Where Are They Now?: Muammar Qaddafi

Read More Where Are They Now?: Muammar Qaddafi

Although a household name today, Muammar Qaddafi is a man from humble beginnings. He was born in a tent in the Libyan desert in 1942. The nomadic ways of Bedouin life were not in Qaddafi’s dreams, however. As a young man, he studied hard and graduated from military academy in 1965 – and by 1969 had staged a coup and claimed Libya as his own.
 
Driven to succeed, with a singular vision of totalitarian power, Qaddafi eradicated foreign influence from his country and instituted strict Muslim rule. His confidence as a young dictator knew no bounds, as he attempted to purchase nuclear weapons from China and sponsored terrorist attacks across the West. No stranger to international drama, Qaddafi has tousled with nearly every neighboring country throughout his 42-year-rule.
 
In 2011, Libya had had enough. Peaceful protestors took to the streets, clamoring for regime change. Qaddafi guaranteed his notoriety by opening fire on his own people, marking his eviction notice with “Return to Sender” in blood and inciting civil war.
 
Where is Muammar Qaddafi now? No one knows. Although Qaddafi proclaims there is no actual threat to his regime, the leader himself cannot be found and is assumed to have fled the country. His palatial crib is abandoned and the luxuries within have been looted. While the people of Libya no longer want him, the elusive dictator remains in heavy demand by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

al-Bashir to the ICC, Ahmed Haroun to the ICC

Read More al-Bashir to the ICC, Ahmed Haroun to the ICC

Last Friday, Sudanese diaspora, representing the millions of innocent civilians being attacked in Sudan, stood in front of the United Nations and the building housing the Sudanese Mission to the UN and chanted “al-Bashir to the ICC, Ahmed Haroun to the ICC,” over and over.

It was a powerful moment of togetherness. As indicted President al-Bashir continues his campaign of ethnic cleansing in Blue Nile, South Kordafon, and Nuba Mountains, and as he continues his attacks in Darfur, the marginalized groups are coming together to form a united network for peace, protection, and justice for all Sudanese.

As the chants from the crowd roared louder, one man lit his al-Bashir and Haroun wanted poster on fire. From one burning poster, another man lit his, then a woman hers, and then more. Piles of wanted posters burned in front of the Sudanese Mission.

Leaders asked, “What do we want?” and the crowd representing all the marginalized peoples of Sudan replied: “Justice!” 

“When do we want it?” 

“Now.”

Most Wanted: Omar al-Bashir

Read More Most Wanted: Omar al-Bashir

Who?

Omar al-Bashir was welcomed into the world on New Year’s Day, 1944. The son of a farmer, al-Bashir joined the Sudanese Army at the age of 16 and quickly rose to the rank of lieutenant-general, serving the Egyptian Army in the 1973 Yom Kippur War against Israel along the way.

In June 1989, as Sudan was in the midst of a 21-year civil war, al-Bashir led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup, ousting then-Prime Minister Sadiq Al-Mahdi. Disbanding the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation – the military junta that brought to him power – and suspending all rival political parties, he appointed himself President in 1993. Islamic law was introduced and out went music, dance and wedding celebrations. In came the Guardians of Morality and Advocates of the Good, as well as Osama bin Laden.

And so began Bashir’s fierce, detestable grip on power.

Read entire post at IJCentral

Justice Here, There, Anywhere?

Read More Justice Here, There, Anywhere?

There is much speculation about what will happen with the Tripoli Three — Muammar Gaddafi, Saif Gaddafi, and Abdullah al-Senussi — all indicted by the International Criminal Court in a move that is seen as having supported and contributed to the shockingly quick “Responsibility to Protect” military response in Libya.  After what the Libyan people have endured during the last 40 years, many say that they alone should decide, even if the decision is to try the Three in local courts that will more than likely not be prepared for such a task.  Others maintain that the ICC is the most appropriate and only place for them to sit before a judge.

In his blog post “Used and Abandoned: Libya, the UN Security Council and the ICC,” Mark Kersten suggests that it all comes down to politics and interests, with justice losing out.

Kersten says:

If getting a foothold on lucrative oil and reconstruction contracts means acquiescing to a trial of Gaddafi in Libya, then the attitude appears to be: so be it. If that means a trial of the Tripoli Three that isn’t up to the international standards, well, that’s a small price to pay, and who really cares, after his vicious, autocratic tenure that Gaddafi receives a “fair” trial?

Read the entire post at Justice in Conflict

Bashir’s Game

Read More Bashir’s Game

It’s a deadly game, and Sudan’s al-Bashir knows how to play it.  If you’re a soccer fan, this will sound familiar.  In a match, you see a player that plays rough, always at the edge of what’s legal on the field.  He pushes opponents, using shoulders, elbows, and knees.  On contested headers, he goes in elbow up and leading the way.  Now and then, he’ll tackle with the cleats showing.  As the game goes on, an inexperienced, or just plain bad, referee let’s these infractions go—never calling fouls or bringing out a yellow card.  The rough player gets rougher, knowing that he will likely not be penalized.  The cleats come up more. The elbow locks in on the opponent’s head.  The game gets out of hand.  Players get hurt.

In Sudan, Bashir knows that he will not be penalized.  He kills and kills, and he’s never made to pay.  He and his regime operate with impunity, knowing that the referee, the international community, is weak or not there at all.

In a recent The Independent article, John Prendergast, from the Enough Project, says:

“This is simply a continuation of the approach Khartoum has taken with any restive population anywhere in Sudan. Aerial bombardment, denial of emergency aid, targeting civilians on the basis of their ethnicity, have all been trademark tactics the regime has used for 22 years.

“Usually, though, there isn’t hard evidence. The satellite imagery provides that. We’ve seen the world act in response to human rights issues in Egypt, Libya and Syria. When will the people of Sudan get their turn?”

Read the entire article at The Independent

Healing in Uganda

Read More Healing in Uganda

Joseph Kony, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes agains humanity, has been terrorizing Northern Uganda and neighboring countries — including Sudan, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo — since 1986. His crimes are large in scale. They are mass atrocities. Within the mass, though, there is the individual stories, and these stories of the victims and survivors must be told and heard. The healing of the victims and affected community must be a part of the justice process.

The Enough Project tells the story of former child soldier Nelson Ochaya. In his healing process, Nelson is helping other former child soldiers start a new life.

Nelson Ochaya: Supporting Other Former Child Soldiers

Nelson Ochaya, a former LRA child soldier, shares his story of abduction and escape, and how his experience inspired him to work toward educating and reintegrating other former child soldiers.

Nelson lived in a village near Gulu, the main town of northern Uganda. He was twelve years old at the time of his abduction by the LRA. He had heard the LRA was in his village, so he ran away and hid with his father. When they were on their way home, they ran into the rebels. He and his father were tied up. But he knew that if he admitted that he was with his father, he would be forced to kill him so he wouldn’t run away and return to his village. So he denied that his father was beside him.

Read the entire story at the Enough Project Blog

A New Directive on Mass Atrocities: Will it Bring New Results?

Darfur refugees in 2007. The Obama administration says it is strengthening its response to potential genocide and mass atrocities.

The Obama administration recently released its much anticipated Directive on Mass Atrocities.  Human rights groups see it as a positive step in mass atrocities and genocide prevention.  As with previous efforts, it is clear that directives, laws, and resolutions have to be put in to action in real situations, if they are to save lives.  It is also clear that citizens around the world must stay active and engaged in the movement to end impunity and stop mass atrocities. Without citizen action, leaders tend to take the path of least resistance and risk.

Read about the Directive and the prevention board created through it in this Chicago Times article, by Lynn Sweet.

Samantha Power, Obama’s anti-genocide advisor, unveils new “Atrocities Prevention Board”

By Lynn Sweet on August 8, 2011 9:17 AM

WASHINGTON—The Obama White House issued new measures on Friday to prevent genocides and mass atrocities, creating an “Atrocities Prevention Board” in the wake of the failure of the “Never Again” vow taken following the German Holocaust to stop the murders of entire populations.

Obama’s directive forming the board states: “Preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility of the United States of America.” The directive creates an important new tool in this effort, establishing a standing interagency Atrocities Prevention Board with the authority to develop prevention strategies and to ensure that concerns are elevated for senior decision-making so that we are better able to work with our allies and partners to be responsive to early warning signs and prevent potential atrocities. The directive recognizes that preventing mass atrocities is a responsibility that all nations share and that other countries must also be enlisted to respond to particular crises. Therefore, the directive calls for a strategy for engaging key regional allies and partners so that they are prepared to accept greater responsibility for preventing and responding to crimes against humanity.”

Read the entire article at the Sun Times website

Peace Begins with Justice

“Justice.  Without justice there is no peace.  If you start with justice, peace follows.  Then we can go home.”

-Darfuri Refugee

Years ago, I worked as a counselor for families with heavy behavior problems that had entered “the system” because of some form of child abuse.  The parents always thought that it would be my job to “fix” their kids.  With little exception, I focused on the behavior of the mother and/or father and on how they could better parent their kids using consequences – good and bad – depending on the behavior.  The households were chaotic, traumatic, and sad.  There was extreme abuse.  The problem behavior and the response from the family members continued and continued – and continued – in the same misguided pattern.  The problems would get worse.

My current job also deals with heavy behavior problems, but these problems and the response by the international community have resulted in millions of people being killed, millions more displaced, and human rights abuses such as mass rape and child-soldiering.

Over the last six years, I have spent many hours sitting with families that are the victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.  The horrors they share are devastating to me as a listener.  I cannot even imagine what it might have been like to experience.  A father seeing his sons killed.  A brother seeing his sister raped.  A mother walking across the desert, her home in flames and separated from some her children, unsure if they would survive.  No matter who I meet from hundreds of thousands of refugees in camps, they all have a tragic story to tell.

The International Criminal Court has declared what has happened in Darfur as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.  Darfur is the homeland of those we visit in refugee camps in Chad.  The perpetrators, including the sitting president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, still walk free.  They continue to commit the exact same crimes they have been committing for decades.  Darfur is a chaotic, dangerous, and sad place.  The consequences coming from the international community have also continued and continued – and continued – in the same misguided pattern, and the problems only get worse.

Omar al-Bashir and others continue with their criminal behavior because they operate with impunity, and they continue to receive positive consequences (better known as rewards!) for their actions.  Why change?  It is a basic of behavioral science: people will continue to do what they are doing, if they continue to get what they want, and they don’t have to pay for it.

Enter justice.  It is the one essential component that Darfuri refugees tell us will begin the process of returning to normal, peaceful lives.  We were in a refugee camp very close to the Chad-Sudan border just weeks after the first arrest warrants were announced by the ICC.  Close to 30,000 refugees living in this camp have endured body and spirit-breaking hardship.  They have waited for over seven years, watching the sands of the Sahara begin to eat away their camp, for the international community to act on their behalf.  They have very little to celebrate and much to lament.  When they heard news reports over radio about the arrest warrants in the middle of the night, messengers ran through the pitch dark camp shouting the good news.  A full on celebration began and continued through the rising of the sun and setting again the next day.

Luis Moreno Ocampo, the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, became an instant hero.  There are now many Darfuri children named Ocampo.  The Darfuris I have met have a strong sense of justice.  They believe it is above them and everyone.  A young mother told us that if her son had committed war crimes, she would want him to face justice.  No one should be exempt – much less the ones guilty of dropping bombs on the homes of innocent civilians, killing men and boys, raping women and children, and displacing millions that continue in danger of more violence, illness, and starvation.

Analysts, intellectuals, pundits, diplomats, and activists immediately started the “peace vs. justice” debate.  Many believe that justice must take a backseat to peace, and that seeking justice is actually a threat to peace and to the security of the victims.  al-Bashir’s expulsion of sixteen aid organizations working inside Darfur seemed to give the upper hand to the “peace” side of the debate.  The blame for the expulsion disappeared from al-Bashir’s hand and magically appeared in the hand of justice.  Also minimized was the fact that the Sudanese government did not need the “justice excuse” to consistently control aid and resources in Darfur, continue its support of the Janjaweed attacks, repeatedly bomb villages, and maintain a state of designed chaos – with innocent civilians suffering and dying in the process.

When we asked the survivors, they did not understand the debate.  “It is not ‘peace vs. Justice’ or even ‘peace or justice,’” they said.  “It is peace AND justice.  They come together, and one cannot happen without the other.”  What about the risks to them and their families, inside of Darfur and in the camps in Chad?  Another strange question to them.  “What have we been experiencing for the last six years?”

A comprehensive and restorative approach to justice will not only deal with the behavior and actions of criminals like al-Bashir, Kony, Gaddafi (each of these names can be a link to their EI wanted page), and others, but will also allow victims to heal and return to a life of dignity.  It does not stop there.  The positive ripple effect spreads to other areas of the world and into the future.  Other potential mass-criminals will know that mass-crimes will result in consequences they will not like.  They will know that justice is an essential and inevitable part of how the world responds to the worst of the worst crimes against humanity.

Adam, a Darfuri refugee that is now a good friend once told me, “Justice is a way to mend the damage.”  After justice, “then we will forgive.”

The campaign to end impunity has been taken on by many people around the world.  Victims are the strongest in their conviction, despite the dangers they face – but activists and regular citizens in places far away from where the crimes take place are also playing an important role.  We must be louder and more visible.

Will you join? 

Gabriel Stauring

Gabriel is the Co-founder of Stop Genocide Now and has visited Darfuri refugee camps ten times over the last six years.

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About Us

Welcome to End Impunity. A campaign to stop mass atrocities going unpunished, seek prosecution of the perpetrators, restore dignity to the victims, and provide healing to the affected communities.