Peace & Justice Update
July 20, 2009
(Volume 22, Number 3)
The countries for the Peace & Justice Updates have been chosen as areas of focus at the Institute.
Source information: Information presented in this update is condensed from wire and newspaper
reports from Lexis/Nexis and from electronic sites on the World Wide Web. Complete
bibliographical information is unavailable from these services, but every attempt has been made to
properly cite information and give credit to source materials. This update is intended for use by IPJ
staff and associates for informational purposes only. As the material in this update is condensed, and
does not directly quote the primary source, information from the update should not be quoted.
Update subscriptions: Electronic subscriptions to the Peace & Justice Updates are free; simply send
an email to updates@sandiego.edu and include the word “subscribe” in the subject line.
The Peace & Justice Updates are written by the Summer 2009 interns at the Joan B. Kroc
Institute for Peace & Justice at the University of San Diego.
The interns are Cory Felder (Cornell University), Breyn Hibbs (University of San Diego),
Katie Kilcline (University of Notre Dame, ’05), Joanna Kot (University of Orebro, ’08),
Alana Miller (Smith College).
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SOURCE LIST
AFP
AI
Al-Jazeera
AllAfrica
Analyst
AP
Asia News
BBC
BBC Monitoring
Bloomberg
CFR
CIA
CNN
Colombia Reports
CSM
Daily Monitor
Daily Nation
DPA
Economist
El Tiempo
Guatemala Times
Hill
Himalayan Times
HRW
IANS
ICG
IHT
Independent
IPS News Agency
IRIN
E-Kantipur
LAHT
LA Times
Latin America Press
Monitor
Nepal News
New Times
NYT
Oxfam
Prensa Libre
ReliefWeb
Reuters
República
RSF
Sec. Council Report
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Agence France-Presse (www.afp.com)
Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org)
Al-Jazeera (http://english.aljazeera.net)
AllAfrica.com (www.allafrica.com)
The Analyst (http://www.analystliberia.com)
Associated Press (www.ap.org)
Asia News Network (www.asianewsnet.net)
British Broadcasting Corporation (www.news.bbc.co.uk)
BBC Monitoring International Reports (www.monitor.bbc.co.uk)
Bloomberg (www.bloomberg.com)
Council on Foreign Relations (www.cfr.org)
CIA - The World Factbook (www.cia.gov)
Cable News Network (www.cnn.com)
Colombia Reports (www.colombiareports.com)
The Christian Science Monitor (www.csmonitor.com)
Daily Monitor (www.monitor.co.ug)
Daily Nation (www.nation.co.ke)
Deutsche Presse-Agentur (www.dpa.de/index.html)
The Economist (www.economist.com)
El Tiempo (www.eltiempo.com)
Guatemala Times (www.guatemala-times.com)
The Hill (www.thehill.com)
The Himalayan Times (www.thehimalayantimes.com)
Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org)
Indo-Asian News Service (www.ians.in)
International Crisis Group (www.crisisweb.org)
International Herald Tribune (www.iht.com)
The Independent (www.independent.co.ug)
Inter Press Service News Agency (www.ipsnews.net)
Integrated Regional Information Network (www.irinnews.org)
Kantipur News (www.ekantipur.com)
The Latin American Herald Tribune (www.laht.com)
Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com)
Latin America Press (www.latinamericapress.org)
The Monitor (www.monitor.co.ug)
Nepal News (www.nepalnews.com)
The New Times (www.newtimes.co.rw)
The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)
Oxfam International (www.oxfam.org)
Prensa Libre (www.prensalibre.com)
ReliefWeb (www.reliefweb.int)
Reuters (www.reuters.com)
República (www.myrepublica.com)
Reporters Sans Frontières, Reporters Without Borders (www.rsf.org)
Security Council Report (www.securitycouncilreport.org)
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SC-SL
Shabelle Media Net
South Asia News
Sudan Tribune
Sunday Leader
The Times
The Monitor
Tico Times
TIME
TimesOnline
Toronto Star
TRC
UGPulse
UHRC
UN News
UNESCO
UNHCR
UNICEF
UNIFEM
Univision
UNMIL
VOA News
Vancouver Sun
WSJ
WP
Xinhua
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Special Court for Sierra Leone (www.sc-sl.org)
Shabelle Media Network (http://www.shabelle.net/)
South Asia News Magazine (http://www.southasia.net)
Sudan Tribune (www.sudantribune.com)
The Sunday Leader (www.thesundayleader.lk)
The Times (www.thetimes.co.za
The Monitor (www.monitor.co.ug)
Tico Times (www.ticotimes.net)
Time (www.time.com)
Times Online (www.timesonline.co.uk)
Toronto Star (www.thestar.com)
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia (www.trcofliberia.org)
UGPulse (www.ugpulse.com)
Uganda Human Rights Commission (www.uhrc.ug)
UN News Center (www.un.org/news)
UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (www.unesco.org)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (www.unhcr.org)
UN Children’s Fund (www.unicef.org)
UN Development Fund for Women (www.unifem.org)
Univision (www.univision.com)
United Nations Mission in Liberia (http://unmil.org)
Voice of America News (www.voanews.com)
Vancouver Sun (www.vancouversun.com)
The Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com)
The Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com)
Xinhua News Agency (www.xinhuanet.com/english)
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UPDATE SUMMARY
COLOMBIA
Uribe approves hostage negotiation effort.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
MONUC and Congolese police work together to prepare for elections.
GUATEMALA
Zelaya meets with Colom in Guatemala; Interior Minister Gándara resigns.
LIBERIA
TRC members threatened after publication of final report.
NEPAL
Budget unveiled for 2009/2010 fiscal year.
SIERRA LEONE
Trial against Liberia’s former president Taylor continues.
SOMALIA
Fighting in Mogadishu subsides after a day of intense combat.
SRI LANKA
International aid sources cite death toll at 1,400 a week in “welfare village.”
SUDAN
Major opposition group refuses to join in peace talks.
UGANDA
Sudanese President al-Bashir faces arrest if he travels to Uganda.
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COLOMBIA
Uribe approves hostage negotiation effort. In an unexpected about-face, President Álvaro Uribe agreed
July 8 to let opposition Senator Piedad Córdoba negotiate with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias
de Colombia (FARC) rebels for the release of 24 soldiers and policemen that the guerrilla group has
been holding. Talks with the FARC have been stalled for months as the rebel group insisted upon the
inclusion of Senator Córdoba, while President Uribe adamantly refused to allow her involvement in the
mediation. Uribe, who has maintained a hard-line policy of using military force to crush the rebel
movement, accused the leftist Córdoba of using the negotiations for her own political gain. Córdoba
has been involved in talks with the FARC in the past and has helped secured the release of hostages,
most recently mediating the release of 12 captives in 2008. For the upcoming release, Uribe authorized
the participation of the Red Cross and Catholic Church as well. He originally demanded that all 24
hostages be released simultaneously, and expressed dislike for sporadic releases, claiming “drop by
drop” release was a ploy by the FARC to gain momentum and strength. Córdoba expressed concern
about his demand July 14, saying five hostages could be released very soon, but it was unlikely that the
FARC would release all 24 of the captives at once. The senator said it is possible that all hostages will
be released by the end of July. One of the first five who is to be released is Pablo Emilio Moncayo,
who has been in FARC captivity for 11 years. The Marxist FARC group has waged guerrilla war in
Colombia for the last 45 years, gaining notoriety through high-profile captures and keeping their forces
well funded by cocaine trafficking. In 1983 the FARC killed President Uribe’s father, and since Uribe’s
election in 2002, he has maintained tough security policies in hopes of defeating the rebels. (Colombia
Reports, July 8, 10; Reuters July 8, 14, 2009)
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
MONUC and Congolese police work together to prepare for elections. At the weekly press conference
of the United Nations Mission in DRC (MONUC) in Kinshasa July 15, MONUC spokesperson
Madnodje Mounoubai reported that “in Kisangani [between July 14 and 16], in collaboration with the
Congolese National Police (PNC) of Province Oriental, MONUC… is training 556 PNC agents in
order to consolidate their skills for the security of the upcoming local, urban and municipal elections.”
A more detailed article about MONUC and PNC’s recent collaboration says that MONUC police are
providing PNC with a more updated training program than they were able to provide in 2006. Not
only will all 556 PNC agents complete “a common module on the revision of the electoral register,
through a presentation made by [the] MONUC electoral section,” but the group will also be divided
into two parts, each of which will focus on specific types of training: “A group of 384 agents will
follow modules on techniques relating to law and order and security. A second group of 172 agents will
undergo training on public education and general policing.” Whenever these types of activities come
about, MONUC agents remind citizens of DRC and the global community that MONUC’s mandate
does not involve taking charge of government and/or the PNC, in this case; rather, as MONUC’s
Head of Office in Kisangani Ivan Timnev pointed out, it is “part of MONUC’s mandate to help the
Congolese government to establish a stable environment in the country at all times.” (MONUC, July
14, 15, 2009)
GUATEMALA
Zelaya meets with Colom in Guatemala; Interior Minister Gándara resigns. Ousted President Manuel
Zelaya of Honduras, who has been in exile in Costa Rica since June 28, met privately with President
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Álvaro Colom July 14 in Guatemala City. The meeting was reportedly among Presidents Colom and
Zelaya, Guatemalan Vice President Rafael Espada and state ministers. It took place behind closed
doors and little has been released about what was said, though the leaders undoubtedly discussed the
tendentious situation in Central America in light of the military coup that overthrew Zelaya last month.
In a press conference held before the presidential meeting, Zelaya stated, “What is happening in
Honduras could happen in other countries in the world.” Colom has pledged to support Zelaya and,
like most other nations, Guatemala has refused to recognize the interim government. The Guatemalan
government, meanwhile, remains in a tenuous situation, plagued by accusations against Colom and
brutal internal violence and organized crime, coupled with governmental instability. Interior Minister
Salvador Gándara resigned July 9 amid deep criticism of high crime rates in the country. Gándara had
been in office for six months and was the third Interior Minister to resign since Colom entered office a
year and a half ago, reflecting Guatemala’s instability and the government’s inability to deal with the
country’s deep-seated problems of drug trafficking, organized crime and impunity. Raul Velásquez, a
lawyer and former coordinator of Colom’s national security plan, has been named successor. Upon
accepting the position, Velásquez said he “hopes to lower delinquency so that the population can once
again have confidence in authorities.” According to the Latin American Herald Tribune, Guatemala’s
nearly 5,400 homicides last year rivaled Mexico’s, while Mexico’s population is nearly eight times the
size of Guatemala’s population of 13 million and Mexico has been involved in a heated war with drug
lords. Guatemala’s violent crime rate is one of the highest in Latin America, as is its impunity rate with
only about 2 percent of those violent crimes punished every year. (AP, July 14; LAHT, July 10;
Univision, July 9, 2009)
LIBERIA
TRC members threatened after publication of final report. On July 1, the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission of Liberia (TRC) presented and published its 370 page final report, investigating
violations of human rights and humanitarian law during Liberia’s conflict. The report includes findings,
determinations, and recommendations made by the commission to the national legislature. It also
contains findings on the root causes of the conflict, the impact of the conflict on women, children and
all of Liberian society; responsibility for the massive commission of gross human rights violations and
violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law; and egregious
domestic law violations. Since the publication of the TRC’s final report several members of the
commission have received death threats to their phones due to their recommendations to ban senior
politicians, including Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, from holding public office for 30 years
due to their roles in the Liberian civil wars. According to BBCNews some members of the commission
have gone into hiding and turned off their cell phones due to the threats. This has also been asserted
by the Liberian Human Rights Campaign (LHRC), based in the US. LHRC said that they have been
informed that the threats are “so real” that some commissioners are refusing to accept phone calls
since they fear that their calls can be traced. Therefore, the LHRC is asking the United Party (UP), led
by Sirleaf, “to take necessary measures to provide full protection to each member of the commission
who wants it.” Further, the LHRC is asking the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to
guarantee safety for the members of the TRC. The LHRC continued: “The people of Liberia’s
confidence in the UN presence in Liberia could be severely shaken, if not diminished, if harm was
inflicted on any of the TRC members while its troops are in Liberia.” BBCNews revealed that Jerome
Verdier, the chairman of TRC, received the following text message: “Thanks for your report; but death
awaits you, your report has damaged our future…” “At first I didn’t want to raise alarm,” Verdier told
the BBC. James Kpargor, TRC spokesman, made the public in Liberia aware of the existing death
threats by participating in a talk-show to complain about the threats. According to the LHRC the
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existing threats are coming mainly from Prince Y. Johnson, a former warlord and currently a Senator
for Nimba County in Liberia. In the report the TRC accuses Johnson of killing, extortion, massacre,
destruction of property, forced recruitment, assault, abduction, torture and forced labor, and rape.
(AllAfrica, July 8; BBCNews, July 10; TRC, July 15, 2009)
NEPAL
Budget unveiled for 2009/2010 fiscal year. Despite a delayed start, parliament unveiled its 2009/2010
fiscal year budget June 13, just three days before the new fiscal year began. Backed by the Communist
Party of Nepal-United Marxist and Leninist (UML) led coalition, Finance Minister Surendra Pandey
presented the Rs. 285 billion plan (approximately USD 3.64 billion), which has received mixed reviews.
The Unified Communist Party Nepal (Maoist) criticized the plan, asserting that any budget presented
by an unconstitutional government is unacceptable. Babu Ram Bhattarai, former finance minister and
Maoist leader, said “this budget is directionless as is the government… it is just a collage made from
bits and pieces from the budgets of previous years.” Meanwhile, leaders from the UML and Nepali
Congress have given their approval, calling the budget “generally good,” though “too ambitious.”
Significant criticism surrounds the lack of planning for implementation, especially concerning social
welfare programs. For example, a program for “state privileged” identity cards for families below the
poverty line aims to alleviate the situation of many poor citizens, yet there is no methodology offered
for indentifying qualified families. Another problem appears to be that the budget does not address
the failure of the existing system to execute big development projects. Last fiscal year, less than 80
percent of the budget funds for development were spent, leaving over ten billion rupees unused. Yet
without any change in the policy, this upcoming year’s budget still contains many lofty ambitions, from
developing massive amounts of hydropower to raising the target for state revenue collection by 24
percent from last year. On a positive note, reduced customs duties for essential goods will lower prices
on consumable items like sugar. Also, a cancellation of the local development tax will lower the cost of
imports by 1.5 percent. The capital gains tax (CGT) has also been lowered, in the hopes of
encouraging investors. Through these measures, the government hopes to attract business, industry,
and other investors, though the end of inflation for the general citizenry does not seem to be on the
horizon. (E-Kantipur, July 14; Nepal News, July 13, 15; República, July 14, 15, 2009)
SIERRA LEONE
Trial against Liberia’s former president Taylor continues. The opening of former Liberian president
Charles Taylor’s defense case took place July 13 in The Hague. The trial is conducted by the Special
Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), established in 2002 in Freetown by the Government of Sierra Leone
(GOSL) and the United Nations (UN). The SCSL was established at the request of the GOSL to bring
to justice those who bear the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed during the conflict in
Sierra Leone. According to the Statute of SCSL the court is authorized to prosecute individuals who
have violated international humanitarian law and the law of Sierra Leone, since November 30, 1996.
The trials are normally conducted in Freetown where the court is based, but due to security reasons
the UN Security Council authorized the trial against Taylor to take place in The Hague. The UN
Security Council stated that Taylor’s presence in the sub-region would be “an impediment to stability
and a threat to the peace” in Sierra Leone and would cause unrest in West Africa. Taylor is the first
African leader to be tried on war crime charges in an international court. Taylor is accused of 11 counts
of war crimes and crimes against humanity including: pillage; slavery for forced marriage purpose,
collective punishment and the recruitment and use of child soldiers. The charges are related to Taylor’s
role in supporting and aiding two rebel groups, the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and
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the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Liberia’s neighboring country Sierra Leone during its civil
war. Taylor was transferred to The Hague June 30, 2006, where the opening statement was made by
the prosecutor June 4, 2007. Witness testimonies were given between January 7, 2008 and January 30,
2009. A total of 91 witnesses testified. Stephen J. Rapp, the Chief Prosecutor of SCSL explains the
necessity for the large number of witness testimonies as a result of the lack of documents and orders
signed by Taylor as well as the need for circumstantial evidence. At the opening statement for the
defense, July 13, lead defense counsel Courtney Griffiths said that Taylor is not “an African Napoleon”
bent on taking over a region. Griffiths said that Taylor should in fact be seen as a peacekeeper taking
on the role as the leader of the “Committee of Five,” a group designed to bring peace to Sierra Leone,
set up by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Griffiths told the court that
former President Taylor had been occupied with attacks on his own country and therefore had no time
to “micromanage” a conflict in Sierra Leone, but, as a member of ECOWAS and a leader of West
Africa, Griffiths continued, Taylor was “placed on the frontline” to bring peace to Sierra Leone.
Taylor also portrayed himself as a peacemaker during his four-hour hearing July 14. Taylor’s testimony
was shown on the court’s web site and closely followed in both Sierra Leone and Liberia. The central
question of the case is whether the prosecution will be able to show that Taylor is responsible for the
alleged crimes, said Griffiths. He states that over 200 witnesses will be called in the trial. Due to the
wide range of charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Taylor’s testimony might go on for
over four weeks according to his lawyers. A verdict in the case is expected in 2010. (AllAfrica, July 13,
14; BBC News, July 15; NYT, July 13, 14, 15; SC-SL; United Nations, July 15; UN News Services, July
14; 2009)
SOMALIA
Fighting in Mogadishu subsides after a day of intense combat. Islamist troops were forced to retreat
from around Somalia’s presidential palace after a day of fighting, July 12, which left approximately 150
dead. Both government and al-Shabab forces returned to their previous positions, with the insurgency
holding part of Mogadishu and most of southern Somalia, after African Union (AU) forces joined in
the combat. According to Associated Press, al-Shabab troops got within half a mile of the presidential
palace, forcing AU soldiers to intervene and keep them from taking the Transitional Federal
Government’s (TFG) stronghold in the capital. The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)
forces, which consist of 4,300 Burundian and Ugandan soldiers, have a mandate to protect key
infrastructure and personnel, although in the aftermath of Sunday’s events some have questioned what
the peacekeeping force was doing nearly eight kilometers north of the presidential palace, Villa
Somalia. The Ugandan spokesman for AMISOM in Mogadishu, Bariyge Ba-Hoku, did not comment
on what troops were doing that far north of Villa Somalia, but said that AMISOM forces have the right
to go anywhere in Somalia: “We are not just peacekeepers at the seaport, airport and Villa Somalia. We
are supposed to be in the whole country. And so, anywhere we think we think there is danger,
anywhere we think we can assist, we will do that,” Ba-Hoku said. In response to Sunday’s fighting, alShabab spokesman Ali Muhammad Rage has accused AMISOM forces of breaking with their mandate
and becoming combatants in the conflict. The government of Somalia has been struggling against Hizb
al-Shabab (Party of the Youth) forces since an escalation of attacks in June. The State Department has
labeled al-Shabab a foreign terrorist organization, and has expressed concern that a “loose-knit”
Islamist organization like Hizb al-Shabab would act in ways similar to the Taliban, and could become a
haven for “Muslim extremists from other nations” such as al-Qaeda insurgents. Witnesses in
Mogadishu said Monday that the fighting has died down for now, but “may erupt at any moment." (AlJazeera, July 12; AP, Shabelle Media Network, VOA, July 13, 2009)
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SRI LANKA
International aid sources cite death toll at 1,400 a week in “welfare village.” On July 10, Times Online
reported that senior international aid officials estimated about 1,400 people are dying every week in
Manik Farm, adding to concern over a rising “humanitarian catastrophe.” The camp called Manik
Farm is the largest of the internment camps built to house over 300,000 Tamil citizens displaced by the
recent civil war. These camps, termed “welfare villages” by the government, have received criticism
from international humanitarian groups since they began, with reports of inadequate water and food
supplies, and harsh restrictions on relief organizations. Most of the 1,400 deaths a week are being
attributed to water-borne illnesses such as diarrhea, which are treatable and preventable with adequate
sanitation and medical care. According to Times Online, this failure to protect camp residents lends
“credence to allegations that the Government…has actually constructed concentration camps.”
Mangala Samaraweera, the former Foreign Minister and now opposition MP, was quoted as saying,
“There are allegations that the Government is attempting to change the ethnic balance of the area.
Influential people close to the Government have argued for such a solution.” Meanwhile, Sri Lankan
authorities stand by their policies on the camps, saying that the situation is under control. President
Mahinda Rajapaksa is projecting that 80 percent of camp residents will be resettled by the end of the
year, but many obstacles remain. Much of the north of the country is still being cleared of land mines,
and the process of screening camp residents to weed out hidden rebel fighters is a lengthy one. These
challenges have led government officials to admit that the goal of 80 percent resettlement will be tough
to meet. With no clear end in sight, the continuing internment of displaced Tamil citizens without an
improvement in conditions is worrisome. However, the case of camp residents has recently been taken
up by the main moderate Tamil political party, the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). In an open
letter to Rajapakse, TULF leader V. Anandasangari said, “This detention is contrary to the undertaking
given by you to the people of Wanni [in the island’s north] that they will be well looked after.”
Anandasangari’s letter was sent to news organizations around the country. (AFP, July 12; NYT, July
13; TimesOnline, July 10, 2009)
SUDAN
Major opposition group refuses to join in peace talks. The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), one
of the largest rebel groups in the Darfur region, has threatened to boycott peace talks being held in
Egypt, on the grounds that mediators invited “too many small rebel and civilian groups,” according to
Reuters. Last year, the JEM began requesting separate peace talks, arguing that the presence of too
many groups would weaken the position of the Darfur rebels and confuse the process. The movement
also stated that it is the only legitimate military rebel force on the ground in the region. JEM leader
Khalil Ibrahim stated, July 13, that his organization would rather “draw back from the issue” than “join
the chaos,” adding “If people want to join the peace talks, they can join the JEM or the government
group. There is no third party.” Nevertheless, six other rebel groups met in Cairo, July 13, to forge a
stronger alliance before attempting to join peace talks in Doha, Qatar, which have been going on
separately between the JEM and Khartoum since February of this year. The rebel groups include the
United Resistance Front (URF), the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA) and the People’s
Democratic Front for Justice and Development, among others. They plan to meet with Sudanese
delegates for the first time in August 2009, according to the Sudan Tribune. The first Darfur peace
process began in 2006, when talks mediated by the African Union produced the Darfur Peace
Agreement. However, only the SLA agreed to sign the document, and the other rebel factions
promised to fight on. More recent talks in Qatar between Khartoum and JEM rebels have stalled over
issues such as the return of prisoners of war and issues concerning foreign aid groups that were
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expelled from the country in March 2009. (Al-Jazeera, BBC, Reuters, Sudan Tribune, July 13; Sudan
Tribune, July 14, 2009)
UGANDA
Sudanese President al-Bashir faces arrest if he travels to Uganda. The Chief Prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, arrived at Entebbe International Airport
Saturday, July 11. The Monitor reported that the purpose of Ocampo’s visit to Uganda was threefold.
Ocampo was first to meet with President Yoweri Museveni July 13 concerning the ICC’s arrest warrant
for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who plans to travel to Kampala for the Global 2009 Smart
Partnership Dialogue, a conference on regional integration, July 26-28. Ocampo has stated that “it is a
legal obligation for Uganda to arrest Bashir if he comes to Uganda,” since Uganda is a signatory of the
ICC’s Rome Statute. Ocampo and Museveni were also to discuss the ICC’s arrest warrant for Lord’s
Resistance Army (LRA) rebel leader, Joseph Kony. According to the Associated Press, Museveni has
been planning “to approach the international court and request that the indictments be withdrawn if
Kony signs a final peace deal.” Finally, The Monitor reported, a camera crew traveling with Ocampo
planned “to shoot a documentary on the atrocities committed by the LRA, which will be used as
evidence in the war crimes court, in case Kony is arrested.” In returning to the topic of Ocampo’s
scheduled meeting with Museveni, Xinhua reported that prior to July 13, Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa
proposed that Uganda can both support the African Union’s (AU) decision to not cooperate with the
ICC concerning al-Bashir’s warrant of arrest, and also fulfill its obligations as a Rome Statue signatory.
Kutesa claimed Friday, July 10, that “there is no question or second guess about our commitment to
the ICC and there is no doubt about our commitment to the AU.” Also prior to July 13, Ugandan State
Minister for International Affairs Henry Oryem Okello said in a phone interview that since al-Bashir
“has been invited [to the Smart Partnership Dialogue in Uganda] by the Uganda government… he will
not be arrested [if he enters the country].” Following the July 13 meeting between Ocampo and
Museveni, however, Okello reported that Uganda would in fact arrest al-Bashir if he enters the country:
“[We] will ensure that he is arrested,” Okello told reporters. (AP, The Monitor, The Times, Xinhua,
July 13, 2009)
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