Saturday, September 28, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
BREAKING NEWS: Ethiopian Airlines sends buses for stranded passengers in Somaliland
BREAKING NEWS: Ethiopian Airlines sends buses for stranded passengers in Somaliland
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=60934&sid=c2144ba23f25fa3362a28aafd9052283
Stranded passengers have been loaded on to buses in Hargeisa en route to Ethiopia's Jijiga town after Ethiopian Airlines suspended its flights to Hargeisa citing security and poor infrastructure.
Some of the 450 stranded passengers have began leaving Somaliland on Thursday morning by land and are expected to reach Jijiga where an Ethiopian aircraft is waiting for them. The journey is expected to take about three hours.
The rest of the passengers are expected to leave in a weeks time. This is the 10th day they have been stranded in Hargeisa. It is not clear if Ethiopian has terminated its services in the region all together due to the rift between her and Hargeisa.
Not a single airline is landing in Egal International airport despite purported upgrade by the administration.
For more information and background on this developing story visit:
1) Ethiopia freezes flights to Somaliland as relations hit a new 'all-time low'
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=60909
2) Ethiopian suspends flights to Somaliland region
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=60788
Ethiopia freezes flights to Somaliland as relations hit a new 'all-time low'
Ethiopia freezes flights to Somaliland as relations hit a new 'all-time low'
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=60909
Relations between Ethiopia and Somaliland region have hit an all-time low in the aftermath of Ethiopian Airlines termination of its flights to the northern Somali semi-autonomous region.
The suspension by Ethiopian without taking Somaliland's administration into confidence, embarrassed the Hargeisa leadership to no end.
The ordeal began after Ethiopian resumed its flights to Hargeisa's Egal Airport following a recent infrastructure upgrade including a new 2.4 km runway. Almost two weeks ago, an Ethiopian 737 with 120 passengers made a historical touch down by becoming the largest aircraft to ever land in Egal International airport.
The regional administration celebrated the event hailing it as a new chapter in the region's aviation. Mohamud Hashi Abdi, the aviation minister, said other airliners would follow suit.
But Ethiopian has since refused to return citing security and poor infrastructure as the two biggest concerns.
Even though the government of Kuwait has donated $10million for the upgrade, many sources in Hargeisa said not even 20% of that has gone towards the airport and it remains in poor condition.
The runway for instance was upgrade with basic tarmac that will not support heavy aircraft such as the Boeing 737. There are no runway markings nor have they built any parking or hangars for the aircraft. The perimeter remains vulnerable and very accessible to outsider intruders.
Ethiopian heavily protested its reluctance to trust its expensive airliners with such facility particularly when most of its Boeing 737 relatively very new.
Somaliland's Ministry of Aviation protested the national carrier of Ethiopia's claims during a press briefing in Hargeisa on Wednesday.
The Ministry's head of protocol Mr. Abdillahi Ahmed Arshe rebutted the claim saying security was not a motive for the pullout by Ethiopian Airlines.
More than 450 passengers remain stranded across Hargeisa for the 5th day and Mr. Arshe has called on Ethiopian to immediately compensate them. He denied his ministry made any mistakes and strongly defended Egal International Airport's infrastructure upgrade. He instead blamed Ethiopian for the ordeal.
"Ethiopian airlines should bear full responsibility requires airlines compensate passengers if their flight is cancelled or heavily delayed and also Ethiopian airlines also have a duty of care to look after stranded passengers," he said in a press release.
The fall between Somaliland ministry's aviation and the region's biggest carrier has equally created myriad fluctuations in Somaliland and Ethiopia's over all relations. The Ethiopian government has refused to intervene and so far has shown little interest in keeping relations with Somaliland region or any of its concerns despite the fact that Somaliland already dispatched two senior ministers, namely, Aviation Minister and Interior.
The Ethiopian government already handles Somaliland region with a distrustful eye since it accuses several senior ministers of having ties with Al Qaeda linked al Shabab group. Ever Since the Kulmiye administration of President Ahmed Silanyo came to power in mid-2010, Addis Ababa has protested Somaliland's presidency minister Hirsi Ali Haji Hassan, Religious affairs minister Sheikh Khalil Abdilahi Ahmed and Minister of Finance Sheikh Abdulaziz Samale as having links to al Shabab.
Meanwhile, Hargeisa dispatched a heavily armed anti-terrorist unit to disperse the stranded passengers who gathered in the city center on Wednesday night. More 400 people including sick women and children were asked to leave the premises of the travel agency that was handling Ethiopian Airlines tickets.
The freezing of Ethiopian to Somaliland comes days after Anglo-Turkish oil giant Genel Energy also pulled out off the region citing security.
Somaliland has been trying to secede from the rest of the Somali state for more than two decades to no success.
Relations between Ethiopia and Somaliland region have hit an all-time low in the aftermath of Ethiopian Airlines termination of its flights to the northern Somali semi-autonomous region.
The suspension by Ethiopian without taking Somaliland's administration into confidence, embarrassed the Hargeisa leadership to no end.
The ordeal began after Ethiopian resumed its flights to Hargeisa's Egal Airport following a recent infrastructure upgrade including a new 2.4 km runway. Almost two weeks ago, an Ethiopian 737 with 120 passengers made a historical touch down by becoming the largest aircraft to ever land in Egal International airport.
The regional administration celebrated the event hailing it as a new chapter in the region's aviation. Mohamud Hashi Abdi, the aviation minister, said other airliners would follow suit.
But Ethiopian has since refused to return citing security and poor infrastructure as the two biggest concerns.
Even though the government of Kuwait has donated $10million for the upgrade, many sources in Hargeisa said not even 20% of that has gone towards the airport and it remains in poor condition.
The runway for instance was upgrade with basic tarmac that will not support heavy aircraft such as the Boeing 737. There are no runway markings nor have they built any parking or hangars for the aircraft. The perimeter remains vulnerable and very accessible to outsider intruders.
Ethiopian heavily protested its reluctance to trust its expensive airliners with such facility particularly when most of its Boeing 737 relatively very new.
Somaliland's Ministry of Aviation protested the national carrier of Ethiopia's claims during a press briefing in Hargeisa on Wednesday.
The Ministry's head of protocol Mr. Abdillahi Ahmed Arshe rebutted the claim saying security was not a motive for the pullout by Ethiopian Airlines.
More than 450 passengers remain stranded across Hargeisa for the 5th day and Mr. Arshe has called on Ethiopian to immediately compensate them. He denied his ministry made any mistakes and strongly defended Egal International Airport's infrastructure upgrade. He instead blamed Ethiopian for the ordeal.
"Ethiopian airlines should bear full responsibility requires airlines compensate passengers if their flight is cancelled or heavily delayed and also Ethiopian airlines also have a duty of care to look after stranded passengers," he said in a press release.
The fall between Somaliland ministry's aviation and the region's biggest carrier has equally created myriad fluctuations in Somaliland and Ethiopia's over all relations. The Ethiopian government has refused to intervene and so far has shown little interest in keeping relations with Somaliland region or any of its concerns despite the fact that Somaliland already dispatched two senior ministers, namely, Aviation Minister and Interior.
The Ethiopian government already handles Somaliland region with a distrustful eye since it accuses several senior ministers of having ties with Al Qaeda linked al Shabab group. Ever Since the Kulmiye administration of President Ahmed Silanyo came to power in mid-2010, Addis Ababa has protested Somaliland's presidency minister Hirsi Ali Haji Hassan, Religious affairs minister Sheikh Khalil Abdilahi Ahmed and Minister of Finance Sheikh Abdulaziz Samale as having links to al Shabab.
Meanwhile, Hargeisa dispatched a heavily armed anti-terrorist unit to disperse the stranded passengers who gathered in the city center on Wednesday night. More 400 people including sick women and children were asked to leave the premises of the travel agency that was handling Ethiopian Airlines tickets.
The freezing of Ethiopian to Somaliland comes days after Anglo-Turkish oil giant Genel Energy also pulled out off the region citing security.
Somaliland has been trying to secede from the rest of the Somali state for more than two decades to no success.
Ethiopian suspends flights to Somaliland
Ethiopian suspends flights to Somaliland
The Ethiopian Airlines has suspended its flights to Hargeisa and Berbera in northern Somalia due to poor infrastructure.
The airliner was using a runway in the coastal town of Berbera until two weeks ago when Somaliland regional administration reopened the Hargeisa airport after minor upgrades. At first Ethiopian said the upgrade met its objective but after further studies it has discovered that Hargeisa airport does not meet her safety standards due to poor tarmac runway.
It insisted on resuming its Berbera route until the airport in Hargeisa was probably completed but the aviation minister, who was trying to safe his own face after the failure of the upgrade, insisted on them to use Hargeisa.
Ethiopian said it would not risk its multi-millionaire aircraft nor the safety of its passengers. The two could not reach an agree and as a result, Ethiopian has stopped its flights to Somaliland.
The airport has been going under maintenance for almost a year and the upgrade money was donated by the government of Kuwait. Majority of the funds were locally reported to have been stolen by corrupted officials linked to President Ahmed Silanyo and his immediate family.
The airport is now basically useless and many passengers are stranded in Hargeisa.
Because of this mess made by the corrupted regional officials in Hargeisa, many passengers missed their flights meaning many missed their university enrollments, schools and their jobs back in the Diaspora.
Video: Angry and stranded people in Hargeisa gather outside the Safeway Travel Agency that handles tickets for Ethiopian.
Ethiopian should immediately contact this stranded passengers and refund their tickets and explain to these people that the mess came from the office of Mohamud Hashi Abdi and the corrupted Silanyo.
Ethiopian is by no means not responsible for this drama.
The Ethiopian Airlines has suspended its flights to Hargeisa and Berbera in northern Somalia due to poor infrastructure.
The airliner was using a runway in the coastal town of Berbera until two weeks ago when Somaliland regional administration reopened the Hargeisa airport after minor upgrades. At first Ethiopian said the upgrade met its objective but after further studies it has discovered that Hargeisa airport does not meet her safety standards due to poor tarmac runway.
It insisted on resuming its Berbera route until the airport in Hargeisa was probably completed but the aviation minister, who was trying to safe his own face after the failure of the upgrade, insisted on them to use Hargeisa.
Ethiopian said it would not risk its multi-millionaire aircraft nor the safety of its passengers. The two could not reach an agree and as a result, Ethiopian has stopped its flights to Somaliland.
The airport has been going under maintenance for almost a year and the upgrade money was donated by the government of Kuwait. Majority of the funds were locally reported to have been stolen by corrupted officials linked to President Ahmed Silanyo and his immediate family.
The airport is now basically useless and many passengers are stranded in Hargeisa.
Because of this mess made by the corrupted regional officials in Hargeisa, many passengers missed their flights meaning many missed their university enrollments, schools and their jobs back in the Diaspora.
Video: Angry and stranded people in Hargeisa gather outside the Safeway Travel Agency that handles tickets for Ethiopian.
Ethiopian should immediately contact this stranded passengers and refund their tickets and explain to these people that the mess came from the office of Mohamud Hashi Abdi and the corrupted Silanyo.
Ethiopian is by no means not responsible for this drama.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Uganda struggles to come to terms with its disappeared
Uganda struggles to come to terms with its disappeared
LAMWO, 30 August 2013 (IRIN) - When Uganda resident Rose Lamwaka had two sons abducted by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) 10 years ago she felt she had lost all hope. "I was feeling a lot of pain, I was feeling like committing suicide," says the 51-year-old widow with seven grandchildren.
Last week, Lamwaka joined hundreds from the northern district of Lamwo to remember their abducted children, still missing from the decades-long civil war between the LRA and the government. More than 200 family members with relatives still unaccounted for read the names of their lost ones in a ceremony of prayer and song.
Northern Uganda was the epicentre of a legacy of violence, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says the number of people abducted since the war started in the late 1980s ranges between 52,000 and 75,000. Though Uganda has been free from LRA attacks since 2006, and a number of former child soldiers have returned, the ICRC estimates thousands remain missing from the north as a result of the conflict.
"Because there is no official figure of those missing, we had to extrapolate on what we found here," said Camilla Matteucci, ICRC protection coordinator. "And our projection is that at least 10,000 people are still missing in northern Uganda."
Left behind
The commemoration in Uganda not only acknowledged those still missing but also marked the end of a four-month community counselling pilot programme for more than 200 affected family members of the abducted in Lamwo District. As that project initially targeted only one sub-county, it used those affected families as a baseline to extrapolate the total number that have gone missing across the northern region.
According to Beatrice Ocaya, the local women's councillor in Lamwo, the ceremony was an important step in recognizing the ongoing support needed by families torn apart by the LRA conflict.
"There is no longer war, but some parents are ever crying," she said.
ICRC says relatives left behind have been silently suffering with ambiguous loss, and the isolation that breeds has far-reaching social and economic impacts on populations still recovering from conflict.
"They don't know if the person is alive or dead, if they're still with the armed group, which also puts a stigma on the family, and therefore it's hard for them to deal with the community at large," Matteucci said.
For Lamwaka, the group brought her relief, and support from her community. "Other people are really understanding, they sympathize and care," she told IRIN.
A global loss
To mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances [ http://www.un.org/en/events/disappearancesday/ ] on 30 August, the ICRC has released a handbook [ http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/publication/p4110.htm ] to call for a broader global response to the families of those missing in conflict and natural disasters. The handbook draws on more than 10 years of similar ICRC projects, from the Balkans, to Nepal and Timor-Leste - all countries where thousands have gone missing with families left behind to bear the burden - and provides an understanding of what families of missing persons go through. It also acts as a practical guide for local "accompaniers" from the community, trained by ICRC to counsel peer support groups to be able to share experiences and coping mechanisms.
"Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are separated from loved ones in such situations," said Marianne Pecassou, head of the ICRC team dealing with missing persons, in a statement. "The families will tell you that what they need more than anything else is to find out what happened to the person who vanished. Unfortunately, in too many cases, that question may never be resolved. But they also have other needs that go far beyond this."
According to ICRC, during the conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, they received more than 34,000 tracing requests from families searching for answers.
Legal issues such as inheritance and property rights, the financial stress of searching for the lost while supporting a household, as well as the psychological trauma of loss have devastated communities already scarred by conflict.
According to Milena Osorio, ICRC's mental health and psychosocial support adviser, psychological needs such as emotional isolation, feelings of guilt, anger, depression or trauma, and tensions among family members or with members of their communities are common.
"The families of missing people frequently find themselves grappling with uncertainty. Most societies have religious or cultural rituals to deal with death," said Ms Osorio in the statement, "but there is very little to help the families of missing persons."
In May, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged member states to join an international treaty [ http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45028&Cr=human+rights&Cr1=#.UiBzZTYmsmE ] aimed at "eliminating enforced disappearances and stop impunity for this scourge".
pc/kr/cb
[END]
LAMWO, 30 August 2013 (IRIN) - When Uganda resident Rose Lamwaka had two sons abducted by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) 10 years ago she felt she had lost all hope. "I was feeling a lot of pain, I was feeling like committing suicide," says the 51-year-old widow with seven grandchildren.
Last week, Lamwaka joined hundreds from the northern district of Lamwo to remember their abducted children, still missing from the decades-long civil war between the LRA and the government. More than 200 family members with relatives still unaccounted for read the names of their lost ones in a ceremony of prayer and song.
Northern Uganda was the epicentre of a legacy of violence, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says the number of people abducted since the war started in the late 1980s ranges between 52,000 and 75,000. Though Uganda has been free from LRA attacks since 2006, and a number of former child soldiers have returned, the ICRC estimates thousands remain missing from the north as a result of the conflict.
"Because there is no official figure of those missing, we had to extrapolate on what we found here," said Camilla Matteucci, ICRC protection coordinator. "And our projection is that at least 10,000 people are still missing in northern Uganda."
Left behind
The commemoration in Uganda not only acknowledged those still missing but also marked the end of a four-month community counselling pilot programme for more than 200 affected family members of the abducted in Lamwo District. As that project initially targeted only one sub-county, it used those affected families as a baseline to extrapolate the total number that have gone missing across the northern region.
According to Beatrice Ocaya, the local women's councillor in Lamwo, the ceremony was an important step in recognizing the ongoing support needed by families torn apart by the LRA conflict.
"There is no longer war, but some parents are ever crying," she said.
ICRC says relatives left behind have been silently suffering with ambiguous loss, and the isolation that breeds has far-reaching social and economic impacts on populations still recovering from conflict.
"They don't know if the person is alive or dead, if they're still with the armed group, which also puts a stigma on the family, and therefore it's hard for them to deal with the community at large," Matteucci said.
For Lamwaka, the group brought her relief, and support from her community. "Other people are really understanding, they sympathize and care," she told IRIN.
A global loss
To mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances [ http://www.un.org/en/events/disappearancesday/ ] on 30 August, the ICRC has released a handbook [ http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/publication/p4110.htm ] to call for a broader global response to the families of those missing in conflict and natural disasters. The handbook draws on more than 10 years of similar ICRC projects, from the Balkans, to Nepal and Timor-Leste - all countries where thousands have gone missing with families left behind to bear the burden - and provides an understanding of what families of missing persons go through. It also acts as a practical guide for local "accompaniers" from the community, trained by ICRC to counsel peer support groups to be able to share experiences and coping mechanisms.
"Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are separated from loved ones in such situations," said Marianne Pecassou, head of the ICRC team dealing with missing persons, in a statement. "The families will tell you that what they need more than anything else is to find out what happened to the person who vanished. Unfortunately, in too many cases, that question may never be resolved. But they also have other needs that go far beyond this."
According to ICRC, during the conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, they received more than 34,000 tracing requests from families searching for answers.
Legal issues such as inheritance and property rights, the financial stress of searching for the lost while supporting a household, as well as the psychological trauma of loss have devastated communities already scarred by conflict.
According to Milena Osorio, ICRC's mental health and psychosocial support adviser, psychological needs such as emotional isolation, feelings of guilt, anger, depression or trauma, and tensions among family members or with members of their communities are common.
"The families of missing people frequently find themselves grappling with uncertainty. Most societies have religious or cultural rituals to deal with death," said Ms Osorio in the statement, "but there is very little to help the families of missing persons."
In May, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged member states to join an international treaty [ http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45028&Cr=human+rights&Cr1=#.UiBzZTYmsmE ] aimed at "eliminating enforced disappearances and stop impunity for this scourge".
pc/kr/cb
[END]
Analysis: Guinea's halting fight against impunity
Analysis: Guinea's halting fight against impunity
CONAKRY, 30 August 2013 (IRIN) - Since 2012, in an unprecedented effort in the country, top security officials in Guinea have been indicted for alleged crimes against civilians. But the indictments have yet to lead to trials or, in most cases, even arrests.
Guinea has seen a string of judicial firsts that sparked hope the country could finally chip away at impunity, including military officials long seen as untouchable being called before a court of law. But they have retained their posts; Col Claude Pivi remains head of presidential security; Lt Col Moussa Tiégboro Camara continues in his role as director of the national anti-drug-trafficking agency; and Sékou Resco Camara is still the Conakry governor.
"Every time there's news of another indictment, [someone on the outside] might think, 'Ah, things are progressing well there', but that's not the case," said Thierno Madjou Sow, long-time human rights activist and head of the Guinean Human Rights Organisation. "Things get started then just stop. Look at Tiégboro, Pivi, and Resco - all still in their government positions."
Pivi and Tiégboro Camara are among eight people indicted to date over the 28 September 2009 stadium attack, in which, according to an international inquiry [ http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2009/693 ], soldiers killed, raped, or injured hundreds of people. One gendarme has been arrested and detained on charges of rape in that case. Resco Camara has been indicted for alleged involvement in the torture of civilians by gendarmes in 2010.
Sow and other human rights advocates are quick to say the indictments themselves are significant considering the history of impunity [ http://www.irinnews.org/report/87479/guinea-september-violence-only-underscores-reign-of-impunity ] among Guinea's leadership. But the process must continue, they say.
"These indictments do carry some weight. People see that a top military official can be called before a judge - that reassures them [ http://www.irinnews.org/report/96419/guinea-fear-has-switched-sides ]," said Hamidou Barry, a Guinean lawyer and the coordinator of the judges investigating stadium attack. "The problem is everything stops there. Guinea's judges are not free and independent."
Doubts about judiciary
The stadium case - the latest but perhaps the most spectacular in a string of military abuses against civilians - is in preliminary examination at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which says the prosecutor has a responsibility to intervene if it becomes clear that national authorities are "unwilling or unable to genuinely carry out the proceedings".
But given what they see as a stalled process, survivors say they wonder what it would take for the ICC to find the Guinean authorities unwilling.
"The international community must understand once and for all that Guinea's judiciary is not ready to carry this out," said Asmaou Diallo, head of the Association of Parents and Friend of Victims (AVIPA), which assists survivors of the attack and other human rights abuses.
"The victims are here, the assailants are here," she said. "It's possible to hold trials. But the authorities can't. They don't dare. And I don't know at what level things are blocked. Meanwhile as long as impunity reigns in Guinea, the country cannot move forward."
Survivors and human rights activists in Guinea say coming out more forcefully against impunity exposes them to threats and intimidation by the accused and their supporters. But many say it is worth it.
"Sure, there is a risk. But I think it's time Guinea's human rights community assume that risk," said Mamady Mansare, a journalist who was injured during the stadium attack. "Survivors must denounce the authorities' unwillingness to arrest suspects and proceed with this."
Tamar Thiam, who was injured in the stadium attack and fled Guinea after she was threatened for speaking out, said Guineans must push for more pressure to be brought on the government. "We must raise our voices to show the international community that the authorities lack either the means or the will to bring perpetrators to justice," she told IRIN. "If this drags on for too long, the witnesses will be dead, the assailants will be dead. What good would a trial do then?"
"This case is in the judges' hands," said government spokesman Albert Damantang Camara. "The government has never obstructed their work. To date, several high-level officers have been indicted, and the procedure is following its course with absolutely no interference from the government."
Cautious optimism
International justice experts say, while things are moving slowly in Guinea, there has been progress. The ICC Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) says the indictment of officials in the stadium massacre "is a serious indication that they will be brought to account" and the office expects a trial will take place.
"The competent national authorities have initiated proceedings, as it is their primary responsibility to do," the OTP told IRIN. "The OTP will continue to encourage their efforts as long as we assess they go in the right direction."
Florent Geel, Africa desk director with the International Federation for Human Rights [ http://www.fidh.org/-Guinea-Conakry- ] (FIDH), says these cases must not be allowed to drag on for decades, but that considering Guinea's past, the indictment of top military officials within a few years of the alleged crimes is remarkable.
"Guinea's history is 40 to 50 years of impunity, so it's difficult from one day to the next make the justice system function normally," Geel told IRIN. "It's not easy. It's slow. It's complicated, but little by little there are positive moves."
Rights expert Sow said since independence in 1958, Guinea's judiciary has been side-lined by the executive. Geel said he is confident there will be trials in the stadium attack and the 2010 torture case by the end of 2014.
FIDH has called for the suspension of indicted officials, particularly the head of presidential security. "Clearly the accused are innocent until proven guilty. We must respect this principle," Geel said. "But given Pivi's position and the seriousness of the indictment, we think it is reasonable to demand his suspension pending further judicial proceedings."
The ICC prosecutor's office acknowledges that seeing those charged remain in power is a blow to survivors. "The fact that two indicted officials [in the 28 September case] have retained their post in government is undoubtedly shocking and frustrating for the victims," the OTP said. "It is, however, insufficient for the office to determine that the proceedings are not being conducted with the intent to bring to justice the persons bearing responsibility for the crimes committed."
So far in Guinea, "complementarity is working", the prosecutor's office told IRIN, referring to the principle that sees the ICC stepping in only as a last resort, when national jurisdictions fail to address crimes.
FIDH's Geel said it would be best if Guinea's judiciary were to work. "The goal of international justice is to push the national judiciary to prosecute. Otherwise what would ever be changed in the fight against impunity in the country?"
For the four-year commemoration of the stadium massacre, survivors and families of victims hope to hold a rally at the venue of the attack. The past three Septembers, the government denied authorization to do so, said AVIPA's Diallo, whose son was killed in the crackdown.
"We hope this year we can at least go to the stadium and place flowers for our dead and missing."
np/ob/rz
[END]
CONAKRY, 30 August 2013 (IRIN) - Since 2012, in an unprecedented effort in the country, top security officials in Guinea have been indicted for alleged crimes against civilians. But the indictments have yet to lead to trials or, in most cases, even arrests.
Guinea has seen a string of judicial firsts that sparked hope the country could finally chip away at impunity, including military officials long seen as untouchable being called before a court of law. But they have retained their posts; Col Claude Pivi remains head of presidential security; Lt Col Moussa Tiégboro Camara continues in his role as director of the national anti-drug-trafficking agency; and Sékou Resco Camara is still the Conakry governor.
"Every time there's news of another indictment, [someone on the outside] might think, 'Ah, things are progressing well there', but that's not the case," said Thierno Madjou Sow, long-time human rights activist and head of the Guinean Human Rights Organisation. "Things get started then just stop. Look at Tiégboro, Pivi, and Resco - all still in their government positions."
Pivi and Tiégboro Camara are among eight people indicted to date over the 28 September 2009 stadium attack, in which, according to an international inquiry [ http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2009/693 ], soldiers killed, raped, or injured hundreds of people. One gendarme has been arrested and detained on charges of rape in that case. Resco Camara has been indicted for alleged involvement in the torture of civilians by gendarmes in 2010.
Sow and other human rights advocates are quick to say the indictments themselves are significant considering the history of impunity [ http://www.irinnews.org/report/87479/guinea-september-violence-only-underscores-reign-of-impunity ] among Guinea's leadership. But the process must continue, they say.
"These indictments do carry some weight. People see that a top military official can be called before a judge - that reassures them [ http://www.irinnews.org/report/96419/guinea-fear-has-switched-sides ]," said Hamidou Barry, a Guinean lawyer and the coordinator of the judges investigating stadium attack. "The problem is everything stops there. Guinea's judges are not free and independent."
Doubts about judiciary
The stadium case - the latest but perhaps the most spectacular in a string of military abuses against civilians - is in preliminary examination at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which says the prosecutor has a responsibility to intervene if it becomes clear that national authorities are "unwilling or unable to genuinely carry out the proceedings".
But given what they see as a stalled process, survivors say they wonder what it would take for the ICC to find the Guinean authorities unwilling.
"The international community must understand once and for all that Guinea's judiciary is not ready to carry this out," said Asmaou Diallo, head of the Association of Parents and Friend of Victims (AVIPA), which assists survivors of the attack and other human rights abuses.
"The victims are here, the assailants are here," she said. "It's possible to hold trials. But the authorities can't. They don't dare. And I don't know at what level things are blocked. Meanwhile as long as impunity reigns in Guinea, the country cannot move forward."
Survivors and human rights activists in Guinea say coming out more forcefully against impunity exposes them to threats and intimidation by the accused and their supporters. But many say it is worth it.
"Sure, there is a risk. But I think it's time Guinea's human rights community assume that risk," said Mamady Mansare, a journalist who was injured during the stadium attack. "Survivors must denounce the authorities' unwillingness to arrest suspects and proceed with this."
Tamar Thiam, who was injured in the stadium attack and fled Guinea after she was threatened for speaking out, said Guineans must push for more pressure to be brought on the government. "We must raise our voices to show the international community that the authorities lack either the means or the will to bring perpetrators to justice," she told IRIN. "If this drags on for too long, the witnesses will be dead, the assailants will be dead. What good would a trial do then?"
"This case is in the judges' hands," said government spokesman Albert Damantang Camara. "The government has never obstructed their work. To date, several high-level officers have been indicted, and the procedure is following its course with absolutely no interference from the government."
Cautious optimism
International justice experts say, while things are moving slowly in Guinea, there has been progress. The ICC Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) says the indictment of officials in the stadium massacre "is a serious indication that they will be brought to account" and the office expects a trial will take place.
"The competent national authorities have initiated proceedings, as it is their primary responsibility to do," the OTP told IRIN. "The OTP will continue to encourage their efforts as long as we assess they go in the right direction."
Florent Geel, Africa desk director with the International Federation for Human Rights [ http://www.fidh.org/-Guinea-Conakry- ] (FIDH), says these cases must not be allowed to drag on for decades, but that considering Guinea's past, the indictment of top military officials within a few years of the alleged crimes is remarkable.
"Guinea's history is 40 to 50 years of impunity, so it's difficult from one day to the next make the justice system function normally," Geel told IRIN. "It's not easy. It's slow. It's complicated, but little by little there are positive moves."
Rights expert Sow said since independence in 1958, Guinea's judiciary has been side-lined by the executive. Geel said he is confident there will be trials in the stadium attack and the 2010 torture case by the end of 2014.
FIDH has called for the suspension of indicted officials, particularly the head of presidential security. "Clearly the accused are innocent until proven guilty. We must respect this principle," Geel said. "But given Pivi's position and the seriousness of the indictment, we think it is reasonable to demand his suspension pending further judicial proceedings."
The ICC prosecutor's office acknowledges that seeing those charged remain in power is a blow to survivors. "The fact that two indicted officials [in the 28 September case] have retained their post in government is undoubtedly shocking and frustrating for the victims," the OTP said. "It is, however, insufficient for the office to determine that the proceedings are not being conducted with the intent to bring to justice the persons bearing responsibility for the crimes committed."
So far in Guinea, "complementarity is working", the prosecutor's office told IRIN, referring to the principle that sees the ICC stepping in only as a last resort, when national jurisdictions fail to address crimes.
FIDH's Geel said it would be best if Guinea's judiciary were to work. "The goal of international justice is to push the national judiciary to prosecute. Otherwise what would ever be changed in the fight against impunity in the country?"
For the four-year commemoration of the stadium massacre, survivors and families of victims hope to hold a rally at the venue of the attack. The past three Septembers, the government denied authorization to do so, said AVIPA's Diallo, whose son was killed in the crackdown.
"We hope this year we can at least go to the stadium and place flowers for our dead and missing."
np/ob/rz
[END]
Saturday, August 3, 2013
HORN OF AFRICA: IRIN weekly humanitarian round-up 694 2 August 2013
 | humanitarian news and analysis a service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
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