DRC

ICC trial of Congolese 'Terminator' warlord to start

NEWS STORY

Source: AFP

By Jan Hennop

30 August 2015 - Former Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda, nicknamed "The Terminator", goes on trial before the International Criminal Court Wednesday, accused of war crimes including the rape of child soldiers by his own rebel army.

The once-feared rebel commander with a flair for pencil moustaches, cowboy hats and fine dining, faces 13 counts of war crimes and five of crimes against humanity. He has pleaded not guilty.

Presiding Judge Robert Fremr will open proceedings against Rwandan-born Ntaganda at 0730 GMT at the court's Hague-based headquarters.

ICC's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda will speak first, followed by Ntaganda's lawyers and those representing some 2,149 victims in the case.

Prosecutors say Ntaganda played a central role in ethnic attacks on civilians in the mineral-rich but restive northeastern Congolese province of Ituri in 2002-3, in a conflict rights groups believe has left some 60,000 dead since 1999.

At a hearing a year ago to confirm charges against Ntaganda, chief prosecutor Bensouda accused the former warlord of allowing his fighters to rape child and woman soldiers in his own rebel army, or keep them as sex slaves.

One female child soldier received 150 lashes and was raped as punishment, with her wounds taking a month to heal, Bensouda said.

"This case is highly significant because for the first time in international criminal law, the ICC has charged a commander with acts of rape and sexual slavery committed against children within his own militia group and under his command," Brigid Inder of the Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice said in a statement.

- Feared warlord -

Ntaganda, 41, was once one of the most-wanted fugitives in Africa's Great Lakes region until he unexpectedly walked into the US embassy in the Rwandan capital Kigali in March 2013 and asked to be sent to The Hague.

He was the founder of the M23 rebel group that was defeated by the Congolese government in late 2013 after an 18-month insurgency in the vast Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu region.

Observers say Ntaganda was most likely fearing for his life as a fugitive from a rival faction within M23, but his motives for surrendering to the ICC remain unclear.

The court issued two arrest warrants against Ntaganda -- the first in 2006 and the second with additional charges in 2012.

The Rwandan-born Ntaganda is accused on account of his role in attacks on a number of Ituri towns over a year starting in September 2002.

Prosecutors accuse Ntaganda of leading a November 2002 attack on the gold mining town of Mongbwalu that lasted six days and left 200 villagers dead.

The ex-warlord personally stands accused of murdering a priest during the attack, whom he allegedly shot several times in the head with a revolver.

He had managed to evade arrest after the tribunal's first warrant was issued mainly because he remained a powerful commander.

His former FPLC commander Thomas Lubanga was sentenced to 14 years in jail in 2012 on charges of using child soldiers, one of only two convictions by the court since it was set up 11 years ago.

UN and other experts accuse Kigali of being Ntaganda's master and pulling the strings in the M23, an allegation Rwanda has consistently denied.

Born in 1973, Ntaganda is one of at least a dozen Africans who have been in the ICC's custody and the court has been criticised for apparently only targeting leaders from the continent. His trial will last several months.

DR Congo probes rape charges against its C.Africa peacekeepers

NEWS STORY

Source: AFP

Kinshasa, 28 August 2015 - A team of military investigators from the Democratic Republic of Congo were probing charges of rape against three of their soldiers serving as UN peacekeepers in neighbouring Central African Republic, military sources said Friday.

The investigators arrived in Bangui, the Central African capital, on Thursday and were to head to the northeastern town of Bambari where the rapes allegedly took place, said a senior Congolese military source.

According to the source, the latest development suggests that a family member of the girls fabricated the rape allegations.

The military official said that a briefing by a leader of the UN's Central African Republic peacekeeping force MINUSCA, "confirms our theory that the lie was fabricated by the uncle of the girls who were allegedly raped".

The soldiers are alleged to have raped three women and girls, aged 18, 19 and 15. The victims' families notified the mission on August 12.

On August 20, the Congolese Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe told AFP that he had given orders to the auditor general of the army to prosecute the three men.

But according to the senior Congolese military official, the case folder is "empty", because of the "lies" orchestrated by an "uncle" of the three young girls, who has since contradicted his claims.

MINUSCA, which counts about 12,000 UN peacekeepers, faces at least 61 claims of misconduct, 12 of which involve sex abuse.

A UN notice to the DR Congo dated August 18 said the most recent allegations were the fourth of their kind against Kinshasa's contingent. The UN also warned DR Congo could face sanctions if further incidents came to light.

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BURUNDI

Team of International Envoys and Representatives on the Great Lakes of Africa Statement on Burundi

NEWS STORY

Source: http://eeas.europa.eu/statements-eeas/2015/150828_02_en.htm

28 August 2015 - Deeply concerned by the worsening political, economic, and security situation in Burundi, the Envoys, following their meeting today in Geneva, call for the immediate resumption of an inclusive dialogue, including those parties which did not participate in recent elections, led by the East African Community with the support of the African Union and the United Nations.

Such a dialogue should be based on and respect the principles of the Arusha Agreement, which, signed fifteen years ago today, has led to more than a decade of peace and stability in Burundi.

The Envoys call on all Burundian stakeholders to reject violence and choose a peaceful path of dialogue to resolve fundamental sources of tension and conflict in the country.

The Team of International Special Envoys includes the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General to the Great Lakes Region Said Djinnit, African Union Special Envoy Ibrahima Fall, U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa Thomas Perriello, European Union Senior Coordinator for the Great Lakes Region Koen Vervaeke, and Belgian Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes Region Frank De Coninck.

Ban urges all parties in Burundi to ‘look beyond political differences,’ revive spirit of landmark peace accord

NEWS STORY

Source: UN News Centre

28 August 2015 - Fifteen years after the signing of a landmark Burundi peace accord, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on all the country’s political leaders, including those in exile, to find common cause and commit to build on the stability that was ushered in by the Arusha Agreement.

“Today, Burundi marks the fifteenth anniversary of the initial signing of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in Tanzania. This process gave birth to the first generation of Burundians with no direct experience of war since independence, said Mr. Ban in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

“Never has the spirit of Arusha been as sorely tested as in the past five months,” the statement continued, with the Secretary-General encouraging the Burundian people to reconnect with the spirit of dialogue, consensus, democracy and peaceful resolution of disputes embodied by the Arusha Agreement.

Just last week, the UN chief, noting the inauguration of Pierre Nkurunziza for his third term as President of Burundi, urged him to “pursue a path of inclusivity and reconciliation,” and reiterated his call on all Burundian stakeholders to undertake a broad and transparent political dialogue.

In the statement issued today, Mr. Ban called on all leaders from across the political spectrum to show the courage and vision to resume dialogue with their rivals and look beyond their political differences.

“No matter how great these differences may seem, they are smaller than the price of returning to violence,” he declared.

The Secretary-General recalled that a month after the signing of the Arusha Agreement, the Facilitator of the Burundi peace process, the late President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, told the UN Security Council: "Burundi stands at the threshold of a completely new chapter in its history. That history will judge very harshly those that deliberately choose to obstruct the road to peace and progress.”

Echoing that message, Mr. Ban expressed the hope that all Burundian political leaders, including those in exile, could find common ground and demonstrate their commitment to consolidate peace and stability that the Arusha Agreement brought the country.

Burundi has been in the grips of a political crisis since late April, when Mr. Nkurunziza was put on the ballot for a controversial third term. Tensions intensified when he won the July 21 election. More than 100,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries in the weeks ahead of and following the polls.

Tensions remain high – just two weeks ago, the UN human rights office warned that the situation is spiralling out of control amid a spate of deadly election related violence – and Mr. Ban has repeatedly appealed for an end to politically – motivated violence and urged all Burundians to peacefully settle their differences without delay.

During a phone call with Mr. Nkurunziza on 6 August, the Secretary-General urged him to resume the political dialogue, which had been suspended since 19 July. He also encouraged the Burundian authorities to work closely with the Ugandan-led facilitation on behalf of the East African Community.

Burundi president gives two months to dismantle armed groups

NEWS STORY

Source: Xinhua

Bunjumbura, 30 August 2015 - Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has given defense and security forces two months for to dismantle armed groups committing selective killings especially in the capital Bujumbura.

"Security committees are invited to work day and night to dismantle, within two months, small groups that commit selective killings and that cause panicking within citizens, especially in Bujumbura city," Nkurunziza said while announcing his five-year plan.

He indicated that joint security committees made up by citizens, security forces, the administration and justice officials will be trained in order to improve the level of collaboration.

"We will counter any action that would disturb security—whether internal or external.

"That is why we call on security and defense forces to be more watchful than ever before so that no enemy escapes them," said Nkurunziza.

He indicated that compulsory civic service is to be back for young people, especially university students.

He added that the disarmament of civilians will continue and means will be given to security forces to participate in international peacekeeping missions.

"Civic education will continue to be provided in an effort to convince citizens to make a front to safeguard peace and security in villages or neighborhoods," Nkurunziza added.

During the next five years, the east African country’s president said his program will focus on peace building, justice and security, strengthening of good governance based on democracy and integral and sustainable development.

Nkurunziza was elected for a third term on July 21 in a controversial presidential poll boycotted by the opposition who claimed that the climate was not favorable for fair, credible and inclusive elections.

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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

C.Africa to limit president to two terms under new charter

NEWS STORY

Source: AFP

30 August 2015 - Central African Republic's transitional government on Sunday adopted a new constitution that would limit future presidents to two terms in office as the country seeks to end more than a year of sectarian violence.

The new charter would limit the president's mandate to five years that can only be renewed once and cannot be prolonged for any reason, and would create a new senate to help govern.

The constitution, which will now be put to a public vote, also includes the creation of a special court to judge the most serious crimes.

"I urge the Central African people, when the time comes, to give strong backing to this new fundamental law to allow our country to get back on the path to a normal constitutional order," said Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet, chairman of the National Transitional Council.

The Central African Republic descended into bloodshed after a 2013 coup against longtime leader Francois Bozize unleashed a wave of violence, pitting Christian anti-Balaka militias against mostly Muslim Seleka rebels.

Its transitional leaders have planned a constitutional referendum before the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for October 18.

But the elections have already been delayed twice due to the logistical and security challenges of holding the vote in regions still gripped by violence.

In the latest incident, at least 20 people were killed last week and many others injured in days of sectarian clashes sparked by the death of a young Muslim, police sources said.

CAR court bars transitional govt members from polls

NEWS STORY

Source: Reuters

30 August 2015 - Central African Republic's constitutional court has confirmed the exclusion of past members of a transitional government from running for office in presidential and parliamentary elections due in October.

A 2013 transitional charte