Curb rights violations in conflicts

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL IS urging African leaders to ensure the respect and protection of international human rights and humanitarian law in long-standing conflicts in Africa.

In Somalia, the human rights and humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Thousands of civilians were killed and injured last year in indiscriminate warfare. Hundreds of thousands have fled further fighting.

In territories controlled by armed groups, many civilians do not have access to humanitarian aid. Journalists and civil society activists have seen their space to work restricted by threats, targeted killings and insecurity.

The continuous flow of arms to all parties and the striking lack of accountability for serious abuses exacerbate Somalia’s human rights crisis.

Amnesty International, accordingly, urges the African Union to:

• Call on member states to suspend all supplies of weapons, military and security equipment to the Transitional Federal Government until effective mechanisms are in place to prevent such assistance from being used in committing serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
• Ensure member states respect the arms embargo on Somalia, including the obligation to request exemptions for any security sector assistance to Somalia’s TFG, from the UN Sanctions Committee.
• Ensure that training and other security assistance delivered by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to government security forces includes rigorous practical exercises and operating standards designed to ensure full respect for international human rights.

• Set up an independent mechanism to investigate all allegations of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by personnel of AMISOM.

In Sudan, the scheduled presidential and legislative elections in April, and the referendum in January 2011 on the independence of Southern Sudan, could cause a further deterioration of the human rights situation and an upsurge of armed conflict, particularly in Darfur and Southern Sudan.

IN DARFUR, ATTACKS AGAINST CIVIL-ians continue and hundreds of civilians were killed in 2009 by armed opposition groups and government armed forces.

The conflict continues in a climate of impunity. Despite some returns during the year, more than 2.6 million people continue to live in IDP camps.

The joint African Union/United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) still lacks essential resources like helicopters and other air and ground transport equipment. This equipment is vital for the organisation to protect civilians.

In Southern Sudan, there was a resurgence of violence in 2009, some of the worst since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005.

The UN estimates that more than 2,500 people were killed and 350,000 displaced. Much of this violence was the result of inter-ethnic fighting.

To address the serious human rights violations that continue to take place in Sudan, justice must be reinforced at all levels. Those suspected of being responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity should be held accountable for their actions.

The National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) are responsible for many of the human rights violations in Sudan.

In December 2009, the Sudanese National Assembly passed a law reforming the NISS. But it maintains the powers of NISS officers to arrest and detain people for a period of four and a half months without judicial review.

The law also provides immunity from prosecution to NISS personnel for human rights violations.

Mr Nyang’aya is director, Amnesty International Kenya Growth Project