Impunity Watch: Africa

Prince Johnson testifies before TRC

By Ted Townsend
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MONROVIA, Liberia –  Testifying before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (“TRC”), former founder of the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (“INPFL”) Prince Johnson admitted to overthrowing the government of former Liberian President Samuel K. Doe. Johnson then acknowledged to burning Doe’s body, and throwing the ashes into a river, but not before torturing Doe. Videotape evidence shows Johnson drinking Budweiser and ordering his followers to cut Doe’s ears off. He then allegedly paraded Doe’s body around the streets in a wheelbarrow.

Prior to murdering Doe, Johnson agreed to a truce with the president, agreeing to attack West African peacekeepers.  According to Johnson, he received “enough arms and ammunition” in order to attack, among other groups, the Economic Monitoring Group (“ECOMOG”). The then-president Doe allegedly told Johnson that ECOMOG was working with the Central Intelligence Agency, and was conspiring against development in Africa. In exchange for this ammunition, Johnson paid Doe in bags of rice.

However, after the split with Doe, Johnson relinquished power to ECOMOG, thereby securing safe passage to Nigeria. There, he became a born again evangelist.

Since the end of Liberia’s civil war in 2003, Johnson has attempted to distance himself from his actions by reinventing himself as a senator. However, he was not testifying in is role as a politician; he was testifying as a former warlords. Johnson’s testimony this week was in continuation of the TRC in Monrovia. The TRC was established to "promote national peace, security, unity and reconciliation," while also holding former warlords responsible for Human Rights Violations committed between 1979 and 2003.

For more information, please see:

allAfrica.com (citing The Analyst) – Prince Johnson on TRC Stand Today - 26 August 2008

The Analyst – Doe, Prince Johnson Signed Truce to Attack ECOMOG  – 28 August 2008

The Inquirer – Samuel Doe’s Body was Burnt – 28 August 2008

Afrol News – Warlord reveals his part in Burkina Faso Coup – 28 August 2008

Power-Sharing Deal in Zimbabwe Threatened As Opposition Leaders Arrested

By: Julie Narimatsu

Impunity Watch Managing Editor-Journal

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Negotiations between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and the opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), have been threatened, as Mugabe announced at the convening of Parliament that he would be forming his new Cabinet with or without the opposition.  Mugabe stated Tuesday that "The MDC does not want to come in apparently."  On its side, MDC  states that Mugabe has abandoned the negotiations and that any attempt to set up a Cabinet and government himself would fail. 

Mugabe faced heckling during his speech at the first parliamentary session since the elections.  The elections this year resulted in an opposition majority for the first time in history, with MDC taking one more seat than Mugabe's Zanu-PF.  Despite the divisions, power-sharing discussions run by South African President Thabo Mbeki are supposed to resume this week.  Mugabe told the parliament members that he expected a power-sharing deal to be completed, and the MDC has said it will continue to participate in the discussions.  MDC spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, was quoted by Reuters as saying "We remain committed to a dialogue process that is going to produce an acceptabel outcome for all the players, an inclusive government."   

In the meantime, Zimbabwe police have arrested several MDC opposition leaders and MPs.  Two were arrested on Monday, with three more arrested on Tuesday.  MDC stated that it perceived the arrests as "a direct affront to the will of the people of Zimbabwe."  Police, however, insist that the arrests were related to violence up to and during the run-off elections on June 27th.  Mugabe expressed regret at the violence that resulted from the elections this year.  The MDC estimates that over 200 were killed and about 200,000 were displaced during this period.

For more information, please see:

CNN.com - Police seize opposition MPs in Zimbabwe - 27 August 2008

MSNBC.com - Mugabe says he will form new government - 27 August 2008

BBC - Mugabe 'to form government alone' - 27 August 2008

Zimbabwean Leaders in Power-Sharing Discussions; Media Workers Assaulted by Police in Ghana; Cameroonian Songwriter's Detention Continues Despite Reports of Ill Health

Julie Narimatsu
Impunity Watch Managing Editor-Journal

HARARE, South Africa - South African President Thabo Mbeki mediated talks between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, on Sunday in Harare. The talks lasted 14 hours and focused on the main issue of how the power will be split between the two leaders and exactly what roles Tsvangirai will play in the government. There are reports that Mugabe will remain as president while Tsvangirai will become the executive prime minister.

Mugabe reported that only "little hurdles" remain and consensus appears close in the negotiations, as discussions were set to continue on Monday. Tsvangirai did not comment after the last set of discussions, and Mbeki is scheduled to return home on Monday. A representative for Mbeki did not comment on whether or when a deal would be reached.

Violence erupted after a disputed March election where Tsvangirai won a majority of the votes, but not enough to avoid another election. In the re-election, Tsvangirai did not run due to violence directed at his supporters.

For more information, please see:

CNN - Zimbabwe power-sharing deal close, sources say - 9 August 2008

Reuters - Mugabe: only "little hurdles" to Zimbabwe deal - 11 August 2008

BBC - Zimbabwe crisis talks to resume - 11 August 2008

ACCRA, Ghana - Ghanaian police burst into the offices of Radio Gold, a radio station that primarily supports the country's opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC), after the station interviewed a member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). The interviewee was accused of fraud in relation to election processes and voter registration.

According to the Media Foundation for West Africa, an NPP official present at the interview decided to turn the suspect over to the police himself, a move that angered NDC supporters. After this incident, it is reported that police entered and began to assault people. Police insist that they arrived at the scene in response to an armed robbery, not to raid the station.

Several people were injured, including the station's financial controller and a graphic designer. The former was detained at a police station in Accra and was accused of obstruction.

The police response has angered many, and the Ghana Journalists' Association has stated that any grievances with the media should go to the National Media Commission.

For more information, please see:
AllAfrica.com - Ghana: Police Storm Radio Station, Assault Two Media Workers - 8 August 2008

VOA.com - Ghana Police Condemned for Storming a Radio Station - 6 August 2008

Media Foundation for West Africa - Ghana ALERT: Police assault media workers - 7 August 2008

LONDON, England - The detention of Lapiro de Mbanga, a songwriter whose controversial song about Cameroon's constitution reportedly resulted in his arrest, is being protested by the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC). WiPC claims that Mbanga's health is being adversely effected by the conditions of his detention and that medical care is lacking. They are urging the Cameroonian government to either provide evidence of the charges or release him immediately.

Mbanga was arrested for inciting strikes and demonstrations on April 9, 2008, but the Media Foundation for Western Africa claims that his arrest was due to a song he wrote about a new amendment that removes any temporal limits to the presidency and immunizes sitting presidents for acts committed during their term.

Mbanga's detention has now reached four months, after finally being charged on July 9. Mbanga has pleaded not guilty; a two-year prison sentence could be imposed if convicted. There is controversy over whether Mbanga was actually initiating the protests or whether he was trying to prevent them.

WiPC was set up by International PEN to prevent the detention of writers who are critical of governments.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica.com - Cameroon: Songwriter Remains in Detention; WiPC Concerned for His Failing Health - 8 August 2008

AllAfrica.com - Cameroon: Lapiro De Mbanga Sick in Prison - 7 July 2008

PEN American Center

Citizens flee violence in D.R. Congo as sexual attacks rise; al-Bashir vows not to co-operate with ICC probe; Zimbabwe peace talks expected to result in deal this week

 By Ted Townsend
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo  –  Tens of thousands of individuals have fled the Democratic Republic of Congo amid “horrid violence” as government troops and rebel groups have begun re-arming in expectation of conflict. This rearmament comes despite a January peace deal signed between the government and various rebel groups, which was to have seen the rapid disarmament of the rebels. This peace has become increasingly “fragile and shaky,” according to a member of Human Rights Watch, and the area has the potential to “spiral out of control.”

Attacks on aid workers has also made getting assistance to the estimated one hundred and fifty thousand displaced individuals difficult, placing those fleeing the violence at great risk for any number of factors.

In the wake of the January peace deal, the country has also seen an alarming rise in the reported rape rate, according to a report prepared by the Congo Advocacy Coalition, a group of over sixty-four local and international aid agencies.  In the violent North Kivu province alone, more than two thousand reports of rape and sexual attack were reported in the last month. In addition, a number of rapes and attacks have gone unreported, according to the report, citing stigma and poor access to doctors.

The displaced Congolese citizens also suffer from malnutrition, with rates reaching seventeen percent in certain parts of the country, “well above emergency levels.”

For more information, please see:

 

BBC News  – Congo groups ‘re-arming’ in east  – 1 August 2008

Reuters –Over 2,000 raped last month in Congo’s east - report – 29 July 2008

United Press International – Congo reported rearming despite pact –1 August 2008

------

KHARTOUM, Sudan – In an address to local and international trade union leaders Sunday, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir vowed that Sudan would not co-operate with the International Criminal Court” in its attempt to indict him for war crimes in Darfur. The Court’s chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo accused al-Bashir of “masterminding” a campaign of rape and murder, and has asked for a warrant to be issued for the president’s arrest.  In his address, al-Bashir announced he will be taking a firm stance against co-operation with the ICC.

For its part, the African Union believes that the ICC’s action against al-Bashir could endanger the peace process in Darfur, an operation which is already stretched thin. Last week, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution effectively extending the terms of currently serving peacekeepers in the war-torn region.

However, outgoing head of United Nations peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno warned that the peacekeeping force was already under-resourced and stretched to its limits. African aid agencies believe the Darfur peacekeeping force to be failing the region, as citizens are still subject to many human rights violations. However, Guehenno believes that without a stable political process in place, the peacekeeping forces have no chance at success. In a statement, Guehenno expressed worry that failure in Darfur would “reverberate throughout peacekeeping.”

For more information, please see:

BBC News– UN force ‘stretched to limits’ – 30 July 2008

VOA News –Sudan’s Bashir Vows No Co-operation with ICC – 3 August 2008

------

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Talks of a possible power-sharing deal continued this week between Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party and the main opposition. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is reportedly “fairly satisfied” with the progress of the talks thus far, despite the talks breaking down at points last week. Monday marks the artificial two week deadline set by the parties to reach an agreement. The peace agreement may not be reached at the deadline, but many believe the talks have made significant progress, to the point that they would continue past the deadline and that there were no “significant obstacles” to accord.

The Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, made up of journalists and freedom of speech activists, announced their support of a new democratic government, and asked for a free press. Mugabe, who in the aftermath of the contested election was accused of a campaign of intimidation, has long muzzled the press, only allowing certain news to be printed.

For further information, please see:

Zimbabwe Standard – Talks Deal this Week – 2 August 2008

BBC News – Rivals resume Zimbabwe deal talks – 3 August 2008