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Case School of Law Logo
FREDERICK K. COX
INTERNATIONAL LAW CENTER
Founder/Advisor
Michael P. Scharf
War Crimes Prosecution
Watch
Volume 13 - Issue 21
November 26, 2018
PILPG Logo
Editor-in-Chief
Taylor Frank
Technical Editor-in-Chief
Ashley Mulryan
Managing Editors
Sarah Lucey
Lynsey Rosales
War Crimes Prosecution Watch is a bi-weekly e-newsletter that compiles official documents and articles from major news sources
detailing and analyzing salient issues pertaining to the investigation and prosecution of war crimes throughout the world. To
subscribe, please email warcrimeswatch@pilpg.org and type "subscribe" in the subject line.
Opinions expressed in the articles herein represent the views of their authors and are not necessarily those of the War Crimes
Prosecution Watch staff, the Case Western Reserve University School of Law or Public International Law & Policy Group.
Contents
AFRICA
CENTRAL AFRICA
Central African Republic
Cathedral attacked- 42 Dead (Independent Catholic News)
Killing, abuse, sexual violence beyond belief': fears grow of all-out war in CAR (The Guardian)
Central African war crimes suspect 'Rambo' handed to global court (Today Online)
Death Toll in Cental African Republic Clashes Clashes Rises to 48 (Eyewitness News)
Tensions in Central African Republic as refugees start returning (Tamil Times)
Sudan & South Sudan
US Considers Lifting Sudan’s ‘Terror State’ Designation Move Ignores Sudan’s Abuses Against its Own
People (Human Rights Watch)
Cirilo denounces govt’s plan to declare them terrorist groups (Sudan Tribune)
US Gift to Sudan Normalising relations ignores decades of abuse (Human Rights Watch)
Democratic Republic of the Congo

UN 'alarmed' by fighting in DR Congo ahead of December elections (Aljazeera)
Seven UN peacekeepers killed in fight against DRC rebels (Aljazeera)
Mortar bombs fired at U.N. peacekeeping base in eastern Congo (Reuters)
Two Food for the Hungry staff killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Relief Web)
WEST AFRICA
Mali
Spread of Jihadism Turns Central Mali Into Deadliest Region (Bloomberg)
Liberia
War Crimes Court Campaign Gaining Momentum As Some Lawmakers Show Support (All Africa)
Liberians Rally for Justice (Liberian Daily Observer)
Pres. Weah - Liberians Will Decide Between War Crimes Court and Reconciliation (All Africa)
EAST AFRICA
Uganda
Kwoyelo Denies All 93 War Crime Charges, Case Adjourned to Next Year (All Africa)
Witness Tells ICC Ugandan Army Nearly Caught Kony in 2010 (All Africa)
A Test Case for Justice in Uganda (Human Rights Watch)
Kenya
Kenya launches internal police probe to help reform force (Washington Post)
Kenya Police Warn of Terror Attack Bandits in Garissa (Kenyans)
The preacher who laid the ground for violent jihadi ideology in Kenya (The Conversation)
Outcry over ‘saviour complex’ fuelling exploitation of Kenyan children (The Guardian)
Rwanda (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda)
Genocide tribunal still has time to build a lasting legacy (The New Times)
Genocide prosecutor warns against bribery of witnesses (The New Times)
UN demands release of Turkish judge serving on war crimes panel (Deutsche Welle)
Somalia
Car Bombs Kill at Least 20 in Somalia’s Capital (New York Times)
Minister for Africa condemns latest terrorist violence in Somalia (gov.uk)
US says it killed 37 militants in two Somalia airstrikes (CNN)
US airstrike in Somalia against al-Shabab kills 7 extremists (Fox19)
EUROPE
Court of Bosnia & Herzegovina, War Crimes Chamber

Bosnian Judiciary Restricts Information on War Crimes Cases (Balkan Insight)
Croatia Cuts Bosnian Croat’s Jail Term, Causing Political Storm (Balkan Insight)
Belgrade Court Convicts Bosnian Serb of War Crime (Balkan Insight)
Bosnia’s Omarska Camp Security Chief Due for Release (Balkan Insight)
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
Bosnian Judiciary Restricts Information on War Crime Cases (Balkan Insight)
Kosovo Deputy PM Limaj’s War Crimes Acquittal Upheld (Balkan Insight)
Croatia Indicts Bosnian Serb for Manjaca Camp Abuses (Balkan Insight)
Bosnian Serb Ex-Fighters Indicted for Vlasenica Crimes (Balkan Insight)
Jailed war criminal Mladic 'sends kisses' live on Serb TV (France 24)
Kosovo Activists File War Crimes Complaints Against Serbs (Balkan Insight)
Bosnia Arrests Serb War Crime Suspect in Zvornik (Balkan Insight)
Domestic Prosecutions In The Former Yugoslavia
Belgrade Court Convicts Bosnian Serb of War Crime (Balkan Insight)
Kosovo Deputy PM Limaj’s War Crimes Acquittal Upheld (Balkan Insight)
Kosovo Activists File War Crimes Complaints Against Serbs (Balkan Insight)
Turkey
European human rights court orders Turkey to free jailed politician (Financial Times)
‘Ayşe will go on holiday again’: Cyprus invasion talk returns to Turkey (The Guardian)
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Libya
Migrants Forced Off Ship After They Refused To Return To Libya (NPR)
Libya: child refugees abused in UK-funded detention centres (The Guardian)
Libyan gunmen free kidnapped Egyptians held over business dispute (Reuters)
Iraq
More than 200 Mass graves found in former IS territory in Iraq: UN (The Peninsula)
Iraq court sentences five Islamic State members to death (Jurist)
Decorated Navy SEAL Is Accused of War Crimes in Iraq (The New York Times)
Syria
Syria demands international mechanism to investigate US-led coalition's crimes (PressTV)
Exclusive – Left Behind: ISIS Children in Syria, Iraq Await Int’l Solution (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Action Needed on Incendiary Weapons: Spotlighting Inadequate International Law (Human Rights
Watch)
Saudi Arabia drafts UN resolution condemning Syria for human rights abuses (Almasdar News)
UN condemns Syrian 'war on children' as up to 30 reportedly killed in clashes (UN News)
Russia rips apart Saudi UN resolution accusing Syria of human rights violations (AMN Al-masdar
News)
Activists accuse Syrian government of arresting returnees (The National)

Syrian civilians killed in US-led airstrikes, war monitor says (ABC)
Veteran war crimes prosecutor urges reform of ‘disappointing’ UN (Capital News)
US-led coalition denies reports airstrikes killed dozens of civilians in Syria (Military Times)
Syria war: Amnesty asks public to help track civilian casualties of US-led bombing in Raqqa (The
Independent)
Yemen
U.S. halting refueling of Saudi-led coalition aircraft in Yemen’s war (Reuters)
Yemen: hundreds of alleged war crimes but only 79 investigations (The Ferret)
UAE crown prince sued over alleged involvement in Yemen war (Al Jazeera)
Special Tribunal for Lebanon
The Sixth International Meetings of the Defence have taken place at the headquarters of the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (Special Tribunal for Lebanon)
Israel and Palestine
Court delays demolition of terrorist’s home to hear family’s appeal (The Times of Israel)
Palestinian Said Killed by Israeli Military Fire Near Gaza Border Fence (Haaretz)
Hamas Chief in Gaza: 'There Is No Deal or Understandings' With Israel (Haaretz)
Israel Is Indirectly Cooperating With The Hague’s Probe Into 2014 Gaza War Despite Past Criticism
(Haaretz)
Gaza Cease-fire: Israel, Hamas Agree to Return to 2014 Deal, Source Tells Haaretz (Haaretz)
18 Palestinians Wounded by Israeli Live Fire in Border Protests, Gaza Health Ministry Says (Haaretz)
Four Wounded After Israeli Soldiers Shoot at Palestinians Burning Tires in West Bank, Ramallah Says
(Haaretz)
Israel Closer Than Ever to Controlling Part or All of Gaza, Strategic Affairs Minister Says (Haaretz)
Gulf Region
For war-ravaged Yemen, few expect ‘game changer’ in Saudi-led airstrikes after end of U.S. refueling
(The Washington Post)
Saudis Shift Account of Khashoggi Killing Again, as 5 Agents Face Death Penalty (The New York
Times)
Rights Abuses Under Scrutiny (Human Rights Watch)
Saudi crown prince’s ‘fit’ delays UN resolution on war in Yemen (CNN)
Press UAE Crown Prince on Abuses in Yemen (Human Rights Watch)
ASIA
Afghanistan
Horrific Kabul bomb attack underlines growing threat to civilian lives (Amnesty International)
Operation Burnham: Inquiry into controversial SAS raid outlined in Hit and Run begins (NZ Herald)
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
KR leaders get second life sentence (Khmer Times)
Cambodia says Khmer Rouge tribunal that convicted 3 is done (Beloit Daily News)

ECCC to soon determine role of Meas Muth (Khmer Times)
Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal
Why Rohingya refugees shouldn't be sent back to Myanmar (Amnesty International)
Crimes Against Humanity In Myanmar: What Can The Courts Do? (Lawyer Monthly)
War Crimes Investigations in Burma
The U.S. considered denouncing Myanmar for ‘crimes against humanity.’ It didn’t happen. (The
Washington Post)
Aung San Suu Kyi Stripped Of Another Honour: The International Community Must Focus On
Solutions Not Punishments (The Organization for World Peace)
Myanmar police shoot, injure four in raid on Rohingya camp: witness (Reuters)
AMERICAS
North & Central America
International court says it is undeterred after Bolton threatens U.S. sanctions (Reuters)
U.S. halting refueling of Saudi-led coalition aircraft in Yemen’s war (Reuters)
Decorated Navy SEAL is accused of war crimes in Iraq (The New York Times)
South America
A Bullet to the Head Reignites Chile's Oldest Conflict (Bloomberg)
Risk jail or go hungry. Venezuelans working abroad face stark choices. (Miami Herald)
Man, 19, says he survived secret extrajudicial killing in Venezuela (Local 10)
Venezuela
One year later, Venezuela still holding 5 US 'hostages' (Washington Examiner)
TOPICS
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
PYJ Describes TRC Report as ‘Fraudulent’ (Liberian Daily Observer)
U. S. House of Reps Calls for Full Implementation of Liberia’s Truth & Reconciliation
Recommendations (Front Page Africa)
U.S. House of Representatives Passes Resolution to Support War Crimes Court in Liberia (The Bush
Chicken)
President Weah Concedes? (Liberian Daily Observer)
Ethiopian Leaders Propose Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Ezega)
Terrorism

Israel lawmakers to debate death penalty for Palestinian 'terrorists' (Middle East Eye)
The CIA explored using a ‘truth-serum’ on terrorism detainees after 9/11, newly released report shows
(The Washington Post)
Boko Haram brought terror to Niger. Can a defectors program bring peace? (The Washington Post)
Piracy
Pirates Repelled from Stena Bulk Vessel West of Yemen (The Maritime Executive)
Pirates Attack LNG Carrier in Gulf of Guinea (Maritime Executive)
Crackdown on Sea Pirates Yielding Results (Independent Online)
“Ukraine Commits Piracy Actions”: Moscow Reacted to the Detention of Ships in the Sea of Azov by
Kiev (Maritime Herald)
Navy Detains 52 Vessels, 40 Persons for Alleged Piracy Offenses (Pulse Nigeria)
Gender-Based Violence
Sexual violence is a widespread weapon of war – it's time international law caught up (Independent)
Kosovo Reopens Case After War Rape Victim Speaks Out (Balkan Transitional Justice)
How is sexual violence still being used as a weapon of war against men and women? (Euronews)
Commentary and Perspectives
Chemical weapons team to begin assigning blame for Syrian attacks (Reuters)
How Congress can force Saudi Arabia’s hand on Yemen (Reuters)
Rights group sues Abu Dhabi Crown Prince in France over Yemen (Reuters)
WORTH READING
Emmanuel Tronc, Rob Grace and Anaïde Nahikian: Humanitarian Access Obstruction in Somalia:
Externally Imposed and Self-Inflicted Dimensions
Oona A. Hathaway, Alexandra Francis, Aaron Haviland, Srinath Reddy Kethireddy and Alyssa
Yamamoto: Yemen: Is the U.S. Breaking the Law?
AFRICA
CENTRAL AFRICA
Central African Republic
Official Website of the International Criminal Court
ICC Public Documents - Cases: Central African Republic
Cathedral attacked- 42 Dead (Independent Catholic News)
November 16, 2018
Refugees sheltering in the compound of the Cathedral in the Diocese of Alindao, in

the Central African Republic, were attacked yesterday 15th November, by rebel
forces (ex-Seleka from General Ali Darassa's faction).
The attack was reported to have been carried out in retaliation for the killing of one Muslim by an Antibalaka militia on the
14th.
Official reports state that 42 people have been killed, some unofficial reports put the figure as high as 100. Houses in the
vicinity were also looted and burned. The vicar general of the diocese, Abbe Blaise Mada, and another priest also lost their
lives. According to reports the second priest killed was Father Celestine Ngoumbango, but this has not yet been confirmed.
Reports state that one priest was killed during the attacks, while the other later succumbed to injuries.
Killing, abuse, sexual violence beyond belief': fears grow of all-out war in CAR (The Guardian)
By
Rebecca Ratcliffe
November 16, 2018
The UN security council has failed to agree terms for extending a peacekeeping
mission in Central African Republic just days after a top aid official warned the
country is at risk of sliding into full-scale war.
Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, who warned the UN peacekeeping mission is overstretched,
said wider efforts to end the conflict were also failing.
“The UN effort is not succeeding, the donor effort is not succeeding and the government is in no way steering the country
toward good governance,” said Egeland. “Nor are CAR’s neighbours playing the role of being good neighbours stabilising the
country.”
On Thursday, the mandate for the UN’s peacekeeping mission, Minusca, was temporarily renewed for a month, following
disagreements over whether it should provide support to the country’s national troops.
Aid agencies have warned that Minusca desperately needs additional resources to improve the number and quality of the
mission, which has struggled to contain the crisis and faced allegations of sexual exploitation. But Minusca has struggled to
persuade countries to contribute troops, while the US wants to reduce cost. Experts believe the number of troops, which
currently stands at 12,000, is unlikely to rise further.
“The mission is not even close to fulfilling its mandate of protecting the civilian population,” Egeland added. “Civilians are
routinely targeted, killed, abused – the sexual violence is beyond belief”.
Over a 48-hour period beginning on 31 October, 27,000 people were forced to flee after a camp and surrounding homes were
burned and looted following clashes in Batangafo, in the north of the country. The site was “virtually next door” to a UN
peacekeeper base, said Egeland.He added that pledges made at a Brussels conference in 2016 – when 2.06bn (£1.8bn) was
promised by donors – had failed to bring about reconciliation and reconstruction in most areas of the country.
“If it [the conflict] continues like right now, full-scale war is much more realistic than any kind of reconciliation and
reconstruction outcome we thought of in 2016,” said Egeland.
“This is a place where a hand grenade and loaf of bread are more or less the same price,” he said, adding that the prevalence of
diamonds and other precious metals has intensified violence by armed groups. “It is very easy to get guns and grenades for a
low price, and unemployed, desperate young men are even cheaper.”
Conflict broke out in CAR in late 2012, when Seleka rebels – most of them Muslims, and many from Chad and Sudan –
overthrew François Bozizé. Predominantly Christian fighters, known as the anti-balaka, retaliated. The number of armed
groups, often competing for natural resources, has since multiplied.
Funding shortages have forced agencies to adopt a short term approach, said Egeland, focusing resources on the most crisis-
hit areas, only to withdraw support as soon as the emergency is perceived to have faded. In Carnot, in the east of the country,
the Norwegian Refugee Council was forced to withdraw a school programme that provided education for young people
otherwise vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups.
So far this year, the humanitarian response in CAR has received less than half of the $500m dollars needed. An estimated 1.27
million people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the violence.
Ferran Puig, Oxfam’s country director in Central African Republic, said aid efforts were severely hampered by insecurity. “A
lack of humanitarian access to some areas is really preventing us from moving around outside of the areas [that are] under

control of Minusca. When you try to do humanitarian response to communities [elsewhere], it’s very difficult.”
This summer, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned of a rise in attacks on aid workers in the
country, which is among the most dangerous for humanitarian workers. A total of 118 incidents were recorded between April
and June.
There are fears over increased violence in areas such as Batangafo and Bambari, in the centre of the country. In Batangafo,
10,000 people fled to a local hospital and many others to the bush after violence erupted two weeks ago, forcing medical staff
to cut back services. Roughly 5,000 people remain on the grounds, according to Médecins Sans Frontières.
Staff there normally see an average of 1,000 people for malaria cases each week, but this had fallen to 60 last week following
the eruption of violence. “In two weeks’ time we are going to have severe cases of malaria because people are not arriving in
the hospital, they are living in the bush,” said Helena Cardellach, field coordinator for Batangafo for Médecins Sans
Frontières, which supports the hospital.
Medical workers are also concerned about increased cases of diarrhoea, malnutrition and respiratory infections, especially
among children under five.
The Norwegian Refugee Council has called for an urgent review of the humanitarian response in 2019, ahead of the country’s
2020 elections, which it is feared may lead to a further escalation of violence.
Central African war crimes suspect 'Rambo' handed to global court (Today Online)
November 17, 2018
A war crimes suspect wanted for alleged murder, deportation and torture of Muslims
in the Central African Republic has been handed over to the International Criminal
Court in the Hague, the tribunal said.
CAR officials transferred Alfred Yekatom on Saturday to officials from the global court, which is investigating six years of
violence that has destabilised a region at the heart of the continent.
Yekatom, a sitting MP once nicknamed "Rambo", had been under arrest in Central African Republic since Oct. 29, when
during a parliamentary session he first pointed a gun at a fellow lawmaker and then shot twice at the ceiling.
CAR government officials did not respond to requests for comment, but the country's justice minister was expected to make a
statement on Monday.
Yekatom was handed over to ICC officials on Saturday and arrived in the court's detention centre in the Hague in the early
hours of Sunday, the ICC registry's spokesman said.
There was no immediate comment from Yekatom or any lawyers representing him.
A U.N. commission of inquiry found that Christian militias under Yekatom had carried out war crimes and crimes against
humanity by targeting Muslims.
The International Criminal Court - set up to prosecute the worst crimes when member countries can not or will not do so -
issued a sealed arrest warrant for Yekatom on Nov. 11.
"We allege Mr. Yekatom is criminally responsible for several counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in
the Central African Republic between 5 December 2013 and August 2014," International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou
Bensouda said.
"Now, he must answer in court for his actions."
Bensouda is carrying out two separate investigations into conflicts in the Central African Republic. Yekatom's arrest is the first
in the more recent conflict.
A pre-trial chamber found reason to suspect Yekatom of commanding around 3,000 members of an armed group operating
within the Anti-Balaka movement, which was carrying out systematic attacks against the Muslim population.
Among the charges in the warrant are murder, cruel treatment, deportation, imprisonment, torture, persecution, enforced
disappearance, and the recruitment of child soldiers under the age of 15.
The former French colony, one of Africa's poorest
countries despite reserves of gold and diamonds, was plunged into chaos when mostly Muslim Seleka rebels started attacking
towns and grabbing territory before seizing power in March 2013.

Seleka's rule prompted a backlash from Christian militia known as anti-balaka. Under international pressure Seleka handed
power to a transitional government but the move effectively partitioned the country and bloody clashes continue.
No date has been set yet for Yekatom's initial appearance, but he must be brought before a judge within several days under
court rules.
Death Toll in Cental African Republic Clashes Clashes Rises to 48 (Eyewitness News)
November 19,
2018
At least 48 people were killed in clashes between Christian and Muslim-dominated
militias in a restive Central African Republic(CAR) town last week, according to an
internal UN report seen Monday by AFP.
The death toll had previously been reported as 37, including two priests, in the country's latest surge of sectarian violence.
The bloodshed was sparked in the central town of Alindao on Thursday between Christian militiamen, known as anti-Balaka,
and the Union for Peace in CAR (UPC) Muslim militia.
The town's church and a camp for displaced people were torched. Pictures seen by AFP show burnt bodies in the fire.
Other than the two priests, it has not yet been possible to confirm whether those killed were civilians or armed fighters.
More than 20,000 people have been displaced by the violence, according to the UN.
One of the world's poorest nations despite a rich supply of diamonds and uranium, the CAR has struggled to recover from a
2013 civil war that erupted when President Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.
In response, Christians, who account for about 80% of the population, organised vigilante units dubbed "anti-Balaka" in
reference to a local machete.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday said the latest attack was attributed to the UPC militia, which has its
roots in the Seleka group.
However, the UPC accused "both Muslim and Christian bandits" of being behind the incident.
"The UPC has dispatched one of its units to stop looting and violence," the group said in a statement on Monday.
Alindao is a UPC stronghold and has witnessed chronic fighting in recent months that has also killed two UN soldiers and a
humanitarian aid worker.
The town lies on a critical route traversing the south and east of the country and is in the heart of a region numerous gold and
diamond mines that have helped fuel the conflict.
The UN has warned of a "disastrous" humanitarian situation in the region, which it said was under the control of armed
groups.
Tensions in Central African Republic as refugees start returning (Tamil Times)
November 20, 2018
Tensions have risen within the city of Carno in Central African Republic (CAR) as
refugees, who are predominately Muslim, have started to return to find their homes
and businesses occupied, exacerbating the conflict between Muslim and Christian
communities.
Aid organisations and the UN aim to build new houses to ease tensions and allow occupants to voluntarily leave.
Refugees from the Central African Republic, were forced into exile due to fighting among armed groups which began in 2013.
“Over 543,000 CAR refugees to remain in neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the
Republic of the Congo, with smaller numbers in Sudan and South Sudan. This is the highest number of CAR refugees seen
since the start of the crisis. In addition to the refugees, close to 700,000 people have been forced to flee inside the country,"
the UNHRC said.
Since late 2016, the nation has began to stabilise however there is still significant security threats in the “northwest, east and
south-east of CAR – some not previously affected by violence”.

They also note a severe lack of funding and an inability to provide for basic survival assistance:“
Food, health, shelter and water and sanitation are all primary concerns for refugees living outside formal sites and for the
communities hosting them.
[back to contents]
Sudan & South Sudan
ICC Public Documents - Situation in Darfur, Sudan
US Considers Lifting Sudan’s ‘Terror State’ Designation Move Ignores Sudan’s Abuses Against its
Own People (Human Rights Watch)
By Jehanne Henry
November 7, 2018
With all eyes on mid-term elections in the United States, almost no one noticed that
on the same day the US State Department quietly told just three journalists that it
would, under certain circumstances, lift its designation of Sudan as a state sponsor
of terrorism.
Sudan has a long legacy of abuses against its own people. During its 22-year long civil war in southern Sudan, roughly two
million died and another four million were displaced. Then, in the western region of Darfur, government and militia forces
destroyed thousands of villages and pushed millions of civilians off huge swathes of land, killing hundreds of thousands. The
US accused Sudan of genocide in 2004, and the International Criminal Court brought charges of war crimes, crimes against
humanity and genocide against Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir and others.
Despite this, the US began the process of “normalizing” relations with Sudan in the last days of the Obama administration,
lifting broad economic sanctions that were imposed 20 years earlier. The US cited “continued progress” in reducing offensive
military operations in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile; improving humanitarian access; and cooperation on
counterterrorism and other goals.
But the US did not require any progress on human rights. And Sudan’s security forces have continued to attack civilians and
open fire on peaceful protesters. Its security agents continue to detain activists and bring trumped-up criminal charges against
them and use torture and other forms of ill-treatment against detainees. The government censors the media, and arrests non-
Muslims, charging them with apostasy, punishable by death.
Nearly two years later, “phase two” of normalizing US-Sudan relations finally mentions human rights, lumped together with
religious freedoms, as one of six areas that Sudan needs to work on to get off the State Sponsor of Terror list, where it’s been
since 1993. But it does not say how it will measure progress and still lacks benchmarks. Sudan has long sought removal from
the list, which would make it eligible for loans and debt relief. But despite that incentive, without clear benchmarks, it’s hard
to see Sudan being held accountable to make real improvements to its appalling rights record.
No wonder the US and Sudan prefer to celebrate their deal in private.
Cirilo denounces govt’s plan to declare them terrorist groups (Sudan Tribune)
November 8, 2018
South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) led by Thomas Cirilo Wednesday denounced
“government’s sinister plans” to label holdout opposition groups as terrorist
organisations.
Speaking in a public meeting at the Freedom Square in Yei town, Vice President James Wani Igga announced his government
plan to declare the non-signatory factions as terror groups after the end of the pre-transitional period of eight (8) months.
“South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) condemns this irresponsible utterance from Mr Wani Igga,” said the SSOA-Cirilo
spokesperson Kwaje Lasu in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday evening.
Lasu further said it is the ruling SPLM led by President Salva Kiir which “rightfully” deserves this categorization as a terrorist

organization.
“The Government of Kiir and those of Wani Igga have committed heinous crimes against humanity, war crimes, rape and
displacement of 2.4 million South Sudanese since the start of the man-made infernal civil war in the country,” he added.
The factions of the SSOA- Cirilo were part of the revitalized peace forum but rejected the IGAD brokered agreement saying it
does not help to achieve their aspiration for a genuine federal system and freedoms.
However, the other faction led by Gabriel Changson signed the peace agreement and expressed hope to achieve the desired
goals through the mechanisms set up by the revitalized peace pact.
Lasu pointed that the statement made by Wani Igga actually revealed the “mindset and sinister intentions” of the regime
towards the holdout opposition.
He stressed that this threat will not deter their struggle for “a genuine sustainable peace and true democracy to our country”.
“We will continue to advocate for equality, freedom and justice. We strive to be the vehicle of change and beacon of hope to the
people of this great nation despite the flapping wings of the dictatorial regime in Juba,” he emphasized.
President Kiir and SPLM-IO leader said they want to initiate a dialogue with the non-signatories and to include them in the
peace implementation process but no concrete measure has been taken yet.
US Gift to Sudan Normalising relations ignores decades of abuse (Human Rights Watch)
By Jehanne
Henry
November 20, 2018
On the afternoon of 7 November, the day after US Midterm elections, the US State
Department released a statement to the news media, "Sudan commits to
strengthening meaningful cooperation and reforms," announcing "Phase II" in its
new relationship with Sudan. The statement put in writing what a spokesperson told
three journalists the night before: The US would, under certain circumstances, lift its
designation of Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Sudan has long wanted off this list to become eligible for international loans and debt relief. With its economy in tatters, this
gift could not come at a better time.With all eyes on Midterm elections, few noticed the announcement. But it marked a
significant evolution in US-Sudan relations, which have long been strained. As the ruling Islamic National Congress Party
came into power after a military coup in 1989, the international community began to disengage. The US, citing Sudan's
willingness to harbour terrorists such as Osama bin Laden and Carlos the Jackal, put Sudan on the State Sponsor of Terrorism
list in 1993 and withdrew its ambassador three years later. In 1997, the US imposed comprehensive economic sanctions,
cementing its policy of disengagement.
During the 90s, Sudan's brutal and abusive tactics in its civil war against the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA),
which had been going on since 1985, further damaged its poor reputation. The Sudanese government and its proxies fought
the southern rebels, from non-Arab and mostly non-Muslim communities, in the remote swamplands of what is now South
Sudan. For over two decades, government attacks, especially around oil concessions, destroyed towns and villages, killing and
maiming civilians and forcing millions to flee. The long civil war ended with the internationally mediated Comprehensive
Peace Agreement, signed in 2005. But even as Sudan's leaders were negotiating that agreement, which paved the way for the
South's independence, they were busy overseeing a new civil war, this time against rebel groups drawn from largely African
Muslim communities in the western region of Darfur. Sudan's counter-insurgency tactics there were similar: Government
forces and allied Janjaweed militia bombed and torched villages, killed thousands of people, and drove millions into camps for
displaced people or to refugee camps over the border with Chad.
Concluding that the Sudanese government bore responsibility for atrocities in Darfur, the US secretary of state at the time,
Colin Powell, accused Sudan of genocide in 2004. The US imposed additional sanctions on Sudan and backed deployment of
African Union and United Nations peacekeepers to Darfur. In 2005, the United Nations Security Council referred the situation
to the International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants for several commanders, including President Omar al-
Bashir, for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. Al-Bashir, other government officials and affiliated
commanders have evaded arrest.
As the war in Darfur simmered, Sudan became mired in a third civil war - in the so-called "two areas" of Southern Kordofan
and Blue Nile - when rebels from those areas took up arms against the government following South Sudan's independence in
2011. There, too, government bombing and attacks killed and maimed people, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee north
or to refugee camps in bordering countries. Fast-forward to 2017. Against this grim background, in January the Obama

administration started a process of normalisation with Sudan by promising to lift the economic sanctions if Sudan made
"sustained progress" in five areas, which included reducing offensive military operations in Darfur, Southern Kordofan and
Blue Nile. Sudan was also to improve access for aid groups and to cooperate with the US on counter-terrorism and other
political goals in the region. In October 2017, the US decided that Sudan had made enough progress in those areas and
revoked those sanctions permanently.
The January 2017 policy did not require any progress on human rights at all, despite well-documented, ongoing abuses. At the
time, Human Rights Watch pointed out that while Sudan did reduce its bombing of civilians in Darfur and the Two Areas, its
forces continued to attack civilians and open fire on peaceful protesters, as it did in late 2013, killing over 170 people on the
streets of Khartoum and other towns. We proposed benchmarks that include obvious, easy-to-measure changes. For example,
Sudan should reform its draconian security apparatus, with broad powers of arrest and detention, which has continued to
detain activists and bring trumped-up criminal charges, and to torture and ill-treat detainees. We proposed changes to the law
governing the media and the government's practice of censorship, and the repeal of certain provisions criminalising actions
like apostasy, punishable by death.
Now, just under two years later, the US' "phase two" offers Sudan revocation of its state sponsor of terrorism designation with
continued progress in six areas that include some of the previous five areas, such as cooperation on counter-terrorism. The US
"phase two" policy finally does mention human rights, but it still does not say how progress will be measured in this area.
Given how non-transparent the US determination will be, one wonders if the US wants Sudan to do anything at all? After so
many decades of responding to Sudan's human rights crises, the US seems to have thrown in the towel.
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Democratic Republic of the Congo
ICC Public Documents - Situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
UN 'alarmed' by fighting in DR Congo ahead of December elections (Aljazeera)
November 14, 2018
The United Nations has raised the alarm over fighting in the eastern Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that violence, which is unfolding alongside an
Ebola outbreak, could hamper next month's elections.
Leila Zerrougui, head of the UN stabilisation mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUSCO, said that the
provinces of Tanganyika and South Kivu and parts of North Kivu province were most at risk.
"I have grown increasingly alarmed over the situation in Beni in recent months, where we continue to face major challenges in
implementing our mandate," she said.
"There is a potential for armed group interference in elections in specific areas throughout eastern DRC."
Her remarks were made on Tuesday at the UN Security Council's monthly meeting on the DRC.
Inter-ethnic bloodshed Eastern DRC has been troubled for decades by inter-ethnic bloodshed and militia violence, a crisis that
has escalated this year.
The city of Beni, home to up to 300,000 people, is under threat from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group
rooted in Uganda that has killed hundreds of people since 2014.
DRC is also battling the worst Ebola outbreak in the country's history.
The unrest is running in parallel with a conflict in the central region of Kasai, casting a shadow over the country's ability to
stage elections on December 23 to choose a successor to President Joseph Kabila.
Zerrougui said many hurdles had to be overcome for the elections to proceed smoothly and be credible. The official start of
campaigning is on November 22.

"It will be especially important for the government to take steps in the coming weeks to secure polls, particularly to ensure the
participation of women, who make up 50 percent of registered voters," she said.
Zerrougui is also the UN secretary-general's special representative in the DRC.
MONUSCO, whose mission is now 17,000 strong and among the UN's largest, has been in the DRC since 1999. It has an
annual budget of $1.153bn.
Seven UN peacekeepers killed in fight against DRC rebels (Aljazeera)
November 15, 2018
The United Nations says seven of its peacekeepers have been killed in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in a military operation with government forces
against rebels in the country's Ebola-hit northeast
Several DRC soldiers were also killed or wounded in Wednesday's joint operation targeting Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)
rebels in the Beni region, North Kivu, according to Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesperson.
Ten UN peacekeepers were wounded and one was still missing, he added. An unknown number of ADF fighters were also
killed or wounded.
Dujarric said six of the killed peacekeepers were from Malawi and one was from Tanzania.
The DRC's volatile east is home to many armed groups, including ADF, vying for control of the mineral-rich region.
The ADF originated in Uganda as a rebel force against the government and carried out deadly bombings in the 1990s. A
military campaign forced them to relocate to eastern DRC.
Since October 2014, ADF rebels have been accused of killing more than 1,500 people in the Beni region.
UN investigators have blamed the ADF for carrying out the deadliest single assault on the UN peacekeeping mission in the
DRC in almost 25 years.
That attack on December 7, 2017 at a base in Semuliki near Beni killed at least 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers, wounded 43 others
and left one peacekeeper missing.
In recent attacks, ADF rebels have also killed civilians and abducted children in the Beni region.
The rebel attacks have forced suspension of crucial efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in some areas.
Peter Salama, the emergencies chief for the World Health Organization, predicted earlier this week that the outbreak, which
has killed more than 200 people, would last at least another six months.
He said makeshift health facilities offering both traditional and modern treatment have become "major drivers" of the current,
deadly transmission and are believed to be linked to more than half of the cases in Beni, the largest city affected by the current
outbreak.
Salama said the current Ebola outbreak is "arguably the most difficult context that we've ever encountered", pointing to
activities of two armed rebel groups in the region.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all armed groups to stop "their destabilising activities" and "disarm
immediately", Dujarric said.
He also urged DRC authorities to apprehend and bring to justice the perpetrators of attacks against civilians, national security
forces and UN peacekeepers, the spokesperson added.
Guterres gave strong backing to peacekeepers from Malawi and Tanzania "who continue to operate in an exceptionally
difficult environment to protect local populations against the attacks of the ADF and other armed groups," Dujarric said.
Mortar bombs fired at U.N. peacekeeping base in eastern Congo (Reuters)
November 16, 2018
Mortar bombs were fired at a U.N. peacekeeping base and gunfire could be heard on
Friday in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern city of Beni, an area which has
seen a surge in fighting with rebel groups, two sources said.
The attack follows the death of twelve Congolese soldiers and seven U.N. peacekeepers in clashes with militias earlier this

week - one of the deadliest for troops in Congo’s volatile eastern borderlands since a rebel attack in early 2018.
Congolese army spokesman Mak Hazukay said the army was monitoring the situation in Beni and had imposed a curfew on
part of the city.
Eastern Congo has been plagued by banditry and armed insurrections for more than two decades since the fall of military ruler
Mobutu Sese Seko. The past year has seen a surge in violence around North Kivu region.
Beni is the epicenter of the region’s Ebola epidemic and efforts to control the outbreak - the worst in Congo’s history with over
300 infected and two-thirds of those killed - have been hampered by insecurity.
Two Food for the Hungry staff killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Relief Web)
November 19,
2018
Two humanitarian aid workers from Food for the Hungry (FH) were tragically killed
in Tanganyika province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on Thursday,
November 15.
“We are devastated to confirm the tragic loss of our two staff members,” said FH CEO Mike Meyers. “Our hearts and prayers
are with their families as we grieve alongside them.”
The two workers were returning to their field site of work Thursday morning on motorcycle, approximately 80 km from the
FH Kalemie office, when they were accosted on the road by armed individuals and fatally shot.
FH has temporarily suspended all operations in the area and is engaging in a thorough investigation with local authorities to
seek justice.
“We denounce this terrible attack on humanitarian lives, and the ongoing violence in DRC,” said Meyers.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is continuously listed as one of the top ten most dangerous places for aid workers
according to Humanitarian Outcomes. The killing of humanitarian workers is considered a war crime by the United Nations
and international law.
In 1995, Food for the Hungry (FH) entered DRC to assist unaccompanied refugee children who were victims of the civil war
that ravaged the country, as well as those fleeing from the genocide in Rwanda. Since then, FH has focused efforts on
community development, including helping communities rebuild and reestablish livelihoods, improving access to water and
sanitation, and reducing food insecurity through agriculture and livestock production.
[back to contents]
WEST AFRICA
Mali
Spread of Jihadism Turns Central Mali Into Deadliest Region (Bloomberg)
By Katarina Hoije
November 20, 2018
A mix of jihadist violence, communal conflict and suspected army abuse have
rendered central Mali the country’s deadliest region as the influence of Islamist
insurgents and separatist rebels in the north is spreading, according to a human-
rights group.
Mali’s government has been struggling to restore state authority in the north and center since a 2012 Islamist insurgency
that’s reverberated across West Africa. More than 500 people have been killed in attacks or mass executions in the central
Mopti region during the first six months of the year, the International Federation for Human Rights said in a report published
Tuesday, citing testimonies from civilians and local leaders.

Soldiers were involved in at least six of the attacks, the Paris-based group said in the report. In one incident, several of 67
people escorted by soldiers were later found in a mass grave. The recent violence has forced an estimated 34,000 people to flee
their homes and aid organizations are struggling to provide food, the Norwegian Refugee Council said in a statement
Wednesday.
A loose alliance of Tuareg rebels and Islamist insurgents seized large swathes of the north in 2012. A French military
intervention succeeded in pushing back the insurgents a year later, but they’re now moving into Mali’s more densely
populated center, where they stoke ethnic tensions through the targeted assassinations of local leaders.
In some villages, jihadists have enforced Sharia law, closed public schools and are forcing women to cover their heads, Amy
Dicko, an activist from the nomadic ethnic Peul group, said by phone Monday from Mali’s capital, Bamako.
“In my village there are no marriages as the jihadists have banned people from celebrating” while those who don’t obey are
abducted and sometimes killed, said Dicko.
Since the 2015 emergence in the Mopti region of a jihadist movement led by the Peul preacher Amadou Koufa, disputes
between herders and Bambara and Dogon farmers have repeatedly turned violent. Already tense relations between ethnic
groups have been exacerbated by accusations of the military cooperating with self-defense militias in the fight against the
jihadists, who recruit mainly among young Peul herders, said Florent Geel, head of the rights group’s Africa desk.
‘Global Jihad’
“These are herders caught up in a global jihad, which in reality has much less appeal than the struggle for access to grazing
land, the unlawful arrest of a family member or state corruption,” Geel said by phone from Paris.
An investigation into some incidents mentioned in the report are underway and “soldiers implicated in any attacks will be
sanctioned,” Defense Ministry spokesman Boubacar Diallo said.
While some of the military perpetrators have been identified and removed from their positions, the failure to prosecute
offenders has led the population, and specifically the Peul, to distrust state authority, Geel said.
[back to contents]
Liberia
War Crimes Court Campaign Gaining Momentum As Some Lawmakers Show Support (All Africa)
By
Jackson F. Kanneh
November 12, 2018
As campaigners in Liberia prepare to stage a peaceful march in Monrovia to call for
the establishment of war and economy crimes court, some members of the 54th
National Legislature have vowed to lobby with their colleagues for the introduction
of a resolution in support of the establishment of a war and economy crime court.
Attending a National Justice Conference Friday in Monrovia, five members of the 54th Legislature expressed support for the
establishment of the court in consultation with their constituency.
River Gee County district#3 Representative Francis Dopoh; Rustonly S. Dennis of Montserrado District#4, Hanson S. Kiazolu
of District #17, Richard N. Koon of District #11 and Ceebee Barshell of Montserrado County District #3 assured the war crimes
court campaigners of their commitment to bring justice to the victims of the civil war.
Speaking to FrontPage Africa after the National Justice Conference, Representatives Dennis and Dopoh pledged their support
for the establishment of the economy and war crimes court.
According to them, the establishment of war crimes court is necessary because it will serve as a precedent for future
generation.
Justice, according to the two lawmakers, is very important in the developmental agenda of any country.

According to them, Liberia will be more stable and peaceful after the establishment of the court depending it is the will of the
Liberia citizen.
"Once the call for the establishment of the court has the desire of our people I will support it even if I am the lone man to take
up the revolution once my people support me I will take up the challenge.
"The issue of the court is not about the warlords, it is about what happened during the war so we should not be scare here to
establish the court. This country will be peaceful, justice and peace are all part of development so let nobody threaten us here",
Rep. Dopoh said.
"We should not be begging when it comes to justice, we just need to look at the timing and the security. So, again the voice of
the people will prevail. And as an individual I stand for justice and I cannot go contrary for what I stand for. So, if any of my
colleagues are human right violators when we shall have pass any resolution on the matter he or she will be permitted before
the law", the Montserrado district#4 lawmaker noted.
Speaking earlier at the conference, Uchenna Emelonye, Country Representative of the office of the Higher Commissioner for
Human Rights, assured the people and government of Liberia of the necessary support needed in the fight for peace and
justice.
He called on the CDC-led the government to implement the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in order
to bring lasting peace to the people of Liberia.
"As the office of the higher commissioner for human rights, we commit to supporting the government and people of Liberia in
their quest for reconciliation and accountability for past human rights violations. In the same concluding observation, the
committee urged the government of Liberia to take all measures necessary to implement the TRC recommendations.
"It further recommends to the government of Liberia to establish, as a matter of priority, a process of accountability for past
gross human rights violations that conforms in international standards", he averred.
At the end of the National Justice Conference, participants from both local and international human rights organizations
signed a joint resolution calling on the government of Liberia and her international partners for the establishment of an
economy and war crime court in the country.
Liberians Rally for Justice (Liberian Daily Observer)
By Hannah N. Geterminah
November 13, 2018
Hundreds of Liberians under the banner “Campaigners and Victims For Justice,”
yesterday, November 12, marched through the principal streets of Monrovia to
present petitions to the American Embassy, European Union, United Nations and to
the office of President George Weah, calling for the establishment of War and
Economic Crimes’ Court in Liberia to seek justice for victims of the 14 years civil
conflict (1989-2003).
The protest march which created a traffic gridlock across Monrovia, was well attended by a mix of old people, youth, children,
and even street hustlers including Zogos, who sang and danced as they trooped from their assembly point at the Centennial
Pavilion to the United States Embassy and then to the European Union office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and finally to the
United Nations headquarters on Tubman Boulevard, crying for justice for their loved ones and families victimized during the
war.
In a related development, a separate group of demonstrators had also besieged the entire Jallah Town route connecting the
Capitol By-Pass demanding the restoration of electricity to the community, which the protesters claimed had been in darkness
for over three weeks. Meanwhile the war crimes protesters continued singing and chanting “We are the victims we can’t get
tired, the pro-poor government we want justice, Liberian people what you want….we want justice, your leave us oh da justice
we want…”
A concerned Liberian resident from Canada, Emmanuel Savice, who led the protest action declared, “We are serious about
justice and accountability because no country will develop without ending the culture of impunity. If you ever think that God
will come down and bless us, the two hundred and fifty thousand souls will continue to keep us down until we seek justice in
this country.”
When asked about the views of those Liberians that are calling for restorative justice, instead, Savice angrily said, “We want
retributive justice for our people we lost their lives. You can’t tell me what I want. I lost my three brothers, one sister, my

mother is still mourning for them. That is why I am pushing for international justice for every human being who his or her
life.”
Continuing, Savice said the current government campaigned on a platform for justice, “so they must stand up and listen to the
cry of innocent Liberians who lost their parents and other relatives during the war and give them justice.”
The protesters in their Petition said that crimes committed by the perpetrators violated international criminal laws,
international human rights laws and international humanitarian laws and therefore they should not go unpunished.
Savice said there are facts and evidence that tell the sad and ugly story of the country which is readily and conspicuously
available in every nook and cranny of the country.
“Heads of warring factions were involved in the massive killing of our people and the destruction of our country and they still
walk freely in the midst of their victims that they violated, degraded, abused, vilified, raped and sexually enslaved during the
heydays of their violence,” he said. Savice said, “These war criminals’ massacred and engaged in extra-judicial killings, and
other unthinkable crimes against their victims and they still linger in the minds of Liberians, owing to the fact that justice is
being delayed and denied.”
He said the sorrow and agony of the Liberian people lie in the ugly fact that these very war criminals have been rewarded with
state power in all its ramifications, thereby giving them political control over their victims against their will.
“This kind of scenario continues to torment and psychologically affect the people of Liberia. It is no secret that the Liberian
brutal civil war produced numerous massacres like the killings of the five Catholic Nuns, the Sinje Massacre, the St. Peter’s
Lutheran Church Massacre in Sinkor and others,” he said.
The petitioners said only a War Crimes Court will bring justice to the families, relatives, and friends of victims who were
gruesomely murdered and raped. Savice said seeking justice for these barbaric crimes is the only way to right the wrong,
reconcile the country and its people and finally end the culture of impunity in Liberia.
“It will be sad, regrettable and shameful for the world to let these atrocities go unpunished. It will be disappointing and a
mistake for such heinous crimes to go unpunished. These appalling crimes must be investigated, and the required judicious
measures taken to avoid replication in the future,” he said.
Savice further maintained, “Also on record is the persistent greed and dishonesty of leaders of the country who also, with
impunity continue to unduly amass wealth for themselves, thereby subjecting the entire citizenry to horrible poverty.” He said
the constant wave of corruption which pervades the country keeps the people in a state of poverty and disease has denied them
basic life incentives because people elected to power personalize the country’s wealth at their detriment.
He said corruption in government must be wiped out to bring about the needed development in the country. “Corruption is
eating up every part of Liberia, impoverishing 90% of the citizenry. It is eating up the entire country making development
stagnant,“. Savice said corruption is the vice responsible for reducing many citizens to beggars on a daily basis and it must
stop, he emphasized.
Pres. Weah - Liberians Will Decide Between War Crimes Court and Reconciliation (All Africa)
By
Lennart Dodoo
November 16, 2018
President George Manneh Weah will not give a definite stance on the establishment
of war crimes court in Liberia but says Liberians would have to decide between
development, reconciliation and war crimes court.
"I think what we need to do is that, we got to find out what we need. Do we need war crimes court now to develop our country?
Or do we need peace to develop the country? That's where all of us Liberians need to sit and talk about advancement and what
is necessary for us," said President Weah while responding to questions from reporters upon his return from Paris, France.
President Weah's statement comes at a time when the U.S. House has passed a resolution reassuring the U.S.-Liberia ties and
at the same time calling on Liberia to fully implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommendations and
the establishment of war crimes court.
"The best thing for us is what the leader will do. So, if it means for us to reconcile this country, if it is the way that Liberia will
develop and progress, then we have to work towards that," President Weah said.
Speaking about the just attended international peace summit in Paris, France, President Weah said, the summit was good as it
was intended to promote peace. He said, the international community recognizes the importance of peace in national

development and nation building, and therefore Liberians should take cue from the summit. President Weah also told
reporters about the IGF Forum where the issue of fake news was discussed.
"The safety of our country is to evaluate those news that go out there. Some journalists for some reason try to send out hate
messages out there; messages that could destroy our entire nation.
"It was a very important subject and we need to filter what is coming in to our people and what they listen to. We must see
how we can counter those fake news as it is not good for our and growth and our country," the Liberian President added.
President George Weah said the decision on whether to establish a special court to prosecute people bearing greatest
responsibility of the country's civil crisis rests upon the shoulders of all Liberians.
[back to contents]
EAST AFRICA
Uganda
ICC Public Documents - Situation in Uganda
Kwoyelo Denies All 93 War Crime Charges, Case Adjourned to Next Year (All Africa)
By Julius Ocungi
November 13, 2018
Former Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel commander Thomas Kwoyelo has denied
all the 93 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against him.
Kwoyelo who appeared before the International Crimes Division's three member panel of judges at Gulu High Court on
Tuesday pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The 93 amended indictments against Kwoyelo were read in court by the ICD Registrar Harriet Ssali as the three judges; Jane
Kigundu, Duncan Gaswaga and Michael Elubu listened.
The charges relates to murder, attempted murder, pillage, robbery, sexual violence, rape, hostage taking and kidnap allegedly
conducted in Pabbo Sub County Kilak County in present day Amuru District between March 1993 and 2005.
Kwoyelo denied ever committing the offences nor having knowledge about them.
He was represented in court by Charles Dalton Opwonya, Boriss Anyuru, Caleb Alaka and Evans Ocheng.
The trial judge justice kigundu has adjourned court to February 4, 2019.
Witness Tells ICC Ugandan Army Nearly Caught Kony in 2010 (All Africa)
By Tom Maliti
November 14, 2018
A former aide to Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), told the
International Criminal Court (ICC) that about eight years ago the Ugandan army
ambushed a unit Kony led in north-eastern Congo, but Kony evaded capture.
Kenneth Oyet told the court the ambush happened sometime in 2010 when the unit Kony led was in a place called Doruma,
which is close to the border with Sudan's then autonomous region of Southern Sudan. (This region became the Republic of
South Sudan in 2011.) Oyet said he left the LRA after this ambush.
Oyet's testimony on November 5 was the first time in the trial of Dominic Ongwen, a former LRA commander, that a witness
had testified about how close the Ugandan military got to capturing Kony. There is an outstanding ICC arrest warrant for Kony

issued in July 2005. This was the same time that an ICC arrest warrant was issued for Ongwen; that arrest warrant remained
outstanding until Ongwen surrendered in January 2015.
Ongwen has been on trial since December 2016 on 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity that he allegedly
committed between July 2002 and December 2005 in northern Uganda. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Testifying about the 2010 ambush, Oyet said on that day they had walked for about one and a half miles and they were
somewhere between Doruma and a place called Nzara in Sudan when Kony ordered them to stop.
"He selected four of us and asked us to move ahead and check if the road is clear and find out if there are soldiers or not," said
Oyet. He said some time after the four of them went ahead, soldiers of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) started
shooting at them.
"Kony had stayed back for about a mile or more away from us. When they (the UPDF) started firing at us, they (Kony and the
rest of the unit) were far away," said Oyet. He said Kony and the other members of the unit that remained with him got away.
Oyet said he was shot during this ambush and got separated from the other three LRA fighters he was with. Oyet said when he
was shot, he fell, and he decided to lie low for some time. He said it was at this time he decided to escape the LRA. Oyet told
the court that after he had rested, he tracked the UPDF soldiers who had ambushed them.
"I met them shortly thereafter and I handed myself to UPDF soldiers," said Oyet.
Prosecutor Adesola Adeboyejo cross-examined Oyet about his decision to leave the LRA. She asked him whether he would
agree with her, "more people left the bush because of amnesty than any other reason?"
"That's correct," answered Oyet.
"And this was because they heard people over the FM radio talking about the amnesty?" asked Adeboyejo.
"That's correct," replied Oyet.
Adeboyejo then asked whether when people in the LRA heard "former comrades" on the radio, "you all realized that amnesty
was real?"
"Yes," said Oyet.
"And so, this was what gave you the courage eventually to make the decision to hand yourself over when you were injured?"
asked Adeboyejo.
"That's correct," answered Oyet.
When Adeboyejo finished cross-examining Oyet, Abigail Bridgman, one of Ongwen's lawyers, asked him further questions in
re-examination.
"Why did you not leave the LRA as soon as you heard about the amnesty?" asked Bridgman.
"The reason why I stayed in the LRA was because it was extremely difficult to leave. One, you had also to think about your life
... If you decide to up and go without any thought, then you are risking your life," replied Oyet. Earlier in the day, Oyet told the
court the LRA abducted him from his village in 1994.
Bridgman then read to him an excerpt of his statement in which he said amnesty was meaningless if the LRA were able to go
to your village and destroy it in retaliation for you leaving the group.
"Yes, that's accurate because if you escape to the area where you originate from, they will go to the area. There will be
repercussions, they (the villagers) will be killed," Oyet answered.
Oyet concluded his testimony on November 5. A transcript of his testimony is available here.
A Test Case for Justice in Uganda (Human Rights Watch)
By Oryem Nyeko
November 15, 2018
An alleged commander in the rebel group Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), Thomas
Kwoyelo, has been in prison since he was captured by Ugandan forces in 2009. He

has been awaiting trial at the International Crimes Division (ICD) of Uganda’s High
Court, one of Africa’s first specially created chambers designed to try the most
serious crimes, like war crimes or crimes against humanity, in the country they were
committed. He has been detained for so long that his lawyers are applying to have
him released on bail, despite his trial finally beginning a few weeks previously in
September. His bail hearing was meant to be before the court today, but has been
postponed to January.
Kwoyelo’s trial has been fraught with many such delays and complications. Pretrial proceedings started in 2011, but the High
Court ordered Kwoyelo released when his lawyers argued that he qualified for amnesty under a controversial domestic law
that arguably helped end the war between Uganda’s military and the LRA, but at the time also allowed people responsible for
serious crimes to avoid prosecution. The Supreme Court overturned the decision in 2015 and although the case resumed in
2016, objections raised by Kwoyelo’s lawyers, lack of funds to conduct the hearings, and late filings by the lawyers, among
other things, delayed the case.
This year, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights issued a communication ordering the Ugandan government
to compensate Kwoyelo for failing to hold his trial within a reasonable time.
The court is also struggling when it comes to victim participation in Kwoyelo’s case. In the ICD, victims’ lawyers present their
views and concerns to the court, and should suspects be convicted, there may also be an opportunity for reparations.
Government officials, however, say resources to allow victims to participate fully in the proceedings are insufficient. Lawyers
who would represent over 90 people who have applied to participate as victims in Kwoyelo’s case have had to rely in part on
the support of nongovernmental organizations to conduct outreach about victim participation and to consult their clients.
The ICD could be a model for other countries to adopt. But there are clearly lessons to be learned from these halting starts if it
is going to be capable of delivering justice for international crimes, including through fair trials.
[back to contents]
Kenya
ICC Public Documents - Situation in the Republic of Kenya
Kenya launches internal police probe to help reform force (Washington Post)
By Tom Odula
November 9, 2018
Kenya's internal security minister Friday launched a police internal affairs unit to
investigate allegations of abuses in the force including corruption and accusations
that officers kill suspects and perpetrate other human rights abuses.
The new investigation body has been welcomed with optimism by some rights activists, but many remain skeptical on its
ability to bring adequate change.
The internal affairs unit will put the police on a "trajectory of reforms," Internal Security Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi said.
The unit has been launched amid allegations by human rights groups and the public that police killed 22 suspects in the last
two weeks in a low-income area of Nairobi.
Rights groups have for years claimed that Kenya's police force is riddled with corruption and carries out abuses.
Eric Kiraithe, a former police spokesman who is now the government spokesman admitted that corruption in the force saying
it "runs deep and wide."
The local chapter of the international anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International has for more than a decade
ranked the Kenyan police as the most corrupt institution in a country where corruption is endemic.

The abuses have continued despite an exercise in which all 100,000 officers are being scrutinized, rights advocates say. Some
2,000 officers have been fired out of around 50,000 scrutinized as the exercise which started in December 2013 and is
continuing.
When that investigation began, body parts from a person reported kidnapped were sent to the National Police Service
Commission with a note warning the chairman to tread carefully.
The Independent Medico-Legal Unit, or IMLU, has conducted autopsies on the bodies of the 22 killed by police. "Our
preliminary investigations indicate that those were extrajudicial killings," said Peter Kiama, the executive director of the
group. "They were not done according to the law. The police were in a position to arrest and not kill those individuals."
The IMLU in 2014 documented how a majority of police killings at that time were connected to police extorting money from
suspects and not police work. He said human rights defenders who raised concern about the killings are being threatened.
Kiama said the internal affairs unit can be effective if given independence and resources.
"This is a huge investment and the demonstration of political will is a plus," he said, adding that despite the challenges facing
the new unit, "there is justification for skepticism but there is space for optimism."
Kenya Police Warn of Terror Attack Bandits in Garissa (Kenyans)
By Derrick Okubasu
November 10, 2018
The National Police Service, on Friday, issued an alert over impending attacks at the
Isiolo/Garissa border.
In a Facebook post, the police suspected that some individuals could be mobilising bandits to stage attacks against some
communities.
“The National Police Service wishes to warn that it has received information to the effect that some individuals could be
mobilising bandits to stage attacks against some communities living along the Isiolo/Garissa border,” read the post.
The post further clarified that the earmarked locations included Modogashe, Skanska, Janju, Bulo, Eldere and other market
centres in the area.
It also warned that those found inciting against certain communities or mobilising them to fight would face the law.
The post continued that the measures will be replicated in other towns such as Wajir where cases of violence were on an
upward spiral.
“Equally, we wish to note that similar measures are being taken in respect of the recent upsurge of violence in parts of Wajir
county involving two subclans
“No one irrespective of their status in the society, will be spared should they be found to be responsible for inciting violence.”
concluded the post.
The Borana from Isiolo have had a long history of warring their Garissa counterparts, the Lagdera with the recent starting in
2015.
At least 15 people have been killed in the clashes across the troubled border.
The preacher who laid the ground for violent jihadi ideology in Kenya (The Conversation)
By Hassan Juma Ndzovu
November 18, 2018
There are a number of explanations about the genesis of jihadi ideas in Kenya.
One is that it could be linked to the emergence of the large and diverse Salafi community. The Salafi are also popularly known
as the Wahhabi because of their association with the teachings of 18th century conservative Saudi scholar Muhammad Abd-al-
Wahhab. The Salafists first appeared in Kenya in the 1980s under a community of believers known as Ansari Sunnah (the
protectors of the tradition of Prophet Muhammad). This heralded the emergence of individuals with extreme religious views
among Kenya’s Muslims, who make up 11.2% of the population of 51 million.
Another theory is laid at the door of increasing numbers of Muslims studying in the Middle East particularly Saudi Arabia,

exposing them to the Wahhabi way of thinking – the Saudi form of Salafism.
The third theory is that the insurgency in Somalia, spearheaded by al-Shabaab brought together Muslims from Somalia, Kenya
and other nationalities in a conflict zone. This provided a greater opportunity for Kenyan jihadists to feel part of a global
Islamic movement.
But my research traces the intellectual genesis and the ultimate growth of the jihadi ideology back to a prominent Muslim
cleric – Sheikh Abdulaziz Rimo.
Rimo was born in 1949 at Diani in Kwale County on the Kenyan coastline. Early in his 20s, Rimo secured an eight-year
scholarship to study at the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia in 1972. After completing his studies, he returned to
Kenya to propagate the Islamic faith among the Digo Muslim community of Kenya’s south coast. This was an undertaking he
frequently referred to as jihad – the religious duty of exerting oneself to realise a noble cause.
It’s my view that Rimo’s efforts ushered in a new way of addressing political issues among Kenyan Muslims. His biggest
influence included framing the grievance of Muslims along religious lines. By doing so he promoted the idea that religion
could be used to solve political problems.
Rimo’s history
Like other African students, the reformist imprint of the Medina University scholars left an indelible mark on Rimo. Certainly,
the Medina phase was crucial for him in terms of initiating him into the Wahhabi-Salafi teachings. The period shaped him into
a Salafi sheikh, which is evident in his sermons. In both words and action the Sheikh denounced Muslims who, in his
interpretation, had deviated from the “true” faith.
As a result, he alienated many, particularly those Muslims who held more tolerant views of their religion.
Rimo didn’t confine himself to moral and spiritual issues. In his mosque sermons he also occasionally veered into political
matters. And he joined the 1990 pro-reform campaigns, becoming a fiery critic of the leadership of Daniel Arap Moi who ruled
Kenya between 1978 and 2002. This led to his imprisonment for six years.
Rimo retreated to a bonded community that came to be known as the Ansari Sunnah. Members of this community were urged
to sever ties with institutions that represented the “infidel” state.
The justification for creating the community was to protect its members from the influence of the wider society which was
perceived as “un-Islamic”. And it was used to propagate a “purist” brand of Islam among the wider community.
Ideology of the dispossessed
Rimo was clearly the intellectual predecessor to the subsequent group of jihadi clerics in Kenya. Although the Sheikh did not
take up arms against the state, his approach contributed to future violent confrontation. With the appearance of al-Shabaab
and other jihadi groups in Kenya, Rimo had already laid the ground that was favourable for advancing jihadi ideology.
For example, one of Rimo’s student, Sheikh Aboud Rogo, was unwavering in his vocal push to carve up an Islamic state in
Kenya at any cost, including the use of violence if necessary.
Following in the footsteps of Rimo, and using Islam as their political ideology, subsequent jihadi clerics lost no opportunity to
express abhorrence for their critics and those they considered infidels and apostates. Their provocative sermons and
statements were directed against the state, Christians and anti-jihad Muslim clerics. All were accused of advancing anti-
Islamic agenda for allegedly supporting government’s efforts in the war on violent extremism.
The sermons of the prominent jihadi clerics also focused on justifying violent jihadi activities in so-called Muslim areas they
considered occupied’ by non-Muslims.
For example, Rogo declared support and validation for the attacks against Christians in various parts of the country. The
sheikh depicted the attacks as justified retribution by the supposedly marginalised Kenyan Muslims. He preached intolerance
and exclusion in his sermons. According to him, Christian churches had a hidden agenda to undermine Islam.
Conclusion
The jihadi initiative remains a loose political force in Kenya. This is dangerous for a few reasons.
Firstly, the country is experiencing religious radicalisation and ethnic popularisation at a time when some sections of Kenyan
society are calling for secession.

Secondly, the dangers of people being attracted to radical solutions are multiplied when a country has a poor human rights
record, weak political institutions and huge economic inequalities. All are present in Kenya.
And finally, increasing communications with the rest of the Muslim world implies the waves of “reform” championed by jihadi
clerics will continue to be evident in Kenya. Rimo’s impact lives on long after his death, in 2015, at his Kwale birthplace.
Outcry over ‘saviour complex’ fuelling exploitation of Kenyan children (The Guardian)
By Harriet Grant
November 19, 2018
Campaigners trying to fight the exploitation of children in Kenyan orphanages say
they are being undermined by a “white saviour” complex among churches and other
charitable groups.
The use of orphanages as “tourist attractions” in places like Mombasa is unethical and fuelling trafficking, child support
organisations say.
Traffickers are feeding a market in children, supported by tourists’ desire to visit institutions in places like Mombasa, said
Michelle Oliel of the Stahili foundation, which combats child exploitation in Kenya.
“Orphanages are sites of trafficking and that was recently recognised in the US Trafficking in Persons report. There is now
growing awareness of the fact that orphanages are damaging. [But] with cheaper air fares there is a proliferation of
orphanages in tourist destinations. People see visiting an orphanage as part of a tourism experience like going on safari.”
Oliel said: “I went to visit one orphanage as part of our work on ending the institutionalisation of children. As soon as the
children saw me they began to dance for me. This is forced begging. They know that white people come with money.”
Charity worker Sophie Otiende said she struggled to raise money for her work because she wouldn’t let volunteers meet
directly with vulnerable children.
“A lot of funding comes from churches and small groups and someone will want to pay $1,200 [£940] to come and hug
children for three months,” said Otiende, of Haart Kenya, a charity working to rehabilitate children trafficked into orphanages
and return them their own families or communities. “I had someone offering me therapy for our girls. I asked, ‘What
qualifications would you need in your country to help a trauma victim? You would need a masters degree.’”
It sometimes means they have to turn down offers of money, she said. “There is a desperate need for funds but if you want to
work ethically then you pay a price. We have a short-term rehabilitation shelter and we won’t open our doors for people to
come to it. We won’t take volunteers.”
In Kenya there are more than 800 registered orphanages, with an estimated 45, 000 children according to the government.
Research suggests that the vast majority of children in orphanages have living parents.
“You have child finders who come into the community and take children from vulnerable families,” said Otiende. “They are
promised education, food and security in exchange for the child. The families are not neglectful. This is a reality when there
isn’t enough support, when a country doesn’t have a social protection system.”
Joseph Mwuwara, 20, was trafficked into an orphanage as a child. Now he is being supported through an organisation based
in Kenya called Stahili.
He spoke in London last week at the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Trust conference on trafficking, alongside Otiende and
Oliel.
He described being taken from his home to an orphanage. “A stranger came to my grandmother’s home – my grandmother,
who really loved us and still does. The outcome was my brother and I had to leave home and go to an orphanage. We were
promised a good education and healthcare but this was not the case.
“On the first day and second day you are treated a bit well then things start getting worse. Sometimes I had to miss school
because volunteers are coming, just to practise songs and dances. Once these volunteers were pleased with what we had done
they would donate and give money. They would say, ‘Buy something for these kids.’ That was never done to us – everything
that was bought was kept and sold.”
Mwuwara was eventually taken back to his grandmother’s by the trafficker, deeply traumatised by his experience. “My
grandmother cried a lot when I came back, she was just ambushed. But today I am being helped by the Stahili foundation and

they are supporting me in my training in mechanics. They have changed my life.”
Oliel said potential funders are put off supporting the work Stahili does because they prefer to fund orphanages, despite
research showing children are better off in a community setting.
“Family-based care is a sixth of the cost of an institution, but when we are working to close orphanages not everybody likes to
hear that.
“It’s entirely possible to get children back to their families. Typically we trace the family, then we work on psychosocial
support. Nobody is suggesting getting the orphanages closed right away but if you slowly redirected the money towards family
care it would be very easy.”
For Otiende, there is too the question of why a “tourist” volunteer could do work that a local might be far better qualified for.
“For the cost of a flight from the US to Kenya, we could pay for a senior psychotherapist to treat around 20 children and
families a month.
“There are some great funders, UBS for example. Potential funders only want to support one child. They don’t want to hear
work you are doing with a family. We get letters that say, ‘We would like to sponsor a little boy or girl so I can show my
daughter how lucky she is.’ Well, why does teaching values have to be at the expense of a vulnerable person?”
Otiende wants people to look at why they think they can help. “I ask people, ‘Could you volunteer in your own country in this
type of work?’ No. You can’t just come with a dose of optimism.”
[back to contents]
Rwanda (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda)
Official Website of the ICTR
Genocide tribunal still has time to build a lasting legacy (The New Times)
November 15, 2018
On September 11 this year, the full weight of international law came down upon four
men and a woman in Rwanda. They were arrested at the behest of the International
Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (MICT) and transferred to Arusha
Tanzania to stand trial. ICTR was the predecessor of the MICT.
It is alleged that the group tried to coerce witnesses who had testified against Augustin Ngirabatware to retract their
testimonies. Had they been successful, it would have led to the accused being exonerated from his 30-year jail sentence. It was
a very long call but there was a remote possibility of success.
They were charged with contempt and incitement to commit contempt of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
(ICTR) and the Mechanism.
It is not very common to see people dragged before the tribunal for contempt, maybe because the MICT was not really looking
too much into it.
The arrest of the group was a result of close cooperation between Rwanda and MICT, and going by the pledge by the visiting
MICT Prosecutor, new avenues of cooperation were opened. The only question that still lingers is; what new strategy will the
MICT come up with?
Are they now going to be more implicated in helping track many of the fugitives who do not feature in their indictments? The
tribunal chose to limit itself to the big fish, but some of those indicted were choirboys compared to some of the most vicious
characters out there.
Helping apprehend those people would be a bigger contribution and a major step in redeeming the tribunal’s image and
posterity. Relationships between Rwanda and the UN tribunal have not always been that rosy, but it is never late too late to
make amends.

Genocide prosecutor warns against bribery of witnesses (The New Times)
By Nasra Bishumba
November 16, 2018
The Chief Prosecutor for the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
(IRMCT), Serge Brammertz, has sent a stern warning to those trying to bribe
witnesses in cases concerning the Genocide against the Tutsi.
IRMCT took over from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
Brammertz sounded the warning at the beginning of his two-day visit to Rwanda yesterday, that will see his office enter a
cooperation framework with different institutions in the country to ease delivery of justice by the Tanzania-based Mechanism.
Together with representatives from the Ministry of Justice, National Public Prosecution Authority, Rwanda Investigation
Bureau, the Military Courts and the National Commission for the fight against Genocide (CNLG), the tribunal formed what
they called a Joint Task Force.
The aim of the taskforce is to provide access to information and facilitating easier information sharing that includes but not
limited to Genocide fugitives.
Addressing the media, Brammertz said that he would be heading to the UN Security Council on December 11 where he intends
to highlight the issue of those he says are trying to promote Genocide denial.
“This is a clear message to everyone out there, we will not accept that people corrupt witnesses, trying to change history and
giving denial of genocide a chance.
We are also increasing the pressure on fugitive networks and those protecting fugitives. These two messages are some of the
main points we want to tell the Security Council really soon,” he said.
Brammertz’s warning follows the arrest of five people in Rwanda in September on suspicion of using bribery and coercion to
secure reversal of witness testimonies in a case of a convicted Genocide mastermind, Augustin Ngirabatware.
Ngirabatware is a former Minister of Planning in the genocidal government, who is serving a 30-year prison.
The suspects are accused of directly, and through others, offering bribes and exerting pressure to influence the evidence of
protected witnesses in order to reverse a conviction that had been upheld by the MICT Appeals Chamber.
The five suspects, all Rwandans, were arrested in September on an indictment issued by Brammertz and shortly transferred to
Arusha, Tanzania where they will stand trial.
About the Joint Task Force
Shedding light on the Joint Task Force that was formed yesterday, Brammertz said that the partnership would be beneficial to
all the institutions involved because there was a lot of information that could be shared to bring to justice those who
committed the atrocities.
“We are actively looking for fugitives so we are constantly updating files so this is mostly about information sharing. We want
to facilitate access to information because we have more than one million documents which are potentially beneficial to the
cases regarding the fugitives this country is still looking for,” he said.
He pointed out that his office continues to work with partners like Interpol and was into talks with more than ten countries
where fugitives were suspected to be hiding.
The Inspector General of National Public Prosecution Authority, Jules Marius Ntete, told reporters that the joint task force
would work hand-in-hand with the Mechanism to ensure it delivers justice for Rwandans.
“We realised that it is very important to have that kind of synergy. In the past, every institution worked alone but we have put
in a lot of efforts so that these fugitives can be brought to justice,’ he said.
The court, which was established to try masterminds of the Genocide against the Tutsi, is still looking for three key fugitives –
Felicien Kabuga, the financier of the Genocide, former Minister of Defence Augustin Bizimungu, and notorious officer of Ex-
FAR, Protais Mpinranya.
The other six fugitives indicted by the tribunal but remain at large were referred to Rwanda for trial.

Brammertz is expected to meet Justice minister Johnston Busingye on Friday.
UN demands release of Turkish judge serving on war crimes panel (Deutsche Welle)
By AP, Reuters, AFP
November 17, 2018
The UN has called for the release of a Turkish judge who is serving on a MICT war
crimes panel. Aydin Sedaf Akay was arrested in Turkey in September after the failed
July coup against the Ankara government.
The United Nations has demanded the release of the Turkish judge Aydin Sedaf Akay who was arrested in Turkey in the
aftermath of the failed July coup.
Akay was arrested on September 21 despite his diplomatic immunity. The 66-year-old judge is a member of a five-member UN
panel assigned in July to review the judgment of former Rwandan planning minister Augustin Ngirabatware.
The president of the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) Theodor Meron, told the UN
General Assembly that Turkey had repeatedly ignored his requests to visit Akay since his arrest and this risked violating
judicial independence. "As a result of his detention, the proceedings have come to a standstill,” said Meron.
Meron demanded Turkey "immediately release judge Akay from detention and enable him to resume his lawfully-assigned
judicial functions" on the UN panel.
Nominated by Turkey
Turkey put Akay forward to be appointed as a judge within the tribunal. He also formerly served as a diplomat for Turkey. The
MICT was established by the United Nations Security Council in December 2010 to carry out a number of essential functions
of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY), after the completion of their respective mandates.
Since the attempted coup in July, Turkish authorities have cracked down on those with suspected ties to an Islamic cleric in
exile in the United States. Turkey blames Pennsylvania-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen for inciting the July coup
attempt. Turkey has arrested, detained or sacked tens of thousands in the military, security forces, judiciary, civil service,
education and media since a state of emergency was declared after the failed coup. More than 270 people died in the
attempted coup.
[back to contents]
Somalia
Car Bombs Kill at Least 20 in Somalia’s Capital (New York Times)
By The Associated Press
November 9, 2018
Four car bombs exploded outside a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, on Friday
afternoon, killing at least 20 people and injuring 17, the police said. The Islamic
extremist group the Shabab claimed responsibility.
After three devices exploded in front of the hotel, a fourth blast hit as medics tried to rescue the injured.
The bombs detonated near the perimeter wall of the Sahafi Hotel, which is across the street from the Somali Police Force’s
Criminal Investigations Department, said Capt. Mohamed Hussein.
Some of the victims were burned beyond recognition when one car bomb exploded next to a minibus, he said.
Somali security forces fatally shot four gunmen who tried to storm through a hole blown into the hotel’s wall but did not
succeed in entering, he said.

“Although they failed to access the hotel, the blasts outside the hotel killed many people,” Capt. Hussein said.
“The street was crowded with people and cars; bodies were everywhere,” said Hussein Nur, a shopkeeper who shrapnel
injuries. “Gunfire killed several people, too.”
Among the dead was the manager of the Sahafi Hotel, whose father was the owner before he was killed in a Shabab attack
there in 2015, Capt. Hussein said.
Minister for Africa condemns latest terrorist violence in Somalia (gov.uk)
November 13, 2018
The Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, has condemned the terrorist attacks carried
out in Mogadishu on 9 November, and offered her condolences to the families of the
victims.
Minister for Africa Harriett Baldwin said:
I was deeply saddened to learn of the appalling attacks in Mogadishu on 9 November, which have killed and severely injured
many Somalis. My thoughts are with the families of the victims, as well as the people and government of Somalia. I wish those
wounded a rapid recovery, and pay tribute to the first responders who reacted to the attack.
All acts of terrorism are indefensible, and the UK condemns this criminal attack in the strongest possible terms. Our
determination to support Somalia stands fast. We will continue to help battle against terrorism in the region, and we remain
committed to supporting a prosperous and secure Somalia.
US says it killed 37 militants in two Somalia airstrikes (CNN)
By Ryan Browne
November 20, 2018
The strike targeted the militants associated with al-Shabaab, al Qaeda's largest
affiliate.
A US defense official told CNN that the strikes were carried out by unmanned drone aircraft and that the target of the first
strike was an al-Shabaab camp.
Africa Command said the "precision strike was a planned and deliberate action" that killed 27 militants in the first strike and a
subsequent strike the US says they killed an additional 10 militants.
"These precision airstrikes were conducted in support of the Federal Government of Somalia as it continues to degrade al-
Shabaab. Airstrikes reduce al-Shabaab's ability to plot future attacks, disrupt its leadership networks, and degrade its freedom
of maneuver within the region," the statement said.
The US military currently assesses that the airstrikes did not injure or kill any civilians.
While the US has now conducted 31 airstrikes against al-Shabaab in 2018, the strikes usually target small groups of militants.
The last major strike against al-Shabaab took place last month and killed some 60 al Qaeda-affiliated fighters.
In March of 2017, President Donald Trump authorized the US military to carry out precision strikes targeting al-Shabaab in an
effort to bolster the federal government of Somalia.
Prior to that, the US military was only authorized to carry out airstrikes in self-defense of advisers on the ground.
The US has some 500 troops in Somalia, primarily in advisory roles.
While the Department of Defense recently announced plans to reduce the number of US troops in Africa, the Pentagon has
said that US forces in Somalia will be unaffected by the drawdown.
A senior US defense official told CNN last week that the US was concerned about international terror threats emanating from
East Africa which is one of the reasons US counterterrorism forces in Somalia were shielded from the cuts.
US airstrike in Somalia against al-Shabab kills 7 extremists (Fox19)
November 21, 2018

The U.S. military says it has carried out an airstrike in central Somalia targeting al-
Shabab that killed seven extremists.
The U.S. Africa Command statement says Tuesday's airstrike occurred in Quy Cad in the Mudug region. The strike was carried
out a day after two other U.S. airstrikes killed 37 extremists with the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab.
Like the previous statement, this one says it believes no civilians were killed or injured.
The U.S. has carried out 33 airstrikes this year against al-Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa. The military
says the airstrikes are aimed at reducing al-Shabab's ability to plan attacks, disrupting its leadership networks and limiting its
freedom of movement in the Horn of Africa nation.
Al-Shabab often targets the capital, Mogadishu, and other cities with deadly bombings.
[back to contents]
EUROPE
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, War Crimes Chamber
Official Court Website [English translation]
Bosnian Judiciary Restricts Information on War Crimes Cases (Balkan Insight)
By Emina Dizdarevic
November 8, 2018
Fifteen years after the judiciary was reformed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, courts and
prosecutions do not apply uniform rules on transparency, so indictments at the state
level cannot be accessed, audio and video recordings of hearings that are made
available are only ten minutes long, and journalists still encounter delays and
obstructions in getting responses to their inquiries.
Journalists and editors say that the judiciary is increasingly closed to the media, which makes it impossible to prepare high-
quality reports on judicial processes involving war crimes, corruption and organised crime.
Mervan Mirascija of the Open Society Fund, which monitors the country’s judiciary, said that the transparency of the judiciary
is “the key condition for the work of courts and prosecutions”.
“We live in a country that is still scarred, 25 years after the end of the war. We must have judicial truth in order to put this
society at ease and be able to look into the future, but, unfortunately, the level of accessibility of information is decreasing each
year. That is a worrying phenomenon,” Mirascija said.
Neither the Bosnian state prosecution and court, nor the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, which oversees the
country’s justice system, agreed to talk to BIRN about the transparency issue for this article.
Lack of indictments undermines coverage
Vildana Kurtic, a journalist with Federal TV, a Bosnian public broadcaster, said it is impossible for journalists working for the
electronic media to report on proceedings without having access to indictments.
“When a journalist comes to a trial for the first time, it is almost impossible for him to do good coverage without having read
the indictment,” Kurtic explained.
“Meanwhile if we do not have the indictment, we may not be able to comprehend what some situation described in the
courtroom is about. If a defendant is entering his plea and says ‘I admit guilt on count three’, the term ‘count three’ means

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