The holocaust in your backyard, Mr. Mandela.

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"Willem-Jan Markerink" w.j.marker...@a1.nl

Not in your name, you said, about Iraq?
A holocaust you said?
But the concentration camps are in your backyard, Mr. Mandela.
What are you going to do about that?
Or even say about that?
Brothers in arms, brothers in misery.
http://www2.telegraaf.nl/nieuwslink/article4030901.ece xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rapport: Zimbabwe traint jeugdbendes JOHANNESBURG - De regering van Zimbabwe leidt onder het mom van een scholingsprogramma voor jongeren jeugdmilities op die moorden, verkrachten en hun gemeenschap terroriseren. Dat is de vernietigende conclusie van een rapport dat is opgesteld door de Solidarity Peace Trust, een organisatie van de Zuid-Afrikaanse en Zimbabwaanse bisschoppen. Het document verscheen vrijdag in Johannesburg.
Volgens het rapport dwong de regering van president Robert Mugabe duizenden jongeren in de leeftijd van tien tot dertig jaar tot een training waar ze allerlei praktische vaardigheden zouden leren en hun vaderlandsliefde zou worden bijgebracht. "In werkelijkheid is het een paramilitaire trainingsprogramma voor de jeugd van Zimbabwe met als doel een anti-
democratische en racistische houding aan te kweken", aldus de samenstellers.
De regering in Harare zette het zogenaamde opleidingsprogramma twee jaar geleden op. Tot nu toe zouden ongeveer 50.000 jongeren de cursus hebben gevolgd. Volgens de samenstellers is het trainingsprogramma slechts een hulpmiddel om Mugabe en de regeringspartij ZANU-PF aan de macht te houden.
De jongeren werden gehersenspoeld en "zijn schaamteloos gebruikt door de ZANU-PF als hulpmiddel, waarbij ze straffeloos wegblokkades konden opwerpen, bijeenkomsten van de oppositionele Beweging voor Democratische Verandering (MDC) konden verstoren en kiezers konden intimideren".
Het document bevat schokkende getuigenissen over mishandeling en verkrachtingen gedurende de trainingsperiode. Ook bevat het getuigenissen over de moord door jeugdbendes op MDC-leden en blanke boeren. Het rapport is gebaseerd op waarnemingen van priesters en interviews met voormalige militieleden en hun slachtoffers.
Een militielid vertelde dat de bendeleden eerst bier of drugs kregen, voordat ze op pad werden gestuurd om te vernielen en moorden. Een jonge vrouw vertelde dat de meisjes in een jeugdkamp bij de stad Bulawayo een slaapzaal moesten delen met de jongens en elke nacht werden verkracht. " Als je niet meer kon of flauwviel, werd je geslagen", aldus de 22-jarige Debbie, inmiddels moeder van een kind van wie de vader onbekend is. Ze zei dat ze gedwongen werd zich aan te sluiten, omdat werd gedreigd dat anders het huis van haar oom in brand zou worden gestoken.
http://www.womensenews.com/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1513/context/archive xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sex ***ault Now a Political Act in Zimbabwe    Run Date: 09/05/03    By Nicole Itano WeNews correspondent Sexual ***ault is prevalent in Zimbabwe, according to rights groups.
Concubinage in youth militia camps and the governmental use of rape as a means of punishing female political dissidents are both forms of the problem.
Zimbabwean woman JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (WOMENSENEWS)--When they came knocking, she thought they were thieves. But the soldiers who pushed through her door with guns, batons and ropes were there to take her dignity, not her property.
They told her she was a prostitute; the girlfriend of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Then they stuck a gun inside her and forced her to make noises as if she was having sex with a man. It was punishment, they said for her political activities.
Patricia, an activist with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe, who asked that only her first name be used, is one of only a handful of Zimbabwean women who have come to the press with their stories.
Most foreign journalists have been refused entry for more than a year and human-rights workers are har***ed into silence or exile. But in the days after her ordeal earlier this year, Patricia told her story to the BBC in hopes of bringing attention to the crisis in her country.
"I am afraid of meeting them again. I don't know what they will do," she said. "They have already killed me. I have to carry on. I just want revenge." Sex ***ault as Political Weapon Rights groups say sexual ***ault is increasingly being used as a political weapon by the Zimbabwean government, engaged in a nearly three-year campaign of terror against political opponents. More than 200 people have died and thousands more beaten and tortured since the Movement for Democratic Change first challenged President Robert Mugabe's party in June 2000 elections.
Tony Reeler, regional human-rights activist for the Pretoria-based Institute for Democracy in South Africa and former director of Amani Trust, the now-banned Zimbabwean human-rights group, reports that evidence exists indicating that sexual ***ault in Zimbabwe is taking three forms: One is the rape of women such as Patricia, who are being punished for their political activities; another is random rape, which is being encouraged by the general breakdown of civil law; the third, and most widespread form, according to Reeler, is the concubinage of young women in youth militia camps.
"There is considerable evidence in Zimbabwe that young women have been forced into these militia bases to adopt a domestic role, cooking and cleaning and also taking care of their (militia members') sexual needs," said Reeler. "But it's an extremely difficult thing to track given that even in stable times women tend, on average, not to report rape." Counting the number of victims of sexual ***ault in Zimbabwe is nearly impossible since the normal reticence of rape victims to speak about their ordeals is compounded by a general fear of speaking out against an increasingly brutal regime.
Nor is there anyone tracking the problem. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change closely monitors other forms of political violence, but few rapes are reported to it. Nevertheless, Reeler says the anecdotal evidence points to a high and rising rate.
"I think the indications that rape has become extremely high are very, very, very plausible," he says.
'They Are Using Rape to Get to Us' "It is as if we are at war and they are using rape to get to us," says Janah Ncube, chair of the Harare-based Zimbabwean Women's Coalition. She spoke at the Johannesburg release of a report by the Solidarity Peace Trust, a coalition of Zimbabwean and South African church leaders, about recent increases in human-rights violations in Zimbabwe. "They are trying to rob us of our dignity." In Johannesburg, a group of young Zimbabwean men walk the streets of a rundown neighborhood, scrounging for food and sleeping in parks. They are refugees, they say, fleeing their country's political turmoil.
But there is little sympathy for them here among South Africa's large Zimbabwean expatriate community. Zimbabweans living in South Africa say that when the newcomers were at home they were the perpetrators, members of the country's notorious National Youth Service, nicknamed the "Green Bombers" for the color of their uniforms and brutality of their behavior.
Teen-aged Militia Source of Most Violence Most of the Green Bombers are just teen-agers themselves, or young men in their 20s, many of whom say they were lured into the organization with promises of jobs or to ward off threats against their families.
Women's and human-rights' activists say the youth militia, blamed for much of the violence that has gripped Zimbabwe in recent years, is also responsible for the bulk of the country's politically tied sexual ***aults.
Twenty-two year old Luscious, who spoke on condition that his last name not be used, is one of about 20 known Green Bombers now taking refuge in South Africa. A thin young man with a weathered face, he says he spent more than a year in the militia, beating, torturing and burning the houses of opposition supporters. Stuttering heavily, he says he didn't participate in any sexual ***aults.
But he watched, drunk and high on drugs, while women and in one case, children, were raped. He and others say the substances clouded their reason and they did not know what they were doing. When he realized what he was becoming, he says, he left for South Africa.
Another former Green Bomber, and a friend of Luscious, says he joined the youth militia on the advice of his father, who thought Henry's membership in the group would protect his daughters. Now the young man, Henry, is worried that his sisters will suffer for his flight.
"I don't know what will happen to them, but I worry they will be punished because I ran away," he says.
Nicole Itano is a free-lance writer based in Johannesburg.
For more information: BBC News--"Eyewitness: Zimbabwe torture victim": http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2881793.stm Human Rights Watch: Africa--Zimbabwe: http://www.hrw.org/africa/zimbabwe.php ZWNews.com: http://www.zwnews.com http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3083698.stm xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Zimbabwe closes UN food offices Queue for food aid Many Zimbabweans are living on the edge as the food crisis worsens United Nations officials in Zimbabwe say they have been forced to close several offices monitoring the distribution of food aid.
They say the government in Harare asked the United Nations Development Agency (UNDP) to shut three newly-established field offices in rural areas.
But UN workers say the delivery of relief supplies is unaffected and monitoring has continued.
There has been no comment from the Zimbabwean Government - it has previously denied allegations of interfering in the distribution of emergency relief.
Zimbabwe's Government had earlier issued a directive for international food aid to be handed over to local authorities for distribution.
Until now, the major foreign food donors have been distributing foreign ...

"Willem-Jan Markerink" w.j.marker...@a1.nl

http://www.rnw.nl/humanrights/html/030905zimbabwe.html (see also link on that site with 30 minute realaudio, from an undercover Dutch reporter, and more links) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Church leaders in southern Africa have accused the Zimbabwean government of sacrificing an entire generation of young people to maintain its grip on power. In a chilling report, the Solidarity Peace Trust documents how children as young as 10 are being drafted for military training. A Radio Netherlands' reporter has just returned from Zimbabwe. He travelled there undercover ??“ due to the severe restrictions the authorities place on foreign journalists ??“ and spoke to former youth militia members and their victims.
Two years ago, Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF government established the so-called National Youth Service Training. The programme was designed to provide job skills to young people and instil in them a sense of national pride and history. Instead, the young people are being brainwashed to intimidate the opposition MDC or Movement for Democratic Change, says John, a 25-year-old youth militia defector.
Listen to the documentary 'On the rampage' (29'31") "We were taught that the MDC is bad. I think we were being prepared for war against the MDC. We were told not to think. Our leaders would think for us.
We were ZANU-PF's armed-wing. We were free to do whatever we wanted and nobody questioned us." Archbishop Pius NcubeTraining Before being deployed, the youth militia, both male and female, spend six months in training camps with up to 25-hundred recruits. Sexual abuse and rape are rife in the camps. Girls and young women speak of being raped repeatedly, often daily, for months on end. Archbishop Pius Ncube of the Solidarity Peace Trust is incensed that the government is knowingly allowing this to continue, particularly since Zimbabwe has one of the world's highest HIV rates.
"These ministers are absolute hypocrites, Mugabe included, because none of their daughters are put in these camps. It's deliberately being done. It just shows how evil Mugabe's regime is, how they are destroying the lives of these young people, for their own interests, just to remain in power." Human rights abuses Often drugged or intoxicated, the youth militia operate in groups attacking anyone they suspect of being an MDC supporter. Since they were first deployed in January 2002, the youth militia have been responsible for a significant portion of the human rights abuses being committed in Zimbabwe, including murder, torture, rape and the destruction of property.
IgnatiusThe victims speak of random persecution. Ignatious Chaitezvi, for instance, was attacked by five youth militia. "They started ***aulting me, accusing me of selling them out to the MDC. They beat me. And then they hit me with an axe. They were aiming for the back of my skull, but I turned, so they hit my eye. I lost my eye, but I think it's God who did that for me.
It's better to lose an eye than your life." Mandatory service The government of President Robert Mugabe has decreed that all Zimbabweans between 10 and 30 years of age must take part in the National Youth Service Training. Young people who do not will be barred from tertiary institutions, such as universities, colleges, nurse training and teacher training schools. It has been reported that in future youth militia members will be posted in cl***rooms in all institutions of higher education, presumably to ensure that professors and students toe the ruling ZANU-PF party line.
Child soldiers The youth service includes military training. Two months ago, the Ministry of Defence announced plans to use the children and young people as a reserve force to defend the nation. Since many of the recruits are under 18 years of age, this in effect amounts to State training of child soldiers.
So far, 50,000 children and young people have gone through the National Youth Service Training. Archbishop Pius of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second biggest city, is extremely concerned about the impact on his nation's youth. "The government is politicising young people," he says, "brainwashing them into Mugabe's party ideology so that these young people become like robots." Lasting scars Even if the ZANU-PF government were to be replaced today, say human rights groups, the youth militia will leave a lasting scar on Zimbabwean society.
"The social fabric is going to be in ruins at the end of this," says an anonymous human rights worker. "Unfortunately the youth militia have often tortured in the very communities in which they were raised. How do we re-
integrate them?"     *     * Former youth militia members Youth militia victims
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Bye, Willem-Jan Markerink       The desire to understand is sometimes far less intelligent than      the inability to understand <w.j.marker...@a1.nl> [note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]

"Willem-Jan Markerink" w.j.marker...@a1.nl

Or: What they can do in Congo, we can do better in Zimbabwe....it's only a matter of time.
And the idiots in Namibia and SA are watching in great anticipation....only a matter of time there too.
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Bye, Willem-Jan Markerink       The desire to understand is sometimes far less intelligent than      the inability to understand <w.j.marker...@a1.nl> [note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]

"Willem-Jan Markerink" w.j.marker...@a1.nl

http://www.rnw.nl/humanrights/html/030905zim2.html xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Former youth militia members by our Internet desk, 5 September 2003 Zimbabwe's Minister of Youth, Gender and Employment Creation, Border Gezi, established the National Youth Service after the 2000 parliamentary elections. Among the official objectives were to:     * Develop vocational skills     * Reduce teenage pregnancies     * Reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS     * Reduce alcohol and substance abuse     * Promote gender equality and equity "We were told not to think. We were told we couldn't do anything until we received orders from the top." Former youth militia member Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party initially used the youth militia as a strategic election weapon in the run-up to the 2002 presidential elections.
The poll was won by the incumbent, Robert Mugabe, who has ruled the nation since independence in 1980. International observers described the election as "not free or fair". The youth militia's success in intimidating the opposition Movement for Democratic Change or MDC has led to their further deployment in the country.
150 youth militia camps have been established throughout the country, many of them in areas where there is strong support for the MDC. Up until recently, most recruits were single mothers, girls, street kids and orphans. "That sounds very appropriate and kind," says an anonymous human rights worker, "because these are the very parts of society that are most disadvantaged and poorest. They are also the ones who have the least defence, who don't have relatives, who don't have family who are going to complain when they are brutalised in the camps." John"Orientation" The recruits, both male and female, from 10 to 30 years of age, undergo "orientation" during their six months of training. According to the Solidarity Peace Trust report, "all training materials have consisted exclusively of ZANU-PF campaign materials and political speeches. This material is crudely racist and vilifies the MDC." John, a 25-year-old youth militia defector, was taught, for instance, that "whites came into the country in the 19th century and robbed King Lobengula of his riches. They seized the land and they let wild animals roam so they could start their safari operations. When hunters came, the Zimbabwean government and people did not benefit from the royalties. So we were taught it was good for Zimbabweans to seize land from the whites." Physical fitness The recruits undergo rigorous vigorous physical training, says Debbie, a 21-year-old former member. "We woke up at 3:30 in the morning and had to run 20 kilometres. Afterwards we had to sing the national anthem and we learned slogans about President Robert Mugabe. Then we had to do 200 press-
ups. Those who couldn't were beaten." Operations When the youth militia finish the training, they are sent out on operations. The six months of training turn many of them into very angry young people. "We had a very negative view of everything," says John. "We wanted to take revenge because we had been treated so badly in the camp.
Whenever we had a smile on our face there, we'd be punished and tortured.
We wanted to vent our anger on people, particularly those who were powerless." Many youth militia members find solace and courage in alcohol or marijuana.
"We got the money from the raids we carried out," says John. "We'd smoke and drink in the evening. During the day we would go out into the community. Informers would tell us that so-and-so is badmouthing the youth militia. We'd be forced to go and attack. At times we even did it when we were sober. We just got into the habit." Rape In Debbie's camp, 1000 children and young people slept together. "The boys and commanders constantly raped the girls," she says. "I was raped every night. Girls who cried were beaten. I went to the desk commander to complain, but he beat me too." Many girls and young women suffer the same fate. A third of Zimbabwe's adult population carries the HIV virus. The figures are probably even higher in the youth militia camps.
Debbie became pregnant in the camp. Later she discovered that she was HIV positive. She still doesn't know whether her 11-month-old daughter also carries the virus. When she thinks back on her 7 months in the youth militia camp, she says, "I cry. I think about dying. These people should be punished, but they won't arrest these people. I filed a complaint to the police, but the commander simply bribed the policeman." Impunity The youth militia ??“ better known among ordinary Zimbabweans as Taliban or Green Bombers, because of their uniforms ??“ know they can act with impunity.
"When we beat people up and they called the police," says John, "they would take us aside. They would tell us to say that we had been provoked. And then the police would encourage us to beat the people up even more. We realised that we were free to do whatever we wanted."
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Bye, Willem-Jan Markerink       The desire to understand is sometimes far less intelligent than      the inability to understand <w.j.marker...@a1.nl> [note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]

"Willem-Jan Markerink" w.j.marker...@a1.nl

http://www.rnw.nl/humanrights/html/030905zim3.html xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Youth militia victims by our Internet desk, 5 September 2003 It is difficult to fathom the random violence which the Zimbabwean government has unleashed on its own people. Victims speak of being attacked even in broad daylight because the youth militia suspect them of backing the Movement for Democratic Change, MDC. Even months later, they still seem dazed, unable to understand how their own government could attack, beat and torture ordinary people like themselves. It's not only MDC supporters who are threatened. As a youth militia member put it, "sometimes we attack people because we don't like the way they look".
ThomasThomas' story Thomas, his wife and eight children used to live in Kamativi in western Zimbabwe. In 2002, the government decided to establish the biggest youth militia training camp there. The town was divided in two, and half the residents were evicted.
"In late 2002, ZANU-PF officials gave my name and the names of other people to the youth militia because we weren't attending ruling party meetings. In January 2003, the youth militia came to my house and told me to leave the house immediately. They said a war veteran wanted my house, even though he already has two other houses in the country. I tried to plead with them, but the decision was final. I was given 24 hours to leave. They told me I had to take all my belongings or they would throw everything out of the house. I didn't have a cent on me, so we had to leave our home with only the clothes on our backs.
"Together with 7 or 8 other families, who had also been evicted, we found some alternative accommodation a few kilometres down the road. On June 13 at 11 p.m., the youth militia returned. They had just attended a ZANU-PF rally in a nearby town and on their way back to Kamativi, they stopped at our place. They broke down all the doors. Everyone was dragged out, taken to an open space and we were made to lie down. They started hitting us at random with sticks and belts. They said we had been holding meetings with the local MDC MP, which was not true. Everybody was beaten, even my children. It lasted for about an hour. Everyone was crying. I was crying.
My wife's jaw and several of my ribs were broken.
"We left our homes and spent that night together around a bonfire. The next day, we all went to another town. Then, on July 14, we were attacked again.
Exactly the same thing happened: they broke the doors of our homes down, rounded everyone up and started beating people again. Everyone ran off in different directions. Now my 8 children are scattered all over the country.
"I really don't know what's going to happen now. I haven't been able to join bits and pieces yet. I have no income. I have nothing left. These youth militia are cruel. They're very, very cruel. I wish somebody greater than myself would crush them. We can't do anything. We can't fight Mugabe.
That's the truth about it." IgnatiusIgnatius' story Ignatious Chaitezvi was employed by the Zimbabwe Republic Police from 1999 to January 2002. His problems began in January 2001.
"I and four of my colleagues were ***igned to guard the MDC offices in our town. We were seen by CIO [Central Intelligence Organisation] agents. In December 2001, we were called in by the provincial police head. He asked us why we were at the MDC offices. We told him that our superior had ***igned us to guard the building. He told us we weren't supposed to be there. Then he asked us to resign. The CIO had told him that we had to resign immediately. We tried to explain that we had just been following orders, but no one wanted to listen. The pressure continued to increase and on January 6th, 2002, we were forced out.
"On March 10th [on the eve of the disputed presidential elections], we were called back by the police. We thought we were going to receive our pension, but we were given envelopes with ballot papers inside. We were asked to put an X. It was obvious where to put the X. In front of our former superior, we put an X in front of the ZANU-PF. Then we were asked to go.
"When voting day came, we went to vote again. Former colleagues saw us and they asked, 'why are you voting again?' I answered, 'I'm different from you now. You have to abide by your superiors' orders, but I would rather vote for the candidate of my own choice.' A few days later I left for the rural areas because I had no money and couldn't pay the rent.
"On October 17th, I came back to the city to look for work. The next day, as I was coming home from the shops, I was attacked by 5 youth militia.
They started ***aulting me, accusing me of selling them out to the MDC.
They said, 'you know everything about the government. We want to kill you'.
They beat me. There were too many of them for me to retaliate. There were two police officers, former colleagues, near the scene, but they couldn't do anything. They were too afraid of the youth militia because they control everything.
"I finally managed to escape and walked back home. When I was about to reach my house, I was hit in the neck by a stick. I fell down. The youth militia had followed me. They started beating me again with sjamboks and sticks. And then they hit me with an axe. They were aiming for the back of my skull, but I turned, so they hit my eye. I lost my eye, but I think it's God who did that for me. It's better to lose an eye than your life.
"I pretended I was dead and then they ran away. I finally got to the hospital, where I thought they would treat me. But they just registered me and left me there for five days. [Editor: MDC supporters are regularly denied medical treatment.] Finally I got a hold of my brother who's a doctor on the other side of the country. He treated me and I went back to my rural home.
Ignatius' hand"In June 2003, I went back to the city. The same five youth militiamen attacked me again. They said, 'this time we want to kill you'.
They had knives and tried to stab me in the heart. I blocked the knife with my hand. Then they tried to stab me again and they pierced my other hand. I fought their leader and when he was down, I managed to run away.
"Five of us were dismissed from the police force. My colleague, my best friend, is now crippled. His legs were cut off by the same type of guys, militias. Another colleague was beaten to death. The other two received threats and ran away to the U.K. Fortunately their family is rich.
"I ran away from home and came here to Johannesburg. I had to leave my wife and children back in Zimbabwe. My wife is not working nor am I. This is painful. They are suffering. I am the father of those kids. I was working.
I am a man. I am educated, but now I have nothing. I don't know what to do.
I can't go back to Zimbabwe because my life is in danger."     *     * On the rampage Former youth militia members
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Bye, Willem-Jan Markerink       The desire to understand is sometimes far less intelligent than      the inability to understand <w.j.marker...@a1.nl> [note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]

C Spinner cspin...@hotmail.com

Tales of Plundering Nitwits Occupied Scotland to Angola Occupied Wales to Azania From Norway to Zimbabwe From New Zealand to Namibia                 And     --------------- --------------
From: "Willem-Jan Markerink" <w.j.marker...@a1.nl> Newsgroups:soc.culture.zimbabwe,soc.culture.south-african Subject: The holocaust in your backyard, Mr. Mandela.
Date: 5 Sep 2003 19:26:35 GMT On 5 Sep 2003 19:26:35 GMT, "Willem-Jan Markerink" What do YOU know about 'HOLOCAUST'?
Charlie ............... .................. ..........
"Do not allow the shadows to deceive you nor the long road you have to travel, to discourage you!
"The heroes and heroines, whom Alfred Nzo has joined, like him, live among us, combatants still for the liberation of all our people."       Excerpts from       The Statement at the Funeral of Albert Nzo       Johannesburg, Azania, January 22, 2000 ................... .......................... ..