AFRICA

Africa section of the 2001 World Report

Africa section of the 2000 World Report

Africa section of the 1999 World Report

Africa section of the 1998 World Report

Protectors or Pretenders:
Government Human Rights Commissions in Africa
State-sponsored national human rights commissions have become a new vogue among governments, particularly in Africa, over the past decade. While many human rights activists view this trend with skepticism, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and donor governments are actively championing these institutions as a  manifest contribution to human rights. The proliferation of these commissions, many formed by repressive governments, poses something of a dilemma for human rights activists who are more accustomed to challenging the state on rights issues than collaborating with it.  The question is: are such state?  sponsored human rights bodies to be regarded with suspicion or should  their development be encouraged? This report examines how, and whether, the commissions set up by African governments are contributing towards the protection of  human rights.  Our findings provide an opportunity for governments, the United Nations, and donors, to take stock, and where appropriate, to be more circumspect about their unquestioning enthusiasm for these bodies.
(2556), 01/01, 428pp., $25.00
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Africa -- Clinton Administration Policy & H. R. In Africa
The Clinton administration deserves commendation for its recent efforts to develop a fresh approach toward Africa. The continent is finally receiving high-level attention from the U.S. government, including a trip by Secretary of State Albright in December 1997 and a historic visit from President Clinton in 1998. The emphasis of the administration's new Africa policy is on trade and security. But neither stability nor economic development can be sustained in the face of new rounds of repression of civil society and political opposition and massacres of civilians, with their attendant refugee flows and humanitarian disaster. The success of the administration's approach will ultimately hinge on the assertive promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
(A1001) 3/98, 19pp., $3.00.
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HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFRICA AND U.S. POLICY
The White House conference on Africa came at a time when the Clinton Administration’s cautious response to the monstrous crime of genocide in Rwanda was increasingly under attack at home and abroad and offered an opportunity for it to adopt a much-needed change of course. This report offers a summary of human rights developments and U.S. human rights policy in ten African countries.
(A606) 7/94, 37 pp., $5.00/£2.95
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