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Latest newsletter - November 2009
SPOTLIGHT
Congolese in Danger of Being Deported from Botswana
On 9 October 2009, the Namibian newspaper reported that 41 Congolese who were being housed in Molepolole Refugee Reception Centre near Gabarone in Botswana would be deported to the Democratic Republic of Congo. For this group, which includes both persons who had been recognised in Namibia as refugees and asylum seekers, the threat of deportation from Botswana is only the latest in a series of trials.
The group, many of whom before they arrived in Botswana had been in Namibia for nearly a decade, left Osire Refugee Camp in Namibia about three months ago and camped on the Botswana border after reportedly receiving death threats from officials of the government of Namibia. The refugees are members of the Association of the Voiceless (AV), a human rights organisation formed to advocate for the residents Osire Camp. The AV had sent a letter describing troubling conditions in the camp to the Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration in June 2009. The letter asked that Osire Camp be closed down and its residents resettled to third countries or integrated into Namibian society.
Read this article here.
ACTION AND ADVOCACY
Continued Consideration of RtoP Proves a Success at UNGA Debate
The long awaited United Nations (UN) General Assembly debate on the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) was held on 23-28 July, and civil society groups around the world rallied together to ensure that dialogue on the norm was advanced. The debate marked Member States’ 2005 commitment to undertake "continued consideration" of the norm, as well as providing a forum for discussion on the UN Secretary General’s 2009 report, Implementing the Responsibility to Protect, which seeks to begin the process of clarifying mechanisms for implementing this commitment in practice. On 14 September 2009, the General Assembly adopted its first resolution on RtoP, based on the positive outcome of the debate and discussion of the Secretary General’s report.
During the session, civil society organisations called on States to carefully consider the Secretary General’'s report and to engage constructively in the debate. For its part, the International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI), a member of the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP), signed on to ICRtoP’s letter to all Ambassadors, as well as coordinating an Africa-focused letter, which was sent to African Union member states and signed by 18 organisations. Additionally, IRRI co-Director and Darfur Consortium co-Chair Dismas Nkunda spoke at an ICRtoP hosted event on 20 July, entitled “The Responsibility to Protect: A Dialogue with Civil Society in Advance of the UN General Assembly Debate”. On 15 September, the ICRtoP released the Report on the General Assembly Plenary Debate on the Responsibility to Protect.
Read the article here.
FEATURES AND ANALYSIS
The United Nations Extends UN-AU Force Mandate in Darfur
In August 2009, the military head of the United Nations and African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), General Martin Luther Agwai, said “as of today, I would not say that there is a war going on in Darfur.” The situation on the ground, however, remains far from peaceful. Millions remain displaced and millions more are still dependent on humanitarian assistance for their basic needs. The situation on the ground remains extremely insecure and, although large scale attacks on civilians on the scale of the 2003-2004 period of the conflict are not occurring, more diffused patterns of violence have continued. And UNAMID is at the forefront of responding. Created and authorized in July 2007, UNAMID’s main purpose is to protect civilians and promote peace in Darfur. At full strength, it is set to have 26,000 military, police and civilian personnel, making it the largest peacekeeping mission in the world.
In September 2009, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies reported significant attacks on the Korma areas of Darfur. A press release issued in early October by Human Rights Watch on the violence in the Korma areas of Darfur stated that “recent clashes between the governing party-led Sudan Armed Forces and rebels in September and the use of indiscriminate bombings demonstrate that the war is not over. Government air and ground attacks on villages around Korma North Darfur on September 17 and 18 reportedly killed 16 civilians, including women, and burned several villages.”
Civilians in Darfur have looked to the international community for protection, particularly through the deployment of peacekeepers. However, despite significant international efforts, security on the ground remains elusive and access for humanitarian agencies has become more difficult. In the midst of these security challenges, the people of Darfur and the international community must continue to rely on UNAMID.
Read the article here.
LAW AND POLICY DEVELOPMENTS
Lubna Hussein’s Trial Highlights Repressive Public Order Law in Sudan
In September 2009, Sudanese journalist and former UN staff member Lubna Ahmed Hussein went on trial before a North Khartoum Court for wearing trousers in violation of the country’s public order law following her arrest on 3 July 2009. On 7 September 2009, the court ordered Hussein to pay a $200 fine, but she was spared the usual sentence of 40 lashes. The case, which gained widespread international attention, served to highlight a law which is being increasingly used against mostly poor or ethnically marginalised women. It is also being deployed as part of a broader crackdown on civil society and voices of criticism of the government in response to the arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court in March and the upcoming elections scheduled for early 2010. As we wrote in the April issue of Refugee Rights News a number of human rights activists reported that they have been subject to increased scrutiny and government harassment (see: “The Reaction to the Arrest Warrant against Sudanese President Al-Bashir.”)
Read the article here.