The Fund for Peace “Building Peace in the 21st Century” http://www:fundforpeace.org NEWS RELEASE November 14, 2000 For immediate distribution Fax: (202) 223-7947 acbader@fundforpeace.org The Fund for Peace Calls on UNHCR's Ogata to End Spate of Killings and Arms Availability in Kenyan Refugee Camps Just back from a 3 month field investigation to Africa, FFP Arms and Conflict Director Kathi Austin personally reported the desperate security situation of refugees in the Dadaab camps in northeastern Kenya to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Mrs. Sadako Ogata yesterday at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. and sent Ogata a report and urgent policy recommendations in a three page letter. Austin's experience is recent and personal. She and her videographer interviewed a number of refugees about the problem of armed elements in the camps. Among them was 33 year old Ethiopian Solomon Ayalew, who approached her for help, reporting UNHCR officials disregarded his and other refugees'’ repeated reports of imminent danger to their lives. Ayalew was killed by 16 armed men ten days after his interview with Austin. His death, described in a poignant letter written by his fellow refugee Wondwossen Tadele, has been verified by the UNHCR. Ms. Austin’s research documents the use of UNHCR camps by armed groups, including arms trafficking networks, ethnic militia and bandits. The FFP is urging immediate action to protect lives, evaluate the effectiveness of local UNHCR staff, improve camp security, eliminate arms in the camps and institute better screening and monitoring procedures. In the Ogata letter, Ms. Austin and the FFP calls on Ogata’s office: to investigate the Dadaab refugees’ reports and specifically the alleged murder of Mr. Ayalew, identify the perpetrators of such crimes, and ascertain whether UNHCR personnel have disregarded or neglected their duty. The Arms and Conflict Program, directed by internationally recognized researcher Kathi Austin and Advocacy Director Loretta Bondi focuses on limiting the global proliferation and misuse of small arms and their attendant human rights abuses. Program Director Kathi Austin urges the UNHCR “to view Solomon’s case as a symbol with a human face of UNHCR’s failure to protect those under its charge. With the letter written by another threatened refugee, Wondwossen, of Solomon’s death and the announcement of many other killings in the making, my worst fears have been realized”, Austin says. “I feel that those who wished to halt the killings of their community members by bravely speaking out on the problems of guns in the refugee camps are at a grave risk.” Advocacy director Loretta Bondi points out that “These camps have been in existence for nearly a decade, surely something should have been done by now to separate armed aggressors from the genuine civilians.” In Geneva today, Bondi met with the UNHCR Director of the Bureau for Africa, Kolude Doherty, who expressed shock and ignorance of the killing. Bondi conveyed the concerns of the FFP to Doherty and urged him to take actions, particularly in regards to the refugee’s allegation that local UNHCR staff neglected to fulfill its protection mandate. The Ogata and Tadele letters with other relevant materials appear under Bulletins on The Fund for Peace Website at www.fundforpeace.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The mission of The Fund for Peace is to prevent war and alleviate the conditions which cause war. It promotes education and research for practical solutions, and is a consistent advocate of promoting social justice and respect for the principles of constitutional democracy. Other FFP programs include The Conflict Prevention and Recovery Program that designs cutting edge analytical tools for informed decision making, The Human Rights and Business Roundtable, an innovative program which brings together corporations and human rights organizations in an off-the-record dialogue to promote corporate social responsibility, The Senior Fellows Program in which serving government officials spend a year in independent study and as resident analysts and The Institute for World Politics that provides support for doctoral dissertation research on international issues.