From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:SOMALIA: U.S. intervention opens rift in major U.S. rights group
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 04:42:04 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Africa, east
Title: SOMALIA: U.S. intervention opens rift in major U.S. rights group


washington, dec 4 (ips/jim lobe) -- the prominent u.s. human
rights umbrella body, human rights watch, fired the executive
director of africa watch this week over differences regarding the
deployment of u.s. troops to somalia to help get food to starving
civilians there.

human rights watch deputy director, kenneth roth, told the
'washington post' friday that rakiya omaar, a somali native and
africa watch founder, had been dismissed ''for insubordination and
failure to abide by our internal procedures on establishing a
policy''.

omaar, a frequent guest on public affairs television
programmes, has strongly opposed the u.s. deployment since
president george bush's offer to send the troops was first leaked
to the press late last month.

she has argued that deployment of such a massive force is
likely to disrupt hopeful peacemaking efforts by traditional
somali clan and community leaders and international relief groups
which have been working closely with them.

tuesday, however, the new york-based human rights watch, the
umbrella organisation for regionally based watch groups such as
africa watch, issued a formal statement in which it ''welcome(d)''
bush's offer.

at the same time, it ordered omaar, ''not to keep speaking''
against the deployment, according to the post's account of roth's
remarks.  ''she refused and said she was africa watch's expert on
somalia.''

roth's office told ips friday he was not available to comment
on the story.

contacted by ips at her london home friday, omaar confirmed
that she had been told not to speak out against the deployment. in
subsequent media interviews, she told ips, she had not identified
herself in any way with africa or human rights watch but had been
fired wednesday. her deputy, alex de waal, resigned in protest
shortly after.

omaar said the incident ''highlights the limitations of western
human rights organisations, which normally deal with issues such
as arrest and detention and other problems of elite groups, have
no way of knowing how to respond to these kinds of problems.''
(more/ips)

somalia: u.s. intervention opens rift in major u.s. rights group(2-e)

somalia: u.s. intervention (2)

''they have a tendency to bypass local structures. they are
much more comfortable dealing with a few prominent elite
individuals than making the effort to understand how the large
proportion of the poor, especially in rural areas, work and
operate,'' she told ips.

''ask ken roth what his understanding is of somali clan
structure.  i find it extraordinary that human rights watch,
sitting in new york and washington, is making statements about the
future of somalia without talking with one single somali.''

omaar stressed the she had never opposed the use of force by
u.n. troops in securing relief supplies for the estimated two
million somalis considered in danger of starving.

but she said the implementation of the decision to send in a
3,500-man u.n. force in apr. 1992, was preferable to the massive
u.s. intervention sanctioned by the u.n. security council thursday
night.

the original deployment ''was very well prepared on the ground
by the former special representative of u.n. secretary-general
boutros boutros-ghali, mohammed sahnoun,'' who was himself fired
from his post by boutros-ghali for criticising u.n. relief
efforts.

''he was working with everyone, with somali society, as part of
a larger effort of political negotiation and reconciliation.''
omaar said the u.s. deployment has been pushed by ''u.s. relief
organisations which have either virtually no involvement in
somalia or, as in the case of care, have refused to consult
somalis or use local structures''.

''in care's case, that's why they have suffered such a high
degree of looting,'' she added, adding that other relief groups,
such as save the children-uk, catholic relief services, and the
international red cross, which have used local structures, have
suffered relatively small losses to looters and militias.

omaar also predicted the deployment, which bush formally
announced friday, ''will be a disaster.  it will smash local
initiatives for political reconciliation and legitimise the
warlords -- the very men whose policies have created this
catastrophe.''

she also warned that it could ''escalate the violence and could
force some relief organisations to leave the country.''

''the deployment will do nothing to address the medium or long-
term political problems somalia must solve at the same time that,
once the u.s. withdraws, there will be a massive power vacuum,''
she told ips.

she also charged that the attitude of human rights watch
towards the u.s. deployment may well be coloured by its identity
as a u.s. organisation.  ''if this had been african or european
troops,'' she said, the difference within the organisations would
not have been so intense.'' (end/ips/jl/yjc/92)