United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

15 July 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

TOP NEWS RELATED TO U.S. AFRICA COMMAND AND AFRICA

Obama: Terror Groups in Africa Must Be Stopped (Voice of America)

(Pan Africa) Obama administration officials again are emphasizing the threat they say
al-Qaida and related groups such as al-Shabab pose in Africa, after the recent deadly
attacks in Uganda.

Kampala bombings and al Qaeda activities in Africa (Daily Monitor)

(Pan Africa) The Sahel region of Africa is increasingly being seen as “the new frontline
of the War on Terror” with Islamic militants believed to be operating across a swathe of
territory between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Somalia: A time for caution (Al Jazeera)

(Somalia) Sending additional forces from neighbouring countries into Somalia will only
exacerbate the conditions that empowered al-Shabab in the first place.

Sudan oil row threatens peace ahead of referendum (Guardian)

(Sudan) The civil war between north and south Sudan that claimed two millions lives
could restart unless agreements over oil and borders are reached before an
independence referendum in six months, says an authoritative new report.

African troops parade in Paris amid rights row (AFP)

(Pan Africa) Troops from 13 African nations marched through the streets of Paris on
Wednesday, marking half a century of independence from France as part of a rain-
soaked Bastille Day parade heavily criticised by human rights groups.

Interpol to probe Mozambique drug trafficking (AFP)

(Mozambique) Interpol will send investigators to Mozambique to look into drugs
trafficking from Asia and Latin America through the southern African nation's ports,
the police agency's boss told state media Wednesday.

Media rights group urge donors to blacklist Rwanda (AFP)

(Rwanda) A prominent media rights group called Wednesday on the European Union
and other donors to suspend financial support for Rwanda's "repressive" regime ahead
of next month's presidential polls.
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website
Africa is the real victor of this year’s soccer World Cup – UN
West Africa still at crossroads despite recent progress, says UN envoy
Fresh clashes in DR Congo’s North Kivu province displace thousands – UN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, July 20, 4:00 p.m., Brookings Institution

WHAT: Improving U.S. Strategies for Africa‟s Two Biggest Wars
WHO: Anthony Gambino, Former USAID Mission Director, Democratic Republic of
Congo; Mwangi Kimenyi, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; John Prendergast, Co-
Founder, The Enough Project
Info: http://www.brookings.edu/events/2010/0720_africa_wars.aspx
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Obama: Terror Groups in Africa Must Be Stopped (Voice of America)

Obama administration officials again are emphasizing the threat they say al-Qaida and
related groups such as al-Shabab pose in Africa, after the recent deadly attacks in
Uganda.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, in a briefing with reporters, echoed earlier
administration comments that Islamist extremist groups have no respect for people in
Africa.

"I think they have taken steps to prey on Africans, and they do not value the continent
or its people," said Robert Gibbs.

The Somali militant group al-Shabab says it was responsible for two bombings that
killed more than 70 people watching the recent World Cup final on television in
Kampala, Uganda. Al-Shabab is linked to the al-Qaida terror network.

Earlier this week, a senior White House official called al-Qaida "a racist organization
that treats black Africans like cannon fodder and does not value human life."

U.S. President Barack Obama says the attacks show that extremist groups have no
regard for African lives.

In an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation this week, Mr. Obama
said terrorists do not consider the long-term consequences of killing innocent people.
"On the one hand, you have a vision of an Africa on the move, an Africa that is unified,
an Africa that is modernizing and creating opportunities," said President Obama. "And
on the other hand, you have got a vision of al-Qaida and al-Shabab that is about
destruction and death."

Mr. Obama said this week's attacks show that al-Shabab and other terror groups must
be stopped.

"If al-Shabab takes more and more control within Somalia, it is going to be exporting
violence the way it just did in Uganda," said Mr. Obama.

U.S. security officials say this is the first time that al-Shabab has carried out attacks
outside Somalia. They say the United States is helping the Ugandan government
investigate the bombings, and that it is offering support to other countries in the region
to prevent other attacks.
--------------------
Kampala bombings and al Qaeda activities in Africa (Daily Monitor)

Just as World Cup organisers were breathing a sigh of relief that the finals had not been
targeted by terrorists, news came in of bombings in Kampala which left 74 dead. The
attacks, thought to be the work of the al Qaeda-linked group, al Shabaab, indicate both
the danger of Islamic terrorism in Africa as well as its limitations.

Last April, the arrest of Abdullah Azzam al-Qahtani, an alleged al Qaeda supporter,
who claimed to be planning an attack on the Dutch and Danish teams in South Africa,
increased fears that the finals might be targeted. But al-Qahtani‟s plot turned out to be
little more than a madcap scheme and Kampala killings, horrific though they are, will
be a passing news story for the Western media.

In terms of high profile terrorist attacks on African soil, there has been nothing since the
2002 Mombasa attack and the 1998 US Embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es
Salaam. This does not mean, however, that Islamic terrorism in Africa is not a growing
danger. The Sahel region of Africa is increasingly being seen as “the new frontline of the
War on Terror” with Islamic militants believed to be operating across a swathe of
territory between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Somalia has long been seen as a
haven for al Qaeda and the Kampala attacks are thought to have originated from within
its boarders.

Al Shabaab had recently threatened to take revenge against Uganda‟s provision of

African Union peacekeeping troops to Somalia. Last month, in the breakaway state of
Somaliland, 15 suspected Islamic terrorists, including six women, were arrested in
possession of bomb-making equipment. Last October car bombs, thought to be planted
by al Shabab, left 25 dead and dozens injured in Somaliland‟s capital, Hargeisa.

“Terrorists live in the seams between countries,” says Michael Chertoff, former head of
Homeland Security under the Bush administration, explaining why the unguarded
borders of the Sahel region are attractive to militants. Last year in Mauritanian, an
American was shot at and a suicide bomber killed two when he detonated himself
outside the French Embassy. Last month, 11 Malian security forces were killed by
militants. And whilst kidnappings in the Sahara desert have become increasingly
frequent, they seldom capture the headlines.

This week, militants threatened to execute a French hostage and last June British tourist
Edwin Dyer was beheaded in the Malian desert. Jihadism spreads beyond just the Sahel
region. The so-called „pant-bomber‟, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to bring
down an American Airlines plane, came from Nigeria and 24 alleged members of an al
Qaeda cell were arrested in Morocco in March.

The West has responded to this, increasing its intelligence and spending hundreds of
millions of dollars on military support to countries in the region. The US-funded 2003
Pan-Sahel Initiative was superseded in 2005 by the Trans-Saharan Counter-terrorism
Initiative, and in April a three week joint military exercise took place involving the
armies of Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Chad with the
support of the American, British, German, French and Spanish militaries. But military
solutions can only be part of the answer.

Some critics argue that the strategy has been counter-productive with heightened
militarisation of desert areas leading to resentment and encouraging the very extremism
it was intended to prevent. According to security expert Prof. Alain Bauer, “terrorism
should be a police issue rather than a military one”. He also argues that there is too
great an emphasis on fixing the problem rather than understanding why there is a
problem in the first place.

The first World Cup to be held in Africa was a resounding success. The scaremongers
and doom-sayers were proved wrong. Nonetheless, we should not forget the dead and
injured of Kampala nor underestimate the gradual rise of Islamic terrorism across the
African continent.
--------------------
Somalia: A time for caution (Al Jazeera)

The Somali al-Shabab group has claimed responsibility for two explosions that rocked
the Ugandan capital Kampala, targeting innocent people watching the World Cup final.
The attacks, which left at least 74 people dead, were the first by al-Shabab outside of
Somalia.

Uganda and Burundi have, in the past, dismissed threats by the group, which vowed to
avenge what it called "massacres" committed by Ugandan and Burundian troops as part
of the 6,000-strong African Union force propping up the weak Somali government.

National vs. global agenda

Contrary to popular perception, al-Shabab is not a monolithic movement. It is

comprised of several wings that espouse different worldviews. Some - perhaps the
majority - have a domestic agenda. But a small minority in the upper echelons of the
group, and a significant number of foreign fighters, advocate global jihad as a guiding
principle.

This diversity makes for multiple objectives and motives within the movement and
among its leaders.

Those with a national agenda would certainly like to force foreign peacekeepers out of
Somalia so that they can replace the government. But, if this was the objective of the
Kampala attacks, the group made a strategic mistake.

For those who espouse the global jihadist agenda and seem to dominate the movement,
this may have been a calculated move designed to invite additional intervention in
Somalia in order to justify and legitimise their war on religious grounds. If so, they may
be prepared for such an outcome.

Whatever the motives, the attack will certainly invoke an interventionist mood within
the international community and among Somalia's neighbours. Many countries in the
region will now intervene in Somalia arguing that al-Shabab poses an existential threat
to their national security.

Pre-emption will be the name of the game: let us fight extremist elements in Somalia
rather than waiting for them to come to our own backyards. And the chances are that
regional governments will find support for such an approach among their citizens.

Somali hearts and minds

Neighbouring countries must protect Somalis who have fled the country.
However, addressing extremism and insecurity in Somalia needs a sober approach and,
like al-Shabab, the international community must not make another blunder in order to
mitigate the situation.
Any military intervention involving Somalia's neighbouring states will exacerbate the
security situation in the region.

In 2006, the US and much of the international community endorsed the Ethiopian
invasion of Somalia. As a result of the conditions created by that invasion, al-Shabab
was empowered at the expense of more moderate factions of the Islamic Courts Union,
of which al-Shabab was a member.

Repeating the same mistake will not only fail to defeat extremism in Somalia but will
likely empower it further.

Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian prime minister, understands the sensitivities of this issue
and the potential consequences of sending Ethiopian forces to Somalia. He, therefore,
offered a public assurance in an interview with the AFP news agency that Ethiopian
troops will not return to the country. This is prudent decision and we must hope that he
honours this pledge.

The United Nations Security Council understood this fact as early as 2006 when it
passed resolution 1725, which prohibited Somalia's neighbours - known as frontline
states - from intervening militarily in the country, although this was not implemented.

Any successful Somalia strategy will require winning the hearts and minds of the
Somali people as their support is indispensable. Most Somalis - inside and outside of
the country - do not support or condone extremism. They should, therefore, be
considered the most important ally in the struggle to re-establish a Somali state and to
defeat extremism.

There are two important issues that must be dealt with. Firstly, many innocent Somalis
are victims of the atrocities committed by the Somali government and the African
Union forces. This must end. Secondly, regional governments and the international
community, particularly law enforcement agencies, must therefore do all they can to
protect innocent Somalis who have fled their country's civil war while apprehending
criminals. This may be easier said than done, but it is necessary.

Creating Somali security forces

We must also understand that sending peacekeeping forces from Muslim countries and
African states, excluding Somalia's neighbours, is a temporary solution that cannot be
sustained in the long-term. The best way to address extremism is, therefore, to help
create professional and disciplined Somali security forces.

Since 2000, Somalia has had a number of transitional governments - created and
supported by the international community. Military experts say it takes approximately
one to two years to prepare a combat-ready army. But, after 10 years, Somalia does not
have security forces that can protect the country and its people.

A lack of will from Somalia's leaders has contributed to the current stalemate. The
international community must pressure the government to make substantive changes if
it wants it to face the pertinent challenges Somalia poses.

Finally, disuading Somali youngsters from joining extremist groups requires more than
the presence of a strong military. Fortunately, most of Somalia's religious scholars have
begun to challenge extremism on the ideological front. This is a welcome development.

In sum, the Kampala attacks will have far-reaching implications for al-Shabab, Somalia
and the whole region. Caution is now desperately needed.
--------------------
Sudan oil row threatens peace ahead of referendum (Guardian)

The civil war between north and south Sudan that claimed two millions lives could
restart unless agreements over oil and borders are reached before an independence
referendum in six months, says an authoritative new report.

A coalition of 26 international and local humanitarian organisations today warned that

the country was "alarmingly unprepared" for the vote, which is likely see Africa's
largest state split in two.

The poll on self-determination was the key part of the 2005 comprehensive peace
agreement (CPA) that ended the two-decade war between the Arab-dominated north
and the mostly non-Muslim south. The deal granted autonomy to south Sudan, which
holds the bulk of the oil reserves that power the Sudanese economy, for an interim
period of six years. During this time, the two sides were meant to explore options for
unity.

But it appears inevitable that the people of south Sudan will overwhelming choose
secession when they vote on 9 January, creating the world's newest country – and one
of the least developed. A separate referendum will be held in the volatile, oil-rich Abyei
region, where residents will vote on whether to join the north or the south.

Yet the report says the few of the most serious issues – especially those relating to oil
and borders, which were meant to be resolved after the CPA – have been resolved.
South Sudan currently gets 98% of its income from oil revenues under the remit of the
Khartoum government, as part of the CPA. It will be landlocked as an independent
state, and completely dependent on the pipeline through the north to export its oil. But
there has been no deal on how this might work.
"An agreement to share the revenues from oil was instrumental in achieving peace
between north and south Sudan," said Rosie Sharpe from Global Witness, a member of
the coalition. "As preparations begin for the referendum and possible southern
independence, it will be vital to resolve outstanding issues around oil in order to avert a
return to war."

The report also expressed concern over "rumblings in Khartoum" that up to two million
southern Sudanese living in the north could deported or stripped of their citizenship if
Sudan breaks up.

The authors called on the guarantors of the CPA – including the UK, the EU and the US
– to ensure that the referendum is free and fair, and is held on time. They warned that
Sudan was already "precariously close" to the point where meeting this goal was
impossible.
--------------------
African troops parade in Paris amid rights row (AFP)

PARIS – Troops from 13 African nations marched through the streets of Paris on
Wednesday, marking half a century of independence from France as part of a rain-
soaked Bastille Day parade heavily criticised by human rights groups.

The colourful display on the Champs Elysees avenue came as rights groups accused
some African leaders and armies of war crimes and of perceived shady ties between
France and some of its former colonies.

Mauritanian troops in white and blue robes and Central Africans in red were among
those pounding the cobbles in central Paris on France's national holiday, with rifles and
bayonets at their shoulders.

Twelve African heads of state were guests of honour at the annual display of military
power.

Rain clouds opened on the parade as it unfolded under the gaze of French President
Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, the former supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and the
African leaders and military officers.

"It is a blood tie that we are celebrating, the tie born of African troops' contribution to
the defence and liberation of France," Sarkozy said, honouring Africans who fought for
France in the world wars.

On the eve of the parade, hundreds of people joined a demonstration in eastern Paris
called by a grouping of 70 rights associations complaining of human rights violations in
various African countries.
Protestors denounced "Francafrique" -- the term for a perceived tradition of shady
official and business ties between France and its former colonies which gained
independence in 1960, some of which are dictatorships.

Sarkozy insisted the event was not about colonial "nostalgia," in an address to the
African leaders at a lunch on Tuesday.

"I know very well the notion of privileged and special relations, this flood of suspicions
and fantasies, but the time has come to face up to it together, without inhibitions and
without looking back," he said.

Protestors criticised the decision to invite countries such as Niger, where a military
junta seized power in a coup five months ago and where French nuclear energy giant
Areva has lucrative uranium mining contracts.

The International Federation of Human Rights Leagues said the visiting delegations
"may contain people responsible for grave human rights violations".

French Defence Minister Herve Morin said there was "no indication" that there were
war criminals among Sarkozy's guests.

"These are countries with whom we have relations, partnerships. I don't see the sense in
putting ourselves on trial over these questions," he said on radio station France Info.

After fighter jets flew overhead, the African contingents passed, headed by an all-
female unit from Benin, giving way to French troops, firemen, police, armoured
vehicles and marching bands, their shirts drenched by the rain.

The heads of state from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
Congo, Gabon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Chad and Togo sat watching from the
official stand.

Ivory Coast, gripped by long-term political stalemate following a 2002 coup attempt,
was represented by a government minister but did not take part in the march-past.
Forces from Madagascar also joined the parade.

Sarkozy afterwards greeted soldiers wounded on service in countries including

Afghanistan, where 45 French troops have died since 2002 while serving in a NATO-led
force.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy greeted the families of soldiers killed in combat.

On Tuesday, she had hosted the wives of the African leaders at the presidential palace
and discussed issues such as the scourge of AIDS on the continent.

Sarkozy held a lunch afterwards for guests rewarded as civil achievers, but the
presidential garden party that traditionally follows the parade was cancelled as part of
Sarkozy's efforts to trim government spending.
--------------------
Interpol to probe Mozambique drug trafficking (AFP)

MAPUTO, Mozambique – Interpol will send investigators to Mozambique to look into

drugs trafficking from Asia and Latin America through the southern African nation's
ports, the police agency's boss told state media Wednesday.

"We know that drugs from South America are increasingly transported to Europe via
the African continent," Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble said.

"We are interested in knowing which transnational criminal groups have been using
Mozambique as a corridor for this purpose."

Noble met this week with Mozambican President Armando Guebuza in the capital
Maputo to discuss the growth in drug trafficking.

A group of investigators will visit the country in the following weeks to work out a plan
of action with their Mozambican counterparts, the Interpol boss said.

His visit follows the US designation of Mozambique's richest man as a drug kingpin.

The United States accused business tycoon Mohamed Bachir Suleman of trafficking
heroin from southeast Asia as well as cocaine and marijuana from Latin America to
South Africa and Europe.

Suleman's assets in the United States were frozen and branches of local banks have
pulled out of his Maputo Shopping Centre in the past month.

He has denied the allegations, while the Mozambican government accuses the US of
withholding evidence for their allegations.
--------------------
Media rights group urge donors to blacklist Rwanda (AFP)

NAIROBI, Kenya – A prominent media rights group called Wednesday on the

European Union and other donors to suspend financial support for Rwanda's
"repressive" regime ahead of next month's presidential polls.
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres) said Rwanda's
government, led by President Paul Kagame, was responsible for "a series of grave press
freedom violations" in the African country.

They included the arrest and detention of journalists, closure of Rwanda's two leading
independent newspapers for six months, and blocking access to another publication's
website.

"How much longer will the international community continue to endorse this repressive
regime?" it asked in a statement.

"The international community is becoming its accomplice by supporting next month?s

election, for which the preparations are being accompanied by widespread harassment
and abuses.

"If the European Union stopped disbursing its funding, it would be clear sign of
opposition to the Rwandan government?s practices."

RSF said journalist Agnes Uwimana was arrested July 8 after publication of "sensitive"
articles about the murder of newspaper editor Jean-Leonard Rugambage and the
attempted murder of exiled general Kayumba Nyamwasa in South Africa.

Rugambage, who had accused the Rwandan government of being behind an

assassination attempt on a dissident general in South Africa, was gunned down near his
house in Kigali on June 25.

According to Rwandan newspaper reports, two other journalists from Uwimana's

privately-owned fortnightly, Umurabyo, were detained on Tuesday.

Kagame, who has led the central African nation since the end of the 1994 genocide, is
widely expected to win the August 9 election.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

Africa is the real victor of this year’s soccer World Cup – UN

13 July – The United Nations today hailed the 2010 World Cup as a great success for the
Government and people of the host nation South Africa, as well as the entire African
continent, adding that the event also served as a vital tool to promote development and
peace.

West Africa still at crossroads despite recent progress, says UN envoy

13 July – Root causes of conflicts in West Africa, including ethnic tensions and
governance challenges, could overturn gains made in consolidating peace, leaving the
region at a crossroads, a senior United Nations official said today.

Fresh clashes in DR Congo’s North Kivu province displace thousands – UN

13 July – Clashes between the army in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and
remnants of a Ugandan insurgency forced an estimated 20,000 people to flee their
villages in the troubled North Kivu province of the vast African country, the United
Nations reported today.