GUINEA: FIGHTING AND RIOTING ENGULF ANOTHER WEST AFRICAN STATE

The West African country of Guinea appears to have been struck by the curse which has afflicted its West African neighbours of late by succumbing to the political crises which has so far threatened to rip the region apart from itself. Protesters, apparently aping the Arab Spring protests, have taken to the streets over the last couple of days clamouring for the sort of change to which the region has become unfamiliar of late.

 

With the attention of regional diplomats being trained on disturbances afflicting neighbouring Chad, Mali and recently the Ivory Coast, the last thing the regional watchdog ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) envisaged at this most inopportune of times was the upheaval which has emanated from Guinea and which most certainly will have the effect of encumbering its already stretched to the limit resources.

 

The protests, which started several days ago, is said to have been the result of President Alpha Conde’s failure to call for elections before the 3^rd March 2013 deadline which had been set for that purpose and on which most people had relied. The said elections would have taken place on 12^th May 2013. Unfortunately the waters are further muddied by the usual powder keg concoction of ethnic rivalries which when mixed with politics inevitably results in the combustion with which observers of Africa’s fortunes have become too familiar. In this vein, the protests are of added significance not least because it has now transcended mere political disagreements and appear to be a camouflage for the continued feuding between two of the country’s largest ethnic groups, the Malinke and the Peul, with the latter predominantly forming the opposition and the former currently comprising the bulk of the government’s support.
 

At the time of writing, it is reported that at least a dozen people had been killed and over a hundred had suffered injuries following the escalation of the disturbance. At least one of those reported to have lost their lives and several of the injured were said to have been caught up in a round of protests which then led to the country’s security officials opening fire on an unarmed group of protestors. Worryingly the protests, which started in the capital city of Conakry, is now said to have spread to towns located as far as over 200 miles from the epicentre of the unrest. The fact that legitimate protests have apparently been hijacked by miscreants, as has at times been reported on occasions on which there are anti-government protests, cannot be ignored.

 

The leading opposition leader, Cellou Dalein Diallo has blamed the security forces, and by implication, the President for failing to exercise control over them and for attempting to muzzle the voices of protests through intimidation. Mr Diallo asserted: “The President of the Republic has a crucial responsibility to create peace. He needs to agree to listen to others, and to respect his adversaries.” Although there appears to be no end in sight to the rapidly spreading wave of violence, the rioters will best be advised to pause for thought and gaze at their surroundings, comprising landscapes which have been blighted by the scourge of ethnic violence and bringing along with it destruction which will in turn inevitably result in a passage of time to be forever referred to as ‘the lost decades’. Perhaps a look across the horizon and onto neighbouring West African States may well help steer the fortunes of Guinea away from the quagmire into which it stares at the present moment.

SIERRA LEONE: JUSTICE FINALLY CATCHES UP WITH THE WARLORD CHARLES TAYLOR

The long running saga otherwise known as the trial of the former Liberian warlord and President Charles Taylor culminated in a verdict which many anticipated since the commencement of proceedings five years ago. Last week the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague concluded that Taylor had aided and abetted war crimes committed by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels during the course of the Sierra Leone civil war between 1991 and 2002.


Taylor's Charge Sheet

Taylor was convicted of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The specific charges made by prosecutors against Taylor included acts of terrorism, murder, violence to life, murder, rape, sexual slavery and violence, outrages upon personal dignity, cruel treatment, other inhumane acts, use of child soldiers, enslavement and pillage. Taylor is expected to be sentenced later in May of this year although one anticipates an appeal from the ever indignant defendant who continues to maintain his innocence.

The court also ruled that Taylor, 64, had provided weapons, food, medical supplies, fuel and equipment to rebels in Sierra Leone who were directly responsible for committing the crimes on the ground. Perhaps, of surprise to observers was the finding by the trial chamber, of course conveyed by its Presiding Judge, Richard Lussick, that Taylor did not instigate the crimes. In return for the arms and ammunition provided by Taylor, the rebels furnished Taylor with blood or conflict diamonds. One recalls that the matter of “blood diamonds” took centre stage and almost threatened to divert attention from the crux of proceedings when British model Naomi Campbell was summoned to the court to give evidence regarding diamonds allegedly received as a present from Taylor.


Witness Testimonies and Evidence

Evidence heard during the trial read like scenes out of horror movies with witnesses recounting numerous and gruesome incidents of rape in view of the public, enslavement, and people being burned alive, beheadings and disembowelling, amputations and mutilation. The signature attack of the rebels during the conflict was the cutting off above the hand of their victims, commonly known at the time as ‘long sleeves’ or above the elbow, also known as ‘short sleeves’. The Court surmised that the sole purpose of these atrocities was to instil terror in the civilian population.


The Special Court for Sierra Leone

The Special Court for Sierra Leone was founded in 2002 and was accorded the rather unsavoury task of bringing the perpetrators of atrocities committed during the 11-year civil war to justice. The Court has so far been successful at fulfilling its remit of bringing to justice individuals which include feared RUF rebels Issa Hassan Sessay and Augustine Gbao to justice.


Global Reaction

The conviction of Taylor has been welcomed by human rights organisations, world governments, as well as victims and survivors of the atrocities. White House spokesman Jay Carney, in the aftermath of the conviction, said: "While there is no way fully to redress the suffering and loss of those who were killed, tortured, raped, and enslaved in the service of Taylor's criminal schemes, we are hopeful that today's ruling will help to dissuade others who might follow in his footsteps”.

“Taylor's conviction sends a powerful message that even those in the highest-level positions can be held to account for grave crimes," added Elise Keppler, senior counsel for Human Rights Watch, in a statement. Touchingly Halimatou Jalloh, whose sister was raped and killed by the rebels was spotted by Reuters reporters in the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, holding a sign with the words: “Orphans, widows, widowers, rape victims, amputees, and all the war affected, wipe your tears as the dawn of justice has come." Jalloh’s statement couldn’t be more poignant in the circumstances as it succinctly encapsulates the feelings of all those directly and indirectly affected by the Taylor’s deeds.


The Future

One hopes that the conviction of Taylor, once the world’s third most wanted man, will leave individuals of his ilk quaking in their boots, from Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir. Last year the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrested former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo, who is charged with individual responsibility on counts of crimes against humanity, murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution, and other inhuman acts. Gbagbo currently awaits his day in a court which is likely to arrive at the same verdict handed down at the conclusion of Taylor’s trial. The victims and survivors of the brutal war which left 50,000 people dead will sleep easier from this point on, but the scars imprinted by the acts of the soon-to-be-jailed criminal will unfortunately be difficult to erase.

WORLD LOOKS ON AS IVORY COAST TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION IS LAUNCHED

A South African style Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been established in the Ivory Coast in the wake of the country’s civil war. The Commission, launched by President Alassane Ouattara in the last month, is tasked with healing the wounds sustained by the country as a result of the violence which followed last year’s disputed elections. The stand-off between the supporters of the incumbent at the time, Laurent Gbagbo, and his successor, President Ouattara, only ended with United Nations (UN) authorised strikes on the strongholds of the former.

Prior to 1999’s coup d’etat which brought the deposed President Gbagbo to power, the country, which is also the leading producer of cocoa in the world, was one of Africa’s most politically stable countries. The coup thereafter ushered in a period of political instability which culminated in the deadly violence which saw the death of about 3,000 people and the displacement of around 500,000 people in a 5-momth period between December 2010 and April 2011, according to observers and human rights organisations.

The newly sworn in Truth, Reconciliation and Dialogue Commission will consist of 11 members inclusive of civil, political and religious leaders. It was also revealed that Didier Drogba, the country’s most famous sportsman, will sit on the Commission as a representative of Ivory Coast citizens residing outside the country. It is unknown as yet, whether an amnesty, akin to that offered to perpetrators of human rights abuses offering full disclosure before South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, will be given or issued to perpetrators of the violence in the Ivory Coast. President Ouattara opines that the institution of the Commission is essential to the reconstruction of the country in the aftermath of the war. To this effect, President Ouattara states: “the truth means that we need to express ourselves with an open heart, and have the courage to tackle difficult questions such as retaliation as well as the violence perpetrated on our population”.

Whether the work of the Commission will be able to erase the scars left by the civil war remains to be seen. The concept of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission has existed for many years in the form assembled in post-apartheid South Africa or in a derivative format such as Argentina’s National Commission for Forced Disappearances. It is not without its detractors, several of whom assert that the amnesty a times offered to perpetrators of human rights violations in return for a full and frank confession and account of crimes partaken in prevents criminals and murderers from being brought to justice. Additionally, as confessors may become immune from civil or criminal prosecution, it is impossible to ascertain whether the confessors are indeed providing a full account of their criminal actions where confessions are not made under oath. There are also concerns that the survivors are forced to relive the horrors and violence visited upon them through the accounts of the perpetrators.

However, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions have championed a new reconciliatory approach in dealing with human rights violations following periods of civil unrest, political impasse or civil wars as opposed to the more adversarial civil or criminal prosecutions. There is also no doubt that the account provided by perpetrators provides an opportunity to ascertain, analyse and understand the reasoning behind their actions in order to prevent their recurrence in the future. Further and contrary to the views of its critics, the grant of amnesties, as was the case in South Africa, was only sanctioned where the Commission deemed that the crimes were “politically motivated, proportionate, and where full disclosure was given by the person seeking the amnesty”.

It should be noted that UN observers and human rights organisations at the time of the conflict reported that both sides were responsible for carrying out serious human rights abuses; these abuses included rape, torture and summary executions. The fact that only the supporters of the former President, Laurent Gbagbo, have been charged with crimes carried out during the crisis has not escaped the attention of observers. If the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is to be successful, it is important that it is not seen to be an avenue which merely enables the execution of ‘victor’s justice’. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Chairman of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission concurs in averring: “the perception that ‘victor’s justice’ is being applied would greatly undermine the reconciliation process.” Only the bipartisan indictment of soldiers, mercenaries and fighters from both sides and a full and frank disclosure provided by all those involved will lend any sort of credibility to the Commission and set the country on the road back to the recovery it so dearly craves.