Opinion ID: 3001895
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The record supports the decision to deny with-

Text: holding of removal. Ogayonne claims the IJ did not adequately consider various documents that Ogayonne introduced into the record. But the IJ’s decision indicates that he did consider each of these documents; he just did not find they were sufficient to establish Ogayonne’s withholding of removal claim. Ogayonne first points to a 2004 State Department Country Condition Report that she provided describing the ongoing and seemingly interminable human rights abuses occurring in the CAR. Nothing in the report, however, suggests that the government is currently targeting André Kolingba or Yakoma tribe members. In fact, the report suggests the opposite, describing how the Patassé regime, which had sentenced Kolingba and his followers to death, was overthrown in Bozizé’s 2003 coup. And as noted previously, other documents in the record demonstrate that Bozizé had amnestied Kolingba and allowed him to return to the CAR. Ogayonne also points to an October 23, 2004, affidavit of Steve Snyder, a former Peace Corps volunteer who had served in the CAR. Snyder claimed that Ogayonne would be singled out for harassment and persecution due to her relation to Kolingba and her tribal membership. Snyder also claimed that the Patassé regime had oppressed the Yakoma people, who hail from the southern part of the CAR, and that President Bozizé might continue the oppression because he hails from the same northern region of the CAR as Patassé and “share[s] a similar incentive to remove Yakoma and other southerners from positions of power in the government and military.” No. 07-1098 11 Although the IJ did not address Snyder’s testimony in detail, there was nothing Snyder said that would alter the outcome. First, the affidavit indicates that Snyder was a Peace Corps volunteer during 1985-1988 and that he had visited the CAR in 1996-1997. Given that these visits occurred quite some time ago, Snyder’s on-theground knowledge was stale. More importantly, Snyder’s affidavit was contradicted by evidence demonstrating that Bozizé has not continued Patassé’s repression of the Yakoma people, given that Bozizé had amnestied Kolingba and many of his followers. Finally, Ogayonne points to a BBC News article entitled, “CAR ‘assassination attempt’ fails,” which describes a shoot-out that occurred outside Kolingba’s house in March 2003, after he had returned to the CAR and lost the presidential election. Ogayonne further notes that unlike Kolingba, she will not have the protection of soldiers if she is sent back to the CAR; hence, the situation might be more dangerous for her. As the IJ noted, there is a dispute whether this was an “assassination attempt”; General Kolingba’s spokesman described it as such, but the government claimed it was just a “misunderstanding” among soldiers. Given that the CAR is by all accounts a rather dangerous place, it is not clear that the government was behind the “assassination attempt” or was targeting Kolingba. Cf. Chakir v. Gonzales, 466 F.3d 563, 570 (7th Cir. 2006) (“The acts of private citizens do not constitute persecution unless the government is complicit in those acts or is unable or unwilling to take steps to prevent them.”). More importantly, the IJ further observes—correctly we believe— that “it’s difficult to accept the proposition that [Ogayonne] is at greater risk than the very person on whom she 12 No. 07-1098 is relying as a basis for her claim, particularly where that person has a much higher public profile than [Ogayonne] does . . . . ” Indeed, Ogayonne admitted during the hearing that she had never even met or con- tacted Kolingba. Hence, we agree with the IJ that it is hard to believe that Ogayonne would be closely identified with Kolingba if she were sent back to the CAR. This, combined with the apparent reduced threat that General Kolingba faces, makes withholding of removal inappropriate.