United States Africa Command Public Affairs Office 25 Aug 2011

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TOP NEWS RELATED TO U.S. AFRICA COMMAND AND AFRICA President Kiir Meets USA Commander of Africom (Official Web Site of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan) 24 August 2011 The President of the Republic H.E Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit has commended the role being played by the United States of America in facilitating peace and security to the people of South Sudan. Remarks by Secretary Panetta at the Defense Language Institute, Monterey, Calif. (U.S. Department of Defense Web Site) 23 August 2011 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA: Thank you very much, Colonel [sic -Daniel Pick]. I deeply appreciate your kind words and I want to thank you for the service that youre providing here heading up the Defense Language Institute. Plans are Being Made to Secure Libyan Mustard Gas (CNN) 24 August 2011 Washington -- NATO has begun high-level internal discussions on how to protect Libya's mustard gas supplies if the stockpile suddenly was deemed to no longer be secure, an Obama administration official tells CNN. Gadhafi Son Offers to Broker Libya Cease-Fire (CNN) 24 August 2011 (CNN) -- The businessman son of embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appears to be out of rebel hands and says he wants to negotiate a cease-fire to save Tripoli from "a sea of blood." Gadhafi Loyalists Continue to Defend Scattered Parts of Tripoli, Southern Libya (Voice Of America News) 24 August 2011 Fighting is continuing across parts of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, Wednesday, as Gadhafi loyalists attempt to defend their last enclaves in the city, as well as several cities still under Gadhafi control. The embattled leader described the fall of his Tripoli headquarters as a "tactical retreat," and he urged his partisans to continue fighting. This USAFRICOM Public Affairs product was compiled by Petty Officer First Class Steve Owsley

Libyan Rebels Hunt Gadhafi, Try to Secure Tripoli (AP) 24 August 2011 TRIPOLI, Libya -- Libyans hunting Moammar Gadhafi offered a $2 million bounty on the fallen dictator's head and amnesty for anyone who kills or captures him as rebels battled Wednesday to clear the last pockets of resistance from the capital Tripoli. Libya's Oil Industry Should be Able to Recover Quickly (USA Today) 25 August 2011 WASHINGTON Libya's oil industry should be able to recover fairly quickly after fighting ends, but it might take a year or two to reach pre-rebellion production levels, analysts say. More Mass Graves Reported in South Kordofan (UPI) 24 August 2011 WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- An advocacy group said Wednesday it confirmed the burial of human remains in the restive Sudanese state of South Kordofan. South Sudan Says 14 Soldiers Killed in Militia Attack (Bloomberg) 24 August 2011 Fourteen South Sudanese army soldiers were killed in attacks by militia gunmen on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20 in Upper Nile state close to the border with Sudan, army spokesman Philip Aguer said today by phone from the capital, Juba. Calm in South Sudan After Close to 700 Killed (Daily Nation) 24 August 2011 Militia and ethnic fighting has ceased in South Sudan as the death toll in the two separate clashes creeps to 675, officials said on Tuesday. AMISOM to Deliver Aid to Famine Victims in Mogadishu (African Press Organization) 24 August 2011 MOGADISHU, Somalia, -- AMISOM today received a plane load of food and medical provisions intended for distribution to the famine-afflicted residents of Mogadishu. Totaling 13.5 metric tons, the aid, included food supplements for children under five, mosquito nets, vitamin A, de-worming Albedozale syrups, zinc supplements, powdered milk and spaghetti. Bruised by War, Mogadishu Slowly Reawake (Reuters) 24 August 2011 MOGADISHU -- Their life's belongings piled on donkeys, Somali families weave along alleys filled with the corpses of starved animals to return to their bullet-ridden homes.

South Africa: The Return of Highly Enriched Uranium to the U.S. in Context (AllAfrica.com) 24 August 2011 On 17 August 2011, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the United States issued a press release announcing that the South African government, through the Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa), had returned 6,3kg of highly enriched uranium (HEU) spent fuel to the US for safe storage and ultimately for destruction. Nigeria: Shell Declares Force Majeure Following Damage (AllAfrica.com) 24 August 2011 Royal Dutch Shell admits it may struggle to meet contractual obligations on exports from Nigeria following the damage to two pipelines by saboteurs in the coutry's oilproducing region. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website On eve of Horn of Africa pledging conference, UN calls for generous donations 24 August Senior United Nations officials are calling on countries, businesses and individuals to give generously to support efforts to tackle the food security crisis gripping the Horn of Africa, warning that the world cannot afford to lose momentum in the fight against famine, disease and starvation. Funding shortage forces UN agency to trim food rations for Congolese refugees 24 August A shortage of funds has forced the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to halve its food rations for tens of thousands of Congolese refugees in Rwanda beginning on 1 September. Liberians vote on constitutional changes seen by UN as milestone in peace process 23 August Liberians went to the polls today to vote in a referendum on constitutional changes, a move described by the United Nations envoy for the West African country as a milestone in the process to entrench peace and stability that has prevailed since the end of the civil war in 2003. Ban calls on South Sudan to restore security after deadly ethnic fighting 23 August Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the Government of South Sudan to restore security in Jonglei state, where recent ethnic clashes have claimed at least 600 deaths. As starving Somalis flood into Ethiopia, UN sends in emergency aid team

23 August The United Nations has deployed an emergency team to south-eastern Ethiopia where 18,000 new refugees fleeing drought, famine and conflict in Somalia have recently poured in, compounding a situation already fraught with high mortality from malnutrition and measles. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST: 1 SEPT 2011 WHEN: September 1, 2011, 5:45 p.m. 7:30 p.m. WHAT: The Long Shadow of 9/11: Americas Response to Terrorism WHO: Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior Adviser to the President of RAND WHERE: RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St., Santa Monica, CA CONTACT: events@rand.org. Media contact: http://www.rand.org/events/2011/09/01.html 8 SEPT 2011 WHEN: September 8, 2011, 12:00 p.m. 1:30 p.m. WHAT: Ten Years Later Public Diplomacy and the Arab World, Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School, Conversations in Public Diplomacy WHO: Several Panelists (see website) WHERE: USC; Tutor Campus Center Forum CONTACT: cpdevent@usc.edu Media contact: http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/events/events_detail/16973/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL ARTICLE TEXT President Kiir Meets USA Commander of Africom (Official Web Site of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan) By: Thomas Kenneth 24 August 2011 The President of the Republic H.E Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit has commended the role being played by the United States of America in facilitating peace and security to the people of South Sudan.

The President made this commendation during his meeting today with the USA military delegation headed by the USA Commander for Africom Gen. Carter F. Ham, who was accompanied by Ambassador Barrie Walkly the American Charge dAffairs in South Sudan. President of the Republic called on the USA to build military capacity of the new nation of South Sudan. Shortly after the meeting, Gen. Ham said in a press statement that the meeting discussed principle topics on military partnership between the United States of America and the Republic of South Sudan. Gen. Ham added the partnership would provide the USA forces and the forces of South Sudan a framework for close collaboration in addressing the security concerns in the future. He described the meeting with President Kiir as great and productive and disclosed that appropriate action resulting from the meeting will be taken soon. Gen. Ham also presented to the President of the Republic a symbol of military partnership between the Republic of South Sudan and the United States of American. The symbol was in form of silver Jar. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Remarks by Secretary Panetta at the Defense Language Institute, Monterey, Calif. (U.S. Department of Defense Web Site) Presenter: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta 23 August 2011 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA: Thank you very much, Colonel [sic -Daniel Pick]. I deeply appreciate your kind words and I want to thank you for the service that youre providing here heading up the Defense Language Institute. This is a remarkable institution. Weve had some great leaders and I know that you are going to stand beside them as one of the great leaders of the Defense Language Institute and I thank you for your leadership. I also want to acknowledge the presence of Congressman Sam Farr, who took my place here representing this area. And like me, I think Sam is somebody who was raised in this area, deeply committed to the institutions that are part of this area and has been a strong supporter of all of the military institutions that we have in the Monterey area, and I want to thank him for his support. I want to thank him for his continuing good representation for this area. I also want to say a special tribute to the faculty here at the Defense Language Institute. I know there are a lot of new technologies. Ive just had a chance to see some of the new technologies that have been developed here for linguistic training. And yet, in the end, we still depend on the capabilities of a good faculty to be able to work with you and to

guide you as you learn these difficult languages. And so I want to pay tribute to the faculty. For a long time, Ive been very close to the faculty members that have been here. I really thank them for their dedication, for their professionalism, but most of all their commitment to ensuring that all of you get outstanding language training as you perform your very important role defending this country. As you can gather, Ive got a special relationship to this place. It goes back a number of ways. One, I was born and raised in Monterey, actually not too far from this location. And even as a boy, I had a chance to come here to see what was then the Presidio, and understand both the history and the accomplishments of this great institution as it helped protect our country by providing great language training to our soldiers. I also, as mentioned, had the honor to represent this area in the Congress and at that time strongly supported and continue to strongly support the mission of this school. I think the faculty; the students that are here represent the very best in education in this country because they are providing you with the tools to be able to be better soldiers in defending your country. But most importantly, most importantly Im proud to be here because of the mission that this school is involved with, which is teaching foreign languages to our military and to our civilian personnel. I have long been an advocate of strong foreign language training in this country. I think it is absolutely vital to what the United States is all about. At one point, when I was a member of Congress, served on a commission that President Carter appointed at that time to look at the state of foreign language training in the United States. And at that time, we determined that the level of foreign language training in America was indeed a national scandal, that it was not supported, that students were not learning the kind of languages they should be learning, and that much more needed to be done to try to improve our foreign language training. Weve come a little bit further since that commission report, but frankly more needs to be done. Im a believer that foreign language training is vital to just good education. Lets start with that, good education in this country. We talk about the three Rs, but there is a fourth R, which is the reality of the world that we live in. We live in a global world. We have to understand that world if we really are going to be able not only to defend this country, but to extend our relationships to others so that we can work together to defend the world that we live in. Its vital to our economic interests because we are a global world. We are increasingly competitive in this world. What happens abroad, what happens in Europe, what happens in Greece, what happens in Spain, what happens in China affects our economy. It affects our living standards. And so it is important for us to have the

ability to speak the languages of those countries that can impact on our economic security. It is vital to our diplomacy. How can we possibly deal with other countries without understanding their culture, without understanding their language, without understanding what really is at the heart and soul of those nations? And so having language training, language capability is important for our ability to relate to the world that we live in. And lastly, its vital to our national security. When I was at the CIA as director, it was my view that you could not be a good intelligence analyst; you couldnt be a good intelligence operations individual without having foreign language capability. So one of the things I did there as director was establish a mandate that if youre going to be an analyst, if youre going to be an operations officer at the CIA, you better learn a foreign language. It was crucial to your career, but more importantly it was crucial to what you do in the intelligence business. The reality is that we have to reflect the nation we live in and we have to reflect the world that were a part of. Languages are the key to understanding that world, to understanding the nuances, to understanding what other people are saying, what they mean. If were going to be able to advance stability in some of the countries that were fighting in today, weve got to be able to understand what motivates those countries, what motivates their people, understand where theyre coming from, their culture, their beliefs, their faiths, their ideologies, their hatreds, their loves. And its only through language that you develop that kind of capability. So it is crucial to our national security to be -- to be able to have a strong language ability. I consider the Defense Language Institute as a treasure in the ability to be able to train you, to give you that language ability so that you can better defend this country in what you do. As secretary of defense, when I was director of the CIA, one of the first things I did is I traveled throughout the world, and as I travel throughout the world now to meet with our forces is to take the time to thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you for giving back to this country. Thank you for caring enough about this great country of ours to be willing to put your lives on the line in order to defend this country and what we represent to ourselves and to the world. Our democracy is dependent on those that are willing to serve this country. That goes to the heart and soul of what a strong democracy is all about, the ability to have people, citizens who are willing to roll up their sleeves and serve this country. It was true for

our forefathers. Its true for our pioneers. Its true for the immigrants who have come to this country. It is true for all of us today. Throughout history, we have been blessed with men and women whove been willing to wear the uniform of this country, to defend this country, to put their lives on the line, many times to sacrifice their lives in order to ensure that we protect our freedoms, our liberties, our values, and what this country is all about. We need to have that kind of dedication. And for that, I thank you. I thank you for being willing to do that. Wherever you come from, whatever part of this country is your hometown, fact is youve been willing to do it. Youre here. And I thank you for that on behalf of the Defense Department, but more importantly on behalf of our country. My story is the story of public service. I spent 40 years of my life in some public service capacity. The reason that I did it is because in many ways it reflected where I was coming from, reflected my parents, who were immigrants to this country. They came to this country like millions of others -- no education, no language skills, no ability to really be able to have any skill, and yet they came here. The reason they did, as my father would say time and time again, is because they believed that this country gave them the opportunity to give their children a better life. That is the American dream. That is what motivates all of us, the dream that we care enough about this country that we want to give our children a safer and a better life. Its your dream. Its your mission. Its your duty to help make sure that those that we care about, those that we love are able to enjoy a more secure America and are able to enjoy the freedoms and the liberties that we provide. We face a number of challenges today, challenges that confront us throughout the world. Were fighting two wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we owe it to all of those that have fought there, that have died there. We owe it to them to make sure that we prevail in those wars, that we are able to provide stability in both Iraq and Afghanistan, so that they can govern and secure their own countries. Thats what we intend to do and the only reason we are able to accomplish that is because of the great sacrifices that we have made -- that you have made -- in order to ensure that we provide a safer world for our children. Were engaged in a NATO mission in Libya and hopefully that, too, may be drawing to a close. Its clear that the opposition have made significant gains. Its clear that the regime forces are collapsing and that Gadhafis days are numbered, but it still remains dangerous and our hope is that ultimately the opposition cant succeed. It is the Libyans that will determine their future.

Im particularly proud of the mission that we performed there, working with NATO. It is a credit to the great job of nations working together on a common mission, something that is absolutely essential if were to provide security in the future, particularly in that part of the world because that area, the so-called Arab Spring, is an area where we are facing increasing changes, increasing turmoil, but the chance to make that part of the world a better region, one that enjoys some of the values and some of the reforms and some of the political opportunities that we have in this country. We are a country thats facing the war on terrorism and continue to be involved in that. Even though we come to the 10th anniversary of 9/11 this September, we look back at the operations. We look back at the efforts that weve made to confront al Qaeda and we have made good progress at weakening al Qaeda and terrorists ability to attack this country. Those operations have been very successful, and yet al Qaeda still remains a threat. In the effort, one of the proudest Ive had as CIA director was the ability to put together the operation that took down Osama bin Laden. The military and intelligence community, working together, made that happen. Its the kind of partnership, the kind of effort that is so reflective of the capabilities of those in uniform. We still confront a threat. We still have to put pressure on in the FATA, in Yemen, in Somalia, and wherever al Qaeda goes. We have to make sure they have no place to hide in which to be able to threaten this country. We have continuing threats in Iran, in North Korea, to make sure that they do not develop a nuclear capability that can threaten our world. We face cyber threats, increasing challenges in cyber threats that can endanger this country, that can paralyze this country. We must be prepared to defend ourselves against those kinds of attacks and be able to be aggressive at going after those countries that would try to attack us using this kind of technology. And we continue to confront rising powers in the world -- China, India, Brazil, Russia, countries that we need to cooperate with. We need to hopefully work with. But in the end, we also need to make sure do not threaten the stability of the world. Weve got to be able to project our power in a world in which we make clear that we are a force to be reckoned with. All of this comes at a time when we are facing budget challenges in this country, challenges that all of us have a responsibility to confront. We are facing the largest deficit in the history of this country, a debt that now approaches $14 trillion, an annual deficit of $1.4 trillion. We do have to roll up our sleeves and discipline our budget for the future. And defense has to play a role in that. I understand that. But we do not have to choose between fiscal responsibility and protecting our national security.

The Congress has enacted some budget savings in the debt ceiling agreement. Secretary Gates and the president pretty much were talking about a number that was in the ball park that was passed by the Congress. Its my view that while those decisions are going to be tough, that we have the opportunity to make some very important decisions that not only shape defense for today, but the future; that make us an agile force, a deployable force, a force that can confront the threats in the world that has the weapons to be able to do that effectively, that we can project our presence throughout the world and make clear to others that we care about peace in the world. But most importantly, that protects our troops and protects their families. All of that is essential. The key strength in our military is a strong volunteer force. Thats you. What we have to do is make sure that we never break faith with you or with you families and the commitments that we make to you. I think we can do this. Im confident that we can shape this defense for the future and it can be one that will protect this country, protect our core security interests, make us the best military in the world, and protect our troops and their families. The greatest danger that I share with you is the danger that perhaps Congress, as it tries to struggle with additional deficit reduction, fails and the mechanism that they put in place called sequester suddenly requires additional cuts across the board. If that happens, we could face almost $500 to $600 billion more in cuts, and that would be devastating to defense. Weve seen this happen in the past and we must not make the mistakes of the past. We dont want to hollow out our force. We dont want to weaken our defense. We do not want to undermine our ability to create alliances that defend the world. And most importantly, we do not want to break faith with the troops and with their families. This is a difficult time. Its a time in which all of us are going to be called on to fight for what we believe in. You, youre called on to fight to protect this country. Youre being trained here with the abilities to be able to go out there and do whats right in order to defend America. In turn, we, those who have leadership positions in Washington, have to fight to protect you. Thats my job and thats what I commit to you, that I will do everything necessary to make sure that the right decisions are made in order to protect our national defense. The toughest things that I have to do as secretary of defense is write condolence letters to those families whose sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, wives and husbands have been killed in action. Thats the toughest thing I do.

Ive had a chance in these last few months as secretary of defense to go to the war zone, to look into the eyes of those that are fighting there, and to appreciate the sacrifice that theyre making. Ive gone to Bethesda and Walter Reed and seen our wounded warriors -- sometimes the most horrible wounds you can imagine. And yet they have the spirit of wanting to move on. They know that theyre going to make it. Many of them want to return to duty. That kind of drive, that kind of inspiration is incredible, and its something we have to remind ourselves of. Ive been to Dover to greet the bodies of those who were killed in the helicopter crash and meet with their families. And Ive gone to Arlington. In every situation, families of those who have lost loved ones come up to me and say, do me one favor, Mr. Secretary. Do not give up on the mission that my loved one gave his or her life for. Do not give us on that mission. And I have committed to them that I will not because what all of those who serve this country, all of those who sacrificed to this country represent is duty and honor, but most of all sacrifice. On behalf of the United States, it is an inspiration, an inspiration to see those who are willing to commit their lives on behalf of this country. And it is an inspiration that ought to inspire all of us, all of us -- leaders in Washington, those of us who have a responsibility for running agencies and departments, those who serve in elective office - it ought to be an inspiration to everyone to exercise the same leadership and make the same sacrifices to ensure that our country is safe for the future. It is only through that kind of commitment, through that kind of fight that we will ensure that the American dream that my parents came here to achieve, the American dream of giving our children a better life, is achieved. But more importantly, to ensure that we always have a government of, by, and for the people. Thanks very much. Carry on the fight. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Plans are Being Made to Secure Libyan Mustard Gas (CNN) By Barbara Starr 24 August 2011 Washington -- NATO has begun high-level internal discussions on how to protect Libya's mustard gas supplies if the stockpile suddenly was deemed to no longer be secure, an Obama administration official tells CNN.

At this point the effort is considered "prudent planning" only, the official said, but this is the first indication the international community could be prepared to secure the stockpile currently at the Rabta site south of Tripoli. The mustard gas is not weaponized and would be difficult to use in any immediate attack. But much of the concern is that material could be diverted or sold to third parties such as terrorist groups. The United States is involved in the safeguard discussions, but there is no current consideration of sending U.S. troops the official said. The focus of the planning effort is what to do "if a force of some type is needed to secure the site," he said. "The discussion is: who is best suited to do it?" Any force could include both military personnel as well as intelligence or contractor personnel with the technical expertise in monitoring chemical stockpiles. A NATO official said if there is a need to send personnel to Rabta it might be done by individual nations rather than the alliance which would have to reach a consensus on sending NATO forces on a new mission. At the moment no one has publicly said whether Moammar Gadhafi's forces or rebel forces are in control of Rabta, although U.S. officials have said for days they believe the stockpile is secure. The discussions have accelerated in recent days as the Gadhafi regime began to collapse. "We are watching the chemical weapons and SCUD missiles to make sure they are not used in the endgame," a senior NATO official told CNN. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gaghafi Son Offers to Broker Libyan Cease-Fire (CNN) 24 August 2011 By the CNN Wire Staff (CNN) -- The businessman son of embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appears to be out of rebel hands and says he wants to negotiate a cease-fire to save Tripoli from "a sea of blood." In an e-mail exchange with CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson, Saadi Gadhafi -- whose capture had been announced by the rebel leadership on Sunday -- said he had the authority to negotiate and wanted to discuss a cease-fire with U.S. and NATO officials.

"I will try to save my city Tripoli and 2 millions of people living there ... otherwise Tripoli will be lost forever like Somalia," he wrote. Without a cease-fire, he added, "Soon it will be a sea of blood." Saadi Gadhafi was one of three sons of the now-hunted Libyan leader who the rebel National Transitional Council announced had been captured during their weekend advance on Tripoli. However, they said Monday that one of the other two, Mohammed Gadhafi, had escaped. And Saif al-Islam Gadhafi -- a top adviser to his father -- made an appearance before international journalists early Tuesday to refute reports of his arrest. There was no immediate comment from NTC officials on Saadi Gadhafi's status or his offer, made a day after rebel forces overran his father's Bab al-Aziziya compound and claimed control over nearly all of Tripoli. Libyan government officials have made several previous cease-fire offers during the course of the six-month revolt against Gadhafi's 42-year rule. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gaghafi Loyalist Continue to Defend Scattered Parts of Tripoli, Southern Libya (Voice Of America News) By: Edward Yeranian 24 August 2011 Fighting is continuing across parts of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, Wednesday, as Gadhafi loyalists attempt to defend their last enclaves in the city, as well as several cities still under Gadhafi control. The embattled leader described the fall of his Tripoli headquarters as a "tactical retreat," and he urged his partisans to continue fighting. It was another day of fighting in parts of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, as Gadhafi loyalists used automatic weapons, anti-aircraft guns, mortar rounds and grad rockets to stave off a rebel advance on their last positions in the south of the city. Witnesses say that snipers loyal to Gadhafi also have been firing from buildings along strategic roads, paralyzing life in much of the capital. Gadhafi supporters also have targeted the road to the airport in southern Tripoli, making its use unsafe, although the facility is now in rebel hands. Gadhafi forces were routed from the Bab al Aziziya military complex Tuesday, but his supporters have regrouped in a wooded area south of the facility. Gadhafi loyalists also have detained over 30 foreign journalists in a luxury hotel, not far from the former government enclave. Gadhafi delivered a rambling phone message to his supporters early Wednesday, over one of the few remaining TV stations he still controls. He urged supporters to come to Tripoli to free the capital.

He said that (his supporters), be they young, old, men or women, need to come to Tripoli from elsewhere, to clean up the capital and capture criminals, traitors and rats. Gadhafi's government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim insisted that the colonel's partisans are well armed and will continue to fight a guerrilla war that could last a long time. He said that (the Gadhafi forces') military, strategic and popular situation is quite strong, and they can continue to fight not just for days and weeks, but for months and years. He called the fight against opposition fighters a plot against his country and said his side will continue to resist until it wins. The man often described as the rebels' prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, told a news conference late Tuesday that he expects a bitter battle to take the coastal port city of Sirte, which remains a Gadhafi stronghold. Gadhafi forces also continue to hold the oasis towns of Sabha and Jiffra, as well as small enclaves near the Tunisian border. British Foreign Minister William Hague urged Gadhafi to give up the fight and accept the fact that his people want him to go. There's a clear, fundamental, decisive rejection of that regime by the people of Libya, and the regime has clearly lost control of most of the capital and much of the country," he said. "I think it is time now for Col. Gadhafi to stop issuing delusional statements and to recognize that. He should be telling his dwindling and remaining forces now to stand down. On the diplomatic front, representatives of the rebel Transitional National Council are meeting with Western officials in the Qatari capital, Doha, in a bid to release Libyan government funds for use by the cash-starved rebel government. Rebel Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril says that he needs $2.5 billion before the end of the month to pay salaries of civil servants. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Libyan Rebels Hunt Gadhafi, Try to Secure Tripoli (AP) By BEN HUBBARD and KARIN LAUB 24 August 2011 TRIPOLI, Libya -- Libyans hunting Moammar Gadhafi offered a $2 million bounty on the fallen dictator's head and amnesty for anyone who kills or captures him as rebels battled Wednesday to clear the last pockets of resistance from the capital Tripoli.

While pockets of die-hard loyalists kept up the fight to defend Gadhafi, his support was crumbling by the hour. His deputy intelligence chief defected, and even his foreign minister said his 42-year rule was over. A defiant Gadhafi vowed from hiding to fight on "until victory or martyrdom," in an audio message early Wednesday. He may have little choice. Asked by the British broadcaster Channel 4 if a negotiated settlement or safe passage for Gadhafi from Libya was still possible, Foreign Minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi said: "It looks like things have passed this kind of solution." Rebel leaders were beginning to set up a new government in the capital. Their interim administration, the National Transitional Council, has been based in the eastern city of Benghazi, which fell under rebel control shortly after the outbreak of widespread protests in February. "Members of the council are now moving one by one from Benghazi to Tripoli," said Mansour Seyf al-Nasr, the Libyan opposition's new ambassador to France. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Libyas Oil Industry Should be Able to Recover Quickly (USA Today) By Jim Michaels 25 August 2011 WASHINGTON Libya's oil industry should be able to recover fairly quickly after fighting ends, but it might take a year or two to reach pre-rebellion production levels, analysts say. If the country can establish political stability, Libya could begin producing 250,000 to 300,000 barrels a day within several months, said Samuel Ciszuk, an analyst at IHS Energy, a consulting firm. Reaching pre-war levels of 1.6 million barrels a day will take a year or more, he said. Most production was stopped by widespread violence. Restoring Libya's oil production would help stabilize prices and be good news for motorists, who could see modest price drops immediately, energy analysts say. Unlike in Iraq, where the oil industry was devastated by economic sanctions and struggled for years to rebuild, Libya's infrastructure is in good shape and has benefited from Western investment, says Amy Jaffe, an analyst at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. Even so, Libya's ability to ramp up oil production will depend on how much damage was done to refineries and port facilities and what type of government is established.

Rebels struggled Wednesday to get control of Libya's capital. Their leaders established a national government in Tripoli even as clashes with regime loyalists continued. The rebels put a $1.67 million bounty on missing strongman Moammar Gadhafi. Months of fighting have rattled world oil markets. The United States imports less than 1% of its oil from Libya, but European countries, including France and Italy, depend heavily on Libyan oil. Libya's former oil minister, Shokri Ghanem, says the country could probably restore production within a few months and reach pre-rebellion levels in about two years, according to Platts, an oil industry information service. A precise forecast won't be available until engineers survey equipment and oil fields. "A lot of these facilities haven't had eyes on them by experts in several months," said Christopher Guith, an energy specialist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "No one knows the state of those fields and the state of the infrastructure." Rebels and loyalists fought some of the fiercest battles around Ras Lanouf, Brega and Zawiya, cities with major refineries. Fires broke out at some of the facilities during the fighting. European firms have been active in Libya for years. U.S. companies went in after sanctions were lifted in 2003, when Gadhafi agreed to dismantle Libya's weapons of mass destruction. Foreign employees, who left when fighting started, will be eager to return if Libya is stable, said Al Hegburg of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A key attraction for oil companies is Libya's potential. Before Gadhafi took power, Libya was producing about 3 million barrels a day, nearly twice what it produced during his regime. Guith says, "It is definitely a good opportunity for oil exploration companies." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------More Mass Graves Reported in South Kordofan (UPI) By: Unattributed Author 24 August 2011 WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- An advocacy group said Wednesday it confirmed the burial of human remains in the restive Sudanese state of South Kordofan.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced a two-week cease-fire in South Kordofan to allow time for the observation of suspected South Sudanese rebels. Conflict in the border state erupted as South Sudan prepared for its inaugural Independence Day. U.N. human rights teams investigating the situation said much of the conflict in the area appeared to be ethnically motivated. The Satellite Sentinel Project announced it confirmed human remains were buried in sites believed to be mass graves in South Kordofan. The SSP said it had evidence to suggest the Sudanese Red Crescent Society was linked to the atrocities. "Acting on instructions from the State of South Kordofan, the SRCS used an excavator to dig and cover large pits," the group said in a statement. "In some cases, eyewitnesses reported, SRCS workers poured fuel on dead bodies and set them on fire." Dafalla al-Haj, the Sudanese representative to the United Nations, said a recent report from U.N. human rights officials on South Kordofan state was based on hearsay and didn't reflect the situation on the ground, the official Sudan News Agency reported this week. U.N. officials said there was evidence that at least 150 bodies were discovered in South Kordofan. South Sudan's independence was part of a comprehensive peace deal reached in 2005 that helped end Sudan's civil war, one of the bloodiest in world history. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------South Sudan Says 14 Soldiers Killed in Militia Attack (Bloomberg) 24 August 2011 By: Non-Attributed Author Fourteen South Sudanese army soldiers were killed in attacks by militia gunmen on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20 in Upper Nile state close to the border with Sudan, army spokesman Philip Aguer said today by phone from the capital, Juba. Fifty three fighters from the armed groups were killed in the clashes. The attackers targeted army bases in Alal and Kaka Moro villages on Aug. 19 and in Kaka Al Tejareya town on Aug. 20, all located north-west of Malakal, the state capital, Aguer said. The attackers were "a mix of Arab elements based in Sudan and South Sudanese," led by a Khartoum-based militia leader, Gordon Kong, and renegade General George

Athor. The Arab fighters are based in Al Hamra area in Sudan's Southern Kordofan state, and were supported by the Sudanese army, Aguer said. Sudanese army spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khaled did not answer calls to his mobile phone seeking comment. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Calm in south Sudan After Close to 700 Killed (Daily Nation) By MABIOR MACH 24 August 2011 Militia and ethnic fighting has ceased in South Sudan as the death toll in the two separate clashes creeps to 675, officials said on Tuesday. In Jonglei state, where two rivalling tribes clashed on Thursday in Pieri Village in Uror County, more than 600 people have been killed in action, according to a report by a parliamentary team that visited the site in the aftermath of the fighting. A separate militia fighting in Upper Nile state that erupted on Saturday ceased after 72 were killed, the Upper Nile state Governor, Simon Kun Puoch said. Timothy Taban Juch, a member of a parliamentary team that visited Uror County described the clash as terrible and horrible. The fighting has stopped but the casualties are too many. It is over six hundred killed in action and then the wounded is ranging from 600 to 750 and 985 were wounded, Juch said The abducted children range from 198 to 200. The number of cattle raided is over 36,000 and there are about 14 villages partially burnt down, including the payam headquarters and offices of MSF Belgium, Juch said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------AMISOM to Deliver Aid to Famine Victims in Mogadishu (African Press Organization) By: Non-Attributed Author 24 August 2011 MOGADISHU, Somalia, -- AMISOM today received a plane load of food and medical provisions intended for distribution to the famine-afflicted residents of Mogadishu. Totaling 13.5 metric tons, the aid, included food supplements for children under five, mosquito nets, vitamin A, de-worming Albedozale syrups, zinc supplements, powdered milk and spaghetti.

It has been donated by the Lindner Foundation Uganda, and flown into the Somali capital by the Uganda Peoples Defence Force. At hand to receive it was the Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia, Hon. Wafula Wamunyinyi, accompanied by the AMISOM Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha. Hon. Wamunyinyi expressed his gratitude to the Foundation for the donation and said it was a valuable gesture of support for the suffering people of Somalia. We at AMISOM have been mandated to facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid and we are proud to play our part in the effort to save the people of this nation. Not only are our troops helping to make the city safe for humanitarian work, we are also helping in delivering the aid to local communities, he said. Coming two days before the African Union hosts a pledging conference to raise funds for Somalia, this is a strong indicator of the efforts ordinary Africans and governments are making to alleviate the suffering in the country, he added. Last week, AMISOM delivered another consignment of food, this time donated by the staff of RA International to the capital's Wardhiigley District for distribution to IDPs in the area. Denis Awalinga, Country Director for Lindiner Foundation Uganda, who arrived with the aid said that the assistance provided by AMISOM had been crucial in getting the aid to Somalia. At the beginning of this month, we saw what was happening here and we felt that, as a child-based NGO, we do what we can, we give the little that we could. So we got in touch with AMISOM and they carried out assessments on the ground with the help of local NGOs which allowed us to make judgments on what to bring, he said adding that AMISOM would also help transport the aid to the Somali populace. The UN has declared a famine in 5 regions of the war-torn country, most of them in areas where extremist insurgents have banned the delivery of humanitarian aid. The AU will host a pledging conference in Addis Abba on Thursday which is expected to raise millions in cash and kind for Somalia. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bruised by War, Mogadishu Slowly Reawake (Reuters) By: Abdi Sheikh, Yara Bayoumy 24 August 2011

MOGADISHU -- Their life's belongings piled on donkeys, Somali families weave along alleys filled with the corpses of starved animals to return to their bullet-ridden homes. After four years of war, Mogadishu bears the signs of a city slowly rising from the ruins of war. Gunfire, bombs and mortars had punctured the coastal city almost everyday as Western-backed government forces and African Union troops fought an insurgency by the Islamist al Shabaab rebel group. But earlier this month, the al Qaeda-inspired militants -- outgunned and divided -withdrew nearly all their combatants from their bases in the capital and Somalis woke to what they say they hope will be an extended period of calm. "I led a dog's life for the last two years," said Liban Abdulle who was forced to flee his home and shop in Abdiaziz, a once thriving Mogadishu district near the water-front. Al Shabaab overran the neighborhood in 2008, as it did elsewhere in Mogadishu, turning it into a battlefield, digging tunnels and trenches and commandeering people's homes. Abdulle fled to Elasha on the outskirts of Mogadishu, one of several towns where tens of thousands of displaced Somalis settled. "I have now returned to my former home. The house was looted and destroyed. But I am happy, my cousin sent me $400 to revive my shop. Business is good and people have returned," he said. A local rights group said up to half a million people had returned to their dwellings in the last three weeks, in a city that numbered two million people before the insurgency. Those with no homes to return to in Mogadishu, fill squalid, makeshift refugee camps where an influx of Somalis fleeing famine in the country's south have further swelled numbers. AU tanks and Somali forces on pick-ups mounted with anti-aircraft guns patrol Mogadishu's streets, trying to maintain the lull in fighting, which over four years has killed more than 20,000 people according to U.N. estimates. There are still some pockets of resistance by al Shabaab in the capital's northern districts. The militants have vowed to press the fight and resort to al Qaeda-style attacks.

But the threats have not deterred many families from returning, with their mattresses, pillows, buckets, rugs and tires piled high on carts and buses. FILLING TRENCHES, CLEARING BUSHES On one Sinai street, bullet holes scar a row of one-storey bricked houses, their metal sheet roofs in various stages of collapse. "The rebels dug trenches, overgrown bushes crowd the house and the skeletons of our donkeys lie nearby," said Gele Culusow from the Karan district, where hastily constructed cemeteries mark the graves of those who dared remain to guard their houses. "Some good traders helped us with tractors to fill the trenches and to level heaps. Everyone around here has an axe to clear bushes around their houses. It is do it yourself," he said. After four years away, Habiba Osman returned to her home in Taleh, a neighborhood between the K-4 road junction and Somalia's main Bakara market, a former rebel base. "Electricity cables, water pipes, the roof and some walls were ruined by shells. I understand al Shabaab were firing mortars from my house, prompting the AU's shells to land on it," said Osman who had to pay $4,000 to repair the damage. "Now there is hope for living. I am home with my children." Roads that once served as front lines in the fighting have re-opened. The booming parts of the capital are those which have been under government control for the last four years. There, vehicles are out on the streets late into the night, businesses stay open later and older houses along well-lit streets are being torn down to make way for newer ones. LIVING TO SEE THIS DAY Mogadishu has become a haven for Somalis fleeing the drought-hit, rebel-controlled parts of the country where al Shabaab imposed a ban on food aid agencies and tried to prevent Somalis from fleeing in search of food. Although operating in Mogadishu is far from easy, relief groups say that more food aid is reaching refugee camps and sanitation conditions have improved since al Shabaab pulled out.

"I never thought my children and I would live to see this moment," said Samira Yasin who fled to the Korsan camp in Elasha from Mogadishu's Daynile district after her husband and son were killed in fighting four years ago. Previously living under al Shabaab control, Yasin described a filthy, mosquito and flearidden camp where her children suffered from measles and malnourishment. "Now at least life is better. There are no parasites and no al Shabaab. We get free food, medicine and water. I will work for my children and take them back to our house," she said. "I believe God will not revive al Shabaab again, because he is merciful." Many regional observers expect al Shabaab, who said their retreat was tactical, to reemerge in Mogadishu, this time as guerrilla fighters rather than a conventional fighting force. Still, many residents are optimistic for the future. On Tuesday, hundreds of men, traditional white cloth wrapped around their bodies, gathered in a football stadium and engaged in Shirib, poetic short verse composed by some Somali clans. They jumped to the rhythm of their chants: "Come out for peace. Mogadishu's wounds are healed. Come out for peace." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------South Africa: The Return of Highly Enriched Uranium to the U.S. in Context (AllAfrica.com) By Noel Stott 24 August 2011 On 17 August 2011, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the United States issued a press release announcing that the South African government, through the Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa), had returned 6,3kg of highly enriched uranium (HEU) spent fuel to the US for safe storage and ultimately for destruction. NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the US Department of Energy (DOE) responsible among other things for maintaining and enhancing the safety, security, reliability and performance of the US nuclear weapons stockpile. The shipment arrived at Savannah River Site (SRS) on 16 August. The SRS is a key DOE industrial complex dedicated to nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship and nuclear materials destruction in support of the US nuclear non-proliferation efforts. It is situated 20 miles south of Aiken, South Carolina.

Subsequent press reports and releases by mainly US-based academics and NGOs lauded this development as a significant step in 'reducing and securing vulnerable [emphasis added] radioactive materials held at civilian sites around the world' and stated that it represents an important effort to 'strengthen the world's defences against nuclear terrorism'. While at first reading these may seem reasonable assertions, a number of important caveats need to be highlighted. Firstly, 'spent fuel' is defined as fuel whose elements have been removed from the reactor because the fissionable material they contain has been depleted to a level near where it can no longer sustain a chain reaction. The high concentration of radioactive fission products in spent power-reactor fuel creates a gamma-radiation field, which at a distance of a metre would be lethal. South Africa, or more accurately Necsa, no longer has any use for this material. Secondly, the US and South Africa have been working constructively for a number of years on various peaceful use applications of nuclear material and in particular on the need to minimise the use of HEU. Examples of such co-operation are the conversion of South Africa's SAFARI-1 reactor to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel as well as training in medical responses to nuclear and radiological emergencies. Indeed, today South Africa is leading the transition to produce the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) with LEU rather than HEU. This joint work was given impetus by South African President Jacob Zuma's attendance, in 2010, at the Nuclear Security Summit. Zuma was one of only five African Heads of State or government invited to develop concrete measures towards ensuring that nuclear materials under their control are not stolen or diverted (the others being Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Nigeria). They pledged to improve security as changing conditions may require, and to exchange best practices and practical solutions for doing so. The Summit's final communiqu also highlighted the fact that 'highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium require special precautions'. Thirdly, the return is not unique. The repatriation of used and unused HEU fuel to its country of origin - either the US or Russia - has been an international goal since the early 1980s. Some 1,249kg of US-origin highly enriched uranium from sites around the world have already been returned, including from Chile in April 2010 just after the earthquake the previous February.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the spent fuel storage facility at Necsa is not, and has never been, 'vulnerable' - in the sense of being in danger of being accessed by organisations or persons with criminal intent or worse, with terrorist ideologies. South Africa is fully aware of its obligations and is totally committed to the safety and security of such materials and sources. The nuclear material democratic South Africa holds, including the HEU from the Apartheid state's nuclear weapons programme, is under constant and real-time surveillance and will never again be used, wittingly or unwittingly, to produce a nuclear weapon. This HEU does not pose 'a potential security vulnerability', as one academic alleges. Given the developmental benefits of nuclear and other radioactive materials for Africa, there is a clear need to ensure the continued delivery of the benefits that nuclear materials and related applications provide, such as radionuclides intended for use in life-saving medical applications. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Nigeria: Shell Declares Force Majeure Following Damage (AllAfrica.com) By: Non-Attributed Author 24 August 2011 Royal Dutch Shell admits it may struggle to meet contractual obligations on exports from Nigeria following the damage to two pipelines by saboteurs in the coutry's oilproducing region. Shell's Nigerian joint venture "has declared force majeure on Bonny Light exports for the remainder of August as well as September and October," the company said in a statement. Force majeure is a legal term releasing a company from contractual obligations due to circumstances beyond their control. Bonny Light is a type of crude. Shell has reported six oil spills this month on the Okordia-Rumuekpe trunk line at Ikarama in Bayelsa state in the oil-producing Niger Delta region, "all from hacksaw cuts by unknown persons." "On August 21, another three hacksaw cuts were reported on the nearby Adibawa delivery line," the Anglo-Dutch firm said. "Some production is shut in while (Shell's joint venture) repairs the line." Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer and the continent's most populous nation.

Pipeline damage and associated spills are common in the Niger Delta region as a result of oil theft to feed the lucrative black market. Militants claiming to be fighting for a fairer distribution of oil revenue have also regularly blown up pipelines, though such attacks have decreased since a 2009 amnesty deal. Shell has said that more than 75 percent of all oil spills and more than 70 percent of oil spilled from its Nigerian joint venture facilities in the Niger Delta from 2006-2010 were caused by sabotage and crude theft. Activists say oil firms such as Shell have not done enough to prevent such incidents. A UN report earlier this month said decades of oil pollution in the Ogoniland area of the Niger Delta, located in neighbouring Rivers state, may require the world's largest ever cleanup.