Sexual Violence in Sudan

 Human Rights Watch published on 28 July 2024 a report titled "Khartoum Is Not Safe for Women! Sexual Violence against Women and Girls in Sudan's Capital."

The warring military factions in Sudan, especially the Rapid Support Forces, have committed widespread acts of sexual violence in areas of Khartoum over which they exercise control.  These acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Human Rights Watch calls on the African Union and United Nations to deploy a civilian protection force in Sudan's capital.  

Sudan: Ethnic Cleansing in West Darfur

 Human Rights Watch published on 9 May 2024 a 218-page report titled "'The Massalit Will Not Come Home': Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity in El-Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan."

The report documents that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and their allied mainly Arab militias, including the Third-Front Tamazuj, an armed group, targeted the predominantly Masalit neighborhoods of El Geneina in relentless waves that began in April 2023.  The attackers committed other serious abuses such as torture, rape, and looting.  More than half a million refugees from West Darfur have fled to Chad since the beginning of this violence.

Atrocities in Ethiopia's Amhara Region

 Human Rights Watch published on 4 April 2024 a report titled "Ethiopia: Military Executes Dozens in Amhara Region."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that the Ethiopian military summarily executed scores of civilians in Merawi, a town in Amhara region, during fighting in January and February with Fano militia.  HRW called for an independent inquiry by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Plea to Deal with Human Rights' Atrocities in Sudan's Darfur Region

 The Associated Press published on 27 November 2023 an article titled "A Watchdog Urges UN Security Council to Consider All Options to Protect Sudan's Darfur Civilians" by Samy Magdy.

Human Rights Watch has called on the UN Security Council to take all necessary steps to end the human rights' atrocities in Darfur by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and Arab militias.  

US Urges Saudi Arabia to Identify Killers of Ethiopian Migrants

 The Washington Post published on 31 August 2023 an article titled "U.S. Presses Saudi Arabia on Reported Migrant Massacres" by Missy Ryan, Sarah Dadouch, John Hudson, and Karen DeYoung.  

The Biden administration is pressing the government of Saudi Arabia to identify the military units along the Yemen/Saudi border alleged by Human Rights Watch to have killed Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers who were trying to enter the country.  The United States has trained the maritime division of the Saudi border guards and the kingdom is the single largest customer for foreign military sales.  

US and UN Urged to Step In to End Atrocities in Sudan's Darfur

 Aljazeera published on 4 August 2023 an article titled "Human Rights Watch Urges US to Stop Atrocities in Sudan's Darfur."

The United States, United Kingdom, and Norway condemned in "the strongest terms" continuing violence in Darfur.  Human Rights Watch appealed to the US and UN to impose further sanctions on the Sudanese individuals responsible for the atrocities in Darfur.

Comment:  Unfortunately, additional sanctions on individuals are unlikely to have any impact on this situation.  The deployment of massive numbers of foreign peacekeepers might make a difference, but there is no appetite in the international community for such action. 

Mali Army and Wagner Group Accused of Atrocities

 Human Rights Watch published on 24 July 2023 a statement titled "Mali: New Atrocities by Malian Army, Apparent Wagner Fighters."

Human Rights Watch stated that Malian armed forces and foreign fighters apparently from the Russia-linked Wagner Group have summarily executed and forcibly disappeared several dozen civilians in Mali's central region since December 2022.  

Human Rights Watch Calls for Renewal of International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia

 In December 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Council established a mechanism to investigate for one year allegations and abuses of international human rights law, humanitarian law, and refugee law in Ethiopia committed since 3 November 2020 by all parties to the conflict.   

Human Rights Watch called on 26 September 2022 for a renewal of the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE).  It argued that human rights abuses are continuing in Ethiopia and some of the earlier atrocities have not yet been adequately investigated.  

Ethiopia: How to Investigate Atrocities in Tigray Region

 Ethiopia Insight published on 15 July 2022 a commentary titled "Re-engaging Ethiopia at the Expense of Justice Won't Bring Peace" by Gebrehiwot Hadush Abera, former dean at College of Law at Mekelle University, and Mulu Beyene Kidanemariam, University of Bergen.

The authors argue that the international community should not support the idea of allowing the government of Ethiopia to investigate the atrocities that occurred in Tigray Region.  They claim the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission is beholden to the government.  Instead, they call for an investigation by the Commission of Human Rights Experts.  

New Atrocities in Western Tigray; is There No End to Ethiopia's Mayhem?

 In a collaborative effort, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch published on 16 December 2021 a report titled "Ethiopia: New Wave of Atrocities in Western Tigray."  See the Human Rights Watch account.

The two organizations report that Amhara militias known as Fanos have systematically rounded up and expelled to central Tigray Tigrayan residents in western Tigray.  They reportedly shot run aways and other Tigrayans are still missing.  

Human Rights Watch Account of Tigrayan Civilian Executions in Amhara Region

 Human Rights Watch published on 9 December 2021 a report titled "Ethiopia: Tigray Forces Summarily Execute Civilians."  

Atrocities have bedeviled Ethiopia's ugly civil war from the beginning, initially focused primarily against Tigrayans in Tigray Region.  As the Tigrayan Defense Forces expanded the conflict into Amhara Region, the atrocities followed.  This report investigates summary execution of Amhara civilians in Chenna and Kobo during September.  Human Rights Watch underscores the need for an independent international inquiry into alleged war crimes in Ethiopia's Tigray and Amhara regions.  

Attacks on Eritrean Refugees in Tigray Region

 Human Rights Watch published on 16 September 2021 a report titled "Ethiopia: Eritrean Refugees Targeted in Tigray."

The detailed account by Human Rights Watch indicates that the Eritrean government and Tigrayan militia forces have committed killings, rape, and other grave abuses against Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia's Tigray Region.  Eritrean forces also targeted Tigrayans living in communities surrounding the Eritrean refugee camps.  

Ethiopian Human Rights Commission Corroborates Massacre Report in Aksum, Ethiopia

 The government-affiliated Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has just issued a report titled "Investigation into Grave Human Rights Violations in Aksum City: Report on Preliminary Findings."  The EHRC report is similar to ones issued earlier by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

In a chilling report, the EHRC concluded that "more than 100" civilians were killed in Aksum between 18 and 24 November, 2020 by Eritrean soldiers and possibly ENDF soldiers.  Eritrean soldiers fired randomly at civilians, targeted others, and looted the hospital. They also did significant damage to private property and churches.  

The EHRC said "these widespread human rights violations are not ordinary crimes but grave contraventions of applicable international and human rights laws and principles, marked by intentionally directed attacks against civilians who were not directly taking part in the hostilities and including intentional looting, destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity."  

End Intolerance in Ethiopia

Human Rights Watch issued a statement on 13 November 2020 titled "Ethiopia: Protect People as Tigray Crisis Escalates." 

Human Rights Watch calls for the reopening of communications in Tigray region, end of intolerance against any ethnic group, and investigations of all serious crimes.  

Horn of Africa Countries: Human Rights Watch Report

Human Rights Watch has published its World Report 2018 that summarizes key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories, drawing on events from late 2016 through November 2017.

The summaries for Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and Kenya are available in this posting.

Human Rights Watch Report on Violations of Media Freedoms in Ethiopia

Human Rights Watch published in January 2015 a lengthy, critical report titled "'Journalism Is Not a Crime': Violations of Media Freedoms in Ethiopia."  The report describes the dire state of Ethiopia's media and the resulting impact on freedom of expression and the media.

It concludes that "the ruling party has treated the private media as a threat to its hegemony, and is using various techniques to decimate private media, independent reporting, and critical analysis, with drastic results." 

Human Rights Watch on AMISOM Abuses

Human Rights Watch published in September 2014 a 71-page report titled "The Power These Men Have Over Us: Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by African Union Forces in Somalia."  Drawing on interviews with 21 women and girls, the report documents sexual exploitation and abuse of Somalis at two AMISOM bases in Mogadishu, where Ugandan and Burundian soldiers are present.  The report acknowledges that AMISOM has taken some measures to address sexual and gender-based violence. 

Safety Issues at Chinese Copper Mines in Zambia

Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report on 20 February 2013 titled "Zambia: Safety Gaps Threaten Copper Miners."  It is a follow up to a longer report issued in November 2011 that charged China Non-Ferrous Metal Mining Corporation with human rights abuses at its Zambian subsidiaries.

Writing for Pambazuka News on 7 March 2012, Barry Sautman, who teaches at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Yan  Hairong, who is at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, respond to the HRW report in a piece titled "A Response to Human Rights Watch's Update on Chinese Copper Mining in Zambia."

The follow up report concluded there has not been significant progress in resolving the mine safety problems. Click here for a translation of the HRW report in Chinese.

Human Rights Watch Criticizes Eritrea's Mining Sector

Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report in January 2013 titled Hear No Evil: Forced Labor and Corporate Responsibility in Eritrea's Mining Sector.  It pointed out that Eritrea's first modern mine, a joint venture between the government and Canadian firm Nevsun Resources, has produced hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of gold. 

HRW argued that the mining company is walking into a potential minefield of human rights problems by risking entanglement in the Eritrean government's program of "forced labor" or national service program.  HRW asserted that the national service program keeps many Eritreans under perpetual government control as conscripts.  At the government's insistence, the mining project engaged Segen Construction Company as a local contractor.  Segen is owned and operated by the ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice. 

HRW added that other firms--Australia's South Boulder Mines, Canada's Sunridge Gold, and China's SFECO Group--are moving ahead with plans to develop new mines in Eritrea. 

Girma Asmeron, Eritrea's ambassador to the African Union, responded that the HRW report is a "distortion" of Eritrea's national service program, adding that the the analysis "shows deliberate ignorance."  Asmeron noted that all 18-year old Eritreans do national service, which is designed to protect the nation's security and sovereignty.  His remarks are contained in a Bloomberg article titled Eritrea Slams Group's Report of Forced Labor at Nevsun Mine.

Human Rights Problems in Sudan and South Sudan

Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently condemned human rights practices in both Sudan and South Sudan.

In the case of Sudan, HRW focused on ill-treatment of demonstrators. Click here to read the brief commentary.

In the case of South Sudan, HRW prepared a lengthy report on abuses in the prison system. Click here to read the report.