Ezra Ijioma
25 October 2009
analysis
THERE is simply no two ways about it, 'the Butcher of Conakry' must face justice for crimes against humanity. It is an evasion of justice and a boon to murderous actions to demand that Captain Dadis Moussa Camara of Guinea only steps down and not contest for the forthcoming presidential election in that country.
"This is a crime against humanity. It is a crime against the citizens of Guinea," Mr de Gucht told reporters recently in Ethiopia. "The international community has agreed that, if such things happen, those individuals have to be brought to justice." Mr Karel de Gucht is European Union's development chief to Africa. It benumbs to mind to imagine what manner of leader would preside over an army, in this age and time, that, without provocation and no threat to their lives, shoot, stab, and pummel more than 150 unarmed fellow citizens to death, not counting the thousands seriously injured and the many women raped. What were the soldiers fighting for?
How can they defend these despicable and irreprehensible behaviour? Listen to Guinean foreign minister, Alexander Sisay Loua, reacting to reporters' questions at the sidelines of the U.N General Assembly meeting in New York, Tuesday, September 29.
"All that I know is that some people had decided to protest at the stadium, while the authorities had given the instructions to ban all protests, during this historic day of the 28th September. Some protesters did not comply with the ban. They went to the stadium. Now, about the deaths, you are saying it. But, as far as I am concerned, I don't have any official confirmation."
And Dadis Camara, the leader of the junta himself, pouted like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar: "I run an army but faced with unpredictable and uncontrollable events, not even the head of state can exercise discipline... I did not say that people were not killed but it is the fault of the politicians " Except for a few ministers who have resigned, Camara and his gang have shown no remorse whatsoever for the heinous crimes committed, not just against Guineans , but against the human family which they, Camara and his junta, do not belong to. "Moussa Dadis Camara is no longer credible to lead a transition (to democracy). He has massacred his own people, and he has lost all credibility.
We are not interested in this type of proposal. At the moment we are more interested in burying our dead," said Sidya Toure, an ex-prime minister and leader of Guinea's opposition Union of Republic Forces (UFR), as Camara made overtures to the politicians, he has accused of the massacre, for a government of national unity. Despite international outrage and condemnation of Camara and his junta, there is that pressing need to bring these men to justice as soon as possible. Despite concerted international condemnation of the killings and the ensuing sanctions against the junta, there is no sign that Camara is willing to step down or even subject himself before a competent court.
His attempt to set up a judiciary body of enquiry over the massacre is only a feeble attempt to appease national and international anger, and must not be allowed to hoodwink the world into giving him an easy exit. Africa is replete with leaders who turned their guns on their fellow citizens and examples must be set of those found culpable. Already, Guineans are bracing up for a real showdown with the junta.
"The mood on the street is hardening against the junta", says Richard Moncrieff the West Africa Project Director of the International Crisis Group. "The Guineans are desperate for democratic change and an end to economic misery, while security forces are ready to use lethal force to remain in control. Worse trouble is likely unless combined domestic and international pressure is applied to force the soldiers from power". According to international news medium Reuters, there are revenge attacks on the junta and their supporters.
At least a dozen people have been murdered in Guinea over the past month in what police suspect is a flare up in revenge attacks for last month's bloody government crackdown on protesters. "We have counted 12 assassinations since Sept 28. This does not include the killing of a top official in the youth ministry, who is reputed to have been close to the head of state," a police source told Reuters on Friday.
Police said the majority of the killings since the Sept. 28 crackdown have been committed by bandits, but added the rest appeared to be revenge killings. In the highest profile murder, an armed gang assassinated a top official in the junta's youth ministry, Amadou Sadio Diallo, reputed to be a strong supporter of Camara's presidential candidacy.
One police source said investigators suspect "death squads" are deliberately spreading fear in the country, the world's top bauxite supplier. "Both the opposition and the ruling powers are affected," he said. The increasing violence in the country is a grave threat not just to Guinea but to the entire West Africa region. The International Crisis Group in its recent article on Guinea confirmed this: "This is of great concern, since any violent breakdown within the military could mean civil war for Guinea and destabilise its neighbours via refugee flows into Mali, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, arms flow into Côte d'Ivoire, and cross-border movements of ex-combatants and refugee communities along the Liberian and Sierra Leone frontiers." Thus, Camara and his junta are jeopardising the fragile peace in the sub region.
It is important to get it right in Guinea and send a very strong message that the world in general and Africa in particular, will not tolerate leaders who use lethal weapon on their subjects. As Camara takes a tough line on opponents by banning all "subversive" meetings and pledging to punish any opposition trouble-makers, the international community should go beyond diplomatic engagements and take a tough stand on the junta. If this kind of atrocity had occurred in Europe, in the Americas and even Asia, would the World still tread this softly on that regime? Are African lives that cheap? How many more would be killed before concrete and definite actions are taken to bring the junta to justice?
The current sub region's mediation through the Burkinabe leader, Blaise Campaore, is only meant to message the junta ego as men capable of such atrocities have lost every right to decent negotiation. Already, the junta is arming militia groups, who are terrorising Guineans who oppose it and this has worsened the security situation in Guinea leading to some opposition groups forming their own armed groups for self defence.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced a plan to conduct a preliminary inquiry to determine if war crimes were committed in the September crackdown. It said preliminary examination of the situation has been immediately initiated in order to determine whether crimes falling under the Court's jurisdiction have been perpetrated.
Ahead of a visit early last week by the United Nations deputy secretary-general for political affairs, Haile Menkerios, who was paving the way for an international commission of inquiry, a human rights group in Guinea, Guinean Organisation of Human Rights (OGDH) drew up a list of more than 80 people whom the rights body believes are in detention.
Some of these people were believed to be held at the Alpha Yaya military base that serves as headquarters for the leader of Guinea's military junta, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara.
Others were believed to be held in the central prison, in the barracks of the presidential guard, or on the island of Kassar, off the Conakry coast.
"It is very urgent to free these people detained in degrading and inhuman conditions and whose lives are in danger," Thierno Maadjou Sow, the president of OGDH said. It is this hardened group that the world wants to negotiate with; a group that cannot control itself is a mob. While Camara is setting up a body of inquiry into the September 28 massacre, men are still killing and brutalising Guineans.
The International Crisis Group after analysing the situation in Guinea warned:"If the junta digs in, the international community should isolate the junta regime, starting by imposing tough targeted sanctions on CNDD [the military junta's National Council for Democracy and Development (Conseil national pour la démocratie et le développement] members and their key supporters. The AU and concerned partners such as France, the U.S. and the European Union (EU) should simultaneously offer help to neighbouring countries for implementation of the sanctions and start contingency planning with ECOWAS forces for a rapid regional military intervention should Guinea slide into further violence." No option should be foreclosed in bringing the junta to justice.
Since coming to power in December 2008 within hours of the death of Guinea's long-time autocratic leader, Lansana Conté, the army has increasingly tightened its grip on power. It has militarised the public administration, used state resources to set up CNDD support groups across the country and formed ethnic militias.
It has fuelled tensions most notably in the highly volatile southern region, Guinée Forestière, where it has gathered thousands of ex-combatants and former volunteers with combat experience. Three West African countries are just recovering from fratricide civil wars, which scars are still open and even festering. Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone are those countries, Guinea should not be allowed to join that infamous group.
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