Statement by the Spokesperson on the Presidential Elections in Equatorial Guinea (04.05.2016)

Obiang

BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 3, 2016The elections in Equatorial Guinea, while held in a generally orderly manner and calm atmosphere, were a missed opportunity for the democratisation of the country.  

The campaign was held without any debate on national issues. There was an inequitable access of candidates to public media and financial resources as well as incidents of harassment against opposition candidates, including an attack carried out by security forces against the headquarters of an opposition party.  This environment challenges the conclusions of the national dialogue process held in 2014, notably regarding the aim to facilitate the establishment and work of political parties and to open political space.

The confirmation of presidential election results opens the way for President Obiang to serve another term.  We note the President’s public undertaking that this would be his last term.

The Preliminary declaration issued by the African Union Election Observation Mission, which the EU acknowledges, contains important recommendations. They include the need to reinforce political dialogue and consensus building among all stakeholders in the electoral process and the reform of the National Electoral Commission with the objective of making it a permanent, more inclusive, impartial and independent body in accordance with the Constitution.

Equatorial Guinea’s ratification of the revised Cotonou Agreement would allow comprehensive political relations and full co-operation to match those which the EU enjoys with other African, Caribbean and Pacific states.

Burundi’s crisis talks postponed (Youtube-Clip)

“The inter Burundian dialogue that was scheduled to take place from May 2 to 6 in Arusha, Tanzania has been postponed. This was announced on Friday by the office of former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa who is also the facilitator of the talks.”Following consultations between the facilitator in the Burundi dialogue, former Tanzanian President Benjamin William Mkapa and East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Liberat Mfumukeko, the resumption of the dialogue which was due on May 2-… READ MORE :  http://www.africanews.com/2016/04/30/…” (Africa News, 2016).

Minister Of Foreign Affairs, Equatorial Guinea Declares Candidature For Chairperson Of African Union (Youtube-Clip)

“African Ambassadors to Nigeria have expressed solidarity to the unity of African Countries that will actualize the security, growth and prosperity of the continent. The Ambassadors stated this while playing host to the Minister Of Foreign Affairs, Equatorial Guinea, Agapito Mba Mokuy who also declared his candidature for the chairperson of the African Union ” (NTA News, 2016).

“Morocco’s Letter Opposing African Union’s Chissano Speaking to UN Security Council About the Western Sahara” (24.04.2016)

Western Sahara Letter April 2016Western Sahara Letter April 2016 P2

Original Letter:

Morroco Letter April 2016 P1Morroco Letter April 2016 P2

Press Statement: Secretary-General appoints Abiodun O. Bashua of Nigeria to lead the Special Investigation into the Malakal incident in South Sudan (27.04.2016)

02-18-SS-Malakal

NEW YORK, United States of America, April 27, 2016 – The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Abiodun Oluremi Bashua of Nigeria to lead the Special Investigation into the attack against the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) protection of civilians site in Malakal, South Sudan.The Special Investigation will undertake a detailed examination of the circumstances which led to the incident from 17 to 18 February in which at least 25 civilians in the site were killed and an additional 144 were injured. This investigation will complement the United Nations Headquarters Board of Inquiry announced on 11 March which is conducting an in-depth investigation into the overall response of UNMISS to the incident.

Mr. Bashua recently concluded his assignment as the Deputy Joint Special Representative of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, during which time he also served as the Acting Joint Special Representative in 2014 and 2015. In addition, he has extensive experience in several United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa, having served at senior levels in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan. Mr. Bashua has also served as Secretary to the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Dr Kach Ononuju interviewed on Tutsi general killed in Burundi attack (Youtube-Clip)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7un-sd39k98

 

Press Release: MONUSCO expresses serious concern about rising political tensions in some parts of the DRC (25.04.2016)

DRC Campaign Fear 2016

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, April 25, 2016 – The Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Head of MONUSCO, Maman Sidikou, has expressed serious concern about rising political tensions in some parts of the DRC.

This situation follows the announcement by certain political groups and parties of their intention to organize political gatherings in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi and subsequent measures taken by the security forces to prevent the holding of these gatherings.

The SRSG stresses the need for all Congolese political actors to demonstrate maximum restraint during this critical period in the political evolution of their country.  He urges the Congolese authorities to do their utmost to scrupulously uphold the rule of law and desist from any actions that could impede political actors from exercising their constitutional rights and freedoms, including the freedom of expression, association and assembly.

The SRSG reaffirms the critical importance of adequate political space to foster a genuinely inclusive political dialogue that would pave the way for the holding of peaceful, transparent and credible elections.

In that regard, he reiterates the readiness of MONUSCO to support the African Union designated Facilitator Mr. Edem Kodji, and work with him in the pursuit of his efforts, bearing in mind the relevant provisions of UN SC 2277 and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Good Governance.

BURUNDI AFTERMATH Are Burundians deliberately silent or being silenced? (Youtube-Clip)

“The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein today warned of a “sharp increase in the use of torture and ill-treatment in Burundi” and voiced concerns about worrying reports of the existence of illegal detention facilities, both in Bujumbura and in the countryside. His Office (OHCHR) estimates that some 595 people have been ill-treated or tortured since April 2015, a figure which is likely to be an under-estimate.  Daniel Lutaaya has been speaking to the Burundian Ambassodor to Uganda H. E Jean Bosco Barege to find out the truth or otherwise to this matter” (WBS TV Uganda, 2016)

Readout of the Secretary-General’s telephone calls with H.E. Mr. Salva KIIR, President of South Sudan and H.E. Mr. Riek MACHAR, First Vice-President Designate of the Republic of South Sudan

Machar Kiir

NEW YORK, United States of America, April 18, 2016The Secretary-General spoke today with President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan.  He commended President Kiir for his decision to welcome Riek Machar back to Juba and swear him in as the First Vice President of South Sudan on Monday, 18 April.  He called for the expeditious implementation of the security arrangements envisaged in the peace agreement and the withdrawal additional SPLA troops from Juba.

The Secretary-General also spoke to the First Vice President Designate of the Republic of South Sudan, Riek Machar. He welcomed his decision to return to Juba and urged him to work with President Kiir to prevent any further violence.

The Secretary-General underscored the need to quickly form the Transitional Government of National Unity, as a crucial next step in the peace process.  He reaffirmed the readiness of the United Nations to assist in all efforts to bring peace to South Sudan. He urged both leaders to continue working together with the Chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, former president Mogae, and the African Union High Representative for South Sudan, former president Konare, towards the implementation of the peace agreement.

Press Statement – Burundi : Repression of a genocidal character, the UN’s response must be strong (15.04.2016)

burundi-protests

PARIS, France, April 15, 2016 Back from a fact-finding mission in Burundi, conducted in March 2016, FIDH and ITEKA condemn serious human rights violations in Burundi, mainly perpetrated by defence and security forces, against a background of ethnic and genocidal ideology. The ongoing crimes could already be qualified as crimes against humanity and there are now signs that the crisis could lead to acts of genocide. This crisis demands a strong response from the UN, notably through the deployment of a UN police and an international commission of inquiry to prevent mass atrocities.

Since April 2015, 700 people have allegedly been killed, 4,300 have been arbitrarily detained, and several hundred people (800 according to some sources) have been forcily disappeared.  Hundreds of other people have been tortured and dozens of women have been sexually assaulted. As a result of the conflict in Burundi, more than 250,000 Burundians have already fled the country. While the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon is set to submit options for the deployment of UN elements by 15 April, FIDH and ITEKA, call upon the international community, including the UN Security Council, to deploy an international police task force of at least 500 police officers with the objective of protecting civilians, stopping ongoing lethal violence, and preventing further armed clashes. FIDH and Iteka believe that if these trends continue, the  African Union or the United Nations  must send a peacekeeping force  to end the violence and the repression of an increasingly genocidal nature.
During its mission, and in a forthcoming report, the FIDH delegation has documented and established the continuation of targeted and extra-judicial killings; of daily arbitrary arrests and detention; of the intensification of enforced disappearances and illegal detention facilities as well as torture. FIDH also witnessed the high level of surveillance and control on Burundian society by security forces, including by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and by the ruling party’s youth militias, the Imbunerakure.

“The situation is particularly worrying with the NIS – the main actor of the repression – that has infiltrated every layer of society and systematically tortures detainees. Parallel chains of command have been established within the security forces to orchestrate the repression. Part of the Imbunerakure1 militia is trained, armed, and deployed throughout the country and acts as the defacto security forces. Tensions within the army are extremely vivid. The international community must do everything in its power to protect civilians and prevent the situation from getting out of control,” said Karim Lahidji, FIDH President. “The nature of the crimes witnessed by the FIDH delegation could very well fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Prosecutor, Ms Fatou Bensouda, should immediately open a preliminary examination of the situation in Burundi, which is state party to the ICC” he added.

policiers-burundi

The evidence gathered by FIDH and ITEKA establishes that the Tustis are particularly targeted by the violence and due to  their ethnicity. They are more targeted during arrests, are subject to ethnic insults from security forces and systematically tortured during detention. The public and private messages of members of the ruling party CNDD-FDD or regime supporters are referring to Tutsis more and more openly as “enemies, “terrorists” and “genocidal insurrection”.2 Since the assassination on 22 March 2016, of Lieutenant-colonel Darius Ikurakure3, pillar of Burundi’s repressive system, targeted killings of soldiers belonging to the former Burundian Armed Forces – FAB (mainly composed of Tutsis) – have also increased.

According to information gathered by FIDH and ITEKA, more than 10 former Burundian army soldiers have been killed by unidentified men since the beginning of March. These elements are part of a larger context marked by an increasingly ethnic discourse by Burundian authorities and their supporters. The day before the funeral of the Lieutenant-Colonel Darius Ikurakure, messages were circulated on social media, including the following: “Dear HUTUS, wake up! Tomorrow we will bury another hero of the anti-Tutsi struggle, his excellency Lieutenant General Darius Ikurakure. Hutu officers and civilians will attend to thank him for his work. Come in number, and be careful and remember that he hero must not die alone, za mujeri sindumja muzincunge bibaye ngombwa mukore. Delende is Mike [watch those emaciated dogs, I am not a slave, if you must: work]. A word to the wise is enough! KORA [work]” circulated on social media. The term to “work” ,was used in Rwanda by the Hutu genocidal government to call upon the elimination of Tutsis. It was also used on 1 November 2015, by Burundian Senate President, Révérien Ndikuriyo, in front of his supporters and several Imbunerakure: “if you hear the signal with an order that it must end, emotions and tears will have no place !” and added “you must spray, you must exterminate those people (…) Wait for the day when we will say “work.”, you will see the difference!”. The conversation was not supposed to be recorded.

Burundian security forces involved in the repression are themselves made up of men who know how to execute orders and can “get things done,”  according to a source close to the security services. “They are over 95% Hutus” adds the source. About ten units, among which the NIS, the Riot Squad (BAE), the Special Battalion for Institution Protection (BSPI), the Institution Protection Agency (API), the Combat Engineering Battalion (BGC), the Mobile Group for Rapid Intervention (GMIR) and Special Research Police(PSR), are led by those loyal to the regime directly linked through parallel command chains, to the presidency, including the civilian cabinet. Those persons, responsible for the repression, could be incriminated for the crimes perpetrated directly by them or under their authority and should be subjected to criminal prosecution and individual sanctions by international institutions and influential diplomatic bodies.

Burundi-Museveni-Nkurunziza
“FIDH and ITEKA are very concerned about the ethnic nature of the repression in recent months, the authoritarian rhetoric and the use of preventive violence by authorities and their supporters. This reminds of the anti-Hutu genocidal massacres of the last  40 years. The authorities consider that they are the only representatives of the people and refer any kind of political, ethnic and social pluralism to a “them” against “us”, deadly for the country. We solemnly call upon Burundian authorities to uphold the Arusha Agreement by ending the repression, freeing the thousands of political detainees, and take part in an honest dialogue with the opposition and the independent civil society,” urged Anschaire Nikoyagiza, ITEKA President.

In response to the abuses of the regime, many men are joining the ranks of rebel armed groups (Red Tabara and FOREBU). These groups have carried out targeted attacks and killings against representatives of CNDD-FDD, members of law enforcement and Imbonerakure in Bujumbura and in the provinces, which have resulted in civilian casualties.. Indiscriminate attacks against civilians may amount to war crimes and   perpetrators must face justice.

Moreover, the documentation of these violations has become extremely dangerous. Human rights defenders, opponents and independent journalists still in Burundi are living mostly underground. They are followed and receive death threats. Almost every civil society leader, journalists and opposition member have   been forced to flee the country and those who remain, leaders or activists, continue to be subjected to threats or even attacks by men suspected of acting on the behalf of the regime, especially the Imbonerakure.

The disappearance of Marie-Claudette Kwizera, ITEKA treasurer, since her arrest by NIS elements on 10 December 2015 illustrates a worrying phenomenon that would concern hundreds of cases. Some sources report at least 800 people have been foricbly disappeared. The documentation of these disappearances is more and more difficult because of the increase of illegal detention facilities. The Burundian authorities and the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (CNIDH), seized by FIDH on the case of Marie-Claudette Kwizera and other cases of enforced disappearances, were unable to provide explanations or information on the fate of these people who are neither refugees nor officially detained.

“Given the risk of a new civil war and the perpetration of mass crimes, our organisations urge the international community to deploy an international police force in the country (of at least 500 officers) to ensure the protection of civilians and facilitate the holding of an inclusive political dialogue as soon as possible. Furthermore, we call on the Security Council to mandate an independent international commission to investigate the crimes perpetrated since April 2015, ” said Dismas Kitenge, FIDH Vice President.

On 1 April 2016, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2279 urging all parties to the crisis to agree on a timetable for negotiations. It also calls on the UN Secretary-General, to present by 15 April  to the Security Council “options” for the deployment of an international police force. In view of the security and human rights situation prevailing in the country, FIDH and ITEKA urge the UN to ensure that this task force has the mandate and the means to play a stabilizing, deterrent and monitoring role and to intervene in the event of the commission serious human rights violations.