Denial of water by Governments in Africa: Elements of crimes

In Zimbabwe, an oppressive regime has compromised the health and lives of millions of people by its willful neglect of water, sewerage, and sanitation systems. The resulting preventable cholera epidemic in 2008 and 2009 can be assessed as an element of a crime against humanity, according to fact-finding and analysis by a team of public health professionals and human rights researchers. In Darfur, in contrast, intentional poisoning of wells and forced displacement of people from scarce water sources by government-backed militias can be seen as a war crime by the Government of Sudan. These two case studies based on research by Physicians for Human Rights demonstrate acts of omission and commission by governments who violate the basic human right to health and life by denial of access to clean water. Accountability for crimes and remedies will be proposed.