Tag: GreatLakesNews

{After nearly a year of confrontation between the DRC Army and M23 rebels in the violence-ravaged east of the country, the United Nations authorized an intervention brigade to go beyond peacekeeping and support the government with offensive operations. By November, M23 had surrendered. Now government and U.N. forces are jointly tackling other militant groups in eastern Congo. }

A year can make a big difference, even in eastern Congo. At the start of the year people there were still reeling from the shock of the M23 rebels capturing the provincial capital, Goma, in November.

The M23 had pulled out of the city after regional leaders came under diplomatic pressure, and in February neighboring states signed a framework peace agreement with the DRC.

Fighting flared again outside Goma in May, just days before U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon was due to visit the city. Undeterred by the violence, Ban arrived on schedule, with this message for the many women and girls who have suffered sexual violence in eastern DRC.

“I am very angry that women and girls have to endure such barbarity, here and anywhere. This must stop. And I am humbled at their courage. I told them, have a strong courage. The United Nations stands with you and will always support you to overcome your wounds,” said Ban.

Ban called for speedy deployment of an intervention brigade of 3,000 troops from Tanzania, South Africa and Malawi, to reinforce MONUSCO, the U.N. mission in Congo. The U.N. Security Council had given this brigade a tough mandate to neutralize armed groups.

As this new force started deploying, the mission’s commander, the Brazilian Lieutenant General Alberto Dos Santos Cruz, tried to damp down expectations of what it could achieve.

“It’s very important to know that the intervention brigade is one more tool in the mission in order to bring peace to this region. But we need to be very realistic, because it is not the magic solution to all the problems,” said Cruz.

In August, the brigade went into action alongside the Congolese army and, after a week of heavy fighting, the M23 abandoned its positions overlooking Goma. In a ten day offensive in October, the Congolese army and U.N. forces finished off the M23, driving them out of the rest of their territory.

Observers agree that the Congolese army has been much better led this year than last, and clearly it did most of the fighting. The army said 201 of its soldiers and three U.N. soldiers were killed in the October offensive.

Nonetheless, many observers think MONUSCO’s contribution was vital. Timo Mueller is a security analyst in Goma for the U.S. based Enough Project.

“I believe the intervention brigade and MONUSCO played an essential role in helping the Congolese army to defeat the M23 in early November. It provided above all logistical support to the Congolese army, such as gas and medical evacuations, secondly operational support, such as prior planning of operations and, thirdly, it participated in the fighting,” said Mueller.

Mueller cautions that there are still dozens of other armed groups in eastern Congo, although none has as many troops or as much heavy weaponry and ammunition as M23 had. The two main foreign armed groups, the Rwandan rebel FDLR and the Ugandan rebel ADF-NALU, are more embedded in the local population, however, and pose a different challenge. Mueller expects one or other of those groups to be the next target.

“I hear mixed messages as to who might be the next target. FDLR is mentioned, but the ADF-NALU is increasingly receiving attention from the brigade,” he said.

As for the Congolese armed groups, the U.N. believes there may be some 7,300 men and 3,600 children that will need to be demobilized. Around 1,500 have already volunteered for demobilization, according to Mueller.

So far, there is no publicly announced government plan for what will happen to ex-armed group members. It is a very delicate issue, Mueller suggests.

A Congolese civil society activist says he believes the government will not repeat mistakes it made in the past, when it allowed armed groups to be reconstituted as army units, sometimes under their former leaders.

VOA

{The South Sudanese president Salva Kiir and the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon on Friday discussed how the new nation was preparing for its next elections.}

The two leaders, a statement extended to Sudan Tribune said, met at the sidelines of the African security summit held in Paris, France.

Although South Sudan’s path to its 2015 seems rocky, its president has publicly admitted that the polls will be conducted as scheduled.

Ki Moon, the statement noted, also expressed concern about reports of security incidents, which have reportedly placed UN staff at risk in the new nation, following rising cases of harassment and threats.

Also discussed, it said, was the situation in the disputed region of Abyei, during which the UN chief reportedly encouraged South Sudan to maintain the current momentum in relations with Sudan, in particular to conclude the negotiation process and border issues.

{{IMPROVED RELATIONS}}

Meanwhile the South Sudanese leader, in a bid attract foreign investors, affirmed his government’s commitment to build and strengthen bilateral relations with European countries.

Kiir reportedly made this remarks shortly before he left for the Paris summit on the invitation of his French counterpart, Francoise Hollande.

Soudan Tribune

{President Uhuru Kenyatta today launched the @KenyaatFifty coin during the celebrations of 50 years of independence at the Kenya international conference centre. }

Attending the launch was Deputy President William Ruto, Arts and sports Cabinet secretary Wario and the Chairman of Central bank of Kenya among other dignitaries.

Deputy President William Ruto urged Central bank of Kenya to reduce interest rates from the current 10% and increase mortgages from twenty thousand to a million for the economic development of the country.

President Uhuru thanked Central Bank of Kenya for producing the commemorative gold coin and also urged them to ensure price stability as we move to the next financial stage.

The Kenya at 50 gold coin has got the map of Kenya a poignant reminder that we are one indivisible country”, Uhuru said. Investment in transport, creating a conducive business environment, investment in rural development and food security, quality and free access to healthcare are the five major pillars to be improved in order to create economic stability in the country.

The gold coin will be found in limited editions in major towns that is Kisumu, Eldoret, Nairobi, Nakuru and Meru.

standardmedia

{President Yoweri Museveni has asked the international community to throw their weight behind the ongoing DRC peace talks saying they deal with the root cause of the conflict. Museveni says once supported by the international community the talks will provide a permanent solution to the conflict.}

He was meeting the US Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Russ Feingold at the Mandarin Oriental Paris Hotel on the sidelines of the African conference on Peace and Security currently taking place in France. According to Museveni the success of the talks will ensure stability and eliminate future conflicts in the country and the region.

In a statement from State House President Museveni cites groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces, Interahamwe and the genocidaires who are operating inside the Congolese territory that must be handled to ensure permanent peace.

President Museveni told Russ that the Kampala talks had achieved much and what was remaining were declarations from the Joseph Kabila government, the M23 rebel representatives and the guarantor of the talks. On Tuesday this week President Museveni and Kabila met in Entebbe where they agreed to resume the talks, which had earlier on broken down as a result of disagreements between the warring parties.

This comes a few days after the M23 rebels dismissed three of its officials including Kambasu Ngeve Jean Serge the Permanent Secretary of the Political Executive, Sendugu Museveni the head of political affairs and Mashagiro Nzeyi Jérôme. The three are accused of acts of indiscipline, defamation, misinformation and betrayal in accordance with M23 Code of Conduct.

Mondaytimes.com

{People across the East African region and the world are paying homage to Nelson Mandela, the revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and one of the most esteemed political figures of the 20th century.}

Mandela, aged 95, died Thursday (December 5th) at his Johannesburg home after battling a lung infection for months.

“The world has lost one of its greatest citizens,” Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said, calling Mandela “a voice of courage, a source of inspiration and a beloved leader to us all”.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Mandela “embodied the power of hope and believed in the power of forgiveness”.

“He bequeathed us the understanding that we can and should unconditionally forgive those who wrong us,” Kenyatta added.

Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Mandela “impacted the lives of people in every corner of the world. All of Africa will mourn the loss of a true African hero, statesman and elder.”

“He was an inspiration and beacon of hope to people across the globe who are fighting for justice and peace in the world,” Mohamud continued.

Mandela will be laid to rest in his ancestral village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape on December 15th after a week of national mourning.
Mandela, an example for Somali leaders

Somali lawmaker Mohamed Omer Dalha has asked the Somali government to name an important public venue, government building or street in Mogadishu after Mandela to forever commemorate the crucial role he played in Africa’s history.

“Nelson Mandela was a legendary man in his country and across the world,” Dalha told Sabahi.

“He facilitated genuine reconciliation among the people of South Africa without looking back at the dark history of that country,” he said. “I would say, let us include his history and stories about Africa’s hero, Nelson Mandela, in Somalia’s schoolbooks.”

Dalha said he would like Somalia’s leaders to emulate Mandela in the gracious manner in which he handed over the presidency when he finished his term.

“In order for us to reach the level of development Nelson Mandela was able to realise for his country and his people, I would suggest that Somali leaders should stop loving power and become like Mandela,” he said. “When his term in office was finished, he handed over his powers without adding a single day and instead opted to continue working for his people as a humanitarian worker.”

Dalha, who is chairman of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, sent his condolences to the entire population of South Africa.

“Mandela’s death is a loss to the whole world and is not South Africa’s loss alone,” he said.

Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle, head of the Mogadishu-based Centre for Research and Dialogue, said what Mandela will be most remembered for is his sense of duty to his country and willingness to forgo personal interests for the advancement of his people.

“He committed his life for the good of the people of South Africa to his own detriment,” he said, adding that if Somalia’s leaders followed his example Somalia too would be able to reconcile and move on from its difficult past.

Sabahi Online

{At least 10 people were killed on Saturday in the town of Moyale, northern Kenya, where troops have been sent to stop a week of fighting between rival ethnic groups.}

The latest deaths bring the toll in the town to more than 30 in the past week, as fighting sent thousands of residents fleeing into neighbouring Ethiopia.

Officials and aid workers in Marsabit county said several houses in the town had been burned down.

“We are yet to assess the number of people killed and those displaced but I am confident the situation is about to be contained,” said Issiah Nakoru, Marsabit county commissioner.

Tom Omolo, Kenya Red Cross regional disaster coordinator, told Reuters his staff were unable to reach the areas where there was fighting.

“The whole area is a battlefield, we cannot send our team to help those people injured, offer rescue or assistance, neither can we establish how many people have been killed or injured – but we can still hear heavy gun shots,” he said.

Rural communities in northern Kenya have long clashed over the control of valuable grazing land, but the fighting in the town of Moyale has marked an escalation in tension.

Residents say politicians in the region, some 800km from the capital Nairobi, are using clan militia to jostle for power in new local administrations that have been formed since the March 4 election, and to settle old scores.

More than 20,000 people have fled into Ethiopia, residents and a Kenya Red Cross worker have said.

The government sent an unspecified number of troops from the Kenya Defence Forces to Marsabit, Samburu, Pokot and Turkana counties on Friday to restore peace.

The arid northern region of Kenya is also awash with guns due to its proximity to unstable neighbours such as Somalia, where al-Qaeda-linked rebels have been fighting to topple the government, and Ethiopia, where rebel fighters have made sporadic incursions into Kenya.

Tit-for-tat clashes

The fighting in Moyale, in Marsabit near the border with Ethiopia, is between rival ethnic groups – Borana on one side and an alliance of Gabra and Burji on the other, battling with guns and mortars.

Tit-for-tat clashes have also been reported this month in the northwestern Turkana region, an area where Tullow Oil has discovered oil deposits.

More than 10 people have been killed in those clashes, and thousands displaced.

Although Tullow’s operations have not been affected by the fighting, the oil company was forced to temporarily halt drilling for two weeks in October after local residents stormed their drilling sites demanding more jobs and benefits.

Source:
Agencies

{ In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), victims of sexual crimes are facing insurmountable obstacles to obtain justice and reparation. The cost of proceedings is prohibitive and judicial decisions are hardly implemented. This is the damaging picture described in a report FIDH and its member organisations in DRC are publishing today, following several missions in that country.}

For 20 years now, DRC has been the theatre of a conflict characterised by crimes of sexual violence of incredible magnitude and unprecedented brutality, amounting to crimes against humanity and war crimes. All combatants use this violence as a weapon of war to enslave victims and terrorise the population.

Victims of sexual violence are particularly stigmatised. They are often rejected by their family and community. They need enormous courage and determination to file their case before the courts in an attempt to break the cycle of impunity.

“In addition to the trauma and having to deal with a society that points the finger at them, rape victims must overcome exorbitantly expensive legal proceedings. These legal costs are, however, mandatory for these matters to be concluded properly”, explained Sylvain Lumu, Executive Secretary of the League of Electors.

At each stage of the proceedings, victims must pay court costs and other large sums of money to the Congolese administration so that investigations and prosecutions may be conducted effectively. Even the certificate of indigence, which reduces some of the expenses of the proceedings, costs between US$25 and US$50. In a country where 67% of the population lives on less than US$2.00 per day, paying this sum is simply not possible. Without this certificate, and as a preliminary condition for any reparation, victims must systematically advance 6% of the total amount of the compensation decided in their favour in order to collect it. This prevents them from actually receiving any compensation.

“The international community must strengthen its support of structural reforms of the legal system and participate in defining a true reparation policy. Otherwise, the meaning of this support to the organisation of trials, whose judgements are not ultimately implemented, is to be questioned”, declared Dismas Kitenge, FIDH Vice President and President of the Lotus Group.

In front of the magnitude and gravity of these crimes, the international community supports the efforts of justice in the DRC and encourages the organisation of trials. Progress has been made, but the current proceedings only very rarely target the highest-ranking officials. Too many defendants remain free, even during trials. Too few judgements are final and effective. Our organisations have also observed that those who have been sentenced all too often manage to escape, and compensation that has been ordered for the victims are never paid. In the end, the victims of sexual crimes do not derive any benefit from justice in the DRC.

“The Congolese authorities must urgently adopt political and legal reforms to fight against the impunity of the perpetrators of crimes of sexual violence and facilitate effective access of victims of crimes of sexual violence to justice and reparation. These measures require that the domestic legal system be reformed and that hybrid chambers (national and international) be established to judge these crimes in DRC,” concluded Jean Claude Katende, President of ASADHO.

Agencies

{Rights group Amnesty International has issued a global appeal for the release from prison of an award-winning journalist in Ethiopia.}

Amnesty on Wednesday said it was trying to raise awareness of the case of Eskinder Nega as part of a campaign called “Write for Rights.”

Eskinder, in prison since 2011, is serving an 18-year sentence on terrorism charges.

Amnesty says the journalist was a “thorn in the side of the Ethiopian authorities” for making speeches and writing articles critical of the government.

Eskinder’s wife, Serkalem Fasil, who was arrested with him but later released, and who now lives in the US, said her husband was arrested for being a journalist and for repeatedly criticising the government.

Ethiopian government spokesman, Shimelis Kemal, said Eskinder was not convicted for his criticism of the government but because he was running a clandestine ‘terrorist’ organisation.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Ethiopia has the second highest number of journalists imprisoned in Africa and is the eighth biggest jailer of journalists in the world.

Agencies