Web pages about "Armed Conflict"

Colombian president should stop false accusations against human rights groups

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:22:36 +0000

President Álvaro Uribe of Colombia should stop making false and dangerous accusations against human rights defenders, according to a joint statement released on 19 November.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) released the statement after both organizations were verbally attacked by President Uribe, for issuing reports in October criticizing his government.

After its report was released, President Uribe accused Amnesty International of "blindness", "fanaticism" and "dogmatism". He also publicly accused José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at HRW, of being a "supporter" and an “accomplice" of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas.

In the joint statement, both organizations have called on President Uribe to stop making accusations and to instead address the human rights concerns raised by the reports.

"We would welcome a chance to debate the real issues with the president," said Susan Lee, Americas director for Amnesty International. "But these statements belittle his office and give a green light to those who wish to harm human rights activists in Colombia."

Amnesty International and HRW are still waiting for the Colombian government to provide measured and detailed responses to the serious human rights concerns raised in their two reports.

HRW's report, Breaking the Grip? Obstacles to Justice for Paramilitary Mafias in Colombia assessed Colombia's progress toward investigating and breaking the influence that paramilitaries have over many state institutions. It also described how government actions were deliberately sabotaging those investigations.

Amnesty International's report, Leave us in peace! Targeting civilians in Colombia's internal armed conflict said that the Colombian government was in denial about its human rights situation. Despite increasing reports of forced internal displacement, attacks against social and human rights activists and killings by security forces, the Colombian authorities are attempting to convince the international community that the human rights situation is improving.

Earlier this year, after a presidential adviser, José Obdulio Gaviria, publicly suggested that organizers of a protest against paramilitary death squads had links to guerrillas, there was a wave of threats and violence against participants and organizers of the march, including killings.

Amnesty International and HRW noted that President Uribe and other senior officials have often made similar accusations against those who criticize or stand in the way of his policies, including not only international and Colombian human rights groups, but also the Colombian Supreme Court, trade unionists and prominent journalists.

"These ridiculous accusations are symptomatic of an administration that refuses to be held accountable for what it does," said Vivanco of HRW. "Instead of taking the country's human rights problems seriously, the Uribe government has sought to deflect criticism by simply accusing the critics – no matter who they are – of links to guerrillas.

Colombia's internal armed conflict has pitted the security forces and paramilitaries against guerrilla groups for over 40 years. It has been marked by extraordinary levels of human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) committed by the security forces, paramilitaries and guerrilla groups, with civilians by far the principal victims - tens of thousands have been killed, with thousands more subjected to enforced disappearance and millions forcibly displaced from their homes.

The government of President Uribe came to office in 2002, only one year after the September 2001 attacks in the USA. It has repeatedly sought to deny that an armed conflict exists in Colombia, opting to define hostilities instead as part of the international "war on terror".

In contrast, numerous international bodies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, have consistently defined the situation in Colombia as one of internal armed conflict.

Sri Lankan government must act now to protect 300,000 displaced

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:09:59 +0000

The humanitarian crisis in the Wanni region of northern Sri Lanka is worsening as the government fails to provide shelter and protect over 300,000 displaced civilians.

Tens of thousands of families are now enduring the monsoon season with limited food, shelter, water or sanitation. They fled their homes to escape the fighting between the Sri Lankan military and the opposing Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

These civilians are trapped in the LTTE-controlled Wanni region. The Tigers continue to forcibly recruit one person per family with recent steep recruitment of younger people. The LTTE have hindered people from moving to safer places by imposing a strict pass system.

In some instances they have forced family members to stay behind to ensure the return of the rest of the family. The LTTE also controls the movement of displaced people within the Wanni. These measures seem designed in part to use civilians as a buffer against government forces.

Denied outside aid and humanitarian assistance
In September, the Sri Lankan government ordered the United Nations (UN) and non-governmental aid workers to leave the region. The government then assumed total responsibility for ensuring the needs of the civilian population affected by the hostilities are met.

As yet, despite assurances that it has the situation under control, there is evidence to suggest that the Government of Sri Lanka lacks the capacity to provide the required humanitarian relief to displaced people and the civilian population in the Wanni.

In particular, the government agencies and their staff will face difficulties in responding to the needs of the displaced without the assistance of the humanitarian agencies. The Indian government has recognised the gravity of the situation by choosing to send 2,000 tonnes of relief material to Sri Lanka. The deliveries are to be managed through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The Sri Lankan government has refused to allow independent international monitors into the Wanni to oversee and ensure that convoys with food, medical and other essential supplies enter into the area, as well as to oversee the distribution of such supplies.

Severe food shortages
According to the World Food Programme WFP standard food list, approximately 773 tonnes of food is required per week to feed the 230,000 currently registered under the WFP scheme in the Wanni. The last three convoys only carried 650 tonnes, 750 tonnes and 462 tonnes of food each. So, immediate and long term food security remains an issue.

It is estimated that approximately 35 percent of the Wanni's rice and vegetable producing areas are no longer accessible. Displaced people report that they are already pawning or selling jewellery to buy basic food items. Lactating mothers and infants are especially vulnerable as they are not receiving adequate supplementary food to meet their specific needs.

Tens of thousands without shelter
By the time aid agencies had left on 16 September, they had built 2,100 temporary shelters. Government agents for the Kilinochchi and Mulaithivu districts have estimated that at least 20,000 families are in need of shelter. The Government of Sri Lanka's recent suggestion that cadjan (palm leaf) is appropriate shelter does not live up to the minimum standards required for the shelter needs of the displaced. Many families are living in the open under makeshift shelters.

Many displaced people have gathered in areas that were once paddy land and prone to flooding. Shelter agencies had previously assessed some of this land as potential sites for displaced people and found them unsuitable.

Recent images from the Wanni show that people have torn up rice sacks to hang over bits of wood in a desperate attempt to make their own shelters. Without proper shelter people are having problems keeping food and other essentials dry and are more vulnerable to snakes.

"People's access to livelihoods has shrunk. There's no boat fishing and many people are displaced from paddy lands...many of their fields are now conflict zones and full of unexploded ordnance," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.

Lack of sanitation, safe drinking water and medicine
The heavy monsoon rains last until mid February. The average monthly rainfall at the moment is 300mm. While the rains have slowed down the fighting, they have wreaked havoc on the displaced population. There is an increased risk of disease outbreak with limited access to medicines. The healthcare system in the Wanni desperately needs staff and supplies as hospitals have closed or been forced to move with the relocation of displaced populations. If malaria cases develop patients will find it hard to access relevant treatment.

Local authorities have estimated 5,230 temporary toilets are needed. Ninety five percent of the displaced do not have proper latrine facilities, leave aside having separate toilet and sanitation facilities to meet the practical gender needs of women, according to local NGO workers who were engaged in constructing temporary toilets.

Due to a blockade of cement, toilets cannot be built in the standard method and the Wanni health authorities have approved a toilet with the basin set on wooden floor and drums sunk into the ground as pits. Unless immediate action is taken Wanni health authorities fear it may be too late to save the displaced population from outbreak of epidemics.

Acute shortage of safe drinking water has already precipitated a crisis resulting in the development of various water-borne ailments including diarrhoea. Health officials said the safe water and sanitation in the region has become a major problem causing infections.

Amnesty International is calling upon the Sri Lankan government to give assurances of unimpeded humanitarian access to provide for the immediate material needs of the displaced and assure their safety. The government must ensure the safety and support of humanitarian workers and their families, especially those who remain in the Wanni.

"The Sri Lankan government and the LTTE must allow international monitors to assess the needs of the thousands of people trapped in the Wanni and to ensure proper distribution of food and other resources. Furthermore, international staff played an indispensable role in protecting local humanitarian aid workers from the LTTE’s abuses," said Sam Zarifi.

Counting the civilian cost of the Georgia-Russia conflict

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:54:43 +0000

The five-day war between Georgia and the Russian Federation has had serious and lasting consequences for the civilian population caught in the crossfire.

A new Amnesty International report, Civilians in the line of fire: The Georgia-Russia conflict, says that over 20,000 ethnic Georgians are still unable to return to their homes in South Ossetia, while many of those, on both sides of the conflict, who have gone back have found their homes pillaged or destroyed..

Published 100 days after the conflict, the report is based on several research missions to the main areas of the conflict carried out as early as August and as late as October 2008. It says that all parties failed to take necessary measures to protect civilians from the hostilities of 7-13 August.

Evidence gathered for the report also strongly suggests that serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law were committed by all parties, both during the course of the conflict and in its aftermath.

Villages and residential areas in towns were bombed and shelled, and some civilians reported being bombed while fleeing their villages.

The overall number of civilian deaths outnumbered that of combatants and, in communities across the conflict divide, homes, hospitals, schools and other mainstays of civilian life were damaged or destroyed.

Extensive pillaging and arson by militia groups loyal to South Ossetia wrought large-scale destruction to several Georgian-majority settlements on territory controlled by Russian armed forces at the time.

Cluster bombs were fired on and near inhabited areas by both Georgia and Russia, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and the contamination of large areas of land with unexploded ordnance. They continue to present risk as civilians return home after the conflict.

The conflict displaced nearly 200,000 people at its peak and leaves a legacy of long-term displacement. The security situation along the de facto border dividing South Ossetia from the rest of Georgia remains extremely tense, meaning that tens of thousands are unable to return home in the foreseeable future.

"A new twilight zone has been created along the de facto border between South Ossetia and the rest of Georgia, into which people stray at their peril," said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International. "Looting, shooting, explosions and abductions have all been reported in the last few weeks."

The Georgians and the Russians have accused each other of war crimes for their conduct during the conflict. As the war recedes, Amnesty international is calling for the parties to the conflict to investigate all allegations thoroughly, impartially, and to bring those responsible to justice.

Given the evidence of serious violations of international law by all parties to the conflict, Amnesty International also calls on all parties to agree to an enquiry by the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) and to report publicly on its findings.

"International monitors must be allowed to go to all places and all sides need to intensify their efforts to guarantee the safe return of displaced people without discrimination," said Nicola Duckworth, "There can be no reconciliation, and no lasting peace, without truth and accountability."

Amnesty International is further calling on all parties to take the necessary measures to guarantee the security of all persons in the conflict-affected areas and ensure conditions allowing displaced persons to return in safety and dignity.

NGOs call for UN session on the Democratic Republic of Congo

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:06:37 +0000

A group of over forty non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have called on the UN Human Rights Council to convene a special session on the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) without delay. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and more than forty other organizations active in Africa warned on Monday that the situation in the eastern DRC is at risk of turning into a humanitarian catastrophe, as the civilian death toll continues to rise.

In a letter sent today to Ambassador Martin Uhomoibi, President of the UN Human Rights Council, the organizations called on the Human Rights Council to use this special session to foster effective measures to protect the thousands of civilians suffering and at risk in the region.

Specifically, the organizations asked the Council to appoint a Special Envoy for the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to report on the human rights situation and recommend the concrete steps needed to respond to it.

In the letter, the organizations said to Ambassador Uhomoibi:
"The hostilities in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have already taken a devastating toll on civilians. Everything possible should be done to prevent a further deterioration of an already dire situation. The Human Rights Council must not to turn its back on the victims of the Democratic Republic of Congo."

At least 250,000 civilians, most of them women and children, have been displaced by recent fighting in the eastern DRC. This has brought the total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in North Kivu from this and previous rounds of conflict to well over one million and to as high as 1.6 million according to some estimates.

Most are in a desperate situation, without sufficient food, water, medical supplies or shelter.

International humanitarian operations are only just restarting after the fighting, many IDPs remain inaccessible and some humanitarian operations are suspended because of the fragile security situation. Fighting has continued close to Kanyabayonga, a strategic town around 80km north of Goma, which controls road access to the north. There have been continuing reports of unlawful killings of civilians, rapes, forced recruitments and extensive looting in the conflict zones.

The Human Rights Council is required to convene in special session if a request is made by sixteen members of the Council to the President and the Secretariat of the Council. A special session must be convened as soon as possible after a formal request is made, in principle not earlier than two working days and not later than five working days after the receipt of the request.

Protect the people of DRC

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:18:22 +0000

Over one million civilians, most of them women and children, have been displaced by fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the North Kivu region is as high as 1.6 million according to some estimates.

Most are in a desperate situation, without sufficient food, water, medical supplies or shelter.

Fighting has continued in North Kivu despite a unilateral ceasefire declared by the armed group, the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), on 29 October.

Amnesty International continues to receive reports of serious human rights abuses, including unlawful killings of civilians, rape and forced recruitment, and of extensive looting in the conflict zones

Humanitarian agencies are doing their utmost to bring aid to displaced people, but are close to being overwhelmed by the scale of the suffering. Many IDPs remain inaccessible and some humanitarian operations are suspended because of the fragile security situation.

Amnesty International welcomes the UN SC resolution authorizing the reinforcement of MONUC, the UN peacekeeping force in the DRC, but reminds international community that the human rights and humanitarian urgency in eastern DRC remains the same - every day of delay is costing lives. Urgent implementation of the resolution is needed.

Amnesty International calls upon states to make urgent contributions of troops and equipment to MONUC, with a view to having this equipment and personnel on the ground in the shortest possible time. EU states in particular should prioritize bilateral contributions to MONUC of equipment such as helicopters and transport aircraft, and specialist military units such as engineers and intelligence personnel, as well as infantry.

To help save lives in the DRC, the UNSC must make the protection of civilians a clear and robust priority for MONUC, and to devote the maximum possible of MONUC resources and efforts to this end.

READ MORE:

NGOs call for UN session on the Democratic Republic of Congo (News story, 18 November 2008)

Photo: Displaced people in Kibati camp, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), November 2008. © UNHCR/P. Taggart

Ugandan government must establish reparations programme for war victims

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:19:47 +0000

During northern Uganda's 20-year conflict between the Government of Uganda's (GoU) armed forces and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), widespread human rights abuses were committed by both sides.

Amnesty International documented the LRA's abduction of thousands of children and adults, unlawful killing of thousands of civilians, the rape of thousands of women and beatings of men, women and children during the 1986-2006 conflict.

The organization also documented human rights violations committed by the government's Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF). These included unlawful killings, rape and beatings of civilians. There was general impunity for soldiers who committed human rights violations against civilians.

The government of northern Uganda should establish an effective reparations programme for those victims of the conflict, according to a new Amnesty International report.

Left to their own devices examines the continued suffering of the victims of the hostilities and makes recommendations to the government on how to deal with the aftermath of the human rights violations that took place there.

Also documented as one of the most enduring effects of the conflict on civilians was, and remains, the massive displacement of about 1.8 million people from their homes into internally displaced persons' (IDPs) camps in which living conditions were often dire for IDPs in relation to shelter, hygiene, health and nutrition.

An Amnesty International delegation visited the northern Uganda districts of Gulu, Amuru, Kitgum, Pader and Lira in August 2008 and interviewed hundreds of victims of human rights violations suffered during the conflict. Amnesty International delegates also met with government officials and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including victims' groups.

Victims expressed the urgent need for the government to put in place an action plan, in consultation with them, to provide reparations, which addresses their current suffering. Victims and survivors of human rights violations committed during the conflict include victims of sexual and gender-based violence, formerly abducted youth and adults, survivors of killings and torture and those who still don't know where their loved ones are. They still bear the scars of these violations, many years after they were committed. Little has been done to ensure that victims and survivors have access to full and effective reparations that address their continued suffering and help them to rebuild their lives.

The government's Peace Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP) for northern Uganda, launched in September 2007, while proposing government policy on post-conflict recovery and development, does not establish a program which addresses the reparation needs of victims.

In addition, the two Agreements signed between the GoU and the LRA (on Accountability and Reconciliation; and Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration) under the auspices of the peace process attempt to lay a framework for reparations but contain significant flaws.

These Agreements do not ensure that the proposed framework for reparation will be informed by wide consultation with victims and survivors. Even with the PRDP and the two Agreements, it is not clear if, when, and what type of reparations will be granted to victims and survivors.

Amnesty International is calling on the government of Uganda to establish an effective reparations program which is victim focused, comprehensive, consultative with victims and the civil society and properly resourced. Such a program should provide for the five recognized forms of reparations: restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition.

The organization says that the program should deal with immediate challenges resulting from the conflict, including educational challenges/needs for children and youth; urgent medical treatment; medical psycho-social support and counselling on trauma and psychological effects of those affected by the conflict (including female victims); improved livelihoods to victims and survivors and an urgent inquiry into the whereabouts and fate of persons abducted by the LRA.

Amnesty International is also making recommendations to the international community, including the United Nations and key donors and the civil society to lobby for, support and participate in the establishment of a reparations program for victims and survivors of human rights violations committed during the conflict.

Israeli army blocks deliveries to Gaza

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:42:22 +0000

The Israeli army has completely blocked the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip for more than a week. Very little fuel has been allowed in. Amnesty International urged the Israeli authorities on Friday to allow their immediate passage.

"This latest tightening of the Israeli blockade has made an already dire humanitarian situation markedly worse. It is nothing short of collective punishment on Gaza's civilian population and it must stop immediately," said Philip Luther, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Eighty per cent of the population of Gaza has been dependent on the trickle of humanitarian aid previously allowed into Gaza until Wednesday, 5 November. Industrial fuel, which is donated by the European Union and needed to power Gaza's power plant, has also been blocked, causing a blackout in large parts of Gaza.

"Today I went to look for bread in several bakeries but couldn’t find any," Abu Khalil, a resident of Gaza City, told Amnesty International on Thursday evening. "There is no electricity, it's pitch dark.

"A few months ago, we bought an electric cooker because cooking gas is difficult to find and very expensive, but now without electricity we can't even cook. We are sitting at home in the dark; the children don't know what to do with themselves. We can’t do anything. Until when can we live like this?"

Other residents of Gaza told Amnesty International that they could not even find candles in the market any more. They said that the few people who have back generators in their homes and who still have fuel do not dare to use them because nobody knows when the blackout will end.

The United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA), the main UN aid agency, which provides humanitarian assistance to close to one million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, announced on Thursday that its supplies had run out.

John Ging, UNRWA’s head of operations in Gaza, told the media: "We have been working here from hand to mouth for quite a long time now, so these restrictions affect us immediately."

The agency had been warning for some days that its supplies were running out.

At the same time, the Israeli authorities have been denying access to Gaza to foreign journalists for a week and a convoy of European diplomats were likewise refused entry on Thursday.

"Gaza is cut off from the outside world and Israel is seemingly not keen for the world to see the suffering that its blockade is causing the one and a half million Palestinians who are virtually trapped there,” said Philip Luther.

The breakdown last week of a five-and-a-half-month ceasefire between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in Gaza has generated a renewed wave of violence. The killing of six Palestinian militants in Israeli air strikes and ground attacks on 4 November prompted a barrage of Palestinian rockets on nearby Israeli towns and villages.

Five other Palestinian militants have been killed by Israeli forces in recent days. Palestinian rocket attacks have continued. No Israeli casualties had been reported until earlier today, when one Israeli was lightly wounded by shrapnel in an attack on the Israeli city of Sderot.

"This dangerous spate of attacks and counter-attacks must be swiftly halted. Both sides know from past experience that their actions are putting the lives of the civilian populations of Gaza and southern Israel at risk,” said Philip Luther.

Prior to the coming into effect of the ceasefire on 19 June 2008, some 420 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces, half of them unarmed civilians, including some 80 children, since the beginning of the year. In the same period, Palestinian armed groups killed 24 Israelis, 15 of them civilians, including four children.

The five-and-a-half-month ceasefire had brought a welcome respite for the civilian populations in Gaza and southern Israel. Daily attacks had blighted their lives for the past eight years, during which some 4,750 Palestinians and 1,100 Israelis were killed.

Most of the victims on both sides have been unarmed civilians, including some 900 Palestinian children and 120 Israeli children.

Fighting in Democratic Republic of Congo causes humanitarian tragedy

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:14:58 +0000

Fighting continues on several fronts in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo despite a unilateral ceasefire declared by the armed group, the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), on 29 October. The CNDP's offensive in October forced a routed government army and hundreds of thousands of civilians down roads towards the provincial capital, Goma.

More than 250,000 people have so far fled the ongoing violence, bringing the total number of displaced people in the province to at least 1.2 million and possibly higher. Most are now living in displaced camps in the narrow belt of land that is still under government control around Goma.

"A human rights and humanitarian tragedy is underway in North Kivu province, but the UN Security Council, the European Union and African Union are sitting on their hands," said Andrew Philip, Amnesty International's researcher on Democratic Republic of Congo. "They have so far failed to give the UN peacekeeping force, MONUC, the reinforcements and equipment it needs to provide effective protection to civilians."

Conditions in the camps are said to be disastrous. New camps, many without latrines, potable water and shelters are still springing up. Some camps are within a few hundred metres of the front lines.

Dozens of cases of cholera have begun to be reported. Humanitarian agencies are doing their utmost to bring aid to these displaced, but are close to being overwhelmed by the scale of the suffering.

In the larger part of the province, in areas under armed group control or otherwise inaccessible to humanitarian aid, tens of thousands of displaced are unaccounted for and living without any organized assistance.

The human rights situation is no less deadly. On the night of 5/6 November, after fierce fighting between the CNDP armed group and pro-government mayi-mayi militia for control of the town of Kiwanja, CNDP fighters reportedly went from house to house, searching for mayi-mayi members they believed were hiding inside.

Witnesses told Amnesty International that large numbers of men, residents of Kiwanja, mainly aged between 18 and 30, "young fathers and newly-weds” (“jeunes papas et nouveaux mariés"), were taken from their homes and deliberately killed by the CNDP. Mayi-mayi fighters also reportedly unlawfully killed civilians they suspected of being CNDP supporters in and around Kiwanja.

Seventy-two people have so far been buried in the town, according to reports received by Amnesty International, some apparently killed by crossfire during the fighting, but many others in its aftermath. The bodies bear gunshot and stab wounds.

In Goma, on the night of 29/30 October, at least 18 killings were reported, most apparently victims of armed robbery and looting by government soldiers retreating through the city.

Amnesty International continues to receive daily reports of other war crimes and serious human rights abuses. In Masisi and Rutshuru territories, widespread abductions of children for use as child fighters, as well as rapes and killings of civilians are ongoing.

The crisis has unleashed a wave of high-level diplomatic activity, including a regional African Heads of State summit, chaired by the UN Secretary-General, to address the crisis, and missions by UN and AU Special Envoys as well as by senior US and EU politicians.

"But these diplomatic coming and goings have so far saved not one life; have opened up not one road for much-needed humanitarian aid," said Andrew Philip. "Many governments have expressed support for reinforcing MONUC, but so far the Security Council has not authorized deployment of the additional troops and specialist personnel and equipment MONUC says it needs.

Amnesty International is urging the international community to:

make no more excuses.
reinforce MONUC now.
create safe corridors for humanitarian aid throughout North Kivu.
put concerted international pressure on the fighting forces to halt all human rights abuses.

Gaza ceasefire at risk

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:07:34 +0000

A spate of Israeli and Palestinian attacks and counter-attacks in the past 24 hours could spell the end of a five-and-a-half-month ceasefire. This would once again put the civilian populations of Gaza and southern Israel in the line of fire.

The killing of six Palestinian militants in Gaza by Israeli forces in a ground incursion and air strikes on 4 November was followed by a barrage of dozens of Palestinian rockets on nearby towns and villages in the south of Israel. The Palestinian attacks caused no casualties or damage, but there is a real risk that any further armed actions by either side would risk igniting another deadly campaign.

The ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hamas last June and has been in force since then. It has been the single most important factor in reducing civilian casualties and attacks on civilians to the lowest level since the outbreak of the uprising (intifada) more than eight years ago.

The ceasefire has brought enormous improvements in the quality of life in Sderot and other Israeli villages near Gaza, where before the ceasefire residents lived in fear of the next Palestinian rocket strike. However, nearby in the Gaza Strip the Israeli blockade remains in place and the population has so far seen few dividends from the ceasefire. Since June 2007, the entire population of 1.5 million Palestinians has been trapped in Gaza, with dwindling resources and an economy in ruins. Some 80 percent of the population now depend on the trickle of international aid that the Israeli army allows in.

Before the ceasefire came into force on 19 June 2008, in the first half of the year, some 420 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, half of them unarmed civilians, including some 80 children. In the same period, Palestinian armed groups killed 24 Israelis, 15 of them civilians, including four children.

In the past eight years, the Israeli-Palestinian violence has cost the lives of some 4,750 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis. Most of the victims on both sides have been unarmed civilians, including some 900 Palestinian children and 120 Israeli children.

"If the current ceasefire breaks down and daily attacks resume, the civilian populations in both Israel and Gaza will pay the highest price," said Donatella Rovera of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme. "Both sides need to step back from the brink and avoid, at all costs, a return to the vicious spiral of violence which has cost so much in human lives."

Thousands flee fighting in DRC

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:43:13 +0000

The humanitarian and human rights crisis in North Kivu province, eastern DRC is worsening rapidly as rebel forces of the CNDP threaten to overwhelm government troops and the embattled UN peacekeeping force, MONUC.

On 28 October the CNDP, under the command of renegade Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda, marched into the town of Rutshuru. The CNDP is now advancing on the eastern provincial capital of Goma.

Fleeing in panic before the rebel advance are tens of thousands of civilians, forced to abandon camps and villages to the north of Goma amid fighting between rebel and government forces.

MONUC is stretched to its limits. Although, at 17,000 strong, the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world, MONUC has struggled to fulfil its mandate in this vast country.

Earlier this month Alan Doss, head of the UN Mission in the DRC, asked the Security Council for more peacekeepers, air support and other equipment. The Security Council has not yet indicated whether it will authorize this reinforcement.

Protests have been staged against MONUC's inability to deal with the worsening violence and to protect civilians.

The violence has led to a fresh breakdown in relations between the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda. The DRC government has accused Rwanda of supporting the CNDP, while Rwanda accuses the DRC army of siding with the Rwandan Hutu armed group, the FDLR.

Fighting in North Kivu has intensified since August 2008. More than 1 million people are estimated to have been displaced by this and previous rounds of conflict in the province.

Amnesty International is appealing to the UN Security Council to urgently reinforce the UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and give it all the necessary support to enable it to fulfil its mandate to protect civilians.

The organization is also calling for high-level international pressure on the DRC and Rwanda to resolve their differences and to use their influence over armed groups to halt the slide towards greater bloodshed.

In a letter to the Security Council on 23 October, Amnesty International noted that the international community now faces a critical test of its resolve to bring peace and security to the DRC.

The organization also called for the Security Council to step up pressure on armed groups to halt all attacks against civilians and to immediately release all children associated with their forces as well as women and girls held as sexual slaves.

Amnesty International also called on the Security Council to step up pressure on the DRC government to deliver meaningful security sector reform, so that its armed forces are capable of protecting civilians in a neutral and professional manner, with suspected perpetrators of human rights violations excluded from the ranks of the national army and police.