ICC and Africa

ICC is busy trying war criminals in hot spots of Africa, including the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). It has just reported that a suspected war criminal Germain Katanga has been detained and held at the Hague. The Office of the Prosecutor has charged him with crimes against humanity and war crimes. It has been reported that he ordered a 'wipe out' of a village in the DRC, as well as forceful turnover of women into sexual slavery and children into soldiers. As a senior commander of a militia group called Force de Resistance Patriotique en Ituri, Katanga has been involved in mass killings of civilians. For a full story.
The violence that is perpetuated by the militia groups in many spots of Africa has been a major concern of the ICC, that since its inception has been a centerpiece for view of troubles in Africa... Many people call it the 'African Court.' Well, it is doing a major service to the international community. But will it have an effect on reducing the violence when the causes of it are really not addressed? The OAU (African Union) pledges 'efficient and effective' unity and promise for change. But a big part of Africa is still cloaked with hopeless poverty and violence...

Grassroots, grassroots...

UNICEF has proven that if you build schools for children soldiers, you can induce them to trade guns for textbooks. In Southern Sudan in Deng Nhial that is what happened to Mayom Mabuong (here). Once there was a permanent structured school safe from rain, Mayom was able to go to school and permanently demobilize. Now he is the one who is assisting UNICEF to demobilize other students by telling about his story. He is a teacher and a community leader. For children whose souls are mutilated from war and violence, the school is the only savior. It truly can make memories of war distant mirages of the past...

Children soldiers...

How is it possible that we have not been able to stop children being used as soldiers, especially in Africa... As the Amnesty International alerts, these are children who have no childhood and who are constantly brutalized, terrorized, tortured, raped and turned into violent machines upon survival... (here) As the Special Court in Sierra Leone ruled on May 31, 2004, it is a war crime to use children under 15 as soldiers... But has it been enforced when most children in these forsaken regions are running amok in the streets, not propely fed or clothed, with no prospects, except for turning into the military for survival. Here they get some food and clothing, and they get toys to play with-- guns. They also learn to unleash their innermost fantasies in killing others... This is absolutely similar to the inferno of Dante... How could we let children go down that path? How do you think we can stop adults being violent, when we are not able to stop even children? It is even ridiculous... While we can control children, we could hardly try to control adults... Psychologists have been shouting for more than a century that criminal behavior begins from early childhood and can only be treated at this early stage... Instead of treating, we force them to turn into criminals by not allowing them to be children...