Web pages about "Somalia"

Routine killings of civilians in Somalia

Tue, 06 May 2008 16:44:30 +0100

The dire human rights and humanitarian crisis facing the people of Somalia has been revealed in a groundbreaking new Amnesty International report.

First-hand testimony from scores of traumatized survivors of the conflict is included in the report, which exposes the violations and abuses they have suffered at the hands of a complex mix of perpetrators.

These include Ethiopian and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops on the one hand, as well as armed groups on the other. For many civilians, there is nowhere to go to escape the violence.

“The people of Somalia are being killed, raped, tortured; looting is widespread and entire neighbourhoods are being destroyed,” said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme.

Witnesses told Amnesty International of an increasing incidence of what it locally termed as “slaughtering” or “killing like goats” by Ethiopian troops, referring to killing by slitting the throat. The victims of these killings are often left lying in pools of blood in the streets until armed fighters, including snipers, move out of the area and relatives can collect their bodies.

“The testimony we received strongly suggests that war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity have been committed by all parties to the conflict in Somalia – and no one is being held accountable,” said Michelle Kagari.

“The human rights and humanitarian situation in Somalia is growing worse by the day. This report represents the voices of ordinary Somalis, and their plea to the international community to take action to end the attacks against them, including those committed by internationally-supported TFG and Ethiopian forces.”

Security in many parts of Mogadishu is non-existent and the entire population of the city bears the scars of having witnessed or experienced egregious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

“There is no safety for civilians, wherever they run. Those fleeing violence in Mogadishu are attacked on the road and those lucky enough to reach a camp or settlement face further violence and dire conditions.”

The Transitional Federal Government, as the recognized government of Somalia, bears the primary responsibility for protecting the human rights of the Somali people. However, the Ethiopian military, which is taking a leading role in backing the TFG, also bears responsibility.

“Attacks on civilians by all parties must stop immediately. Also, the international community must bear its own responsibility for not putting consistent pressure on the TFG or the Ethiopian government to stop their armed forces from committing egregious human rights violations.”

Amnesty International has urged that the capacity of the UN Political Office for Somalia be strengthened, and that AMISOM – and any succeeding UN peacekeeping mission – be mandated to protect civilians and include a strong human rights component with the capacity to investigate human rights violations. The organization has also called for the UN arms embargo on Somalia to be strengthened.

Somalia/Ethiopia: Deliberate killing of civilians is a war crime

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:24:13 +0100

Amnesty International refutes statements made by the Ethiopian government on its report about a raid on the Al Hidya Mosque in Mogadishu on 19 April 2008. In the attack, Ethiopian forces killed at least 21 people, including 11 unarmed civilians inside the mosque, and detained at least 40 children and youths, aged 9 to 18. At least 10 others were killed by Ethiopian forces in the vicinity of the mosque.

Reports released by the organization are based on several cross-checked, independent sources such as family members of victims, testimonies gathered at the location, including individuals present in the mosque while the killings took place, and local Amnesty International contacts.

“Deliberately killing civilians is a war crime,” said Amnesty International. “We call on the Ethiopian government to ensure an independent investigation is carried out into the raid on the mosque and the subsequent treatment of those detained by its forces.”

Seven of the 21 killed at the mosque were reported to have had their throats cut, a form of illegal execution practised by Ethiopian troops in Somalia. Amnesty International has documented a pattern of these ‘throat-slitting’ executions, which often occur in security sweeps after attacks on Ethiopian forces in Somalia.

Somali media today reported that forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia have taken 18 of the children and youths detained by the Ethiopian forces at the Al Hidya mosque into custody at the Criminal Investigations Department of the Somali police. An additional 32 children and youths have been released, according to a TFG spokesperson. In line with international standards on the rights of the child, detention should only be as a last resort and for the minimum time possible. Amnesty International calls for the 18 who remain in detention to be charged with a recognized offence and brought before a court, or released.

Amnesty International again calls on the Ethiopian Government to commit to an independent investigation into the killings carried out during and after the Al Hidya mosque raid. Once such an investigation has been made, the findings should be made public and any Ethiopian soldiers implicated in the investigation should be brought to justice in line with international fair trial standards.

Ethiopia must release mosque attack children

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:11:14 +0100

Ethiopian forces and forces of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) have been accused of targeting civilians in an attack on a Mogadishu mosque on Saturday. Twenty-one people were killed in the attack, which Amnesty International has said may constitute a war crime.

Eleven of the twenty-one dead were killed inside the mosque, including the Iman Sheik Saiid Yahya, Sheik Abdullah Mohamud and a number of Tabliq Islamic scholars. At least ten other individuals were killed in the area around the mosque. Their bodies were later brought to the mosque by local residents.

Seven of the twenty-one were reported to have died after their throats were cut, a form of extra-judicial execution practised by Ethiopian forces in Somalia.

The mosque was raided during extensive conflict in the north eastern area of Mogadishu, in which a number of Ethiopian soldiers were reported to have been killed. According to eye-witnesses, the eleven killed inside the mosque were unarmed civilians taking no active part in hostilities. A spokesperson for the Ethiopian government has denied the involvement of Ethiopian troops in these killings.

Amnesty International is also concerned that approximately 41 children, estimated to range from 9 to 18 years of age, were taken by the Ethiopian military from the Al Hidya mosque where they were attending religious classes. The children are reported to be detained at the Ethiopian military base close to the pasta factory in Mogadishu. Other younger children present were not arrested.

Witnesses have told Amnesty International that Ethiopian forces said these children would be released "once they had been investigated" and "if they were not terrorists".

The Ethiopian military and TFG forces have been fighting against armed groups opposed to them for two days. The Elman Human Rights Organisation has documented 81 deaths and more than one hundred injured in the fighting. It is not known how many of these were civilians.

The attack on the mosque followed increasing attacks by armed groups opposed to the TFG on towns in southern and central Somalia. Local residents of Beledweyne City have reported that members of the Al-Shabab militia killed four teachers in an attack on 13 April. An Al-Shabab leader has claimed that the teachers were shot in crossfire.

The targeting of civilians constitutes a war crime. Amnesty International has called for international action to end impunity for crimes such as these, which are being committed in many areas of Somalia. The organization has said that the Ethiopian Government and TFG must ensure an independent investigation into these killings.

"Any Ethiopian soldiers found to be responsible must be prosecuted in accordance with international fair trial standards without use of the death penalty," said Amnesty International.

The organization is also calling on the United Nations Security Council to take action to end impunity throughout Somalia, through the establishment of an international Commission of Inquiry or similar mechanism to investigate serious human rights abuses and violations being committed in armed conflict in the country.

Somalia/Ethiopia: Release children held in raid on Al Hidya mosque

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:40:47 +0100

Amnesty International today called on the Ethiopian military to release some 41 children held after a raid on Mogadishu’s Al Hidya mosque on 19 April 2008, which left 21 people dead.

“The safety and welfare of the children, some as young as nine years old, must be paramount for all parties,” said Amnesty International.

Witnesses have told Amnesty International that Ethiopian forces would only release the children from their military base in north Mogadishu “once they had been investigated” and “if they were not terrorists”. While Amnesty International has received reports that a small number of children were released yesterday, the majority are still being held by Ethiopian forces.

Amnesty International strongly condemns the targeted killing of civilians in the raid. Eleven of the 21 dead were killed inside the mosque, including the Iman Sheik Saiid Yahya, Sheik Abdullah Mohamud and several Tabliq Islamic scholars. Eye-witnesses report that those killed inside the mosque were unarmed civilians taking no active part in hostilities. Seven of the 21 were reported to have died after their throats were cut – a form of extra-judicial execution practised by Ethiopian forces in Somalia. A spokesman for the Ethiopian government has denied the involvement of Ethiopian troops in these killings.

"The UN Security Council must take steps to end impunity across Somalia by launching an International Commission of Inquiry, or similar mechanism, to investigate human rights violations committed during the armed conflict," said Amnesty International.

For their part, the Ethiopian Government and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia must ensure an independent investigation into these killings; any Ethiopian soldiers found responsible must be prosecuted in line with international fair trial standards and without recourse to the death penalty.

Background
The attack on the Al Hidya mosque occurred during two days of fighting between the Ethiopian military and TFG against armed groups opposed to them, in which the Elman Human Rights Organisation documented 81 deaths and more than one hundred injured. It is not known how many of these were civilians. The attack also followed increasing attacks by armed groups opposed to the TFG on towns in southern and central Somalia, including an attack on Beledweyne by Al-Shabab militia on 13 April, where local residents reported that militia members killed four teachers. An Al-Shabab leader has claimed the teachers were shot in crossfire.

Somalia: Journalists face deliberate and systematic attack

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:24:33 +0000

Amnesty International today revealed the extent of the repression facing Somali journalists trying to report on the continuing conflict in the war-torn country, saying that the threat to Somali journalists is now the worst it has been since the overthrow of the Siad Barre government in 1991.

“The killings, arrests and death threats targeting Somali journalists are not just another unfortunate by-product of the conflict and general insecurity in Somalia – they are a deliberate and systematic attempt by all parties to the conflict to stem the flow of information out of the country,” said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme.

Since February 2007, nine Somali journalists have been killed. Death threats and arrests have forced at least 50 journalists to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.

Journalists who fled Mogadishu to neighbouring countries have told Amnesty International that they regularly receive death threats when they report on casualties suffered by any parties to the conflict. Threats are typically delivered by calls to mobile phones, with the number of the caller withheld, although in many cases the caller has identified himself as an officer of the National Security Agency (NSA) of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

“Journalists who receive death threats are threatened with death, enforced disappearance or arrest if they do not remove their stories from the internet – a crude and brutal attack on their right to freedom of expression,” said Kagari.

Two journalists told Amnesty International that they received threats personally from Ethiopian diplomatic representatives in Mogadishu.

Other journalists told Amnesty International that they received repeated threats from armed groups fighting the TFG and Ethiopian forces. One journalist told Amnesty International: “I wrote a story that two insurgents were killed. I was called on my mobile, and the caller said, “Why did you write that?” I said, “It is the truth. I have to write it.” He said, “You are going on the list of those we will kill.”

Other journalists have been arrested multiple times by TFG forces or the Ethiopian military. Many identified their captors as members of the NSA, headed by General Mohamed Aden, known as General “Darwish”. They were usually detained after having conducted interviews or filed stories about the conflict -- particularly interviews with government opponents.

Some told Amnesty International that while they were being questioned, NSA officers openly discussed amongst themselves whether or not they should kill the journalist.

“Somali journalists are struggling to do their jobs in one of the most dangerous and difficult climates imaginable,” said Kagari. “The attacks and threats they are being subjected to on a daily basis are a deliberate attempt to silence the most important voices revealing human rights violations by all parties to the conflict in Somalia. These voices must be protected.”

Amnesty International called on all governments to provide refuge to Somali journalists forced to flee Somalia, and not to force any journalist to return to the country.

Background information
Attacks on the media in Somalia mark a retrograde step in the development of freedom of expression in the country. In 2005 and 2006, new radio and television stations, newspapers and websites opened; their coverage and affiliation had begun to extend beyond clan and warlord loyalties.

To see a copy of the full report, please click here.

Killed for telling the truth

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:16:25 +0000

"It is the journalists that are telling the world what is happening... This is why everyone wants to silence us. I have thought I will die in this job, but even when I am scared I can’t be silent because, if I do not tell these stories, no one will protect the civilians. We are their only advocates." – A Somali journalist

Journalists in Somalia are being killed for reporting the truth about the country's bloody conflict, according to research by Amnesty International.

At least nine journalists have been killed since February 2007, five of them in intentionally targeted attacks. Many more have been threatened, arbitrarily arrested and harassed. Over 50 journalists have fled the country. The crackdown on independent media has seen newspapers and radio stations forcibly shut down.

Among the dead include Ali Iman Sharmarke, head of the HornAfrik media company, who was killed by a car bomb in August while he was on his way home from the funeral of a murdered colleague.

Death threats
Fighting between Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government forces (TFG) and armed opposition groups in Somalia has escalated since November 2007. Journalists say they have received death threats from both sides –attempts to silence reporting of human rights violations.

Journalists who fled the capital Mogadishu have told Amnesty International that they regularly received death threats by mobile phone, particularly when they reported on the conflict.

Many were from people identifying themselves as TFG security officers, demanding to know why incidents or military operations had been reported. Amnesty International was also told of threats made by the armed groups.

“I wrote a story that two insurgents were killed. I was called on my mobile, and the caller said, ‘Why did you write that?’ I said, ‘It is the truth, I have to write it’. He said, ‘You are going to be in the list which we are going to kill’,” said one journalist.

Censorship and closure
TFG forces have repeatedly closed media outlets, particularly Mogadishu-based radio stations, following news reports that reflected negatively on the TFG or broadcasts of interviews with members of armed opposition groups.

In 2007, these closures had been steadily increasing in duration, with Shabelle Radio and Simba Radio closed from 12 November until 3 December by the Governor of Banadir Region and Mayor of Mogadishu, Mohamed Dheere.

He was quoted ordering media houses to cease reporting on military operations without prior written consent, also warning: "Interviewing government opponents inside and abroad is forbidden and any journalists or any radio station (which) transmits their views… will be considered a criminal."

Media offices attacked
TFG troops attacked the Shabelle Radio office in Mogadishu on 18 October 2007, following a nearby grenade attack against them. They fired automatic weapons into the second and third floor windows for more than five hours, trapping several journalists inside and injuring a security guard.

Journalists told Amnesty International they believed they were going to die, and had called their families to say goodbye.

“We got under the tables. They used a vehicle-mounted machine gun. The bullets came in, smashing all the windows. They were firing for hours. Eventually we escaped one by one from one of the doors at the back. After this, the troops based themselves there at our office, and we weren't able to work until 1 November.”

Two weeks later, a security guard from the office of HornAfrik had his throat cut during a raid by Ethiopian troops. This brutal act prompted many journalists to flee Mogadishu in fear for their own safety.

"When we saw that one of us was slaughtered by the Ethiopian troops, we were afraid that they would do this to us,” one said.

Journalists in Somalia who report on the conflict are vital to the defence of human rights. Michelle Kagari, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme, said they believe attacks on the media are intended to hide violations of those rights.

"The organization is calling on the authorities in Somalia to respect and protect freedom of expression and to protect journalists from systematic attacks. It also calls on Ethiopian forces in Somalia and armed opposition groups to stop the intimidation and attacks against journalists and the media," said Michelle Kagari.

Rendition in the Horn of Africa

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:36:46 +0000

At least 140 men, women and children fleeing conflict in Somalia were arrested by Kenyan authorities between 30 December 2006 and February 2007 as they tried to enter Kenya.

Most detainees were held for weeks without charge and some were reportedly tortured or otherwise ill-treated. Some were allegedly beaten by the Kenyan police and forced to undress before being photographed. The detainees did not have access to their relatives or to lawyers. Some of the detainees were questioned – their interrogators included US agents. They were also denied access to the UN Refugee Agency and to asylum procedures.

What has happened to these 140 people?

85 were unlawfully transferred to Somalia. Four who were UK residents were sent from Somalia to the UK and released, and the remaining 81 were transferred to Ethiopia. The Ethiopian authorities only acknowledge the detention of 41 - 22 of whom were later released and one was brought to military court – and the whereabouts of the remaining 40 detainees are unknown. Several detainees were reportedly tortured or ill-treated in detention. Those still held have no access to a lawyer or their families.

27 were either released in Kenya or sent back to their countries.

Only one detainee was charged in Kenya.

The location of the remaining 27 detainees is unknown.

Amnesty International calls on the Ethiopian, Kenyan and Somali authorities to immediately disclose the fate and whereabouts of all detainees.

Detainees must be promptly charged and tried before an ordinary court or else released. No one should be transferred to the custody of another state unless the transfer is carried out in line with international standards. No detainee should be returned to countries where they could face torture, ill-treatment or other human rights violations.

Spotlight: Women behind bars

At least 13 out of the 81 people rendered to Ethiopia were women. Many had their children with them and some were pregnant. Two reportedly gave birth in custody in Ethiopia. Many of these women were held solely because they are family members of suspected members of al-Qa’ida or of the Council of Somali Islamic Courts.

Their detention violates the right to liberty and security of the person and the right not to be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention.