A major human rights group is urging US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to take a tough stance on human rights and the rule of law during her seven nation trip to Africa next week. Her itinerary includes Kenya, where she will meet with representatives from both the Kenyan and Somali governments, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo where she is scheduled for a brief stop in Goma. She will also visit South Africa, Angola, Nigeria, Liberia, and Cape Verde.
Her trip is in contrast to President Obama’s trip last month, where he chose Ghana as the destination for his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president. Ghana was supposedly chosen because of its positive example in the areas of democracy and human rights. But human rights groups objected to this basis, saying that Ghana does have its own share of human rights issues, which the president conveniently ignored during his visit. Even in his speech, eagerly awaited throughout Africa, there were no specifics about US policy in Africa, particularly for the continent’s trouble spots. Secretary Clinton will visit many of those trouble spots starting August 5, and with her visit comes a new opportunity for the US to push for stronger respect of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
At the top of the agenda is Kenya, where the coalition government formed after the post-election violence in 2007 is struggling to keep its promises to crackdown on human rights abuses committed by police forces, holds accountable those responsible for the violence, and keep the country going forward. So far, due to self-interest Kenya’s parliament has refused to pass legislation that would create a local tribunal to try those responsible for the post-election violence that left 1,200 dead and over 300,000 displaced. Because of these setbacks, the International Criminal Court is likely to issue its own indictments soon. While the actual names turned over to the ICC by Kofi Annan are unknown, there are rumors that they could include Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Jomo Kenyatta, the father of independent Kenya and the country’s first president. This prospect has many in Kenya worried that a real civil war could break out if the situation is not handled properly. With this backdrop, Clinton is set to visit the country and meet with multiple representatives from both Mwai Kibaki’s PNU party and Raila Odinga’s ODM party.
Other countries on the itinerary are experiencing major problems as well. Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission recently released its final conclusions, the most surprising of which was including President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in a list of those involved in the war that should be banned from public office for the next 30 years. Since then, many have come out to question the legitimacy and credibility of the Commission, which was established in 2005 to sort through what really happened during Liberia’s fourteen-year long civil war. Furthermore, in the past few weeks South Africa has been facing growing protests against the lack of basic government services for the poor, many of which have turned violent. South Africa also plays a key role with influencing Robert Mugabe’s government in Zimbabwe, another big issue for the continent. Moving north, Somalia and the DRC are, well, Somalia and the DRC; no one has to look far for major problems there, though there are often signs of hope as well. It is expected that Clinton’s stop in Goma will highlight the plight of those in the Eastern Congo, particularly women, who have been suffering the atrocities of war for the last decade, a war that has largely gone unnoticed in the West.
Of course, her trip is not all about human rights. There is economics, oil, piracy, corruption, and even bananas to be concerned about as well. But whereas Obama chose a very safe place for his first African trip, Clinton is not shying away from the continent’s problems with hers. It would be an excellent time for the US to push for things like respect of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. But it remains to be seen if her trip will fall short of expectations much the same way Obama’s did last month.
