Peace & Justice Update - Fall 2009

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November 6, 2009

Volume 23, Number 6

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).

Note: Applications for the Spring 2010 internship are now being accepted. Due date is November 13. Please click here for details.

Update Source List

Update Summary

AFRICA

AFRICA

CÔTE D’IVOIRE

UN renews sanctions while November 29 presidential elections are expected to be postponed.  On October 29, the UN unanimously extended an arms embargo, banned the export of conflict diamonds and imposed travel and financial sanctions on certain rebel leaders in Côte d’Ivoire.  The UN stated that the sanctions are to be effective until October 31, 2010 and will be lifted after free and fair elections are held, but it warned the country of additional sanctions if the electoral process were to be placed in jeopardy.  UN Ambassador Ilahiri Djedje voiced his disappointment that the UN decided not to lift sanctions against General Charles Blé Goudé; president of the Alliance of Patriots, Marshall Eugène Djué; and Major Kouakou Fofié of the rebel group New Forces.  Goudé, Djué, and Fofié instigated violence and were charged with human rights violations in the 2002-2004 civil war.  Djedje believed that “the resolution adopted today is not tailored to assist Ivoirians in their process of reconciliation.”  According to Soir Info, Djué and Fofié have worked toward peace and are willing to cooperate in the upcoming presidential elections.  President Laurent Gbagbo also stated that the individual sanctions would not move the country forward.  The UN sanctions came a month before the November 29 presidential elections; however, President Gbagbo and the leaders of former rebel factions stated November 1 that presidential elections, delayed twice before, would once again be delayed.  For a clear and transparent election, the electoral list must be posted and agreed upon by voters and political parties during a 30-day review period.  However, the provisional voter lists have yet to be posted in the country’s 11,000 polling stations.  Nonetheless, only the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) can officially defer the elections.  CEI has not officially pushed back the November 29 elections, but stated October 25 that electoral lists would be posted within the week; yet as of November 4, the CEI had not finalized the voter list.  The provisional voter list had been recently fraught with controversy due to the discovery of approximately 1.6 million “ghost voters” of the 6.4 registered voters.  Government officials emphasized the importance of confirming the validity of voter registrations to ensure a free and transparent election.  President John Atta Mills of Ghana pledged November 4 his willingness to help Côte d’Ivoire organize and monitor its elections.  (AFP, October 30, November 4; Africa News, Soir Info, October 31; Peace FM, November 4; VOA, November 1, 2009)

GUINEA

Junta imports arms despite embargo as internal dissent increases.  Guinea’s military junta has imported $45 million worth of weapons, despite an arms embargo recently declared by the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS).  The Guardian stated that the arms were flown into the country October 23 from Ukraine.  Furthermore, as many as 50 mercenaries reportedly from South Africa could be in Guinea working for junta leader, Captain Moussa “Dadis” Camara, who seized power in a coup d’état last December.  Camara has also begun recruiting militias from his own Forestier ethnic group in Guinea-Forestière, a province situated in south-eastern Guinea.  Fearful of a counter-coup, Camara has promoted fellow Forestiers to senior positions.  However, this has divided the army and marginalized members of other ethnic groups.  Camara agreed October 16 to establish an inquiry to work in tandem with a UN investigation into the September 28 massacre in which soldiers fired at protestors and raped women in public.  As many as 157 protestors were killed, 1,200 wounded, and it is alleged that many of those who went missing are currently detained by the military.  On November 2, Camara reduced the number of his commission from 31 to 23 and his new commission will no longer include opponents to his government.  Multiple sanctions have been imposed against Guinea by ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union, the U.S., and France in hopes of persuading Camara to step down.  France also recently suspended funding for a highway project in Conakry October 30.  The African Union stated October 30 that more sanctions are currently being prepared against Camara.  Opponents of the junta are currently in Burkina Faso negotiating with President Blaise Compaoré over Camara’s resignation and the release of those detained since September 28.  Opposition leader Mouctar Diallo has called on the international community to help them dismantle the Camara regime and its ethnic militias.  He further stated, “The people of Guinea are in danger.  We have the right and a duty to demand a humanitarian intervention.” (Guardian, Jeune Afrique, November 2; Jeune Afrique, October 30, 31; Senegambia, October 20, 2009)

LIBERIA

Sirleaf has not ruled out 2011 presidential elections.  President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf hinted October 29 at running in the 2011 presidential elections, despite earlier promises to serve only one term.  Her possible presidential candidacy is controversial since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report in July recommended that she and 50 other political figures be barred from public office for three decades.  Sirleaf had given up to $10,000 to Charles Taylor and his rebel forces, which has been viewed by many as direct funding for the Liberian civil war, instigated in 1989 by Taylor and his forces.  Nonetheless, others believed that Sirleaf should not be sanctioned because she had financed a struggle against the dictatorship of Samuel Doe.  Sirleaf expressed her remorse over being deceived by Taylor and stated that the money she sent was meant for humanitarian services and not his rebel group.  The TRC report has yet to be approved by the legislature, but if the report were legalized before the 2011 presidential poll, it would block a second term for Sirleaf.  There have been mixed responses to the TRC report. Fifty-five percent of the population believes that its implementation would lead to another bloodbath, while 45 percent believes that the TRC report will secure Liberia from future violence. (All Africa, October 15; AP, October 29, 2009)

SUDAN

Mbeki panel member claims goal of panel is to give Sudanese president an exit strategy from indictment. In an interview November 1, former Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Maher claimed the goal of the African Union (AU) high level panel on Darfur was to create a way for President Omar Al-Bashir to circumvent his indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Bashir is wanted by the ICC for war crimes and human rights violations perpetrated in Darfur. Maher claimed that the “case against Bashir was ‘political’ in nature and ‘biased against the Sudanese head of state with exaggeration in depicting the situation’” and deemed the “prosecution of an African head of state before an international tribunal [to be] totally unacceptable.” The panel, which was created to resolve the conflict in Darfur and is headed by former South African president Thabo Mbeki, has called for the creation of hybrid courts to try war crimes suspects and change certain Sudanese laws. Maher’s comments are in direct conflict with those of Mbeki, who has been consistently assuring Darfurians that the goal of the panel is not to evade the ICC. In addition, both the Sudanese government and Darfuri rebel groups have rejected the formation of these courts. Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur, head of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) claimed his movement will only accept trials led by the ICC. Mustafa Osman Ismail, the Sudanese presidential advisor, rejected “interference” by both the ICC and hybrid courts and maintained that the Sudanese judiciary must have sole responsibility for prosecuting the crimes. Speaking to reporters in Cairo, Ismail said, “Justice should be applied [to] anyone with no exception[,] but at the same time the sovereignty of Sudan and the independence of its judiciary must be respected.” According to a UN report, 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have been displaced since the conflict between Darfuri rebels and the Sudanese government began in 2003. The Sudanese government rejects this report and claims the death toll has only reached 10,000. (Sudan Tribune, November 1, 2, 2009)

UGANDA

Ugandan rebels surrender to Congolese forces. Nine soldiers from the Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) surrendered to the Congolese army after a battle with the Ugandan People’s Defense Force (UPDF) in the Central African Republic (CAR). The LRA had fled to the CAR when a joint operation of UPDF forces, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, and the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) attacked and destroyed their camps in Garamba National Park in the DRC. With the addition of these nine soldiers, a total of thirteen LRA fighters have surrendered within a week. The rebels, many of whom were abducted as children on their way to school between 1995 and 2002, claimed they surrendered “due to a leadership power vacuum and lack of food in the bush.” According to Captain Peter Mugisa, the UPDF West Nile Army Spokesman, this is an indication that Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA, is losing power, and the situation “will pave way for peace in northern Uganda.” The LRA has been responsible for brutal acts of violence against civilian populations. Formerly, the LRA operated mainly in northern Uganda, but it has recently extended its attacks into the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Sudan, and southeastern Central African Republic. (Daily Monitor, November 2, 2009)

ASIA

NEPAL

Protests “peaceful” so far. November 2 marked the first phase of the Maoists’ (UCPN-M) 15-day protest program, as they picketed the offices of village development offices and municipalities. They forcibly captured the Dhankuta municipality, taking over local government positions. Protests escalated to the District Administration Offices (DAOs) November 4, focusing on Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. Demonstrators clashed with police in the Sunsari district, with 12 agitators and six police personnel injured. Police also fired tear gas on the protestors. Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Maoist government leader Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachhadar have both stated that their party will respond with force if violence is used against them. The government and the Himalayan Times have asserted that the UCPN-M is breaching the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2006 by undertaking the protest. Maoists have accused the government of suppressing the civilian uprising, and UCPN-M politburo member Janardhan Sharma claimed that the protests are peaceful and do not breach the CPA. He also called other party members “losers,” as Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal (CPN-UML), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala (NC) and others did not gain a majority of votes during the Constituent Assembly elections in 2008. President Ram Baran Yadav (NC) stated November 2 that he was “very concerned about the country’s situation.” The CPA ended a decade-long civil war between Maoists and the government and allowed the UCPN-M to be incorporated into the government. Dahal stepped down from his position as Prime Minister in May to protest the government, and the parties have had increased tensions ever since. (Himalayan Times, November 2, 3, 4; Nepal News, November 2, 3, 4, 2009)

PAKISTAN

Minister calls for development as aid decreases, violence continues. Foreign Affairs Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called for regional cooperation to combat terrorism November 2. He also asserted that a “3D” program would be adopted promoting dialogue, development, and deterrence. He cited poverty as a main factor of extremism. Meanwhile, the estimated 240,000 internally displaced persons (IPDs) in Waziristan are receiving less aid due to dramatically decreased security in the area throughout October. A UN press release stated that due to security threats in the region, there have been “reduced international UN staff members in [the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP)] … with [the] presence of only those vital for emergency, humanitarian relief, [and] security operations.” Deputy Head of Médecins Sans Frontières Ronnie Palomar said it is the military that is blocking access to aid and relief, as “South Waziristan is a very highly militarized zone.” Palomar said that because of this, the military is the only group giving humanitarian aid, even while many non-governmental organizations are in the region. Human Rights Watch has stated that “it could be a catastrophe” if the military does not allow aid organizations to reach IDPs. The state army said they entered a “Taliban stronghold” November 2, taking the strategic town of Sararogha. On November 2 the government released a “dead-or-alive” bounty for the top ten Taliban leaders, including chief Hakimullah Mehsud. A Gallup poll on November 3 revealed that while 51 percent of civilians support military action in the NWFP, blame for violence in the country was put first on the U.S. military (35 percent), then the Pakistani military (31 percent), and last the Taliban (25 percent). When asked who the war “belonged to,” 39 percent responded that the war belonged to the U.S., 37 percent consider it Pakistan’s own war, and 22 percent think it is a war in which both parties have an interest. The government launched an offensive into the region October 17, causing a violent response from the Taliban and other rebel forces. An estimated 300 civilians have been killed in suicide bombings since the offensive started. Taliban spokesperson Azam Tariq said November 3 that the Taliban is “prepared for a long war.” (AFP, Al-Jazeera, AP, November 3; BBC, November 2; Bloomberg, November 4; IRIN, Reuters, November 3; Xinhua, November 2, 3, 2009)

PHILIPPINES

Former president announces re-election bid. Joseph Estrada, former film actor and president, announced October 21 his intention to run for the presidency in the 2010 elections. Estrada was first elected to the presidency in 1998. In 2001 he underwent an impeachment trial by the Senate on charges of corruption, including allegations that he received kickbacks from gambling lords. His trial was cut short, however, when attempts by his supporters to suppress evidence were revealed to the public. Filipinos took the streets in protest in what became known as the People Power 2, ultimately leading to Estrada’s removal from office. Estrada then spent six years in prison for plunder and corruption. In 2007, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pardoned Estrada on the condition that he would never again run for political office. Furthermore, the Philippines constitution states that a former president may not seek a second term. Estrada, however, claims these restrictions do not apply to him, as he was never able to finish his first term. “I am not running for re-election,” he said. “I am running for election.” He also claimed that his ousting in 2001 was “an illegal coup staged by the country’s elite.” The Arroyo administration and Estrada’s opponents have promised to bring this issue before the Supreme Court. If elected president, Estrada vows to “resume his ‘all-out war’ against Islamic separatists and Communist insurgents” and bring an end to the corruption that haunts the presidency. He looks to the election as way to clear his name and validate his legacy. For the time being, Estrada has returned to making films, hoping to endear himself to fans who could become potential voters. Estrada, an extremely successful and prolific actor, was mayor of San Juan, a suburb of Manila, for seventeen years, a senator for five years, and vice president for six years before becoming president. (New York Times, October 29, 2009)

SRI LANKA

General refuses human rights questioning as opposition parties form alliance; activist says conditions for Tamils are “grim”. General Sarath Fonseka concluded his visit to the U.S. November 4 without being questioned about human rights abuses during his country's civil war. Concern over human rights in Sri Lanka with regard to the minority ethnic Tamil community has increased in recent weeks, and the U.S. has been a vocal critic of the insufficient efforts made to investigate war crimes in the country. As Fonseka holds a U.S. green card, the Department of Homeland Security would have been able to legally question him about his role in the war. Fonseka has also been discussed as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election, but has not confirmed he will run. On November 3 opposition parties announced an alliance to challenge the current government, hoping to stand against the popularity of the current administration after its victory over the rebel group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May. The opposition alliance includes both Muslim and Tamil parties, and is led by former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Many former opponents of the Sinhalese majority party have entered the current government, forming a group of more than 100 ministers. The opposition parties want to abolish the presidential system currently in place and replace it with the parliamentary system that was abandoned in 1979. Other parties include the Sinhalese Marxist Party (JVP) and pro-Tiger Tamil parties. Media Minister Laxman Yapa Abeywardena spoke for the government November 4, dismissing the opposition alliance and asserting that the strongest coalition in the country is the one facilitated by the current government. The opposition parties have already sought out court intervention to ensure a fair and free election in Sri Lanka, the date of which is expected to be announced by President Mahinda Rajapakse before January 2010. Indian writer-activist Arundhati Roy, who has historically spoken against persecution of Tamils in Sri Lanka, spoke about the current situation in an interview November 2. She called the situation for Tamils “absolutely grim” and expressed that she perceives corruption in government policies regarding Tamils in both India and Sri Lanka. She said that the latter should allow media into the camps to see what is really going on, and called on India, China and Pakistan to drop their objection to the investigation of war crimes in Sri Lanka. An estimated 300,000 internally displaced Tamils have been held in camps since the end of the 24-year conflict in May. (AFP, November 4; BBC, November 3; Colombo Page, Reuters, November 4; Sri Lanka Guardian, November 2; Xinhua, November 1, 2009)

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

COLOMBIA

U.S. and Colombia sign military base agreement October 30 amid growing tensions in the region. Events in the past two weeks have increased tensions between Colombia and its neighbors, most notably Venezuela. U.S. and Colombia officials say the arrangement to allow the U.S. military access to seven of Colombia’s military bases is a “practical aid” for fighting drug trafficking and guerrilla movements and that U.S. personnel will not exceed 800 soldiers or 600 civilians. Neighboring countries, however, view the agreement as a threat to their national security. According to the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s Colombia Project, the agreement gives U.S. personnel diplomatic immunity and contains no limit to the number of U.S. personnel that can occupy the bases or the number of bases they can use. There is also fear that the U.S. will use the bases to launch attacks against other countries. Opposition leaders and the Colombian Constitutional Court argue that President Álavaro Uribe must get congressional approval for the agreement. Uribe, however, has stated that congressional approval is not necessary. The military agreement comes amid increasing tensions between Colombia and Venezuela surrounding the October 24 killing of 11 soccer players in the Venezuelan department of Táchira along the border with Colombia. Venezuelan vice-president Ramón Carrizález declared on national television November 1 that the 11 men were Colombian paramilitaries seeking to destabilize Venezuela. That same day, two Venezuelan national guardsmen in Táchira were killed by four men on motorcycles, also suspected by Venezuela of being paramilitaries from Colombia. Earlier in the week, Venezuela said it had arrested two Colombians and a Venezuelan for allegedly spying for Colombia. On November 4 Venezuelan officials closed the two main international bridges in Táchira as they looked for suspects in the killing of the two guards. Local residents continued to cross the border on foot carrying their belongings over a shallow river. The two countries’ strained relations intensified in August when Colombia first announced the pending military agreement and Venezuela subsequently cut off diplomatic relations. (El Tiempo, November 2, 4; Fellowship of Reconciliation, October 30; RIA Novosti, November 3, 2009)

 

CUBA

Cubans fear more government control of food. The Cuban government has proposed to control prices of food sold at local farmers’ markets. The farmers’ markets, or “agros,” are one of the few free-market experiments that the socialist government has implemented.  Originally the price controls were to begin November 1; however, according to an anonymous member of Havana’s municipal parliament, authorities have not yet taken the necessary steps to apply the changes. By law, small producers and vendors can sell their surplus at their own prices. Nearly 70 percent of all produce yielded is used to reach government-set quotas. President Raúl Castro hopes to use the government regulated prices in order to crack down on the farmers who sell to free-market vendors through unlicensed truckers in order to make more money rather than meet their quota. Many Cubans fear that if the government has a hand in the free-market agros, food prices might rise. Additionally some have expressed concern that with the proposed change, there will be food shortages and longer lines, as is the case with many government-controlled produce markets. “It’s going to be a mess. There will be less merchandise,” said Antonio Gutiérrez, a vendor for a cooperative that supplies agro vendors with produce.  In contrast, other Cubans have defended the proposal, such as Nancy Alfonso, a retired beer factory worker. “The state doesn’t rob, it’s all of these [vendors] who do.” The divisive issue has recently created a tense environment at the agros. When state officials came to a market for inspection the first week of October, rumors began to circulate that they were imposing the new prices. People began shouting to defend their positions on the issue, until police came to settle the arguments. A similar occurrence took place October 27, when questions from an AP reporter regarding the price controls upset customers and vendors, causing the police to escort the AP journalist from the market. The agros were first created in 1980 when former President Fidel Castro, pushed by food shortages, decided to allow farmers to sell some products at a price driven by the free market. In 1986 the program was closed in order to “improve foundering state agricultural production,” and then reopened in 1994 in response to the collapse of the Soviet Union. (The Miami Herald, October 28, 2009)

EL SALVADOR

ARENA blames Chávez for internal crisis. Two prominent right-wing leaders, Alfredo Cristiani, former president of El Salvador and current president of the Nationalist Republic Alliance (ARENA), and Rodolfo Parker, of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), have blamed Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez for the recent division within the ARENA party. Cristiani and Parker said Chávez has crafted a “sophisticated conspiracy” in order to seize legislative power from the right-wing parties. The right-wing leaders claimed Chávez has been paying representatives in parliament to favor the moderate leftist Farabundo Marti National Liberation (FMLN) party, which is currently in control of the government.  Cristiani claimed there is proof that there have been offers of up to $700,000 to some legislators. ARENA governed El Salvador from 1980 until May 2009, when Mauricio Funes from the FMLN won the election. Partially due to the electoral defeat, ARENA has been experiencing internal problems, with 12 of the 32 members leaving the party in October to create The Grand Alliance of National Unity (GANA). GANA has been recognized as an official political party by the FMLN and has been allotted three spots in parliament. ARENA has lost one representative, with two out of three remaining. (El País, November 2, 2009)

GUATEMALA

Mob lynches national police officer. On November 1, a mob of approximately 2,000 residents captured and lynched an officer of the National Civil Police, Pedro Rodríguez Toma after he shot and wounded Diego Rodríguez Toma (unknown if related to Pedro), president of the local public safety board in the town of San Juan Cotzal. According to the police officer’s widow, Pedro Rodríguez Toma had gone to the town to inquire about his 16-year old son who was detained. The San Juan Cotzal mayor José Pérez Chen said, however, that Toma was there to kill Chen over a dispute about Toma’s son. When Toma was unable to find Chen, he shot Diego Rodríguez Toma instead. According to the mayor, Pedro’s son was involved in a gang, wore earrings and associated with “undesirables.” The mayor also said the town had declared a “war against gangs” last year which is why the 16-year old had been detained. Communities in Guatemala are increasingly taking justice into their own hands out of frustration that the state is not protecting them from escalating violence. According to the Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo (GAM), as of August this year, there were 108 attempted lynchings and 26 that resulted in death. This has increased dramatically from 75 attempts during the same period in 2008 and 3 that resulted in death. Residents of the city of Mixco outside Guatemala City are also seeking ways to protect themselves when the state does not. Mixco is the third most violent city in Guatemala and residents have imposed security checkpoints and closed sectors. They have formed committees and pooled their money to pay over $9 million annually for private guards. According to The Washington Post, there are approximately 100,000 private armed guards in Guatemala compared to 19,000 national police officers. Carlos Castresana, director of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), stated in the Washington Post article, “The private guards are one of the biggest security threats Guatemala faces…If you have 100,000 armed men under no control, and 50 million bullets consumed a year, you have another kind of war.” Last year there were more than 6,000 murders in Guatemala, making it one of the most violent countries in Latin America. (Prensa Libre, November 1, 2, 3; Reuters, April 21, 2009; Washington Post, April 24, 2009)

HAITI

Prime Minister ousted by Senate. Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis was ousted October 30, with 18 out of 29 members of the Senate voting against her. President René Preval has named Jean Max Bellerive, the Planning and External Cooperation Minister, as a temporary replacement. Pierre-Louis’ opponents claimed that she was removed over her failure to promote economic recovery after four devastating storms that hit Haiti in September 2008. Additionally, they questioned the spending of $197 million set aside for storm recovery. Pierre-Louis was Haiti’s fourth prime minister in five years, and became prime minister in September 2008 after Jacques-Edouard Alexis, her predecessor, was dismissed by the Senate due to nationwide protests over the high cost of food. Recent foreign investment for poverty reduction programs marked a time of optimism for Haiti, and in May former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the current UN Special Envoy to Haiti, claimed that “Haiti [was] better positioned to make progress for all its people than at any time since [he] first visited in 1978.”  However, analysts have said that the removal of Pierre-Louis could cause investors and donors to worry about the nation’s stability, and in turn threaten international investment. According to Senate President Kelly Bastien, the Senate planned to reconvene the week of November 2 in order to ratify a new prime minister. The process is scheduled to be completed before November 18. (Americas Society, November 3; Caribbean 360, November 2; Guardian, October 30, 2009)