Other War Crimes

Some Rebel Factions and their Relation to War Crimes

GOVERNMENT SANCTIONED ARMY

Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC)

-the official government army

- National Army Chief of Staff - Charles Mwando

REBELS

National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP)- led by renegade general Laurent Nkunda

- Former General in Armed Forces of DRC – became rebel warlord in what he called attempt to protect his fellow Tutsis

o accused of murder, pillaging, abduction of children as soldiers

o involved in massacres of civilians in 2002 and 2004

- - General Bosco Ntaganda worked with Nkunda

- - Created a splinter faction in 2009

- - Was arrested in 2010 for supposed:

o Assassination of 8

o Arbitrary arrest of 7

o Abduction and disappearances of several others

Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)

• also active in the DRC
• created in September 2000 with the ideals of Hutu power and opposing Tutsi influence
• many arrested in 2009 for war crimes

o including rape, forced recruitment of child soldiers, and attacking civilians

-their president, Ignace Murwanashyaka, and executive secretary, Callixte Mbarushimana are well-educated men who are defended by many Europeans, including the French government

-mostly the evidence is testimony of former generals, so it is hard to prove anything

Mai Mai

• community based militia grew out of the 2^nd congo war
• used local tradition to inspire themselves
• loose association of mai mai groups across the DRC – headed by tribal leaders, village leaders
• General Didier Bakti is one of the militia leaders of the organized Mai Mai that terrorized eastern Congo in 2008
• - They fought the gov., the rebels, and the United Nations

-in 2009, many members were tried in the International Criminal Court

o found guilty of crimes against humanity including terrorism and insurgency, due to involvement in rape, executions, and other war crimes

o the court also held the government of the DRC responsible for not disarming the Mai Mai

Lord’s Resistance Army

• rebel group based in Uganda led by Joseph Kony
• With a doctrine of intense Christianity, traditional African religions, and mysticism, this group speaks of establishing a theocratic state
• Accused of many human rights violations: murder, abduction, sexual enslavement, mutilation, conscription of children

Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (ADFLC)

• helped coordinate ousting of first leader President Mobutu for new President Kabila
• -fell apart, marking the beginning of the second war
• -forcibly recruited thousands of children
• -according to accounts of children who escaped the army

o they are often taken in raids on schools

o witnessed pillaging of Kirungu village, deaths of thousands of unarmed commandos

o have two to three weeks basic training, then are sent out, some without guns or anything to defend themselves

o they would sometimes steal children’s clothing to discourage them from escaping, and beaten and torture if they attempt escape

o A Rwandan Colonel described the army as “made up of youngsters, obedient and disciplined, but who needed to be better supervised, better trained”

Front National Liberation of the Congo (FNLC)

• -active in the 1970’s
• -sparked 2 international wars by invading Shaba Zaïre

Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD- Goma)

• -ally of ADFLC
• -particularly associated with recent child recruitment, though this is a common practice across militias, armies, and factions
• -claims to have “inherited” the child soldiers from the ADFLC
• o it is estimated that 15-30% of ALL new Congolese recruits are less than 18 years old, and many are less than 12

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/03/10/dr-congo-militia-leader-guilty-landmark-trial

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8364327.stm

http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/drc3/Goma-05.htm#P226_26919

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADFLC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord%27s_Resistance_Army

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28807477/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/world/africa/21congo.html

http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGUSA20081015001

Egyptian Women Blame Lebanese Murder Victim

For Egyptians, Lebanese Pop Star's Murder Was Her Own Fault

Al-Shorfa article

Last month, a new development occurred in the case involving a prominent Egyptian real estate executive, who in 2008 allegedly paid $2 million to have his Lebanese pop star lover killed. Initially the wealthy Egyptian, Hisham Talaat Moustafa, had been sentenced to death, but after an appeal his was punishment was reduced to 15 years in prison. Many Egyptians, including women, were outraged that Moustafa was getting off so easy, but not because of the nature of his crime. They simply felt that his appeal was an abuse of wealth and power to undermine the criminal justice system. When asked if they felt sympathy for the 30-year-old Suzanne Tamim, whose throat was slit in her apartment, most said no.

It is a cultural belief in the Middle East that if a man harms a woman, she must have done something to deserve it. Tamim, as a popular musician, was often pictured in magazines or on television scantily clad or posing provocatively. Rima Sabban, a sociologist from the UAE explains, “We are very judgmental, we forgot the crime, and we remember how she dresses.” Tamim’s modern, Westernized clothing made it hard for Arab women to relate to her, and incite their disapproval. Yet both Tamim and Moustafa had been through multiple marriages, and Moustafa even had two wives simultaneously. He was married and had three children during his affair with Tamim. When he is criticized, it is about matters of wealth and justice, not morality.

This disconnect stems from the same attitude that leads to honor killings. Women in Middle Eastern countries are typically held to a higher standard of moral and sexual purity than their male counterparts, and are judged more harshly for failing to meet these standards. A commenter on Al-Shorfa, a Middle Eastern news website, wrote, “I think that Hisham should not be executed for the sake of such an immoral woman.” Likewise, one of the women interviewed, Soha Hassouna, said, “I’m glad this happened so she can be an example to our children.” Personally, I find this attitude almost as sickening as the crime itself. Though I am uncertain how I feel about the death penalty, I don’t think 15 years is nearly long enough for Moustafa, especially if he is able to appeal again and reduce the sentence even more. He had a woman killed for expressing herself and making her own choices, and I see nothing about his actions that can be justified.

International NGO Support: Danielle Mostow

International aid towards the Democratic Republic of Congo is generally focused on spreading awareness and funding local projects in DR of Congo. Overall, there were not too many organizations out to help the DR of Congo. Three prominent aid groups were Women for Women, Foundation Maisha, and Falling Whistles. The organizations focus on women, children, and child soldiers.

Falling Whistles deals primarily with child soldiers and awareness of the people fighting in the DR of Congo. The organization sells whistles because that is the only warning that the child soldiers get before their enemies attack. The money they receive goes to help former child soldiers recover.

Foundation Maisha also deals with children by helping them get off the street. All of the violence in the DR of Congo has left many children poor and along. Foundation Maisha gives them a chance to go to school to enhance their future.

Women for Women helps the many women who have been effected by the war. They help with rape victims and improve their economic standing and their confidence. Much of the money donated is used for food, clothing, and medical expenses.

These organizations seem to be helping the survivors of problems more than they can help people currently in the action. They are working as relief efforts to try to help the people who have been harmed.

http://www.fallingwhistles.com/

http://www.womenforwomen.org/global-initiatives-helping-women/help-women-congo.php http://www.fondationmaisha.org/

Political History of the DRC: Cecile and Abi

King Leopold II of Belgium began colonizing the DRC in 1877. From the beginning, the area was fraught by violence because the colonel rulers forced the natives to work in the mineral mines. The used torture and execution to further their economic gains. However, Belgian rule also allowed for the education of many of the native DRC inhabitants. In 1960 the DRC became independent of Belgian at the Brussels Round Table Conference. Joseph Kasavudu was elected the president, and Patrice Lumumba was elected the prime minister.

Sadly, violence erupted between the DRC native factions and the Belgians only five days after the elections, and the UN was asked to intervene. When the UN did not act quickly enough, Lumumba asked the USSR to give him weapons to suppress the violence that threatened his government. The US soon intervened under the guise of protecting the world against communism, though its real interest was in the mineral wealth of the region. They backed the rebel leader, Mobutu, who with the US’s aid, came to power.

Once Mobutu was in power, he quickly centralized his authority so that he was elected president unopposed in 1970. He focused on the country’s cultural history, renaming it the Republic of Zaire. After a few years of relative stability, however, Katangan rebels began staging attacks from Angola and were driven out with help from Belgian paratroopers. In the 1980s, Mobutu held on to his position, and his treatment of various political opposition groups drew international criticism.

As the Cold War came to an end in 1990, Mobutu faced increasing international pressure as well as domestic protests and a weakened economy. He agreed in principle to a democratization of Zaire’s political system, but a reform package was delayed. In the fall of 1991, Zaire’s soldiers began to loot the capital as a protest because their wages had not been paid, and Belgian and French troops evacuated the 20,000 foreigners living in Kinasha.

In 1994, as the Rwandan genocide raged, Rwandan Hutu militias began to use refugee camps in Zaire as bases for attacks into Rwanda. Mobutu was ousted in 1997 by the combination of Rwandan troops and a domestic, armed coalition led by Laurent-Desire Kabila. Kabila took over and renamed the country the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, his relationship with his foreign backers deteriorated, and Rwandan and Ugandan troops entered the DRC with the intention of taking Kabila down. Instead, a coalition of Angolan, Zimbabwean, and Namibian troops protected the existing government.

By 1999, foreign military influences were such that the DRC was essentially divided into three segments: the east, controlled by Rwanda, the Ugandan north, with the rest under Kabila’s control. A July 1999 ceasefire and subsequent peace accords promised dialogue and a transitional government, but all parties failed to live up to the agreements. Meanwhile, the international community was increasingly criticizing Kabila for blocking UN peacekeeping troops and restraining movements towards democracy.

In early 2001, Laurent Kabila was assassinated and was succeeded by his son Joseph Kabila, who proceeded to undo many of his father’s anti-democratic policies. Talks attempting to set up a transitional government that would set up elections began in fall 2001 and lasted on and off until April 2003, when they finally succeeded. Joseph Kabila, as president of the transitional government, did make some economic and political progress, but human rights violations remained.

In May of 2005 a constitution was put before the national assembly, and was ratified in January of 2006. The new constitution allowed for the first democratic elections in the DRC since 1970 to take place on July 30^th, 2006. However, this great accomplishment was marred by the outbreak of factional fighting when President Kabila received less than 50 votes. Though he was the one with the highest percentage, many groups claimed the right to power. In an October runoff election, Kabila was officially made president.

This government was not stable for long, as the rebel leader Laurent Nkunda led his rebel tribe, comprised of mainly Tutsis, against the Congolese Army in 2007. Nkunda justified his actions by proclaiming he was protecting the Tutsis against the Rwandan Hutus. In 2008 a brief cease-fire quickly collapsed and Nkunda made substantial progress in taking over the DRC. Just before taking Goma, the capital of the Kivu province, there was another cease-fire issued. The UN then got involved with several other African leaders to create more substantial peace pacts.

Sadly in 2009, the Hutu militia remerged and prompted thousands to flee their homes and violence erupted again. Kabila tried to keep peace an option by giving amnesty to armed groups. The violence continued into 2010 when civil rights activist Floribert Chebeya was found dead after being asked to visit the police. The UN is planning a withdrawal from the DRC after much international criticism. Despite the continued violence, the democratic process has been able to continue. The DRC is now preparing for the 2011 elections.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1072684.stm

http://www.professionaljeweler.com/archives/hottopics/congo.html

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0198161.html

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2823.htm

International Involvement: Moriah and Lindsay

The United Nations has made an effort to pass resolutions regarding peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These efforts however, have not made positive change in the Congo. Rather, they have only condemned the conflict. While these resolutions work in theory, the United Nations has no power to intervene. For example, UN Peacekeepers are generally stationed in an area and have guns, but are not allowed to shoot, and so do not have an effective way to defend civilians in conflict. In addition, the UN does not have the power to require its member countries to send any of their own forces to intervene, and UN resolutions are not required to be enforced as law in the countries about which the resolutions are written. For these reasons, UN involvement has been largely ineffective, often giving a statement but enacting no real change.

Rwandan conflict in the Congo among Hutu and Tutsi which began after the end of the Rwandan Genocide is also inflaming tension and animosity among all warring groups there. Beginning with an overthrow of the Congolese government and then a change of sides among formerly allied groups, Rwandan involvement in Congo has simply increased armed conflict throughout the troubled nation.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Mission_in_the_Democratic_Republic_of_Congo#2009

http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/monuc/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo#Rwandan.2FUgandan_Invasions_and_Civil_Wars

"Boys Will Be Girls" - from Lindsay