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Aminu Hassan Gamawa
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- Nigeria
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Aminu Hassan Gamawa's Discussions
POSTGRADUATE SCHORLASHIP OPPORTUNITY FOR WEST AFRICAN STUDENTS
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Started this discussion. Last reply by Craig Zelizer Jan 15.
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- What motivated you to become involved in peace and conflict resolution?
- I believe that there can be no meaningful development without peace. It is our duty to promote peace at macro and micro level by promoting constructive conflict resolution. Together we can make the world a better and safe place.
- Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself (no more than 3 paragraphs)
- Aminu Hassan Gamawa Dip.law, LLB, BL, ChMC is a Barrister and Solicitor based in Nigeria. Aminu practice and teaches law and conflict resolution. He works with the Government and the civil society. He was a US state department exchange fellow on conflict resolution at University of Massachusetts, Boston. Currently, Aminu is an LLM candidate at Harvard law school.
- Please list the countries and/or regions in which you have direct and significant expertise
- Africa( Nigeria specifically)
- What is your current country of residence?
- Nigeria
- What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?
- Teaching and practising law at Ebonyi State University and University of Maiduguri
- How many years professional experience do you have?
- 3-5
- What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)
- http://www.usip.org
- What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)
- http://www.pon.harvard.edu
- Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise?
- Alternative Dispute Resolution, Civil Society, Conflict Resolution, Development, Gender, Health
- Which are your primary skills areas?
- Advocacy, Capacity Building, Fundraising, Research, Training
- What are some of your current areas of research (if any)?
- 1.Interethnic and interfaith conflicts
2.Gender dimension of conflicts
3.Human rights and conflicts
4.Traditional African methods of conflict resolution
5.International law
Aminu Hassan Gamawa's Photos
Aminu Hassan Gamawa's Blog
Fulbright Scholar Program for US Faculty and Professionals for 2010-2011 is open
If so, we would greatly appreciate it. The message is below. Please note that this message or one with a similar content may be sent to other listservs.
Regards,
Katherine Matheson
Program Associate for Outreach and Communications
Council for International Exchange of Schola… Continue
Posted on May 1, 2009 at 7:50am —
ONLINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION CONFERENCE
University of Massachusetts at Amerst
March 2009
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in this issue
2009 International ODR Forum in Haifa, Isreal June 3-4,, 2009
Murals and Peacemaking "The Art of Conflict Transformation in the North of Ireland/Northern Ireland"
ODR and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)
STORM2 Brainstorming Software
LinkedIn ODR Group
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
International Forum on ODR "Dis… Continue
Posted on March 22, 2009 at 8:22am —
Summer Institute in US Law - Washington University
The two-week 2009 Summer Institute will be held in Saint Louis , Missouri , from 13 July to 24 July. The program has been designed for lawyers and law students from civil-law systems (but may also be appropriate for common-law students), and is intended to give a first introduction to p… Continue
Posted on February 21, 2009 at 4:49am —
Free Online Certificate Course in Interfaith Conflict Resolution
Religion is frequently cited as a cause of violent conflict, yet dialogue between faith communities often reveals that religion is not a primary source of tension. Moreover, faith-based approaches to peacemaking can be invaluable in promoti… Continue
Posted on January 30, 2009 at 4:02am — 5 Comments
SPECIALIZED HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAM
Washington DC, May 25 - June 12, 2009
The 2009 Specialized Human Rights Program of the Academy on Human Rights
and Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law is
now accepting applications.
The 2009 program will offer 17 courses, in English and Spanish, taught
by 33 leading experts in the field. Participants can earn ABA credit, a
Diploma or a Certificate of Attendance. The program brings together over
180+ participants, from more than 35… Continue
Posted on January 30, 2009 at 3:17am —
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Events
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EMU Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI) 2010 accepting applications
November 5, 2009 to January 8, 2010 – Eastern Mennonite University
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Canadian School of Peacebuilding 2010 - Accepting Applications
November 10, 2009 to April 1, 2010 – Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, Canada
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10TH JAN TINBERGEN EUROPEAN PEACE SCIENCE CONFERENCE
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International Peace Research Association conference
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Ahuta Gejiya.
Rene Wadlow
The Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 28 November 2008 was the beginning of the end for self-proclaimed General Laurent Nkunda and his Congress for the Defense of the People (CNPD).
The Geneva-based Council had taken a long time in getting around to highlighting the human rights violations in the administrative provinces of North and South Kivu. The United Nations has some 17,000 peacemakers in Congo (MONUC), the UN’s largest peacekeeping mission, but their capacity is stretched to the limit. Their mission is to protect civilians, some 250,000 of which have been driven from their homes since the fighting intensified in late August 2008. Despite the MONUC troops, there have been large-scale occurrences of wilful violations of human rights and humanitarian law by all parties in the conflict, with massive displacement of populations, plundering of villages, systematic rape of women, summary executions and the use of child soldiers.
The eastern area of Congo is the scene of fighting at least since 1998 — in part as a result of the genocide in neighboring Rwanda in 1994. Efforts at reconciliation, reform and reconstruction have not been carried out in the eastern provinces. The illicit exploitation of natural resources, the inability to deal with land tenure and land use issues, the lack of social services and of socio-economic development have created the conditions which led to the current violence.
Systematic rape and the use of child soldiers are crimes which are covered by the mandate of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Rape is a violation of international humanitarian law. Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions prohibits “violence to life, health and physical or mental well-being of persons, in particular murder as well as cruel treatment such as torture…outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment, rape, enforced prostitution and any form of indecent assault, slavery..”
Laurent Nkunda’s CNDP, also the pro-government militias often called the ‘Mayi-Mayi’ as well as the regular army of the Democratic Republic of Congo recruited and used child soldiers in the ongoing conflict. Child soldiers who attempt to escape have been killed or tortured, at times in front of other child soldiers to discourage further escapes. Child soldiers are forced to commit crimes, including murder and rape. Such crimes are a major barrier to community reconciliation and to successful reintegration of demobilized children as communities and even families fear the return of such brutalized children, who are consequently shunned. The use of child soldiers is contrary to international conditions to which the Democratic Republic of Congo is a party.
The 28 November session of the Human Rights Council sent indirect signals to the Rwandan government that its support for Nkunda might be more costly than it was worth. Although the African governments, members of the Council, did everything they could to avoid criticizing anyone and even the European Union governments kept things very general, the talks in the hallways and over cups of coffee left no doubt that the situation could not continue. The Asian countries, such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which provide the great bulk of the UN forces were getting tired of having their troops considered weak and largely useless, unable to fulfil their mandate of protecting the population. The Asians pushed behind the scenes for changes.
The warnings finally got back to Kigali, the Rwandan capital and to Joseph Kabila, President of RDC, and a deal may have been struck. What follows is logical but there is no proof: The number two of Laurent Nkunda’s CNDP, Jean Basco Ntaganda, his chief of staff, had an arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court out against him for war crimes committed earlier when he headed his own militia before joining forces with Nkunda. In December 2008, Ntaganda, known as ‘the Terminator’, switched sides, denounced Nkunda and said that he and his men would now work with the Congolese army. Virtually at the same time, there was an agreement between the Congolese military and the Rwandan military to stage a joint operation against the Hutu militias on the Rwanda-Congo frontier. It was during this operation that Rwandan forces “arrested” Nkunda and took him out of the Congo to Kigali.
The possible Rwanda-Congo deal is that the Congo would protect Jean Bosco Ntaganda against the warrant of the ICC in exchange for his changing sides, while Rwanda would protect Laurent Nkunda but get him out of the Congo as he was causing a backlash against Rwanda. It is said that Nkunda was helped by Rwandan businessmen and factions within the army. It is possible that the government of Rwanda turned a blind eye rather than actively helping Nkunda. The deal may be that both Nkunda and Ntaganda would keep out of sight until the world’s attention, never very focused on the Congo in any case, turned to other matters.
However, both Nkunda and Ntaganda merit trial by the ICC. The courts of both Rwanda and Congo are inadequate at best. Rwanda and Congo could indicate their inability to provide fair trials to the men and transfer them to The Hague for trial. I would not hold my breath waiting, but what happens in the two cases is a test of the effectiveness of international justice.
Meanwhile, there are dangers that fighting and human rights violations in eastern Congo will continue unless measures are taken to deal with root causes of the conflicts. The people in eastern Congo have lived together for many centuries and had developed techniques of conflict resolution, especially between the two chief agricultural lifestyles: that of agriculture and cattle herding. However, recent economic and political factors have overburdened the local techniques of conflict resolution and have opened the door to new, negative forces interested only in making money and gaining political power.
UN peace-keeping troops are effective when there is peace to keep. What is required today is eastern Congo is not so much more soldiers under UN command, than reconciliation bridge-builders, persons who are able to restore relations among the ethnic groups of the area. The United Nations, national governments, and non-governmental organizations need to develop bridge-building teams which can help to strengthen local efforts at conflict resolution and re-establishing community relations. In the Kivus, many of the problems arise from land tenure issues. With the large number of people displaced and villages destroyed, it may be possible to review completely land tenure and land use issues.
World Citizens were among those in the early 1950s who stressed the need to create UN peace-keeping forces with soldiers especially trained for such a task. Today, a new type of world civil servant is needed — those who in areas of tension and conflict can undertake the slow but important task of restoring confidence among peoples in conflict, establishing contacts and looking for ways to build upon common interests.
Rene Wadlow, Representative to the UN, Geneva, Association of World Citizens
The internship is fun, though focused on Sudan, which means alot background reading to do.
I will come in to Ninja on 12th, my Mum burial is for 14th, maybe you can come, EBSU should not be far from my Village
Thank you very much for your compliment. I have no doubt that the younger generations will make a difference in years to come to transform the old politics to something vibrant that can totally change how we viewed the world.
Thanks for including me as your friend. Are you from Bauchi State? I know Gamawa is a local govt area in the state. I was a youth corper in 1999-2000 at the Bauchi state House of Assembly and also had a sting with BRC FM station on Yelwa hills by the polytechnic. I really had nice time at Wailo camp and Bauchi was fun. Am in the US now, lets keep talking we might end up with something.
Thanks
Rashid
I definitely think learning a language helps one understand the culture more and offers a common link between two people of different cultures in order for those two different people really respect each other. I wish I was a pro in Arabic, but sadly I am just a beginner! :)
Law school is taking up too much time! Do you enjoy practicing law?
Best,
Sarah