A Somali human rights group has disclosed that violations of human rights and international law increased in Somalia last year, media reports said on Wednesday. A senior official of the Mogadishu-based Isma’il Jimale Human Rights Center said international law was breached particularly with regard to the protection of civilians in time of war.
“It is often civilians who are killed in the factional fighting due to indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas. The combatants don’t care what happens to civilians,” Abdullahi Alas Jimale, IJHRC’s chief investigator, was quoted as saying by a United Nations humanitarian Website.
The Mogadishu-based IJHRC, the largest human rights group in the country, commemorated the seventh anniversary of its formation and marked Somalia human rights day on Tuesday. During the ceremony, the group presented its annual report on the country’s human rights record. Alas said that IJHRC recorded 530 civilians killed between July 2002 and July 2003.
“These are the noncombatants we were able to register. I am sure there were more. The organization also recorded 31 rapes and 185 abductions during the same period. Most of the violations took place in southern Somalia, particularly in the capital, Mogadishu, and its environs.” He said most of the victims were from minority groups who have no clan affiliations as protection,” he said. Jimale called on delegates attending the Somali peace talks in Kenya to choose leaders who would protect the human rights of all Somalis. “Only people with clean records should be selected for positions of responsibility. Anyone who has committed crimes against the Somali people should be tried for his crimes and should not be given immunity,” he added.
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The United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees has disclosed that it has recommenced the repatriation of Somali refugees from Kenya. The refugee agency said that some 80 Somali refugees had left Kenya for the northeastern region of Puntland since July 19, adding that it had been trying to build more confidence for further returns to northeastern Somalia.
“The last movement was in May, when 534 Somali refugees flew back to their homeland after more than a decade in exile. The voluntary repatriation had been suspended for two months due to a lack of funds for the flights. Repatriation is only possible by air because it is not safe to travel by road in large parts of central and southern Somalia on the route from Kenya to Puntland,” the UNHCR said in a statement published on Tuesday.
The statement said that a total of 2,880 Somali refugees had signed up for voluntary return, and the UNHCR had been trying to encourage more people to follow through “go-and-see” visits to Puntland, an economically vibrant part of Somalia that many of the refugees have not seen before.
The UNHCR has recently taken four refugee representatives on a three-day visit to Puntland in order to allow them to make informed decisions about the possibility of settling in the now-peaceful region. The refugee representatives will report their impressions and experiences to Somali refugees in Kenya.
“Much as we admire the communication system that exists among the Somali people from inside Somalia to every corner of the world, there is always a difference between receiving oral information and seeing it with your own eyes. It will be important for the refugees on the ‘go-and-see’ mission to have a chance to interact with people living in Puntland, most of whom are former refugees themselves. “The UNHCR wants refugees to make truly informed decisions. They need to know what to expect and how to prepare while still in exile,” said Simone Wolken, UNHCR representative for Somalia.
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The administration of the northern region of breakaway Somaliland has warned the Somali leaders attending the present peace talks in Kenya and the international community to abstain from any unfriendly declaration or acts against its sovereignty, a press release said. The region seceded and declared itself the sovereign Republic of Somaliland after the downfall of the Somali government in 1991. A former British protectorate, Somaliland has received no international recognition.
“In the event that any person claims to be representing the government of Somaliland and/or its people in the ongoing peae talks, and in the event that such person or persons are accorded such status, the government of Somaliland hereby officially states that this will hinder any possible future dialogue between Somaliland and any future legitimate government of Somalia,” it said.
