Nakuru County Politician Gideon Kubai: I’m not the ICC Witness Against William Ruto, Joshua Sang

Gideon Kubai at LaGuardia airport in USA

Gideon Kubai, a Nakuru county politician and the grandchild of former freedom fighter Fred Kubai  has denied that he is the fifth ICC witness testifying against DP William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang at the ICC.

He's currently in Boston, USA. Kubai is my FB friend and the guest blogger in the previous post Why Jubilee supporters Should Leave the President Alone- By Gideon Kubai.

Here is a transcript of a WhatsApp interview I had with him today at dawn: 

Burning Splint: How long have you been in USA?

Gideon Kubai: Since May this year, first at SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont for a peace and conflict management program then in Boston, Massachusetts.

BS: When are you due to be back in the country and who your visit to USA?

GK: For my personal safety I am not travelling back until the matter is conclusively addressed by security agencies. I intend to attend to this seriously. I will also notify ICC for action from their side. Also note that I fear for the safety of my wife and our two years old daughter in Naivasha.

BS: Back to elections as an MCA: which ward did you contest in, what party did you use and what was the elections results if you can remember.

GK: Maai Mahiu ward in Nakuru county assembly on a Kenya National Congress (KNC) ticket. I polled second but left before i received the IEBC tally.

BS: Ok who won? And going back to the earlier question when were you expecting to be back in the country, that's before the current situation?

GK: A TNA candidate won, although on the second part I prefer not to disclose that at this point.

BS: Ok. Who facilitated the exchange programme which took you to USA?

GK: World Learning sponsors the programme on their campuses in Vermont and Washington DC.

BS: Of course World Learning partnered with an organisation in Kenya.

GK: Vijana na Mageuzi Initiative where i’m a program coordinator, the initiative has been involved in civic education, peace and conflict management projects in the volatile Nakuru county and we started the period after the PEV.

I am also the founder of The Fred Kubai Foundation, which engages in social welfare programme in Naivasha constituency in line with my late grandpa aspirations. I have extensively supported IDPs in Maai Mahiu on education.

BS: Going through the FB profile of the person who posted your photo, he states that he worked for The National Alliance Party. Do you believe TNA is behind this ‘leakage’? And where did he get the photo from?
GK: That was lifted from one of my profile pictures on my FB profile.

BS: Back to my earlier question: Do you believe TNA is behind the leakage? Or do you you’ve an hint of who is involved?

GK: The culprit seem to have a link with TNA/Jubilee online hawks. (You see) people have been critical of me not supporting UK despite our families' history, it was an issue that largely contributed to my election defeat.

BS: What’s your message to the IG of Police David Kimaiyo?

GK: The security machinery should move with speed to protect innocent Kenyans against political extremists both on the ground and on social media platforms. The police's cyber crime unit should double its effort in cracking down on these cyber criminals. Above all Kimaiyo should guarantee safety for my wife and daughter who have already recorded a statement with security agents in Naivasha.

BS: What about a message to President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Government of Kenya?

GK: The president should caution his followers across the country against extreme political stance that could put the safety of any Kenyan in jeopardy. He and all government leaders should adopt and set a rational and non-confrontational tone while addressing the ICC issue.

BS: Any statement to ICC president and prosecutor Fatou Bensouda?

GK: I urge constant vigilance from ICC against all forces that can compromise fair trial and justice for both the suspects and the victims through malicious interference of witnesses and unwarranted propaganda. The ICC should treat these claims brought to its attention with utmost seriousness with a view of punishing the culprits.

BS: Good we are about to finish... But first you worked with victims of PEV in Nakuru county, have you in anyway helped to get witnesses for ICC?

GK: My projects were strictly aimed at fostering reconciliation, urge for peaceful dispute resolution and champion the course of peace. A point of correction I didn't work personally with victims, but my work was at Maai Mahiu which was among places most affected by PEV. These projects were implemented in close conjunction with other stakeholders who included local police and provincial administration.

BS: So you were not involved in any way with the current Kenyan cases at ICC?

GK: Absolutely not!

BS: Thanks sir, I'm done. Do you have any parting shot?

GK: Welcome. I urge Kenyans on social media platforms to exercise restrain during discussions on ICC with sobriety and maturity. They should desist from the temptation to be overzealous and misinform.

BS: Better bro, Good morning (it’s 5:02am). I pray that may God keep your family in Nakuru safe. Have a nice time.

GK: Thanks. We will live through it. Later.

BS: Welcome and amen.

Why Jubilee Supporters should leave the president Alone - By Gideon Kubai

President Uhuru Kenyatta

With the hard fought victory during the last general election which was only decided through a Supreme Court ruling Jubilee and UhuRuto supporters have been in euphoria.

Under the guise of this win, it is becoming hard to reason with millions of Jubilee supporters across the country and in the diaspora.

Suffice to say the campaign and election battle was fought and the win was splendid against seemingly insurmountable odds.

But amid this wall of unbridled happiness, this is an opportune time to direct a few cold hard truths and facts for President Uhuru Kenyatta to be left alone by his supporters and given space to deliver his election pledges.

The space should be left now to help salvage president’s national image and help him carry his national task easily.

President’s personal battle
Once Uhuru became the president he has acquired crucial national responsibilities which surpass narrow ethnic interests which are carried by supporters who come across as his defender in fighting his personal and tribal battle.

These soldiers’ zeal is best manifested online where bundles are dedicated on
facebook, twitter and blogs to sing praise to Uhuru’s and his name against ‘agents of devil and imperialists western powers.’

This otiose zeal has roped in the Kenyatta family, even those who can’t differentiate between Jaba and Jomo, to make it sound like hagiography of Wango’mbe Waihura - the legendary Kikuyu warrior.

The two Uhuru’s sons are young fine men who must be secretly wondering who these very dedicated jubilee supporters are talking about and what is going on.

Equally, both national and senate houses have ground troops have not been left behind in battle mood and arrested campaign mentality. Let us take Aden Duale for example; why did he create a big fuss about withdrawing from the Rome Statute?

Was Duale and Co on a mission to please and ingratiate themselves to the president? Was sycophancy, boot licking and self-preservation so fuzzy to make them realize the pullout was null and was detrimental ongoing ICC cases?

But Duale, like most jubilee elected leaders owe their current positions not from democracy or people’s but due to engrave their images next to the president’s during the campaign period. So perverse was the trend, a foreigner would’ve been mistaken to think Uhuru was running in hundreds of constituencies.

Sovereignty?

Across the social strata jubilee supporters irrespective of their level of education have became experts on dissecting the country’s sovereignty against imperialism and neo-colonialism pushed down Kenyans throat by US and Britain ‘funded’ ICC.

Even in the most rudimentary United Nation definition we are sovereign and this unwarranted braggadocio on proclaiming the obvious will be our downfall as a country.

Kenya isn’t a military superpower, have a runaway inflation and debt ridden economy and donor fund help fight hunger and disease in don’t have the biggest military in the world, we don’t have the biggest economy in the word and our people are still dying of hunger and st Century and over a half a century from independence.

An overzealous jubilee supporter or legislator wearing a crisp western style suit, a parliament funded by millions of US grant, using standing orders borrowed from British house and laboring in Queen’s English can’t lecture us on liberation and neocolonialism.

Even Uhuru Kenyatta a fully born and bred elite has a degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts; the state famously touted as the spirit of America.

I won’t go about the soft power colonization through English football, Hollywood movies, American music, dressing culture and western food like pizza and burger as we seek to look “in the East for development.’

The world is one big village; we are interconnected because even China we seek for aid can’t afford to cut ties with US even though they compete for world supremacy.


Cord/Jubilee matrix and attack on civil society
And here is how this overzealous sycophancy is affecting Kenya: the country still stays polarized more than six months after election.

Comments, criticism or work of civil society is measured in a very narrow lane of either being a Cord or a Jubilee supporter or a gun for hire.

A simple news post online boils down to Cord/Jubilee insults often laced by stereotype tribal insults. Fellow taken as under-class citizens and activists are often labeled traitors, betrayers and reminded that elections are over and they should move on.

It’s very crucial to hold the current government to account especially in delivering campaign promises and manifestoes and not every critic is a Cord critic or is betraying Kenya, which is sadly mistaken for Jubilee and Uhuru.

From a personal point of view since I have worked as an activist civil society doesn’t want to fix the president. I worked with a Naivasha based youth movement funded by US which was implementing peace and civic education.

Getting grant was purely based on project viability, objectivity and political neutrality and I even went to US for training and not once was I asked to participate in any scheme to overthrow my government or fix anybody in the political circles.

Civil society has taken a key role in changing the country in the second liberation and the West we so much abhor was key in bringing change with most dissidents seeking refugee there and like US Ambassador Smith Hempstone who a key figure against president Moi tyranny.

Uhuru acceptance

The president assumed leadership in full cognizance that he carried personal liabilities, weaknesses that will occasionally if not always impinge on execution of his state duties. He has even accepted that severally on national television.

But his supporters’ overzealous support bordering on ignorance, propaganda and fallacies are pressing the president to dump his personal liabilities on the shoulders of Kenyans who are already sagging with heavy burdens.

This has so far done Kenya as a country a great injustice by demonizing every criticism directed to the government.

(The writer Gideon Kubai is the founder and program coordinator for ‘Vijana na Mageuzi Initiative’ and is a grandson of the late freedom fighter Fred Kubai)

HRW: Uhuru, Ruto Should Cooperate With ICC

Human Rights Watch has urged President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court.

The watchdog in an online statement also called on the new government should also uphold and protect the bill of rights as stipulated in the country’s constitution.

“Kenyatta and Ruto should be held to their promises to attend their trials before the ICC,” said Elizabeth Evenson, HRW senior international justice counsel said.

“As president of an ICC member country, Kenyatta should also ensure that his government provides the cooperation it owes the ICC and the support it needs. Victims of Kenya’s post-election violence and their families have already waited more than five years for justice,” she added.

The two including their co-accused Joshua Sang, former Kass FM host have been voluntarily attending ICC proceedings in their cases before the ICC on charges of committing or contributing to the commission of crimes against humanity during Kenya’s election-related violence in 2007 and 2008.

“The new government should also reverse the climate of fear through publicly pledging to help ensure the safety of people who seek to assist justice efforts,” Evenson said.

Earlier there have been concerns on witness protection by Kenyan government with the ICC prosecutor complaining on witness interference.

Witness interference through pressure on witnesses and their families has been blamed for acquittal of Kenyatta’s co-accused Francis Muthaura after a witness feared to come forward and testify against him.

HRW blames lack of government cooperation which has seen witnesses recanting parts of their testimony and admitting to accepting bribes.

Lastly the new government should uphold the bill of rights enshrined in the country’s 2010 constitution to make progress in reform agenda especially police reforms.

“Intimidation of civil society groups increased in the periods before, during, and following the March 4 elections,” HRW indicated.

Threats against civil society activists, media, and ICC witnesses that amount to violations of national law should be investigated and prosecuted, it added.

Manuel Odeny © 2013

Kenyan Politics: Of Maina Njenga, 2013 Elections and Mutation of the Mungiki sect

Members of the Mungiki sect

Kenyan Politics: Of Maina Njenga, 2013 Election and Mutation of the Mungiki sect

By Murimi Mwangi

I was in Kirinyaga, my home county in 2009 during the bloody war between the outlawed Mungiki Sect and the Kenda Kenda Vigilante Squad, a war which had the blessings of the police and the Provincial administration.

During that bloody conflict I together with other men aged above 17 years were forced to sleep in bushes armed with pangas and other crude weapons away from the comfort of our homes for fear of Mungiki’s attack.

The imminent attack never came but iit did strike at Mathira village in Nyeri County in a grisly manner when 27 innocent Kenyans were hacked to death.

The attack and sad memories of brutality that I have personally witnessed among the sect members has given me a déjà vu with gearing up to next general elections as Mungiki sect is going to bed with politicians, a bad omen for peace.

I’ll start with Mungiki leader (I won’t use former for the sect still exists) Maina Njenga who after dubiously denouncing the sect and camouflaging as a Man of God dines with the high and mighty in the country.

Maina enjoys status despite the indelibility of the innocent blood that still stains his hands. He even met the late Muammar Gaddafi before his demise.

He has shared podiums with parliamentarians, ministers, businessmen, politicians and presidential aspirants.

With this political bed hopping with Mungiki Kenya is breeding a sect which will be more brutal than Mombasa Republican Council (MRC). This will be the worst tragedy if you consider the sect was heavily involved in the last PEV. A clear sign of political manipulation.

With the brutality of Mungiki the country should be ready to wake up to news of headless bodies and kidnapping from the sect.

To get the gist of this post I’ll start with Njenga’s current leadership at Mkenya Solidarity Movement (MSM) party, formally headed by the veteran politician GG Kariuki before he decamped it for Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA.

Before mutating into a MSM rumours were abound of Maina Njenga weighing his options to either throw his weight behind Uhuru Kenyatta or the Prime Minister Raila Odinga presidential bids.

However, Uhuru Kenyatta, aware of the muck that Mungiki has brought to his name and his presidential bid, denounced the sect. Uhuru then immediately directed the TNA Chairman, Johnston Sakaja to reject Maina Njenga’s friend request during a press conference.

During the recent Kangema by-election that followed the demise of John Michuki, Mkenya Solidarity Movement (MSM) sponsored John Gathongo to face the PNU and TNA candidates. Kangema was considered a TNA or at least an Uhuru stronghold, so ODM declined to sponsor a candidate there.

However, the ODM still financed the MSM candidate. In appreciation of the underground ordeal between ODM and the MSM, Maina Njenga was swift to proffer his appreciation. He immediately declared he would support Raila Odinga’s presidential bid next year.

Prior to all this, Uhuru Kenyatta had received the endorsement of the GEMA association during the Limuru meeting dubbed Limuru 2.

This had angered the the Gitobu Imanyara Meru faction, so the Mungiki sect took advantage of this and staged a Limuru 2B meeting at the same venue, to denounce the endorsement of Kenyatta by the GEMA association. They did this with the support of Paul Muite, Gitobu Imanyara and a few politicians from ODM.

The ODM faction of the government pressurized the government to grant the meeting permit to the organizers of the Limuru 2B.

As it was expected the PNU arm of the government, under which the internal security ministry falls used the police to disrupt the meeting. This received massive criticism from the US and other western Embassies.

Though many might be shortsighted about this, Maina Njenga is a key player in the forthcoming elections.

The presidential campaigns for next year’s elections are built around the politicisation of the ICC, and Maina Njenga could be holding the secret key to Uhuru Kenyatta’s chances.

Uhuru is defending himself in a case at the ICC, for allegedly providing the financial and logistical support to the Mungiki during 2008 retaliatory attacks in Parts of Nairobi and the Rift Valley at the height of Kenya’s post election violence.

That ICC case is the major stumbling block to his presidential candidacy in the forthcoming elections. It is common knowledge that Raila Odinga wants Uhuru and Ruto completely off the presidential race.

And here is where Mungiki’s dalliance with either TNA or ODM looms, let’s consider the facts I’ll postulate here.



Maina Njenga

This is my justification. A high number of youths from central Kenya are Mungiki members, majority of them are poor and uneducated. Additionally, their oath of allegiance to the sect forces them to follow any decrees passed by the sect.



From this basic fact, most of them will blindly endorse the sect’s as it has happened in the past. It is the old politics of who gets what when and how!

It is my plea to the government to clear this sect because it is undergoing resurgence in many parts of central Kenya.



Recently a childhood buddy and a  Mungiki sect member called me over the phone boasting about high underground recruitment and oath taking in Katrina Town which inspired this post, but that’s a post for another day.



The writer studies communication and media at Maseno university wilsonmurimi@yahoo.com

Annan, Bensouda visits show West is meddling in Kenyan internal affairs

Fatou Bensouda

By Mwangi Wilson Murimi

Recent visits to Kenya by the 2008 post-poll chaos chief mediator Kofi Annan, and the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda raise eyebrows. The oddity of some of Annan and Bensouda’s remarks during their visits raise even more eyebrows!

When Annan visited the country early this month he made an outburst that Kenya risked suffering a diplomatic entanglement with the West if either Uhuru or Ruto were elected as president.

This was a statemnet ran against the political freedom of the Kenyan people from whom the legitimate authority of choosing their leaders is derived. It was in fact a flagrant infringement into sovereignty of the country.

While he was justified as the chief mediator in the 2008 post-poll chaos to visit the country and assess the progress of the coalition government, it was competently erroneous for him to flagrantly discredit the candidacy of the two.

Additionally during his visit Annan comment on judiciary, one of the most reformed arms of the coalition government. There has been a general feeling that the comments could have been an inducement for the Kenyan courts to give a verdict that suits the stand of the West on the Uhuru-Ruto candidacy.

The comment must not be taken seriously since the same judiciary has goofed in the recent past in what can be termed as judicial activism by removing the ban on Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) which has been discredited with the recent past by chaos.

There is also a general feeling in part of the country that Chief Justice Willy Mutunga sides with some political class under the reform agenda.

This same feeling, which can’t be set ignored even though it’s a long shot claims Annan on his meeting with Prime Minister Raila Odinga behind closed door meeting talked on issues of the forthcoming elections and not about the coalition government.

Now the recent meeting by ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to visit 2007/08 PEV hotspots and seek cooperation on evidence in Hague cases from the government though good got muddled by her statement like Annan.

In her press statement she spoke of the politicization of the ICC, and exonerated the court from claims of persecuting Kenya or finishing certain tribes.

Bensouda also became a subject in the mouth of Kenyans after her remarks that the ICC would not adjust its calendar to allow the participation of Ruto and Uhuru in the forthcoming elections scheduled for March year didn’t augur well with some Kenyans .

The international community must respect not only the sovereignty of the Kenya but also the right of the Kenyans to exercise their political freedom in choosing leaders.

Although both Annan and Bensouda may be black they work for West backed institutions like UN and ICC who often intervene when West interest are threatened by developing countries.

Like the current escalating cold war between five permanent members of the Security Council on fundamental issues like nuclear arms race, Arab spring, green energy and the rise of China.

China’s economic reputation with bilateral trade with Africa (including Kenya) has irked the West which is sinking in economic crisis which can be used by UN and ICC to meddle with Kenyan elections to bring in West friendly nations.

This is why allegations that the ICC could be used as a tool to settle political scores between Kenya and the West by entrenching a West-Friendly government should not be ignored..

The writer studies communication and media at Maseno University wilsonmurimi@yahoo.com

Libya: New evidence shows Gaddafi, Mutassim were murdered by Misrata militias

A man holds a picture of the slained former Libya strong man Muarmar Gadaffi in Tripoli soon after his death.

Human Rights Watch in new evidence has blamed Misrata based militias for war crime for murder of former Libya dictator Muammar Gaddafi, his son Mutassim and 66 other Libyans on October 20 last year.

The evident is set to put into question the Libyan government official account that the two as well as all others who perished at the scene, died during fierce crossfire.

In a 50 page report titled Death of a Dictator: Bloody Vengeance in Sirte the human rights watchdog interviewed families of victims, survivors of the Gaddafi’s convoy and officers in opposition militias who were at the scene.

The report also reviews ‘a large number of video recordings made by opposition forces on their cell phones, some of which show captured detainees at the site of the final battle.”

“Video footage shows that Muammar Gaddafi was captured alive but bleeding heavily from a head wound, believed to have been caused by shrapnel from a grenade thrown by his own guards that exploded in their midst,” HRW says in an online website statement.

The evidence discredits the Libyan government’s and militias claim that Gaddafi and his son died in a cross. It also discredits the widely circulated You Tube video of the former dictator half naked and lifeless body being loaded in ambulance.

“In the (new evidence) footage of Muammar Gaddafi (he) is severely beaten by opposition forces and stabbed with a bayonet in his buttocks, causing more injuries and bleeding,” HRW says in evidence of torture of former Libyan leader before his death.

The evidence also confirms that Mutassim Gaddafi was also captured alive at the scene of the battle and his film in Misrata as he smokes cigarettes and drinks water while engaging in argument with militias was different from his body which was alter paraded on streets with a throat wound showing sign of torture.

“Our strongest evidence for these executions comes from the footage filmed by the opposition forces, and the physical evidence at the Mahari Hotel, where the 66 bodies were found,” said Peter Bouckaert, Emergencies Director at HRW says.

HRW say that immediately after the killing they reported the matter to National Transition Council (NTC) for full investigation and accountability has been dragging its feet to start an inquiry.

“Libya’s challenge to bring armed militias like Misrata militias under control and end their abuses is by investigation the mass executions of October 20, 2011,” Bouckaert says.

HRW now calls International Criminal Court (ICC) which investigates and prosecutes war crimes committed by all sides in Libya after February 15, 2011 to come in if the Libyan authorities are not able or willing to investigate or prosecute.

© Manuel Odeny, 2012

War Crimes: Rwanda government dragged again in DR Congo for supporting M23 rebels

Families flee fighting between the Congolese army and M23 rebels in Rutshuru territory, eastern Congo in May 2012.

© 2012 Human Rights Watch

By Manuel Odeny
The Rwanda government has been accused of committing war crimes after being dragged again in DR Congo conflict by supporting the M23 rebels.

In a new research by Human Rights Watch between May and September this year which interviewed 190 Congolese and Rwandan victims Rwanda has been implicated to be complicit in war crimes through continued military assistance to M23 rebels.

This new report collaborates the June United Nations Security Council by Group of Experts Democratic Republic of Congo which led to Rwanda being sanctioned and denied aid for supporting the rebels against sanctions.

The two findings accuse Rwanda of the following:

·         Direct assistance in the creation of M23 through the transport of weapons and soldiers through Rwandan territory

·         Recruitment of Rwandan youth and demobilized ex-combatants as well as Congolese refugees for M23

·         Provision of weapons and ammunition to M23

·         Mobilization and lobbying of Congolese political and financial leaders for the benefit of M23

·         Direct Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) interventions into Congolese territory to reinforce M23

·         Support to several other armed groups as well as Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC) mutinies in the eastern Congo

·         Violation of the assets freeze and travel ban through supporting sanctioned individuals.3

This contravenes the Security Council resolution that states “all States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer, from their territories or by their nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and any related materiel, and the provision of any assistance, advice or training related to military activities, including financing and financial assistance, to all non-governmental entities and individuals operating in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo;”.

Following this report senior Rwanda official are at risk of facing ICC trials at the Hague for being party of the M23’s widespread war crimes, including summary executions, rapes, and forced recruitment.

“In July, several hundred Rwandan army soldiers, possibly more, were deployed to eastern Congo to assist the M23 take the strategic border post town of Bunagana, Rumangabo military base, the towns of Rutshuru, Kiwanja, and Rugari, and surrounding areas,” HRW says.

Witnesses, especially M23 defectors say Rwandan forces enter DR Congo through various footpaths near Njerima, Kanyanje and through Ugandan territory and vehicles around Sabyinyo volcano.

Ugandan media has reported Rwandan military arrested in the country as they head to DR Congo.

HRW says Rwanda “had directed, or helped to direct, military operations, provided weapons, or supervised the training of new recruits.”

M23 in Congo has forcibly recruited 286; of whom at least 68 were children under 18, 24 of them under 15 with Rwandan military recruits by-passing them with estimated 600 of its citizens by force to fight.

Most Rwandan recruits are “men and boys with no previous military experience and Congolese Tutsi refugees living in refugee or transit camps in Rwanda. Others targeted for recruitment included demobilized soldiers from the Rwandan army, the CNDP, and demobilized fighters from the FDLR who had returned to Rwanda.”

Sadly FDLR are a largely Rwandan Hutu militia group operating in Congo, some of whose members participated in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

“There are lots of children with [M23 ICC suspect General] Ntaganda now, and they send us to the front lines so we’re the first to die. It’s as if they take us to kill us,” a 17-year-old Rwandan boy who was recruited in June in Ruhengeri told HRW.

So why does Rwanda recruit its citizens for rebels? A M23 combatant is succinct, “We have a small number of soldiers, and Rwanda has many, we recruit everywhere in Rwanda. We look especially for those with families in Congo, former CNDP fighters, or demobilized soldiers. The street children are also very susceptible to recruitment.”

But Rwanda and M23 continue to deny such allegations. Earlier as an undergrad student I had published an OpEd in this blog, The EastAfrican, Daily Nation and other papers (read it here) on why Rwanda and Uganda who have pilfered Eastern DR Congo resources will not support any report in the country.

The two who claim DR Congo has been used to front rebels in their countries have their armies and presidents to be profiteers and glutton mineral thieves.

Rwandan president Paul Kagame has resorted to dictatorship by forcing the world to bend to his whims by using the genocide guilt card and economic development under his rule as the carrot and its army in UN peace keeping mission in the region as the stick for submission.

And following the same script the Rwandan defense minister, James Kabarebe (he was named in the June UN report, full list later) in an interviews with Belgian newspaper Le Soir on August 29 said, “Everyone knows that Rwanda does not have a single soldier amongst the M23 and does not give it any support.”

M23 leadership has also denied any report linking it to war crimes extensively.

About M23

Wanted: M23 General Bosco Ntaganda

The rebel M23 are soldiers who mutinied to protest the Congolese government’s failure to fully implement the March 23, 2009, peace agreement (hence the name M23), which had integrated them into the Congolese army and was started in late March and May.

Most M23’s senior commanders have well-known histories of serious abuses, ethnic massacres, recruitment of children, mass rape, killing, abductions and torture with some being blacklisted by UN and wanted by ICC.

General Bosco Ntaganda led the mutiny following Congolese government attempts to weaken his control and increased calls for his arrest and surrender to the ICC others are Sultani Makenga, Col. Innocent Zimurinda, Col. Baudouin Ngaruye and Col. Innocent Kayna.

HRW reports that with such tainted past both Ntaganda and Zimurinda have traveled to openely Rwanda since April to seek logistical support against international sanctions and arrest warrants on them.

“The Rwandan government’s repeated denials that its military officials provide support for the abusive M23 rebels beggars belief, the United Nations Security Council should sanction M23 leaders, as well as Rwandan officials who are helping them, for serious rights abuses.”  Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior Africa researcher with HRW says.

According to the earlier report by UN the following Rwandan officials were extensively named and should be sanctioned and brought to justice:

·         General Jacques Nziza, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence he  supervises all military, financial, and logistic support as well as mobilization activities related to M23.

·         General James Kabarebe, the Rwandan Minister of Defence, with the support of his personal secretary Captain Celestin Senkoko for recruitment and mobilizing of political and military support to M23. Kabarebe has often been in direct contact with M23 members on the ground to coordinate military activities;

·         General Charles Kayonga, the RDF Chief of Staff, manages the overall military support to M23. Kayonga is frequently in communication with Makenga and oversaw the transfer of Makenga’s troops and weapons through Rwanda;

·         The military support on the ground, recruitment of civilians and demobilized soldiers for M23 has been channelled by General Emmanuel Ruvusha, RDF Division commander based in Gisenyi, as well as General Alexi Kagame and RDF Division commander based at Ruhengeri. Both facilitate

·         Colonel Jomba Gakumba, a native of North Kivu, who used to be an RDF instructor at the Rwandan Military Academy at Gako.

Why Charles Taylor Deserves The Hague



Most African critics against ICC see it as neo-colonialist tool by the west to colonize Africa.

While speaking on Taylor’s warrant at AU headquarter Libya’s Muarmar Gaddaffi observed

“(ICC warrants) a practice of a new world terrorism, it’s not fair that a head of state should be arrested. If we allow such a thing (then) we should also try those who killed hundreds of thousands of children in Iraq and Gaza.” New African, May 2009

This comes from a man who being keen to interfere with pro-USA countries in the world trained Taylor’s 100 National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) guerilla’s from a score of West African countries: Sierra Leone, Nigeria, the Gambia and Ghana.

Other critics insist that Taylor was to face his 11 counts of indictments in Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) instead of Netherlands which was moved because it was believed Taylor still enjoyed support from the region which could have affected the course of justice.

These critics insist on Freetown because the indictment read in part “as he (Taylor) beared  the greatest responsibility for the war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone between 30^th November 1996 and 18^th January 2002”

 In addition, the same critics said the case which started on 4^th June 2007 is lopsided because after the prosecutor presented 91 witnesses, Taylor who started his defense on July last year lucks witnesses since his friends and associates are still under UN travel ban with their finances frozen.

  

The critics not withstanding Taylor is at ICC after Nigeria, were he retired to a sumptuous villa, bowed to International pressure after a warrant issued by the then chief Persecutor David Crane.

Not to lose hope the critics insists Crane was from US and Nigeria betrayed Taylor when he was arrested fleeing the country with laundered money.

Nigeria bent after Taylor was labeled a Pariah, had arms embargo, trade sanctions and ban on government officials.

Let’s us begin first by checking Charles Taylor’s rebellion at the end of 1986. A descendant of American slaves calling themselves Americo-Liberians, Taylor got his education from USA. He started rebellion against the weak American backed Samwel Doe who seized power on 12th April ’80 coup. America was the only country worldwide to support the October ’85 rigged elections which Doe ‘won’.

The rebellion was aided by Ivory Coast president Felix Houphert-Boigny whose son in law was killed by Doe. Together with Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso who was related with Houphert-Boigny in marriage.

Firstly, Taylor’s misdeed was recruiting heavily from illiterate teenagers hell-bend on revenge from Doe as child soldiers. A notorious group, Butt Naked Brigade, fought naked in belief it protected them from live bullets. The world saw coverage of Child soldiers high on marijuana, sometimes carrying AK 47s and toys.

Taylor said:

“The NPFL came and we didn’t even have to act. People came to us and said: ‘give me a gun. How can I kill the man who killed my mother?’”

Taylor organized the orphans in ‘small boys unit’ before giving them rudimentary training in Kalashnikov lifestyle and turning them to psychopathic killers wrote the former Times Africa correspondent Martin Meredith in his book The State of Africa: A history of fifty years of Independence.

“Joining a militia group is both meal ticket and substitute education…..the AK47 brings food, money, a warm bath and instant adult respect.” Wrote Krijn Peters and Paul Richards on an essay “Why we Fight”; Voices of Youth combatants in Sierra Leone (1998) about children soldiers. “Underage irregulars fight without inhibition and kill without compassion, sometimes casually, sometimes as an extension of play.”

An American researcher, William Reno, estimated Taylor warlord economy to be $200 million apart from looted goods. This was at a time when Liberia was being crippled economically by war!

When Taylor’s attempted to capture Monrovia were thwarted he built a warlord commercial empire he called ‘Greater Liberia’. He cut a deal with American’s Firestone for rubber plantations; France bought timber from him while a British firm paid $100 million in three months to ship out iron ore. Taylor’s brother, Nelson netted $10 Million in three months from gold and diamond mining in south-west Liberia.

Blinded by greed Taylor’s bid to control Sierra Leone’s $300 million annual diamond traffic, and bauxite and titanium mines accounting for 60% of the country export, supported Fodhay Sankoh a man he called “Governor of Sierra Leone’ against President Joseph Momoh.

To control the fields child soldiers were used to maim dissidents and rape women into submission! By May 2000, over a period of eleven years of civil war 30,000 people died with 20,000 others mutilated.

Fodhay Sankoh’s end came when his rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF) seized 500 Kenyan and Zambian UN peacekeepers.

In retaliation civic groups organized a crowd of 30,000 people to march to Sankoh’s house forcing him to escape over the back wall dressed in woman’s clothing. He was captured ten days later, stripped and paraded naked in streets before being handed over to the government.

After all these misdeeds I know Taylor, and other dictators and war instigators like Sudan’s Omar El Bashir and Kenyan Post Election Violence perpetrators, need to go to ICC!

The criticism that the warrant was issued on June 2003 when Taylor was in Ghana with five former African presidents Thabo Mbeki (SA), Olesegun Obasanjo(Nigeria) Joachim Chisanno (Mozambique), Tejan Kabbah (Sierra Leone) and John Kufuor (Ghana) seeking peace is farfetched.

Even after 1500 lives were lost and 13 peace treaties ignored he only relented after fear of his action on region’s security made West Africa states to commissioned the ECOMOG (Economic Community of West Africa Sates monitoring Group) forcing elections on July 1977 on the 14^th treaty!!

Not to be easily cowered Taylor flaunted his warlord credentials with a slogan:

“He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him.”

Liberians voted for the sake of peace. Needless to say his National Patriotic Party (NPP) won elections by 75% of the vote.

His effects are still felt in region with the arms embargo being recently lifted by UN Security Council at the end of last year.