III. Militia abuses in IDP camps
The competition between Jamiat and Junbish and the establishment of their military posts within or in close proximity to IDP camps has had dire consequences for the security of camp residents. Among the abuses against civilians reported to Human Rights Watch have been forcible relocations, compulsory performance of military support functions, and sexual violence. Two large camps with which these abuses have been associated are Camp 65, in Chimtal district, west of Mazar, and Sakhi camp, located east of the city.
Camp 65
Junbish forces partially reoccupied Camp 65, a former military base, amid a heavy buildup of troops and military hardware by the rival parties in and around Mazar in late April and early May. Internally displaced persons whose settlements lay close to the newly established Junbish base were forcibly evicted and their dwellings bulldozed, according to humanitarian aid workers and camp residents; the remains of their demolished homes were clearly visible when Human Rights Watch visited the camp in early June. Most of those who had been evicted-largely ethnic Arabs and Tajiks from Shiram in Sar-e Pul province-relocated on their own to the outskirts of the camp, at a site without easy access to water resources.
When confronted with the order to move, the Shiram population first sought help from the local Junbish commanders. "Some of the elders went to the commanders and asked them not to make us move," said A, a camp resident. "They [the commanders] said we should seek assistance from aid organizations, who might point us in the direction we need to go." No offer was made by the commanders themselves to assist in the relocation, he said.10 The eviction itself was abrupt. "The bulldozer came at about noon," A said. "In less than one hour they had destroyed the homes."11 Another, older man reported, "They didn't give us time to remove our mattresses or blankets."12
Concurrently with the establishment of the Junbish presence, male residents of the camp were ordered to serve as night watchmen and dig trenches-in both cases without payment. M, who estimated his age as being between 55 and 60, and S, a man of about 30, went to the base to complain on behalf of the camp population. Both were severely beaten by Junbish troops for their efforts. According to M,
I went to them and said we are poor people, that we are not there to do duty as watchmen or to dig trenches. This was about a day before our homes were demolished. Nobody listened to us. They said, "Don't disturb us, it's not your job to come and defend everyone."
Three soldiers beat me with the back of a gun. They beat me all over [points to different parts of his body, including the back of his head]. It went on for half an hour, maybe. Then I lost consciousness. This happened in front of the base. A few [camp residents] were with me. Afterwards, others joined and they carried me home on a blanket.
I couldn't recognize anyone for some time. I spent 1,600,000 Afghanis ($22) on medical treatment. I took out a loan from the people [of the camp] for treatment.13
According to M and other camp residents, he was beaten at about 6:30 in the evening, and regained consciousness at 3:30 the following morning. He was bleeding from the ear and mouth, and vomiting. "We went to a private clinic, by car-we called one from the village," A. said. "The doctor from the village told us, `As soon as you can, get him to a clinic.'"14
S was beaten in the same manner and remained unconscious for about two hours, A said. The troops' demand for unpaid labor did not end until two weeks later, he added, after the fighting between Junbish and Jamiat had ended.15
Sakhi camp
Sakhi camp is a planned community of clay and wood homes that was originally built to house refugees from Tajikistan during that country's 1992-97 civil war. Its population is now entirely Afghan, of diverse ethnic origins. Although not militarized to the extent of Camp 65, Sakhi camp was described by local residents and humanitarian aid workers as being dominated by men affiliated with Jamiat, including the de facto leader of the camp, Lal Mohammad.
Many ethnic Pashtuns in Sakhi camp were targeted by the newly victorious Northern Alliance forces, initially including both Jamiat and Junbish troops, who established a presence in the camp following the collapse of Taliban rule in Mazar. According to residents and aid workers interviewed by Human Rights Watch, Pashtuns living in the camp faced widespread sexual violence and looting by Jamiat and Junbish militiamen. An entire section of the camp housing an estimated 400 Pashtun families was destroyed, and lay in ruins at the time of Human Rights Watch's visit to the camp in early June. Many of the Pashtun residents subsequently fled the camp, with some reportedly heading toward the largely Pashtun town of Balkh.
Pashtun women remaining in the camp who were interviewed by Human Rights Watch said that cases of sexual violence had diminished since the immediate post-Taliban period, largely due to the reduced presence of armed men in the camp. But all spoke of a continued fear of sexual assault. R, a 35-year old Pashtun woman living in Sakhi, described this apprehension:
Pashtun women are still threatened by the [ethnic] Arabs of the camps. These Arabs were armed at the beginning, but now they have been disarmed; their guns have been taken two or three months ago. It is a general harassment against the Pashtuns, but the main targets are the women and girls. We are all afraid of being raped, and until ten days ago, we hardly dared go out of our houses. Now we are going outside more easily. The security is a bit better because the military forces are not coming into the camp anymore.16
According to the representative of a group of Pashtun families in the camp, sexual violence by armed men continues to take place. He described the most recent report that he had received:
At night, some military men came to a Pashtun house in the camp; they stabbed the man of the family with a knife. He had to go to the hospital because he was seriously wounded. Then they took the wife of this man and raped her. It happened twenty-five days ago. The perpetrators were Arab or Tajik; I don't know exactly, but they were with Jamiat. I have been made aware of this because I am a representative of a group of families, I had to be informed. I have been told that three men had been arrested.17
Several residents said that camp "leaders" associated with the armed forces that had committed abuses against Pashtuns, including cases of sexual violence, remained in the camp and continued to act as representatives of groups of families there.
10 Human Rights Watch interview with A, Camp 65, June 5, 2002.
11 Human Rights Watch interview with A, Camp 65, June 5, 2002.
12 Human Rights Watch interview with Y, Camp 65, June 5, 2002.
13 Human Rights Watch interview with M, 55-60, Camp 65, June 5, 2002.
14 Human Rights Watch interview with A, Camp 65, June 5, 2002.
15 Human Rights Watch interview with A, Camp 65, June 5, 2002.
16 Human Rights Watch interview with R, 35, Sakhi camp, June 8, 2002.
17 Human Rights Watch interview K, 52, Sakhi camp, June 7, 2002.
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