Era of impunity wanes for African leaders

It could be the beginning of the end for Africa's long era of impunity, during which awful deeds committed by presidents, dictators, and warlords have gone largely unpunished.

The highest-profile evidence: This week's arrest of notorious ex-Liberian-president Charles Taylor on war-crimes charges, which follows the recent booking of former Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Meanwhile, former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba is on trial for corruption, and upheaval in Kenya over graft allegations has led three cabinet ministers to resign.

In fact, the Zambian and Kenyan cases may be more important in the long run, experts say, because they're home-grown examples of holding leaders accountable for misdeeds. By contrast, the arrests of Messrs Taylor and Lubanga came in large part because of Western pressure. Ultimately, observers say, the extent to which the toppling of impunity is done by Africans - not because of American or other outside arm-twisting - may determine how thoroughly impunity falls.

Either way, however, "The arrest of Taylor is really good news for Africa. It sends an important signal that impunity might be a thing of the past," says Peter Kagwanja of the International Crisis Group here. Furthermore, it's evidence that even if "you're protected by [continental] heavyweights like Nigeria or South Africa" - as Taylor and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe have been - "you may not be protected" any more.

Taylor was arrested in Nigeria this week and is expected to appear as early as Friday before the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in that country's capital, Freetown on charges of committing crimes against humanity. He's the first African head of state to be put on trial for such crimes. The trial, which will probably not start for several months, is expected to actually take place in The Hague. The venue change is apparently due to regional security concerns.

"One of the problems of trying Charles Taylor is that there has been insecurity in the region for quite some time, and he has been at the epicenter," says the court's chief prosecutor, Desmond de Silva. "There is a lot of anxiety in neighboring countries that his trial in Freetown might produce some sort of regional instability."

Taylor's arrival in Sierra Leone came a few days after the March 20 appearance of Mr. Lubanga at the ICC, where he's expected to be charged with war crimes. He's the first person to come before the ICC.

In Zambia, meanwhile, Mr. Chiluba is on trial for stealing about $500,000 during his 1991-2002 presidency. And, in Kenya, a series of graft scandals has left President Mwai Kibaki weakened, and may lead to an investigation of the vice president. The central bank governor has been asked to step down, pending a corruption probe.

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