The Presidential pardon issued on 27 August to representatives of the Sudanese press is welcome news. It is an important signal of respect for freedom of expression by the Sudanese Government. I hope that the pardon will be extended to all media representatives and acted upon without delay.
As the ongoing famine in Somalia worsens, I am deeply concerned about reports of sexual violence in the wake of the mass exodus from Somalia to Kenya. Conflict, drought, and displacement have heightened the vulnerability of women and girls to sexual violence. During the long and perilous journey from Somalia to the camps in Kenya, women and girls are subjected to attacks, including rape, by armed militants and bandits. Once they cross the Somalia-Kenya border or reach Dadaab – the world’s largest refugee settlement - their hopes of finding a safe haven are often overshadowed by new dangers and hardships, including the risk of rape.
As the ongoing famine in Somalia grows worse, I am deeply concerned about sexual violence following in the footsteps of the mass exodus from Somalia to Kenya. Conflict, drought, and displacement have heightened women’s and girls’ vulnerability to sexual violence.
Last week, a Sudanese court sentenced Amal Habani, a journalist from the independent daily Al-Jarida, covering the case of alleged rape of an activist by security forces following an antigovernment protest earlier this year. The sentence imposed on Ms. Habani is the second ruling since state prosecutors launched charges of defamation against several Sudanese journalists for writing about the alleged rape. A female colleague also working at Al-Jarida, Ms. Fatima Ghazali, was given the same sentence earlier this month.
I welcome that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has initiated judicial proceedings against three of five high-ranking military officers of the Forces Armées de la République Démocratiques du Congo (FARDC) charged with having perpetrated rape. They include General Jerôme Kakwavu, former leader of the armed group Forces Armées Populaires du Congo (UDC/FAPC) before his integration into the national army, Lieutenant Colonel Engagela aka ‘Colonel 106’, and Colonel Safari.
Following allegations of sexual violence committed during the ongoing conflict in Libya, I am happy to announce that an expert on conflict-related sexual violence will be dispatched to Libya today. The task of this expert is to investigate, gather and analyze information on conflict-related sexual violence in Libya. The assessment mission will take place over a six week period, starting immediately.
I welcome the report issued today by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) on the mass rapes and other human rights violations committed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 31 December 2010 and 1 January 2011. The report is important in that it does not only establish what took place in the villages of Bushani and Kalambahiro in North Kivu on these dates, but also provides the government of the DRC, the UN’s peacekeeping mission MONUSCO and humanitarian partners with recommendations on how to better protect civilians and to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
I welcome the adoption today by the UN Security Council of resolution 1991 (2011), extending the mandate of MONUSCO, the UN’s peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Given the significant security challenges that remain in the country, it is crucial that the United Nations have a continued peacekeeping presence in the Congo. The recent mass rapes in Fizi in South Kivu highlight that Congo’s women are particularly vulnerable.
I welcome the arrest of General Hector Mario Lopez Fuentes by Guatemalan authorities. General Lopez Fuentes was Chief of Staff of the Guatemalan armed forces from March 1982 to October 1983. He faces allegations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. These allegations include directing a policy of wide-scale military attacks on civilians – particularly indigenous Mayans – in which entire villages were destroyed, inhabitants of all ages were killed and women and young girls were systematically raped.
I welcome the new UN Security Council Resolution on HIV (SCR 1983), unanimously adopted yesterday in New York. This is an important tool as it enhances broader international efforts in our continued fight against conflict-related sexual violence and the devastating impact it can have on the health and stability of communities.
