A/HRC/28/64/Add.2
82.
Lack of accountability and impunity were repeatedly stated as major flaws of
the criminal justice system. A culture of impunity has extremely pernicious effects;
investigations are not undertaken or poorly managed, prosecutions are not initiated or
pursued, victims are left defenceless, the role of security forces is negatively perceived
and, in many cases, people decide to take the law into their own hands. Perpetrators
must be persecuted and held accountable for their crimes. Police and security forces
must be trained in human rights and minority issues and provided with sufficient and
adequate means to carry out their tasks. Mechanisms for adequate compensation and
redress of victims must be implemented.
83.
The Special Rapporteur stresses that sustainable solutions to communal
violence require not only a heightened and effective security response, but also a
comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying causes of violence,
particularly good governance deficits, failure to hold perpetrators to account and low
socioeconomic status of certain vulnerable groups.
84.
The Special Rapporteur was impressed by initiatives led by a number of civil
society actors directed at fostering intercommunal and interfaith dialogue and
peacebuilding among communities in the Middle Belt. Those initiatives promote
understanding and harmonious coexistence among communities, conflict prevention
and conflict solution. She urges the Government to provide financial support to such
initiatives and consider implementing similar projects where necessary.
Niger Delta communities
85.
Oil industry operations began in the Niger Delta at the end of the 1950s.
Numerous oil spills during the past 50 years have resulted in extremely grave
environmental damage across the region, causing water and soil pollution and
destroying the livelihoods of many communities. One of the areas particularly affected
is Ogoniland in Rivers State, the home of the Ogoni people.
86.
The Special Rapporteur witnessed the devastating effects of the oil spills in
affected Ogoni and Ikwerre communities, including the destruction of traditional
farming and fishing livelihoods owing to widespread soil and water pollution, severe
health problems among community members and population migration to other
areas. The lack of basic services and adequate facilities in the affected communities
have further contributed to their situation of marginalization and abandonment. The
authorities are urged to take effective measures to assist the communities in need,
providing health care and education facilities and foster means for the creation of
alternative livelihood options.
87.
The Special Rapporteur is concerned that, to date, many areas polluted by oil
spills in Ogoniland have yet to be cleaned. The Government, in coordination with oil
companies implicated in the environmental damage, should implement the
recommendations made by the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme report
Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland,11 including the proper maintenance of oilfield
facilities and the decommissioning of facilities that are no longer used; the creation of
training, employment and livelihood incentives to encourage people not to participate
in illegal oil-related activities; the implementation of clean-up actions in all affected
areas without further delay; the distribution of potable water to communities where
drinking water wells do not comply with Nigerian national standards; and the
monitoring of all such measures during and following clean-up operations, including
tracking the health of communities exposed to oil pollution and providing adequate
medical treatment when needed. Concerned communities must be consulted fully.
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