Mali Refugees Endure Deplorable Conditions at UN Camp in Mauritania

By Hannah Stewart
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania — Conflict in Mali has driven nearly 70,000 refugees to Mbera camp in the Mauritanian desert.  There the appalling living conditions and inadequate assistance are leading to severe malnutrition and deaths from preventable diseases, reports the international humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (“MSF”).

Houmou Ag Amamili lived in the Mbera camp for months without receiving a tent and had not received one as of March 11, 2013. (Photograph Courtesy of MSF and Nyani Quarmyne)

Since the start of the conflict in Mali in January 2012, hundreds of thousands of people have been internally displaced or have fled to neighboring countries.  The United Nations reported that more than 270,000 people have been displaced within Mali, and more than 170,000 refugees have fled to Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger.

Mauritania hosts the highest number of refugees, with some 68,000 people registered by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (“UNHCR”) in camps in Mauritania.  In January conditions in the camp worsened following an influx of 15,000 refugees, an event following the joint military intervention by French and Malian forces in Mali.

The number of consultations in MSF’s clinics in the Mbera camp increased from 1,500 to 2,500 per week.  Moreover, the number of children admitted per week for severe malnutrition more than doubled, from 42 to 106, despite the fact very few children were malnourished when they arrived at the camp.

MSF recently published a report entitled “Stranded in the Desert,” which was based on testimony from more than 100 residents of the Mbera camp.  The report calls for urgent action by aid organizations to meet the refugees’ basic needs and rectify the deplorable living conditions.

For example, the report notes that in January 2013 there was only one latrine for every 3,000 refugees, and people were receiving just 11 liters of water per day, instead of a required 20 liters. Many people have been living under makeshift shelters made of scraps of cloth and sticks.

The UN considers the allegations to be serious, but questioned some of the report’s findings.  The UNHCR stated that some of the facts “seem to be out of date and do not reflect current realities.”  For example, the UNHCR clarified that 2,500 latrines exist in the camp, approximately one for every 30 refugees.

The refugee crisis seems unlikely to subside in the near future, given the nature of the conflict in Mali.  Henry Gray, emergency coordinator for MSF said, “Most of the refugees are from the Tuareg and Arab communities.  They fled preemptively, often for fear of violence due to their presumed links with Islamist or separatist groups.  Their home in northern Mali is still in the grip of fear and mistrust.”

For more information, please see:

BBC – Mali Refugees Endure ‘Appalling’ Mauritania Camp – 12 April 2013

CNN – Report: Mali Refugees Endure ‘Appalling’ Conditions at Mauritania Camp– 12 April 2013

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières – Hunger Strikes Malian Refugees Stranded in Mauritanian Desert – 12 April 2013

Voices of America – Conditions Getting Worse for Mali Refugees – 12 April 2013

Syrian Revolution Digest: Thursday, 11 April 2013

Mysterious Politics!

By finally confirming the validity of the leaked video showing the killing of one of Syria’s top cleric, Syrian TV is also confirming the unreliability of regime reports on happenings all over the country. Did we really need that confirmation? No. Will it make any difference in how international media deal with official reports? Probably not. But we now have a new mystery to add to the growing list. Mysteries are multiplying as quickly as Jihadis and warlords in Syria. But it’s not a mystery how we got here (western dithering), and it’s not a mystery how we can get out: taking Assad’s toys (jets and scuds) away, even if you have to pry them out from his cold dead hands. Then and only then can politics become possible.

Death Toll: 149 martyrs including 17 women, 18 children and 3 under torture: 41 in Homs, mostly in the Massacres of Tal Shor and Qusseir; 36 in Aleppo, mostly in Sukkari; 33 in Damascus and suburbs; 15 in Idlib; 10 in Hama; 7 in Daraa; 4 in Lattakia; and 3 in Deir Ezzor (LCC).

 

News

G8 ministers fail to agree on Syria; condemn North Korea

Syrian Troops Launch Counterattack on South

Syria calls on UN to recognise rebels’ al-Qaeda links: Al-Nusra has been dubbed a terrorist organisation by the US

Syria TV confirms video of cleric’s killing is real In an unprecedented act, the broadcaster said it “apologised” for denying the authenticity of a video distributed online this week, showing the moment of an explosion in a Damascus mosque that killed Syria’s best-known Sunni cleric.

Rebel Victory in Syria Might Not Stop Conflict, U.S. Officials SayThe top American intelligence official, James R. Clapper Jr., said that even if Mr. Assad’s government fell, sectarian fighting would most likely engulf the country for a year or more. The American ambassador to Syria, Robert S. Ford, warned that without a negotiated political transition, supporters of the Assad government, “fearing death, would fight to the death.”

Ranking Democrat, Republican press Obama administration on Syria Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the committee’s chairman, prodded the White House during a hearing to begin providing arms to rebels seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad, a step the administration has so far refused to take because it fears the weapons could someday be used against the United States or its allies. “Unless we change the dynamic and put our finger on the scales to change the tipping point, Assad will continue to believe he can hold on to power,” Menendez said. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the ranking minority member, complained that “we’ve been in reaction mode, and the administration’s response that we’ve seen is ad hoc.” Corker asked three administration officials who testified to shed more light on the administration’s intentions in Syria. Yet Corker stopped short of calling for a deeper U.S. military commitment, saying, “We really have no good options available to us in Syria.”

U.S. updates military options for Syria The first public discussion of the updated options could come soon as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs chairman, are scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee next week. The military official emphasized the options are for planning and there is no indication President Barack Obama is about to order any military action. A senior administration official confirmed that the national security staff of the White House has been briefed on the updated planning, but emphasized that it does not differ from what already has been looked at by the administration. “We’ve been saying for quite some time now, we are constantly reviewing every possible option that could help end the violence and accelerate a political transition,” the administration official told CNN. Officials have declined to speak on the record because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Main rebel groups in Syria’s Aleppo The most important rebel groups in the city are the jihadist Al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, as well as Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Liwa al-Tawhid, which includes army deserters and anti-regime civilians.

Rights group accuses Syrian military of targeting civilians “These illegal airstrikes killed and injured many civilians and sowed a path of destruction, fear and displacement.” Human Rights Watch said bakeries and hospitals have been targeted, in violation of the laws of war.

Military in Syria Is Accused of Massacre The reported massacre, which could not be independently verified, took place in the town of Sanamayn, about halfway between Damascus and the southern city of Dara’a. The town sits astride a vital highway that rebel forces have been fighting to control in recent weeks. Brigades affiliated with the Free Syrian Army had seized a number of towns south of Sanamayn, and this month took control of a military base near Dara’a, where the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began more than two years ago.

 

Special Reports

Dennis Ross, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: U.S. Policy Toward Syria It is rare that idealists and realists find common ground and agree on threats. Ironically, Syria is a place where the idealists and realists should come together. There is a moral imperative to try to find a way to affect what is happening on the ground, but there is also a strong national security imperative at least to contain the conflict in Syria, ensure that its CW do not disappear, and prevent the neighborhood from being destabilized.

Northern Syria’s Kurds struggle to deal with influx Since the beginning of Syria’s uprising, the Kurds, who make up about 15 percent of the population, have tried to stay out of the fighting, stopping both rebel and regime forces from entering their neighborhoods. Last summer, Assad’s troops pulled out of majority-Kurdish areas and the Committees for the Protection of the Kurdish People (YPG), the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), took over. The PYD is considered as the Syrian branch of Turkey’s PKK… In Sheikh Maqsoud, rebels and Kurdish groups have joined together to fight forces loyal to Bashar Assad.

My new paper, prepared for a briefing in Washington, D.C. that took place on January 15, 2013, is now out and is titled “Syria 2013: Rise of the Warlords.” It should be read in conjunction with my previous briefing “The Shredded Tapestry,” and my recent essay “The Creation of an Unbridgeable Divide.”

 

Video Highlights

Clashes between rebels and pro-Assad militias intensify in Jobar Neighborhood in Damascus City http://youtu.be/nIp2HgFFCsc ,http://youtu.be/H-oeADBmkBI Tanks take part http://youtu.be/-ABeA9AJFl0The pounding of southern neighborhoods continueshttp://youtu.be/iikZawUmTs0 Jets take part in the poundinghttp://youtu.be/7mMh3cg_HPE , http://youtu.be/3f0s1AEJF7o ,http://youtu.be/qxb-HrOoSdI The pounding leaves many building on fire inYarmouk Camp http://youtu.be/Sc2z3wlkRr4

Suburbs of Eastern Ghoutah were also targeted: http://youtu.be/2HnAZ-j_Teg , http://youtu.be/ohuP0DaRw-A , http://youtu.be/Yo1ukkCJCdw ,http://youtu.be/wPfKJw8Bhr0

To the West, the town of Moadamiya continues to be poundedhttp://youtu.be/rCt_tY6x10Q , http://youtu.be/D2eh_AXAs-Y

Leaked video shows pro-Assad militias torturing a detainee to death by stabbing him with dull knives then shooting. The people who uploaded the video claim that one of the militiamen we see near the end was killed later by rebelshttp://youtu.be/YWuRcbYvkI4 Another leaked video shows pro-Assad troops preparing a missile for launch http://youtu.be/Od4pmGApCgQ A third leaked video shows pro-Assad militias burning the bodies of dead detaineeshttp://youtu.be/G08QlXRFszk

The pounding of rebel strongholds in Homs City continues: Wa’erhttp://youtu.be/DiuXjP6mG38

The pounding of the town of Rastan, Homs, continueshttp://youtu.be/Gp0rL45ZyfY , http://youtu.be/_p6d3x6Ak3o

The town of Talbisseh, Homs, is targeted by MiGshttp://youtu.be/LlXcRlDJPmY

The pounding of the town of Morek, Hama leaves three children deadhttp://youtu.be/4nby5LRVpOU

No Investigation into November’s Public Slayings in Gaza

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – Four months ago, in November, seven Palestinian prisoners, who were believed to have been spies for Israel, were publicly killed and dragged through the streets for all to see. Gaza’s Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh promised to

The men who murdered and dragged the bodies of alleged collaborators through the streets have yet to be brought to justice despite promises made four months ago. (Photo Courtesy of the New York Daily News)

look into the deaths. Hamas’s deputy leader, Moussa Abu Marzouk said that the killings were unlawful, and that the murderers would be brought to justice.

International human rights group, Human Rights Watch, says that the promises to bring about justice were falsehoods. Hamas has denied the claims of Human Rights Watch. Hamas claims that the men who were killed had already been convicted by a military court before they were taken and killed. Additionally, Ihab al-Ghusain, Hamas spokesman, has claimed that the prosecutor general set up an inquiry into the murders immediately after the incident.

Human Rights Watch believes that there was injustice present at every stage of the treatment of these seven men. Their belief is that the evidence that was used to convict the seven was obtained through the illegal means of torture.

Middle East director of Human Rights Watch, Sarah Whitson exclaimed that, “even before the killings, the abuses the men suffered made the criminal justice system a travesty, regardless of their guilt or innocence.”

Furthermore, “Hamas’s inability or unwillingness to investigate the brazen murders of seven men makes a mockery of its claims that it’s upholding the rule of law in Gaza,” said Whitson.

She ultimately suggests that, “Hamas should be taking concrete steps to reform the criminal justice system and break the cycle of impunity that, as these men’s cases show, lets torturers and killers roam free.”

Human Rights Watch’s report came out on Thursday, when the amnesty period for Israeli collaborators to turn themselves in to the Palestinian authorities would come to an end. Security forces are now expected to be making sweeping arrests of alleged collaborators.

Hopefully anyone now arrested as a collaborator will be treated in conformity with justice and not tortured, killed, and paraded around town being dragged by motorcyclists.

Besides for collaborators, Hamas has also been looking to capture Israeli soldiers working the border in order to broker prisoner exchanges with Israel. Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service has said that since 2013, there have been thirty-three reported kidnapping attempts compared to just twenty-four in all of 2012.

For further information, please see:

United Press International – HRW: Hamas did not Probe Palestinian ‘Collaborator’ Deaths as Promised – 12 April 2013

BBC – Hamas Failed to Probe Palestinian ‘Collaborator’ Deaths – 11 April 2013

Jewish Press – Human Rights Watch Slamming Hamas for Ignoring Public Murders – 11 April 2013

New York Daily News – Human Rights Watch Slams Hamas for Failing to Investigate the Slaying of Seven Palestinians who Were Dragged Through the Streets of Gaza – 11 April 2013

US Releases 18 Russian Official Names on Magnitsky List

By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – On Friday, the United States released 18 Russian official names that will experience visa and financial sanctions under the Magnitsky Act. The Act punishes individuals who are involved with human rights abuses.

The US government published the names of the individuals on the Magnitsky List. (Photo Courtesy of RT)

The Magnitsky Act legislation required the White House to publish the list within 120 days of the enactment of the law. Therefore, US President Barack Obama’s administration was required to publish the Magnitsky List by Saturday. Obama’s administration held off on fulfilling that requirement until the final day before the deadline.

US Representative, James McGovern, submitted 280 names to the White House to publish on the Magnitsky List.

The List includes individuals, such as, Chechen President, Ramzan Kadyrov, Russian Investigative Committee head, Alexander Bastrykin, Interior Ministry investigators, Pavel Karpov and Artyom Kuznetsov, tax official, Olga Stepanova, and Yelena Stashina, the judge who Magntisky’s supporters accuse of illegally holding Magnitsky in a pretrial detention facility.

However, the List does not contain any officials who are part of Russian President, Vladimir Putin’s, inner circle.

US Representative, James McGovern, co-author of the legislation, stated the List is “an important first step toward holding egregious human rights violators accountable. While the list is timid and features more significant omissions than names, I was assured by administration officials today that the investigation is ongoing, and further additions will be made to the list as new evidence comes to light. The fact that a name is not on the list does not mean that person is innocent.”

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, believes the timing of the publication is extremely poor because of US National Security Adviser, Thomas Donilon’s, future visit. Lavrov stated Russia will react accordingly.

Lavrov stated, “In our response we will abide by the rules of parity. We will not publish anything substantially different in terms of the numbers [of names] published by the American side.”

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, spoke out to say, “The appearance of any lists will doubtless have a very negative effect on bilateral Russian-American relations. At the same time, these bilateral relations are very multifaceted, and even under the burden of such possible negative manifestations … they still have many prospects for further development and growth.”

For further information, please see:

Russian Legal Information Agency – US Releases Names of Russian Officials on Magnitsky List — 12 April 2013

Reuters – Russia Warns US on Human Rights Law, Seeks to Limit Damage – 12 April 2013

RiaNovosti – US Set to Publish Magnitsky List with Deadline Ticking – 12 April 2013

RT – US Publishes 18 Names on Magnitsky List as Moscow Warns of Response – 12 April 2013

Morsi Declares Military did not Commit Malpractice

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – Impunity is defined as “exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.” Issues of impunity generally arise when a government injures its own people and refuses to punish itself. Sometimes, like in the case of modern day Egypt, a separate group will cause the injury while the government will pretend the atrocities never happened.

President Mohamed Morsi and the Egyptian military will stand together in solidarity for now. (Photo Courtesy of the Guardian)

It was just a week ago that Egypt’s president, Mohamed Morsi was covertly investigating accusations of military malpractice. Accusations of acts committed since the 2011 uprising included torture, killings, and abductions of Egyptians. Additionally, army doctors were reported to have been ordered to operate on patients without any anesthetic.

The investigation was leaked, and instead of substantiating the claims to the public, Morsi denied that any bad acts transpired that could feasibly besmirch the name of the Egyptian military. Morsi took his protection of the military one step further and actually promoted several generals to lieutenant-generals.

Morsi announced to the public, “any insult against the armed forces is an insult against all of us, and we reject any kind of insults . . . I announce this to the whole world: we appreciate the great role that the armed forces has been playing in maintaining the safety and security of this country.”

This was followed by General Abdel Fattah Sisi declaring that, “the armed forces during the last two years was very, very fond of Egypt and the people of Egypt and did not commit any malpractices what so ever.” He added, “by God I swear that the army, since 25 January 2011, did not kill and did not order to kill, did not deceive and did not order to deceive.”

Why after investigating and learning of military misconduct did Morsi defend the military so vigorously?

Because after studying the careers of Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak, Morsi learned that in this game of pharaoh thrones, you either win or you die or you find yourself in Torah Prison.

Many interpret virtually all maneuvers by Morsi as power plays. Immediately after being elected, he took away a great amount of power from the military who were ruling the country.

Morsi tried to make concessions to keep the military happy by allowing them to try civilians in military court and allegedly striking a deal to stay out of their affairs in exchange for their support. Nonetheless, Morsi must have feared what Professor Robert Springborg, expert on Egyptian military feared; that with the economic situation deteriorating, and a utter lack of political stability, that amongst threats to the military, the military was eventually going to re-insert itself into Egyptian politics at the Muslim Brotherhood’s expense.

As a result of another alleged power play, Morsi’s nephew has recently been admitted into a military training academy. This has been interpreted by Springborg as a message that the Muslim Brotherhood is going to move in on the military. A keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer type of move.

Springborg may have the correct interpretation of this maneuver. Perhaps though, the boy just seeks to serve the realm of Egypt.

For further information, please see:

ABC News – Egypt top General, President Deny Army Abuse Claim – 12 April 2013

Guardian – Mohamed Morsi Backs Egyptian Military After Malpractice Allegations – 12 April 2013

Naharnet News Desk – Egpytian Protesters Operated on Without Anesthetic – 12 April 2013

New York Times – Leaked Report to Egypt’s President Implicates Army in Torture and Killing of Civilians – 10 April 2013