Weekly Briefing 2Nd - 8Th October 2014
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WEEKLY BRIEFING 2ND - 8TH OCTOBER 2014 IPIS is an independent research institute which focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa. Our studies concern three core themes: arms trade, exploitation of natural resources and corporate social responsibility. This briefing provides a round-up of the week's news and analysis on security, natural resource and CSR issues arising in the Great Lakes region of Africa Content NEWS IN BRIEF News in brief A review of progress regarding FDLR presence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo saw the UN Security Council assert the swift neutralisation of the group as a top priority this week. IPIS’ Latest Publications On the ground in the East of the country, Province Orientale is said to have seen a resurgence of Lord’s Resistance Army activity. ADF-Nalu attacks on a number of localities in Beni (North Kivu) over the weekend and Monday has given rise to reports of killings and abductions, whilst Conflict and security in Lubero territory the abduction of nearly 100 people, including health workers, from DRC Bunyatenge since mid-September has led the UNHCR to express alarm over the situation. In Rwanda South Kivu, RFI reports last Wednesday affirmed the presence of Burundian troops in Kiliba, Burundi Uvira, prompting MONUSCO and the Burundian government to confirm the deployment, CAR culminating in the withdrawal of the soldiers from the territory this Tuesday. The Bakata Katanga are reported to have burned 60 houses in Pweto Territory, Katanga, this week whilst in Moba territory the FARDC reported capturing militia leader Gédéon’s stronghold, seizing Humanitarian news arms and equipment. Gédéon himself is said to have escaped capture. DRC Rwanda CAR Justice and Tribunals At the end of last week Human Rights Watch reported that 100 ex-combatants and their family DRC members have died of starvation and disease in a remote military camp in Equateur after what it alleges was criminal neglect of those residing in the camp by the Congolese authorities. The Rwanda trial of 20 soldiers charged with the assassination of M23 defeat hero, Mamadou Ndala, Burundi opened last Wednesday with testimony from Ndala’s driver at the time of his attack. This key witness in the prosecution case is said to have died a sudden and unexplained death on Natural resource exploitation, Thursday. FARDC witnesses claim that Ndala was killed by ADF-Nalu fighters. governance and trade DRC Rwanda Burundi In the Central African Republic, last Wednesday saw clashes in Bambari with a death toll in Uganda multiple figures after attacks on an IDP camp in the city and on Sangaris and MINUSCA forces. Inter-communal violence also erupted in the capital Bangui last Wednesday in the midst of Regulation, voluntary initiatives, protest and looting. Meanwhile, the fragile transitional government has been put under and CSR additional strain this week as anti-balaka imposed an ultimatum for CAR’s President and Uganda Prime Minister to stand down , calling upon all anti-balaka governmental ministers to withdraw from government or be treated as an enemy of the people if the demand is not met. Reports Other indicate that the EU mission in the country is to be extended pending the completion of the Burundi transition to a UN force. Uganda IPIS Recent publications In Rwanda, survivor groups are said to have responded with indignation to a BBC documentary claiming to shed new light on the events of 1994. Amongst other claims, the documentary aired allegations by former Rwandan Military Chief of Staff, Kayumba Nyamwasa, that President Kagame was responsible for the attack on the plane of former Rwandan President Habyarimana, an event viewed as the trigger for the genocide that followed. IPIS’ Latest Publications Supply Chains and Transport Corridors in East Africa ? June 2014 ? IPIS and TransArms-Research Transport infrastructure plays a key role in boosting a country or region’s economic development. IPIS and TransArms have ascertained on several occasions that the underdevelopment or degeneration of transport infrastructure is a problematic issue across a number of African countries and regions. This report analyses the current logistics situation in Eastern Africa, and the logistic challenges faced by various actors in that region. It is based on desktop research, and interviews and data collected by the authors during several field missions to East and Central Africa. At the time of writing, however, logistic and other challenges to cost-efficient trade and overall economic development are yet to be addressed. Further research and policy actions to effectively tackle current shortcomings are much needed. A strategy relying on a piecemeal approach (e.g. on ad hoc investments in infrastructure) is likely to result in a ‘quick fix’ to ship raw materials out of the African continent rather than in an effort to boost sustainable economic development. De Belgische ontwikkelingssamenwerking en fragiele staten: een kloof tussen beleid en praktijk? ? May 2014 ? 11.11.11 i.s.m. IPIS Zo goed als de helft van de Belgische middelen voor ontwikkelingshulp gaat naar partnerlanden waar de overheid niet de capaciteit, wil en/of legitimiteit heeft om de publieke zaken efficiënt te beheren, voor veiligheid te zorgen en om de bevolking uit de armoede te halen. Omdat traditionele hulprecepten in deze ‘fragiele staten’ op hun limieten stuiten, is er de laatste decennia een internationaal beleid ontwikkeld dat een blauwdruk voorstelt voor een gedifferentieerde aanpak om deze landen te ondersteunen in het traject richting meer weerbaarheid. De Belgische ontwikkelingssamenwerking onderschrijft de internationale engagementen over fragiele staten die hieruit ontstonden, zoals de fragiele staten principes (FSP’s) en de New Deal. In 2013 werd er een Belgische strategienota voor fragiele situaties goedgekeurd. Positief is dat België zich, ondanks de moeilijke context, rond dit thema blijft engageren – zowel op internationaal beleidsniveau als binnen haar eigen ontwikkelingsbeleid. IPIS Insights: The EU draft law on conflict minerals due diligence: a critical assessment from a business & human rights standpoint ? 30 April 2014 ? IPIS On the 5th of March 2014, the European Commission proposed a responsible trading strategy for minerals from conflict zones. The proposal took place within a specific and timely context. As IPIS has long documented, the exploitation of natural resources can have adverse human rights impacts. Businesses operating in conflict-affected or fragile regions should therefore ascertain whether their direct operations or their business relationships with other parties, including through their supply chains, have fueled or funded conflict and/or human rights abuse. Business & Human Rights in Uganda: What's on the Agenda? | 12 March 2014 | IPIS A few days after attending the annual UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, IPIS Business & Human Rights Analysts Anna Bulzomi and Gabriella Wass boarded a plane to Kampala, Uganda, to run a two-day training with ActionAid Uganda for businesses and NGOs on “What does business & human rights mean, and how can we bring about a healthy relationship between the two?” This document summarises some thoughts and observations from our 19 participating organisations, as well as providing snapshots of the current relationship between business and human rights in Uganda. IPIS Insights: Pentagon Accidentally Arms Al Qaeda Affiliate | 20 February 2014 | IPIS A confidential report to the UN Security Council last week revealed that some of the weapons and ammunition to the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces appears to have been diverted to the Al Qaeda affiliate known as Al Shabaab. Mapping Conflict Motives: the Sudan - South Sudan border (2012-2013) | 5 February 2014 | IPIS In “Mapping Conflict Motives: the Sudan-South Sudan border”, IPIS analyses the conflict dynamics in the wider border area spanning Sudan and South Sudan. The analysis specifically looks into the motivations and interests of the parties involved in the interstate, intrastate and local conflicts in this area. Together with the report, a series of maps of the area of focus is available at www.ipisresearch.be/mapping/webmapping/bordersudans Conflict and security Recent news on conflict, security and arms trade across the Great Lakes Region. Conventional Arms Treaty At annual event, UN Member States pave way for ‘historic’ treaty on conventional arms | UN News Centre | 2 October 2014 Fifty-two States participated in the this year’s United Nations treaty event, held annually on the margins of the UN General Assembly’s high-level segment, as they signed or ratified a range of treaties on issues spanning human rights, disarmament, the environment, transnational organized crime and world trade, the Organization announced at the conclusion of the week-long process. Child soldiers and US military aid U.S Waivers Could Send Mixed Signals On Use of Child Soldiers | allAfrica | Voice of America | 1 October 2014 President Barack Obama has waived restrictions against providing military aid to six countries cited this year for using child soldiers. The countries, mostly in Africa, were among nine listed by the State Department in a June report on human trafficking. The waivers shield six countries from being fully subjected to penalties under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, which requires the U.S. to cut off some forms of military assistance to offending countries. There is concern that the waivers send out the wrong message. State's Kozak On Child Soldier Prevention Act | allAfrica | US Department of State | 2 October 2014 Foreign Press Center briefing with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Ambassador Michael Kozak, on the Secretary of State’s Child Soldier Prevention Act. DRC Weekly MONUSCO press conference Conférence de presse des Nations unies du mercredi 8 octobre 2014 | MONUSCO | 8 October 2014 Au Nord-Kivu, le climat sécuritaire jugé calme, demeure toutefois imprévisible. Les rebelles de l’ADF sont sérieusement affaiblis par la conduite de l’opération « Sukola 1 », menée par les FARDC avec le soutien de la MONUSCO.