15 NOVEMBER 2020 ISSUE 54 A bimonthly bulletin by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect T h e Responsibility to Protect (R2P) R2P Monitor applies an R2P Monitor: is a global norm, unanimously adopted atrocity prevention lens to » Provides background on populations by heads of state and government at the following situations of at risk of mass atrocity crimes, with the 2005 UN World Summit, aimed at particular emphasis on key events and preventing and halting Genocide, War concern: actors and their connection to the Crimes, Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes threat, or commission, of genocide, CURRENT CRISIS Against Humanity. R2P stipulates that: war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes Mass atrocity crimes are occurring and against humanity. » Every State has the Responsibility urgent action is needed. to Protect its populations from the » O f f e r s analysis of the country’s past four mass atrocity crimes (Pillar I). IMMINENT RISK history in relation to mass atrocity crimes; the factors that have enabled » The wider international community The situation is reaching a critical their possible commission, or that has the responsibility to encourage and threshold and the risk of mass atrocity crimes occurring in the immediate future prevent their resolution; and the assist individual States in meeting is very high if effective preventive receptivity of the situation to positive that responsibility (Pillar II). action is not taken. influences that would assist in preventing further crimes. » If a State is manifestly failing to protect its populations, the international SERIOUS CONCERN » T r a c k s t h e international response community must be prepared to take There is a significant risk of occurrence, to the situation with a particular appropriate collective action, in a timely or recurrence, of mass atrocity crimes emphasis upon the actions of the and decisive manner and in accordance within the foreseeable future if United Nations, key regional actors and with the UN Charter (Pillar III). effective action is not taken. the International Criminal Court. » Suggests necessary action to prevent Afghanistan {p. 2} CAR {p. 15} Côte d'Ivoire {p. 19} or halt the commission of mass Cameroon {p. 3} Ethiopia {p. 16} Israel and the OPT {p. 20} atrocity crimes. China {p. 5} Mozambique {p. 17} Libya {p. 21} DRC {p. 6} Nagorno-Karabakh {p. 22} Mali/Burkina Faso {p. 8} Nigeria {p. 23} Myanmar (Burma) {p. 9} South Sudan {p. 25} Syria {p. 11} Venezuela {p. 12} Yemen {p. 13} * Updates for DPRK and Eritrea are available on our website. globalr2p.org KAZAKHSTAN 15 November 2020 KYRGYZSTAN CURRENT Mass atrocity crimes are occurring CRISIS and urgent action is needed. UZBEKISTAN TAJIKISTAN UNAMA has reported that ongoing violence is preventing TURKMENISTAN CHINA the delivery of health and essential services to vulnerable communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. UNAMA has also reported 12 deliberate attacks on healthcare personnel and facilities – eight by the Taliban and three by Afghan security IRAN Kabul forces – since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 AFGHANISTAN a global pandemic on 11 March. Although international forces have begun withdrawing their PAKISTAN troops and intra-Afghan negotiations continue, progress INDIA towards implementing other elements of the US-Taliban agreement have been minimal. The agreement includes guarantees to preventNEPAL the use of Afghan territory by terrorist groups and a permanent ceasefire. However, the Taliban has More than 10,000 civilians killed reportedly not broken ties with al-Qaeda. or injured per year since 2014 According to UNAMA, civilians in Taliban-controlledBANGLADESH areas suffer widespread human rights abuses, including the recruitment of AFGHANISTAN child soldiers and extrajudicial killings. According to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Taliban Populations in Afghanistan are at ongoing risk of mass have potentially committed crimes against humanity and war atrocity crimes as the Taliban continues its armed conflict crimes while Afghan security forces and members of the US with the government. Other armed extremist groups are military may have also committed war crimes, including the also threatening civilians. torture of detainees and summary executions. BACKGROUND According to UNAMA, there were more than 10,000 civilian Since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001 by a North Atlantic casualties per year from 2014-2019. The UN Secretary- Treaty Organization (NATO) coalition of military forces, they have General’s annual report on children and armed conflict noted conducted an insurgency against the internationally recognized that Afghanistan was the deadliest conflict in the world for Afghan government. Following the 2014 withdrawal of most children in 2019, with over 870 killed. The UN Refugee Agency foreign forces, the Taliban have made substantial military gains, (UNHCR) has also reported that 2.1 million people are internally currently controlling or influencing more than half the country. displaced and 2.7 million Afghans are refugees – the second largest refugee population in the world. Despite the finalization of a peace agreement between the United States (US) and the Taliban on 29 February, the Taliban Meanwhile, according to the Afghanistan Independent Human have continued their military campaign against the Afghan Rights Commission, at least 170 civilians have been killed in government. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) attacks targeting places of worship since October 2019. UNAMA recorded over 6,000 civilians killed or injured from January to has also verified at least 18 attacks deliberately targeting September 2020. According to UNAMA, 45 percent of these religious leaders so far this year. The so-called Islamic State casualties were caused by direct targeting or the use of of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K) has been implicated in improvised explosive devices (IEDs), with children comprising 31 many of these incidents and other attacks targeting minority percent of all civilian casualties. populations. On 25 October ISIL-K perpetrated a suicide bombing on Kawsar-e Danish education center in a predominantly ethnic Although intra-Afghan talks started on 12 September, UNAMA Hazara neighborhood of Kabul, killing over 25 civilians. reported that in the weeks leading up to the negotiations the level of violence was among the highest in the past five years. ANALYSIS Violence remained high in Nangarhar and Kunduz provinces During their 18-year war, the Taliban, government troops and following the start of talks, as the Taliban continued to attack some international forces have all shown blatant disregard for the security forces. These attacks, airstrikes by the Afghan International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Conflict and insecurity government and the use of IEDs throughout the country caused will endure unless sustained action is taken to end impunity and over 400 civilian casualties in October. On 11 October the Taliban improve local governance. also renewed their offensive in Lashkar Gar, Helmand province, which forced 35,000 civilians to flee and led to US airstrikes. The US-Taliban agreement and the start of intra-Afghan talks are welcome steps towards ending the war, but ongoing violence 2 R2P Monitor | globalr2p.org CHAD SUDAN NIGER 15 November 2020 threatens to derail the talks. The threat of further war crimes and crimes against humanity remains until a comprehensive CHAD ceasefire is fully implemented and the protection of civilians NIGERIA and respect for IHL are prioritized by all sides. SOUTH CENTRAL SUDAN The Afghan government needs ongoing international support AFRICAN to uphold its responsibility to protect. REPUBLIC CAMEROON Juba INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE Since 2011 the UN Security Council (UNSC) has imposed an arms Yaoundé UGANDA embargo and sanctions on individuals or entities who support EQUATORIAL GABON the Taliban and its affiliates. On 10 March the UNSC unanimously GUINEA CONGO adopted Resolution 2513, welcoming the US-Taliban agreement. US troops began leaving Afghanistan during March 2020 in 765,000+ people displaced by conflict in DEMOCRATIC line with the US-Taliban agreement. Less than 5,000 troops the north-west and south-west regions remain in the country. The drawdown plans are conditional on REPUBLIC a reduction of violence. Some other NATO member states are OF THE CONGO also considering withdrawing their forces. CAMEROON Kinshasa During 2017 the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, Civilians in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon continue to TANZANIA requested authorization to proceed with an investigation face mass atrocity crimes due to widespread violence between into alleged crimes committed in Afghanistan since May 2003. government forces and armed separatists. The armed extremist Despite the Court initially rejecting the request, on 5 March group Boko Haram also poses an ongoing threat. 2020 the Appeals Chamber allowed the investigation to proceed. BACKGROUND On 2 September the US government imposed economic sanctions During October 2017 armed Anglophone separatists proclaimed against Chief Prosecutor Bensouda and the Head of the ICC's independence and declared a new state of “Ambazonia” in the Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, Phakiso north-west and south-west regions of Cameroon. Since then, Mochochoko. These sanctions were in retaliation for ICC staff separatists and Cameroonian security forces have clashed, investigating possible war crimes perpetrated