EXTERNAL (for general distribution)AI Index: AFR 23/02/94

Distr: UA/SC

UA 110/94 Extrajudicial executions / fear for safety

17 March 1994

DJIBOUTI:Extrajudicial executions, 3 - 10 March 1994:

AT ADAÏLOU:At least twenty civilians and Ahmed Nouho Bari, Houmed Firgo Houmed, Mohamed Ali Ahmed

AT TERDO, MABLA REGION:Abdo Ismail Moussa, 60,Ali Houmed Hassan, 78, Osman Abdallah Ali, 60 (school caretaker) and two children, Ahmed Moutouma Afkada, 9, and Moussa Ali Dini, 6

AT AYRI, MABLA REGION:Afada Houmed Otbam, Ismail Omar Houmed, Ahmed Omar Houmed, Mohamed Ali Dini, Hassan Ali Olma, Hassan Ali Derkala, Mohamed Ahmed Afkada

AT BOLLI:Amina Houmed Daido (f), (five months pregnant and on or about 9 Marchand mother of four children)

Amnesty International has received reports of further extrajudicial executions of at least 36 civilians from the Afar ethnic group by government soldiers between 3 and 10 March in the regions of Mabla and Oueima in the north of the country. There has been renewed fighting in this area between government forces and the Front pour la restauration de l'unité et de la démocratie (FRUD, Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy), which is mainly supported by members of the Afar ethnic group in the north. Amnesty International fears for the safety of other civilians from the Afar community.

At least 20 civilians were reportedly killed near Adaïlou following the shelling by soldiers of a cave in which the victims had sought refuge. Other civilians from the same area, including Ahmed Nouho Bari, Houmed Firgo Houmed and Mohamed Ali Ahmed, are also reported to have been executed. At Terdo in the Mabla region five family members from an Afar nomad camp, including two children, (named above) were allegedly executed by government forces. Seven other civilians (named above) are also reported to have been arrested and later killed at Ayri, also in the Mabla region. In Oueima region government forces are said to have deliberately killed at least 20 civilians. In a separate incident at Bolli a woman, Amina Houmed Daido, who was five months pregnant, was reportedly deliberately killed by soldiers.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Between 3 and 10 March 1994 the Djibouti government reportedly carried out a new military offensive against the FRUD in the regions of Mabla and Oueima in the north of Djibouti. It would seem that these recent abuses, also including rape and torture, have been further reprisal actions against civilians from the Afar community. Government forces are also reported to have destroyed wells, livestock and food supplies and looted and burned property.

FRUD has been fighting the government since 1991. A pattern of major human rights abuses by government forces has been reported, with particularly serious incidents in August and September 1993 and January 1994 (see UA 328/93, 16 September 1993 and UA 06/94, 12 January 1994).

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail letters either in French or in your own language:

- expressing concern at the reports of extrajudicial executions mentioned above (cite some names);

- calling for an urgent independent investigation into the reports of the deliberate killings of civilians during the course of military action against FRUD and that any members of the security forces responsible for these abuses be brought to justice;

- urging the authorities to give clear public instructions to the armed forces prohibiting unlawful and arbitrary killings of unarmed civilians.

APPEALS TO:

1) Son Excellence Hassan Gouled Aptidon

Président de la République, La Présidence, BP 6

Djibouti, République de Djibouti

Telegrams: Président Hassan Gouled, Djibouti

Telexes: 5871 DJ

Faxes: + 253 355049 / + 253 350174

Salutation: Monsieur le Président de la République

2) Monsieur Ahmed Boulaleh Barreh

Ministre de la Défense nationale, Ministère de la Défense nationale

BP 1905, Djibouti, République de Djibouti

Telegrams: Ministre de la Défense Barreh, Djibouti

Telexes: 5871 DJ

Faxes: + 253 355049 / + 253 350174

Salutation: Monsieur le Ministre

3) Monsieur Idriss Harbi Farah

Ministre de l'Intérieure, Ministère de l'Intérieure

BP 2086, Djibouti, République de Djibouti

Telegrams: Ministre de l'Intérieure Farah, Djibouti

Telexes: 5871 DJ

Faxes: + 253 355049 / + 253 350174

Salutation: Monsieur le Ministre

4) Monsieur Moumin Bahdon Farah

Ministre de la Justice, Ministère de la Justice

BP 12, Djibouti, République de Djibouti

Telegrams: Ministre de la Justice Farah, Djibouti

Telexes: 5871 DJ

Faxes: + 253 355049 / + 253 350174

Salutation: Monsieur le Ministre

COPIES TO:

Monsieur Mohamed Ali Afkada, Procureur Général, BP 12, Djibouti,

République de Djibouti

Faxes: + 253 355049 / + 253 350174

Monsieur Badoul Said Ibrahim

Président de l'Assemblée National

BP 138, Djibouti, République de Djibouti

BP 138, Djibouti, République de Djibouti

Association pour la défense des droits de l'homme et des libertés

BP 2410, Djibouti, République de Djibouti

and to diplomatic representatives of Djibouti accredited to your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 28 April 1994.