International Studies and Diplomacy, Essay Example

This paper in on International Studies and Diplomacy and focusing on the important topic of human rights. In particular the position of human rights in both Sierra Leone and that of Zimbabwe.  The analysis examines the situation giving rise to the conflict in the respective countries and how this has impacted other relationships in Africa and on the international scene.

The nation of Sierra Leone in West Africa has had a serious human right record since 1991.  The watchdog body ” Human Rights Watch” has reported that over 50,000 people have been killed and a further million displaced.   The conflict has deepened between the acting Government and the rebel forces called “Revolutionary United Front”.  The rebels accuse the government of corruption and not using the diamond extraction funds for the benefit of the people and the nation.  They accuse the Government forces of extreme brutality, acts of murder and savage barbarity.    Whilst the RUF initially started off with a legitimate cause, since the conflict began they too have been accused of corruption  and trafficking of diamonds.  Media coverage has largely ignored Serra Leone but statistics indicate that 25 times as many people have been killed to that of Kosovo in the Balkans conflict.

Because of the raw materials and in particular the diamonds and oil, the pickings have been rich and this has introduced mercenaries fighting on both sides of the conflict.  In addition the conflict has increased the black market on armament and weapons smuggling with diamonds as a ready currency.  Human rights activists have complained about the large number of child soldiers being conscripted into the Government forces.  The United Nations estimated that 25% of the Government troops are under the age of 18.  In 1999 the UN attempted to broker a peace deal that received a large amount of media attention.  The reason being that part of the surrender terms gave amnesty to the rebels who had committed human rights abuses, including torture and murder.  ” Even Kofi Annan ( then Secretary General of the UN ) tried to clarify that while peace may have been agreed to, this does not give amnesty to anyone for human rights abuses ”  (Shah)

The Government counteracted by saying it had a ” sovereign right” to grant amnesty if it so desired and essentially it was none of the UN’s business.  The UN reluctantly agreed on the pretext that it at least had stopped the progression of war.  Human Rights activists stated that despite the treaty violation of human rights continued to take place.  The process of disarmament has been very difficult with many of the rebel forces refusing to co-operate.

The Government since this time brought in the help of British troops under the initial pretext of helping British Citizens living there.  The role however quickly expanded to routing out rebel factions and the capture of rebel leaders for the Government.  This was seen to undermine the role of the United Nations and further weakened the UN position with the Government.  Britain came under added critcism saying that its main reason was for the protection of the rich diamond mining facilities and protecting their own interests in the region.

In 2000 the UN took the step of banning diamonds exported  from Sierra Leone.  The widely discussed concept of “blood diamonds”.  The UN providing evidence that the RUF had been selling diamonds to fund weapons purchases and additional activities which included human rights abuses.  The diamonds continued to circulate around the worlds diamond markets but with continued exposure by the media on “blood diamonds” many of the larger Corporations are supporting UN sanctions.

The conflict was drawing in neighbouring states of Africa. In particular Liberia was identified as being a strong supporter of the RUF and a conduit for exchanging diamonds for weapons.  In May 2001 the UN imposed sanctions on Liberia and on 18th July a diamond mining ban was announced.  The irony of  Sierra Leone being described as one of the worlds poorest countries whilst being rich in natural resources and minerals.  This in turn fuelling a support system in armaments, mercenaries and political interventions in order to fight over the wealth of the natural resources.

Similar human rights violations have taken place in Zimbabwe on the Eastern side of Africa.  The Government of Zimbabwe submits periodic reports to the UN on matters of compliance.  Amnesty International have been particularly active in monitoring the situation there through combined research and field work.  ” All five organizations contend that the government of Zimbabwe has failed to respect and protect the rights contained in the African Charter.”  (Amnesty International Report ).  In order to compound the human rights violations in Zimbabwe they are taking place in a declining economy The human rights crisis in Zimbabwe is taking place in a context of a rapidly declining economy. “Inflation is running at more than 1,700 per cent. Formal unemployment is at 80 per cent, and most employed people earn well below the poverty line.”  (Amnesty International Report ).

The Government of Zimbabwe has been cited by Amnesty International for the use of torture being committed on a vast scale.  This being the army, law enforcement officers, state agents etc.  Those reporting such incidents run the risk of similar treatment and so the victims are left with no legal recourse or remedy for the crimes committed against them.  Most of the media have been banned from reporting in Zimbabwe and so a true account of all the human rights issues is what filters through neighbouring countries like South Africa.   The concept of land reform and the redistribution of wealth from the white to the black populace has led to most of the government sponsored acts of terrorism.  The militia moved in and took over the farms and then used these as bases to attack residents of surrounding areas. The police were equally highly implicated in supporting the Government militia.  UN Statistics stated ” 700,000 people– nearly 6 per cent of the total population – lost their homes, livelihoods, or both as the result of the evictions. About 2.4 million people – some 18 per cent of the population – have been either directly or indirectly affected”  (Amnesty International Report ).

The actual reclamation of farms and land from the white farm owners had terrible consequences not only for the families of the white farmers but for all the black farm workers that relied on the infrastructure for a living.  The back lash against colonialism was not thought through and as such despite taking the land back, there was no replacement system or expertise to carry on the agriculture. The result plunged the economy back into a dark age creating starvation, mass unemployment, breakdown in civil law and massive human rights abuses.  The report to the African National Congress stated.  In June 2000, the National Employment Council for the agricultural industry (a tripartite body of government, employers and unions) reported that, as a result of the farm occupations, at least 3,000 farm workers had been displaced from their homes, 26 killed, 1,600 assaulted, and 11 raped.

A comparison to Sierra Leone has been the corruption and human rights abuses focused around the diamond mining communities of Zimbabwe.  A recent report this year was quoted as saying :

DiamondGeezer.com, a leading online fine diamond jeweller, said in a statement issued by its publicists on Friday that it had implemented an immediate trading ban on all diamonds from Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields due to what it described as “severe human rights violations”.

“The ban does not apply to all diamonds from Zimbabwe — only those from the Marange area. Severe human rights violations have taken place in the diamond fields of Marange, Zimbabwe, and the DiamondGeezer.com board of directors has passed a resolution banning the trade or use of any Marange diamonds.   

The international diamond watchdog body KP had ordered the Government to initiate a number of processes that included withdrawing the army from guarding the diamond mine claims.  In the scuffle that followed the Zimbabwe Government managed to convince KP that it was not responsible for any human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.  This earnt them a reprieve and the ability to claim victory.  This infuriated groups like Amnesty International who had lobbied for Zimbabwe to be removed from the international market.  The KP being responsible for 70 countries and restricting illegal diamonds into the market, particularly those associated with human rights violations.

President Mugabe’s government has also been criticised by a campaign group called the Physicians for human rights.  They were appalled by the dreadful state of the health situation in Zimbabwe.  The group stated the administration should be investigated by the International Criminal Court.  The complete collapse of the sanitation and water rights is an infringement of basic human rights. The current situation leading to an outbreak of cholera that has wiped out more than 2000 people.  The health system is in ruins and there should be immediate intervention by the international community.

The UN Security Council stated that  scale and scope of the health sector’s collapse last year was “unprecedented”. Further the Mugabe government deliberately tried minimise the scale of the Cholera outbreak. The regime is obsessed with retention of power and will use any means at its disposal, including destruction of the health system. Civic Organisations had previously warned the Government of the risk of Cholera, owing to the refusal to maintain water purification systems.  The Government stating this was just another excuse of the western alliance to try and get rid of him.  The situation in the economy has deteriorated to such an extent that there is now more than 80% unemployed and those that are employed find their salary to be worthless unless paid in foreign currency.

One  government doctor showed the PHR her payslip for November 2008; she was paid the equivalent of 32 US cents (22 pence) for the whole month. The dollarization of the economy has meant that only a small elite now have access to healthcare.

The Physicians report also provided information on other serious disease prevalent in the country, including:  an anthrax outbreak, the HIV/Aids crisis, tuberculosis and maternal mortality. The most alarming statistic of all indicating that life expectancy had fallen from 62 years for both sexes in 1990 to 34 years for men and 37 years for women in 2006, the world’s lowest.

One of the most significant breaches of human rights is that of “torture” . Amnesty International does significant research in this area and the information collected on the Mugabe regime is both sickening and horrifying in an era of technological civilization.

The practice of torture in Zimbabwe has taken on both forms i.e. Physical and Psychological. The worst reported episodes of physical torture have included severe beatings, electric shock treatment, burns, suspension, water boarding and sexual torture.  Zimbabwe has signed a number of treaties forbidding torture but regrettably fails to abide or honour the treaties that it signs. Put bluntly the administration simply  cannot be trusted by the international community as long as it resides outside the realm of basic human decency and human rights. Zimbabwe has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. Both these instruments clearly prohibit torture in Articles 21 and 5 respectively. However, it has not ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), which Death of the victim entered into force on 26 June 1987. Some 146 countries have ratified this important Convention.

Owing to Mugabe’s  Zanu PF’s stance on human rights we see a dreadful picture emerging in Zimbawe. As a result of all the  organised violence and torture many Zimbabweans are now living in exile.  Equally others fleeing from persecution are seeking asylum in different countries. Approximately three million Zimbabweans have fled the country not just because of the deteriorating economic situation but because they are denied freedom of speech.  Those young people left in Zimbabwe are a lost generation without hope or a future. Their hopes have been dashed and their civil liberties and human rights are under constant threat from the relentless state security agents.

In Zimbabwe today, people do not enjoy the right to free speech; they have no right to the freedom of movement and association. These are rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The right to free speech is a cornerstone for the protection of other human rights.

Works Cited

Amnesty International Report . Zimbabwe: human rights in crisis. 5 2007. 17 12 2009 <http://www.redress.org/reports/ZimbabweShadowReportMay07.pdf>.

Shah, Annup. Sierra Leone. 23 7 2001. 17 12 2009 <http://www.globalissues.org/article/88/sierra-leone>.