CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN

On 18 December 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It entered into force as an international treaty on 3 September 1981 after the twentieth country had ratified it. By the tenth anniversary of the Convention in 1989, almost one hundred nations have agreed to be bound by its provisions.
The Convention was the culmination of more than thirty years of work by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, a body established in 1946 to monitor the situation of women and to promote women's rights. The Commission's work has been instrumental in bringing to light all the areas in which women are denied equality with men. These efforts for the advancement of women have resulted in several declarations and conventions, of which the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is the central and most comprehensive document.
Among the international human rights treaties, the Convention takes an important place in bringing the female half of humanity into the focus of human rights concerns. The spirit of the Convention is rooted in the goals of the United Nations: to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity,v and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women. The present document spells out the meaning of equality and how it can be achieved. In so doing, the Convention establishes not only an international bill of rights for women, but also an agenda for action by countries to guarantee the enjoyment of those rights.
In its preamble, the Convention explicitly acknowledges that "extensive discrimination against women continues to exist", and emphasizes that such discrimination "violates the principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity". As defined in article 1, discrimination is understood as "any distinction, exclusion or restriction made o.1 the basis of sex...in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field". The Convention gives positive affirmation to the principle of equality by requiring States parties to take "all appropriate measures, including legislation, to ensure the full development and advancement of women, for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men"(article 3).
The agenda for equality is specified in fourteen subsequent articles. In its approach, the Convention covers three dimensions of the situation of women. Civil rights and the legal status of women are dealt with in great detail. In addition, and unlike other human rights treaties, the Convention is also concerned with the dimension of human reproduction as well as with the impact of cultural factors on gender relations.
The legal status of women receives the broadest attention. Concern over the basic rights of political participation has not diminished since the adoption of the Convention on the Political Rights of Women in 1952. Its provisions, therefore, are restated in article 7 of the present document, whereby women are guaranteed the rights to vote, to hold public office and to exercise public functions. This includes equal rights for women to represent their countries at the international level (article 8).
The Convention on the Nationality of Married Women - adopted in 1957 - is integrated under article 9 providing for the statehood of women, irrespective of their marital status. The Convention, thereby, draws attention to the fact that often women's legal status has been linked to marriage, making them dependent on their husband's nationality rather than individuals in their own right. Articles 10, 11 and 13, respectively, affirm women's rights to non-discrimination in education, employment and economic and social activities. These demands are given special emphasis with regard to the situation of rural women, whose particular struggles and vital economic contributions, as noted in article 14, warrant more attention in policy planning. Article 15 asserts the full equality of women in civil and business matters, demanding that all instruments directed at restricting women's legal capacity ''shall be deemed null and void". Finally, in article 16, the Convention returns to the issue of marriage and family relations, asserting the equal rights and obligations of women and men with regard to choice of spouse, parenthood, personal rights and command over property.Aside from civil rights issues, the Convention also devotes major attention to a most vital concern of women, namely their reproductive rights.
The preamble sets the tone by stating that "the role of women in procreation should not be a basis for discrimination". The link between discrimination and women's reproductive role is a matter of recurrent concern in the Convention. For example, it advocates, in article 5, ''a proper understanding of maternity as a social function", demanding fully shared responsibility for child-rearing by both sexes. Accordingly, provisions for maternity protection and child-care are proclaimed as essential rights and are incorporated into all areas of the Convention, whether dealing with employment, family law, health core or education.
Society's obligation extends to offering social services, especially child-care facilities, that allow individuals to combine family responsibilities with work and participation in public life. Special measures for maternity protection are recommended and "shall not be considered discriminatory". (article 4). "The Convention also affirms women's right to reproductive choice. Notably, it is the only human rights treaty to mention family planning. States parties are obliged to include advice on family planning in the education process (article l O.h) and to develop family codes that guarantee women's rights "to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to hove access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights" (article 16.e).The third general thrust of the Convention aims at enlarging our understanding of the concept of human rights, as it gives formal recognition to the influence of culture and tradition on restricting women's enjoyment of their fundamental rights. These forces take shape in stereotypes, customs and norms which give rise to the multitude of legal, political and economic constraints on the advancement of women.
Noting this interrelationship, the preamble of the Convention stresses "that a change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of women in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality of men and women". States parties are therefore obliged to work towards the modification of social and cultural patterns of individual conduct in order to eliminate "prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women" (article 5).
And Article 1O.c. mandates the revision of textbooks, school programmes and teaching methods with a view to eliminating stereotyped concepts in the field of education. Finally, cultural patterns which define the public realm as a man's world and the domestic sphere as women's domain are strongly targeted in all of the Convention's provisions that affirm the equal responsibilities of both sexes in family life and their equal rights with regard to education and employment. Altogether, the Convention provides a comprehensive framework for challenging the various forces that have created and sustained discrimination based upon sex.
The implementation of the Convention is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Committee's mandate and the administration of the treaty are defined in the Articles 17 to 30 of the Convention. The Committee is composed of 23 experts nominated by their Governments and elected by the States parties as individuals "of high moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention".
At least every four years, the States parties are expected to submit a national report to the Committee, indicating the measures they have adopted to give effect to the provisions of the Convention. During its annual session, the Committee members discuss these reports with the Government representatives and explore with them areas for further action by the specific country. The Committee also makes general recommendations to the States parties on matters concerning the elimination of discrimination against women.
The full text of the Convention is set out herein
CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN
The States Parties to the present Convention,Noting that the Charter of the United Nations reaffirms faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women,Noting that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms the principle of the inadmissibility of discrimination and proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, including distinction based on sex,
Noting that the States Parties to the International Covenants on Human Rights have the obligation to ensure the equal rights of men and women to enjoy all economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights,
Considering the international conventions concluded under the auspices of the United Nations and the specialized agencies promoting equality of rights of men and women,
Noting also the resolutions, declarations and recommendations adopted by the United Nations and the specialized agencies promoting equality of rights of men and women,
Concerned, however, that despite these various instruments extensive discrimination against women continues to exist,
Recalling that discrimination against women violates the principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity, is an obstacle to the participation of women, on equal terms with men, in the political, social, economic and cultural life of their countries, hampers the growth of the prosperity of society and the family and makes more difficult the full development of the potentialities of women in the service of their countries and of humanity,
Concerned that in situations of poverty women have the least access to food, health, education, training and opportunities for employment and other needs,
Convinced that the establishment of the new international economic order based on equity and justice will contribute significantly towards the promotion of equality between men and women,
Emphasizing that the eradication of apartheid, all forms of racism, racial discrimination, colonialism, neo-colonialism, aggression, foreign occupation and domination and interference in the internal affairs of States is essential to the full enjoyment of the rights of men and women,
Affirming that the strengthening of international peace and security, the relaxation of international tension, mutual co-operation among all States irrespective of their social and economic systems, general and complete disarmament, in particular nuclear disarmament under strict and effective international control, the affirmation of the principles of justice, equality and mutual benefit in relations among countries and the realization of the right of peoples under alien and colonial domination and foreign occupation to self-determination and independence, as well as respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, will promote social progress and development and as a consequence will contribute to the attainment of full equality between men and women,
Convinced that the full and complete development of a country, the welfare of the world and the cause of peace require the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields,
Bearing in mind the great contribution of women to the welfare of the family and to the development of society, so far not fully recognized, the social significance of maternity and the role of both parents in the family and in the upbringing of children, and aware that the role of women in procreation should not be a basis for discrimination but that the upbringing of children requires a sharing of responsibility between men and women and society as a whole,
Aware that a change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of women in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality between men and women,
Determined to implement the principles set forth in the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and, for that purpose, to adopt the measures required for the elimination of such discrimination in all its forms and manifestations,
Have agreed on the following:PART I Article IFor the purposes of the present Convention, the term "discrimination against women" shall mean any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.Article 2States Parties condemn discrimination against women in all its forms, agree to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating discrimination against women and, to this end, undertake:(a) To embody the principle of the equality of men and women in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation if not yet incorporated therein and to ensure, through law and other appropriate means, the practical realization of this principle;(b) To adopt appropriate legislative and other measures, including sanctions where appropriate, prohibiting all discrimination against women;(c) To establish legal protection of the rights of women on an equal basis with men and to ensure through competent national tribunals and other public institutions the effective protection of women against any act of discrimination;(d) To refrain from engaging in any act or practice of discrimination against women and to ensure that public authorities and institutions shall act in conformity with this obligation;(e) To take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women by any person, organization or enterprise;(f) To take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women;(g) To repeal all national penal provisions which constitute discrimination against women.Article 3States Parties shall take in all fields, in particular in the political, social, economic and cultural fields, all appropriate measures, including legislation, to en sure the full development and advancement of women , for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men.Article 41. Adoption by States Parties of temporary special measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women shall not be considered discrimination as defined in the present Convention, but shall in no way entail as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards; these measures shall be discontinued when the objectives of equality of opportunity and treatment have been achieved.2. Adoption by States Parties of special measures, including those measures contained in the present Convention, aimed at protecting maternity shall not be considered discriminatory.Article 5States Parties shall take all appropriate measures:(a) To modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women;(b) To ensure that family education includes a proper understanding of maternity as a social function and the recognition of the common responsibility of men and women in the upbringing and development of their children, it being understood that the interest of the children is the primordial consideration in all cases.Article 6States Parties shall take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to suppress all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of prostitution of women.PART II Article 7States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public life of the country and, in particular, shall ensure to women, on equal terms with men, the right:(a) To vote in all elections and public referenda and to be eligible for election to all publicly elected bodies;(b) To participate in the formulation of government policy and the implementation thereof and to hold public office and perform all public functions at all levels of government;(c) To participate in non-governmental organizations and associations concerned with the public and political life of the country.Article 8States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure to women, on equal terms with men and without any discrimination, the opportunity to represent their Governments at the international level and to participate in the work of international organizations.Article 91. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality. They shall ensure in particular that neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the nationality of the husband.2. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children.PART III Article 10States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in order to ensure to them equal rights with men in the field of education and in particular to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women:(a) The same conditions for career and vocational guidance, for access to studies and for the achievement of diplomas in educational establishments of all categories in rural as well as in urban areas; this equality shall be ensured in pre-school, general, technical, professional and higher technical education, as well as in all types of vocational training;(b) Access to the same curricula, the same examinations, teaching staff with qualifications of the same standard and school premises and equipment of the same quality;(c) The elimination of any stereotyped concept of the roles of men and women at all levels and in all forms of education by encouraging coeducation and other types of education which will help to achieve this aim and, in particular, by the revision of textbooks and school programmes and the adaptation of teaching methods;(d ) The same opportunities to benefit from scholarships and other study grants;(e) The same opportunities for access to programmes of continuing education, including adult and functional literacy programmes, particulary those aimed at reducing, at the earliest possible time, any gap in education existing between men and women;(f) The reduction of female student drop-out rates and the organization of programmes for girls and women who have left school prematurely;(g) The same Opportunities to participate actively in sports and physical education;(h) Access to specific educational information to help to ensure the health and well-being of families, including information and advice on family planning.Article 111. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of employment in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, the same rights, in particular:(a) The right to work as an inalienable right of all human beings;(b) The right to the same employment opportunities, including the application of the same criteria for selection in matters of employment;(c) The right to free choice of profession and employment, the right to promotion, job security and all benefits and conditions of service and the right to receive vocational training and retraining, including apprenticeships, advanced vocational training and recurrent training;(d) The right to equal remuneration, including benefits, and to equal treatment in respect of work of equal value, as well as equality of treatment in the evaluation of the quality of work;(e) The right to social security, particularly in cases of retirement, unemployment, sickness, invalidity and old age and other incapacity to work, as well as the right to paid leave;(f) The right to protection of health and to safety in working conditions, including the safeguarding of the function of reproduction.2. In order to prevent discrimination against women on the grounds of marriage or maternity and to ensure their effective right to work, States Parties shall take appropriate measures:(a) To prohibit, subject to the imposition of sanctions, dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy or of maternity leave and discrimination in dismissals on the basis of marital status;(b) To introduce maternity leave with pay or with comparable social benefits without loss of former employment, seniority or social allowances;(c) To encourage the provision of the necessary supporting social services to enable parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities and participation in public life, in particular through promoting the establishment and development of a network of child-care facilities;(d) To provide special protection to women during pregnancy in types of work proved to be harmful to them.3. Protective legislation relating to matters covered in this article shall be reviewed periodically in the light of scientific and technological knowledge and shall be revised, repealed or extended as necessary.Article 121. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, access to health care services, including those related to family planning.2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph I of this article, States Parties shall ensure to women appropriate services in connection with pregnancy, confinement and the post-natal period, granting free services where necessary, as well as adequate nutrition during pregnancy and lactation.Article 13States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in other areas of economic and social life in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, the same rights, in particular:(a) The right to family benefits;(b) The right to bank loans, mortgages and other forms of financial credit;(c) The right to participate in recreational activities, sports and all aspects of cultural life.Article 141. States Parties shall take into account the particular problems faced by rural women and the significant roles which rural women play in the economic survival of their families, including their work in the non-monetized sectors of the economy, and shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the application of the provisions of the present Convention to women in rural areas.2. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in rural areas in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, that they participate in and benefit from rural development and, in particular, shall ensure to such women the right:(a) To participate in the elaboration and implementation of development planning at all levels;(b) To have access to adequate health care facilities, including information, counselling and services in family planning;(c) To benefit directly from social security programmes;(d) To obtain all types of training and education, formal and non-formal, including that relating to functional literacy, as well as, inter alia, the benefit of all community and extension services, in order to increase their technical proficiency;(e) To organize self-help groups and co-operatives in order to obtain equal access to economic opportunities through employment or self employment;(f) To participate in all community activities;(g) To have access to agricultural credit and loans, marketing facilities, appropriate technology and equal treatment in land and agrarian reform as well as in land resettlement schemes;(h) To enjoy adequate living conditions, particularly in relation to housing, sanitation, electricity and water supply, transport and communications.PART IV Article 151. States Parties shall accord to women equality with men before the law.2. States Parties shall accord to women, in civil matters, a legal capacity identical to that of men and the same opportunities to exercise that capacity. In particular, they shall give women equal rights to conclude contracts and to administer property and shall treat them equally in all stages of procedure in courts and tribunals.3. States Parties agree that all contracts and all other private instruments of any kind with a legal effect which is directed at restricting the legal capacity of women shall be deemed null and void.4. States Parties shall accord to men and women the same rights with regard to the law relating to the movement of persons and the freedom to choose their residence and domicile.Article 161. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations and in particular shall ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women:(a) The same right to enter into marriage;(b) The same right freely to choose a spouse and to enter into marriage only with their free and full consent;(c) The same rights and responsibilities during marriage and at its dissolution;(d) The same rights and responsibilities as parents, irrespective of their marital status, in matters relating to their children; in all cases the interests of the children shall be paramount;(e) The same rights to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights;(f) The same rights and responsibilities with regard to guardianship, wardship, trusteeship and adoption of children, or similar institutions where these concepts exist in national legislation; in all cases the interests of the children shall be paramount;(g) The same personal rights as husband and wife, including the right to choose a family name, a profession and an occupation;(h) The same rights for both spouses in respect of the ownership, acquisition, management, administration, enjoyment and disposition of property, whether free of charge or for a valuable consideration.2. The betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage and to make the registration of marriages in an official registry compulsory.PART V Article 171. For the purpose of considering the progress made in the implementation of the present Convention, there shall be established a Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) consisting, at the time of entry into force of the Convention, of eighteen and, after ratification of or accession to the Convention by the thirty-fifth State Party, of twenty-three experts of high moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention. The experts shall be elected by States Parties from among their nationals and shall serve in their personal capacity, consideration being given to equitable geographical distribution and to the representation of the different forms of civilization as well as the principal legal systems.2. The members of the Committee shall be elected by secret ballot from a list of persons nominated by States Parties. Each State Party may nominate one person from among its own nationals.3. The initial election shall be held six months after the date of the entry into force of the present Convention. At least three months before the date of each election the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall address a letter to the States Parties inviting them to submit their nominations within two months. The Secretary-General shall prepare a list in alphabetical order of all persons thus nominated, indicating the States Parties which have nominated them, and shall submit it to the States Parties.4. Elections of the members of the Committee shall be held at a meeting of States Parties convened by the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters. At that meeting, for which two thirds of the States Parties shall constitute a quorum, the persons elected to the Committee shall be those nominees who obtain the largest number of votes and an absolute majority of the votes of the representatives of States Parties present and voting.5. The members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of four years. However, the terms of nine of the members elected at the first election shall expire at the end of two years; immediately after the first election the names of these nine members shall be chosen by lot by the Chairman of the Committee.6. The election of the five additional members of the Committee shall be held in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of this article, following the thirty-fifth ratification or accession. The terms of two of the additional members elected on this occasion shall expire at the end of two years, the names of these two members having been chosen by lot by the Chairman of the Committee.7. For the filling of casual vacancies, the State Party whose expert has ceased to function as a member of the Committee shall appoint another expert from among its nationals, subject to the approval of the Committee.8. The members of the Committee shall, with the approval of the General Assembly, receive emoluments from United Nations resources on such terms and conditions as the Assembly may decide, having regard to the importance of the Committee's responsibilities.9. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall provide the necessary staff and facilities for the effective performance of the functions of the Committee under the present Convention.Article 181. States Parties undertake to submit to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, for consideration by the Committee, a report on the legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures which they have adopted to give effect to the provisions of the present Convention and on the progress made in this respect:(a) Within one year after the entry into force for the State concerned;(b) Thereafter at least every four years and further whenever the Committee so requests.2. Reports may indicate factors and difficulties affecting the degree of fulfilment of obligations under the present Convention.Article 191. The Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure.2. The Committee shall elect its officers for a term of two years.Article 201. The Committee shall normally meet for a period of not more than two weeks annually in order to consider the reports submitted in accordance with article 18 of the present Convention.2. The meetings of the Committee shall normally be held at United Nations Headquarters or at any other convenient place as determined by the Committee. (amendment, status of ratification)Article 211. The Committee shall, through the Economic and Social Council, report annually to the General Assembly of the United Nations on its activities and may make suggestions and general recommendations based on the examination of reports and information received from the States Parties. Such suggestions and general recommendations shall be included in the report of the Committee together with comments, if any, from States Parties.2. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit the reports of the Committee to the Commission on the Status of Women for its information.Article 22The specialized agencies shall be entitled to be represented at the consideration of the implementation of such provisions of the present Convention as fall within the scope of their activities. The Committee may invite the specialized agencies to submit reports on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities.PART VI Article 23Nothing in the present Convention shall affect any provisions that are more conducive to the achievement of equality between men and women which may be contained:(a) In the legislation of a State Party; or(b) In any other international convention, treaty or agreement in force for that State.Article 24States Parties undertake to adopt all necessary measures at the national level aimed at achieving the full realization of the rights recognized in the present Convention.Article 251. The present Convention shall be open for signature by all States.2. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is designated as the depositary of the present Convention.3. The present Convention is subject to ratification. Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.4. The present Convention shall be open to accession by all States. Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.Article 261. A request for the revision of the present Convention may be made at any time by any State Party by means of a notification in writing addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.2. The General Assembly of the United Nations shall decide upon the steps, if any, to be taken in respect of such a request.Article 271. The present Convention shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the twentieth instrument of ratification or accession.2. For each State ratifying the present Convention or acceding to it after the deposit of the twentieth instrument of ratification or accession, the Convention shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of the deposit of its own instrument of ratification or accession.Article 281. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall receive and circulate to all States the text of reservations made by States at the time of ratification or accession.2. A reservation incompatible with the object and purpose of the present Convention shall not be permitted.3. Reservations may be withdrawn at any time by notification to this effect addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall then inform all States thereof. Such notification shall take effect on the date on which it is received.Article 291. Any dispute between two or more States Parties concerning the interpretation or application of the present Convention which is not settled by negotiation shall, at the request of one of them, be submitted to arbitration. If within six months from the date of the request for arbitration the parties are unable to agree on the organization of the arbitration, any one of those parties may refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice by request in conformity with the Statute of the Court.2. Each State Party may at the time of signature or ratification of the present Convention or accession thereto declare that it does not consider itself bound by paragraph I of this article. The other States Parties shall not be bound by that paragraph with respect to any State Party which has made such a reservation.3. Any State Party which has made a reservation in accordance with paragraph 2 of this article may at any time withdraw that reservation by notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.Article 30The present Convention, the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts of which are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized, have signed the present Convention.

Peace, Human Rights and Accountability - The Need for a New Doctrine On International Intervention In Somalia

In the post-Cold War, the international community has been forced to deal with complex emergencies in multiple trouble spots. Each crisis has presented different challenges and, by any measure, the United Nations' track record is mixed at best. Yet one particular failure, in Somalia, seems to dominate the thinking. There are certainly lessons to be learned from the failed intervention in Somalia, but the world seems to be learning the wrong lessons. Because of Somalia, the United Nations bureaucracy now insists that outside assistance will be provided only if parties to a conflict expressly consent to it. European skeptics have found new currency to their views that conflict in far-off lands is "ancestral" and "centuries-old" and that it is a naive mistake to attempt even to address their most immediate present consequences. In the United States, neo-isolationism feeds on the example of Somalia to press for a foreign policy that yearns for the ability to exercise power without accepting the responsibilities of leadership. The result is a dangerous tendency by the world community to shirk its duty to prevent and punish the crime of genocide (as in Rwanda), to look the other way while grave breaches of the laws of war are committed (as in Chechnya) or to acquiesce in the impunity of crimes against humanity (as in the promotion of shameless amnesties as a quick fix in Haiti).

There have certainly been serious mistakes in the way the international community has responded to crises in the last few years. But there has also been a reluctance to learn from some moderate successes. In El Salvador, in Haiti and in Cambodia, for example, the efforts of the United Nations have succeeded not only in putting an end to conflict, precarious as that end might seem even now, but also in establishing the bases for democratic institutions that offer the best hope for peaceful resolution of conflict in future years. In all three examples, the UN incorporated human rights principles during the negotiations and later found creative mechanisms for verification on the ground. A similar approach is showing some promise in Guatemala as this essay is being written. Typically, civilian monitors are sent to verify compliance by all parties with carefully crafted accords that apply universal human rights standards to the realities on the ground. With respect to egregious abuses of the most recent past, the UN assists in the process of reconciliation by supporting "truth commissions" or similar forms of coming to grips with the demands of truth and justice.

In spite of those successes, the UN has refused to develop a "doctrine" by which human rights and accountability would become an essential part of any peace process. In Somalia, human rights and accountability were conspicuously left out of the UN-brokered negotiations between the many warring factions. There was a token and completely meaningless assignment of responsibility for human rights to one official in the extensive field operation, and there was never any attempt to monitor the behavior of the forces brought in under the UN flag for compliance with international humanitarian law. Human rights verification and insistence on accountability have been similarly left out by the UN in Angola.

In his most recent policy statement about peace-keeping, Secretary General Boutrohumanrights in somalias Boutros-Ghali did not include human rights or accountability as one of the conditions of UN involvement in disputes. He did, however, propose certain pre-requisites for such future ventures, mostly drawn from a sober assessment of the recent experiences. One significant condition demanded by the Secretary General is that the parties to the conflict must demonstrate a commitment to seek honorable solutions by expressly consenting to a UN role. It is easy to see that the lack of such consent was a decisive factor in Somalia and in Angola, at least at the time when Jonas Savimbi, leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, ignored the results of UN-monitored elections and resumed the war. Of course, consent must be sought and commitments demanded whenever possible. But erecting this as a condition amounts to a confession of impotence in those situations in which it is unrealistic to expect that consent, at least in the early stages of a crisis. Does it mean that the international community will let vulnerable populations die in man-made humanitarian catastrophes or in mass killings until one or the other party decides that there is no longer a political or military advantage to behaving in contempt for fundamental rights? If that is the case, this "doctrine" rewards uncivilized and ruthless conduct. By dampening unrealistic expectations, the UN in fact may be unwillingly contributing to the generation and expansion of future complex emergencies.

The UN also errs when it tries to exercise its traditional peace-keeping roles in situations where there are massive violations of human rights. In traditional peace-keeping, it is legitimate to expect both parties to a conflict to agree to the presence of a neutral force to ensure compliance with temporary arrangements. By definition, therefore, the peace-keepers must be scrupulously neutral to the conflict. This neutrality, however, is a hindrance when what is needed is the protection of innocent and helpless civilians who are at the mercy of a government or a force bent on the commission of crimes against humanity. In Rwanda, for example, the conflict between the former government and the Rwandan Patriotic Front was no more than a distant backdrop to the real problem: genocide committed by pro-government forces against the Tutsi minority. Given the clear obligation in international law to prevent genocide, the international community should and could have found ways to save Tutsi lives while engaged in the peacekeeping. Instead, it found a pretext for inaction in the need to remain neutral in the internal conflict.

The theory of "age-old rivalries" is likewise also based on important grains of truth. It makes no sense to try to correct situations without an attempt to understand them. But too frequently these explanations are just as simplistic and superficial as the attitudes they rail against. Significantly, they fail to take into account that age-old rivalries and distrust are usually manipulated by politicians and demagogues for short-term gain to fuel the fires of conflict by exploiting ignorance and fear of the future among communities. Even if age-old rivalries are hard to solve in the short term, there is certainly something that the international community can and should do to prevent their descent into genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes. This mind set about age-old conflict is what prevails so far in the international community's response to the former Yugoslavia, and it explains to a large extent the failure to obtain results despite extensive military, humanitarian, and diplomatic intervention. Not only has it been impossible to prevent ethnic cleansing, but the significant effort to secure accountability embodied in the creation of a war crimes tribunal has been marred by foot-dragging and reluctance in providing it with adequate funding. Those early problems seem to have been overcome, but the fate of the tribunal is still threatened by attempts to throw it in as a bargaining chip in exchange for peace. An amnesty that would immunize the killers from prosecution is recurrently mentioned as a possible carrot for the parties to accept a peace plan. It is not only that this "peace" that does not deserve its name would be a shameful resolution to the conflict; more immediately, it encourages continued fighting and undermines the authority and credibility of a tribunal created with the lofty goal of standing up to genocide in our time.

The current winds of neo-isolationism in the United States go far beyond the lessons of Somalia. In fact, they attempt to prevent U.S. participation even in those instances when the venture has been remarkably successful and risk-free, as in Haiti. In this sense, they betray a lack of interest or concern for the spread of democracy, as if poor and underdeveloped nations were not entitled to the benefits of civil and political freedom. This way of thinking about U.S. responsibilities abroad would have a healthy effect on the debate if it contributed a sense of the limitations of what armed forces can do in complex emergencies and the dangers of excessive reliance on military solutions. Unfortunately, these voices rarely scrutinize the role the military may have played in the mistakes made on the ground and instead blame all of the problems on misguided political decisions.

The problem with this tendency to withdraw from far-off and little understood problems is that it threatens to bring down not only the peace-keeping effort but all other forms of "civilian" field operations that the international community can conduct. Lack of political and monetary support from the United States can doom civilian verification missions to monitor human rights abuses, initiatives to train and rebuild administration of justice programs so that failed states can begin to restore confidence in the institutions, truth commissions and similar efforts to show victims of massive abuse that their plight is not ignored, and similar programs designed to embark on a genuine process of reconciliation and reconstruction. If the United States turns its back on these moderately priced but potentially highly successful ventures, even the fate of path-breaking efforts to establish a world-wide rule of law will suffer. The same pressures to disengage from conflict situations would be at work to undermine the two tribunals that have so far been created to deal with international crimes (former Yugoslavia and Rwanda). Their failure would breed more disaffection and hate between communities and encourage the killers to repeat their crimes, safe in the knowledge that there is no price to pay for them.

The world should certainly exercise restraint in the temptation to use military might to deal with complex emergencies. Yet, when the peace and security of mankind are threatened, there is clear international law that legitimizes the use of force. Similarly, the Genocide Convention makes it clear that the duty of the international community -- and individually of each State party to the Convention -- is to prevent and punish this crime.

Therefore, at least when it comes to genocide, the international community must be ready to use force as a last resort to protect the lives of vulnerable and unprotected victims. This option must remain in the arsenal of the world leadership, to be used judiciously but firmly if need be. It is even more important for the United Nations and for countries that play a leadership role in world affairs to create and display an array of measures short of military intervention so that the latter is truly a measure of last resort.

CEREHRA "CONCERNED" OVER THE CLOSURE OF HORNAFRIK KISMAYU

CEREHRA's stand on the freedom of press is well known to the Somali media members in the Mandera tri-angle.

We are shocked to learn that the Islamic authorities in Kismayo had closed down the Kismayo branch of Horn Afrik Radio.

We are calling upon the authorities that had ordered for the closure of the Radio Station and the only one in Kismayo city.

CENTER FOR RECONCILIATION & HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY

CEREHRA is a Reconciliation-oriented & Human Rights watch-dog organization that has been operating in the Mandera Triangle[1] from June, 2001.

During this turbulent period CEREHRA has been registering Human Rights abuses in its coverage area, while at the same time, pulling the strings, or directly initiating and executing numerous reconciliation gestures, techniques, and conferences throughout the area.

In this period, CEREHRA also carried out conflict prevention/managements on many occasions. Most -if not all- the registrations of the Human Rights abuses, have been so hazardous to undertake and perilous to publicize.Because of the precarious situation and scary environments,

CEREHRA’s HRT: (Human Rights Team) investigators, reporters, and incident-registrars, have most of the time been operating under-cover.Unlike the HRT, the CEREHRA’s Task-forces (TF) and Conflict Prevention Experts (CPE) have been reasonably vocal to prevent the disputes to off-set conflicts in their respective areas.

CEREHRA reports its findings to the public, perpetrators of human rights violations themselves, (through proper channels when possible and safe) International Human Rights Organizations, donors,[2] (when applicable) and the relevant regional/international bodies.[1] Gedo region of Somalia, NEP of Kenya, and Liban Region of Ethiopia

[2] In the rare cases where a humanitarian organization/worker is misusing the funds to commit an inhumane crime; by either commission or omission

SOMALIA: UN EXPERT COMPLETES HIS SECOND FIELD VISIT

3 December 2008

The Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Dr. Shamsul Bari, issued the following statement on 2 December, the last day of his second field visit to the Horn of Africa and the Middle East:“SANA’A – During his second field mission, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia,

Dr. Shamsul Bari, was not able to visit that country and its capital, Mogadishu, due to the security constraints, but focused on the neighbouring States to get a best picture of the situation in Somalia to update his report to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2009.From 22 November to 2 December, the Independent Expert travelled to Djibouti, Kenya -including a visit to the Dadaab Refugee Camp- and Yemen, where he visited the cities of Sana’a and Aden.

On Tuesday 2, in Sana’a-Republic of Yemen, Dr. Bari completed his Second Field Visit to the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.In Djibouti, the Independent Expert participated -from 22 to 26 November- in the preparatory conference on Justice and Reconciliation organized on 22 and 23 November by the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) of the United Nations Political Office (UNPOS) for Somalia with the expertise of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). There, he met with members of the High Level Committee from both the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) as well as members of Somali Civil Society.

Dr Bari met on 25 November in Djibouti with the Somalian Prime Minister, His Excellency Nur Hassan Hussein, and the Somali vice Primer Minister, Abdi Salam, in addition to many other members of the Somalian Federal Government and Parliament (TFP), as well as members of ARS and the representatives of the regional organizations such as the African Union.

The Independent Expert attended and welcomed the Decisions of the High Level Committee concerning a power sharing agreement between the TFG and the ARS, in particular the establishment of a Unity Government and an enlarged inclusive Parliament. He also applauded the decisions of the two parties to establish a Commission of Inquiry (COI) and an International Tribunal with a view to address gross violations of human rights and the International Humanitarian Law to move forward on accountability and an end to impunity in Somalia.

Dr Bari reiterated to the Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein his concerns about the deteriorating situation of human rights in Somalia, especially the stoning to death of a young girl in Kismaayo on 29 October and the targeting and recent assassination of women human rights defenders, UN Staff and Journalists.

The Prime Minister stressed his own condemnation of the stoning case and renewed his commitment to further improve the human rights situation in Somalia with the operationalization of the enlargement of the Parliament and the establishment of the Government of Unity.In Kenya, Dr. Shamsul Bari visited the Dadaab Refugee Camp on 27 October and talked to a number of new arrivals and heard very painful stories about the desperate situation of refugees who have been coming to Kenya in larger numbers in recent months.

The latter expressed their wish to be involved in the Djibouti peace process. They also emphasized the need to provide education to young people. In Yemen, the Independent Expert met in Sana’a on 29 October with H.E Dr. Ali Muthana Hassan, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and H.E Ali Saleh Taiseer, the Deputy Minister of Human Rights, on 1st December.

The Yemeni Government reiterated its commitment to host the Somali refugees and others as best as they could and expressed in the meantime the need for further support from the international community in view of the increasing number of refugees estimated at 700.000 persons and the limited resources of the host country.

Dr. Bari visited on 30 November the town of Aden and talked to new arrivals in Al Basateen District which is populated of Somalis or mixed Somali-Yemeni population. The stories that the Independent Expert heard about the traumatizing experience of refugees crossing the Gulf of Aden, in particular the number of dead in the sea drowning convinced him about the need for urgent and coordinated action from the international community. Dr. Bari was saddened that despite the dangers and the large number of lives lost at sea, the new arrivals and the elders repeatedly stated that they have no alternative but to continue to flee their country to save their lives, as the conditions in Somalia were getting worse.

The Independent Expert would like to express his gratitude to the Yemeni and Kenyan Governments for their commitment and generosity to hosting large number of Somali refugees and urged the international community to take appropriate measures on the various aspects on the alarming situation of human rights of Somali people in and outside Somalia.

He intends to make specific recommendations on the situation at the March Session of the Human Rights Council.Dr. Shamsul Bari congratulated the Government of Djibouti and the SRSG of UNPOS for their determination to move forward on the peace process and called upon all the parties to the conflict to abide by their international human rights and humanitarian obligations and to join in an inclusive manner the Djibouti Agreement”.

For further details on the mandate of the Independent Expert on the Situation of Human Rights in Somalia and UN human rights information on Somalia, please visit the website:http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/SOIndex.aspx

CEREHRA JOINS THE WORLD IN THE AIDS DAY & AWARENESS

The AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection is one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history with over 25 million people killed by the disease since it was first recognized in 1981.

Despite recent, improved access to treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS pandemic continues to claim several million lives each year.

Globally, according to UNAIDS and WHO estimates, around 39.5 million adults and children are living with HIV and approximately 4.3 million became newly infected with HIV in 2006 alone. World AIDS Day, observed on December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic and how it can be stopped.

CEREHRA joins the like-minded international and national organizations in their quest and call for AIDS-FREE world.

In this regard CEREHRA will raise awareness in the AIDS epidemic and HIV menace among the Somali speaking populatuons in which CEREHRA operates.

CEREHRA CONDEMNS THE BOMBING IN BULAHAWA; READIES ITSELF TO JOIN THE UGAS IN A PEACE TRAVEL

CEREHRA condemns the bombing attacks in Bulahawa District of Gedo Region of Somalia. The attacks had killed two community elders and one militia officer, and also wounded at-least eight civilians including a child.

CEREHRA welcomes the peace travel of Ugaas (paramount cheif) of Marehan, Ugaas Omar Ugaas Hirsi, who has now arrived at Garbaharrey district of Gedo Region Somalia.

The Ugas - highly regarded and respected by all- plans to travel to Dawo area in order to help lower the high tensions and anexiety among the tribesmen there created by the recent bombing attacks in Bulahawa district in Dawo area, Gedo region.

CEREHRA will join that peace travel which is of high concern to solve the problems related to that attacks and will also facilitate the possible conferences and under-tree meetings that the Ugas will conduct.

CEREHRA FIELD CO-ORDINATOR Garbaharrey, Somalia.

CAREHRA INTENDS TO CARRY ON PEACE CARAVAN TOGETHER WITH PARTNERS

The Center for Reconciliation and Human Rights Advocacy intends to carry out a peace Caravan together with other partners in Gedo region of Southern Somalia.

The Executive Director of CEREHRA, Mr. Gurhan said: "We're doing this against all odds, against everything that you know is wrong here in this region."

The Norwegian Church Aid used to conduct this type of Caravans but CEREHRA mambers used to contribute to the Caravan Activities on a personal basis.

If this goes through, it will be the first time CEREHRA had undertaken a peace caravan in its seven years of its history.

CEREHRA RAISED QUESTIONS OVER THE STONED WOMAN IN KISMAYO

The Center for Reconciliation & Human Rights Advocacy is so concerned and remorseful over the stoning death of the Somali woman in Kismayo city of Somalia.

"No one in Kismayu or elsewhere in Somalia has any right to stone any woman to death." says the official statement from the office of CEREHRA in Luuq district of Gedo region.

The father of the victim said to the VOA that she was born in 1994 which makes her only twenty four years.

CEREHRA went further in its Somali language statement distributed in leaflets and emails; and asked about the condition of the condemned poor woman; the names and titles of the "judges" that handed down the harsh verdict, and the names and occupations of the prosecuting witnesses.

CEREHRA CONDEMNS THE SHELLING OF MOGADISHU

Cerehra has today accused the AU forces in Mogadishu of indiscriminately shelling a city of millions.

"AlShebab were very bad and these guys are not any better" said the statement.

PLEASE READ

CEREHRA URGES THE GEDOANS TO USE LOGIC AND NOT EMOTION

CEREHRA has today called upon the elders and intellectuals of Gedo region to be wary of anything that can cause a blood-shed in the now-peaceful Gedo Region.

Speaking in Luuq, Halwa Garaad Ali said that "Gedo does not want any more fight, fleeing, and war wounds." She said "we were enjoying in such a calm period and now we do not want any fighting and militia organizing."

CEREHRA IN TALKS WITH AFSC

The Center is in talks with the afcs to see the possibility of a funding of the Somali Poetry as Tools of Reconciliation.

Rahma Rahman

HUMAN RIGHTS: DEFINED

Human rights refers to the concept of human beings as having universal rights, or status, regardless of legal jurisdiction, and likewise other localizing factors, such as ethnicity and nationality. Philosophically, human rights can be based on social contract theories, conceptions of natural rights, or a combination thereof.

CEREHRA CONDEMNS THE "INHUMANE AND BARBARIC ACT" IN MOGADISHU; CALLS ON THE TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO SPEAK UP

CEREHRA has today condemned what it had called "the most barbaric and inhumane act in Somalia's history."

"The deed of planting a land-mine in a trash to heniously execute pregnant and lactating old and middle-aged women, who were out there to put food on their loved ones' tables, or in other words, earning a living is only Satan's" said the statement read out at the T street in Luuq where many people gathered to listen to the BBC Somali service.

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CEREHRA INTENDS TO USE THE SOMALI ORAL POETRY AS TOOLS OF RECONCILIATION AMONG THE PEOPLES IN GEDO REGION

The Center for Reconciliation & Human Rights Advocacy (CEREHRA) wants to use the Somali oral poetry for the healing the scars that the civil war has left and promoting reconciliation, tollerance, and peace-ful coexistence among the peoples of Gedo region and the rest of the triangle.

CEREHRA is said to aim at utilizing the skill and experience of Ahmed Farah Ali "Idaajaa" to promote peaceful coexistence in the triangle.

Rahma Rahman, the acting Executive director had earlier this week suggested that " a proper and close consideration is being given to the Somali traditionaL oral poetry to promote the good coexistence and love among the brothers and sisters."

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: INTRODUCTION (TIG)

Sixty years ago, nations of the world joined together in recognizing that all peoples, in all nations, are free and equal regardless of race, religion, economic status, age, gender or other personal characteristics. Through the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the United Nations brought into being the first international document recognizing human rights as the foundation of peace, justice and freedom in the world.

The Universal Declaration outlines 30 basic rights essential for all human beings to achieve their full potential and to live a life free of fear and want. It was a unique approach that developed from the world saying 'never again' to the horrific events of World War Two, a war that brought a scale of atrocity never previously witnessed. The global death count is estimated to have been more than 50 million. War crimes were widespread: from the infamous Holocaust in which Nazi Germany sought to eliminate 'undesirables' such as Jews, Poles, Slavs, Roma, Sinti, the mentally and physically disabled, homosexuals and other persons, to the use of sex slaves, otherwise known as 'comfort women', by Japanese soldiers. Labour camps were used throughout the world and, disturbingly, World War Two brought the first testing of biological warfare by Japan and the use of atomic bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the United States of America. Read more...:

http://www.takingitglobal.org/themes/udhr60/?ec=181,281933

INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED DAYS (TIG)

February 21 - International Mother Language Day
March 8 - International Women's Day
April 7 - World Health Day
April 22 - Earth Day
May 3 - World Press Freedom Day
May 10 - World Fair Trade Day
May 15 - International Day of Families
May 17 - World Information Society Day
May 21 - World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue...
May 22 - International Day for Biological Diversity
May 31 - World No Tobacco Day
June 1 - International Children's Day
June 4 - International Day of Innocent Children Victims...
June 5 - World Environment Day
June 12 - World Day Against Child Labour
June 14 - World Blood Donor Day
June 17 - World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
June 20 - World Refugee Day
June 21 - World Music Day
June 26 - International Day against Drug Abuse and...
June 26 - International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
July 11 - World Population Day
August 9 - International Day of the World’s Indigenous...
August 12 - International Youth Day
August 23 - International Day for the Remembrance of the...
September 8 - International Literacy Day
September 16 - International Day for the Preservation of the...
September 21 - International Day of Peace
September 22 - World Car Free Day
September 26 - European Day of Languages
September 27 - World Tourism Day
October 1 - World Vegetarian Day
October 1 - International Day of Older Persons
October 5 - World Teacher's Day
October 6 - World Habitat Day
October 10 - World Mental Health Day
October 16 - World Food Day
October 17 - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
October 24 - United Nations Day
November 9 - World Inventor's Day
November 16 - International Day for Tolerance
November 17 - International Students' Day
November 20 - Universal Children's Day
November 25 - International Day for the Elimination of...
December 1 - World AIDS Day
December 2 - International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
December 3 - International Day of Disabled Persons
December 5 - International Volunteer Day for Economic and...
December 10 - Human Rights Day
December 18 - International Migrant's Day

UNITED NATIONS CONCERNED OVER RAPID DETERIORATION OF SECURITY IN SOMALIA (POSTED ON CEREHRA.BLOGSPOT.COM)

The UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, today expressed grave concern over the rapidly deteriorating security situation for humanitarian workers in that country. He also expressed deep concern over the unacceptable level of violence against Somali civilians. Recent killings have brought the number of aid-related workers killed in Somalia this year to 19. Bowden said it is intolerable that humanitarian workers striving to save lives in one of the most difficult environments in the world are being targeted and killed.


The United Nations, for its part, is urgently taking measures to ensure the protection of its staff in Somalia while at the same time allowing them to carry on with their vital humanitarian work.


Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that gunmen in Somalia have killed an agent for a WFP-contracted transport company. He was the fifth such staff member to be killed in Somalia this year. WFP condemns the shootings, but says it is committed to operating in Somalia, adding that more than two million people need aid in that country because of drought and high food prices.

CEREHRA BRINGS THE GAADSAN AND MOALLIM WEYNE ELDERS TOGETHER IN LUUQ

The CEREHRA's office in Luuq has brought together the elders from the clans of Gaadsan and Moallim-weyne to finalize their agreement in the early summer.

Dahir Hassan of CEREHRA who was the lead-mediator of the Gaadsan v Moallim-Weyne negotiations in Gedo region has today said: "We have no more to say at this juncture in time, because we know we will have a lot to explain to you and the media come Friday."

CEREHRA -ONCE AGAIN- CALLS FOR POST-ELECTION, INCLUSIVE RECONCILIATIONS AMONG THE SOMALI TRIBES IN GEDO REGION

Guided by its CP (cherished principles) of negotiation, reconciliation, reality, respect, and harmony, CEREHRA has today wrote to the regional stake-holders of Gedo region imploring them to initiate a regionwide, post-election, and all-inclusive reconciliation conference for inhabiting clans and prevailing political and religious organizations in the region.


"This will be a golden opportunity to seize now that Gedo region has only one administration that is relatively representive of the men of all clans." said the director of reconciliations and conflict management in Bulla Hawa of Gedo region.

The Director, has insinuated that CEREHRA is not happy with the male-dominated district councils and womanless regional council that had been established two months ago.

In a completely another arena, the Center has urged the pro-Shabab militia that's occupied Bardera and Burdubo districts to restrain anything that can create an unfortunate armed inter-clan or inter-sect confrontations similar to those in late 1990s.

"I don't think it makes any sense that the youth start demanding people here to wide open their mouths to make sure the people are not consuming Kat or tobacco for this matter." said a CEREHRA activist in Bardera.

The center also praised the Bardera district council and the mayor of the city for being calm and composed at the arrival of the Shebab militia in their turf. The Center further praised the Bardera Traditional Elders (Guurti) and their chairman for what they termed as "all the endeavor."

"The Guurti committee in Bardera are the back-bone of peace here in Bardera" said the Somali letter that was written in Somali "and all of us must be grateful to them. They are the main cause behind the tranquility that the people of this district enjoyed all the time while the rest of Gedo was burning in 1990s" it concluded.

CEREHRA CONDEMNS THE KILLING OF SOMALI HUMANITARIAN AID WORKERS IN AND AROUND MOGADISHU

CEREHRA condemns the killing of Mohamed Mohamud Qeyre, among other Humanitarian Aid Workers in Somalia. He was the deputy director of the group Daryeel Bulasho Guud (DBG), funded by a German company and affiliated with the group Bread for the World.

Rahma Rahman, the Executive Director of CEREHRA said in Nairobi "It is such a curse that Somalis are shooting for the jugular veins of their best and most kind."

REMEMBERING YAHYA ALI: (c) HIIRAAN.COM

Mogadishu, Somalia (HOL) - Last night marked the third anniversary of the late Somalia peace activist Abdulkadir Yahya Sheik Ali who was one of the senior managers of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD) in Somalia, a non-government organization that helps Somali clans to settle their differences through negotiations and peaceful settlements.

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CEREHRA INTENDS TO USE THE SOMALI ORAL POETRY AS TOOLS OF RECONCILIATION AMONG THE PEOPLES IN THE TRI-ANGLE

The Center for Reconciliation & Human Rights Advocacy (CEREHRA) wants to use the Somali oral poetry for the healing the scars that the civil war has left and promoting reconciliation, tollerance, and peace-ful coexistence among the peoples of Gedo region and the rest of the triangle.

Rahma Rahman, the acting Executive director had earlier this week suggested that " a proper and close consideration is being given to the Somali traditionaL oral poetry to promote the good coexistence and love among the brothers and sisters."

CEREHRA REGRETS THE DEATH OF CHILDREN CAUSED BY EXPLOSIONS IN ELWAK OF GEDO REGION

CEREHRA's top official in Nairobi has yesterday voiced her shock to learn of the death of two Somali children near to Elwak district. The accidental death to the two chilren was caused by the explosion of an old military hard-ware.

We are sending our sympathies to the parents; and we call upon the people that are elected officials get on the situation and do whatever they can to prevent the likes of this accident from happening again.

CEREHRA CONVENES A CONFERENCE FOR BARDERA COUNCIL OF ELDERS OVER THE GRAZING IN DOOY (DINSOR) AREA

Today, CEREHRA has convened a conference for the Guurti(the most effective traditional body in the entire Gedo region) in Bardera over the grazing of Dooy area in and around Dinsor district of Bay region.

The Marehan nomads have moved with their cattle and camel to the Dinsor area where there is a psture better than Bardera area.

This meeting was about how to prevent conflicts between the youth (camel-boys)of the two communities during the first week of settling in the new pasture-land.

Hussein Ali Bihi, the chairman of the Bardera Elders' Council has suggested that a team of the elders from the two communities is sent to Dinsor area, and the rest of the Guurti voted the matter in favor. The deputy chairman of the Guurti, Ahmed Hassanow of Rahawein was put at the helm of the team.

"We are so pleased with the outcome" said Abdisamed Ali Ahmed who organized the meeting. CEREHRA had also thanked Dahabshil Money Transfer for facilitating the conference: paying for the tea and the hall.

CEREHRA CONDEMNS THE ATTACKERS OF BULAHAWA IDP CAMP:IMPLORED THE PROMINENT RELIGIOUS/TRADITIONAL ELDERS TO TAKE ACTION

CEREHRA lead-activist in Bulahawa, [name intentionally ommitted]has told the local radios in the area that CEREHRA condemns the attack and intimidation of Bulahawa IDP camps by a masked gunmen. "We are condemning them in the strongest terms available and we are determined to unmask them." the activist said.

Also the activist called upon the traditional and religious elders to stand up to and punish or at least publicly sigle-out the 'shame-doers' that "are running opposit to the international values and the Somali culture" the statement concluded.

CEREHRA REJOICES THE RELEASE OF KIDNAPPED UN AID-WORKERS IN HUDUR

Dahir Hassan of CEREHRA in Luuq, Gedo region has today expressed his joy over the release of the UN aid-workers in Hudur.

"If our working the phones took part in this, we don't know" He said, "But all we know is that we are very pleased at the gesture and action."

CEREHRA PREACHES

Dialogue;
Reality;
Reconciliation;
Justice;
Respect;
Peace;
Security;
Tranquility;
Democracy;
Prosperity.

CENTER FOR RECONCILIATION & HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY.

http://www.cerehra.blogspot.com

CEREHRA IS LOOKING FOR FUNDS FOR THE DESSIMINATION AND RAISING AWARENESS ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRINCIPLES/VIOLATIONS IN THE TRIANGLE

CEREHRA's Executive Committee has yesterday recognized the necessity and therefore decided- in order to educate the puplic and 'authorities' on HRVs and HRPs- that they look for funds for the dissemination of Human Rights-related documents.

In looking for funds, the members of Somali Community Association of Ohio which have been the the main donors to the Center will be notified of the need and justification. "If SCAO is unable to cover all the needed cost, then CEREHRA will be forced to -break with its tradition- and look for funds from other non-Somali sources." said Abdirahman, the Executive Director of CEREHRA.

CEREHRA REGRETS THE KIDNAPPING OF THE AID-WORKERS IN HUDDUR; WILL TRY HARD TO FIND THEIR WHEREABOUTS

The CEREHRA office in Luuq, Gedo region, has today put out an statement in Somali regretting the kidnapping of two UN workers from Huddur town of Bakol.

Dahir Hassan, the Coordinator for Reconciliation Programmes has said: "Since CEREHRA, Luuq is in a near proximity to Huddur, we will try to find the kidnapped aid workers' whereabouts." He added that the UN staff were not part to the conflict. I therefore see no justifiable reason whatsoever to take their freedom from them."

"CEREHRA will in the meantime get in touch with the tribal elders in the area to intercede on the Aid-workers' behalf, added the coordinator."

In recent months, aid agency staff have repeatedly been the victims of attacks and kidnappings. Many organisations have therefore withdrawn their personnel from Somalia.

"CONFLICT IN SOMALIA HAS KILLED 2,136 CIVILIANS": ELMAN PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATION

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Conflict in Somalia has killed 2,136 civilians so far this year, bringing the death toll since an Islamist-led insurgency began in early 2007 to 8,636, a local human rights group said on Thursday.

The Mogadishu-based Elman Peace and Human Rights Organisation said it had also recorded 11,790 civilian injuries since the start of last year, when rebels began attacking the Somali government and its Ethiopian military allies.

REUTERS



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CLAY AIKEN'S APPEAL FOR THE WORLD ATTENTION: A GESTURE OF GOOD WILL & A GLIMMER OF HOPE

Mr. Aiken's appeal to the world is a significant step from a heavy weight and big-hearted human being.

CEREHRA and the rest of the Somali people will ever remember it. Isn't the thought that counts?

CEREHRA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

CEREHRA CALLS FOR POST-ELECTION, INCLUSIVE RECONCILIATIONS AMONG THE SOMALI TRIBES IN GEDO REGION; URGED DESSISTANCE FROM ESCALATIONS AND ANARCHY

Guided by its CP (cherished principles) of negotiation, reconciliation, reality, respect, and harmony, CEREHRA has today wrote to the regional stake-holders of Gedo region imploring them to initiate a regionwide, post-election, and all-inclusive reconciliation conference for inhabiting clans and prevailing political and religious organizations in the region.


"This will be a golden opportunity to seize now that Gedo region has only one administration that is relatively representive of the men of all clans." said the director of reconciliations and conflict management in Bulla Hawa of Gedo region.

The Director, has insinuated that CEREHRA is not happy with the male-dominated district councils and womanless regional council that had been established two months ago.

In a completely another arena, the Center has urged the pro-Shabab militia that's occupied Bardera and Burdubo districts to restrain anything that can create an unfortunate armed inter-clan or inter-sect confrontations similar to those in late 1990s.

"I don't think it makes any sense that the youth start demanding people here to wide open their mouths to make sure the people are not consuming Kat or tobacco for this matter." said a CEREHRA activist in Bardera.

The center also praised the Bardera district council and the mayor of the city for being calm and composed at the arrival of the Shebab militia in their turf. The Center further praised the Bardera Traditional Elders (Guurti) and their chairman for what they termed as "all the endeavor."

"The Guurti committee in Bardera are the back-bone of peace here in Bardera" said the Somali letter that was written in Somali "and all of us must be grateful to them. They are the main cause behind the tranquility that the people of this district enjoyed all the time while the rest of Gedo was burning in 1990s" it concluded.

حول المؤسسةِ

هذا المركزِ موجه مصالحة ومنظمة لجنةِ رقابة حقوقِ إنسان التي تَشتغلُ في
الصومال / كينيا / إثيوبيا مثلث مِنْ يونيو/حزيرانِ، سَنَة ألفين واحد

أثناء هذه الفترةِ العاصفةِ، المركز يُسجّلُ إنتهاكات حقوق الإنسانَ في منطقةِ تغطيتِها، بينما في نفس الوقت، يَسْحبُ الخيوطَ، أَو يَبْدأُ مباشرة ويُنفّذُ بوادرَ المصالحةِ العديدةِ، تقنيات، ومؤتمرات في كافة أنحاء المنطقةِ

في هذه الفترةِ، نفّذَ المركزَ منعِ النزاعَ أيضاً / إدارات على العديد مِنْ المناسباتِ. أكثر إنْ لمْ يكن كُلّ تسجيلات إنتهاكات حقوق الإنسانِ، كَانَ خطرُ جداً لتَعَهُّد وخطرِ للنشر

بسبب الحالةِ الغير ثابتةِ والبيئاتِ المخيفةِ، المركز (فريق حقوقِ إنسان) محقّقون، مراسلون، ومسجّلون ساقطون، لَهُ أغلب الوقتِ شُغّلَ سرّي


على خلاف فرقِ حقوقَ الإنسان، صانعو سلام المركزَ وخبراءَ منعِ النزاعِ كَانوا صوتيُ إلى حدّ معقول لمَنْع النزاعاتِ ولتَسكين النزاعاتِ في مناطقِهم الخاصةِ


المدير التنفيذي

CAN THIS BE THE EAST AFRICAN SOLUTION?

CEREHRA GOES INTERNATIONAL! WAIT FOR DETAILS

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SOMALIA MUST BE PROPERLY ADDRESSED:



ONLY BECAUSE SOMALIS ARE ALSO HUMANS


DIALOGUE

REALITY

RECONCILIATION;

PEACE;

SECURITY;

AND ABOVE ALL

FROGIVENESS.



Email us for ideas.

PART 2: VIOLATIONS BY THE ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT: BY HRW

The government’s counter-insurgency response involves a multi-pronged approach aimed at cutting off economic resources, weakening the ONLF’s civilian support base, and confining its geographic area of operation. To achieve these aims the Ethiopian armed forces have committed numerous violations of human rights, violations of the laws of war that amount to war crimes, and crimes against humanity against the civilian population. These have included widespread forced relocations of civilians, destruction of their villages, willful killings, and summary executions, and torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence.

Some of the current government’s counter-insurgency strategies—such as attempting to constrict rural civilian movement and assets and using brutal force to terrorize civilian populations—have a long history of use by previous governments. However, the EPRDF government has also introduced new methods, such as forced recruitment of local militia and the manipulation of clan dynamics.

The pattern of abuses by government forces in 2007, although intensified, is unfortunately not new. In the course of conducting the research for this report, eyewitnesses to atrocities frequently told Human Rights Watch researchers about previous incidents of village burnings, summary executions, rape, and torture at the hands of security forces, some dating back a decade.

Forced Displacement and Destruction of Villages
In an attempt to cut off civilian support to the ONLF and concentrate its rural support base in designated larger villages and towns, Ethiopia’s scaled up counterinsurgency campaign against the ONLF has involved widespread forced displacement, particularly between June and August 2007. The government has ordered civilians to relocate from small villages and pastoralist settlements to designated towns throughout the conflict-affected zones, typically ordering the villagers and nomads to move within two to seven days. To secure compliance with the evacuation orders, the Ethiopian army repeatedly implemented a phased system of terror involving the confiscation and killing of livestock, public executions, and the destruction of villages by burning.

Villagers and pastoralists who refuse to evacuate have been killed, and many villages and nomadic settlements have been burned by the army, while water sources and wells have been destroyed. Evacuated villages and settlements become no-go areas: civilians who remain behind risk being shot on sight, tortured, or raped if spotted by soldiers. Human Rights Watch received reports of 87 villages and nomadic settlements that were partially or totally burned and/or forcefully evacuated during government military operations between June 2006 and August 2007, but the actual number of such burned or evacuated villages is likely to be much higher, even within that time period.

International humanitarian law prohibits the forced transfer of the civilian population during a conflict unless specifically for the security of the civilian population or because it is required for imperative military reasons.74 Relocating civilians to prevent them from assisting insurgent forces or to punish them for doing so is prohibited. The destruction of civilian property is also unlawful.75 The Ethiopian government’s forced relocation of thousands of civilians in conflict-affected areas of Somali Region amounts to the unlawful transfer of the population and collective punishment of Ogaadeeni communities perceived to be supporting the ONLF. Individuals who ordered or carried out such acts intentionally or recklessly are responsible for war crimes.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

74 Protocol II, art. 17.

75 See, e.g., ICC Statute, art. 8(2)(b)(v).




June 2008
<>

CEREHRA (IN BULAHAWA,GEDO REGION) WELCOMES THE RELEASE OF SOMALI DETAINEES

CEREHRA has today warmly welcomed the release of the five Somali detainees on Monday by the Ethiopian Government.

The Somali Detainees held in an Ethiopian jail for some times have been released and have arrived home in Bulo Hawo District of Gedo Region.

The five men who have been in an Ethiopian jail for some time were warmly welcomed by hundreds of Somalis who escorted them from Dolo on the Ethiopian border.


The five who included prominent traders such as Adan Abdi Turuq AKA Aden 'Obbe and Bashir Adan Abdille 'Jallato' said to CEREHRA officials that their health was fine but they declined to give further details to anyone.

CEREHRA CONDEMNS THE KILLING OF ENGINEER KULMIYE

UN calls for immediate release of aid official abducted in Somalia: CEREHRA coincides with this demand

The Associated Press
Monday, June 23, 2008
NAIROBI, Kenya: The U.N. refugee agency has called on unidentified Somali gunmen who abducted one of its staff to release the man immediately.

The U.N. says the abduction of Hassan Mohamed Ali in Mogadishu on Saturday was a blow to humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of an estimated 1 million uprooted people inside Somalia.

The U.N. says the motive for the abduction remains unclear.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres on Monday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Ali, the longest-serving of the agency's staff in Somalia.

UN: BOTH THE TFG & INSURGENTS ARE VIOLATING CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN SOMALIA

The United Nations has accused both Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG), and the insurgents fighting it, of committing grave human rights violations against children in the country.

In a report to the UN Security Council on 11 June, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "The level of grave violations against children in Somalia has been increasing over the past year, particularly with regard to the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict; the killing, maiming and rape of children; and the denial of humanitarian access to children."


"The widespread use of children in almost all fighting forces in the country was noted, particularly in Mogadishu," Ban reported, adding that the recruitment of child soldiers was also increasing, although exact numbers could not be verified.

Ban called on the transitional government and opposition groups to renounce the recruitment and use of children in their armed forces, and urged such forces in Somalia "to make all efforts to minimise civilian casualties during fighting".

Ahmed Dini of Peaceline, a Somali civil society group that monitors the situation of children in the country, told IRIN that if one looks at the displaced camps where tens of thousands are sheltering, or in hospitals, the "vast majority are children".

Dini said: "Unfortunately in all aspects of the Somali tragedy children are more often than not most affected and least able to cope."

Christian Balslev-Olesen, the Representative of Unicef, said that, "Just outside Mogadishu there are hundreds of thousands of children displaced, many of whom are not accessing education."

Since serious fighting began in early 2007, at least one million Somalis have fled their homes, while an estimated 6,500 civilians have been killed.

Some 2.6 million Somalis need assistance and this figure is expected to reach 3.5 million by the end of the year if the humanitarian situation does not improve, according to the UN.

Ban's account noted that the number of cases of rape and other sexual assaults against children reported to UN and partner monitoring organizations rose from 115 in 2007 to 128 this year..

Unfortunately in all aspects of the Somali tragedy children are more often than not most affected and least able to cope

However, these numbers are not reflective of the actual numbers of cases.

"The vast majority of cases of sexual violence in Somalia are not reported," said Balslev-Olesen.

Dini said many children under the age of 16 were being recruited by all sides in violation of international law.

"There are no exact figures, but there are probably several thousand children in all the armed groups," added Dini.

Ban called for investigations into all incidents of grave child rights violations and urged the TFG to end the detention of children and to control the proliferation of small arms.

Moreover, Ban urged the Ethiopian forces to "refrain from indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian objects, including but not limited to schools and hospitals," and called on the Ethiopian authorities to investigate allegations of grave violations against children by their forces.

GROUP SAYS SATELITE IMAGES PROVE RIGHTS ABUSES IN ETHIOPIA

By ANDREW C. REVKIN


Human rights advocates on Thursday said that Ethiopia has been committing “crimes against humanity,” including the torture, murder, rape, and forced eviction of civilians, in its crackdown on insurgents in the country’s isolated eastern Ogaden desert region.

The group Human Rights Watch, in a 130-page report released in Nairobi, Kenya, and posted online at hrw.org, cited independent analysis of satellite photographs by an American scientific group as support for its conclusion that many villages had been razed.

The Ethiopian government has routinely rejected such claims. Calls and e-mail messages to the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington were not returned.

The image analysis was led by Lars Bromley, the director of the science and human rights program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, based in Washington.

Guided by eyewitness accounts gathered by the human rights investigators, the scientists tracked down satellite images of particular villages in the region from before the most recent army campaign and commissioned private providers of satellite images to take fresh satellite photographs of the locations.

Comparisons confirmed that dozens of structures in eight communities identified as attacked by witnesses had vanished, and the images also revealed signs that buildings had been burned, Mr. Bromley said.

“The Ethiopian authorities frequently dismiss human rights reports, saying that the witnesses we interviewed are liars and rebel supporters,” Peter Bouckaert, the emergencies director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “But it will be much more difficult for them to dismiss the evidence presented in the satellite images, as images like that don’t lie.”

GLAD TIDINGS: CEREHRA WELCOMES THE AGREEMENT IN DJIBOUTI

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent and the most Merciful


AGREEMENT BETWEEN

THE TRANSITIONAL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF SOMALIA (TFG)
And
THE ALLIANCE FOR THE RE-LIBERATION OF SOMALIA (ARS)


1. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and the Alliance for Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) attending a meeting from 31 May to 9 June 2008 in Djibouti, facilitated by the UN. They are hereafter referred to as "the Parties".

2. The Parties gave their respective analyses of the 18 year old crisis and made proposals aimed at restoring trust, confidence and at ending the conflict. Their discussion led to the present Agreement.

3. The primary requirement of this Agreement is to: ensure the cessation of all armed confrontation and a political settlement for a durable peace; promote a peaceful environment; avoid a security vacuum; facilitate the protection of the population and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance and call for the convening of a reconstruction and development conference.
4. The Parties noted that:

a. Over the past eighteen years, Somalia has suffered massive human losses, insecurity and vast destruction of its physical infrastructure and other vital public investments. A whole generation of young people and adults has been sacrificed or denied education and development;

b. The human and humanitarian situation is continuously deteriorating. At the same time, the country’s international image and standing have been seriously undermined;

c. This tragic situation, and the fact that eighteen years of war and conflict have brought neither durable peace nor stability and inspired by patriotic and religious examples of compromise.

5. Decided to:

a. Reaffirm the dignity, sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Somalia;

b. Take courageous measures to finally bring this situation to an end and resolve the crisis through peaceful means.

6. Agreed on:
a. The termination of all acts of armed confrontation by the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) and its allies and by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its allies;

b. The cessation of armed confrontation shall come into force thirty (30) days from the signing of this agreement throughout the national territory;

c. The cessation of armed confrontation is approved for an initial period of ninety (90) days, renewable.


7. The Parties agreed from the date of coming into effect of this Agreement:
a. To request the United Nations, consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 1814 and within a period of one hundred and twenty (120) days, to authorize and deploy an international stabilization force from countries that are friends of Somalia excluding neighboring states;

b. Within a period of 120 days of the signing of this agreement the TFG will act in accordance with the decision that has already been taken by the Ethiopian Government to withdraw its troops from Somalia after the deployment of a sufficient number of UN Forces;

c. The ARS shall, through a solemn public statement, cease and condemn all acts of armed violence in Somalia and dissociate itself from any armed groups or individuals that do not adhere to the terms of this Agreement.


8. To ensure the effective implementation of this Agreement, the Parties agree to:
a. Undertake all necessary measures to ensure unhindered humanitarian access and assistance to affected populations;

b. Refrain from declarations and actions inconsistent with the peaceful spirit of this Agreement;


c. Establish a Joint Security Committee to follow up the implementation of security arrangements within fifteen (15) days of the signing of this Agreement. The composition and mandate of this Committee, chaired by the UN, shall be adopted within the same period.


9. A High Level Committee, chaired by the UN, should be established within fifteen (15) days of the signing of this Agreement to follow up on issues relating to the political cooperation between the Parties and concerns over justice and reconciliation. These issues will be discussed at a conference to be organized by 30 July 2008.


10. The Parties will work with all other relevant Somali stakeholders to ensure the full and effective implementation of this agreement.
11. The Parties call on the international community to help provide the adequate resources for the implementation and follow-up of this Agreement. The Parties also consider it a priority to convene within the next six (6) months an international conference aimed at addressing Somalia’s Reconstruction and Development.
Djibouti
9 June 2008


Transitional Federal Government Alliance for Re-Liberation of Somalia

United Nations

Observer States: Observer Groups:

France African Union

United Kingdom League of Arab States

United States Organization of Islamic Conference

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia European Union

Djibouti

CEREHRA REGRETS THE NEW OBSTACLES HIT BY THE DJIBOUTI CONFERENCE

CEREHRA has today expressed its worry over the obstacles hit by the eagerly awaited Djibouti Conference for warring groups in Somalia.


"The Somalis need to listen to no one about their own national interest." said a CEREHRA member who spoke in Bardera, Gedo region, Somalia.

CEREHRA JOINS THE TEAM TO INVESTIGATE THE CRIMINALS THAT MURDERED NASTEH DAHIR FARAH

CEREHRA Executive Committee had last night resolved to openly participate the team that will investigate the names and motives of the criminals that murdered Nasteh Dahir Farah.

"WHILE CEREHRA IS CONDEMNING IN ITS STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS OF THE MURDER OF NASTEH DAHIR FARAH, WE ARE OBLIGED TO NOT RUN FROM THE MURDEROUS GANGS. WE WILL ILLUMINATE THEIR TRAILS; INVESTIGATE THEIR NAMES AND MOTIVES; BRING THEM IN FRONT OF THE JUSTICE." SAID VIGILANTE # 0012 IN BELED HAWA, GEDO.

INTERNATIONAL REACTION TO NASTEH DAHIR FARAH'S MURDER

Nasteh Dahir Farah 1980 -- 2008

Yet another Somali Young Hero: A Tribute to Nasteh Dahir Farah

Shock at the Murder of Vice President of Reporter's Without Borders' Partner

A Tribute to Nasteh Dahir Farah

Somali BBC Correspondent Killed

ANOTHER SOMALI JOURNALIST IS KILLED: CEREHRA CALLS FOR A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION

June 7 (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist insurgents shot dead a local journalist working for the BBC in southern Somalia on Saturday, witnesses said.

A Reuters witness said gunmen confronted Nasteh Dahir outside his home in the port of Kismayu before shooting him in the chest and stomach. He died soon afterwards in hospital.

Here is a chronology of journalists who have been attacked in Somalia since a conflict between Islamists and the government began in June 2006.

While CEREHRA is shocked and dismayed at the news,

it also demands and determined to take part in the traditional

Somali hut-to-hut investigation of the murderers/motivators of the shooting of Nasteh D. Farah.

2006:

June 23
- Gunman shoots dead Swedish television cameraman Martin Adler covering a pro-Islamist demonstration in Mogadishu.

Aug 4 - Vehicle carrying members of the National Union of Somali Journalists is ambushed between Baidoa and Mogadishu. The driver Madey Garas is killed and a journalist injured.

2007:

Feb 16 - Ali Mohammed Omar, a presenter on Radio Warsan in Baidoa, is shot dead by three assailants as he walked home.

May 5 - Mohammed Abdullahi Khalif, a contributor to private radio station Voice of Peace, is killed in Puntland.

May 15 - Abshir Ali Gabra, a journalist with the independent radio station Radio Jowhar, and Ahmed Hassen, a correspondent with the independent broadcaster, Somalia Broadcasting Corporation are killed in the central Shabelle region.

Aug 11 - Gunmen shoot dead Somali HornAfrik radio journalist and talk show host Mahad Ahmed Elmi outside his station in Mogadishu.

Aug 11 - HornAfrik media co-founder Ali Iman Sharmarke is killed by a landmine while travelling in Mogadishu after the funeral of a murdered colleague. Reuters journalist Sahal Abdulle is injured.

Aug 24 - Abdulkadir Mahad Moallim Kaskey of local Radio Banadir is killed after attackers open fire on a minibus in southwestern Gedo province.

Another passenger is hurt.Oct 19 - Acting chairman of Radio Shabelle, Bashir Nur Gedi, is shot dead by unknown men in his house in Mogadishu.

Dec 16 - Gunmen seize French journalist Gwen Le Gouil of TV company Cargocult Production.

Dec 24 - Somali kidnappers release Le Gouil

2008:

Jan 10 - Four gunmen shoot Abdikheyr Mohammed Jama in the face as he leaves community radio station in Puntland.

May 4 - Gunmen open fire on Bisharo Mohammed Waeys, a talk show presenter on privately-owned Eastern Television Network in Puntland, as she drove home. She was unhurt.

June 7 - Suspected Islamist insurgents shot dead Nasteh Dahir, a local journalist working for the BBC, in southern Somalia, witnesses said.

Sources: Reuters/ Reporters Without Borders/ National Union of Somali Journalists.

DROUGHTS IN MANDERA TRIANGLE: ARE THEY NATURAL; MAN-MADE OR BOTH

PLEASE SEND US YOUR COMMENTS TO CEREHRA EMAIL ADDRESS:

ONLY MEMBERS ARE ALLOWED TO COMMENT AS THIS IS VERY SCEINTIFIC ISSUE.

WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.

TAKING THE PICTURES OF EATING IDPS: IS THIS AFFRONT TO THE SOMALI VALUES, AND THUS A HRV?

Please leave your comments here: We will elaborate and decide on it.

SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF CEREHRA FESTIVALS: A LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Committee and the Executive Director of CEREHRA

deem prudent and are therefore obliged to seize this historic and

golden opportunity of CEREHRA's

seventh year of existence

to extend their gratitude to the members

and donors of CEREHRA.

The Committee and the Executive Director

hereby praise the

Task-forces team,

Human Rights' Team,

and Reporting

and Posting Team

for their bravery,

boldness, wisedom, and self-less sacrifices

they have shown over the long, tough, wincing,

but golden years.

The Director and the Executive Committee of CEREHRA

are equally thankful to those generous men

and women in

Africa and elsewhere,

who had donated from their meager resources to enrich

their humanity and its princibles in our most difficult of times.

It must also be DISCLOSED that the Executive Committee of

CEREHRA

had recently resolved that,

unlike in the past, all sectors of CEREHRA

will soon be allowed to

get out of the shadows!

OPERATE within the Society VISIBLY:

WE ARE DETERMINED TO SAY IT AND SAY IT LOUD.

GLOBAL: "FLOATING PRISONS" IS A NEW EXTREMELY WICKED, HARSH, AND UNTHINKABLE IDEA

The United States is operating "floating prisons" to house those arrested in its war on terror, according to human rights lawyers, who claim there has been an attempt to conceal the numbers and whereabouts of detainees.

Details of ships where detainees have been held and sites allegedly being used in countries across the world have been compiled as the debate over detention without trial intensifies on both sides of the Atlantic. The US government was yesterday urged to list the names and whereabouts of all those detained.

Information about the operation of prison ships has emerged through a number of sources, including statements from the US military, the Council of Europe and related parliamentary bodies, and the testimonies of prisoners.

The analysis, due to be published this year by the human rights organisation Reprieve, also claims there have been more than 200 new cases of rendition since 2006, when President George Bush declared that the practice had stopped.

It is the use of ships to detain prisoners, however, that is raising fresh concern and demands for inquiries in Britain and the US.

According to research carried out by Reprieve, the US may have used as many as 17 ships as "floating prisons" since 2001. Detainees are interrogated aboard the vessels and then rendered to other, often undisclosed, locations, it is claimed.

Ships that are understood to have held prisoners include the USS Bataan and USS Peleliu. A further 15 ships are suspected of having operated around the British territory of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, which has been used as a military base by the UK and the Americans.

Reprieve will raise particular concerns over the activities of the USS Ashland and the time it spent off Somalia in early 2007 conducting maritime security operations in an effort to capture al-Qaida terrorists.

At this time many people were abducted by Somali, Kenyan and Ethiopian forces in a systematic operation involving regular interrogations by individuals believed to be members of the FBI and CIA. Ultimately more than 100 individuals were "disappeared" to prisons in locations including Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Guantánamo Bay.

Reprieve believes prisoners may have also been held for interrogation on the USS Ashland and other ships in the Gulf of Aden during this time.

The Reprieve study includes the account of a prisoner released from Guantánamo Bay, who described a fellow inmate's story of detention on an amphibious assault ship. "One of my fellow prisoners in Guantánamo was at sea on an American ship with about 50 others before coming to Guantánamo ... he was in the cage next to me. He told me that there were about 50 other people on the ship. They were all closed off in the bottom of the ship. The prisoner commented to me that it was like something you see on TV. The people held on the ship were beaten even more severely than in Guantánamo."

Clive Stafford Smith, Reprieve's legal director, said: "They choose ships to try to keep their misconduct as far as possible from the prying eyes of the media and lawyers. We will eventually reunite these ghost prisoners with their legal rights.

"By its own admission, the US government is currently detaining at least 26,000 people without trial in secret prisons, and information suggests up to 80,000 have been 'through the system' since 2001. The US government must show a commitment to rights and basic humanity by immediately revealing who these people are, where they are, and what has been done to them."
Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative MP who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on extraordinary rendition, called for the US and UK governments to come clean over the holding of detainees.

"Little by little, the truth is coming out on extraordinary rendition. The rest will come, in time. Better for governments to be candid now, rather than later. Greater transparency will provide increased confidence that President Bush's departure from justice and the rule of law in the aftermath of September 11 is being reversed, and can help to win back the confidence of moderate Muslim communities, whose support is crucial in tackling dangerous extremism."

The Liberal Democrat's foreign affairs spokesman, Edward Davey, said: "If the Bush administration is using British territories to aid and abet illegal state abduction, it would amount to a huge breach of trust with the British government. Ministers must make absolutely clear that they would not support such illegal activity, either directly or indirectly."

A US navy spokesman, Commander Jeffrey Gordon, told the Guardian: "There are no detention facilities on US navy ships." However, he added that it was a matter of public record that some individuals had been put on ships "for a few days" during what he called the initial days of detention. He declined to comment on reports that US naval vessels stationed in or near Diego Garcia had been used as "prison ships".

The Foreign Office referred to David Miliband's statement last February admitting to MPs that, despite previous assurances to the contrary, US rendition flights had twice landed on Diego Garcia. He said he had asked his officials to compile a list of all flights on which rendition had been alleged.

CIA "black sites" are also believed to have operated in Thailand, Afghanistan, Poland and Romania.

In addition, numerous prisoners have been "extraordinarily rendered" to US allies and are alleged to have been tortured in secret prisons in countries such as Syria, Jordan, Morocco and Egypt.

This article appeared in the Guardian on Monday June 02 2008

CEREHRA WILL CELEBRATE FOR ITS 7TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY ON JUNE 3RD

CEREHRA will celebrate its seventh year anniversary on 3rd of June by way of sending emails and phone calls to its mebers everywhere.

The newly established blog of CEREHRA will carry a message to all members in the Mandera Triangle for their endeavor. The CEREHRA members in the US, UK, Canada, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Norway, and elsewhere will be emailed about the contributions and activities covered.

Peace & Respect
U-C HRA
in Mandera city, Kenya

CENTER FOR RECONCILIATION & HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY

CEREHRA is a Reconciliation-oriented & Human Rights watch-dog organization that has been operating in the Mandera Triangle[1] from June, 2001.

During this turbulent period CEREHRA has been registering Human Rights abuses in its coverage area, while at the same time, pulling the strings, or directly initiating and executing numerous reconciliation gestures, techniques, and conferences throughout the area.

In this period, CEREHRA also carried out conflict prevention/managements on many occasions. Most -if not all- the registrations of the Human Rights abuses, have been so hazardous to undertake and perilous to publicize.

Because of the precarious situation and scary environments, CEREHRA’s HRT: (Human Rights Team) investigators, reporters, and incident-registrars, have most of the time been operating under-cover.

Unlike the HRT, the CEREHRA’s Task-forces (TF) and Conflict Prevention Experts (CPE) have been reasonably vocal to prevent the disputes to off-set conflicts in their respective areas.

CEREHRA reports its findings to the public, perpetrators of human rights violations themselves, (through proper channels when possible and safe) International Human Rights Organizations, donors,[2] (when applicable) and the relevant regional/international bodies.




[1] Gedo region of Somalia, NEP of Kenya, and Liban Region of Ethiopia
[2] In the rare cases where a humanitarian organization/worker is misusing the funds to commit an inhumane crime; by either commission or omission

"World Leaders Fail in Human Rights," Says Amnesty

Amnesty International has accused world leaders over what it calls failure to deliver on the promise of justice and equality as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In a hard hitting report, compiled for the year 2007, the global Human rights organisation has accused many governments, in America, Africa and Asia for gross violation of human rights.

According to the report, people are still tortured or ill-treated in at least 81 countries; they face unfair trials in at least 54 countries and are not allowed to speak freely in at least 77 countries.

The report says that the governments have shown more interest in the abuse of power or in the pursuit of political self-interest, than in respecting the rights of those they lead.

The African Union is under fire for failing to curb human rights abuses during armed conflicts in Africa. Similarly, the European Union was castigated with most of its members said to be unwilling to follow the letter and spirit of the declaration.

The EU, the report says, is unable to hold its members accountable on human rights matters which fall outside the EU law. The key charge is that the European governments have failed to honour a 1996 ruling of the European Court of Human Rights prohibiting the return of suspects to countries where they could face torture.

"There has been a deplorable lack of political will to address the human rights violations that lie at the roots of political tensions and hostilities," the report adds.

The Amnesty International Report 2008: State of the World's Human Rights tries to assess the state of human rights in over 150 countries for the whole of 2007.

The abuses against humanity include: rape, violence against women and children, the death penalty, abuses associated with the war on terror, kidnapping and hostage taking, and the stifling of freedom of expression.

Six decades since countries signed the Universal Declaration on human rights, little seems to have changed, as most countries continue to contravene the declaration because it is just that- a declaration, not an international law.

The report blames the political leadership of double standards, and hence the neglect of some basic truths that would help in protecting people against human rights abuses.

"Though leaders claimed to commit themselves to eradicating poverty, for the most part they ignored the human rights abuses that drive and deepen poverty," the report said.

Accounts from oppression in Zimbabwe, to the fighting in Darfur and Chad, and the increased Aids infection rates are termed as some of the major causes of human rights violations in sub-Saharan Africa.

Kenya's leadership was blamed for failing to curb insecurity and for inadequate response in the wake of the post-election violence that followed the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki.

The violence left 1,200 people dead and some 3,500 others displaced.
The Kenyan government has also been censured for the border policies that led to the closure of the Kenya-Somali border when the fighting in Somalia between the Ethiopia backed Transitional Government forces and the council of Somali Islamic courts.

Police impunity as is manifested in arbitrary arrests and detention, torture and other ill-treatment and the consequent lack of investigations has been blamed on governments; with Kenya, Guinea, Sudan, Nigeria, Sudan and Zimbabwe mentioned as the major culprits.

Executions were also said to have taken place in Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan with Uganda being accused of ordering the execution of some of its soldiers.

The report comes just a month after the international organisation released an inquiry of human rights abuse in Somalia in which it called for the formation of a commission of inquiry to investigate and prosecute the violators in the war-torn country.

The verdict on the global situation, according to the report, lies in the unity of civil societies to reject the divisions of rich and poor, the religious differences and a collective demand for accountability from the individual states.

CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN

INTRODUCTION

On 18 December 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It entered into force as an international treaty on 3 September 1981 after the twentieth country had ratified it. By the tenth anniversary of the Convention in 1989, almost one hundred nations have agreed to be bound by its provisions.

The Convention was the culmination of more than thirty years of work by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, a body established in 1946 to monitor the situation of women and to promote women's rights. The Commission's work has been instrumental in bringing to light all the areas in which women are denied equality with men. These efforts for the advancement of women have resulted in several declarations and conventions, of which the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is the central and most comprehensive document.

Among the international human rights treaties, the Convention takes an important place in bringing the female half of humanity into the focus of human rights concerns. The spirit of the Convention is rooted in the goals of the United Nations: to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity,v and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women. The present document spells out the meaning of equality and how it can be achieved. In so doing, the Convention establishes not only an international bill of rights for women, but also an agenda for action by countries to guarantee the enjoyment of those rights.

In its preamble, the Convention explicitly acknowledges that "extensive discrimination against women continues to exist", and emphasizes that such discrimination "violates the principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity". As defined in article 1, discrimination is understood as "any distinction, exclusion or restriction made o.1 the basis of sex...in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field". The Convention gives positive affirmation to the principle of equality by requiring States parties to take "all appropriate measures, including legislation, to ensure the full development and advancement of women, for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men"(article 3).

The agenda for equality is specified in fourteen subsequent articles. In its approach, the Convention covers three dimensions of the situation of women. Civil rights and the legal status of women are dealt with in great detail. In addition, and unlike other human rights treaties, the Convention is also concerned with the dimension of human reproduction as well as with the impact of cultural factors on gender relations.

The legal status of women receives the broadest attention. Concern over the basic rights of political participation has not diminished since the adoption of the Convention on the Political Rights of Women in 1952. Its provisions, therefore, are restated in article 7 of the present document, whereby women are guaranteed the rights to vote, to hold public office and to exercise public functions. This includes equal rights for women to represent their countries at the international level (article 8).

The Convention on the Nationality of Married Women - adopted in 1957 - is integrated under article 9 providing for the statehood of women, irrespective of their marital status. The Convention, thereby, draws attention to the fact that often women's legal status has been linked to marriage, making them dependent on their husband's nationality rather than individuals in their own right. Articles 10, 11 and 13, respectively, affirm women's rights to non-discrimination in education, employment and economic and social activities. These demands are given special emphasis with regard to the situation of rural women, whose particular struggles and vital economic contributions, as noted in article 14, warrant more attention in policy planning. Article 15 asserts the full equality of women in civil and business matters, demanding that all instruments directed at restricting women's legal capacity ''shall be deemed null and void". Finally, in article 16, the Convention returns to the issue of marriage and family relations, asserting the equal rights and obligations of women and men with regard to choice of spouse, parenthood, personal rights and command over property.
Aside from civil rights issues, the Convention also devotes major attention to a most vital concern of women, namely their reproductive rights.

The preamble sets the tone by stating that "the role of women in procreation should not be a basis for discrimination". The link between discrimination and women's reproductive role is a matter of recurrent concern in the Convention. For example, it advocates, in article 5, ''a proper understanding of maternity as a social function", demanding fully shared responsibility for child-rearing by both sexes. Accordingly, provisions for maternity protection and child-care are proclaimed as essential rights and are incorporated into all areas of the Convention, whether dealing with employment, family law, health core or education.

Society's obligation extends to offering social services, especially child-care facilities, that allow individuals to combine family responsibilities with work and participation in public life. Special measures for maternity protection are recommended and "shall not be considered discriminatory". (article 4). "The Convention also affirms women's right to reproductive choice. Notably, it is the only human rights treaty to mention family planning. States parties are obliged to include advice on family planning in the education process (article l O.h) and to develop family codes that guarantee women's rights "to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to hove access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights" (article 16.e).
The third general thrust of the Convention aims at enlarging our understanding of the concept of human rights, as it gives formal recognition to the influence of culture and tradition on restricting women's enjoyment of their fundamental rights. These forces take shape in stereotypes, customs and norms which give rise to the multitude of legal, political and economic constraints on the advancement of women.

Noting this interrelationship, the preamble of the Convention stresses "that a change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of women in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality of men and women". States parties are therefore obliged to work towards the modification of social and cultural patterns of individual conduct in order to eliminate "prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women" (article 5).

And Article 1O.c. mandates the revision of textbooks, school programmes and teaching methods with a view to eliminating stereotyped concepts in the field of education. Finally, cultural patterns which define the public realm as a man's world and the domestic sphere as women's domain are strongly targeted in all of the Convention's provisions that affirm the equal responsibilities of both sexes in family life and their equal rights with regard to education and employment. Altogether, the Convention provides a comprehensive framework for challenging the various forces that have created and sustained discrimination based upon sex.

The implementation of the Convention is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Committee's mandate and the administration of the treaty are defined in the Articles 17 to 30 of the Convention. The Committee is composed of 23 experts nominated by their Governments and elected by the States parties as individuals "of high moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention".

At least every four years, the States parties are expected to submit a national report to the Committee, indicating the measures they have adopted to give effect to the provisions of the Convention. During its annual session, the Committee members discuss these reports with the Government representatives and explore with them areas for further action by the specific country. The Committee also makes general recommendations to the States parties on matters concerning the elimination of discrimination against women.

The full text of the Convention is set out herein

CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN

The States Parties to the present Convention,
Noting that the Charter of the United Nations reaffirms faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women,
Noting that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms the principle of the inadmissibility of discrimination and proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, including distinction based on sex,

Noting that the States Parties to the International Covenants on Human Rights have the obligation to ensure the equal rights of men and women to enjoy all economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights,

Considering the international conventions concluded under the auspices of the United Nations and the specialized agencies promoting equality of rights of men and women,

Noting also the resolutions, declarations and recommendations adopted by the United Nations and the specialized agencies promoting equality of rights of men and women,

Concerned, however, that despite these various instruments extensive discrimination against women continues to exist,

Recalling that discrimination against women violates the principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity, is an obstacle to the participation of women, on equal terms with men, in the political, social, economic and cultural life of their countries, hampers the growth of the prosperity of society and the family and makes more difficult the full development of the potentialities of women in the service of their countries and of humanity,

Concerned that in situations of poverty women have the least access to food, health, education, training and opportunities for employment and other needs,

Convinced that the establishment of the new international economic order based on equity and justice will contribute significantly towards the promotion of equality between men and women,

Emphasizing that the eradication of apartheid, all forms of racism, racial discrimination, colonialism, neo-colonialism, aggression, foreign occupation and domination and interference in the internal affairs of States is essential to the full enjoyment of the rights of men and women,

Affirming that the strengthening of international peace and security, the relaxation of international tension, mutual co-operation among all States irrespective of their social and economic systems, general and complete disarmament, in particular nuclear disarmament under strict and effective international control, the affirmation of the principles of justice, equality and mutual benefit in relations among countries and the realization of the right of peoples under alien and colonial domination and foreign occupation to self-determination and independence, as well as respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, will promote social progress and development and as a consequence will contribute to the attainment of full equality between men and women,

Convinced that the full and complete development of a country, the welfare of the world and the cause of peace require the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields,

Bearing in mind the great contribution of women to the welfare of the family and to the development of society, so far not fully recognized, the social significance of maternity and the role of both parents in the family and in the upbringing of children, and aware that the role of women in procreation should not be a basis for discrimination but that the upbringing of children requires a sharing of responsibility between men and women and society as a whole,

Aware that a change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of women in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality between men and women,

Determined to implement the principles set forth in the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and, for that purpose, to adopt the measures required for the elimination of such discrimination in all its forms and manifestations,

Have agreed on the following:
PART I
Article I
For the purposes of the present Convention, the term "discrimination against women" shall mean any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.Article 2
States Parties condemn discrimination against women in all its forms, agree to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating discrimination against women and, to this end, undertake:
(a) To embody the principle of the equality of men and women in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation if not yet incorporated therein and to ensure, through law and other appropriate means, the practical realization of this principle;
(b) To adopt appropriate legislative and other measures, including sanctions where appropriate, prohibiting all discrimination against women;
(c) To establish legal protection of the rights of women on an equal basis with men and to ensure through competent national tribunals and other public institutions the effective protection of women against any act of discrimination;
(d) To refrain from engaging in any act or practice of discrimination against women and to ensure that public authorities and institutions shall act in conformity with this obligation;
(e) To take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women by any person, organization or enterprise;
(f) To take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women;
(g) To repeal all national penal provisions which constitute discrimination against women.
Article 3
States Parties shall take in all fields, in particular in the political, social, economic and cultural fields, all appropriate measures, including legislation, to en sure the full development and advancement of women , for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men.Article 4
1. Adoption by States Parties of temporary special measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women shall not be considered discrimination as defined in the present Convention, but shall in no way entail as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards; these measures shall be discontinued when the objectives of equality of opportunity and treatment have been achieved.
2. Adoption by States Parties of special measures, including those measures contained in the present Convention, aimed at protecting maternity shall not be considered discriminatory.
Article 5
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures:
(a) To modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women;
(b) To ensure that family education includes a proper understanding of maternity as a social function and the recognition of the common responsibility of men and women in the upbringing and development of their children, it being understood that the interest of the children is the primordial consideration in all cases.
Article 6
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to suppress all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of prostitution of women.PART II
Article 7
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public life of the country and, in particular, shall ensure to women, on equal terms with men, the right:
(a) To vote in all elections and public referenda and to be eligible for election to all publicly elected bodies;
(b) To participate in the formulation of government policy and the implementation thereof and to hold public office and perform all public functions at all levels of government;
(c) To participate in non-governmental organizations and associations concerned with the public and political life of the country.
Article 8
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure to women, on equal terms with men and without any discrimination, the opportunity to represent their Governments at the international level and to participate in the work of international organizations.Article 9
1. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality. They shall ensure in particular that neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the nationality of the husband.
2. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children.
PART III
Article 10
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in order to ensure to them equal rights with men in the field of education and in particular to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women:
(a) The same conditions for career and vocational guidance, for access to studies and for the achievement of diplomas in educational establishments of all categories in rural as well as in urban areas; this equality shall be ensured in pre-school, general, technical, professional and higher technical education, as well as in all types of vocational training;
(b) Access to the same curricula, the same examinations, teaching staff with qualifications of the same standard and school premises and equipment of the same quality;
(c) The elimination of any stereotyped concept of the roles of men and women at all levels and in all forms of education by encouraging coeducation and other types of education which will help to achieve this aim and, in particular, by the revision of textbooks and school programmes and the adaptation of teaching methods;
(d ) The same opportunities to benefit from scholarships and other study grants;
(e) The same opportunities for access to programmes of continuing education, including adult and functional literacy programmes, particulary those aimed at reducing, at the earliest possible time, any gap in education existing between men and women;
(f) The reduction of female student drop-out rates and the organization of programmes for girls and women who have left school prematurely;
(g) The same Opportunities to participate actively in sports and physical education;
(h) Access to specific educational information to help to ensure the health and well-being of families, including information and advice on family planning.
Article 11
1. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of employment in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, the same rights, in particular:
(a) The right to work as an inalienable right of all human beings;
(b) The right to the same employment opportunities, including the application of the same criteria for selection in matters of employment;
(c) The right to free choice of profession and employment, the right to promotion, job security and all benefits and conditions of service and the right to receive vocational training and retraining, including apprenticeships, advanced vocational training and recurrent training;
(d) The right to equal remuneration, including benefits, and to equal treatment in respect of work of equal value, as well as equality of treatment in the evaluation of the quality of work;
(e) The right to social security, particularly in cases of retirement, unemployment, sickness, invalidity and old age and other incapacity to work, as well as the right to paid leave;
(f) The right to protection of health and to safety in working conditions, including the safeguarding of the function of reproduction.
2. In order to prevent discrimination against women on the grounds of marriage or maternity and to ensure their effective right to work, States Parties shall take appropriate measures:
(a) To prohibit, subject to the imposition of sanctions, dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy or of maternity leave and discrimination in dismissals on the basis of marital status;
(b) To introduce maternity leave with pay or with comparable social benefits without loss of former employment, seniority or social allowances;
(c) To encourage the provision of the necessary supporting social services to enable parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities and participation in public life, in particular through promoting the establishment and development of a network of child-care facilities;
(d) To provide special protection to women during pregnancy in types of work proved to be harmful to them.
3. Protective legislation relating to matters covered in this article shall be reviewed periodically in the light of scientific and technological knowledge and shall be revised, repealed or extended as necessary.
Article 12
1. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, access to health care services, including those related to family planning.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph I of this article, States Parties shall ensure to women appropriate services in connection with pregnancy, confinement and the post-natal period, granting free services where necessary, as well as adequate nutrition during pregnancy and lactation.
Article 13
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in other areas of economic and social life in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, the same rights, in particular:
(a) The right to family benefits;
(b) The right to bank loans, mortgages and other forms of financial credit;
(c) The right to participate in recreational activities, sports and all aspects of cultural life.
Article 14
1. States Parties shall take into account the particular problems faced by rural women and the significant roles which rural women play in the economic survival of their families, including their work in the non-monetized sectors of the economy, and shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the application of the provisions of the present Convention to women in rural areas.
2. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in rural areas in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, that they participate in and benefit from rural development and, in particular, shall ensure to such women the right:
(a) To participate in the elaboration and implementation of development planning at all levels;
(b) To have access to adequate health care facilities, including information, counselling and services in family planning;
(c) To benefit directly from social security programmes;
(d) To obtain all types of training and education, formal and non-formal, including that relating to functional literacy, as well as, inter alia, the benefit of all community and extension services, in order to increase their technical proficiency;
(e) To organize self-help groups and co-operatives in order to obtain equal access to economic opportunities through employment or self employment;
(f) To participate in all community activities;
(g) To have access to agricultural credit and loans, marketing facilities, appropriate technology and equal treatment in land and agrarian reform as well as in land resettlement schemes;
(h) To enjoy adequate living conditions, particularly in relation to housing, sanitation, electricity and water supply, transport and communications.
PART IV
Article 15
1. States Parties shall accord to women equality with men before the law.
2. States Parties shall accord to women, in civil matters, a legal capacity identical to that of men and the same opportunities to exercise that capacity. In particular, they shall give women equal rights to conclude contracts and to administer property and shall treat them equally in all stages of procedure in courts and tribunals.
3. States Parties agree that all contracts and all other private instruments of any kind with a legal effect which is directed at restricting the legal capacity of women shall be deemed null and void.
4. States Parties shall accord to men and women the same rights with regard to the law relating to the movement of persons and the freedom to choose their residence and domicile.
Article 16
1. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations and in particular shall ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women:
(a) The same right to enter into marriage;
(b) The same right freely to choose a spouse and to enter into marriage only with their free and full consent;
(c) The same rights and responsibilities during marriage and at its dissolution;
(d) The same rights and responsibilities as parents, irrespective of their marital status, in matters relating to their children; in all cases the interests of the children shall be paramount;
(e) The same rights to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise these rights;
(f) The same rights and responsibilities with regard to guardianship, wardship, trusteeship and adoption of children, or similar institutions where these concepts exist in national legislation; in all cases the interests of the children shall be paramount;
(g) The same personal rights as husband and wife, including the right to choose a family name, a profession and an occupation;
(h) The same rights for both spouses in respect of the ownership, acquisition, management, administration, enjoyment and disposition of property, whether free of charge or for a valuable consideration.
2. The betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage and to make the registration of marriages in an official registry compulsory.
PART V
Article 17
1. For the purpose of considering the progress made in the implementation of the present Convention, there shall be established a Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) consisting, at the time of entry into force of the Convention, of eighteen and, after ratification of or accession to the Convention by the thirty-fifth State Party, of twenty-three experts of high moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention. The experts shall be elected by States Parties from among their nationals and shall serve in their personal capacity, consideration being given to equitable geographical distribution and to the representation of the different forms of civilization as well as the principal legal systems.
2. The members of the Committee shall be elected by secret ballot from a list of persons nominated by States Parties. Each State Party may nominate one person from among its own nationals.
3. The initial election shall be held six months after the date of the entry into force of the present Convention. At least three months before the date of each election the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall address a letter to the States Parties inviting them to submit their nominations within two months. The Secretary-General shall prepare a list in alphabetical order of all persons thus nominated, indicating the States Parties which have nominated them, and shall submit it to the States Parties.
4. Elections of the members of the Committee shall be held at a meeting of States Parties convened by the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters. At that meeting, for which two thirds of the States Parties shall constitute a quorum, the persons elected to the Committee shall be those nominees who obtain the largest number of votes and an absolute majority of the votes of the representatives of States Parties present and voting.
5. The members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of four years. However, the terms of nine of the members elected at the first election shall expire at the end of two years; immediately after the first election the names of these nine members shall be chosen by lot by the Chairman of the Committee.
6. The election of the five additional members of the Committee shall be held in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of this article, following the thirty-fifth ratification or accession. The terms of two of the additional members elected on this occasion shall expire at the end of two years, the names of these two members having been chosen by lot by the Chairman of the Committee.
7. For the filling of casual vacancies, the State Party whose expert has ceased to function as a member of the Committee shall appoint another expert from among its nationals, subject to the approval of the Committee.
8. The members of the Committee shall, with the approval of the General Assembly, receive emoluments from United Nations resources on such terms and conditions as the Assembly may decide, having regard to the importance of the Committee's responsibilities.
9. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall provide the necessary staff and facilities for the effective performance of the functions of the Committee under the present Convention.
Article 18
1. States Parties undertake to submit to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, for consideration by the Committee, a report on the legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures which they have adopted to give effect to the provisions of the present Convention and on the progress made in this respect:
(a) Within one year after the entry into force for the State concerned;
(b) Thereafter at least every four years and further whenever the Committee so requests.
2. Reports may indicate factors and difficulties affecting the degree of fulfilment of obligations under the present Convention.
Article 19
1. The Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure.
2. The Committee shall elect its officers for a term of two years.
Article 20
1. The Committee shall normally meet for a period of not more than two weeks annually in order to consider the reports submitted in accordance with article 18 of the present Convention.
2. The meetings of the Committee shall normally be held at United Nations Headquarters or at any other convenient place as determined by the Committee. (amendment, status of ratification)
Article 21
1. The Committee shall, through the Economic and Social Council, report annually to the General Assembly of the United Nations on its activities and may make suggestions and general recommendations based on the examination of reports and information received from the States Parties. Such suggestions and general recommendations shall be included in the report of the Committee together with comments, if any, from States Parties.
2. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit the reports of the Committee to the Commission on the Status of Women for its information.
Article 22
The specialized agencies shall be entitled to be represented at the consideration of the implementation of such provisions of the present Convention as fall within the scope of their activities. The Committee may invite the specialized agencies to submit reports on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities.PART VI
Article 23
Nothing in the present Convention shall affect any provisions that are more conducive to the achievement of equality between men and women which may be contained:
(a) In the legislation of a State Party; or
(b) In any other international convention, treaty or agreement in force for that State.
Article 24
States Parties undertake to adopt all necessary measures at the national level aimed at achieving the full realization of the rights recognized in the present Convention.Article 25
1. The present Convention shall be open for signature by all States.
2. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is designated as the depositary of the present Convention.
3. The present Convention is subject to ratification. Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
4. The present Convention shall be open to accession by all States. Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article 26
1. A request for the revision of the present Convention may be made at any time by any State Party by means of a notification in writing addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2. The General Assembly of the United Nations shall decide upon the steps, if any, to be taken in respect of such a request.
Article 27
1. The present Convention shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the twentieth instrument of ratification or accession.
2. For each State ratifying the present Convention or acceding to it after the deposit of the twentieth instrument of ratification or accession, the Convention shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of the deposit of its own instrument of ratification or accession.
Article 28
1. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall receive and circulate to all States the text of reservations made by States at the time of ratification or accession.
2. A reservation incompatible with the object and purpose of the present Convention shall not be permitted.
3. Reservations may be withdrawn at any time by notification to this effect addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall then inform all States thereof. Such notification shall take effect on the date on which it is received.
Article 29
1. Any dispute between two or more States Parties concerning the interpretation or application of the present Convention which is not settled by negotiation shall, at the request of one of them, be submitted to arbitration. If within six months from the date of the request for arbitration the parties are unable to agree on the organization of the arbitration, any one of those parties may refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice by request in conformity with the Statute of the Court.
2. Each State Party may at the time of signature or ratification of the present Convention or accession thereto declare that it does not consider itself bound by paragraph I of this article. The other States Parties shall not be bound by that paragraph with respect to any State Party which has made such a reservation.
3. Any State Party which has made a reservation in accordance with paragraph 2 of this article may at any time withdraw that reservation by notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article 30
The present Convention, the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts of which are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized, have signed the present Convention.

UN: AFRICA TRIP SHOULD FOCUS ON HUMAN RIGHTS: HRW

Protection of Civilians Necessary for Lasting Peace(New York, May 28, 2008) – The United Nations Security Council should address protection of civilians, justice, and human rights during its upcoming visit to Africa from June 1-10, 2008, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the council. Human Rights Watch highlighted critical issues that needed to be addressed at each of the stops on the council’s tour.The Security Council will visit Sudan, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nairobi, where it will address issues in Somalia.

In all of these countries, Security Council action is urgently needed to ensure an end to persistent abuses by all parties to the conflict, to protect civilians still at risk of violence, and to help bring to justice those responsible for serious human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said.

“The Security Council’s itinerary takes it to five nations in which millions of people are suffering the effects of armed conflict,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Killings, rape, abduction, and displacement are going on right now. The council should address these issues head-on.” Human Rights Watch called on the Security Council while in Sudan to condemn the attacks by government forces and allied militia against civilians in West Darfur in February 2008, and ongoing indiscriminate and deliberate attacks on civilians.

The council should also insist that the Sudanese government account for the whereabouts of the more than 100 detainees held following a rebel attack on Khartoum on May 10, and urge the government to arrest and surrender the two suspects wanted for more than a year by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

“The council should insist on accountability for crimes committed during Khartoum’s scorched-earth campaign,” said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch. The Security Council will also be visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Côte d’Ivoire. In the last eight months, much progress has been made towards establishing peace in eastern Congo, but serious human rights abuses continue.

Human Rights Watch urged the council to take concrete action to tackle the humanitarian and human rights crisis in eastern Congo, and to call on all parties to the Goma agreement to uphold their commitments to respect human rights.

In Côte d’Ivoire, Human Rights Watch warned that upcoming elections are overshadowing the issue of impunity for human rights violations, and called on the council to address this. It also reiterated calls for the immediate publication of a report on human rights violations in the country submitted to the Security Council by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in December 2004, which remains unpublished. Also, Ivorian authorities should be pressed to facilitate a mission by the ICC to assess a possible investigation into crimes committed in Côte d’Ivoire.

“Justice cannot be set aside,” said Dicker. “Ending impunity is critical to prospects for peace and stability.” On Chad, Human Rights Watch called for the Security Council to address the ongoing use of child soldiers by all sides of the conflict, in particular urging the Chadian government to demobilize children from its armed forces, criminalize the use of child soldiers under domestic law, and rigorously investigate and prosecute those who commit crimes against children.

On Somalia, Human Rights Watch called for the council to call on all parties to secure humanitarian access and to end attacks on aid workers, as well as to emphasize the need for an end to impunity. Somalia should be supporting the urgent establishment of an international commission of inquiry to investigate reports of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Somalia since January 2007 by all parties.

“Somalia is one of the world’s starkest and most neglected tragedies,” said Gagnon. “Yet the international community’s response has been myopic at best. The council should use this moment to correct that.”

On northern Uganda, in connection with stalled peace talks in Juba, and new reports of abuses by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Central African Republic and southern Sudan, Human Rights Watch called for the Security Council to make a full inquiry into the alleged LRA abuses, as well as to discuss ways to effectively execute the outstanding ICC arrest warrants.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH.

SOMALIA: ARMED GROUPS MUST STOP THREATS AND ATTACKS ON THE HUMANITARIAN AID WORKERS

Amnesty International today condemned the recent threats against humanitarian workers in Somalia made by Muqtar Robow Abu Mansur, a leader and spokesperson of Al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab is an armed group, once connected to the Islamic Courts Union that is now in conflict with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and the Ethiopian military forces supporting them.

On Thursday 8 May 2008, Muqtar Robow was reported in Somali press as saying that Al Shabab “will kill American citizens in Somalia, even if they are journalists and aid workers”.

This threat was issued the day after a driver contracted by the World Food Program was killed by members of a militia after being stopped at a roadblock 30 kilometers north of Galkayo in Mudug region. This is the second driver contracted by the WFP to have been killed during a militia attack in Somalia this year. None of the militia is considered to be linked to Al-Shabab.

The Food Security Analysis Unit for Somalia has recently warned that the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to worsen. The combination of drought and rising food prices, in addition to persistent insecurity and armed conflict, has pushed 2.6 million Somalis to the point where they require essential humanitarian assistance.

There is no excuse for attacks on humanitarian workers in any conflict, regardless of their nationality. Amnesty International calls on all armed groups to end attacks on civilians, including humanitarian workers, and to give assurances that their status as neutral non-combatants will be respected. Armed groups that are preventing humanitarian access during this period would be contributing to, and increasing, the risk of widespread starvation among the Somali people. If threats and attacks continue, the results could be catastrophic.

These threats and attacks by armed groups follow a U.S. air strike in Dusamareb on 1 May 2008 that reportedly killed at least 11 people, including Aden Hashi Ayro, a leader of Al-Shabab.

/END

www.amnesty.org

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages.

Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories.

"PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29.
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Source: http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/index.htm

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW

The international human rights movement was strengthened when the United Nations General Assembly adopted of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10 December 1948.

Drafted as ‘a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations', the Declaration for the first time in human history spell out basic civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all human beings should enjoy. It has over time been widely accepted as the fundamental norms of human rights that everyone should respect and protect. The UDHR, together with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, form the so - called International Bill of Human Rights.

A series of international human rights treaties and other instruments adopted since 1945 have conferred legal form on inherent human rights and developed the body of international human rights. Other instruments have been adopted at the regional level reflecting the particular human rights concerns of the region and providing for specific mechanisms of protection.

Most States have also adopted constitutions and other laws which formally protect basic human rights. While international treaties and customary law form the backbone of international human rights law other instruments, such as declarations, guidelines and principles adopted at the international level contribute to its understanding, implementation and development. Respect for human rights requires the establishment of the rule of law at the national and international levels.

International human rights law lays down obligations which States are bound to respect. By becoming parties to international treaties, States assume obligations and duties under international law to respect, to protect and to fulfil human rights.

The obligation to respect means that States must refrain from interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human rights. The obligation to protect requires States to protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses. The obligation to fulfil means that States must take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights.

Through ratification of international human rights treaties, Governments undertake to put into place domestic measures and legislation compatible with their treaty obligations and duties. Where domestic legal proceedings fail to address human rights abuses, mechanisms and procedures for individual complaints or communications are available at the regional and international levels to help ensure that international human rights standards are indeed respected, implemented, and enforced at the local level.

WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS?

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law , general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.

Universal and inalienable

The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of international human rights law. This principle, as first emphasized in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, has been reiterated in numerous international human rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions. The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, for example, noted that it is the duty of States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems.

All States have ratified at least one, and 80% of States have ratified four or more, of the core human rights treaties, reflecting consent of States which creates legal obligations for them and giving concrete expression to universality. Some fundamental human rights norms enjoy universal protection by customary international law across all boundaries and civilizations.

Human rights are inalienable. They should not be taken away, except in specific situations and according to due process. For example, the right to liberty may be restricted if a person is found guilty of a crime by a court of law.

Interdependent and indivisible

All human rights are indivisible, whether they are civil and political rights, such as the right to life, equality before the law and freedom of expression; economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to work, social security and education , or collective rights, such as the rights to development and self-determination, are indivisible, interrelated and interdependent. The improvement of one right facilitates advancement of the others. Likewise, the deprivation of one right adversely affects the others.

Equal and non-discriminatory

Non-discrimination is a cross-cutting principle in international human rights law. The principle is present in all the major human rights treaties and provides the central theme of some of international human rights conventions such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The principle applies to everyone in relation to all human rights and freedoms and it prohibits discrimination on the basis of a list of non-exhaustive categories such as sex, race, colour and so on. The principle of non-discrimination is complemented by the principle of equality, as stated in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

Both Rights and Obligations

Human rights entail both rights and obligations. States assume obligations and duties under international law to respect, to protect and to fulfil human rights. The obligation to respect means that States must refrain from interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human rights.

The obligation to protect requires States to protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses. The obligation to fulfil means that States must take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights. At the individual level, while we are entitled our human rights, we should also respect the human rights of others.

CEREHRA CONDEMNS THE KILLING OF THE CIVILIANS IN LAAN-GARAS VILLAGE: CALLS FOR A DIALOGUE BETWEEN MAREHAN AND LUWAI

The killing of the innocent civilians at Laan-Garas of Buurdhuubo is painful, and CEREHRA condemns it in their strongest terms.

It has been reported that at least 9 nomads have been executed while attending to a jury duty in the above mentioned area.

The perpetrators of this crime and their motivators (if any) will be booked, and eventually brought to justice.

Vigilante U-CHRA No: 015

CEREHRA WRITES TO THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT ABOUT ITS DISMAY OVER THE OUT-COME OF GEDO REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION ESTABLISHMENT

CEREHRA today writes to the Italian government to draw the later's attention to the unjust way that the Gedo regional and district councils are established.

"There is no single woman in the regional council, and the project is funded by the Italian government. That is very hard to beleive" said the lead-under-cover HRA in Gedo region of Somalia.

The UNDP-implemented project was the most widely critisized in the South of Somalia. Among the allegations were that Saverio Betrolino, the Italian project manager (employed by UNOPS) split $500,000.00 with Mohamed Abdi Osman A.K.A. as Hire Jab Ari, a notorious mafia leader in Nairobi, who acted as the facilitator of the project.

Saverio Betrolino is widely known as the the 'Craxi of UNOPS' while one can equate Mr. Ari with Barre.

Mr. Ari ( famous for being enriched by CARE, SOMALIA) and Betrolino deceived the program for not doing the reconciliation and delibiration parts of the project, and that rendition yielded the half-a-million dollars that those guys split, the local people and press maintain.

CEREHRA CONDEMNS THE VIOLATIONS OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN GEDO

CEREHRA is so sad and condemn the violation and belittling of women's rights in Gedo region.

There is no single woman in the whole regional council of Gedo region. That shows the contempt by UNOPS, Saverio Betrolino, and the Somali government for the women in this region

CEREHRA PARTICIPATES THE RECONCILIATION PROCESS IN LUUQ

HUMAN RIGHTS IN SOMALIA

Human rights in Somalia are extremely poor and serious human rights violations are a problem due to the unstable political situation in the country. Somalia has not had a central government since President Mohamed Siad Barre fled the country in 1991. Even during the Siad Barre regime, civil rights violations and oppression had led directly to the Somali Civil War.
Although a Transitional National Government (TNG) was established in 2000 at the Djibouti Conference, followed by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in 2004. The TFG authorized the Transitional Federal Charter which guaranteed many civil rights, but the nascent government did not have much authority over the nation to enforce laws or ensure those rights. De facto power is held by the unrecognized independent entity of Somaliland, the autonomous governments of Puntland, Southwestern Somalia, Jubaland, Galmudug, and various warlords.
Some progress in establishment of civil administration was made during the control of south and central Somalia by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU). Certain rights were done away with under strict sharia law, in exchange for a focus on safety and security.
With the military defeat of the ICU, the TFG leaders moved into the capital of Mogadishu at the beginning of 2007.
Contents[hide]
1 Police Brutality
2 Restriction of Freedoms
3 Women's Rights
4 Child Abuse
5 Persecution of Minorities
6 References
7 External links
//

[edit] Police Brutality
Even during the administration of Siad Barre, the law enforcement, judicial, and penal systems were harsh, often horrific and corrupt. A decade without a central government has done little to improve the situation in most of the country. A broad range of new institutions and security sector reforms are needed.
Justice is enforced by both police forces and factional militia, both of which have committed many human rights abuses in the past. Kidnappings by militia groups to obtain ransom money are common. Arbitrary arrests are a problem. Prison conditions are extremely poor and dangerous. Overcrowding, dangerous health conditions, and abuse by guards exist in Somali prisons. Reports exist of Puntland, Somaliland, and militia groups using torture against each other and civilians[1].
Under the Islamic Courts, strict sharia law was applied, issuing edicts which could result in summary justice by armed militias or severe rulings by courts.
An entirely new justice system is a priority of the new government. As militias are being demobilized, a new national police force is being instituted. The first members of the new judiciary were sworn for Banadir in January 2007. However, with the concurrent imposition of martial law means there are few constraints on the members of the military.

[edit] Restriction of Freedoms
Main articles: Propaganda in the War in Somalia and Disarmament in Somalia
Due to the imposition of martial law, freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, religion, and movement are all restricted on a de facto basis. Many of these rights are formally guaranteed de jure by the 2004 Transitional Federal Charter, yet the government has not been in any position to guarantee them, and in cases, has specifically abridged them.
Harassment and detention of journalists have occurred across the country, both by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and under the Islamic Courts Union. Somaliland has banned political demonstrations, and Puntland has outlawed opposition parties. Checkpoints around Somalia are manned by militia, who have at times extorted or killed civilians attempting to travel through the country. The right to privacy is also restricted.
On January 15 the TFG ordered independent radio and television stations closed down, citing national security. The next day, the media outlets were allowed to operate again.
Without a civil administration, ownership of weapons mushroomed, especially assault rifles, as did the possession of light weapons such as rocket launchers, antiaircraft guns, mortars and other explosives. The ICU and the TFG both imposed strict forms of gun control.

[edit] Women's Rights
Violence and discrimination against women, including genital mutilation, is common. The rape of women by militia and bandits is a problem, and there are no laws against spousal rape.[2]
Political activism for women's rights, led by Asha Haji Elmi's "Sixth Clan" women's movement, led to representation in the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP). However, the Transitional Federal Charter requires 12% of the Parliament seats (33 seats) be reserved for women. However, in the November 2004 selections of MPs, only 8% were filled by women.[3]

[edit] Child Abuse
Child abuse, including child labor and human trafficking, is a problem. The United Nations has listed Somalia as a country in which the use of child soldiers exists[4]. Many youths join armed gangs and militia groups.[5]

[edit] Persecution of Minorities
Discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities is a problem. In some areas gunmen have coerced minorities into forced labor. Intermarriage between minority groups and the ethnic Somali majority are outlawed, and they generally have restricted access to health care and education.

[edit] References
^ U.S. Department of State Report
^ Country Profiles, Reports and Fact Sheets on Somalia. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
^ "SOMALIA: Women demand greater role in new government", IRIN, 2004-11-29. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
^ U.N. Spotlights Child Soldiers
^ "Child Soldiers Being Recruited in Somalia, Say Humanitarian Agencies", Voice of America, 2007-01-12. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.

CHRONOLOGY OF HUMANITARIAN AID WORKERS KILLED FROM 1997 - 2001 (COMPILED BY DENNIS KING)

Note: The Chronology below is an attempt to document security incidents involving humanitarian aid workers that resulted in death due to violent attacks or work-related accidents. It may not be exhaustive and does not include deaths due to natural causes or non-work related incidents, killings of UN or military peacekeeping personnel, or deaths in countries not experiencing humanitarian emergencies.

The Chronology was compiled from the ReliefWeb and Wikipedia database by CEREHRA and includes links to the complete source reference and to electronic maps indicating the location of the incident, whenever possible.

[from 2002-2008] read downward; [from 1997 - 2001] is in a chronological order. Dahir Hassan & Rahma Rahman.

2002
Mogadishu, Somalia - February 23, 2002 - A Swiss woman who ran a small aid agency was shot dead.
Mogadishu, Somalia - February 28, 2002 - One Somali UN worker kidnapped hours after region declared too dangerous for permanent UN presence.

2003
Baghdad, Iraq - August 19, 2003 - The bombing of the UN Headquarters at the Canal Hotel killed at least 24 people and wounded over 100.
Baghdad, Iraq - October 27, 2003 - An attack on the ICRC building kills at least 12 people.
Ghazni, eastern Afghanistan - November 16, 2003 - UNHCR staff person Bettina Goislard was shot dead by motorcycle-borne gunman while travelling by car.
Kandahar, southern Afghanistan - March 24, 2003 - ICRC Staff member Ricardo Munguia shot and killed in ambush north of Kandahar City.
Rafah, Gaza - March 16, 2003 - Rachel Corrie, run over by an Israeli bulldozer she was trying to prevent it demolishing the home of Dr Samir Masri.
Rafah, Gaza - April 11, 2003 - Tom Hurndall, shot in the head by an Israeli sniper, whilst he was shepherding two children away from the fire.

2004
Kabul, Afghanistan - February 26, 2004 - Five Afghans working for the Sanayee Development Foundation were killed when their vehicle was ambushed northeast of Kabul.
Mosul, Iraq - March 15, 2004 - Larry Elliott, Jean Dover Elliott, Karen Denise Watson, and David McDonnall were killed in a drive-by shooting. They were US missionaries for Southern Baptist International Mission Board.
Kabul, Afghanistan - April 28, 2004 - Two Afghan aid workers and a soldier were killed in an attack in the Panjwayi district of southern Kandahar city.
Badghis province, Afghanistan - June 2, 2004 - Five staff working for Médecins Sans Frontières were killed on the road between Khairkhana and Qala i Naw, resulting in the complete withdrawal of MSF from Afghanistan. The names of the murdered staff were: Hélène de Beir, Willem Kwint, Egil Tynaes, Fasil Ahmad and Besmillah.
Darfur, Sudan - October 10, 2004 - A Save the Children vehicle was hit by an anti-tank landmine in the Um Barro area of North Darfur, Sudan. Two members of staff travelling in the vehicle were killed, Rafe Bullick (British, Programme Manager, North Darfur) and Nourredine Issa Tayeb (Sudanese, Water Engineer).

2005
Baghdad, Iraq - April 16, 2005 - Marla Ruzicka and her Iraqi translator, Faiz Ali Salim, were killed by a suicide car bombing on Airport Road in Baghdad.
Southern Sudan/Uganda, - November 5, 2005 - Collin Lee who worked for International Aid Services died when his jeep, containing his wife and driver, was ambushed by the LRA in southern Sudan.

2006
Vavuniya, Sri Lanka - May 15 - An employee of the Norwegian Refugee Council is shot dead on his way back from work. He is shot seven times and left dead in the middle of the road, less than 150 metres from a Sri Lanka Army checkpost.
Muttur, Sri Lanka - August 4 or August 5 - 17 workers from the aid group Action Against Hunger were found executed on August 6 in northeastern Sri Lanka. They were working on post-2004 tsunami reconstruction. There had been fierce fighting the area for more than a week. (See Muttur massacre.)

2007
2007 Mogadishu TransAVIAexport Airlines Il-76 crash
Colombo, Sri Lanka - June 3 , 2007 - Two Red cross workers were abducted and murdered in Sri Lanka.
El Bared refugee camp, Lebanon - June 11, 2007 - Two Lebanese Red Cross workers were killed and a third wounded.[1]
Southern Sudan - A driver of the World Food Programme was killed in an ambush.
Darfur - between 1 January 2006 and 31 August 2007 - A total of 12 humanitarian workers were killed, including four working for the Government's water project.
Central African Republic - July - An MSF volunteer logistician was killed by gunfire while trying to assess the need for humanitarian aid in the country.
Central African Republic - December - Two nurses, one Argentine and the other one Spanish, were abducted. As of December 28 they are still reported missing.

[edit] 2008
Kismayo, Somalia - January 28 - Three MSF staff were attacked and killed as they left their compound.



CHRONOLOGY OF HUMANITARIAN AID WORKERS KILLED IN 2001
10 December 2001: GUINEA: OCHA driver, Mr Balde, was killed as a result of a hit-and-run accident in Conakry, Guinea.


20 November 2001: BURUNDI: World Health Organisation's representative to Burundi, Dr. Kassi Manlan, of the Ivory Coast, was murdered and found 20 November on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in the grounds of a sailing club used by Bujumbura's expatriate community. Four security guards who worked for a local company that provided protection to Dr. Manlan's home were charged with complicity in the murder. [AFP]


8 October 2001 - AFGHANISTAN: Four members of a local organization working with the United Nations mine-clearing programme in Afghanistan were killed accidently on the night of 8 October during a U.S. missile attack and aerial bombardment of the capital, Kabul. The four, identified as Safiullah, Naseer Ahmad, Najeebullah, and Abdul Saboor, worked for Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC), one of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working under the umbrella of the UN Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan. The four were killed in ATC office, located in Yaka Toot Village, three kilometres east of Kabul. [UN DPI]


3 October 2001 - INDONESIA: A local village chief and Indonesian Red Cross worker, Jafar Syehdo, was found dead with gunshot wounds and torture marks in the village of Glumpang Payong, Jeumpa sub-district in Bireuen district of Indonesia's restive Aceh province. The body of another man, a vegetable trader, was found with gunshot wounds about 100 meters from Syehdo's corpse. The attacks were blamed on the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM). GAM has been fighting for an independent Islamic state in Aceh since 1976 but violence has intensified in recent months. More than 1,500 people have been killed so far this year, according to human rights groups. [AFP]


1 September 2001 - SUDAN: Catholic Relief Services reported that one of its staff members, Onen Joseph Clay, was killed along with five other community members from the town of Nimule in southern Sudan. The killings occurred in a vicious attack on their vehicle by an unidentified armed group. The attack took place Saturday morning, September 1st, along the Nimule-Adjumani road northern Uganda. Clay, 29, was a Sudanese working with CRS as a driver/mechanic, as part of a heroic team that operates in Nimule, carrying out the agency's program to support vulnerable internally displaced people and communities in the Eastern Equatoria region of Sudan. (1 local, ambush) [CRS]



20 July 2001 - FORMER YUGOLSAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA: Three European Union officials working in Macedonia have been killed apparently as the result of a landmine explosion. "We have knowledge about three people being killed in Macedonia. One was Norwegian, one from Slovakia and one a translator from Albania," , Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesman Goesta Grassman told AFP. "They were members of the European Union monitoring mission. It was probably a mine accident, but we don't know the exact reason for the mine exploding. It could be an accident but it could also be intentional," he added. The three-man European Union team was found dead in Macedonia after their vehicle was blown into a ravine by a mine as the team monitored a fragile cease-fire in the divided former Yugoslav republic. The Norwegian and Slovakian monitors and their translator, a member of Macedonia's large Albanian minority, disappeared on 19 July in hills near Tetovo, a flash-point town, 30 miles from Skopje. (3 expat, landmine) [Reuters]



5 July 2001 - CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN security coordinator Jean-Pierre Lhommee, who worked to protect UN aid workers, was killed in a burst of automatic weapons fire by unknown assailants in the middle of the night as he arrived at the Bangui home of a UN employee who had telephoned him during an armed robbery. (1 expat, killed) [UN DPI]



5 July 2001 - ANGOLA: Angolan rebels killed one person and looted a truck that had straggled behind a 300-vehicle food convoy headed for the highland city of Huambo. Despite the attack, the convoy managed to deliver 547 tonnes of food, some of it aid supplies, from the port of Lobito to Huambo some 500 km (300 miles) southeast of Luanda, the official told Reuters. (1 local, ambush) [Reuters]



1 July 2001 - FIJI: John Scott, Director General of Fiji Red Cross Society, was found dead in his house in Suva on the morning of 1 July. The motive for his tragic death is under police investigation. John Maurice Scott was born in Suva, Fiji in 1948, educated in Fiji and New Zealand, and held a number of prominent public positions for various national, regional and international councils and programmes. He had worked on Red Cross humanitarian activities throughout his life, including providing assistance during the attempted coup in Fiji in 2000. (1 expat, killed) [IFRC]



1 July 2001 - COLOMBIA: Alma Rosa Jaramillo Lafourie, a local human rights lawyer working with the Diocese of Magangue and the Middle Magdalena Development and Peace Program, was found murdered near the city of Barrancabermeja Santander, after being kidnapped by paramilitary group known for attacking human rights defenders. (1 local killed) [HRW]


21 June 2001 - BURUNDI: Rebels in northeast Burundi killed a local employee of the British charity Children Aid Direct (CAD) and took three people hostage when they ambushed their van near the town of Bubanza. The rebels of the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) freed their three captives when the army launched a hunt for them after the ambush on 21 June. (1 local ambush) [AFP]


27 May 2001 - CAMEROON: An International Federation of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies delegate was attacked and killed in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on the evening of 27 May. Catherine Duclaux, a French national and a Regional Finance Delegate in Yaoundé, had to go to a pharmacy last night to get medicine for her one month old baby when she was attacked and stabbed in the chest. With the help of bystanders, Catherine was rushed to a hospital where she died before a surgery could be performed. (1 expat, killed) [IFRC]



12 May 2001 - INDIA: Three Indian Red Cross volunteers were killed in the early hours of May 12 when the car they were travelling in, hit a truck that had been abandoned on an unlit road on the far edge of the Little Rann in Gujarat's Kutch province. The three men, Rugnesh Uttakumar Geewala, Anand Shukla and Kalpesh Patel, were part of a team of eight volunteers from Gujarat's Ahmedabad and Anand branches carrying out a spectacle distribution among rural communities following January's devastating earthquake. (3 locals, crash) [IFRC]



9 May 2001 - SUDAN: A Danish co-pilot of a plane chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was killed Wednesday over southern Sudan when the aircraft was hit by projectiles of unknown origin. The co-pilot, Ericksen Ole Friis, 26, was killed immediately, after being struck in the head by a projectile which passed through the fuselage. The nature and origin of the projectile, one of at least three to hit the plane, could not be immediately established. The pilot managed to turn back and land the plane at Lokichokio in northern Kenya, a base used by humanitarian organisations operating in southern Sudan. ICRC had leased the plane from a Danish company, Aviation Assistance, and it flew from Lokichokio to Khartoum every Wednesday, via Juba and Wau, two government garrison towns in areas otherwise occupied by the rebel Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA). (1 expat, aircraft attack) [ICRC]



8 May 2001 - MADAGASCAR: Jose Rakotonan Ahary, a local staff working for UNDP was shot and killed in Antananarivo on 8 May. (1 local killed)
26 April 2001 – DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Six ICRC staff were killed in Ituri province, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The members of the ICRC team, who were travelling in two vehicles marked with the Red Cross emblem, were on an assignment to bring assistance to the region when they were killed by unidentified assailants. The team comprised two women and four men: Rita Fox, 36, a Swiss nurse from Bern; Véronique Saro, 33, a Congolese national; Julio Delgado, 54, a Colombian relief delegate; Unen Ufoirworth, 29, a Congolese employee of the ICRC tracing agency; and drivers Aduwe Boboli, 39, and Jean Molokabonge, 56, both Congolese nationals. (2 expats, 4 locals ambush) [ICRC]



6 April 2001 - FRY, KOSOVO: One aid worker was killed, another injured, in an incident involving a cluster bomb unit in Kosovo, the UN Mine Action Coordination Center in the province has reported. The two Halo Trust staff members were working in Grebnik in western Kosovo when the incident occurred on 6 April. The injured worker remains in hospital today. Halo Trust says that the problem of contamination resulting from NATO cluster bomb strikes remains a major problem in the area. (1 local, landmine) [UN DPI]



27 March 2001 - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: A UNHCR staff member, Mr. Nsakara Tshiama, a driver in UNHCR's office in the western D.R. Congo town of Kimpese, was shot and killed on 27 March by armed men who stole his vehicle in western Democratic Republic of Congo. Authorities told UNHCR that the killing took place at 11:20 in the morning in Kimpese, near D.R. Congo's border with Angola. Witnesses said Mr. Tshiama was alone in a UNHCR vehicle when he was stopped by four uniformed men in another car. Two of the uniformed men demanded the UNHCR vehicle and then shot Mr. Tshiama twice in the back. Severely wounded, he died later at Kimpese hospital. The assailants were last seen driving the UNHCR vehicle north towards Kinshasa. (1 local, ambush) [UNHCR]



14 January 2001 - MONGOLIA: A helicopter carrying four U.N. disaster relief officials crashed in Mongolia on 14 January, killing nine people, including five foreigners. The Russian-made MI-8 helicopter spun out of control about 50 meters (165 feet) off the ground, crashed and exploded in flames at 12:30 p.m., near Malchin in Mongolia's northwestern corner, about 960 kilometers (600 miles) from the capital, Ulan Bator. The crash took the lives of UN team members Sabine Metzner-Strack (OCHA) of Germany, Matthew Girvin (UNICEF) of the United States, Gerard Le Claire (OCHA) of the United Kingdom, and B. Bayarmar (UNFPA) of Mongolia. Also killed were a member of the Mongolian Parliament and two other Mongolians -- a photographer and a helicopter technician -- as well as a two-person crew from the Japanese NHK television network. Fourteen people were injured, 10 of them critically. An investigation later blamed the accident of human error and overloading the Mongolian Airlines (MIAT) helicopter by nearly 900 kg as its pilots tried to land on a steep snowy slope in a mountainous area, (6 expats, 3 locals. Accident) [UN DPI]



CHRONOLOGY OF HUMANITARIAN AID WORKERS KILLED IN 2000
28 December 2000 - BURUNDI: Charlotte Wilson, 27, who was working with Britain's Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), was among 21 people killed after rebels opened fire on a tourist bus and two other vehicles on Burundi's main road near the capital Bujumburaon 28 December. The bus was travelling from the Rwandan capital Kigali to Bujumbura when it was ambushed. Witnesses said almost all the victims had survived the initial ambush but were then executed one by one, including Wilson, who worked as a VSO teacher in neighbouring Rwanda. [REUTERS]



20 December 2000 - SUDAN: A national staff, Juma Manoa, working for Norwegian Church Aid and a nurse, Simon Alier working for the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association (SRRA) were killed in an ambush while driving between Chukudum and Ikotos in the Eastern Equatoria region of southern Sudan. They had earlier taken a patient urgently in need of emergency surgical operation from Ikotos to Chukudum. [Norwegian Church Aid]
6 December 2000 - GUINEA: Faya Leno, 28, a Guinean security guard for the American Refugee Committee (ARC) was killed on 6 December along with his wife, Mariam in the southwestern town of Guéckédou. The bodies of Leno and his wife were found near an ARC guesthouse in Guéckédou on December 6 after a night of fighting. Seven ARC expatriate staff who had been based in the town of Kissidougou have been evacuated to Conakry, while 24 of the more than 100 local and refugee staff in Guéckédou and Kissidougou have moved to several secure locations. [American Refugee Committee]



On 9 January 2001, UNHCR confirmed that radio operator Joseph Loua was missing since the 6 December attack on Gueckedou. Parts of the UNHCR compound were destroyed but all other UNHCR staff managed to escape unscathed. In the initial confusion following the attack, the whereabouts of Mr. Loua were not clear. But a subsequent inquiry by UNHCR security officials revealed that he had been abducted by the attackers. Mr. Loua is a Guinean national and a resident of Gueckedou. He was released on 22 January 2001. [UNHCR]



4 December 2000 - SUDAN: Mr Abendigo Asiel, an ICRC Sudanese employee, 40 years old, working in an ICRC primary health care unit in Lakakedu (Yirol county - south-Sudan) died on the 4th of December as a result of an aerial bombing. The incident happened 500 meters from the health post and resulted in one more person killed and four wounded. [IRIN-CEA]



4 November 2000 - SUDAN: Mr Kurth Gathoth Ruei employed by WHO on a Special Services Agreement (SSA) was killed in Maiwut, South Sudan on 4 November 2000.
17 September 2000 - GUINEA: Mr. Mensah Kpognon, 50, head of the field office in the Guinean town of Macenta for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), was shot and killed overnight 16-17 September when armed raiders attacked the border town about 70 kms east of Guéckédou along the border with Liberia.. It is the third attack on the Macenta region in the past 12 months. It is at least the fourth cross-border attack into Guinea this month. UNHCR staff member Sapeu Laurence Djeya, a Cote d'Ivoire national, was abducted by the attackers, but was later released with the aid of the Liberian Government. [UNHCR]



6 September 2000 - INDONESIA, WEST TIMOR: Three International staff of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were killed in a brutal mob attack in Atambua, West Timor. A mob of militia-led people opposed to East Timor independence had attacked the victims with machetes and the UNHCR office was burnt. The three UNHCR staff members were Samson Aregahegn from Ethiopia, Carlos Caceres–Callaz of the United States, and Pero Simundza of Croatia. [UNHCR]


18 August 2000 - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: UNDP staff member, Joseph Cornerford of the United Kingdom, was found dead in his room in the eastern town of Kisangani.. The deceased was part of a group sent to Kisangani in advance of a UN assessment team that was to determine the degree of damage caused by armed conflict between Rwanda and Uganda in that town. Cause of death was not immediately determined. [IRIN]



17 August 2000 - BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: Two deminers and a policeman were killed in a tragic landmine accident while trying to retrieve the corpses of two fishermen who had been killed in an earlier landmine accident. The accidents occurred in a tunnel between Gorazde and Rogatica about 80 km east of Sarajevo. The two deminers worked for HELP, a German NGO engaged in humanitarian demining since 1997. The two specialists - one Swedish and the other Serbian -- worked for demining organizations that report to the Mine Action Centre of the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH). The police officer, a Serb, was from the local force.[UN DPI]



5 August 2000 - AFGHANISTAN: Seven people working for the United Nations mine-clearing programme in Afghanistan have been killed and one seriously wounded in an ambush. The attack took place on 5 August on a mountain road in the western province of Herat, near the town of Kotal-e-Subzak. The mine-clearance workers - all Afghans working for OMAR, a demining agency implementing UN projects - were travelling from Badghis province to Herat when their two vehicles came under fire.[UN DPI]



9 July 2000 - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: A local health center supervisor was killed and two others working for International Medical Corps were wounded in an attack on an aid group conducting a three-day polio vaccination campaign. The group's vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint 15 kilometers north of Uvira and surrounded by a band of unknown assailants. The vehicle escaped and drove back to Uvira. [International Medical Corps]



28 June 2000 - IRAQ: Two employees of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) were shot dead and several others injured by a gunman in a two-hour standoff at its Baghdad headquarters on Wednesday, UN officials said. In the shootout, Yusuf Abdilleh, an administrative officer from Somalia, and Marwean Mohammed Hassan, an Iraqi database operator, were killed and six people, most of them local security guards, were injured. The incident lasted around two hours before the gunman surrendered to Iraqi security officers. [UN DPI/Food and Agriculture Organization]



26 June 2000 - BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: Two mine experts were killed on 26 June when an anti-tank mine exploded during a clearance operation at the village of Vrela, in northwestern Bosnia, the Serbian news agency SRNA reported. The victims were employed by the United Nations' Mines Action Centre (MAC) in the Serbian part of Bosnia, close to the inter-entity border with the Muslim Croat Federation. [AFP]



10 June 2000 - ANGOLA: Luis Felipe Gomes, Chief Nurse of Belize Municipal Hospital in Angola, was killed on 10 June. The 30-year-old medical worker was serving on the front line of the intense UNICEF/WHO sponsored global campaign to eradicate polio for all time by reaching children in still-endemic areas wracked by conflict. Investigations are ongoing to determine who was responsible for the killing. [UNICEF]



6 June 2000 - SOMALIA: A German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) international staff member, Dieter Krasemann, was killed, by knife, in Burao by a person believed to have mental health problems. Mr. Krasemann was in Burao conducting humanitarian activities. The suspect has been arrested. [Somalia Aid Coordination Body]



20 May 2000 - AFGHANISTAN: A UN field worker and members of his family were killed in an aerial bombing by the Taliban of the opposition-controled town of Taloqan in the northeastern Afghan province of Takhar. Bashir Ahmad of the United Nations supported Comprehensive Disabled Afghans Programme, part of the UNDP programme in Afghanistan, implemented by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan in Takhar. A bomb landed directly on Ahmad's house, in the room in which his children were sleeping, killing him and six of his seven children. Although severely injured, Mrs. Ahmad and her sole surviving child, a six-year-old daughter, are recovering in Taloqan provincial hospital. [UN OCHA]



9 May 2000 - KOSOVO: Petar Topoljski, age 25, who worked for the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Pristina Regional Administration, has been found murdered. UNMIK police, following indications he may have been kidnapped, mounted a search operation when Mr. Topoljski disappeared from his office a week ago. The body found was in the village of Rimaniste (42° 46'02" N, 21°11'54" E), northeast of Pristina and identified on 16 May. [UNMIK]



2 April 2000 - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: A local worker for the US humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) was shot dead early on 2 April in the far eastern town of Uvira in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The killer or killers discarded the body and made off with the vehicle, which was found six kilometers (four miles) away near the city cemetery, stripped of its radio communication equipment. [AFP]



27 March 2000 - SUDAN: Lino Ofire, a driver for Norwegian Church Aid, was killed in an ambush while driving a group of Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association (SRRA) relief workers from Bira to Lotome in the Eastern Equatoria region of southern Sudan. The group had been conducting a polio vaccination campaign in the region. The SRRA members were wounded, but managed to escape and survive. [Norwegian Church Aid]



4 March 2000 - RWANDA : A UN volunteer working for WFP in Rwanda, Samuel Sargbah, was shot dead at about 21:00 hrs local time by an unknown assailant while sitting in his car in Rwanda's capital Kigali. Sargbah, a Liberian national, was the third WFP worker killed in Rwanda since 1997. [WFP]



7 February 2000 - ETHIOPIA: On Monday February 7, 2000, at 3pm local time, an Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) vehicle carrying a team from the organization (one national staff, one expatriate and one passenger) was attacked in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. The MSF car was on its way from Jijiga to Degah Bur town when a group of ten heavily armed men jumped out of the bush and opened fire on the vehicle. The driver (not an MSF employee) was killed on the spot. The expatriate received one bullet in the chest and another bullet in the side. The third person, the brother of the driver, had a superficial wound. [MSF]



24 January 2000 - ANGOLA: Three Angolans working for a British charity have been killed and two others seriously injured in an armed attack in the southern Huila province. The workers, from the Halo Trust, were travelling on a stretch of road near the town of Quilengues, 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of the capital Luanda, when the attack occurred. Neither the identity of the attackers nor the nature of the aggression were clear. The two injured workers were taken for treatment to Huambo, 600 kilometres (360 miles) south of Luanda. [AFP]



13 January 2000 - SUDAN: Eight aid workers were killed in southern Sudan when their vehicle was set ablaze, apparently by rebels from Uganda, a Norwegian relief group said on Friday. "There were 11 people in the vehicle and seven died immediately, while another died this morning," Norwegian Church Aid said. Two of them were workers from Norwegian Church Aid, named as Kenyan Simon Kenyatta and Sudanese nurse Esther Mania. The other workers also were from church-linked aid groups -- one from Africa Inland Church, three from Episcopal churches in Sudan. The other two were from the Sudanese Relief and Rehabilitation Association, the humanitarian arm of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) rebel group. The ambush occured near the village of Parajok near the Ugandan border. [REUTERS]



2 January 2000 - SOMALIA: A local employee of the aid agency CARE International, Shueb Mohamed Hussein, was shot and killed in an ambush by a gang in a Somali town, near Balad, 35 kilometres (20 miles) north of Mogadishu, after he left the capital to assess rehabilitation projects in the Middle Shabelle region. [AFP]



2 January 2000 - SUDAN: Two Sudanese employees of the U.S.-based relief agency CARE International were killed in an ambush in southern Sudan and two are missing, an official of the agency. The official named the dead men as Ibrahim Ishak, head of Care International's office in Bentiu, capital of oil-rich Unity State, and his driver Mekki al-Kheir, both northerners. The team from CARE International was subjected to an armed attack by rebels as it travelled from the town of Bentiu to Mayom with the aim of opening a health centre in the town. On March 9, the two men missing since January 2 in Sudan. Kwaq Makwaq, a CARE employee, and Santino Deng, a consultant, were found unharmed and in good health . [CARE]



CHRONOLOGY OF HUMANITARIAN AID WORKERS KILLED IN 1999.
12 November 1999 - KOSOVO (FRY): All 24 passengers aboard a WFP plane were killed when the plane crashed on its daily flight from Rome, Italy to Pristina, Kosovo. The wreckage was located by international Kosovo Force (KFOR) troops 27 kilometers (17 miles) north of the province's capital of Pristina and 12 km (7 miles) from the northern city of Mitrovica.. The passengers primarily worked for international and humanitarian organizations, including WFP, UNMIK, UNV, the Canadian Government, Caritas, GOAL, Gruppo Volontariato Civile, International Crisis Group, Tearfund, Terre des Hommes, AiBi, and Boyden. In addition, three crew members were killed. Victims included 12 Italians, three Spaniards, two Britons and seven people of other nationalities. (24 expats, accident) [WFP]



7 November 1999 – KENYA: A United Nations official was shot dead at his Kariobangi South home in Nairobi. Mr. Ezekiel Abanga, 36, a security officer at the UN, was shot in the neck, back of the head and chest by an unidentified assailant. (1 local killed)



31 October 1999 – CHECHNYA, RUSSIA: Mr. Aslanbek Barzaiev and Mr. Rouslan Betelgeriev, two Russian Red Cross workers were killed in an air attack on a humanitarian convoy. A convoy of vehicles, among them vehicles from the Chechen branch of the Russian Red Cross, came under fire near the village of Chami Yurt, 20 km west of Grozny, on the main road between Nazran and Grozny. Military operations were in progress in the area. According to local Red Cross sources, the five vehicles, all of which were clearly marked with the red cross emblem (the truck displayed a red cross on its roof) were returning to Grozny from the Ingush border, which it had been unable to cross. According to the same sources, a rocket fired from an aircraft hit the truck, killing two Red Cross workers and seriously wounding a third. A number of nearby vehicles also came under fire, resulting in the death of at least 25 persons and injuring 70 more. (2 local aerial bombing) [ICRC]



12 October 1999 – KOSOVO (FRY): Valentin Krumov, 38, was shot and killed in Kosovo Monday night, after arriving only a few hours earlier in Kosovo to join UNMIK's civil administration branch. Mr. Krumov was walking with two other newly arrived UNMIK staff members in the centre of Kosovo's capital, Pristina, when he was shot and killed, just after 9 p.m. Monday evening. Krumov, from Bulguria, was strolling after dinner with colleagues on Mother Theresa street when he "apparently responded in the Serbian language to a question from a group of passers-by who had asked him for the time. A crowd of ethnic Albanians assaulted him and took him 50 meters (yards) away wherre someone shot him dead. (1 expat killed) [UN DPI]



12 October 1999 - BURUNDI: The UNICEF Representative to Burundi, Mr. Luis Zuniga and the Chief WFP Logistics Officer, Ms. Saskia Von Meijenfeldt, were killed when a UN team was ambushed during a routine assessment visit to a displaced persons camp in the southeast part of the country. The camp, Muziye, is located in the Rutana province, near the border with Tanzania. (2 expats, killed) [UN]



15 September 1999 – SOMALIA: A UNICEF doctor, Dr. Ayub Sheikh Yerow was wounded on the evening of 15 September while travelling by road on a planning assignment for the October National Immunization Day to vaccinate approximately one million children in Somalia. Dr. Ayub died on 16 September from the gun shot wound in a North Mogadishu hospital. (1 local killed) [UNICEF]



14 September 1999 – SOMALIA: Farah Ali Gurhan, the administrator of the Dutch aid agency, MEMISA aid agency, was among 10 people killed when rival factions fought for the control of the southern town Garbaharey. (1 local killed) [AFP]



31 August 1999 - INDONESIA, EAST TIMOR: A local CARE worker, Jose dos Reis, aged 23, was reported missing on 30 August. In December 1999, his corpse was discovered in a crude grave behind the house of a militia commander in the town of Hera, just outside Dili. Dos Reis had been involved in CARE's food distribution programme. He disappeared when he tried to ride his motorcycle to the eastern coastal town of Manatuto at the time of the August 30 vote on East Timor's future. (1 local, ambush) [AFP]



16 July 1999: ANGOLA - An ambush in the northern Angolan province of Uije on a convoy of 80 lorries, including lorries carrying food and relief supplies, left as many as 60 dead or missing, the Portuguese agency LUSA reported. Of those killed or missing, 54 were civilians and six police officers. The attack, thought to have been carried out by UNITA rebel movement, occured on 16 July at a junction linking the road for Lukala to Samba-Caju, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of the capital Luanda. Two lorries belonging to the aid agency Caritas were destroyed during the attack. The attack was reported in Luanda on 19 July, but no details of casualties were given. (Number of aid workers killed unknown) [AFP]



14 June 1999 – ANGOLA: Two humanitarian workers were killed and two others wounded when armed men wearing uniforms of the UNITA rebel movement ambushed the vehicle of a Portuguese aid agency conducting a polio vaccination campaign. The relief workers, in clearly identified vehicles, were ambushed while carrying out a polio eradication campaign in Barraca, Bengo Province, some 80 km east of Luanda, the nation's capital. The driver and a nurse were killed, and two other nurses were wounded. All were Angolan nationals working for the Portuguese NGO, Instituto Portugues de Medicina Preventiva. (2 locals ambushed) [PANA]



18 May 1999 - SUDAN: Unidentified assailants attacked a Nile river boat bringing relief aid to southern Sudan Tuesday, killing the co-pilot of the barge, and wounding two of the 21 people aboard, including a Kenyan working for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) who was shot in the leg, and a Sudanese crew member who was shot in the back. The barge was abandoned in a remote marshy area of the White Nile near the town of Adok, in Unity State, also known as Western Upper Nile. [AFP]



27 April 1999 - AFGHANISTAN: An ICRC Security Guard, Mr. Abdul Rahim, was killed during an air raid close to an ICRC warehouse in Jabul Saraj, some 60 km north of Kabul. (1 local aerial bombing) [ICRC]



22 April 1999 – SOMALIA: A veterinarian working with the Italian NGO, Terra Nuova, was kidnapped on Friday in the town of Hagar by an armed militia whose identity is as yet unknown. On 23 April, it was announced that the aid worker had been killed. (1 local killed) [UN OCHA]



19 April 1999 – ALBANIA: David B. McCall, his wife Penny McCall and Yvette Pierpaoli of Refugees International were killed in a car accident on the road heading towards Kukes, Albania. Their Albanian driver was also killed. They were heading from Tirana, the capital, to Kukes, the primary reception point for Kosovar refugees, when their car apparently slid off the mountain road in bad weather. (3 expats accident) [Refugees International]



14 April 1999 – ANGOLA: Five NGO staff were killed when their NGO vehicle was ambushed while on mission to Sumbe, Kwanza Sul province.. The names of the victims (all Angolan nationals) belonging to Humanitarian NGOs are as follows: Antonio Garcia Ferreira (SCF-US), Ernesto Samuel Queta (SCF-US), Walter Joaquim Reais (OIKOS), Narciso Kwambela Xavier (ASSOCIAÇÃO CRISTÃ DA MOCIDADE) and Manuel Gabriel (ASSOCIAÇÃO CONGREGACIONAL CRISTÃ DE ANGOLA) (5 locals ambush) [UN DPI]



1 April 1999 – SUDAN: On 18 February, an ICRC/Sudanese Red Crescent team on a mission near the southern Sudanese town of Bentiu inadvertently strayed into territory held by the SPLM/A. The four Sudanese and two ICRC expatriates were captured.


On 12 March, the two ICRC expatriates were released. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been informed that a Sudanese Red Crescent worker and three government officials who had accompanied an ICRC team in southern Sudan have been killed while detained by the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) despite SPLA "assurances" that they would be released unharmed." (4 locals ambush) [ICRC]



20 March 1999 – SOMALIA: Deena M. Umbarger, 36, a consultant for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) was killed Saturday, (Mar.20) in Kenya. UMCOR is the disaster relief arm of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Ms. Umbarger flew from Nairobi, Kenya to the area bordering Somalia to meet with town leaders in Kiumigio, a border town running from Kenya to Somalia. She was having tea with town elders when a gunman opened fire on the group. (1 expat killed) [UMCOR]



27 January 1999 – SOMALIA: Unidentified gunmen in southern Somalia shot and killed a Kenyan expatriate working for the Italian aid agency Terra Nuova. Manmohan Singh Bhogal was gunned down near Garbeharey district of the Gedo region on Tuesday, they said. Terra Nuova, which specialises in providing veterinary services, has been working mainly in southern Somalia's Gedo, Middle and Lower Juba regions. (1 expat killed) [AFP]



26 January 1999 – SIERRA LEONE: A Sierra Leonean employee of the Irish aid agency Concern has been killed by rebels in the capital Freetown. Taiwu Kamara, age 30, was trying to flee his house which rebels had set on fire when he was killed. (1 local killed) [UNHCR]



5 January 1999 - SOMALIA: Gunmen shot and killed a driver and a security guard working for the international aid agency CARE in south Mogadishu. The driver, Ali Abdi Heyle, and the guard, Ali Heyle Gutale, were attacked as they drove along Lenin Road. They died on the spot. A woman passenger in the car was slightly hurt in the attack. It was not immediately clear if the attack was specifically aimed at CARE, which provides humanitarian aid to many Somalis and funds rehabilitation programmes despite insecurity in Mogadishu. (2 locals killed) [AFP]



2 January 1999 - ANGOLA: The C-130 chartered by the UN observer mission to Angola (MONUA) was shot down soon after take-off from Huambo on January 2. The plane was returning to Luanda after transporting emergency rations to Huambo in south-central Angola. The wreckage was found in an area 17 to 20 kilometres north east of Huambo. The United Nations World Food Programme confirmed the death of one of its Angolan staff members, Pedro Moreira, who was among the nine passengers and crew of the UN-chartered C-130 plane that crashed in the central highlands of Angola. [WFP]



CHRONOLOGY OF HUMANITARIAN AID WORKERS KILLED IN 1998
Below is a list of the forty-eight employees of the United Nations or humanitarian organizations who died in violent incidents in 1998, compiled by the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. If you are aware of other such incidents in 1998, please respond to this message. In 1997, twenty-five UN and humanitarian workers were reported killed.



26 December 1998: ANGOLA - A U.N. transport plane, carrying 14 people: 10 UN personnel (8 of them UN international staff) and 4 crew, was shot down and crashed in Angola's central highland. The Hercules C-130 transport plane was on a humanitarian mission, taking U.N. Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) officials from Huambo to Saurimo in northeast Angola. On 8 January 1999, the wreckage was found with all passengers killed in the crash. (8 expats, 4 locals) [UN DPI]



23 December 1998: ANGOLA - A nurse, identified as Mateus, was killed on December 23, during the shelling of the central Angolan cities of Huambo and Bié. Mateus was a local employee of the health center in Huambo, which works with an ADRA supported project. [ADRA]



27 November 1998: ANGOLA - A United Nations World Food Programme convoy was attacked in southwestern Angola yesterday, leaving two dead and one wounded. The 30-vehicle convoy, carrying 400 metric tonnes of food under United Nations MONUA escort, was on its way north from Lubango, the capital of Huila province, when it was ambushed at 6:15 a.m. about 14 kilometers outside of the town of Cacula The attack came against the middle of the column and hit a truck owned by a commercial transport firm under contract to WFP. The operator and the driver were killed during the first wave of shooting, while one of the two driver's assistants was injured. [WFP]



27 November 1998: AFGHANISTAN - The United Nations World Food Programme learned that a WFP staff member was killed in August in the city of Bamyan, in Afghanistan. Sayed Essa, an Afghan national working as a WFP warehouse guard, was shot and killed in August when he tried to escape advancing Taliban forces that invaded the city on 13 September. [WFP]



14 November 1998: ANGOLA - A World Food Programme local staff member in Angola, Mr. Elias Sayala, was shot and killed this weekend while on duty in the town of Kuito. Mr. Sayala, 38, died after being fired on by an unknown assassin at 11:30 PM Saturday, 14 November, while on duty at a WFP warehouse in Kuito, the capital of Angola 's Bié province. [WFP]



30 September 1998: FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA - An International Red Cross doctor was killed and three members of his team wounded when their car hit a landmine in Kosovo The blast near Likovac about 30 km (20 miles) west of Pristina hurled the vehicle on to its roof. Sheptim Robaj, an anaesthetist from Pristina was killed and another Yugoslav doctor identified as Ilir Tolaj was seriously injured. Two women Red Cross workers, New Zealander Maggie Bryson and Linda Bunjaku, a Yugoslav, were injured. [Reuters]



18 September 1998: ANGOLA - The United Nations said on Friday that an Angolan employee of the Michigan-based Dyna Corp was killed in an ambush of a U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) convoy east of Luanda, the capital. Three other Angolan employees of Dyna, which provides general support services to WFP, such as drivers, were injured and evacuated to Luanda on Thursday. The dead man had burned to death when his vehicle was set on fire. [Reuters]



16 September 1998: ANGOLA - One MONUA driver was killed and several others wounded in an attack on a WFP convoy. In a separate incident, WFP convoy leader Antonio Martinho Concalves was killed in a recent road accident in Huila province while returning to Lubango from making a food delivery to newly displaced people in Caconda. (2 locals, ambush) [WFP]



24 July 1998: BURUNDI - An Italian U.N. staff member for the World Food Programme was killed in the Burundi capital of Bujumbura when three bandits broke into his home and shot him. The victim was identified as Renato Ricciardi, who had worked for the United Nations for 27 years, 17 of them for WFP. [WFP]



20 July 1998: AFGHANISTAN - The bodies of two UN employees working in Jalalabad, Afghanistan were found after being abducted on 13 July. The victims were Mohammad Hashim Bahsaryar, 55, of WFP and Mohammed Nazir Habibi, 49, of UNHCR, both employed in Jalalabad. Witnesses reported the men were hustled into a red pickup truck on 13 July in front of Jalalabad University while waiting for a UN vehicle to transport them to work. WFP and UNHCR immediately tried to locate them and contacted the local Taliban governor, but the body of the WFP employee was found on 18 July in a river in Beshud district on the outskirts of Jalalabad. The body of the UNHCR employee was found 19 July near Tokham, Lamipour District, near the border with Pakistan. [WFP]



17 July 1998: SOMALIA - A UN World Food Programme convoy in south Mogadishu was attacked. One security guard was killed on the spot, and another died of his wounds, while five guards were wounded. Four of the attackers were killed and several wounded, said Brenda Barton, WFP's regional spokeswoman in Nairobi.



11 July 1998: BURUNDI - On July 11, a local agronomist employed by the NGO Austrian Relief Programme, ARP, was killed during an ambush on her vehicle on RN 9 in Bubanza's Gihanga commune. Her driver disappeared and is also feared dead. [IRIN]



7 July 1998: UGANDA - William Asiku, a Ugandan national working as a driver for WFP in the northern Uganda town of Arua, was driving back from WFP's office in Pakelle on Wednesday afternoon, when 12 heavily armed men suddenly appeared on the road with a rocket propelled grenade launcher and stopped the clearly marked WFP vehicle. The men ordered Asiku, and another passenger traveling in the car with him, out of the vehicle and proceeded to rob them. The passenger managed to escape and ran to seek help. The men then dragged Asiku to the side of the car and opened fire on him, killing him immediately. They then blew-up the vehicle. [WFP]



29 June 1998: ANGOLA - UN Special Representative in Angola, Alioune Blondin Beye. and five other UN colleagues accompanying him -- Koffi Adjoyi, Beadengar Dessande, Moctar Gueye, Ibikunle Williams and Captain Alvaro Costa, and the two pilots, Jason Hunter and Andrew McCurrach, were killed in an airplane crash in Angola. [UN DPI]



10 June 1998: SUDAN - Three Sudanese aid workers employed by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the local Red Crescent were shot dead during a mission in Sudan. On Tuesday 9 June, a Sudanese Red Crescent (SRC) worker, Magboul Mamoun, and two employees of the World Food Programme, El Haj Ali Hammad and Sumain Samson Ohiri were killed in an ambush in the Nuba Mountains, 50 kilometres southeast of Kadugli. The three men were part of a relief convoy - travelling in UN-marked trucks - on their way back to Kadugli from a food distribution in Erri village. During the ambush by a group of armed men who opened fire on the vehicles, three other SRC staff were injured. The injured are being treated in hospital in Khartoum. [IFRC]



24 April 1998: BURUNDI - Bent Moeller Nielsen, ADRA country director for Burundi, was shot and killed by armed bandits in the capital, Bujumbura, on April 22. Nielsen had reportedly just dropped off a colleague when he was attacked. He was shot and killed and his vehicle was stolen. [ADRA]



07 April 1998: SUDAN - At least 11 killed in bomb incident in South Sudan Yei Hospital was bombed this morning, between 10:50 AM and 11:10AM, by Government of Sudan airplanes. Thirteen bombs were directed at Yei Hospital - which is supported by the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA). So far eleven (11) people have been found killed as a consequence of the attack. One of the killed was a local employee of the NPA. [NPA]



22 March 1998: SIERRA LEONE - Mr Denis Momoh, a Sierra Leonean ICRC staff member was killed during continuing fighting near the town of Segbwema. Mr Momoh was killed in an exchange of artillery fire between ECOMOG forces and the AFRC/RUF (Armed Forces Revolutionary Council / Revolutionary United Front) on Sunday 22 March. One of his children was also killed in the shelling. [ICRC]



12 March 1998: RWANDA - Three Action for Churches Together (ACT)/Lutheran World Federation (LWF) staff members have been killed in Rwanda. They died in an armed assault near the border with Tanzania during the night, March 11-12, on the compound of a Resettlement project for returnee Tutsi refugees. A number of other staff members were injured. [ACT]



12 Janury 1998: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO – An ICRC driver, Mr. Sylvain Mutombo, was murdered in Kinshasa when gunmen stole the ICRC vehicle. [ICRC]



10 January 1998: SRI LANKA – Mr. Gnapiragasam Thimoty Raveenthiran, working as a night watchman at the ICRC sub-delegation in Vavuniya, was murdered when the sub-delegation’s offices were robbed and ransacked. [ICRC]



CHRONOLOGY OF HUMANITARIAN WORKERS KILLED IN 1997
1 Dec.1997: TAJIKISTAN - Karine Mane, who worked for the Tajik bureau of AVICEN, a non-governmental organisation that provides health care for street children, was fatally wounded when her abductors set off a grenade to kill themselves and their hostage. Five kidnappers died. Her companion, Franck Janier-Dubry, who worked for the European aid programme TACIS, was released unhurt in a security operation a few hours earlier. (1 expat, killed) [Reuters]



22 Nov. 1997: CONGO - A Congolese Red Cross volunteer, Mr Makoundou Landri Silvert, was killed and two others were wounded in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, on Saturday 22 November. They were travelling aboard an ICRC truck together with some 50 other volunteers who had been helping to unload humanitarian aid supplies dispatched from Kinshasa and intended for distribution to the returning inhabitants of the Congolese capital. (1 local ambush) [ICRC]



22 Oct. 1997: RWANDA -- A WFP driver transporting emergency relief food for the United Nations World Food Programme in Rwanda was killed during an attack by unknown assailants at a military checkpoint. The WFP truck was part of a military-escorted relief food convoy which was transporting WFP food rations from Kigali to Kibuye. The truck was then set on fire, resulting in the loss of 15 tons of humanitarian relief food which would have fed some 1,700 people for the next one month. (1 local ambush) [WFP]



18 Oct. 1997: AFGHANISTAN - An Afghan employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was killed late on the afternoon of Saturday, 18 October. Three ICRC vehicles were driving along the Anchoy-Shibirgan road 200 kilometres west of the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif when it was caught in the crossfire of an armed clash. The driver of one of the vehicles -- Mr Mohamed Bashir, a mechanic employed at the organization's Mazar-i-Sharif sub-delegation -- was hit by a stray bullet and killed instantly. (1 local ambush) [ICRC]



23 October 1997: ANGOLA - Five people including two workers for a German non-governmental organization were killed in an ambush on a convoy by some 20 armed men in southwestern Angola, 200 meters from Bolonguera commune and 65 Km from Chongoroi town. The two members of the Santa Barbara NGO were Tom Sauber, a German, and Rayson Medecine Pongweni, from Zimbabwe. Two Angolan police, one member of the Bolonguera Administration and an Angolan paramedic were also killed on 23 October, while two MONUA CIVPOL officers were wounded. [AFP] [UN DHA]



23 October 1997: ANGOLA - On 23 October, a WFP contracted driver was killed in an ambush, around 3 km from theLobito/Bocoio road junction. Armed men ambushed a civilian car which was returning from Lobito where it had collected a spare part for one of the civilian trucks rented by WFP as part of a relief convoy and which had broken down between Culango and Bocoio localities. (1 local, ambush) [UN DHA]


24 Sept. 1997: ETHIOPIA - Two local UN World Food Programme (WFP) staff members were shot dead last week in Ethiopia's southeastern Ogaden region in an apparent robbery attempt. (2 locals killed) [WFP]



12 Sept. 1997: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO - A chartered plane carrying two aid officials from the NGO Food for the Hungry International (FHI) and 20 local religious leaders to a peace and reconciliation conference in Fizi, Congo, crashed in a remote area while trying to land. The plane was on its second approach to the runway at Ilundi, near Mulembe town, when it crashed into a hill and burst into flames. All 22 on board were killed, including the two FHI staff: Adrian Sebagabo, executive secretary of FHI's office in Kigali, Rwanda, as well as pastor of Good Shepherd Church and the national director of the Good Samaritan Prison Ministry, and Noah (Leonard) Garaway, an Israeli-American and the country director of FHI's work in Rwanda for most of 1996. [FHI]



06 Jul 1997: RWANDA- A World Vision staff member, Rudacyahwa Flicien, 42, was killed on 6 July when insurgents attacked his home village Ruhengeri in northwestern Rwanda (1 local killed) [WV]



19 Jun 1997: RWANDA - Mr. Felicien Bucyekabili, a driver for UNHCR, was killed in Kigombe Commune, Gashangoiro sector, 7 km from Ruhengeri town. Mr. Bucyekabili, was killed by unknown gunmen firing through the window of his residence. (1 local killed) [UNHCR]



14 June 1997: RWANDA - Mr.Didace Nkezagera, WFP Field Officer, was killed on the night of 14/15 June 1997, along with his wife, young child and member of his family in sector Rubange, commune of Kigombe, 8 km from Ruhengiri. In another incident, Mr. Jean de Dieu Murwanashyaka, a WFP tally clerk, was killed by a gunshot wound to the head after being arrested by two soldiers on 9 June 1997. (2 locals killed) [WFP]



08 Jun 1997: RWANDA - World Vision Rwanda assistant agronomist, Appolinaire Uwamahirwe,was killed on 8 June when he was among a group of villagers attacked by insurgents near the northwestern town of Ruhengeri, some 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) from the capital Kigali. (1 local killed) [WV]



06 May 1997: SIERRA LEONE - A UN assessment team was ambushed on their drive back to Freetown. Mr. John Reignat, a locally recruited DHA driver for UN-HACU, was shot in the abdomen and died in the hospital in Makeni. Mr. Robert Painter, Chief of UN-HACU was shot in the ankle; Ms. Cathy Jones, Political Affairs Officer under SESG Dinka received superficial wounds from broken glasses of the vehicle, Mr. Ingo Wiederhoffer, World Bank Consultant, was unharmed (1 local ambushed) [UN DHA]



04 Feb 1997: RWANDA - Four United Nations human rights monitors, Graham Turnbull, Sastra Chim Chan, Jean Bosco Muyaneza, and Agrippin Ngabo, were killed in an ambush in southwestern Rwanda. The two international and two local staff were killed in an ambush in their two U.N. vehicles in the Karengera sector of Cyangugu Province. (2 expats/ 2 locals ambush) [UNHCHR]




02 Feb 1997: RWANDA - A Canadian Roman Catholic priest, who condemned human rights abuses in Rwanda, was killed in northwestern Rwanda while performing Mass. (1 expat killed) [Reuters]




19 Jan 1997: RWANDA - Three Doctors of the World personnel, Dr.Manuel Madrazo, Maria Flors Sirera, and Luis Valtuena, were killed and an American project coordinator, Nitin Madhav, was injured when their compound in Ruhengeri, Rwanda was attacked. All four people had been working on a health and reintegration assistance program in the Ruhengeri prefecture under the joint auspices of Doctors of the World and the organizations Spanish affiliate, Medicos del Mundo. (3 expats killed) [MDM]