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Somalia: Amnesty Seeks Help
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The Nation (Nairobi)
7 May 2008
Posted to the web 6 May 2008
Alphonce Shiundu
Nairobi
Amnesty International has called for the formation of a commission to investigate and persecute those involved in crimes against humanity in Somalia.
The rights body warned that the international community would be accused of collusion in the rights abuse if it does not intervene.
Speaking in Nairobi during the release of a report on Somalia, Amnesty's deputy director for Africa Michelle Kagari, said Somalis affected by the crisis in their country are faced with violence, inadequate food supplies, lack of clean water and insufficient medical services. The report says humanitarian operations are often obstructed by armed groups.
Eyesore
The report titled "Routinely Targeted: Attacks on Civilians in Somalia" documents the crisis facing the citizens of the war-ravaged country.
Mr David Copeman, a campaigner for Amnesty International, warned that if the situation continues the country will deteriorate into an international eyesore.
The agency strongly condemns armed groups in Somalia, including the Transitional Federal Government which is backed by Ethiopian troops, for crimes ranging from extra-judicial killings, rape and torture to looting.
"In many cases the TFG and Ethiopian forces were searching for specific individuals believed to have collaborated with armed groups, and in such cases they beat, arrested or killed someone other than the one they were looking for," the report says.
It squarely places blame on the Government, as the custodian of civilians' security.
"Journalists are also fleeing because they are receiving constant death threats from both the Government and the armed groups," Mr Copeman said.
Mr Copeman said he was in touch with the Somali Prime Minister and some members of the TFG during the research.
The report covers data collected in Nairobi (Kenya), and Mogadishu and Hargeisa in Somalia between November last year and March this year.
But in a quick rejoinder, a member of the TFG, Mr Awad Ahmed Ashareh, said the report was based on an area which has been fighting for secession.
Sovereign state
Mr Awad, who is the chairman of the information, culture, guidance and heritage committee in the TFG parliament, complained that the report had ignored the issue of piracy and the consequent attacks by French and US forces.
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He said that Somalia, being a sovereign state, should neither be attacked nor its citizens arrested by foreign forces. However, Mr Awad did not deny there being human rights violations in his country.
Mr Awad called for the formation of an international criminal court based in Somalia to prosecute those violating human rights.
Somalia has been in conflict since 1991. There have been 13 peace conferences, which have all failed to resolve the crisis. The UN estimates that there are over one million refugees, among them 600,000 from last year's conflict. Close to 6,000 people were killed in last year's violence.
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