IANSA Update 4 January 2008

Pakistan: IANSA members call for gun-free elections
Kenya: Civil society movement to stop post-electoral violence
Sri Lanka: Government withdraws from ceasefire; armed violence
DRC: Peace conference in Goma seeks solution to North-Kivu violence
Other news: Spanish Senate passes arms trade law; Job at Peace & Justice Studies Association

Pakistan: IANSA members call for gun-free elections

IANSA members in Pakistan have called for the elections on 18 February to be gun-free and for the police to act with restraint. At least 47 people have been killed since the assassination of presidential candidate Benazir Bhutto on 27 December. Read more here.

Kenya: Civil society movement to stop post-electoral violence

IANSA members in Kenya have joined other civil society organisations, donor agencies, religious and business leaders in forming the Electoral Violence Response Initiative, a project to counter the violence that has broken out since 30 December. More than 300 people have been killed and around 100,000 driven from their homes; many houses have been burned down and there are also reports of gang rapes. The initiative is attempting high-level mediation to bring together the opposing political parties, as well as supporting local events for communities to talk through their disagreements rather than resorting to violence. It is also collecting resources to provide food and shelter to those displaced. Roselyn Mungai of the Africa Peace Forum said the Kenyan media are helping too, by avoiding reporting on provocative statements to prevent further clashes in response. So far machetes have been the most common weapons used, but Dr Mustafa Ali of the African Council of Religious Leaders has warned that it would be catastrophic if small arms begin to replace machetes. The highest concentrations of guns are in rural areas in northern Kenya. Campaigners urged the police to exercise restraint with their guns, since there have been reports of mass shootings by police.
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Sri Lanka: Government withdraws from ceasefire; armed violence increasing
South Asia Small Arms Network (SASA-Net) has condemned the recent spate of violence against civilians in the northeast and southern parts of Sri Lanka. SASA-Net said that armed groups have been deliberately targeting civilians with attacks on social gatherings and workplaces. The Sri Lankan government announced on 2 January that it was withdrawing from a ceasefire agreement with the Tamil Tigers. Human Rights Watch has urged the UN to send observers to monitor the fighting. A Norwegian ceasefire monitoring mission ends on 16 January. Read more here.

DRC: Peace conference in Goma seeks solution to North-Kivu violence
A peace conference for the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is scheduled to take place 6-14 January in Goma, the regional capital of Nord-Kivu. Organised by President Joseph Kabila, the conference aims to create the basis for a durable peace. Participants include representatives of civil society, business and ethnic groups from both northern and southern Kivu provinces. Months of clashes between government troops and loyalists of renegade ex-general Laurent Nkunda in Nord-Kivu, as well as fighting by other rebels groups in Sud-Kivu, has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and threatened DR Congo's fragile recovery from its devastating civil war. The Amani Parliamentary Forum for Peace has welcomed the initiative. Read more here.

Other news

• The Spanish Senate has approved the country's first arms trade law, which will prohibit arms transfers to countries in conflict or where serious violations of human rights are occurring. The law was passed in Congress at the end of November. Read more here.
• The Peace and Justice Studies Association in the US is seeking an experienced administrator for a part-time position as Executive Director. Candidates can apply here before 4 February 2008.

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