Category: Politics

{Calling the situation in Burundi “alarmingly precarious,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon is proposing three options for a new UN police mission there, ranging from a full force of 3,000 officers to a light dispatch of 20 to 50.}

The options were detailed in a report to the Security Council obtained by AFP on Saturday, two weeks after the council agreed to send a police force to the African country to help quell a year of violence there.

In the report, Ban said dispatching a force of up to 3,000 was “the only option that could provide some degree of physical protection to the population” but that the mission would take months to prepare and present logistical challenges.

A second option, he said, would be to send 228 UN police officers to work with human rights officials and possibly with African Union monitors to provide early warning, but it would not offer any protection to civilians.

The secretary-general said the council could also decide to send a group of 20 to 50 officers who would assess the Burundi police force and “help bring about concrete and measurable improvements in the respect for human rights and rule of law.”

The council is under pressure to take action in Burundi where the descent into violence has raised fears of mass atrocities, similar to those that convulsed neighboring Rwanda in 1994.

Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans in April last year to run for a third term, which he went on to win.

Violence has left more than 400 dead and driven more than 250,000 people across the border.

Diplomats said the proposed force of 228 police officers appeared to be the best option, but it remained unclear if Bujumbura would accept that many officers.
The government has told the United Nations that it was ready to receive some 20 unarmed police experts, but would oppose any “large” UN police presence.

{{Alarming situation}}

Ban’s proposals followed the adoption earlier this month of a French-drafted resolution that called for the deployment to monitor the security situation and help promote human rights.

“The security situation in Burundi remains alarmingly precarious,” Ban wrote in the 11-page report to the council sent late Friday.

“Even as hand grenade attacks on public venues peaked in late February, attacks targeting military and police personnel, including assassinations and abductions, have increased.”

Ban cited a “rising trend in enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, illegal detention and ill treatment and torture,” although the number of killings has decreased in the past two months.

The proposed police force would allow the United Nations “to maintain situational awareness” and could help develop a strategy to address the crisis, Ban said, but he warned that it was no substitute for a political dialogue.

The United Nations has repeatedly called on Nkurunziza to open up serious talks with the opposition on ending the crisis, but the appeals have been ignored.

The African Union in January abandoned plans to deploy a 5,000-strong peacekeeping force after the Bujumbura government rejected what it described as an “invasion force.”

{The Jubilee group will be celebrating the collapse of the crimes against humanity case against Mr Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang.}

Justice for post-election violence victims and national healing and reconciliation are the themes likely to dominate talk at two major rallies by Jubilee and Cord on Saturday.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto will lead the Jubilee troops at Nakuru’s Afraha Stadium while opposition leader Raila Odinga will be in Nairobi’s Kibera.

The Jubilee group will be celebrating the collapse of the crimes against humanity case against Mr Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang.

But, observers also say it will be the beginning in earnest of their re-election campaign for the 2017 elections.

On Friday, Mr Odinga, in a statement from Paris where he is visiting, called for the formation of what he called “baraza” courts in the areas hit by the violence to help bring about reconciliation and healing.

Without justice for the victims of the 2007 election violence, he said, those at the Nakuru rally will be “dancing on the graves of the dead”.

“Uhuru and Ruto must cease this continued mockery of the victims of the post-election violence and lead this nation towards the truth and reconciliation that will save us from what is quickly becoming an irreversible descent towards another orgy of violence,” Mr Odinga said in a statement sent to newsrooms.

And Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki hinted at the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission to put an end to the cyclic violence. “We shall not be in Nakuru merely to celebrate the defeat of ICC, but to restate our values.”

“In the coming days we shall be sitting down and crafting a national healing and reconciliation programme. We need to find out the truth using local methods, but with a leader of the stature of Desmond Tutu,” he said, referring to the South African icon who led peace efforts after the collapse of apartheid.

At Afraha Stadium, the President and his deputy will be returning to the launch pad of their campaign machine in 2013 in what their strategists say will mark the beginning of rallies to mobilise their supporters ahead of next year’s elections.

They are in Nakuru, the epicentre of the 2007 election violence for a victory rally following the end of the ICC case against Mr Ruto and Mr Sang, the last of the initial six Kenyans, that included Mr Kenyatta, who were accused of masterminding the mayhem in which at least 1,133 people died and over 650,000 others were displaced.

Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto, who were on the opposing sides of the 2007 election, closed ranks after they were named suspects by the Hague-based court and built a formidable campaign juggernaut which swept them to victory.

The other three were former Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura, former Commissioner of Police Hussein Ali, and former ODM Chairman Henry Kosgey.

SURVIVORS’ PETITION

President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto’s need to unite is made all the more urgent by the open-ended manner in which their cases collapsed — with a leeway for the prosecutor to bring them back in future.

The two will use the euphoria of their victory at the ICC to build support, which they hope will wipe out the winter of discontent among some of their supporters who say rising corruption and failure to implement some of the campaign pledges had dented Jubilee’s first term.

On Thursday, US Ambassador Robert Godec warned that the “specter of corruption” was haunting Kenya, undermining its security, prosperity, and democracy. (see article on page 11)

There has also been pressure on President to restore the confidence of Kenyans in the electoral body. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is presently embroiled in an unprecedented crisis of confidence and experts warn there is need to fix it to nip in the bud any possibility of widespread dissatisfaction with the poll outcome particulary if the opposition loses.

The victory rally also comes against a backdrop of a constitutional petition before the High Court, brought by eight survivors of sexual and gender post-election violence who were gang raped or forcibly circumcised.

On Wednesday, the survivors asked for reparations including medical and psychological treatment, legal and social services, and compensation.

They called for the reform of the responsible institutions and change in policies “so that no one else undergoes the suffering we have endured ever again”.

They said since last year’s State of the Nation address in which President Kenyatta pledged to establish a Sh10 billion restorative justice fund nothing had come of it.

The ICC Trial Chamber V ended the case against Mr Ruto and Mr Sanga with the court’s presiding judge, Chile Eboe-Osuji, declaring the proceedings a mistrial due to a “troubling incidence of witness interference and intolerable political meddling”. Justice Osuji also argued that Kenya had also failed to address the chaos that occurred during elections since 1992.

After the December 2, 2012 rally at Afraha Stadium in which Jubilee unveiled their candidate and the running mate, Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto held a series of prayer rallies in which they whipped up nationalistic sentiments and fears of being locked up to suffer in foreign prisons.

Central Kenya Parliamentary Group Chairman Dennis Waweru said the region’s residents will troop to Nakuru to show solidarity and express their gratitude for the collapse of the cases.

Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau said the journey for the re-election of Jubilee in 2017 had started in earnest. “There is nothing to stop us. Our focus will now be to deliver key development projects which are ongoing. The opposition will find it rougher this time round,” said Mr Kamau.

Nominated Senator Beatrice Elachi (TNA) told the Saturday Nation that the coalition was genuine on reconciling all Kenyans.

But former Subukia MP Koigi wa Wamwere said Jubilee was using the rally selfishly to launch how they can cling to power rather than how they can genuinely unite Kenyans.”

Yesterday, political leaders in Nakuru called for calm among their supporters ahead of the prayer ceremony.

Governor Kinuthia Mbugua urged the leaders told their supporters to restrain themselves from insults, heckling and booing.

The chairman of Nakuru County Luo Council of Elders Mr Richard Obuya said the timing and the venue of the ceremony should be respected as Nakuru was an epicenter of the violence.

{The Chairman of the East African Community (EAC), President John Magufuli and the President of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit, yesterday signed the Treaty of Accession of the latter into the EAC.}

Speaking at the State House in Dar es Salaam, Dr Magufuli hailed South Sudan, noting that he was proud of the historical event at the time when Tanzania is the Chair of the Community and that a new chapter of cooperation and relations with the Sudan has emerged.

He added that historically, South Sudan has maintained close relations with East African countries in various fields. The president also said that the inclusion of South Sudan has enlarged the community’s market consumer base which has an estimated 160 million people.

Dr Magufuli reiterated that for the EAC to make sustainable development it was paramount for peace to be maintained, urging the South Sudan to intensify peace negotiation processes.

“However, the whole concept of cooperation is to expand business, investment and infrastructure to enable sustainable development with the community, thus I reiterate for member states to maintain peace to reach our intended goals,” said President Magufuli. He also commended President Kiir on his efforts towards ensuring that his country joins the EAC just four months after attaining her independence.

On his part, President Kiir expressed his deep appreciation and the achievement attained of becoming a full member of the EAC. He also thanked President Magufuli and other presidents of member states for unanimously approving his country’s accession to EAC. President Kiir added that the decision to join EAC was whole heartedly and has the intention of strengthening cooperation for the benefit of EAC people as a whole.

He said that his country has started making reforms in various systems in his government in order to enable it to participate fully in various steps of cooperation including forming a ministry incharge of EAC. “Eventually, South Sudan has come home.

EAC is the right forum for my country since EAC is a union which is respected not only in Africa but worldwide,” said the president. Further, the president has announced opening of his country’s embassy in the country and has already appointed Mariano Deng Ngor as the new South Sudan Envoy to Tanzania.

Earlier before the signing of the Communique, the Minister for East Africa, Regional and International Cooperation and the Chairman of Council of Minister in EAC Ambassador, Dr Augustine Mahiga said that the EAC would cooperate very closely with international community to ensure that the people who were displaced by the South Sudan conflict return to develop their country. The Republic of South Sudan attained its independence in July 9, 2011 and presented its application to join the EAC on November10, 2011.

The announcement of their acceptance to join the EAC as full member was made by the EAC Chairman at the 17 meeting of EAC heads of state which was held in Arusha in March, this year.

{Kenya has led a high-profile campaign against the ICC among African nations, accusing the court of bias against the continent.}

Cord leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday hit out at the ICC, saying its failure to try top Kenyan leaders for crimes against humanity over the 2007 post-election violence spells “doom” for global efforts to fight impunity.

Speaking to AFP in France, Mr Odinga said the International Criminal Court had allowed itself to be blackmailed by Kenya.

However, he said African countries must not quit the International Criminal Court as the continent is “the biggest violator currently of human rights”.

ICC judges dropped cases against President Uhuru Kenyatta at the end of 2014 and against Deputy President William Ruto last week. Charges against four other suspects were also dropped.

More than 1,100 people died and some 600,000 others were left homeless after the 2007 election violence.

“This decision spells doom for the international justice system and fight against impunity,” said Mr Odinga an interview during his visit to Paris. “No African head of State needs to fear being tried by the court because you can destroy the evidence, you can kill witnesses.”

He said the ICC allowed itself to be blackmailed by Kenya through the AU, which had said that African countries would pull out if the court continued trying African heads of state.

Kenya has led a high-profile campaign against the court among African nations, accusing it of bias against the continent.

Last week, Mr Odinga congratulated Mr Ruto after the court declared that the Deputy President and former radio presenter Joshua arap Sang had no case to answer. Mr Odinga at the time said ODM, to which Mr Ruto belonged during the chaos, did not organise any violence over the disputed 2007 presidential election results.

Both Mr Odinga’s Cord and the governing Jubilee coalitions have previously traded accusations over who fixed the other in the ICC cases.

Of the nine investigations the court has opened so far, eight are on African countries; Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Libya, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Uganda, Mali and Georgia.

The 2007 post-election violence broke out after Mr Odinga, then and still in the opposition, refused to accept the verdict of the electoral commission, which declared that President Mwai Kibaki had won.

Mr Odinga said that since the ICC dropped charges against Kenyatta and his co-accused, “it was good that Ruto was set free” as a matter of fairness between the opposing camps.

Odinga said African countries’ abysmal rights record was all the more reason for them to remain in the ICC.

“There is no alternative mechanism in Africa to deal with these cases and second, Africa needs ICC more than any part of the world,” he said.

Mr Odinga also criticised African leaders for forcing constitutional amendments to extend their decades-old rule. These include presidents Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Obiang Nguema who have both been in power for 36 years while Jose Eduardo dos Santos has steered Angola since 1979.

“We are seeing the emergence of strongman presidencies and almost presidents for life where term limits are being changed for presidents to remain for life,” said Mr Odinga.

Asked about those who say he is too old to make a third bid for the presidency, Mr Odinga pointed to his “agemates” running for the Democratic nomination for the US presidency. Mr Bernie Sanders is 74 and Mrs Hillary Clinton is 68. Mr Odinga is 71.

“I don’t know why people think I am old,” he said.