"All the Men Have Gone": War Crimes in Kenya's Mt. Elgon Conflict

"Victims described to Human Rights Watch how military and police units rounded up nearly all males in Mt. Elgon district, some of them children as young as 10. At military camps, most notoriously one called Kapkota, every detainee appears to have been tortured and forced to identify members of the SLDF or the location of weapons. Security personnel beat them with sticks, chains, and rifles. Some people died as a result and their bodies were removed in helicopters for disposal in the forest. Suspects were then ‘screened’ by walking past informers who decided if they were members of the SLDF or not. Significantly, the screening took place after the initial torture. Most were then released, some with very grave injuries. The others were detained, some tortured further and then either “disappeared” by the military or handed over to the police and taken to jails at Bungoma and Kakamega."

Source: "All the Men Have Gone": War Crimes in Kenya's Mt. Elgon Region, Extract from summary

Map of Mt. Elgon, Kenya

Summary

• To the government of Kenya
• To the Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF)
• To the governments of the US and UK

Background

• Land Disputes
• Corruption and Politics: The Origins and Objectives of the SLDF
• Command Responsibility within the SLDF
• Other Militia in the Area

Abuses by the Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF)

• Scale and Scope of SLDF Atrocities
• Deliberate Killings and Abductions of Civilians
• Mutilation and Inhumane Treatment
• Rape and Sexual Violence
• Destruction of Property, Theft of Land, and Livestock
• Violent Politics and the Role of the SLDF in the 2007 General Election

Violations by Kenyan Security Forces

• Too Much, Too Late
• Unlawful Killings and Enforced Disappearances
• Dumping of Bodies
• Arbitrary Arrest and Detention, and Torture
• Rape and Sexual Violence
• Destruction of Property
• Who is Responsible?

Applicable Law

• International Human Rights Law
• International Humanitarian Law

The Response of the Kenyan Government

• Success?
• Humanitarian Access to Detainees
• Harassment of Human Rights Defenders

The Role of Kenya’s Foreign Partners

Acknowledgments