By: Bol Khan
Opinion
July 23-2014 (Nyamilepedia) Many if not all African Leaders have something in common. Once, one is elected into office or otherwise he/she subsequently chose to cling onto power for life and brutally abuse it. By rapidly enriching themselves, drawn governing styles based on ethnicity, nepotism with high degree of corruption. Which eventually would result in killing or assassinating potential figures who might rise up in the middle to install democratic and human rights rules? They do that on the pretext of dealing away with former colonials. They would even order their security personnel to execute their disastrous directives. You can see them killing innocent people today and tomorrow swiftly begin to set up bogus investigation committees to investigate gross human right violations they committed. Thirty four (34) African countries out of Fifty-four (54) countries which signed Rome- Status agreement are now complaining.
That African Governments should form a continental court which will look into human rights abuses, in Africa. How come the same person who played people can again give himself/herself a chance to set up an investigation committee to investigate, the crimes he/she committed? No there is no logic at all in this kind of demand by African sitting Leaders. The rumors, being that African leaders are now forging ahead with plans to set up their own regional court. Such a notion is unacceptable. It must be a sneaky way of giving them an obvious immunity in the process. On the other hand, it would be an attempt to avoid the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC). And a clear indication that African Leaders want to distant themselves from natural and world justice. It must be rejected because they want to find saver way to kill people even much more than they had been doing or stay in offices without facing accountability.
A continental court, for instance, established in 1998 by 20 countries—none signature of Rome Agreement has so far did anything to bring into book those African leaders who have been committing crimes. African Union, either, has becomes an Organization which offers nothing good to the continent’s innocent citizens. It sometimes involves in crimes investigations. Does AU’s deserve existence? I see no reason for an AU organization existence because it doesn’t solve Africans problems. Those who lead the Union once became, Ministers, Diplomats and Presidents in their countries. Do we expect them to apply justice? No we don’t! They form Committees on Human Rights Abuses for investigations. From an investigation committee comprises of complexities: can victims expect fair investigation results?
In the case of South Sudan. An investigation committee is reportedly formed and investigating human rights abuses, committed following the aftermath of Dec 15 2013. Just over the last two weeks or so, Justice John Wuol Makec in his capacity as committee’s Chairperson has allegedly invited the 15 Dec in Juba, Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile states’ Survivors to go to the Committee’s respective offices in Juba and those states mentioned. That “ I the Chairperson of the Investigation Committee do hereby inform the public and IDPs inside and outside the United Nation Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) camps that the committee is ready to interview the survivors, families of victims, eye witnesses and relevant institutions to obtain information and evidence related to the killing of innocent persons. The venues for investigations in Juba, he allegedly said, would be the Investigation Committee’s Office which is located at East of Kenya Commercial Bank (CB) Buluk Branch and South of Lokita Petrol Station along Street of the Ministries. And in respective Offices of the Committee in Jonglei (Bor), Upper Nile (Malakal), and Unity (Bentiu) states.
The fixed date for investigations in Juba was started on 1th-25th, July and on 10th-25th, July in those three states of Greater Upper Nile. So the question, here, is what do we expect from that investigation committee? I’m less interested in any investigation being done by indigenous. The committee’s investigations would have been appreciated and inclusive if those, Refugees in Unganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and IDPs in Wau and remote areas of Greater Upper Nile were to be involved. Will the Committee go to them there? Otherwise. What is the reason why IDPs are still living in the UNMISS’s bases in Juba, Wau, Malakal, Bor and Bentiu? What are they doing there? Are they in a hiding, for their lives? There was a slight mistake. Even if we today decided to make a confirmation researches around the globe, I don’t think that survivors or victims are the one who go to investigation committee’s centers themselves. Rather they are the committee’s staffs or members who used to go and investigate the survivors/victims wherever they are/may be. Would they (survivors) really speak up their minds freely in those centers?
What if you go and recognized in the center the one who abused your rights. Would you be given a permission to tell he is the one? If IDPs can have such a freedom to move around up to the Committee’s centers, then I can say that those IDPs are there for nothing. They should instead return to their houses. Oh, are their houses safe and empty? This is another question which needs responsible answer. Investigation committees on Human right in less-developed world, Amnesty International, Human Right Watch and all International Organizations working on Human rights issues do not ask Survivors to go to their countries respective offices. It would be good enough, if African Union (AU) can further wider its attention to problems facing ordinary Africans. Anyway, we can understand that the continent is working on Human Right Issues and how Justice can be achieve in Africa. Let us rest our case here. However, I, the author, strongly believe that corn won’t secure or expect fair justice from that court composes of chickens.
Bol Khan is a concerned citizen, reach him on bolkhan39@yahoo.com
