soldier accused of perpetrating the attack were immediately detained.

Despite only having specific reports of one incident at this time, Aguer added that the army is prepared to investigate any additional reports of human rights violations, such as civilians being shot by soldiers or property being looted.

The Jongle state has been a site of constant conflict over the past year, with ongoing clashes between the army and rebels led by their leader David Yau Yau, as well as interethnic clashes. More than 300 people died in clashes last month in Jonglei when thousands of fighters from the Lou Nuer ethnic group raided towns and villages belonging to members of the Murle group. Aguer would not say how many soldiers are deployed in the area.

Soldiers and other gunmen looted UN and aid agency stores in Pibor, including a key hospital, in May.

The fighting is having an indirect effect on the Sudanese people, as well.

According to Doctors Without Borders, many of those who fled in July due to the fighting are “still hiding in fear in the bush” around Pibor.

The recent heavy rains in the remote, impoverished area have only added to the hardships of the tens of thousands already displaced by the regional conflict.

“As the rains intensify and the living conditions become ever more precarious, the situation in Pibor county remains critical,” according to a statement by Doctors Without Borders.

 

For further information, please see:

Blouin News – South Sudan arrests general following U.S. pressure – 21 August 2013

FOX News – South Sudan arrests general for rights violations – 20 August 2013

New York Times – South Sudan: Commander Arrested – 20 August 2013

Voice of America – S. Sudan General Detained, Soldiers Probed over Alleged Pibor Abuses – 21 August 2013