United States Africa Command

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13 April 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Battle Begins for Hosting US Africa Command (VOA)

As U.S. defense officials begin evaluating future sites for their Africa command, known
as AFRICOM, a battle to host the command is brewing among U.S. states and
territories.

AFRICOM: Meeting The Balance Between Humanitarianism And Militarism –

Analysis (Eurasia Review)
On 19th March 2011, night had already fallen over North Africa when 112 Tomahawk
missiles fired by UK and US naval forces rained down over Libya, hitting air defence
installations across the country. Operation Odyssey Dawn had commenced. Under the
initial authority of the governments of France, the United Kingdom and the United
States, a concerted military effort began to prevent the killing of civilians by Muammar
al-Gaddafi’s forces in his merciless fight-back against his own people.

Obama Calls Ivory Coast's Newly Installed President (VOA)

(Côte d’Ivoire) U.S. President Barack Obama has called Ivory Coast's newly installed
President Alassane Ouattara to congratulate him on taking power.

Experts: Plan Now for Post-Gadhafi Libya to Avoid Chaos (VOA)

(Libya) The United States and its European allies have called for the removal of Libyan
leader Moammar Gadhafi, and are conducting daily airstrikes to protect civilians that
ultimately are helping the rebels trying to oust him. If their efforts succeed, experts say
Libya faces an uncertain future, with many of the same ingredients that led to long
conflicts after the fall of the governments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our correspondent
reports from the Pentagon on lessons learned from those conflicts and the type of
planning experts say should be done now for a post-Gadhafi Libya.

Quarreling Over Libya Hits NATO (Wall Street Journal)

(Libya) France and the U.K. called on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to more
aggressively defend civilians, particularly in the besieged Libyan city of Misrata, from
Col. Moammar Gadhafi's forces, but NATO officials said the allies were doing a good
job and reported strikes in the area.

Libyan Rebels Set to Talk, but Maybe Not With Qaddafi’s Ex-Ally (NYT)
(Libya) Rebel leaders here said Tuesday that they were not ready to commit to talks
with Moussa Koussa, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s former confidant who defected to
Britain but left there for Qatar.

EU foreign ministers meet Libyan opposition representatives (Xinhuanet)

(Libya) EU Foreign Ministers have met with Libyan opposition representatives in
Luxembourg. Tuesday's talks focused sharply on the ongoing crisis.

New Ivory Coast president faces divided country; fighting continues in Abidjan (LA
Times)
(Côte d’Ivoire) Ivory Coast's new leader took charge of a divided country Tuesday,
facing continued fighting in some neighborhoods of its commercial capital and a
growing humanitarian crisis.

EU Urges national unity government in Ivory Coast (Reuters)

(Côte d’Ivoire) The European Union urged Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on
Tuesday to form a national unity government to help put the war-shattered country
back on track and pledged its support for the new government.

Budget Battles: Ivory Coast Gets a New Chance (NYT)

(Côte d’Ivoire) In his bid to cling to power, former President Laurent Gbagbo unleashed
unconscionable violence on his people and brought Ivory Coast to the brink of civil
war. When he was finally captured on Monday, photographs showed him as a pathetic,
depleted figure. He should now be tried for his crimes. Mr. Gbagbo brought this on
himself, and other strongmen and thugs should take heed.

Sudan Prepares to Hold Talks over Resolving Foreign Debt (VOA)

(Sudan) A prominent member of Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) says a
delegation representing President Omar al-Bashir’s government will soon hold talks in
Washington with officials of international financial institutions.

US Hints to Lift Sudan from Terrorism List (Sudan Vision)

(Sudan) US special envoy for Sudan, Princeton Lyman said that the issue of removing
Sudan from terrorism list has a lots of details that his administration discuss moreover
there is consultation on that in the congress and President Barak Obama Particularly
has currently started these steps.

Danish navy frees 16 Pakistanis, 2 Iranians held by suspected Somali pirates (AP)
(Denmark) Danish naval officials say one of its assault teams freed 16 Pakistanis and
two Iranians held by suspected Somali pirates.

Mass Arrests Block Pro-Democracy Rally (RFI)

(Swaziland) Swaziland police arrested scores of people on Tuesday ahead of a planned
march for democracy. Witnesses complained that hundreds of activists were beaten to
stop them carrying out the banned protest.
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website
 UN envoy calls for constructive internal dialogue on future of Somalia
 Côte d’Ivoire: Ban warns against retribution towards Gbagbo’s supporters
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, April 15, 2011; 9:30 a.m.; Brookings Institution, 1775
Massachusetts Avenue NW
WHAT: The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA): Opening Doors for U.S.-
Africa Economic Relations
WHO: Mwangi Kimenyi, Director of the Africa Growth Initiative; Stephen Hayes,
President of the Corporate Council on Africa; Florizelle Liser, assistant U.S. trade
representative for Africa; Zambian Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Felix
Mutati; John Page, senior fellow of Global Economy and Development at Brookings;
Katrin Kuhlman, senior fellow and director of TransFarm Africa Policy at the Aspen
Institute; Witney Schneidman, president of Schneidman and Associates International;
and Rosa Whitaker, president and CEO of the Whitaker Group
Info: www.brookings.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Battle Begins for Hosting US Africa Command (VOA)

By Nico Colombant
April 12, 2011
As U.S. defense officials begin evaluating future sites for their Africa command, known
as AFRICOM, a battle to host the command is brewing among U.S. states and
territories.

At a recent hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, Georgia Congressman

Hank Johnson sang Atlanta’s praise with hopes the city will become AFRICOM’s future
host.

"We have got the world’s busiest airport," said Johnson. "We have quite a few military
aviation facilities. We have got one of the country’s largest diaspora communities from
Africa, superb infrastructure to support the military’s communication needs, [and] high
quality of life for personnel who would be assigned to that area.

He said any location in his state of Georgia would be happy to serve as AFRICOM's
base.
The U.S. Africa Command has operated out of Stuttgart, Germany, since it was
activated in 2008. AFRICOM's field of responsibility was previously split between
European, Central and Pacific Commands.

Initially, there were lots of discussions about whether AFRICOM would be based in
Africa. Many African leaders and human rights activists spoke out against such a plan,
however, saying excessive U.S. military operations on the continent would lead to more
conflict rather than less. Only two African countries volunteered to host the command,
Liberia and Morocco.

AFRICOM commander General Carter Ham, who assumed his duties in March,
explained why so far AFRICOM has been based at Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart.

"The bulk of the resources were already in Stuttgart, the facilities were already in
Stuttgart," said Ham. "So for purposes of getting the command off to an expeditious
start that seemed to make a lot of sense."

Ham said Defense Secretary Robert Gates had asked him to start the process of
determining what would be the best site for AFRICOM going ahead.

The commander listed some of the criteria he would be looking at. "Security, suitability,
quality of life, transportation nodes, accessibility to the area of responsibility, a whole
host of requirements that we would like to station our headquarters. And so that
process has begun, and we will look at first of all to make sure that we have the
methodology right”"

Ham did not give any more clues as to where AFRICOM might be based in the future,
saying the process to determine this was only just beginning.

Another Congressman seeking AFRICOM for his state was Joe Wilson from the
southeastern state of South Carolina and more specifically the city of Charleston.

He stressed the importance of cultural links. "I had the privilege of visiting Monrovia,
Liberia and the great cultural association of West Africa to Charleston is very clear,"
said Wilson. "It is a shared culture. In fact, we have the same accents and I felt right at
home."

Other representatives who bid for AFRICOM's future location included one from
Minnesota, which is also a transportation hub, and a congresswoman from the island of
Guam, which already is the home of an air force and a naval base. But both of these
choices would seem to fall short of the criteria for quick accessibility to the area of
responsibility, namely the African continent.
AFRICOM has been busy of late, as it took the lead in the early phases of current
foreign military operations in Libya. Ham said its main objective remains helping
combat any terrorist groups in Africa.

He said AFRICOM did not take part in recent operations in Ivory Coast because French
and U.N. peacekeepers were already on the ground.

AFRICOM is responsible for U.S. military operations and military relations with 53
African countries, which includes north Africa, but not Egypt.
--------------------
AFRICOM: Meeting The Balance Between Humanitarianism And Militarism –
Analysis (Eurasia Review)
By Benjamin Mueller, The Henry Jackson Society
April 12, 2011
On 19th March 2011, night had already fallen over North Africa when 112 Tomahawk
missiles fired by UK and US naval forces rained down over Libya, hitting air defence
installations across the country. Operation Odyssey Dawn had commenced. Under the
initial authority of the governments of France, the United Kingdom and the United
States, a concerted military effort began to prevent the killing of civilians by Muammar
al-Gaddafi’s forces in his merciless fight-back against his own people.

One little-reported detail is the fact that Operation Odyssey Dawn was the first combat
mission undertaken by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) since its
inception in October 2007. AFRICOM had previously conducted limited military
engagements as part of the Global War on Terror – Operation Enduring Freedom Trans-
Sahara – but it had not undertaken a full-scale war campaign prior to the ongoing
operation in Libya.

It was a combat baptism of fire for AFRICOM. Within the space of a few days, the US
contributed in the region of 20 naval assets and 90 aircraft at a time when more than
150,000 servicemen are deployed in two war zones – compared to 33 French planes, 17
British jets and only a handful of naval vessels from each nation. Late in March,
however, the US began to extricate itself from its leading role in combat operations. It
started withdrawing its jets, ships and submarines, reduced the involvement of its
troops to a supporting role, and handed over command of the mission to NATO.

However, Commander of AFRICOM, General Carter Ham, has made it clear that US
Africa Command retains full readiness to reassume a direct combat role at any time
should this prove necessary, for example in case of a rapid escalation of violence against
civilians. Moreover, even in its more limited supporting role, the US is still conducting a
range of sorties, including aerial refuelling, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft,
intelligence operations and maintaining attack fighters on standby, ready to intervene at
all times. Asked how rapidly AFRICOM could reassume a leading combat role if
requested by NATO, General Ham refused to go into details other than asserting that
the timeframe would be ‘quick.’ [1]

One can be in no doubt, then, as to the continued overwhelming dominance of US

military capabilities in the NATO framework. The United States, whether it likes it or
not, remains the indispensable nation in all matters pertaining to Western security. The
rapid shock and awe driven success of the early stages of Operation Odyssey Dawn,
and the slowdown in pace of the rebels’ ground campaign as soon as the US retreated
from direct combat engagements are striking. AFRICOM’s first combat mission, and the
swiftness with which US forces engaged an enemy thousands of miles away from US
soil, proves its effectiveness as a military command.

AFRICOM was the brainchild of President Bush, a by-product of his wider strategy of
deepening US engagement in Africa. Toward the end of the 90s, in the wake of the
terrorist atrocities directed at US military and diplomatic personnel in Kenya and
Tanzania, US counter-terror efforts in Africa began in earnest. As such, it comes as no
surprise that a key role of AFRICOM has been supporting anti-terror operations across
the Maghreb and improving African nations’ counter-terror capabilities. But the
humanitarian impulse behind it – AFRICOM’s mission statement explicitly states that it
aims to ‘bring peace and security to the people of Africa’ – is not to be underestimated.
The facts speak for themselves: President Bush increased US aid to Africa threefold, and
American trade with the continent doubled in size under his term.

The establishment of AFRICOM elicited the usual vacuous anti-American critique,

pushing the narrative of the US as a neo-colonial behemoth intent on plundering the
continent of its abundant resources. Naturally, such claims are rubbish. Firstly, it is
unclear how AFRICOM could serve such ends, short of deploying military force to
impose direct imperial rule. Secondly, Africa is in fact the only continent where the US
lacks a permanent military base. Its forces do have access to military facilities in a small
number of East and West African states, but no outright territorial presence. Thirdly,
the surest way to get a hold of Africa’s resources is to do it the Chinese way: sign deals
with despots, hand over bags of cash and bring home the goods. The US approach of
insisting on good governance and barring American companies from dealing with
rogue states like Sudan hardly sounds like an arch-colonialist project.

Lastly, a note on the inexorable structural pull that inevitably goes with the sheer size
and extent of the US’ military capabilities: America was very quickly dragged into a
leading military role over Libya, despite the reluctance of President Obama and
Secretary Gates to involve the US in yet a further armed engagement in the Arab world.
To the frustration of governmental actors, the hard logic of military strategy can prevail
over many a determined leader. That said, politicians can resist demands for military
action: at President Obama’s insistence, the ousting of President Gbagbo in Cote
d’Ivoire was implemented solely by French an UN forces, with no US involvement
beyond intelligence sharing.
In any case, the fact that Western forces are simultaneously working to remove two
brutal African despots makes the anti-imperialist rhetoric about the apparent
‘selectivity’ of the West’s liberal interventions seem more hollow than ever. William
Kristol shall have the last words: ‘We can’t make all right with the world. But we can
make some things a little better.’[2]
[1]http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/04/military-libya-africom-ready-to-
launch-strikes-040511w/
[2]http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/arabs-spring-and-ours_556139.html
------------------------
Obama Calls Ivory Coast's Newly Installed President (VOA)
By Unattributed Author
April 12, 2011
U.S. President Barack Obama has called Ivory Coast's newly installed President
Alassane Ouattara to congratulate him on taking power.

The White House says Mr. Obama called Mr. Ouattara Tuesday, a day after forces
arrested the country's former leader Laurent Gbagbo who had refused to step down.

The White House says Mr. Obama and Mr. Ouattara discussed the importance of re-
establishing trade to help restart Ivory Coast's economy. It says they also spoke about
the need to ensure that people who carried out attacks during months of political
turmoil are held accountable, regardless of which side they supported.

Also Tuesday, France said it will soon provide Ivory Coast with $580 million to help its
citizens restart public services and stimulate the economy.

Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said the money will fund emergency expenses for
civilians, the city of Abidjan and essential public services.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday called on Ivory Coast to take advantage
of a "historic opportunity" for national reconciliation following the arrest Mr. Gbagbo.
Mr. Ban said he spoke Monday with President Ouattara, and stressed the need to
ensure there is no retaliation against Mr. Gbagbo's supporters.

The U.N. says it will continue to protect civilians and help support the government in
re-establishing law.

The U.N. Human Rights Council has named three experts to investigate alleged abuses
that occurred after the country's disputed November presidential election. The council
said Tuesday the panel will include Vitit Muntabhorn of Thailand, Suliman Baldo of
Sudan and Reine Alapini Gansou of Benin.
Both Gbagbo and Ouattara supporters are accused of killing and raping civilians during
the fighting that followed the election.
------------------
Experts: Plan Now for Post-Gadhafi Libya to Avoid Chaos (VOA)
By Al Pessin
April 12, 2011
The United States and its European allies have called for the removal of Libyan leader
Moammar Gadhafi, and are conducting daily airstrikes to protect civilians that
ultimately are helping the rebels trying to oust him. If their efforts succeed, experts say
Libya faces an uncertain future, with many of the same ingredients that led to long
conflicts after the fall of the governments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our correspondent
reports from the Pentagon on lessons learned from those conflicts and the type of
planning experts say should be done now for a post-Gadhafi Libya.

After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, American officials
found they did not have enough troops to prevent widespread looting and lawlessness,
and they did not have a detailed enough plan to establish government services and
avoid the creation of the insurgency that plunged the country into years of war.

"Somebody needs to be doing the sort of planning that really had not been done in
advance of the United States going into Iraq," said John Pike.

John Pike, director of globalsecurity.org, says many of the same factors are in place in
Libya that led to the instability in Iraq - including tribal rivalries, the widespread
presence of weapons, the likelihood of creating a disaffected group of former troops
and regime supporters, and the decades-long reliance on one man to lead the country.

"Moammar Gadhafi has so dominated that country for so long that there really are not
effective institutions which could run the country in his absence," he said. "And there’s
going to have to be some sort of post-Gadhafi international stabilization effort or the
whole thing’s going to fly apart the way Iraq did when the [Saddam Hussein] statue
went down."

The NATO operational commander, U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis, acknowledged
the likely need for some sort of international presence in a post-Gadhafi Libya during
testimony before a U.S. Senate committee two weeks ago.

"When you look at the history of NATO, having gone through this, as many on this
committee have, with Bosnia and Kosovo, it's quite clear that the possibility of [the need
for] a stabilization regime exists," said Admiral Stavridis.

The admiral’s counterpart at U.S. Africa Command, General Carter Ham, had this
exchange with Senator Jim Webb the following week.
WEBB: "I would assume that planners are considering the prospect that there might be
an international force on the ground in Libya in the future if Gadhafi leaves. Is that in
the cards?"

HAM: "Sir, I think that is certainly one potential outcome of this - an international force
of some composition intervening between the regime and the opposition forces."

General Ham said such a force could involve U.S. troops, but he said that would not be
ideal because it would likely result in negative reactions from people in the region.
Explaining the initial phase of the Libya operation three weeks ago, President Barack
Obama said he would not deploy U.S. ground troops.

Now, even with senior officers saying some sort of foreign force will be needed in Libya
if Mr. Gadhafi is forced from power, Pentagon officials can not provide information
about any planning effort. They note that the NATO military mission in Libya is being
led by European allies, who they presume would also lead any post-conflict
stabilization effort.

Again, security analyst John Pike:

"I’m concerned that there’s really not any planning going on in the Defense Department
or State Department here, that it’s going to be left up to Italy, France and Britain," said
Pike. "And I’m not sure that those countries have the resources to successfully
implement a stabilization operation."

At the congressionally funded research organization the United States Institute of

Peace, stabilization expert Beth Cole is more optimistic. She says the United States and
its key allies in NATO have years of recent experience with such operations in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Kosovo, and they do not want to repeat the mistakes they made in
those places.

"I have some faith that we actually have learned something from the last decade and
that maybe NATO, the U.S., the French, the Brits and others who also have traveled a
similar path are coming at this one with a little bit more knowledge and a little bit more
willingness to partner among agencies," said Cole.

Cole says there is Libya planning going on behind closed doors among key U.S.
government agencies, including the State Department, the Defense Department and the
U.S. Agency for International Development. But she says nearly four weeks after the
U.N. Security Council vote to authorize the use of force, the planning is at a relatively
early stage. She says there still is no agreement on key goals and the division of
responsibilities, or on whether to use the Guiding Principles for Stabilization and
Reconstruction she developed with the U.S. Army in 2009.
Cole says situations like the one that can be expected in Libya if Moammar Gadhafi falls
require international and inter-agency efforts aimed at promoting the rule of law,
developing a stable economy and creating an effective government. But she says it all
depends on establishing security in what is likely to be a very difficult situation.

"Security is a pre-condition for doing anything else in these environments," she said.
"There are a lot of security challenges and we have to really scope those very, very well
in this planning process. And it will require that you probably will need, in the
beginning, a pretty robust stabilization force."

Cole adds that long-term stability will require not only a foreign security force, but also
an effort to understand and address internal conflicts among Libyan tribes and interest
groups - the kind of understanding and plan that did not exist in Iraq.

"If you don’t have a means to help resolve the differences among these entities, then
you’re going to have a very insecure environment for a very long time," said Cole.

Cole says one reason that planning for a post-Gadhafi Libya is still in its early stages is
that the attention of Western officials has been divided among so many urgent crises in
recent months - from Tunisia and Egypt to Japan, Ivory Coast and now Syria, Yemen
and Libya. But Libya is the one crisis where Western military power has been brought
to bear, and where NATO allies have declared regime change as their political goal.
Experts say a lot of preparation is needed, and quickly, so that success, if it comes, does
not lead to the same problems the allies faced after they achieved their initial goals in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
---------------------
Quarreling Over Libya Hits NATO (Wall Street Journal)
By SAM DAGHER, CHARLES LEVINSON and JOHN W. MILLER
April 12, 2011
France and the U.K. called on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to more
aggressively defend civilians, particularly in the besieged Libyan city of Misrata, from
Col. Moammar Gadhafi's forces, but NATO officials said the allies were doing a good
job and reported strikes in the area.

The signs of friction came on the eve of an international meeting of the so-called Libya
contact group, which brings together Western and regional governments, in Doha,
Qatar, on Wednesday. Ministers from NATO countries are also scheduled to meet, on
Thursday and Friday in Berlin.

On Tuesday, troops loyal to Col. Gadhafi pounded Misrata, in western Libya, with
artillery and mortar rounds, and continued attempts to make incursions into the city,
Libya's third-largest.
Ayman Abu Shahma, a doctor with the rebels, who have been in control of parts of the
city since late February, said there were also clashes between rebels and government
forces along a road leading to the port, the rebels' only outlet in the weekslong siege by
Col. Gadhafi's troops.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé said Tuesday that NATO wasn't doing enough to
stop Col. Gadhafi's forces from killing civilians in rebel areas. "NATO has to play its
role in full," Mr. Juppé said.

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said the allies must "intensify" their efforts.

Those concerns echoed rebel leaders in Benghazi, who on Tuesday again pressed for
further action by NATO to stop the assault on Misrata.

Mr. Juppé, speaking on France-Info radio, also urged the European Union to do more to
get humanitarian aid to Misrata.

Brig. Gen. Mark van Uhm, chief of allied operations, said NATO was doing a good job
protecting civilians against the regime's "hit-and-run tactics" in Misrata. Later Tuesday,
NATO said its aircraft had destroyed five tanks that were threatening the civilian
population in Misrata, in addition to strikes elsewhere in the country.

"The enemy knows if they use tanks, they are going to be hit," he said.

A rebel leader said coalition airstrikes destroyed several tanks belonging to Col.
Gadhafi's troops in an area known as al-Dafiniyah on the western outskirts of Misrata.

France and the U.K. were early proponents of international military intervention in the
conflict in Libya. After the U.S. withdrew its strike aircraft last week, France ramped up
sorties and the U.K. committed more aircraft capable of striking ground targets.

Mr. Hague suggested Tuesday that more aircraft would be beneficial, citing the U.K.'s
contributions. "Of course, it will be welcome if other countries also do the same. There is
always more to do," he said.

"I think with the assets we have we do a great job," NATO's Gen. van Uhm said. "If you
get more, you can do more."

A Pentagon spokesman Tuesday said NATO hadn't asked it to resume flying raids. The
White House said from the start of the mission it intended to hand the leading role in
military operations to allies after the first week of airstrikes took out the bulk of Col.
Gadhafi's air defenses.
On Tuesday, the White House expressed faith in NATO's ability to carry out the
mission, while the State Department dismissed talk of discord in the alliance.

Meanwhile, the International Committee for the Red Cross, which formally established
a presence in Tripoli on Monday, said it was negotiating with the Gadhafi regime to get
access to Misrata by land to deliver humanitarian assistance. The ICRC was particularly
concerned about an estimated 7,000 migrant workers marooned in Misrata's port for
weeks, said spokesman Christian Cardon.

Dr. Abu Shahma, the rebel doctor, said hundreds more workers flocked to the port
Tuesday after hearing that more ships were on the way.

A 1,000-passenger ship chartered by the International Organization for Migration left

southern Italy on Tuesday for Benghazi, en route to Misrata, the IOM said. It said it
would load up humanitarian assistance in Benghazi before sailing for Misrata.

A Turkish ship evacuated about 950 Egyptians from Misrata on Monday, according to
Dr. Abu Shahma.

In another development, former Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, who recently
defected to the U.K., traveled to Qatar for Wednesday's meeting, Britain's Foreign and
Commonwealth Office said.

Mr. Koussa planned to meet representatives of the Libyan rebel administration, the
Transitional National Council, a person familiar with the matter said.

Hafiz Abdel Goga, the spokesman for the council, said the rebel leadership had no
contact with Mr. Koussa. Rebel officials said a priority at the conference would be to
convince the international community to lift sanctions on eastern Libya. Such a step is
necessary to free up cash in Libyan bank accounts abroad and allow banks in eastern
Libya to obtain foreign currency and transfer payments to banks overseas, in order to
import basic commodities and other goods.

"We are hoping the international community will agree to our demand. We don't want
to face a food shortage crisis," said Abdallah Shamia, a senior economic official in the
rebel government.

Mr. Koussa, the former foreign minister and intelligence chief, arrived in the U.K. late
last month. On Monday he released a statement to the British Broadcasting Corp. saying
he had been "devoted" to his work for 30 years under Col. Gadhafi but that after recent
events "things changed and I couldn't continue."
"I know that what I did to resign will cause me problems, but I'm ready to make that
sacrifice for the sake of my country," he said in a statement in Arabic translated by the
BBC.

Mr. Koussa also warned against the risks of civil war and the possibility of his country
becoming "a new Somalia."

Libyan authorities in Tripoli refused to comment on Mr. Koussa's statements. Ibrahim

el-Sharif, minister for social affairs, called Mr. Koussa a "longtime friend" and refused to
acknowledge that he had defected. "Maybe he was kidnapped," he said.
-------------------------
Libyan Rebels Set to Talk, but Maybe Not With Qaddafi’s Ex-Ally (NYT)
By ROD NORDLAND
April 12, 2011
BENGHAZI, Libya — Rebel leaders here said Tuesday that they were not ready to
commit to talks with Moussa Koussa, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s former confidant
who defected to Britain but left there for Qatar.

Doha, Qatar’s capital, is hosting a group of countries that have expressed support for
the Libyan rebels, and British officials announced Tuesday that Mr. Koussa was headed
there, presumably to take a role in trying to mediate between the rebels and the Qaddafi
government.

“We are sending a delegation to Doha solely to meet with the contact group, but it’s not
part of the agenda to meet with Mr. Koussa,” said Abdul Hafidh Ghoga, the spokesman
for the rebels’ National Transitional Council, at a news conference here. “It’s not
something rejected or accepted.”

Mr. Ghoga, noting the rebels’ rejection of an African Union delegation’s request to
negotiate a cease-fire during a visit to Benghazi on Monday, said that the Qaddafi
loyalists had shelled Misurata throughout the delegation’s visit, proving their lack of
good faith. The rebels have steadfastly maintained that they will not enter into
negotiations until Colonel Qaddafi and his sons give up power.

At the same news conference, Suleiman Fortia, the representative on the council from
Misurata, gave a detailed description of the desperate conditions in that rebel-held port
city in western Libya that has fallen into desperate straits as a siege by pro-Qaddafi
forces has stretched thin its stocks of food, water and medical supplies.

Mr. Fortia said that 1,000 people had been killed and thousands more wounded in
attacks by loyalist forces, which have surrounded the city and occupied portions of it.
He offered no verification for those figures.
In addition, he said, electricity, fuel and water had been cut off, and the city remained
under attack by tanks, artillery and snipers. The city’s port, a vital lifeline, has been
opened by Western air attacks but is under constant threat from Colonel Qaddafi’s
forces.

Human Rights Watch quoted doctors in hospitals in Misurata as saying that they had
seen at least 250 dead but that the actual number was much higher.

“The Libyan government’s near siege of Misurata has not prevented reports of serious
abuses getting out,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at
Human Rights Watch. “We’ve heard disturbing accounts of shelling and shooting at a
clinic and in populated areas, killing civilians where no battle was raging.”

The participants in the meeting in Qatar were expected to discuss military aid to the
Libyan rebels. Qatar, along with France and Italy, has recognized them as the legitimate
government of Libya. In addition, the rebels said they had received offers of assistance
from 30 other countries that had not formally recognized them, including the United
States and Britain.

Mr. Koussa’s defection to Britain came as a surprise, and he was questioned by

investigators of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland. Family
members of victims of that bombing reacted with anger when they learned that Britain
had allowed him to go to Qatar.

British officials were elusive when pressed by reporters for details of the arrangements
that made it possible for Mr. Koussa to leave Britain, after keeping him under close
guard at a safe house somewhere in the London area since he arrived in Britain two
weeks ago.

While Mr. Koussa was being questioned by British intelligence officials, the government
said repeatedly that he would not be granted immunity from prosecution under British
or international law for a string of terrorist acts that Western governments believe were
carried out by Libya’s foreign intelligence service, which Mr. Koussa led for 15 years,
until 2009.

The Lockerbie bombing killed 270 people, mostly Americans; the Qaddafi government
agreed in 2002 to pay $2.7 billion in compensation. Scotland’s first minister, Alex
Salmond, said Tuesday that Scotland had assurances that the police could question Mr.
Koussa further after his trip to Qatar, suggesting that the trip had been made on the
condition that Mr. Koussa would return to Britain.

A Foreign Office spokesman said Britain expected that Mr. Koussa would return, but
then set off a wave of criticism by saying, “Moussa Koussa is a free individual who can
travel to and from the United Kingdom as he wishes.”
Speaking to the BBC, Robert Halfon, a Conservative member of Parliament whose
Jewish grandfather fled Libya in the 1970s when the Qaddafi government confiscated
the homes and businesses of Libyan Jews, said: “It’s very important that our country
doesn’t become a transit lounge for war criminals. We have to give a signal to the rest of
the world that we cannot tolerate this.”
-------------------------
EU foreign ministers meet Libyan opposition representatives (Xinhuanet)
By Unattributed Author
April 13, 2011
BEIJING - EU Foreign Ministers have met with Libyan opposition representatives in
Luxembourg. Tuesday's talks focused sharply on the ongoing crisis.

France has also called for NATO to step up its military operations, while Italy said the
proposed African Union ceasefire would've only fractured the country.

The French Foreign Minister says NATO needs to step up its offensive in Libya, to stop
Muammar Gaddafi's forces from attacking civilians.

Alain JuppÉ, French Foreign Minister, said, "NATO wants absolutely, to conduct this
military operation. It is not acceptable that Misrata continues to be under fire, and
bombardment, by Gaddafi's troops."

The Italian Foreign Minister added that the African Union initiative for solving the
conflict in Libya should've never linked the ceasefire to Gaddafi's departure from
power.

Franco Frattini, Italian Foreign Minister, said, "The African Union was missing a
fundamental ingredient. It proposed a ceasefire linked to the departure of Gaddafi. This
would bring Libya back to 1963, when there was a configuration of three regions, and
we don't want this."

EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton held talks with a key opposition leader. She
says the continental bloc is prepared to support humanitarian assistance to Libya but
only if requested by United Nations. She also announced additional sanctions against
Gaddafi's administration.

Catherine Ashton, EU Foreign Policy Chief, said, "We also adopted further sanctions
today against the regime (of Muammar Gaddafi), including in the oil and gas sector,
and we stand ready to take additional measures, as needed, to prevent further funding
of the regime."
The French push for stronger NATO intervention in Libya follows Monday's collapse of
the African Union peace drive.

In rejecting that plan, the rebels said there could be no deal, unless Gaddafi leaves the
country.
-----------------
New Ivory Coast president faces divided country; fighting continues in Abidjan (LA
Times)
By Robyn Dixon
April 12, 2011, 6:19 p.m.
Johannesburg, South Africa— Ivory Coast's new leader took charge of a divided
country Tuesday, facing continued fighting in some neighborhoods of its commercial
capital and a growing humanitarian crisis.

President Alassane Ouattara confronts the challenge of convincing skeptical opponents,

including the 46% of the electorate who voted last fall for his rival, that he's not a stooge
of France or the West and is strong enough to unite his African nation's disparate
political forces.

Nearly 2 million people were displaced by weeks of fighting when his rival, former
President Laurent Gbagbo, refused to step down. Medical aid and food were looted by
militias during the violence.

The country's former colonial power, France, pledged $589 million to help ease the
humanitarian situation, pay the backlog of international debt, get the economy moving
and reboot the public sector after months of paralysis.

Most of the fighting Tuesday was in the Cocody neighborhood of Abidjan, the
commercial capital, a Gbagbo stronghold where the former president's residence was
located, and in the city's Plateau district. Forces loyal to Ouattara were trying to defeat
the remaining die-hard Gbagbo militants after relying heavily on French military
assistance Monday and Tuesday to reach the former president's home and capture him.

Five of Ivory Coast's top military generals pledged their allegiance to Ouattara as
president.

In a TV address Monday after Gbagbo's capture, Ouattara called for restraint and
promised that the former leader and his wife, Simone, would be treated with humanity
and dignity as they face justice.

U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said Tuesday that the couple and their son had been
moved to a secret secure location outside Abidjan.
France has insisted its military, which intervened at the formal request of the United
Nations to protect civilians, played no part in Gbagbo's arrest. But many of his
supporters may doubt the French version, having been bombarded by propaganda on
state television for months accusing France and the U.N. of a conspiracy to take over the
country. They form a strong undercurrent of opposition to Ouattara, who is perceived
by many as being close to France and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Some analysts say the only way for Ouattara to neutralize doubts about his leadership
is to jump-start the economy, restore security, and get the banks open for the first time
in two months and the public sector back to work.

He has promised a South African-style truth and reconciliation commission to get to the
bottom of postelection atrocities. Ouattara is under intense international pressure to
ensure that any atrocities by his forces in western Ivory Coast in recent days are
investigated and perpetrators face the courts.

The International Criminal Court has foreshadowed a possible investigation of crimes

against humanity, and human rights organizations believe there is credible evidence
against Gbagbo. Human Rights Watch investigations have implicated both sides of the
conflict in such crimes.

The U.N. said Tuesday that 800 people had been confirmed killed in the crisis that
followed November's disputed election, but that the casualty figure was likely to be
much higher. It confirmed 536 slain in the country's troubled west as pro-Ouattara
forces advanced through the area.

Ouattara, a U.S.-educated economist who lacks his rival's common touch, faces an
additional problem winning over nonsupporters: He spent many years outside his
country working for the International Monetary Fund and the central bank serving
West Africa's monetary union.

For years he battled accusations from political opponents that he was an outsider.
Gbagbo's supporters and other political rivals dwelled on his time abroad and fostered
doubts about whether he was even a citizen. In 1999 he was accused of forging identity
documents showing both parents to be Ivorian and was twice prevented from running
as president because of claims he was not a citizen.
-------------------
EU Urges national unity government in Ivory Coast (Reuters)
By Unattributed Author
Apr 12, 2011 5:43pm EDT
BRUSSELS - The European Union urged Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on
Tuesday to form a national unity government to help put the war-shattered country
back on track and pledged its support for the new government.
Ouattara, who toppled Laurent Gbagbo on Monday after a four-month power struggle,
has an historic opportunity to heal the country's divisions, EU foreign ministers said at
the end of a meeting in Luxembourg.

"The EU welcomes President Ouattara's commitment to achieving national

reconciliation," they said in a statement.

"It stands ready to support the work of the proposed Truth and Reconciliation
Commission, and encourages President Ouattara to form an inclusive, broad-based
government representative of all the regions and all strands of political opinion in the
country."

The EU, which has lifted some sanctions on some entities, said it would consider easing
more restrictions and resuming development programs for Ivory Coast as soon as
possible.

On allegations of rights violations, it urged the International Commission of Inquiry

into human rights violations, set up by the UN Human Rights Council last month, to
investigate the charges as swiftly as possible.
-------------------
Budget Battles: Ivory Coast Gets a New Chance (NYT)
By Unattributed Author
April 12, 2011
In his bid to cling to power, former President Laurent Gbagbo unleashed
unconscionable violence on his people and brought Ivory Coast to the brink of civil
war. When he was finally captured on Monday, photographs showed him as a pathetic,
depleted figure. He should now be tried for his crimes. Mr. Gbagbo brought this on
himself, and other strongmen and thugs should take heed.

After Mr. Gbagbo refused to concede November’s presidential election, he had ample
opportunity to reach a diplomatic solution. Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya tried
to negotiate a deal that would have allowed Mr. Gbagbo to turn over power to Alassane
Ouattara, his internationally recognized successor, avoid war crimes prosecution and
ensure that his allies had a role in the new government.

Instead, he went to battle against Mr. Ouattara. He was captured after a siege of his
residence by French and United Nations troops.

Mr. Ouattara doesn’t have time to savor his victory — or gloat. He must quickly unify
the country, restore its banking system, resume exporting the all-important cocoa crop.
Thousands of displaced people need assistance.

He should consider offering some cabinet positions to Gbagbo political allies if they
promise to work for the common good and amnesty to Gbagbo-associated military
units if they lay down their arms. United Nations and French peacekeeping forces will
be needed to help maintain security during this transition period.

Allies of both Mr. Gbagbo and Mr. Ouattara are accused of committing atrocities in the
fighting. All credible incidents must be investigated and perpetrators brought to justice.

Force should never be the first option against leaders who refuse to honor election
results. Mr. Gbagbo left no other choice and now, finally, Ivory Coast has a chance at a
better future.
---------------------
Sudan Prepares to Hold Talks over Resolving Foreign Debt (VOA)
By Peter Clottey
April 12, 2011
A prominent member of Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) says a
delegation representing President Omar al-Bashir’s government will soon hold talks in
Washington with officials of international financial institutions.

Rabie Abdelati Obeid says at issue is how to handle Sudan’s foreign debt after the
country splits into two.

“They will discuss how this foreign debt will be distributed and the international
community and donors’ promise to exempt some of this debt,” he says.

The Sudanese official says international donors have yet to honor their pledge of taking
over Sudan’s foreign debt. Resolving the foreign debt, he says, will help hasten
implementation of the remaining issues of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

“That the rest of the debt be distributed between the Southern government and
Northern government is one of the issues of the CPA, and one of the outstanding points
between the SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement] and the NCP,” Obeid says.

Recently, President Barack Obama appointed Ambassador Princeton N. Lyman as the

new U.S special Envoy to Sudan.

Obeid expresses hope Ambassador Lyman’s appointment will improve relations

between Washington and Khartoum.

“Since his arrival to Sudan, he is now working very hard with the Sudan government to
facilitate all these steps. We hope that this new envoy will be more successful,” he says.

The Sudanese official says Lyman is involved, among other things, in the peace process
for Darfur. He says he hopes the new envoy will facilitate the lifting of the sanctions
imposed on Sudan.
The Sudanese delegation will meet with financial officials and donor representatives
here in Washington where the World Bank and International Monetary Fund hold their
annual meeting this week.
-------------------------
US Hints to Lift Sudan from Terrorism List (Sudan Vision)
By Mohamed Ali Fazari
April 13, 2011
Khartoum- US special envoy for Sudan, Princeton Lyman said that the issue of
removing Sudan from terrorism list has a lots of details that his administration discuss
moreover there is consultation on that in the congress and President Barak Obama
Particularly has currently started these steps.

Following his meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabeel Alarabi yesterday in
Cairo, Lyman reaffirmed that Obama has repeatedly said following the peaceful
outcome of the south Sudan referendum and the government's reconginition,
Washington will soon remove Sudan from the list of what so-called the countries
sponsoring terrorism.

Regarding the remaining three month whether are sufficient to resolve outstanding
issues between Khartoum and Juba, he said the two sides were engaged in broad
discussions to resolve such issues.

He added that his meeting with the Egyptian minister dealt with the major challenges
facing peace process in Sudan, stressing that sustaining stability in Darfur will reflect on
the peace efforts on the country as a whole.

He also revealed that some separate discussions on security and borders were made,
describing such efforts as difficult facing the two parties, but he expressed optimism
that a progress will be achieved in these political pending issues at the end of May next.

On her part, spokeswoman of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassadress Minha

Bakhoom said that both sides Egyptian and American have reviewed developments in
Darfur.

She added that the Egyptian Minster reaffirmed their support of Doha peace talks on
Darfur as well as efforts of mediation of AU towards Darfur-Darfur dialogue.

Meanwhile Nabeel urged international community to continue supporting CPA

partners to reach satisfactory compromise in the way that preserve the stability the
north and south Sudan.

It is to be noted that the US envoy had refused to comment on the deadly air strike in
Port Sudan, widely believed to be of Israel's doing.
On his Part The US Darfur Envoy, Dane Smith, has said the US is keen to see Darfur
peace achieved through the cooperation of all parties.

In a statement to SMC following his meeting with Darfur MP's, the US envoy said he
was happy to sit and talk with Darfur representatives. He added the US works jointly
with government, AU, Darfur citizens and the international community to help in the
achievement of peace and stability in Darfur.

On their part, the Darfur MP's called on the US envoy to pressure insurgents to join the
peace talks in Doha.

"The Darfur MP's called on the US envoy to shift US relief aid to rehabilitation and
development projects in Darfur and stop relief aid," said Head of Darfur MPs Hassabou
Mohammed Abdel Rahman.

He added the deputies called on the US envoy to support the Darfur Peace Strategy in
all its items in addition to the support of international efforts to achieve peace.

He said the US envoy told him he was keen to see peace in Darfur and that he would
support the all-inclusive meeting that will be held in Doha in which the international
community will participate for endorsing the three-part Darfur peace document.

He added his country supports the progress made at the Doha Forum.

Hassabou said the US envoy told him the US has made attempts to persuade insurgent
movements to join the Doha peace negotiations.
--------------------
Danish navy frees 16 Pakistanis, 2 Iranians held by suspected Somali pirates (AP)
By Unattributed Author
April 12, 2011
COPENHAGEN — Danish naval officials say one of its assault teams freed 16
Pakistanis and two Iranians held by suspected Somali pirates.

Navy spokesman Kenneth Nielsen says three pirates were wounded in a firefight with
Danish commandos after they boarded the vessel off Somalia's coast on April 2. Nielsen
says the team was backed by a helicopter.

Nielsen said the operation targeted an Iranian fishing boat that the pirates had used as a
mothership. They also seized weapons and equipment.

Nielsen says the wounded were treated by doctors.

The pirates are being held on Esbern Snare, a Danish ship that is part of NATO's
counter-piracy force. Nielsen said there is no decision about what to do with those
captured.
--------------------
Mass Arrests Block Pro-Democracy Rally (RFI)
By Unattributed Author
12 April 2011
Swaziland police arrested scores of people on Tuesday ahead of a planned march for
democracy. Witnesses complained that hundreds of activists were beaten to stop them
carrying out the banned protest.

Police had set up roadblocks to prevent vehicles carrying protesters from reaching the
city of Manzini, where the rally was due to take place.

"They started by targeting the leadership of the trade union movement, they detained
almost all of them," Zakhele Mabuza, spokesman for the banned opposition People's
United Democratic Movement of Swaziland (Pudemo) told RFI.

Then anyone else known to belong to unions or political organisations was also
arrested, Mabuza says, along with anyone wearing red - the protest movement's chosen
colour.

Those detained were taken to regional police headquarters in trucks, he says.

Other people complained of being hit with batons and fired on with teargas and water
cannon. Several foreign journalists were also detained.

According to a police spokesperson, the demonstrators were arrested because of reports

that they planned to overthrow the government.

The protest, called by a coalition of civil society and trade unions, was prompted by
several issues, explains Zakhele Mabuza, the chief demand being political reform.

Swaziland has been ruled for the past 25 years by King Mswati III, an absolute monarch
said to have a personal fortune of more than 70.6 million euros.

"This system of governance in Swaziland is outdated, it is undemocratic, it is not giving

any tangible positives or development for the people," Mabuza says. "It is high time that
we introduce constitutional, multi-party democracy."

The protest was banned by the authorities, who arrested several of its organisers over
the past week.

It follows a large demonstration last month in Mbabane.

------------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

UN envoy calls for constructive internal dialogue on future of Somalia

12 April – The United Nations envoy for Somalia today urged the country’s leaders to
engage in dialogue that will lead to peace, national unity and stability in the troubled
Horn of Africa nation, as a UN-backed consultative meeting to prepare for a new
political dispensation opened in Kenya.

Côte d’Ivoire: Ban warns against retribution towards Gbagbo’s supporters

12 April – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane
Ouattara to ensure that there is no retaliation against supporters of his predecessor
Laurent Gbagbo, who surrendered yesterday after months of defying the outcome of
the election he lost