DOCSLIB.ORG

Download Full Report with Cover

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Download Full Report with Cover Sudan HUMAN “There is No Protection” RIGHTS Insecurity and Human Rights in Southern Sudan WATCH “There is No Protection” Insecurity and Human Rights in Southern Sudan Copyright © 2009 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-436-2 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org February 2009 1-56432-436-2 “There is No Protection” Insecurity and Human Rights in Southern Sudan I. Acronyms ........................................................................................................................ 1 II. Summary ........................................................................................................................ 2 III. Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 5 To the Government of National Unity ............................................................................... 5 To the Government of Southern Sudan ............................................................................ 5 To the United Nations and International Donors ............................................................. 6 IV. Methodology ................................................................................................................. 7 V. Background .................................................................................................................... 8 The Comprehensive Peace Agreement ............................................................................ 8 The Road Ahead ............................................................................................................ 10 Southern Sudan ............................................................................................................ 12 VI. Context: Southern Sudan’s Fragile Security Environment .............................................. 15 External Threats ............................................................................................................. 15 Internal Threats ............................................................................................................. 17 Human Rights Concerns in the Lead Up to 2009 National Elections ............................... 19 VII. Southern Sudan’s Human Rights Challenges .............................................................. 20 Lack of Civilian Protection ............................................................................................ 20 Weak Police Response ............................................................................................. 21 Human Rights Consequences of Using SPLA to Keep Public Order ................................ 22 Case Study from Eastern Equatoria, June 2008 ....................................................... 23 The Civilian Disarmament Challenge .............................................................................. 25 Case Study from Rumbek, September 2008 ............................................................ 26 VIII. Abuses by Security Forces ......................................................................................... 29 Trend of Criminality by Soldiers and Police ................................................................... 30 Land Disputes Involving Abusive Soldiers ..................................................................... 31 IX. Abusive Practices in the Administration of Justice ........................................................ 33 Military Arrests and Detentions ...................................................................................... 33 Police Arrests and Detentions ....................................................................................... 34 Discrimination Against Women and Girls ....................................................................... 37 Poor Conditions of Detention ........................................................................................ 38 Lack of Oversight of Detentions by Judicial Institutions ................................................. 39 X. Lack of Accountability for Human Rights Violations ...................................................... 40 XI. The Role of UN and International Donors ...................................................................... 43 I. Acronyms CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement DDR Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration GNU Government of National Unity GoSS Government of Southern Sudan GoS Government of Sudan JIU Joint Integrated Units LRA Lord’s Resistance Army NCP National Congress Party OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights SAF Sudanese Armed Forces SPLA Sudan People’s Liberation Army SPLM Sudan People’s Liberation Movement SSPS Southern Sudan Police Service UNMIS United Nations Mission in Sudan 1 Human Rights Watch February 2009 II. Summary ... there is no protection. —Interview with a man from the village of Tore, Central Equatoria, Lumuke, who fled his village after it was attacked by a group of bandits and renegade soldiers, April 2008. Nearly four years after the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that brought an end to 21 years of civil war, the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) has made limited progress in addressing impunity and establishing the rule of law. Soldiers and other security forces that commit human rights violations and other crimes against civilians are rarely brought to account. The nascent justice system suffers from systemic weaknesses leading to arbitrary detentions, prolonged pre-trial detentions, and very poor prison conditions. The GoSS, created under the terms of the CPA in 2005, is responsible for administering a severely under-developed area nearly twice the size of France that has been shattered by civil war. Given the sheer scale of its state-building and reconstruction challenges, the GoSS has made significant progress, including by absorbing dozens of formerly hostile militia into the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). But the fledgling government, dominated by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has not managed to protect civilians from crimes committed by its security forces, and public disquiet over these abuses is growing. Southern Sudan’s security landscape remains extremely fragile. In addition to threats emanating from national political tensions or attacks by the Ugandan rebel group Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), many southerners’ security and livelihoods are affected by localized communal fighting, often linked to competition over land, livestock, or other resources. Large numbers of weapons remain in civilian hands, turning many disputes violent and deadly. Soldiers and renegade soldiers from the SPLA also contribute to insecurity with infighting or by crimes against civilians for personal gain. The Southern Sudan Police Service (SSPS) lacks resources and training to effectively provide security. In their absence, GoSS officials, who are almost all former military themselves, turn to SPLA soldiers to manage security threats. The soldiers are untrained in civilian law enforcement and often undisciplined. For example, a policing operation carried out by SPLA “There is No Protection” 2 soldiers in Eastern Equatoria in June 2008 spiraled out of control, leading to the deaths of at least 12 civilians, arbitrary arrests, torture and the displacement of 4,000 people. Nine soldiers also lost their lives. Very weak rule of law institutions and insufficient attention by GOSS authorities to rule of law issues have given rise to an environment of impunity, particularly for soldiers who view themselves as “liberators” of the South and above the law. In this environment, soldiers and other security forces commit serious crimes, often opportunistically, against civilians. The crimes include beatings, robbery, intimidation, land-grabbing, and sexual violence. In a series of cases in 2007-8, security forces carried out illegal arrests, beatings, robbery, and sexual violence targeting foreign traders in major towns. In the broader context, the two parties to the CPA (Government of Sudan and SPLA/M) remain seriously behind schedule in implementing key aspects of the CPA. The CPA, which sets out a series of national reforms aimed at democratic transformation in Sudan, provides an interim six-year period that ends when southerners vote on self-determination in 2011. To date, the parties have not agreed to a demarcation of the North-South border, completed security arrangements, or made significant progress in preparing for national elections scheduled for mid-2009—a key milestone in the agreement. As the window of opportunity for implementation gets smaller, it
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Submission by P
    MAIN CONTACT PERSON: TILMAN ZUELCH Submission by P. O. Box 2024 Society for Threatened Peoples D-37010 Göttingen a non-governmental organization in special consultative status Phone: +49 (0)551 49906-0 Fax: +49 (0)551 58028 E-Mail: [email protected] Language: English only Universal Periodic Review Eleventh Session 2010-11-01 Sudan The announcement of the first national elections since 20 years, which finally began on April 11, 2010, was welcomed by the international community as a first step to ensure a broader political participation of Sudanese citizens. Elections were marred by human rights violations Nobody expected elections guaranteeing all fundamental democratic standards, but the elections were marred by massive human rights violations and an increasing political repression. Sudanese and international election observers documented hundreds of incidents of intimidation, fraud, incorrect voter lists, faulty ballots, late supply of ballot papers and insufficient registration of voters. In the weeks ahead of the elections international election observers were threatened with expulsion and national observers were intimidated. Electoral fraud in Eastern Sudan, which was documented by internet video footage, has led to the cancellation of these voting results. In Southern Sudan, some 200 incidents of harassment, intimidation or violence at the polling stations were reported by the observers. Journalists and independent candidates were the main target in this campaign of intimidation which was orchestrated by Northern and Southern Sudanese officials. On May 27, 2010, nine journalists Southern Sudanese journalists working for the state-run media were detained for more than a week after they refused to participate in the inauguration of South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir.
    [Show full text]
  • Teacher Information Sheet Genocide in Darfur
    Teacher information sheet Genocide in Darfur Darfur is a region in the west of Sudan, bordering Chad, in north-east Africa. Before the conflict Darfur had an ethnically mixed population of around six million black Africans and Arabs. Darfur’s history Historically Darfur’s many different ethnic groups lived peacefully alongside each other, although conflicts over land-use between the Flag of Sudan, adopted in 1970 black African sedentary farmers and the lighter- skinned nomadic Arab population have arisen over time. The Sudanese Government has been condemned as racist – favouring Arabs over black Africans. They are accused of being complicit in ‘ethnic cleansing’ and enslavement of black Africans. Darfur’s ethnic mix of black Africans and Arabs made it a target for the Sudanese government. Many Sudanese people believe that the country’s border areas, such as Darfur (highlighted in green), have been Sudan neglected and marginalised by the government. Development has been focused on the capital city of Khartoum and the centre of the country. Darfur In February 2003 two Darfuri rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), launched a rebellion against the government. The majority of the rebels came from black African farming tribes, who accused the government of oppressing Darfur’s non-Arab citizens. The government responded by training, arming and mobilising the Arab-militia, known as the Janjaweed (‘devils on horseback’), to stop the rebellion, causing a civil war. The genocide The civil war has continued in the region since 2003. The Sudanese Government has supported the Janjaweed. Their violence has caused a humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur that has been condemned as genocide.
    [Show full text]
  • Unpacking Ethnic Stacking: the Uses and Abuses of Security Force Ethnicity in Sudan
    Unpacking Ethnic Stacking: The Uses and Abuses of Security Force Ethnicity in Sudan Nathaniel Allen National Defense University June 2019 1 Abstract African elites commonly recruit co-ethnic soldiers into state security institutions, a practice known as ethnic stacking. Ethnic stacking has recently received considerable attention from scholars and been linked to an array of outcomes, including repression, high levels of political violence and poor democratization outcomes. This article employs evidence from Sudan under Omar Al Bashir to argue that ethnic stacking is not one coherent tactic but several, and that its effects are mediated by the processes through which security force institutions are ethnically stacked. Within the leadership of state security institutions, ethnic stacking in Sudan served as a coup-proofing measure to ensure that leaders bound by ties of kinship and trust maintain oversight over the most sensitive functions of the security apparatus. In Sudan’s militia groups, ethnic stacking of militia groups and rank-and-file soldiers was used as a means of warfare and repression by altering overall composition of security forces with respect to the civilian population. The militia strategy itself was a product of the failure of the regime’s traditional security forces to function as effective counterinsurgents, and, by keeping the periphery of the country in a near-constant state of conflict, prolonged Bashir’s regime. World Count: 9,816 words Keywords: Ethnicity, Sudan, civil-military relations, civil wars, coups 2 Introduction For thirty years, Sudan was ruled by Al Bashir, an army officer who was the longest serving leader of the longest running regime in Sudanese history.
    [Show full text]
  • Security Council Report
    SECURITY COUNCIL REPORT MONTHLY JAN 2012 23 December 2011 This report is available online and can beFORECAST viewed together with research studies and Update Reports at www.securitycouncilreport.org. For daily insights by SCR on evolving Security Council actions please visit or subscribe to our recently launched “What’s In Blue” series at www.whatsinblue.org Overview Contents of This Issue South Africa will preside over the Security Affairs, and on compliance with making UN-AU Strategic Partnership 1 Council in January. President Jacob Zuma required deposits to the compensation In Hindsight: The Working is expected to preside over a high-level fund established under resolution 687 Methods Open Debate 2 debate on the strategic partnership (1991) and the post-Development Fund Sudan/Darfur 5 between the UN and the AU in the area of for Iraq mechanism, most likely by the the maintenance of peace and security. The UN Controller, Maria Eugenia Casar, to South Sudan 7 Secretary-General is likely to brief on his be followed by consultations; Libya 9 report on this matter expected to be pub- n the AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur Côte d’Ivoire 12 lished in early January. (UNAMID), probably by the Joint Special UNOWA (West Africa) 14 Representative Ibrahim Gambari, to be An open debate is planned on justice and followed by consultations; Iraq 15 the rule of law, with a possible Arria for- n the UN Office in West Africa UNOWA( ), Yemen 18 mula meeting preceding it. by Special Representative Said Djinnit, to Rule of Law 19 An open debate on the Middle East is be followed by consultations; Status Update since our also expected.
    [Show full text]
  • Abandoning Abyei
    Abandoning Abyei Destruction and Displacement, May 2008 Copyright © 2008 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-364-1 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org July 2008 1-56432-364-1 Abandoning Abyei Destruction and Displacement, May 2008 Map of the Abyei Area .............................................................................................. 1 Summary .................................................................................................................2 Methodology ...........................................................................................................5 Recommendations .................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Sudan, Country Information
    Sudan, Country Information SUDAN ASSESSMENT April 2003 Country Information and Policy Unit I SCOPE OF DOCUMENT II GEOGRAPHY III HISTORY IV STATE STRUCTURES V HUMAN RIGHTS HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES HUMAN RIGHTS - SPECIFIC GROUPS ANNEX A - CHRONOLOGY ANNEX B - LIST OF MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES ANNEX C - GLOSSARY ANNEX D - THE POPULAR DEFENCE FORCES ACT 1989 ANNEX E - THE NATIONAL SERVICE ACT 1992 ANNEX F - LIST OF THE MAIN ETHNIC GROUPS OF SUDAN ANNEX G - REFERENCES TO SOURCE DOCUMENTS 1. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1 This assessment has been produced by the Country Information and Policy Unit, Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Home Office, from information obtained from a wide variety of recognised sources. The document does not contain any Home Office opinion or policy. 1.2 The assessment has been prepared for background purposes for those involved in the asylum/human rights determination process. The information it contains is not exhaustive. It concentrates on the issues most commonly raised in asylum/human rights claims made in the United Kingdom. 1.3 The assessment is sourced throughout. It is intended to be used by caseworkers as a signpost to the source material, which has been made available to them. The vast majority of the source material is readily available in the public domain. These sources have been checked for accuracy, and as far as can be ascertained, remained relevant and up-to-date at the time the document was issued. 1.4 It is intended to revise the assessment on a six-monthly basis while the country remains within the top 35 asylum-seeker producing countries in the United Kingdom.
    [Show full text]
  • Vallis Group Limited, Vallis House, 57 Vallis Road, Frome, Somerset, BA11 3EG, England  +44-(0)-1373-453-970 Incorporated in England: Company Registration No
    Sudan SUDAN IS LOCATED IN NORTHEASTERN AFRICA. IT IS THE TENTH LARGEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. SUDAN IS BORDERED BY SEVEN COUNTRIES AND THE RED SEA. IT HAS A LONG HISTORY OF CIVIL WARS AS WELL AS POLITICAL AND SOCIAL INSTABILITY. Page 1 of 18 Vallis Group Limited, Vallis House, 57 Vallis Road, Frome, Somerset, BA11 3EG, England +44-(0)-1373-453-970 Incorporated in England: Company Registration No. 04524501 | www.vallis-group.com | [email protected] Official Named: Republic of the Sudan (Jumhuriyat Total Population: 42,337,000 people (2019 est.) as-Sudan) Distribution: Urban 35.5% - Rural 64.5% (2019) Location: Northeast African country bordering the Population projection: 59,000,000 (2050) Red Sea to the northeast. • Bordered by Egypt, Libya, Chad, Cameroon, Capital City: Khartoum South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea • The White Nile and the Blue Nile are the two • The Red Sea is the lowest point in Sudan with tributaries of the Nile. They merge at Khartoum, Deriba Caldera being the highest point at an becoming the Nile River before flowing into elevation of 3,042m. Egypt. • The origin of the city name is unknown but is believed to be derived from the Arabic word ‘khartum’ meaning ‘trunk’ due to the narrow strip of land between the Blue and White Niles. • With a hot desert climate, the city is often considered one of the hottest major cities in the world. • Sudan was once the largest and most geographically diverse state in Africa. it was split into two countries in July 2011. It is now the third largest country in Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Sudan Assessment
    SUDAN ASSESSMENT April 2000 Country Information and Policy Unit CONTENTS I INTRODUCTION 1.1 - 1.5 II GEOGRAPHY 2.1 III HISTORY 3.1 - 3.7 The Economy 3.8 - 3.10 IV INSTRUMENTS OF THE STATE Political System 4.1 - 4.12 The Judiciary 4.13 - 4.21 The Security Forces 4.22 - 4.24 V HUMAN RIGHTS A Introduction A.1 - A.4 B General Assessment B.1 - B.5 Prison Conditions B.6 Use of Excessive Force and Violations of Humanitarian Law in B.7 - B.9 Internal Conflicts C Specific Groups Opposition Members C.1 - C.4 Religious Groups C.5 Christians C.6 - C.8 Islamic Sects C.9 - C.13 Ethnicity C.14 - C.18 Women C.19 - C.22 Children C.23 - C.26 Students C.27 - C.30 Conscripts C.31 - C.35 1 D Other Issues Civil War D.1 - D.17 Ceasefire/Peace Negotiations D.18 - D.24 Freedom of Political Association D.25 - D.31 Freedom of Assembly D.32 - D.35 Freedom of Speech and of the Press D.36 - D.45 Freedom of Religion D.46 - D.51 Freedom to Travel/Internal Flight D.52 - D.57 National Service and Popular Defence Forces D.58 - D.62 VI GENERAL ISSUES Foreign Relations 5.1 - 5.16 Attacks on US embassies and US Retaliation 5.17 - 5.23 Bombings 5.24 - 5.26 Assassination Attempts 5.27 Health 5.28 - 5.33 Slavery 5.34 - 5.35 Punishments 5.36 - 5.41 Elections 5.42 - 5.46 Miscellaneous 5.47 - 5.58 VII ANNEXES A MAJOR POLITICAL ORGANISATIONS Pages 45 - 47 B SPLA FACTIONS Pages 48 - 49 C PROMINENT PEOPLE PAST AND PRESENT Pages 50 - 51 D CHRONOLOGY Pages 52 - 67 E BIBLIOGRAPHY Pages 68 - 75 I.
    [Show full text]
  • SIX MONTHS SINCE 1769 August 2007 – January 2008
    Africa Action Report Released January 2008 An Overview of Conflict in Sudan and the International Failure to Protect SIX MONTHS SINCE 1769 August 2007 – January 2008 Since 2003, the United Nations have passed nineteen Resolutions on Darfur, including Security Council Resolution 1706 , the only instance in history of a UN peacekeeping mission that was authorized and failed to deploy. On July 31, 2007, Security Council Resolution 1769 again authorized a multinational UN-led peacekeeping force for Darfur – the “hybrid” African Union/United Nations operation termed UNAMID. UNAMID officially assumed control of peacekeeping operations in Darfur on December 31, 2007, however, its deployment is well behind the timetable laid out by the Security Council. Force Commander General Martin Agwai and UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno have continued to warn that unless 2008 sees a substantial change in international action, UNAMID risks succumbing to Khartoum’s obstructionism and facing a similar aborted fate as its predecessor mission authorized by Resolution 1706 . UN blue helmets now mark the several thousand peacekeepers stationed in Darfur, but over the past six months the humanitarian situation there has gotten substantially worse than in early 2007. Levels of malnutrition have reached UN-defined emergency levels for the first time since 2004, the Sudanese government has pursued out a brutal campaign to dismantle some of the region’s largest internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, and there international aid workers have been forced to dramatically scale back operations. Since Resolution 1769 was passed, the security situation in Darfur has deteriorated. Peacekeepers wearing the green uniforms of the African Union were attacked and killed by Darfuri rebels.
    [Show full text]
  • Safeguarding Sudan's Revolution
    Safeguarding Sudan’s Revolution $IULFD5HSRUW1 _ 2FWREHU +HDGTXDUWHUV ,QWHUQDWLRQDO&ULVLV*URXS $YHQXH/RXLVH %UXVVHOV%HOJLXP 7HO )D[ EUXVVHOV#FULVLVJURXSRUJ Preventing War. Shaping Peace. Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. From Crisis to Coup, Crackdown and Compromise ......................................................... 3 III. A Factious Security Establishment in a Time of Transition ............................................ 10 A. Key Players and Power Centres ................................................................................. 11 1. Burhan and the military ....................................................................................... 11 2. Hemedti and the Rapid Support Forces .............................................................. 12 3. Gosh and the National Intelligence and Security Services .................................. 15 B. Two Steps Toward Security Sector Reform ............................................................... 17 IV. The Opposition ................................................................................................................. 19 A. An Uneasy Alliance .................................................................................................... 19 B. Splintered Rebels ......................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Download in Pdf Here
    REV.2 PAN-AFRICAN PARLIAMENT PARLEMENT PANAFRICAIN PARLAMENTO PAN - AFRICANO ارن ار COMMITTEE ON CO-OPERATION, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION -------------------------------------------------- Report of the Pan-African Permanent Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution : On Peace and Security Situation in Africa Presented to the 7 th Ordinary Session of the PAP in May 2007 Midrand, Republic of South Africa REV.2 INTRODUCTION 1. Pursuant to its working relationship, the Committee on Co-operation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution received and considered briefings from the Institute for Security Studies in preparation of this report. The report provides a general overview of the current peace and security situation on the continent and makes specific recommendations for consideration by this august House. Specifically, this report reflects on the developments in the Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Somalia and the Sudan and Western Sahara. ON THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 2. A Mission of the Pan African Parliament, including an expert from the Institute for Security Studies spent a week on the ground in the Central African Republic. The aim of the mission was to gather first-hand information linked to a resolution of the Pan African Parliament focusing on the security situation in the country, in particular, in the northeast. To this end, the delegation met with the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, parliamentarians, members of the opposition and members of civil society and representatives of humanitarian agencies. Hereunder follows a reflection of the findings and issues pertaining to the security situation in the country.
    [Show full text]
  • Fact Sheet #3, Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 September 30, 2010 Note: the Last Situation Report Was Dated May 3, 2010
    BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA) OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) East and Central Africa Region Fact Sheet #3, Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 September 30, 2010 Note: The last situation report was dated May 3, 2010. KEY DEVELOPMENTS In FY 2010, above-normal October to December 2009 rainfall in many areas of eastern Africa resulted in decreased food insecurity due to above-average harvests and improved pasture conditions for livestock, according to the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). However, populations continue to recover from consecutive seasons of poor rainfall that commenced in 2007, and localized flooding destroyed crops in areas receiving heavy rainfall. From July 30 to August 3, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and Mai Mai combatants attacked Luvungi town in Walikale Territory, North Kivu Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Combatants raped nearly 300 women, including an estimated 28 minors. Opposition forces, as well as members of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC), raped a total of approximately 500 people in July and August in eastern DRC. As of September 6, three non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Sudan, including USAID/OFDA grantees, had resumed health, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) activities in Kalma internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp following a period of access restrictions from late July through August, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Between July 24 and August 2, armed conflict among Kalma camp residents supportive of the Doha peace negotiations and those opposed to the negotiations resulted in approximately 10 deaths and 25 injuries.
    [Show full text]