CRINMAIL 149:

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Update on Libya, Côte d'Ivoire and Sudan

Anti-government protests have swept the Middle East and North Africa in recent months, with Libya, where protesters have been brutally repressed, now on the verge of all-out civil war. The UN Security Council has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate violence against the protesters in the country after more than 1,000 people were reported to have been killed and many more injured when embattled ruler Muammar Qadhafi's loyalists opened fire on peaceful civilians demanding his ouster.
Reports from the region have revealed children and young people's prominent role in the protests, as well as acts of violence committed against them. CRIN has monitored developments closely – you can read our updates here 

Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, condemned reports of violence against children and their use in armed conflict and reminded all parties of their obligation under international law to protect children during armed clashes and that recruitment and use of children may constitute a war crime. Read Mrs Coomaraswamy's statement  

As these events rage on, we report on other ongoing crises which have slipped out of the limelight. Read our updates on Côte d'Ivoire and Sudan below.

Months after the long-awaited presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire, postponed six times since 2005, Laurent Gbagbo still refuses to leave office after he was defeated by opposition leader Alassane Ouattara. Ongoing fighting between the supporters of the two leaders has so far led to the killing of more than 300 people, while between 200,000 - 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere, including in neighbouring countries. There is an ongoing pattern of human rights violations committed by both parties. A new UN report has highlighted that women and children have been the most affected by post-election conflict in Côte d’Ivoire, and identified areas for urgent and immediate action, including health, water and sanitation, nutrition, and the safety of the population.

The violence is such that, Fatoumata Diaby, a 32-year-old housewife in Avocatier-Abobo, said she worries about what children are seeing. "I am shocked at how young girls and boys are witness to these horrific scenes...". Read more

Officials of Gbagbo’s government, accompanied by armed men, went to the electricity distribution centre in the commercial capital Abidjan on 28 February and cut power off to the central, northern and western regions under the Forces Nouvelles (led by Ouattara) control, for at least three days. As a result vaccines went bad, taps were dry and the families of women in labour are ferrying buckets of water to hospital.

The Special Advisers to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, on the responsibility to protect, on children and armed conflict and on sexual violence in armed conflict, voiced their deep concern over gross human rights violations committed in Côte d’Ivoire since the presidential election took place. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has also announced his intention to send an assessment mission to Côte d’Ivoire to determine whether the situation there warrants his intervention.

Meanwhile, in Sudan, clashes between armed militia and armed forces erupted after the referendum results in favour of the country's secession were officially declared.

UN spokeswoman Hua Jiang said more than 300 women and children fled the disputed Abyei region in Sudan last week after three days of fighting left dozens dead. Read more (arabic)

She said that UN officials have heard sporadic gunshots outside the town of Abyei in the early hours but did not find evidence of any attacks.

Earlier last month, SOS Children's Village reported  that violent clashes had erupted once more in the South Sudanese town of Malakal between armed militias and army troops over the results of a the southern referendum that was officially recognised by Sudan's president Omar Hassan al-Bashir. More than 150 families have sought refuge in the SOS Children's Village.

Somalia: 20 years thirst for drop of peace
Twenty years of armed conflict in Somalia have taken a massive toll on civilians  who are victimised by violence, abuse, disease and poverty. Women and children have been at the brunt of the suffering.
Many experts assert that education is the most affected sector in Mogadishu. A Lecturer at SIMAD University says thousands of students attend their examinations while guarded by gun men to protect them from the different armed militias because there is no government which protects the people. Read more

Children's rights violations in Israel in 2010

Since 2007, a working group has consolidated efforts to monitor and report on grave violations against children in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Violations monitored include killings and injuries, arrests and detentions, ill-treatment and torture, recruitment and use of children by armed forces and groups, attacks on schools and hospitals, displacement, and denial of humanitarian access including access to health and education. The bulletin is published on a bi-monthly basis highlighting trends and patterns in grave violations against children during the reporting period. The 2010 annual review is now available. The working group, led by UNICEF, includes: Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, Save the Children, DCI-Palestine, B’Tselem, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, War Child Holland, OCHA, OHCHR, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNRWA and WHO. Read More

The failure to protect civilians in Afghanistan
There were 2,777 conflict-related civilian deaths in 2010, according to the 2010 Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, prepared by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.
Over the past four years, 8,832 civilians have been killed in the conflict with civilian deaths increasing each year. This week, a NATO air strike killed nine children– aged 12 and under – while they were gathering firewood.
Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, in a statement issued by her office, has urged a review of military procedures in Afghanistan to prevent more children from becoming casualties.

Due to this worsening security environment, every few weeks a new boat carrying Afghani asylum seekers reaches the shores of Christmas Island, Australia. Despite this, last month the Australian government announced the signing of an agreement that will facilitate both forcible and voluntary returns of Afghan asylum seekers who are found not to be refugees under the 1951 Refugee Convention. This fails to acknowledge the deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan and the real security risks that the returnees would face. The Afghan government, as well as UNHCR, lacks the capacity to monitor the safety of individuals that the Australian Government is seeking to return. Read more

Argentina: Military dictators on trial over baby kidnappings
Two former Argentine military dictators have gone on trial charged with the kidnapping of babies allegedly seized from political prisoners and opponents minutes after birth.
Jorge Videla, who ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1981, and Reynaldo Bignone, the last leader of the military regime from 1982 to 1983, are accused along with six other former military figures.
About 500 babies were stolen from their mothers during the dictatorship, according to the campaign group Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo. Read more

DR Congo: UNICEF chief urges better protection from violence for children
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake visited Goma on Monday in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to advocate for greater protection of children as conflict continues to undermine their well-being.
“What can be more repulsive than sexual violence against children, whether in the DRC or elsewhere?” posed Mr. Lake. Last year, 14,591 new cases of sexual violence were reported in DRC, including thousands of child victims, according to UNICEF. Read more

Read more on sexual violence in DRC

Use of child soldiers in Chad persists says a UN report
Ban Ki-moon presented the new report on children and armed conflict in Chad which covers the period from July 2008 to December 2010. The report notes that children continue to be recruited and used by armed forces and other armed groups in Chad, they also continue to be targets of sexual and gender-based violence, and mines and other explosive remnants of war continue to expose children to danger. Download report

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