HRW: All sides in Somalia have violated international law

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- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day
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NAIROBI, Kenya: Ferocious battles in Somalia's capital have involved serious violations of the laws of war by all sides, with indiscriminate attacks on civilian neighborhoods and hospitals, a human rights group said Monday.

(Picture - Tom Porteous, London Director of Human Rights Watch, press conference, Monday, Aug. 13, 2007. AP Photo)

Mogadishu, one of the world's most violent cities, has been ravaged by fighting that pits Somali troops and their Ethiopian allies against insurgents who are trying to topple the fragile administration. Thousands of civilians have been killed this year by roadside bombs, mortar and grenade attacks and land mines.

"None of the parties has taken — as international law requires — all feasible precautions to spare the civilian population from the effects of attacks," New York-based Human Rights Watch said in its 113-page report, "Shell shocked: Civilians Under Siege in Mogadishu."(More...)

Also see:
-[AUDIO] All in Somalia Conflict Violated International Law (VOA Audio Report)
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(AUDIO) NPR Reports from Ethiopia

Ethiopia is secretly cracking down on groups it deems terrorist, including one in western Ethiopia (OLF). The situation is raising serious human rights concerns, and tough questions for its ally, the United States. [LISTEN to NPR's report]

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Picture of the Day

(Mamo Wudneh)
Renowned author, playwright, journalist and Former President of the Ethiopian Writers' Association - Mamo Wudneh - started elementary school at age 15 but quickly rose to become one of the country’s prolific writers. He was actively involved in trying to broker a peace deal between Ethiopia and Eritrea; and this year he served as a member of the council of elders (SHimagilewoch) which was led by Professor Ephraim Isaac.

Below is a link to a fascinating brief article, written in 1998, about what happened when Mr. Wudneh confronted the Italiyan pilot who was responsible for bombing his village when Mr. Wudneh was just a kid.

-'So You are the One Who Destroyed My Village' (by Paul Williams)



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