Peace & Justice Update - Fall 2009

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November 20, 2009

Volume 23, Number 8

The countries for the Peace & Justice Update have been chosen as areas of focus at the Institute.

Source information: Information presented in this update is condensed from wire and newspaper reports from Lexis/Nexis and from electronic sites on the World Wide Web. Complete bibliographical information is unavailable from these services, but every attempt has been made to properly cite information and give credit to source materials. This update is intended for use by IPJ staff and associates for informational purposes only. As the material in this update is condensed, and does not directly quote the primary source, information from the update should not be quoted.

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The Peace & Justice Update is written by the Fall 2009 interns at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at the University of San Diego. The interns are:

Christina Chen (University of California, San Diego), Jill Covert, MA (University of San Diego '09), Hannah Evans (University of San Diego), Elizabeth Skurdahl (University of San Diego), and Carol-Irene Southworth (University of San Diego).

Update Source List

Update Summary

AFRICA

CÔTE D’IVOIRE

Rebel officers are integrated while electoral list is distributed.  On November 17, President Laurent Gbagbo signed decrees assigning military ranks to rebel officers who had fought against the government in 2002.  The Ouagadougou peace accord signed last December had dictated the assignment of ranks to ex-rebels in hopes of fusing the government and ex-rebel forces into an 8,000-strong national army, known as the Integrated Central Command (CCI).  Appointing ranks to rebel officers, therefore, has been seen as a “big step towards peace,” and has resulted in the integration of about 400 ex-rebels.  In addition, on November 11, presidential elections originally scheduled for November 29 were officially postponed by the Electoral Independent Commission (CEI) until 2010.  Nonetheless, the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) announced that the distribution of the provisional electoral list to about 308 neighborhoods had gone smoothly.  UNOCI was established in 2004 following the civil war that split the nation into a government-controlled south and a rebel-controlled north.  UNOCI currently has a peace-keeping force of 8,000 and is scheduled to leave January 31, 2010.  (Abidjan, AFP, November 17; Relief Web, November 16, 18, 2009)

GUINEA

Talks between junta and its opposition remain at deadlock.  The president of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré, ended separate discussions with the junta led by Moussa “Dadis” Camara, and its opposition, the Forces Vives (FV), November 10 and 3, respectively.  The discussions were regarding the political crisis that followed the September 28 massacre in which 157 people were killed and 1,200 were wounded.  The junta’s party, the National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD) met with Compaoré November 10 and has been congratulated by the association, “Youth Cause,” for its “fruitful work,” including a 13-page proposal for an exit strategy to the political crisis.  However, the possibility of compromise between the junta and the FV remains slim, with opposition leaders insisting on Camara and the CNDD’s stepping down from power.  The CNDD has ruled out the possibility of its leader going into exile.  Analysts further claimed that prospects of international mediation breaking the political deadlock between the junta and the opposition party are unlikely; a failure in the talks could potentially lead to a new bout of violence.  With dialogue stagnated between the two, the Assembly of Guinean People (RPG), another opposition party, has stated that “[it] would have no other choice but [to] try and persuade scared Guineans to take to the streets again.”  Compaoré is to meet with the FV and the CNDD at the same negotiating table for the first time November 18.  The talks between FV, CNDD, and Compaoré are aimed at reaching an agreement on establishing a transitional government.  Camara seized power in a coup d’état in 2008, and his 2010 presidential candidacy has been met with opposition and international condemnation. (Affaires Stratégiques, GCI, November 18; Kuwait Times, November 15; Xinhua, November 14, 2009)

LIBERIA

Taylor admits to exchanging information with the CIA.  Charles Taylor, former warlord and president of Liberia, admitted November 16 to sharing information with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  His rebel group, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) had exchanged information with the CIA from 1991 and up to Taylor’s presidency in 1997.  Taylor also claimed that despite the previous collaboration, the United States had sought to overthrow him due to its stance against a leader incompatible with American foreign policy.  The American prosecutor for the tribunal, David Crane, however, has rejected Taylor’s claim.  Taylor has been on trial in The Hague since January 2008, having been accused of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone.  Many Liberians have stated in response to the trial, “I don’t want to know about Sierra Leone. What about Liberia?”  They want to know if Taylor will ever face justice for instigating violence during the Liberian civil war (1989-2003) in which nearly 250,000 people were killed out of a population of approximately 3.4 million.  Although a number of Liberians want to see Taylor brought to justice, others continue to support the former president who had won a democratic election with the slogan, “He killed my ma, he killed my pa, [but still I will] vote for him.”  From July 14 to November 10, 2009, Taylor had testified in a direct-examination as a witness in his own defense, and is now being cross-examined by the prosecution. (All Africa, November 16; AP, November 10; CSM, November 11, 2009)

SUDAN

South Sudan calls for registration extension. On November 14, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the governing party of South Sudan, called for an extension of the time allotted to register voters for the upcoming 2010 presidential election by at least two weeks. Voter registration began November 1, but due to “a lack of information and... mobile registration [centers] moving every few days, the process has been slow and confused.” The SPLM criticized the National Elections Commission (NEC), the group responsible for registering voters, for the “absence of a serious awareness campaign... to [mobilize] people to register.” In addition, the SPLM claims that insufficient funds to transport election officials, a lack of infrastructure in much of the south, and intertribal violence have hampered the attempt to register many southern residents in remote regions. The NEC stated it “was considering extension requests.” The problems with the election preparations have increased tensions between opposing parties, and “Sudan’s political parties have all accused each other of vote-buying and faking voter registration.” Furthermore, the SPLM and twenty other opposition parties have threatened to boycott the elections “unless a package of democratic laws is passed first.” As of yet, efforts to pass such laws have failed. The 2010 presidential election is a key element of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the 20 year civil war between Northern and Southern Sudan. (Reuters, November 15, 2009)

UGANDA

Opposition leader’s radio show canceled. The Resident District Commissioner of the Karamoja region, Nahaman Ojwee, canceled a radio show on which Kizza Besigye, leader of the opposition party the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), was scheduled to appear. According to Lamstar Oyang, the radio station manager, Ojwee canceled Besigye’s show because Besigye, who was touring the Karamoja region, had failed “to get clearance from security agencies before visiting the region.” However, the deputy spokesman of the FDC, Boniface Toterebuka, had previously told journalists that President Yoweri Museveni and his administration were working to prevent Besigye from addressing the region and “are now looking at all avenues of stopping him.” Besigye launched a nationwide tour August 24 in an effort to raise support for his candidacy in the upcoming 2011 presidential elections. Besigye was Museveni’s primary challenger in the 2001 and 2006 elections. According to The ObserverBesigye’s tour prompted Museveni to begin his own election campaign early. However, this initial tour is just the first phase of a three-phase campaign leading up to the 2011 election. The National Resistance Movement seized power in 1986 and organized a government with Museveni at its head. Museveni was elected for a second term in 2001 and – after prompting a revision of the Constitution in order to allow it – a third in 2006. (The Observer, November 4, 2009; Daily Monitor, November 17, 2009) 

ASIA

NEPAL

Political deadlock delays release of child soldiers. An estimated 3,000 former child soldiers from the Maoist army were expected to be released this month, but the release has been delayed. Minister of Peace and Reconstruction, Rakam Chemjong, said that the release schedule “has been delayed due to the ongoing political stalemate” within the government. The UN has been pressing the government to release former combatants who have been identified as minors. The Maoist party denies the use of child soldiers, but admits that children were employed for “support services.” The government has said that vocational training and education would be provided for the former child soldiers. The release of the children would mark a significant step in the process to integrate Maoist and state armies, analysts say. More than 19,000 former Maoist combatants have been held in UN camps since the peace agreement was signed in 2006. On November 18, the Special Committee on Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation met to review drafts of the code of conduct mechanism to begin the integration process. The meeting brought no consensus, reflecting a larger deadlock within the government. The three main parties, Nepali Congress (NC), Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) and Maoist (UCPN-M), have undergone heightened tension in recent weeks. Maoist groups have been actively protesting the government since November 10, shutting down government offices and streets in opposition to the current government. The political deadlock has continued despite the protests, with the NC and CPN-UML declaring that they would not “buckle under pressure from the streets,” but instead “face it politically.” (AFP, November 16; Al-Jazeera, November 13; Himalayan Times, November 18; Kathmandu Post, November 16; Reuters, November 17, 2009)

PAKISTAN

Violence continues as dozens protest civilian deaths. In the town of Shahukhel, in the Hangu district of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), dozens of people staged a sit-in November 18 to protest civilian deaths in the current conflict, specifically the accidental shelling of a house by the Pakistani army which killed six people earlier that day. The protesters laid the bodies of those killed on the main highway to block traffic and chanted “stop killing innocent people” and “stop the cruelty,” according to a local resident, Hashim Khan. The shelling was part of the Pakistani army’s major offensive on the South Waziristan region which sought to destroy Taliban hideouts in the area. The offensive claimed the lives of an estimated 18 suspected militants earlier in the day. In addition to the offensive, November 18 and 19 saw violence from all the main participants in the conflict, with U.S. drone attacks killing four people and a suicide bombing in Peshawar taking at least 19 lives. Local officials in Peshawar blame the increase in suicide bombings on the army’s announcement of its offensive, which some say has invited more violence from militants. Taliban leaders declared a new offensive in their own guerrilla war November 18, claiming that the army’s assault is futile, as most of the militants have left the villages which are under attack. Officials have also speculated that many militants may have fled the region, taking refuge in other parts of the NWFP and Afghanistan. Maulana Fazlullah, one of Pakistan’s most wanted Taliban leaders, fled the country for Afghanistan November 17, later announcing to reporters that he was safe. Officials had speculated in July that Fazlullah had been wounded or killed, so his re-emergence might boost Taliban morale, analysts say. Violence has increased in Pakistan in recent months, in an escalating conflict among militants, Pakistani army forces, and U.S. military. (AP, November 18; BBC, November 17; Dawn, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, UK Press Association, November 19, 2009)

PHILIPPINES

Internally Displaced Persons unable to receive food aid. Thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maguindanao province in the island of Mindanao are unable to receive food assistance from the World Food Program (WFP) and other humanitarian groups. The IDPs were supposed to return to their homes after the cessation of military operations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) four months ago. In preparation for this return, on October 19 the Department of Social Welfare and Development, a governmental agency responsible for helping the IDPs return home, marked the IDPs access cards as “returned” and removed their names from the master list, preventing the WFP and other programs from being able to provide them with aid. According to Danny Usman, a leader of 33 families from Barangay (District) Duaminanga, 1,019 families have had their cards marked “returned” but continue to live in the camps. The IDPs cited several reasons for their refusal to return home, most importantly that they have not received the assistance promised to them for their return home. In addition, the IDPs said they have no homes to which they can return, as most have been destroyed in the conflict or by the elements Additionally, they have no assurance of their safety upon their return and no provisions on which to live while they rebuild their farms and resume fishing; furthermore, they are afraid to till their land because of potentially unexploded ordnances, and most of their means of livelihood – farm animals and fishnets – have been destroyed. Musib Uy Tan, the executive assistant to the mayor, has said he would work “on the complaints immediately to ensure everyone gets his/her share.” Conflict between the GRP and the MILF first erupted in 1996 over the establishment of an independent ethnic Moro homeland and has resulted in an estimated 120,000 deaths. The majority of the IDPs in Maguindanao have been in the camps for a year or more. (Mindanews, November 15, 2009)

SRI LANKA

Flow of asylum-seekers continues. Following the end of the civil war in May, there has been a steady flow of asylum-seekers leaving Sri Lanka. A report by the International Organization for Migration, released in October, stated that “there has been a continuous increase in the number of refugees and asylum-seekers from Sri Lanka due to the conflict in the northern and eastern parts of the country.” While most economic migrants are of the Sinhalese majority, Tamils escaping what some have called genocide are an increasingly visible group on the international stage. In recent months, boats headed to Australia full of Tamil asylum-seekers have made headlines. The surge in refugees has been called a problem for Australia, and has caused Australian officials to face public criticism of immigration policy that has allowed more refugees into the country. People smugglers have also received international attention, as their involvement in the process has been used by the Australian government to as a reason to reject the refugees. Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith met his Sri Lankan counterpart, Rohitha Bogollagama, and other officials in Colombo to address the “refugee source” November 9. Australia participated in international criticism of conditions in camps in the north of the country where Tamils have been held illegally since the conflict ended in May. Tamil politician Dharmalingam Sithadthan said, “Most Tamils want to leave the country because they do not feel safe here.” “Prasanna,” an asylum-seeker who ended up in New Zealand and did not want to use his real name, said “even if we want to go legally, we can’t. We just don’t have the bank balance that is required if we want to apply legally.” (Al-Jazeera, BBC, November 9; IRIN, November 17; WSJ, October 30, 2009)

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

COLOMBIA

Invalid signatures create setback to Uribe’s hopes for a third term. In May, Colombia’s Congress passed a referendum allowing President Alvaro Uribe to run for a third term after receiving five million signatures in favor of the change. Colombia’s National Election Council ruled November 12, however, that the signatures were invalid because the initiative’s organizers allowed companies to contribute more money than legally allowed. Supporters of the referendum stated that the council did not have jurisdiction over the ruling and that they planned to sue the magistrates who had ruled against the signatures. Even though Uribe is a popular president with approval ratings usually above 70 percent, some of his own supporters have expressed concern that democracy would be compromised if Uribe were permitted to run again. If Uribe secured a third term, it would allow him to appoint more constitutional court members, reaching a majority of those appointed by him since he took office in 2002. Uribe’s bid for re-election follows a growing trend in Latin America whereby leaders are changing their constitutions to allow for longer term limits. Uribe already changed the constitution in 2006 to allow for his second term. The Wall Street Journal stated, “Mr. Uribe’s attempt to change the constitution a second time brings unwelcome comparisons with Venezuela next door, where [President Hugo] Chavez has ruled for a decade.” The constitutional court is still reviewing the legality of the referendum and is expected to make a decision in January. The presidential elections are scheduled for May 2010. (Colombia Reports, November 17; WSJ, November 14, 2009)

CUBA

Democratic opposition to lifting travel ban grows. U.S. House Democrats presented a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi to show support of current U.S. policy toward Cuba regarding the embargo and travel ban. With 53 signatures, the letter was aimed at showing that opposition to lifting the travel ban for American tourists existed not only among Republicans, but also among Democrats. The signatories claimed that easing or lifting the sanctions against Cuba “would send a devastating message to Cuba’s opposition movement and legitimize an ailing dictatorship.” In April, President Barack Obama lifted the travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans who have family in Cuba. However, Obama has said the embargo will remain until Cuba releases political detainees and improves human rights. A bill to lift the travel ban for American tourists was introduced in the House February 4. The bill, entitled “Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act” (H.R.874), was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs where it will be deliberated and revised and eventually sent to the House floor for votes. The bill “prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents[,]…except in time of war or armed hostilities…or [in times] of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers.” Those in opposition to the bill have claimed that the 53 signatures of Democrats on the letter to Pelosi signified the end of any hope to open up American tourism to Cuba. The legislation has 180 sponsors in the House and needs 218 votes to pass. The Committee on Foreign Affairs has scheduled a hearing for November 19 on the travel ban; President Obama engages in written exchange with Cuban blogger. President Barack Obama replied November 19 to seven questions set forth by one of Cuba’s best-known dissident bloggers, Yoani Sánchez, regarding U.S./Cuba relations. Obama said that he wants better ties with Cuba, but claimed that it is up to Cuba to act. He said that he was interested in pursuing “direct diplomacy,” but not in “talking for the sake of talking. In the case of Cuba, such diplomacy should create opportunities to advance the interests of the United States and the cause of freedom for the Cuban people.” Sánchez and blogger Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo claimed they were abducted, beaten and briefly detained by state security agents November 6 in response to their “counterrevolutionary” actions.(BBC, November 19; Bloomberg, November 16; Generación Y, November 19; Govtrack, November 13; The Miami Herald, November 7, 2009)

EL SALVADOR

Effectiveness of armed forces to fight crime is debated. On November 6, President Mauricio Funes increased the number of Armed Forces of El Salvador (FAES) troops by 2,500 for six months. These troops joined 1,300 soldiers, who have already been integrated with the National Civilian Police (PNC), to form the newly created Joint Community Support Groups. Funes defended his decision by citing Article 168 of the constitution, which states that “the army can be used to strengthen public security under exceptional circumstances.” El Salvador has one of the highest homicide rates in the world: 52 per 100,000 people. October homicides averaged 13 a day, and according to police records, there have been 494 more murders in the country this year than in the same period in 2008. Minister of Defense David Munguía Payés, claimed that since November 6, the daily homicide rate has dropped to 10. However, Minister of Justice and Public Security Manuel Melgar insisted that homicide rates were already decreasing at the end of October, before Funes had added the new FAES troops. A survey done by El Diario de Hoy, published November 3, showed that 93 percent of respondents said they supported the decision to add FAES troops on the street to fight crime alongside the PNC. FAES soldiers will now be allowed to “carry out search warrants and arrest people, and to set up checkpoints on the roads.” Opponents, however, fear that these practices, which have not been permitted since the 1980-1992 civil war, will violate human rights. Funes said that the FAES will not detain arrested suspects; instead, it will pass them on to the PNC. Additionally, FAES soldiers are required to document each arrest to avoid breaking any laws. (El Diario de Hoy, November 16; IPS News Agency, November 17, 2009)

GUATEMALA

Second police officer lynched within three weeks. On November 16, a mob of 500 captured, disarmed and tied up police officer Miguel Ángel Curruchiche González, aged 36, in the town of San Martin Jilotepeque, Chimaltenango. The angry crowd accused Curruchiche of extorting a bus driver for approximately $35. After beating Curruchiche for hours, they soaked him with gasoline and burned him alive in the early morning hours. Three of his police officer colleagues attempted to save him, but were held back by the crowd and told that if they intervened, they would be killed. One of Curruchiche’s colleagues said the bus driver had incited the mob with the extortion story in revenge for Curruchiche confiscating his bus when he did not show the proper bus documents. According to the police, Curruchiche had been with the department 15 years and had no history of complaints against him. The lynching comes just two weeks after another police officer was lynched in San Juan Cotzal, Quiché when he came to inquire why his son had been detained. According to Prensa Libre, groups of community members in various towns are forming “local security committees” or “civil patrols” to combat violence in their streets. However, these groups are operating without oversight and are abusing their power. They walk carrying weapons and wearing ski masks, frightening the people. They detain young people, beat them and release them to their parents. They have been known to molest women, and at times they carry out lynchings like the ones in San Juan Cotzal and San Martin Jilotepeque. The local police are powerless as they are outnumbered and threatened with their own lives if they interfere. (Prensa Libre, November 16, 18; EFE, Euronews, November 16, 2009)

HAITI

New prime minister pledges to focus on investment. New Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, inaugurated November 11, promised to “attract more investment and create jobs” in order to boost development in Haiti. Additionally, Bellerive claimed he would work closely with lawmakers in the Parliament, in order to “put [them] in accordance with what we are doing.” Bellerive replaced former Prime Minister Michéle Pierre-Louis, who was fired by the Senate October 30 for allegedly failing to improve the country’s economy in addition to not implementing a proposed international development plan. The main focus of the international development plan was to “[improve] infrastructure and [build] up a garment assembly sector to produce goods for the U.S. market under a preferential trade deal.” Bellerive said that he intends to execute these plans and to speed up some investment deals by continuing with his position as minister of planning and external cooperation. Bellerive said that he would like to continue to work with former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the UN Special Envoy to Haiti, on matters of foreign investment. “The only way that we are going to change Haiti is through private investment.” Bellerive is the fifth prime minister within five years and has held different jobs with at least 10 different administrations during the course of his political career. (AP, November 11, 2009)