NEW YORK // Investigators for the International Criminal Court have collected evidence indicating that the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during a crackdown on political dissent.
A report prepared for the United Nations Security Council by the court’s chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, says Col Qaddafi’s forces have shot protesters “as a matter of policy.”
The eight-page report, a copy of which was obtained by The National, also implicates rebel forces in impropriety during a spate of violence against sub-Saharan Africans who were considered to be mercenaries fighting on Col Qaddafi's payroll.
According to the report, within weeks Mr Ocampo will ask judges at the court, which is based in The Hague, to issue arrest warrants for war-crimes suspects.
The UN security council authorised Mr Ocampo to probe atrocities in Libya beginning on February 15, when the arrest of a rights activist in Benghazi triggered protests that escalated into a nation-wide civil conflict and air raids by a hastily-assembled global coalition.
His report focuses chiefly on atrocities by pro-government forces, describing the shooting of peaceful protesters as “systematic, following the same modus operandi in multiple locations” as well as outlining cases of torture and the use of civilians as human shields. It details instances of rape, which can constitute a war crime, and the use of “cluster munitions, multiple rocket launchers and mortars, and other forms of heavy weaponry, in crowded urban areas” which have caused mass civilian bloodshed.
The United States ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, has reportedly claimed that Col Qaddafi’s forces have used rape to terrorise civilians and have even been issued with Viagra, an anti-impotence drug, to promote a wave of sexual violence. Mr Ocampo estimates that between 500 and 700 protesters were killed by Col Qaddafi’s forces during the initial protests, but his report cites figures from the rebel authorities that as many as 10,000 people have perished in the ensuing civil conflict.
While allegations against Col Qaddafi and his cabal are unlikely to surprise members of the Security Council later today, when Mr Ocampo formally delivers his report, evidence of wrongdoing by the rebels is likely to prove controversial. The document describes the reported “unlawful arrest, mistreatment and killings of sub-Saharan Africans perceived to be mercenaries” in Benghazi and other cities by “angry mobs of protesters” that led to dozens of deaths.
“Allegedly, they were considered to be members of the groups of mercenaries which had been recruited to quash the protest,” it said. “A number of sub-Saharan Africans were allegedly arrested by the new authorities in Benghazi and it is unclear whether they were innocent immigrant workers or prisoners of war.”
ICC investigators have interviewed almost 45 witnesses and examined more than 569 documents to collect evidence in a probe that has encompassed 15 missions to 10 countries, Mr Ocampo said in his report to the UN’s top body. The prosecutor said he will apply for arrest warrants against suspects “in the next weeks” and that ICC judges will decide whether there are sufficient grounds.
Mr Ocampo told Reuters that he initially plans to indict five suspects, but has disclosed no names. The report, which has been circulated to members of the UN Security Council and will be form the basis of today’s discussion, comes against a backdrop of mounting tensions between envoys to the 15-nation body on the Libyan crisis.
The council agreed unanimously to refer Libyan atrocities to the ICC on February 26 and has since authorised a no-fly zone and the use of force to protect civilians, but cracks are emerging over whether the western-led coalition that is bombing Libya is exceeding its UN mandate. Two of the body’s permanent, veto-wielding council members, Russia and China, are increasingly critical of the UN-backed intervention in Libya, and Moscow and Beijing have complained that the western-led operation is targeting Col Qaddafi and his family.
jreinl@thenational.ae
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
The%20specs
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
