Selected recent news stories from Burundi, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau.
Burundi
Central African Republic
- Elections Postponed: CAR’s legislative and presidential elections were postponed until January 2011 due to insufficient funds and security threats.
- Research on the Impact of Conflict: A team of researchers from University of California conducted surveys in CAR to measure the detrimental effects of violence on the country’s population.
Sierra Leone
- Human Rights: The Human Right Commission of Sierra Leone presented its third annual report and met with Mary Robinson, the UN’s High Commissioner on Human Rights to discuss the development of a National Human Rights Action Plan.
- Education Reform: Sierra Leone’s government announced plans to revamp the country’s education system on 30 July.
Guinea-Bissau
Burundi
Ruling Party Wins Senate and Parliamentary Elections
Burundi’s ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy/Forces of Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), won the country’s Senate (28 July) and parliamentary (23 July) elections by a landslide. Burundi’s Independent National Elections Commission (CENI) declared that both elections went smoothly and without a presence of fraud, despite opposition parties’ continued boycott of the votes.
The CNDD-FDD won 81 of the 106 seats in the lower house of Parliament. The ruling party also took 32 of the 34 senatorial seats, marking their fourth majority win in this year’s national and local elections (that began in May). All opposition parties, except one, boycotted the parliamentary and senate elections.
The fifth and final national election will take place on 7 September to decide the local and village-level administrative positions.
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Opposition Party Leader’s Position Threatened
A government-backed, dissident branch of the National Liberation Forces (FNL) party dismissed its party leader, Agathon Rwasa, during a 350 person congress of the party held on 1 August. Emmanuel Miburo was elected as the new party chairman to replace Rwasa. Followers of the former chairman, however, have cried fowl over the replacement, calling it the CNDD-FDD’s attempt to damage the prominent opposition party. His supporters maintain that Rwasa still holds his position of power in the FNL.
Leonard Nyangoma, leader of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD) party, another opposition party, has also fled Burundi fearing arrest by the ruling party’s authorities.
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Opposition Party Members Arrested
Six members of the opposition group, the Movement for Peace and Development (MSD) were arrested by Burundi’s police force on Monday, 9 August. Police confiscated two grenades from the party headquarters. The leader of the party, Francois Nyamoya fled the country two weeks ago, fearing his own arrest. He is the third opposition party leader to flee Burundi under fear of police scrutiny, including Agathon Rwasa of the FNL, and Leonard Nyangoma (CNDD).
A spokesperson for the MSD called Monday’s arrest a “set up,” and part of an ongoing problem of “government and police harassment” of opposition parties and party members in Burundi. Party members said the police had planted the grenades. “Yesterday it was the FNL, today it is us, tomorrow it will be another opposition party,” Nyamoya added.
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Central African Republic
Elections Postponed
CAR’s presidential and legislative elections, already twice postponed since April, have been postponed again until 23 January 2011 due to “security threats”. The elections, originally scheduled for April 2010, then May, and most recently 24 October 2010, have been postponed for various reasons, including unstable security in the country due to election funding problems and the rebel disarmament process. CAR has a remaining funding gap 7 million (US) dollars for this electoral process and many international actors, as well as opposition parties in CAR, support this latest delay.
The postponement means a further extension of President Francois Bozize’s presidency beyond his mandate, which originally ended in June.
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Conflict Study
Human rights researchers from the University of California, Berkley recently conducted research in CAR to document the effect of conflict in the country. The purpose of the report, which details the harsh living conditions within CAR, is to bring attention to violations of international humanitarian law in CAR. Experiences of intense and violent conflict have touched the lives of the majority of CAR’s citizens, and the report shows that the country suffered from severely high rates of mortality, abduction, death threats, and displacement during conflict. Casualties during and after conflict are also often linked to disease, lack of basic health care, education, and social services. According to the report, due to their exposure to severe trauma, more than half of CAR’s population suffers from depression or anxiety. Results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on 4 August.
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Sierra Leone
Human Rights
On 3 August, the Human Right Commission of Sierra Leone presented its third annual report to Sierra Leone’s President, Ernest Bai Koroma, detailing “satisfactory” progress in the country’s human rights situation, built in part upon governmental efforts to develop infrastructure and medical support to assist Sierra Leone’s citizens.
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, reported progress in reducing Sierra Leone’s maternal mortality rates and increasing access to reproductive healthcare, following her visit to the country from 27 to 30 July. Despite the many remaining challenges to the healthcare system in Sierra Leone, Ms. Robinson commended the country’s significant improvement in the area of women’s rights, including free healthcare for mothers and children. During her visit, Ms. Robinson delivered the key-note address at a dialogue on the development of a National Human Rights Action Plan for Sierra Leone.
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Restructuring the Education System
On 30 July, Sierra Leone’s government announced a plan to reform its education system. The plan includes changes in the years of schooling necessary to graduate, dress codes, language requirements, and performance contracts for teachers.
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Guinea-Bissau
EU Withdraws Security Support
The European Union (EU) has decided not to renew its reform mission of Guinea-Bissau’s security forces. The mission, which was launched in June 2008 and is set to end on 30 September this year, will be withdrawn at the set end date, due to what the EU has characterized as a continued disregard for the rule of law and constitutional order within Guinea-Bissau. Following a coup attempt on 1 April, mutinous General Antonio Injai was appointed Chief of Armed Forces on 25 June. This act, paired with continued impunity in the country’s armed forces and the government’s refusal to release civilian and military leaders as a result of the coup attempt, prompted the EU to act.
The EU’s withdrawal follows the United States’ refusal to aid efforts to reform Guinea-Bissau’s military until the country’s armed forces have been purged of leaders with suspected drug-trafficking ties.
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Government Allows Foreign Mission
In response to the EU’s withdrawal, Guinea-Bissau has agreed to allow a foreign mission to help stabilize the country. The mission will be comprised of both international and regional actors, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) and the African Union (AU). The mission will aid Guinea-Bissau in regaining stability.
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Country: Sierra Leone,
Guinea-Bissau,
Central African Republic,
BurundiThemes: Social Recovery,
Security Sector Reform,
Peace Process,
Good Governance,
Elections
