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UN HIGHLIGHTS
On 8 March, two Croatian generals, 
Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac,
were charged by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for their alleged role in the permanent removal of Serbs in the
Krajina region in August 1995. The ICTY indicted the generals on seven counts each of
crimes against humanity. The indictments allege they participated in the forcible and
permanent removal of Serbs from the Krajina region, as well as to the damage and
destruction of property during the Croatian military's push to re-take the Krajina region.
The ICTY also alleges that, despite their authority, Cermak and Markac did nothing to
prevent the serious violations of international humanitarian law committed against women
and children during the Croatian offensive. For further information, please go to: http://www.un.org/icty/latest/index.
On 25 February, the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) sentenced Samuel Imanishimwe, former military commander in the country's armed forces, to 27 years in prison for his role in a massacre during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The three judges of the ICTR, based in Tanzania, also acquitted a former government minister and a former regional representative on similar charges in the Cyangugu case, named for the region where the killings took place. The UN Security Council created the ICTR to hear cases after some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered in Rwanda between April and June 1994. The ICTR also heard evidence of the massive killings of Tutsi civilians and Hutu political opponents by soldiers, militia and locals. For further information, go to: http://www.ictr.org.
On 8 March, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) brought together key African ministers, donor governments and other partners in Geneva to highlight key issues in the repatriation of millions of African refugees. David Lambo, Africa Bureau Director for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), indicated that there were more than 2 million African refugees who want to return to their homes over the next three to five years. "One of the major problems is to break the cycle of repatriation and despair," he said. "Many refugees who seek to return to their countries often lack the economic and social support necessary to become self-sufficient." UNHCR intends to spotlight countries where they are working successfully with the government, local groups and civil society to promote the peace process and consolidation efforts. UNHCR has noted that Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan all fall into the list of countries actively working to safely reintegrate exiles returning from neighbouring countries.
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