‘Tradition of Impunity’ Threatens Burundi’s Future, Renders Free Elections Impossible – UN Expert Warns
The calendar for democratic elections in Burundi can only be determined by successfully establishing conditions for people to freely express their choice, said United Nations expert on transitional justice Pablo de Greiff. In an open statement* published today, he called for the fullest attention of the international community to the current situation in Burundi. Mr. de Greiff, who visited Burundi last December, highlighted in his statement “the authorities’ blatant failures to respect freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, the pre-conditions for any credible democratic society.” The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, warned that “the governing political party and its youth militia use violence, threats, gross limitations of press freedoms and hate speech to deliberately intimidate people and to obtain a particular electoral outcome.” “Voters must be free to support or to oppose any political party, including the ruling party, without undue influence or coercion of any kind which may distort or inhibit the free expression of the elector’s will,” he said, recalling the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, acceded to by Burundi in 1990. “Elections confer legitimacy only under the assumption that voters can express their will freely.” UN
Burundi: Government Prevents Refugees from Fleeing as Interior Minister Shuts Down Border Police
Burundi’s government has closed off a number of exit points at the borders with Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The interior minister has also closed the office of the Air and Border Police (PAFE). A source within the country’s government confirmed that minister Edouard Nduwimana had ordered the closure of the PAFE’s offices on 19 June. The government said it had closed the PAFE because the material used to prepare travel documents was “used up”. “At first, they said it was a technical problem, but now we know that the minister went there himself to order the closure,” the source said. According to local sources, people who had been waiting to pick up travel documents were forced to leave the building. This comes as a number of sources told IBTimes UK that the Burundian police and army are preventing people from crossing into neighbouring countries such as Tanzania, Rwanda and the DRC. An aid worker for an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), who has been speaking to refugees at the Kigoma makeshift transit centre in Tanzania, confirmed people had been turned away at the border. IBTimes
Burundi Crisis: Bujumbura Grenade Attacks Hurt 11 Police
Security officials in Burundi say 11 policemen have been injured in overnight grenade attacks in the capital Bujumbura. Blasts and gunfire were heard across the city during the simultaneous attacks on police posts and vehicles. The attacks took place in districts that have seen protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s intention to seek re-election. Since his announcement in April Burundi has also seen a failed military coup. Police have blamed the attacks on opposition activists. A senior police official told AFP one of the officers was seriously injured. BBC
U.N. Appoints Senegalese Diplomat to Mediate Peace Talks in Burundi
The United Nations on Sunday appointed a Senegalese diplomat to facilitate talks between rival factions in Burundi’s political crisis after the opposition accused the previous mediator of bias. The tiny east African country was plunged into turmoil in late April after President Pierre Nkurunziza said he would seek a third term. Opposition protesters took to the streets for weeks, saying the move violates the constitution and a peace deal that ended an ethnically charged civil war in 2005. The U.N. said in a statement that Abdoulaye Bathily, who is already the U.N.’s Special Representative for Central Africa, would arrive in Bujumbura on Sunday to help mediate talks. “The Secretary-General has requested …Abdoulaye Bathily, to offer good offices in Burundi in support of regional efforts to reduce tensions and help Burundians peacefully settle their differences,” the U.N said in a statement, referring to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Reuters
Protestors against Nkurunziza Third Term Regroup
Burundi protesters are regrouping for another round of demonstrations to push for President Pierre Nkurunziza to step down. According to sources in Burundi, young people who are opposed to the president are quietly being recruited to join forces to face off with the ruling party-leaning militia, the Imbonerakure. “Those opposed to the third-term bid are recruiting the youth, and each is being given $150 in cash,” said a source in Cibitoke, north of the capital Bujumbura. Since the start of the violence two months ago when Burundi’s ruling National Council for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) nominated President Pierre Nkurunziza to stand for re-election, more than 70 Burundians have died, over 1,000 have been jailed and around 150,000 have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. The East African
South African Gov’t Agencies Were Prepared to Arrest Sudan’s Bashir during AU Summit: Report
South African government agencies drafted plans to apprehend Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir during his participation in the African Union (AU) summit should the High Court issue an order to this effect, according to a news report. Bashir’s attendance drew widespread controversy both inside and outside South Africa given his status as an individual wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide allegedly committed in Darfur since 2003. South Africa, as an ICC member, was theoretically obliged to arrest Bashir but chose not to on the grounds that he enjoys immunity as one of the delegations attending the AU summit. The government also defied a local judge order asking it to prevent the Sudanese leader from leaving the country until a case brought by Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) to compel the arrest Bashir was heard. Sudan Tribune
Egypt: 8 Injured in North Sinai House Blasts, Dozen Suspected Militants Killed – Sources
Bombings of two houses in North Sinai’s al-Arish city left 8 injured, including civilians, on Monday as a dozen suspected militants were killed in security forces’ operations, source said. The houses that were attacked belonged to policemen, security sources said. Most militant attacks target security forces, although civilians are less frequently affected. Five civilians and three policemen were injured in the blasts. An eyewitness said two explosive devices detonated, leaving the injured with shrapnel wounds and scattered bruises. On Monday dawn, military operations killed 12 individuals suspected to belong to the militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, military sources said. They included nine who were killed in aerial bombardment by Apache helicopters. Ansar, Egypt’s most active militant group, pledged allegiance to Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria last November. The operations took place outside North Sinia’s Rafah and Sheikh Zuwied cities. These security operations are part of an ongoing campaign that aims to curb militancy, which has significantly surged in Egypt since July 2013. Aswat Masriya
Somalia Jihadists Al-Shabab Launch Mogadishu Attack
The Somali jihadist group al-Shabab has carried out an attack in the country’s capital Mogadishu. A suicide car bomber and gunmen attacked a training centre for the national intelligence agency on Sunday morning. Government officials said that soldiers “foiled the attack” and at least three militants died. The militants have vowed to intensify attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Wednesday. Al-Shabab claims to have killed several intelligence officers inside the building, something the government denies. After the suicide bomb was detonated outside the training centre, gunmen reportedly stormed a civilian house that they had mistaken for the government facility. BBC
Kenya Wages War on Smugglers Who Fund Somali Militants
When Kenyan police arrested six men in the vast Dadaab refugee camp near the Somali border last April, their ultimate aim was to dismantle a decades-old sugar smuggling trade that is funding Somali militants waging war on Kenya. The arrests, coming weeks after four al Shabaab gunmen massacred 148 people at nearby Garissa university, were part of Nairobi’s new strategy to choke off the flow of money to Islamists whose cross-border raids have hammered Kenya and its tourism industry. While cash from sugar smuggling may amount to only a few million dollars, experts say such sums are enough for attacks that need just a few assault rifles, transport and loyalists ready to die – such as the Garissa raid or the 2013 assault on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall that killed 67 people. “It’s like the government is awakening,” said a senior Kenyan security source from Garissa region, adding the authorities had previously often “turned a blind eye to all these things because a lot of people were benefiting – but at a cost of security.” However if a lasting impact is to be secured more must be done, say security and diplomatic sources. That includes rooting out corruption in the police force and going after smuggling cartel bosses as well as the middle men detained so far. The move to tackle the cross-border trade may prove as vital as the military offensive against al Shabaab inside Somalia by African Union peacekeepers and Somali soldiers that has pushed the group into smaller pockets of territory. “Unless al Shabaab sources of revenue are chopped off, we are not going to see the end of instability in south Somalia and the region,” said Rashid Abdi, a Somalia expert based in Nairobi. Bar-Kulan
Foreign Jihadists on Kenya Watch List
Kenyan security agencies and their allies have turned their attention on foreign jihadists whose influx is blamed for attacks in the country. By the time the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) entered Somalia in 2011, reports suggested there were about 400 jihadists from the West in the ranks of Al-Shabaab but the numbers have significantly increased in the last one year. Among Al-Shabaab, foreign fighters are known as Muhajireen. A majority are from the US, Canada, UK and Saudi Arabia. The foreign jihadists are feared and respected within Al-Shabaab ranks, since they “come with experience having fought for the Taliban and Isis,” the source added. “Kenya can easily overcome Syria as a place for Europeans seeking jihad,” says David Anderson, a Horn of Africa expert and professor of African history at the University of Warwick, UK. … The Standard has established that the US has strengthened its army base in Kismayu through which it is constantly sharing intelligence with KDF and other Amisom troops. “Although the base was set up in 2013, it only became fully operational late last year due to the increased need for support and co-operation, especially when dealing with the foreign jihadists,” said a source. Standard Digital
Mali Peace Deal Raises Hopes of Stability
Tuareg rebels finally signed the May peace accord. While the Malian population welcomes this as a step toward more security, it has little faith in the UN stabilization mission, MINUSMA. The new peace accord has been on the table for a while now. In fact, Mali’s government, international mediators and some armed groups already signed it on May 15, 2015, in the capital, Bamako. The agreement calls for the recognition of the government in Bamako; in return it gives the north of the country more rights. Representatives of a Tuareg-dominated alliance called the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) have now agreed to sign the accord on Saturday (20.06.2015). Negotiations repeatedly failed in the past. DW
Paris to Help Mali Put Peace Accord with Tuaregs in Place
France’s defense minister says that Paris will be helping Malians lock into place what he called a “historic” peace accord between northern Tuareg rebels and the government – which means a vast restructuring of the west African country’s army. Jean-Yves Le Drian said that he’s traveling to the Mali capital Bamako on Monday “to see for himself that the accord is correctly put in place.” Le Drian told iTele on Sunday he wants to see how French troops, notably in the northern city of Gao, can best help put the accord – finalized on Saturday – into practice. Armed groups must be integrated into a restructured Malian army after decades of conflict. AP
AU Calls UN to Protect Western Sahara
The 25th African Union summit has approved a decision in which the AU heads of state and government call the UN General Assembly to protect Western Sahara and keep its unity as the United Nations considers it a non-self-governing territory. The summit took this decision after it received the report of the AU Peace and Security Council on the situation of peace and security in Africa. Resorting to such decision points to the deep concern and great dissatisfaction expressed during the deliberations of the Peace and Security Council and at the level of the summit itself on the gross violations of human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, systematic looting of natural resources and existence of the 2,700 km military wall that divides the territory and separates its people. Such decision also refers to the fact that the UN General Assembly is in charge of decolonization in Western Saharan and that the Security Council has not assumed its responsibility as the direct supervisor of the implementation of the peace plan. Sahara Press Service
Zimbabwe: Former Mugabe Aide Says Tsvangirai Won 2008 Polls
FORMER intelligence minister Didymus Mutasa has revealed for the first time that the MDC-T actually won the 2008 election by a narrow margin. Mutasa told the South African Sunday Independent newspaper that Zanu PF people were so shocked by the result that he, as security minister, rushed to protect President Robert Mugabe at the State House. The former Zanu PF secretary for administration added that they were “absolutely shocked” and had Morgan Tsvangirai decided to claim his victory by marching to Mugabe’s residence he would have taken over and with ease. He said: “I immediately drove, at speed and alone, from my home in Rusape, to State House in Harare. “I was terrified, I had to go and protect the president from harm as we were frightened Tsvangirai would do what he said he would do and march to State House. If he had, no policeman would have stopped him.” According to the Sunday Independent, Mutasa blamed Tsvangirai for fleeing to Botswana in the aftermath of the polls. “Instead,” Mutasa said, “Tsvangirai went to Botswana.” Tsvangirai’s flight to Botswana in 2008 has also been criticised by senior researchers and analysts. New Zimbabwe
South Sudanese Academics Call for Exclusion of Top Rival Leaders after Conflict
A group of US-based South Sudanese academics and professionals have called for exclusion of both president Salva Kiir and armed opposition leader, Riek Machar, from a transitional government of national unity and proposing that a non-Nuer and non-Dinka leader should lead transitional period after a final peace agreement is signed. In a public position paper entitled, “Defining a path for concerted efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan,” the group of 11 individuals composed of South Sudanese professors and lectures in different universities in the United States also want the interim period to be between 3 to 5 years so that a new leader of transitional government of national unity could have ample time to implement the agreement. They challenged the notion that there was need for both president Kiir and former vice president Machar to take part in the top leadership of transitional government of national unity in order to convince their respective constituencies to stop the war, arguing that only without the two leaders can formation of interim government become feasible. Sudan Tribune
Nigeria: Jonathan’s Last-Minute Appointments Tear Civil Service Apart
THE crisis in the federal civil service appeared to have worsened with career civil servants protesting against the absorption of 530 aides and cronies of former President Goodluck Jonathan into the civil service in the last days of the past administration. The new recruits into the service were also said to have been installed in high positions, from assistant directors upward. Already, six deputy directors in the federal civil service are in court to protest against the manner the last promotion examination to directors’ level was handled by the Federal Civil Service Commission. … Sources told The PUNCH in Abuja on Sunday that between the time Jonathan lost the presidential election of April 11 and the May 29 handover date, 530 persons from different backgrounds had their appointments into the civil service regularised. Punch
Angolan Police Detain 13 People for Planning Protests
Angolan police arrested more than a dozen people on Saturday for allegedly planning to organise protests threatening “order and public security”, a statement by Angola’s Ministry of the Interior said on Sunday. The arrests come on the heels of a recent state visit by President Eduardo dos Santos to China, which the government denied was aimed at negotiating a two-year moratorium on debt repayments. Tensions in the oil-producing nation’s capital Luanda have risen since state-controlled media reported Angola would be looking to renegotiate terms of the more than $20 billion worth of oil-backed loans issued to it by Beijing. “Several steps in this city of Luanda…culminated in the arrest in flagrant criminal action of 13 nationals who were preparing to carry out acts to change the order and public security in the country,” the government said in a statement seen by Reuters. Police visibility has increased in the streets of Luanda in response to public suspicions and dissent over how much the government would concede to Chinese interests in its bid to revive an economy hit by low crude price. Reuters
Guinea Cancels Local Polls in Bid to End Voting Crisis
Guinea’s warring political factions agreed on Friday to reschedule next year’s local elections in a bid to end a democratic crisis which has sparked deadly protests across the country. Justice Minister Cheick Sacko announced the compromise after chairing two days of talks in the capital Conakry with senior figures from the ruling party and opposition coalition. “It was not easy but the different parties came together,” he told a news conference, adding that the country’s independent election commission would find a new date for the polls. Guinea’s opposition is convinced that the local authorities, whose mandate formally expired in 2010, are completely under President Alpha Conde’s control. Local elections were planned for 2014 but the timetable had to be ripped up when Guinea was hit by the Ebola epidemic. The Nation
Liberians Still Face Travel Headaches, Stigma Abroad Even after Country Declared Ebola-Free
Robtel Neajai Pailey hadn’t been back home to Liberia since Ebola engulfed the country’s capital in July, fearful that doing so could make it harder for her to travel as countries around the globe clamped down on visitors with West African passports. So it was a mix of shock and anger earlier this month when she couldn’t get a visa to attend an important meeting in the United Arab Emirates that had been months in the making. It didn’t matter that she had not even been in Liberia during the epidemic. Nor did it matter that Liberia was declared Ebola-free more than a month ago. “It’s not just affecting people who are in the country – it’s all of us who have Liberian passports,” said Pailey, an academic, activist and author who is based at SOAS, University of London. “This constant stigmatization of the country has implications for our post-war economic recovery and for our post-Ebola economic recovery,” she said. “It’s almost like we’re a pariah.” The World Health Organization declared Liberia Ebola-free in early May. Still, fear of the deadly disease still reigns in many places, causing students to miss out on scholarships abroad, and keeping relatives from attending weddings and funerals. US News
Why Ebola Won’t Go Away In West Africa
Ebola has dug in its heels. Despite dramatic drops in the overall numbers of reported cases, Sierra Leone and Guinea are still struggling to stop the deadly disease. Case tallies in both countries have dipped towards zero in the past few months, only to bounce back up. Sierra Leone reported 14 new cases this week and Guinea counted 10. To try to finally wipe out Ebola once and for all, Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma ordered the military last week to enforce new community-wide quarantines around the most recent cases. “The curfew restrictions and the soldier activities will last for a 21-day period,” President Koroma declared on TV last week. Anyone caught violating the quarantine will be arrested, he ordered. Guinea arguably is in a worse position than Sierra Leone. … The outbreak has been going on longer in Guinea. Cases are more geographically widespread, and some rural communities in Guinea have blocked health workers from entering. NPR