May, 21 2010, 11:35am EDT
DR Congo: New Round of LRA Killing Campaign
US Should Urgently Implement New Law to Help End Attacks
WASHINGTON
The Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) slaughtered 96
civilians and abducted dozens more between January and early April 2010
in a brutal killing campaign in northeastern Democratic Republic of
Congo, Human Rights Watch said today. There has been no letup of LRA
atrocities since Human Rights Watch reported on a deadly LRA rampage that took place in December 2009.
Human Rights Watch urged the US government to swiftly implement the
new legislation to develop a comprehensive strategy to protect
civilians in Central Africa from LRA attacks, to ensure the rule of
law, and, together with regional governments, to take steps to end
violence by the rebel group. Last week, the US Congress passed the
bill, the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009, with broad bipartisan support. President Barack Obama is expected to sign it soon.
"The LRA is killing civilians and abducting children at an alarming
rate," said Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior Africa researcher at Human
Rights Watch. "President Obama can play a crucial role by moving
quickly on the new US law to help find solutions that will end LRA
violence once and for all."
A recent Human Rights Watch research mission to the LRA-affected
areas of northeastern Congo found that from February 1 to13, a group of
about 20 LRA combatants killed at least 74 civilians during a series of
organized attacks on the small fishing and farming communities of
Munuku, Kpanga, Mapi, and Kpuru in Manziga chieftaincy of Niangara
territory. Many of those killed were elderly people who had been unable
to flee, and 14 were children.
One of the first communities attacked was the village of Munuku, 50
kilometers from the town of Niangara, where at least 24 civilians were
killed on February 1, including 15 elderly men and women. Witnesses
interviewed by Human Rights Watch said the LRA killed most of their
victims by crushing their skulls with large wooden sticks. Others were
shot, including a 70-year-old man who was shot and then stabbed to
death in the chest with a bayonet.
The LRA then moved on to the neighboring village of Kpanga,
attacking it on February 2, and continued toward Mapi and Kpuru in the
days that followed. In each village the LRA killed civilians, abducted
children and adults, and then looted and burned down homes. A young man
interviewed by Human Rights Watch who arrived in Kpanga just after the
attack found his grandmother and grandfather tied up and shot dead
outside his home. Nearby, another 70-year-old woman had been tied up
and beaten to death with a wooden bat.
During the same series of attacks, the LRA abducted at least 75
civilians, many of them children. As they did in the mid-December
massacres in the Makombo area, the LRA tied their captives at the waist
in human chains and forced them to carry looted goods back to camps in
the forest, killing anyone who appeared tired or who was deemed to be
too old to be useful.
In addition to the series of attacks in early February, the LRA killed 22 civilians
during smaller attacks throughout the Manziga area this year. On
January 20, for example, in the village of Nabo, the LRA tied up a
74-year-old man, then crushed his skull and stabbed him in the back
with a large wooden stick. His brother found his body a few days later
with the stick still stuck in his back.
On April 13, the LRA abducted and mutilated a 31-year-old woman from
Quartier Zande, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Niangara. After
clasping her lips together with pliers, the LRA combatants forced a
16-year-old Congolese boy, abducted during a previous attack, to slice
off her lips and her right ear with a knife.
Human Rights Watch research, including interviews with those
abducted who later escaped, found that the killings and other
atrocities were carried out by LRA commanders who report to Gen.
Dominic Ongwen, one of the LRA's top commanders. Ongwen, along with two
other LRA leaders, is sought by the International Criminal Court under
an arrest warrant issued in July 2005 for previous crimes committed in
northern Uganda. All three remain at large.
"The arrest warrants for LRA leaders have been outstanding for
nearly five years," Van Woudenberg said. "Meanwhile, heinous abuses
continue to be committed."
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo (MONUC) has a base
in the town of Niangara, just south of the Manziga chieftaincy. With
few troops and poor roads in the area, the UN peacekeepers rarely leave
the town and have been unable to prevent or respond to the recent
attacks.
The Congolese and Ugandan armed forces also have a presence in the
town and the surrounding area but with poor logistics and
communications capabilities, they too have been unable to provide
adequate security for civilians. In recent weeks, Congolese officials
have been more active in documenting LRA atrocities. In April, a
high-level team from Kinshasa was sent to Niangara to investigate and
report on LRA crimes against Congolese civilians.
"Both the peacekeepers and the Congolese government need to increase
their presence in northeastern Congo with forces equipped to protect
civilians and to respond quickly to LRA attacks," Van Woudenberg said.
"Increased humanitarian assistance to victims and civilians forced to
flee the attacks is also urgently needed."
Human Rights Watch called on the Obama administration and other
donor governments to work with Congolese authorities to improve
communication systems in LRA-affected areas to permit UN peacekeepers
and others to respond quickly to attacks and to find out where LRA
leaders are hiding. This could include funding the expansion of cell
phone networks and community radio stations.
The killings in the Manziga chieftaincy followed a four-day massacre
in the nearby Makombo area in December 2009. LRA combatants, also
operating under Ongwen's command, attacked numerous villages, in one of
the single largest massacres by the LRA in its 23-year history. Local
leaders interviewed by Human Rights Watch reported they have recently
uncovered another 24 bodies from this LRA attack, bringing the death
toll to at least 345.
The recent killings are part of a longstanding practice of
atrocities and abuse by the LRA. Pushed out of northern Uganda in 2005,
the LRA now operates in the remote border area between southern Sudan,
Congo, and the Central African Republic.
In December 2008, the governments of the region, led by the Ugandan
armed forces and with intelligence and logistical support from the
United States, opened a military campaign against the LRA in
northeastern Congo, Operation Lightning Thunder. But the military
campaign has failed to end the violence or to apprehend the LRA's
leaders.
"The US government has depended on the Ugandan army to end the
threat of the LRA, but this strategy is not working," Van Woudenberg
said. "The Obama administration, together with governments in the
region and other concerned states, should go back to the drawing board
and develop new policy options to end the LRA's violence, including a
more effective strategy to apprehend LRA leaders implicated in
atrocities."
On May 19, human rights defenders in Niangara issued a public appeal
to President Obama: "We live each day in fear that there will be more
attacks by the LRA...We know that you alone can bring a concrete,
rapid, and decisive response before our women and children are wiped
out."
Human Rights Watch is one of the world's leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. By focusing international attention where human rights are violated, we give voice to the oppressed and hold oppressors accountable for their crimes. Our rigorous, objective investigations and strategic, targeted advocacy build intense pressure for action and raise the cost of human rights abuse. For 30 years, Human Rights Watch has worked tenaciously to lay the legal and moral groundwork for deep-rooted change and has fought to bring greater justice and security to people around the world.
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PEN America Cancels Awards Ceremony Amid Boycott Over 'Disgraceful' Gaza Response
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The prominent free expression group PEN America announced Monday that it has canceled its 2024 literary awards ceremony amid growing backlash over the organization's response to Israel's assault on Gaza and alleged attempts to suppress dissent among its employees.
The decision came after nearly half of the authors nominated for PEN America awards withdrew their names from consideration, accusing PEN America of not sufficiently speaking out against Israel's war on Gaza and the dire consequences for free expression.
The awards ceremony was scheduled to take place on April 29 in Manhattan.
In an open letter released last week, dozens of authors and translators who refused to accept any honors from the organization wrote that "PEN America has remained shamefully unwilling to speak out against the systematic nature" of Israel's "often-targeted killings of Palestinian writers, professors, and journalists and their families."
"We stand in solidarity with one another and with the people of Palestine in our refusal to lend our names and tacit approval to PEN America's disgraceful inaction," reads the open letter, which demands the resignation of PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel, president Jennifer Finney Boylan, and the group's entire executive committee.
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"We have been disgusted, for months, by the sight of these leaders clinging to a disingenuous façade of neutrality."
Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, PEN America's literary programming chief officer, said in a statement Monday that "we greatly respect that writers have followed their consciences, whether they chose to remain as nominees in their respective categories or not."
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Outrage over PEN America's approach to Israel's war on the Gaza Strip has been intensifying for months.
In March, as Common Dreamsreported at the time, Naomi Klein, Michelle Alexander, and other high-profile writers pulled out of the PEN World Voices Festival, accusing PEN America of betraying "the organization's professed commitment to peace and equality for all, and to freedom and security for writers everywhere."
After initially refusing to do so, PEN America late last month joined its global parent PEN International in calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. But the organization's critics—including current and former employees—argue it has failed to clearly and forcefully condemn Israel's assault, which has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza and fueled a catastrophic humanitarian emergency.
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The Interceptreported late last month that PEN America staffers also raised concerns in December over Nossel's decision to visit Israel amid the country's devastating attack on Gaza.
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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday that he would put forth an amendment to remove offensive military funding for Israel from a House-passed aid package that the Senate is set to consider this week.
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An independent report released Monday found that Israel has not provided any evidence to support its claim that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations. The U.S. suspended its UNRWA aid in late January in response to Israel's unsubstantiated allegations against the agency's workers, and the House-passed Israel legislation would prohibit funding for the organization.
Sanders said Monday that the Senate "should have a chance to debate and vote on the key components of such a massive package."
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I look forward to offering amendments tomorrow to cut billions in offensive military funding to Israel from the proposed national security supplemental package and protect essential humanitarian operations. We cannot continue to fund this horrific war. pic.twitter.com/8JpxpT7IX2
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 23, 2024
A Senate vote on final passage of the White House-backed aid package—which also includes aid for Ukraine and Taiwan—is expected before Wednesday night. As Punchbowl reported, "each senator will be limited to just one hour of remarks" following procedural votes on Tuesday, so "it's likely that those who oppose the measure won't be able to drag this out much later than tonight."
The Senate vote on whether to hand Israel billions more in unconditional military aid will come as the country's military appears poised to escalate its devastating assault on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 34,000 people so far.
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A U.S. State Department report released Monday acknowledges that Israel has been credibly accused of grave human rights abuses in Gaza and the West Bank, including extrajudicial killings and torture. U.S. law prohibits American military assistance for governments violating human rights, but the Biden administration has resisted global calls to cut off arms sales to Israel.
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Columbia Faculty Walk Out Over Student Suspensions, Arrests for Gaza Protests
While expressing gratitude for solidarity actions, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar—whose daughter was suspended—said that "this about the genocide in Gaza and the attention has to remain on that."
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Over 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by U.S.-backed Israeli troops, and Columbia University students have been suspended and arrested by New York Police Department officers in recent days for protesting the slaughter—which led to a walkout by the Ivy League institution's faculty on Monday.
The Guardian reported that "hundreds of members of the teaching cohort at Columbia walked out in solidarity with the students who were arrested" while "students put protest tents back up in the middle of campus on Monday after they were torn down last week when more than 100 arrests were made."
Yonah Lieberman, co-founder of IfNotNow, a Jewish-led U.S. group that organizes against Israel's apartheid, declared: "Solidarity with these faculty members. Shame on establishment politicians and agitators who are smearing the anti-war protest at Columbia as anything other than what it is: a courageous stand for freedom and peace."
Naureen Akhter, a founding member of the New York-based group Muslims for Progress, said: "Thank you to the professors who stood in solidarity with student protestors, who didn't give into instigators who are fanning flames of hate and division. Remember the calls are for transparency, divestment, and amnesty for students!"
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)—a critic of Israel's war on Gaza whose own daughter, Isra Hirsi, was suspended from Columbia's Barnard College last week for "standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide," as the 21-year-old junior put it—also noted the faculty walkout and "nationwide Gaza solidarity movement."
"This is more than the students hoped for and I am glad to see this type of solidarity," said Omar. "But to be clear, this about the genocide in Gaza and the attention has to remain on that."
Summary of events from the last day not related to Columbia:\n\n- Israel has not provided evidence that UNRWA staff are part of Hamas\n- A mass grave, including women/children was discovered\n- Doctors did an emergency c-section, saving a baby after an airstrikes killed her mother— (@)
The walkout in New York City followed 54 Columbia Law School professors sending a letter to administrators that states, "While we as a faculty disagree about the relevant political issues and express no opinion on the merits of the protest, we are writing to urge respect for basic rule-of-law values that ought to govern our university."
"Procedural irregularity, a lack of transparency about the university's decision-making, and the extraordinary involvement of the NYPD all threaten the university's legitimacy within its own community and beyond its gates," they wrote. "We urge the university to conform student discipline to clear and well-established procedures that respect the rule of law."
In a statement early Monday, several hours before the walkout, Columbia University president Minouche Shafik—who last week enabled NYPD arrests of students at the encampment—announced in her first statement since the sweep that all classes would be virtual "to deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps."
"Faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy. Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not come to campus," Shafik said. "During the coming days, a working group of deans, university administrators, and faculty members will try to bring this crisis to a resolution."
The national group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) on Monday accused Columbia of creating "a climate of repression and harm for students peacefully protesting for an end to the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza" over the past six months.
"Columbia University has actively created a hostile environment for students who are Palestinian or who support Palestinian freedom. Additionally, the administration's actions have made the campus much less safe for Jewish students," JVP said.
According to JVP:
Instead of listening to the calls of Columbia and Barnard students to divest from the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli government, the university has called in the NYPD to arrest students, suspended them, and even expelled them. At present 85 students, 15 of whom are Jewish, are suspended.
Yesterday's statement by the White House, like the administrators of Columbia University, dangerously and inaccurately presumes that all Jewish students support the Israeli government's genocide of Palestinians. This assumption is actively harming Palestinian and Jewish students.
The administration has not only harassed Jewish students and failed to ensure their safety and well-being, it has also obstructed their religious observances during Shabbat and prevented them from accessing their Jewish community on the eve of Passover.
While President Joe Biden's Sunday statement was officially about Passover—a Jewish holiday that begins at sundown on Monday—and not the protests at Columbia and other campuses across the country, it was widely received as a response to the latter.
Biden said in part that "we must speak out against the alarming surge of antisemitism—in our schools, communities, and online. Silence is complicity. Even in recent days, we've seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous—and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country."
Jonathan Ben-Menachem, a Ph.D. student at the university, toldCNN that "Columbia students organizing in solidarity with Palestine—including Jewish students—have faced harassment, doxxing, and now arrest by the NYPD. These are the main threats to the safety of Jewish Columbia students."
"On the other hand, student protesters have led interfaith joint prayers for several days now, and Passover Seder will be held at the Gaza solidarity encampment tomorrow," he added. "Saying that student protesters are a threat to Jewish students is a dangerous smear."
Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine said in a lengthy statement that "we are student activists at Columbia calling for divestment from genocide. We are frustrated by media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us. At universities across the nation, our movement is united in valuing every human life."
"As a diverse group united by love and justice, we demand our voices be heard against the mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza," the statement continues. "We've been horrified each day, watching children crying over the bodies of their slain parents, families without food to eat, and doctors operating without anesthesia. Our university is complicit in this violence and this is why we protest."
The Columbia Spectator reported Monday that Columbia College passed a divestment referendum that "asked whether the university should divest financially from Israel, cancel the Tel Aviv Global Center, and end Columbia's dual degree program with Tel Aviv University," with respective votes of 76.55%, 68.36%, and 65.62%. However, a statement from a university spokesperson signaled the referendum would not lead to any shift in campus policies.
Beyond Columbia, there are ongoing demonstrations at institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, the University of Michigan, and Yale University, another Ivy League school, where at least 47 peaceful student protesters were arrested on Monday.
Those arrested were "charged with class A misdemeanors, which is the highest class of misdemeanors in Connecticut—the same degree applies to third-degree assault," according to the Yale Daily News. Citing a university spokesperson, the student newspaper added that they "will be referred for Yale disciplinary action—which could include reprimand, probation, or suspension."
Pushing back against some administrators' statements, journalist Thomas Birmingham, who was with the Yale protesters overnight, said on social media: "Here's some things I saw... 1. Repeated and loud calls to remain peaceful. 2. Students locking arms, teaching Arabic and Hebrew, and passing around pizza and water. 3. Lots of singing."
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