Working to Protect Human Rights worldwide
By Colby Goodman, Amnesty International’s Control Arms Campaign
October 7, 2009 – On a day the New York Times exposed more details about Guinean security forces recent use of weapons against thousands of peaceful protestors, Amnesty International participated in what turned out to be an electrified briefing at the United Nations (UN) about preventing the use of arms for serious human rights violations and the need for an Arms Trade Treaty.
Amnesty International delegation collects testimonies from Congolese refugees, Nakivale camp in Uganda, 30 November 2008 ©Amnesty International
Amnesty International’s mission ended with a week long visit to Goma and other areas of North Kivu, from where we were unable to provide a daily blog for security reasons. Our team met with local human rights activists, representatives of MONUC, UN agencies and a number of international humanitarian NGOs, and were able to gain further eyewitness testimony of recent killings and other human rights abuses.
We held detailed discussions about our human rights concerns with General Mayala, commander of the North Kivu military region, Laurent Nkunda, leader of the CNDP armed group, and representatives of PARECO / mayi-mayi armed groups. Despite at time vigorous exchanges, however, all these people denied that their forces had committed human rights abuses.
Activists are demonstrating around the world to call for urgent and effective protection of civilians in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Continue reading ‘Video: Call for protection of civilians in Democratic Republic of Congo’
Andrew Philip, Amnesty International researcher, blogging from the field
Today we spent the day at Nakivale camp, 300km away inside Uganda from the Congolese border, speaking to more refugees, including a 14-year-old boy who was on his own in the camp. Crying his eyes out, he told us how he has found his father, mother and sister shot dead inside a hospital in Eastern DRC. A man described to us the killing at point-blank range of his neighbour and friend. There are a lot of very traumatised people at the camp and at Ishasha.
Andrew Philip, Amnesty International researcher, blogging from the field.
Back in Mbarara, after a strange sort of day.
We went back to Ishasha this morning. Yesterday many more people had arrived and the camp and the town were jam-packed with people.
Humanitarian agencies there are now overwhelmed, doing their best, trying to organize the evacuation of refugees to other places and refugee camps further inside Uganda where they can receive them.
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