United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

May 4, 2010

AFRICOM-related news clips

US African Commander visits Namibia (New Era)

WINDHOEK, Namibia – Commander of the US African Command (AFRICOM), General
William Ward, held consultations with Deputy Minister of Defence, Lempy Lucas, to
consolidate cooperation between the two countries’ defence forces.

US starts anti-al-Qaeda military exercise in Sahara (BBC)

A major joint military exercise with countries around the volatile Sahara desert region is
beginning as part of a US programme of counter-terrorism. The three-week Operation Flintlock
aims to improve the ability of the region's armed forces to work together to bring security to the
area.

Military exercises with US begin in West Africa (The Times)

Military exercises bringing together armed forces from Africa and Europe under US supervision
began in Burkina Faso on Monday, aimed at reinforcing the continent's fight against extremist
groups.

Insurgents’ Seizure of a Pirate Base in Somalia Raises Questions About Its Future (New York
Times)
Dozens of insurgents stormed into Xarardheere, a pirate cove on the central Somali coast,
around noon, but instead of putting up a fight, the pirates sped off. Two of Somalia’s biggest
problems and its most troubling exports — Islamist extremism and piracy — seem to be
crashing into each other.

Darfur JEM Rebel Group Risks Losing Dominance (Voice of America)

Darfur’s main rebel group may risk losing its dominance in the region, as Chad ends support
and rival rebel coalition gains strength.

Nigeria's pay TV launches 24-hour news service (AFP)

LAGOS, Nigeria – Nigeria's private pay TV station NN24 on Monday began a 24-hour news
coverage service in a first for the west African country, its promoters told AFP.

In Uganda, Push to Curb Gays Draws U.S. Guest (New York Times)
Mr. Lou Engle, founder of a prayer group that focuses on moral issues, arrived last week in
Uganda. His trip comes amid a heated debate throughout the country over a bill that would ban
advocacy of gay rights and suggests the death penalty for homosexuals who have AIDS and
engage in sexual relations.
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website
 Somali refugees strain resources of neighbouring countries, UN official warns
 Guinea’s transitional authorities assure UN that June vote will be on schedule
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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, May 5, 10:30 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: Senate Committee on Appropriations: Defense Subcommittee
WHO: General David Petraeus, USA, Commander United States Central Command; Admiral Eric T. Olson,
USN, Commander United States Special Operations Command; General William E. Ward, USA,
Commander United States African Command
Info: http://appropriations.senate.gov/news.cfm?method=news.view&id=e7f247c8-c14f-48dc-8452-
bc4cef996c4c

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, May 5, 1:30 p.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: U.S. Institute of Peace: Planning Military Responses to Mass Atrocities
WHO: Col. John Kardos, U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute; Lawrence Woocher,
United States Institute of Peace; Sarah Sewall, MARO Project Founder and Faculty Director, Harvard
Kennedy School; Andrew Loomis, Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, U.S.
Department of State; Col. William Flavin (Ret),
Directing Professor, U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute
Info: http://www.usip.org/events/planning-military-responses-mass-atrocities
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

US African Commander visits Namibia (New Era)

WINDHOEK, Namibia – Commander of the US African Command (AFRICOM), General

William Ward, held consultations with Deputy Minister of Defence, Lempy Lucas, to
consolidate cooperation between the two countries’ defence forces.

Ward said his visit is also to pursue programmes that will lead to stability and security.

AFRICOM is already involved in various programmes identified by the Namibian Government,

such as training in de-mining, the prevention and treatment of HIV/Aids, and other capacity
building exercises.

Lucas said the NDF, as a young institution, needs to build capacity to strengthen its operations,
and hence relies heavily on its development partners.

AFRICOM is one of six of the US Defence Department’s regional military headquarters declared
in October 2008.

It has an administrative responsibility for US military support to its government’s foreign policy
in Africa to include military-to-military relationships.
In concert with other US government agencies and international partners, it conducts sustained
security engagement through its programmes, military-sponsored activities, and other military
operations.

Of these aims include working in tandem with African states to defeat the al-Qaeda terrorist
organisation and associated networks, and to ensure operations capacity to respond to
emerging crises, and continental peace support operations.
--------------------
US starts anti-al-Qaeda military exercise in Sahara (BBC)

A major joint military exercise with countries around the volatile Sahara desert region is
beginning as part of a US programme of counter-terrorism.

The three-week Operation Flintlock aims to improve the ability of the region's armed forces to
work together to bring security to the area.

It serves as a base for the group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and has seen increased terror
attacks.

Drug smuggling is also growing, moving cocaine from South America to Europe.

Flintlock 10 mainly involves Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Chad.

Other countries in the region are taking part, but in a more limited way.

Algeria sidelined

The operation is part of the United States' Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership, and
European nations such as the UK, Germany, France and Spain are also involved.

About 1,200 people will take part in the exercise with about 300 of these based in Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso, where a temporary command centre has been set up.

The next three weeks will see the military personnel assembled in Ouagadougou looking at
how they can better work together to counter the security threats in the Sahel and Sahara, says
the BBC's Martin Vogl in Bamako, Mali.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has been responsible for attacks on Western targets in
Mauritania and also hostage takings.

The group is currently hold two Spanish hostages and is suspected of being behind the
kidnapping of a Frenchman in Niger last month.

Just last month, Algeria, Mali, Mauritania and Niger launched a joint military command
headquarters in the south of Algeria to co-ordinate their efforts.
Critics point out that these initiatives have led to little action as yet and that one of Flintlock's
major limitations is that it only involves Algeria, the regional military heavyweight, in a limited
way, our correspondent adds.
--------------------
Military exercises with US begin in West Africa (The Times)

Military exercises bringing together armed forces from Africa and Europe under US supervision
began in Burkina Faso on Monday, aimed at reinforcing the continent's fight against extremist
groups.

The exercises "will facilitate regional cooperation on security and the fight against terrorist
organisations," Anthony Holmes, deputy commander of civilian-military activities for Africom,
the US military command for Africa, said in Ouagadougou.

The exercises will run in the Sahel-Saharan region and neighbouring countries of West Africa
until May 22.

The Sahel-Saharan area has been a base for several years for Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
(Aqmi), which has seized Western hostages. It is also a zone plagued with drugs and human
trafficking.

About 1,200 soldiers will take part in the exercises, including 600 US Special Forces, and some
400 African and 150 European troops.

Besides the hosts, the other African countries participating in the operation include Algeria,
Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Chad and Tunisia, with European contingents
from Belgium, Spain, France, Britain and the Netherlands.

Burkina Faso's Defence Minister Yero Boly said the exercises would establish a strategy for the
countries in the region aimed "at the eradication of terrorism and trans-border criminality of all
kinds," he said.

Boly also sought to quash rumours declaring that "Burkina Faso never proposed establishing an
American military base or becoming the headquarters for Africom," he told journalists.

Holmes also stated that Africom would remain based in Germany.

Washington had tried to headquarter Africom on the continent when it was created in 2007, but
was turned down by several African countries including Algeria and Nigeria.
--------------------
Insurgents’ Seizure of a Pirate Base in Somalia Raises Questions About Its Future (New York
Times)

Dozens of insurgents stormed into Xarardheere, a pirate cove on the central Somali coast,
around noon, but instead of putting up a fight, the pirates sped off. According to witnesses,
several pirate bosses raced out of town in luxury four-by-four trucks, with TVs packed in the
back and mattresses strapped on top. Islamist fighters in a fleet of heavily armed pickup trucks
then occupied the strategic points in town, including the defunct police station and several
crossroads.

What will happen next is not clear. Two of Somalia’s biggest problems and its most troubling
exports — Islamist extremism and piracy — seem to be crashing into each other.

For several years, an intense civil war has raged in the country between a weak United States-
backed government and radical Islamist groups that are trying to overthrow it. The ensuing
lawlessness has given rise to a thriving piracy trade, in which Somali thugs in small skiffs have
commandeered some of the biggest vessels on the sea, including a 1,000-foot-long oil tanker.

Maritime experts estimate that Somali pirates have received more than $100 million in ransoms
— an enormous sum for a nation with virtually no economy. The pirates prowl the busy Gulf of
Aden, one of the most congested shipping lanes in the world, and recently struck as far away as
1,200 miles offshore.

The pirates of Xarardheere currently hold several hijacked ships. But before they fled, they sent
the ships further out to sea to prevent Islamist insurgents from capturing their hostages — a
worrying prospect for Western diplomats and others, who fear the insurgents could exploit the
hostages for political ends.

An insurgent spokesman implied on Sunday that his movement would shut down
Xarardheere’s piracy business.

―We have peacefully seized the town and now we will bring Islamic Shariah,‖ said Sheik
Abdinasir Mohamed Afdhuub, a spokesman for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.

But many people fear that the insurgents were actually attracted to Xarardheere because of its
criminal enterprise and that different groups of insurgents will now battle for control of the
town.

―Tension is very high,‖ said Nor Ahmed, a Xarardheere resident. ―People are worried about
possible Shabab attacks any time soon.‖

Hizbul Islam and the Shabab are two of the most powerful insurgent groups in Somalia and
were once closely allied. Both espouse a harsh Islamist ideology and have organized public
amputations and stonings. American and Somali security officials said that the leaders of both
groups have worked closely with wanted terrorists of Al Qaeda.

But recently, the two groups seemed to have turned against each other. On Saturday, a deadly
bombing at a mosque in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, was believed to have wounded a top
Shabab official. On Sunday, another mosque was bombed, this time in the southern port town
of Kismayu, where the Shabab drove out Hizbul Islam in a power struggle last year. At least
two people were killed and eight wounded, in a neighborhood controlled by the Shabab.
Under strict Islamic law, piracy is considered haram (forbidden), and in 2006, during a six-
month period when an Islamist movement pacified much of Somalia, the Islamists curtailed
piracy significantly.

But now that Hizbul Islam and the Shabab desperately need money, the situation may be
changing. The insurgents’ draconian rules banning music, television and bras have steadily
alienated much of Somali society, making it harder for the insurgents to raise money and find
recruits.

Additionally, Hizbul Islam lost access to hundreds of thousands of dollars in port taxes when
they were kicked out of Kismayu last year and may have needed to find a new source of cash.
--------------------
Darfur JEM Rebel Group Risks Losing Dominance (Voice of America)

Darfur’s main rebel group may risk losing its dominance in the region, as Chad ends support
and rival rebel coalition gains strength.

Monday, JEM – the Justice and Equality Movement – officially suspended peace talks with the
government, following months of stalled negotiations. JEM has also accused the government of
attacking its positions in western Darfur.

E.J. Hogendoorn, Horn of Africa director for the International Crisis Group (ICG), reacted to
JEM’S decision to suspend peace talks.

―My initial reaction is that the JEM has been frustrated by the fact that Khartoum has been
talking to other rebel factions; and it is now trying to put pressure on the government to deal
more seriously with them,‖ he says.

Why drop out now?

―The talks have been stalled in large part because most of the people were focused on the
elections. And I think that there was some perception that once the elections were completed
there would be further movement along the talks. But that hasn’t happened,‖ he says.

Many had criticized the elections, including those in Darfur, as being rigged even before the
first vote was cast last month.

Hogendoorn says, ―Our understanding is that once the JEM had entered into the framework
agreement (with Khartoum) in February that everyone recognized that very little would be
completed until the elections were finished.

However, he says, ―JEM wants to present itself as the umbrella group that represents all the
Darfurian rebels, but there is another fairly large group that has emerged lately that is also in
talks with the government that now seems to have the upper hand.‖

The other rebels

The coalition of four rebel groups challenging JEM for dominance in Darfur is the Sudan
Liberation and Justice Movement.

―If in fact they are able to keep themselves unified, they present a fairly significant force,
especially in light of the fact that Chad and Khartoum entered into agreement in which they
agreed not to support each other’s rebel groups. And for Chad that meant principally JEM,‖
Hogendoorn says.

As a result, JEM has lost its biggest military supporter.

―So, JEM is actually in a fairly difficult negotiating position, especially if it looks like the four
(rebel groups) are developing their own political agenda. And JEM can no longer credibly
claim to be the most powerful Darfuri group operating there,‖ he says.

JEM and the Sudan Liberation and Justice Movement have different ethnic bases and relations
between the two groups are strained.

―JEM largely receives support from a tribe called the Zaghawa in northern Darfur, whereas the
Sudanese Liberation and Justice Movement is largely comprised of another ethnic group, the
Fur,‖ he says.

He says the groups have been competing for ―attention‖ and the ―spoils of any peace deal.‖

The spoils of peace

The ICG analyst says such a peace agreement would lead to an ending of fighting, continued
control of territory by the rebels and senior positions in the Khartoum government for rebel
leaders.

―Most of the people who have entered the government from rebel factions have been frustrated
by the fact that they have very little power relative to their NCP (ruling National Congress
Party) counterparts,‖ he says.

Hogendoorn gives the example of Minni Minawi, a Darfuri rebel leader who became a senior
presidential adviser to Omar al-Bashir.

―Although the title sounds relatively powerful, it has really meant very little on the ground in
Khartoum,‖ he says.

Bashir’s strategy?

With the elections over, attention is now focused on the January 2011 independence referendum
in South Sudan.

―Obviously, it is in Bashir’s interests to try to settle these conflicts, especially if he fears that the
SPLM (party) of the south may try to use Darfuri opposition to put pressure on his
government. But it’s unclear really what his thinking is,‖ he says.
The Darfur conflict began in 2003, after rebel groups accused the government of marginalizing
non-Arab ethnic groups. Since then, millions of people have been displaced, with hundreds of
thousands crossing into neighboring Chad. The death toll has also been estimated in the
hundreds of thousands.

Arab militias have waged much of the fighting on behalf of Khartoum, and many, including the
United States, have called the killings there genocide. The Khartoum government rejects the
charge and says the casualty figures have been exaggerated.

What’s more, the situation is complicated by the fact that the International Criminal Court has
issued arrest warrants against President Bashir, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against
humanity in Darfur.
--------------------
Nigeria's pay TV launches 24-hour news service (AFP)

LAGOS, Nigeria – Nigeria's private pay TV station NN24 on Monday began a 24-hour news
coverage service in a first for the west African country, its promoters told AFP.

"Today is the realisation of a dream which started about five years ago to launch a TV project
that will metamorphose into 24-hour news bulletins, seven days a week and 365 days a year,"
NN24 boss Anthony Dara said in its stylishly furnished office in the Ikeja business district of
Lagos.

"Our News on the Hour has started and we are grateful to God for this," he said.

Dara said he was motivated to begin the "ambitious project" because of his personal skills and
experience, having worked with Bloomberg TV in London and Snell and Wilcox Limited, a
world class TV broadcast equipment manufacturer.

"I am a broadcast engineer by training and I have to leverage on my skills to do something

different which is what NN24 is all about," the 36-year-old told AFP, amid feverish preparation
ahead of the midday transmission.

As he spoke, studio engineers, reporters and newscasters got ready to kick off the programme
on channel 414 on South African Digital Satellite DSTV.

Former CNN vice president and partner in the project, Kenneth Tiven, was seen by AFP giving
instructions to studio engineers and broadcasters.

"We are counting down. From 12 midday today, viewers can hook on to NN24 on DSTV," Dara
assured.

He said the Lagos-based channel had a content partnership deal with CNN International,
distribution deal with South African DSTV and advertising arrangement with Nigerian firm
MediaCom.
"We have a three-year plan to plant ourselves in the market, in the minds of the people. We
want to establish our credentials, establish our unique position and build leadership from
there," he said.

"We are aspiring to be the premium national TV news channel. In terms of branding if you talk
about Sky, you think British, if you talk about CNN, you think about the United States of
America. NN24 is an African concept with global reach," he said.

"We are working on a shoestring budget with the best hands capable because we see ourselves
as trying to reinvent the industry in Africa," he said.

Dara said some eight million dollars had been spent on the project.

"Much of the spending is on operational and human costs, while around 2.8 million dollars go
on broadcast equipment imported from the US, Britain, India and Japan," he said.

Some 100 journalists, engineers and other supporting staff were on the company's payroll.

"Most of our staff are professionals and are 100 percent Nigerians. But we have Kenneth Tiven,
a former vice president of CNN here with us as both technical and financial partner," he said.

Dara said there was local input into the facilities at the sprawling office complex located within
the premises of the country's independent Newswatch magazine.

The TV channel had a test run for a month from March 15 to the middle of last month, he said.

Dara said obtaining an operating license from the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC)
was very easy because of good planning.

"The NBC said our presentation had been the best so far. They said we had the content plan, the
business plan, the financial plan, the technology plan as well as the personel plan," he said.

"We had the five key elements taken care of before we made our presentation at the NBC," he
said.

Three channels in South Africa -- eNews Channel, SABC News International and CNBC Africa -
- also run a 24-hour news service.
--------------------
In Uganda, Push to Curb Gays Draws U.S. Guest (New York Times)

The guest of honor, Lou Engle, an American evangelical from Kansas City, bowed up and down
from his knees at the front of the stage.

Mr. Engle, who helped found TheCall Ministries, a prayer group that focuses on moral issues,
arrived last week in Uganda, where TheCall has opened a new chapter. His trip comes amid a
heated debate throughout the country over a bill that would ban advocacy of gay rights and
suggests the death penalty for homosexuals who have AIDS and engage in sexual relations.
Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda, as in several other poor African nations. Last fall,
Uganda’s Parliament began discussion of the sweeping bill, which has brought threats of aid
cuts to Uganda, and has focused attention on several American pastors and politicians who
have come here and offered themselves as experts on what they consider the scourge of
homosexuality.

For much of Sunday’s service, the topic of homosexuality was slipped in between mentions of
corruption and witchcraft; evils that Ugandans were told they should wish away. Unlike at
other rallies, gay activists did not picket or protest. Instead they roamed the grounds quietly,
watching from a distance.

Though not originally linked to the Ugandan legislation, Mr. Engle has long been a
controversial figure in the United States for his views on homosexuality. During California’s
referendum on same-sex marriage in 2008, he called homosexuality a ―spirit of lawlessness.‖

Before arriving here last week, Mr. Engle came out with a statement condemning the harsh
penalties proposed in the bill, and said that his ministry could not support it. But when he took
the stage late on Sunday afternoon, with Ugandan politicians and pastors looking on, he
praised the country’s ―courage‖ and ―righteousness‖ in promoting the bill.

―NGOs, the U.N., Unicef, they are all coming in here and promoting an agenda,‖ Mr. Engle
said, referring to nongovernmental organizations. ―Today, America is losing its religious
freedom. We are trying to restrain an agenda that is sweeping through the education system.
Uganda has become ground zero.‖

Politicians here have said no amount of aid cuts or foreign pressure would dissuade them from
passing the bill, but the legislation has been stuck in a parliamentary committee since the
beginning of the year.

The bill’s sponsor, David Bahati, who attended Sunday’s service, said in an interview that it was
likely that some of its harsher provisions, including the death penalty, would be taken out
before its passage, which he said he expected soon. But, he said, the goal of the bill would
remain the same. The turnout for the free prayer service, and the support from Mr. Engle, were
a good sign, Mr. Bahati said.

Moments after Mr. Engle and his entourage filed off of the athletic grounds, Uganda’s minister
of ethics, James Buturo, another of the bill’s supporters, came on stage and told those
assembled: ―These are desperate times, but we will not accept intimidation. It is our business to
do what God wants. Pray for Bahati, and pray for the bill.‖ And then the rains came.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

Somali refugees strain resources of neighbouring countries, UN official warns

3 May – Thousands of Somalis fleeing the violence in their homeland are expected to cross into
neighbouring countries this year where they will add to already overcrowded and under-
resourced conditions in camps, the deputy United Nations chief for refugees said today.

Guinea’s transitional authorities assure UN that June vote will be on schedule

3 May – Guinea’s interim President Sékouba Konaté has reassured the United Nations and its
African partners that presidential elections will be held as scheduled on 27 June following
recent reports of tension among the West African country’s transitional authorities over the
electoral process.