United States Africa Command Public Affairs Office 27 September 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa, along with upcoming events of interest for September 27, 2011. Of interest in today's clips, Libyan fighters have breached Qadhafis hometown of Sirte, while European oil companies ENI and Total have resumed production. The first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, died in Nairobi Sunday. A White House blog draws attention to the USAID program to raise awareness of the famine in East Africa, and in West Africa, officials continue the call for greater efforts to curb piracy. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Please send questions or comments to: africom-pao@africom.mil 421-2687 (+49-711-729-2687) -------------------------------------------Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa Libyan NTC fighters breach Gaddafi city Sirte from east (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15065463 26 September 2011 By The BBC Anti-Gaddafi fighters have breached the former Libya leader's hometown of Sirte from the east for the first time, as their three-day long assault continues. Soldiers traded rocket fire with Gaddafi loyalists as they edged from the eastern suburbs into the city. European oil giants resume production in Libya (France 24) http://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-producti on 26 September 2011 By AFP Italian oil giant ENI has resumed oil production in Libya more than six months after civil unrest brought oil and gas output in the country to a near standstill, the company said Monday. Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dies at 71 (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-lau reate-dies-at-71.html 26 September 2011 By Jeffrey Gettleman NAIROBI, Kenya Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who began a movement to reforest her country by paying poor women a few shillings to plant trees and who went on to become the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, died here on Sunday. She was 71. The White House Blog: Famine in the Horn of Africa: Be a Part of the Solution (The White House) http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/26/famine-horn-africa-be-part-solution 26 September 2011 By Courtney ODonnell Last Monday, the U.S. Agency for International Development, in partnership with the Ad Council, launched a public awareness campaign called FWD standing for Famine, War, Drought to draw the attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. Yemens descent into chaos fuels piracy fears (Financial Times) http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rs s#axzz1Z7lm3UC0 26 September 2011 By Peter Shaw-Smith As the Indian Ocean monsoons wane, international shipping companies are bracing themselves for a new season of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, fearing fresh involvement from actors beyond Somalia. West African officials call for greater UN involvement in fight against piracy (UN) http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39784&Cr=piracy&Cr1= 26 September 2011 By UN News Centre UNITED NATIONS -- op West African officials are calling for greater United Nations and international support to prevent the regions coasts from becoming a haven for pirates and to fight growing drug and arms trafficking. Joint Action Against Piracy (IPS) http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105241 26 September 2011 By Nol Kokou Tadgnon Congolese sailors participate in a boarding team operations course hosted by High Speed Vessel Swift in July. LOME, Togo - There have already been more than thirty pirate attacks on ships along the West African coast so far this year. Regional governments will meet in Cotonou, Benin in October to discuss coordinating efforts to stem piracy. U.S. spy drone crashes in south Somalia: rebel, residents (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-somalia-drone-idUSTRE78P34020110926 26 September 2011 By Sahra Abdi and Yara Bayoumy MOGADISHU (Reuters) - An unmanned U.S. spy drone has crashed in Somalia's southern port city of Kismayu, a bastion of the al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab Islamist group, a rebel official and residents said. US Reaper drones in Seychelles 'unarmed' says minister (Channel 4) http://www.channel4.com/news/us-reaper-drones-in-seychelles-unarmed-says-minister 26 September 2011 By Channel 4 staff Jean-Paul Adam, minister for foreign affairs in the Seychelles, has denied claims the US is flying armed drones from the Seychelles to Somalia and Yemen in order to target suspected terrorists. In The Hunt For Al-Qaida, Drone Program Expands (NPR) http://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expa nds 26 September 2011 By Dina Temple-Raston The Obama administration is expanding its controversial drone program to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. We Won't Bow to West - President Mugabe (The Herald) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109260623.html 26 September 2011 By Morris Mkwate Zimbabwe remains committed to the principles of Africa's founding fathers and will not betray the struggle against colonialism by bowing to the West, President Mugabe has said. Ahmadinejad in Sudan to boost ties (Al-Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926131459753271.html 26 September 2011 By News Agencies Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has met his Sudanese counterpart in Khartoum after arriving on a two-day visit. Burundian troops in Somalia killed Malaysian journalist, investigation finds (AP) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysi an-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.html 26 September 2011 By Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya The African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia says its investigation has found that four Burundian soldiers were responsible for the killing of a Malaysian journalist in Mogadishu earlier this month.

### UN News Service Africa Briefs http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA (Full Articles on UN Website) Sudan vows at UN to settle remaining disputes with South Sudan 26 September Sudan is committed to resolving all the remaining disputes related to its peace accord with South Sudan, including border demarcation issues and the division of oil revenues, the countrys Foreign Minister told the General Assembly today. Ethiopia, at UN, calls for long view on sustainable development in Horn of Africa 26 September Ethiopia called today from the General Assembly not only for immediate aid to help the 13.3 million victims of drought and famine in Somalia and elsewhere in the Horn of Africa but also for the even more crucial means to achieve sustainable development in the region. Intervention in Libya an excuse to plunder resources, Cuba tells UN 26 September A preventive war is taking place in Libya using the protection of civilians as a pretext to plunder the countrys resources, Cubas Foreign Minister told the General Assemblys annual general debate today, calling for Libyans to be left alone to decide their destiny. Zidane and Ronaldo target hunger in annual all-star UN charity soccer match 26 September The soccer stars and United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors Ronaldo and Zindine Zidane announced today that proceeds from the next UN all-star charity game will go to the world bodys continuing efforts to fight the food crisis in the Horn of Africa. Central African Republic calls for aid after withdrawal of UN mission 26 September The Central African Republic (CAR) today appealed to the international community to take urgent action to help consolidate peace and prevent fighting following the withdrawal of a United Nations peacekeeping mission. ### Upcoming Events of Interest: WHEN: Tuesday, September 27th, 9:15 a.m. WHAT: Washington DC Foreign Press Center On-The-Record Briefing TOPIC: "Asia-Pacific U.S. Military Overview" BRIEFER: Admiral Robert Willard, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command BIO: http://www.pacom.mil/web/site_pages/Staff%20Directory/J0/J00%20Biography.shtml WHERE: Washington Foreign Press Center, 529 14th St NW # 800, Washington, DC

20045 RSVP: To RSVP for this event please contact Andy Strike at StrikeAP2@state.gov. BACKGROUND: ADM Willard will discuss U.S. Pacific Command's strategy of partnership, presence, and military readiness and the current state of security in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. Pacific Command is the oldest U.S. combatant command, and continues to be a force committed to ensuring peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific region is home to more than 3.5 billion people and encompasses over half of the earth's surface. Through extensive cooperative engagement programs and initiatives, and the commitment of numerous regional partner nations and allies, the Asia-Pacific region continues to remain secure and prosperous. For additional information about U.S. Pacific Command and its strategy, please visit the command website at http://www.pacom.mil/ --------WHAT: The Department of State and USAID are seeking to more effectively integrate humanitarian action with the diplomatic and the other operational elements of civilian response to complex crises. The Department of State and USAID are seeking to more effectively integrate humanitarian action with the diplomatic and the other operational elements of civilian response to complex crises. The importance of policy and program integration is graphically illustrated by conflict, drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. TOPIC: Saving Lives, Securing Interests: Reflections on Humanitarian Response and U.S. Foreign Policy WHEN: Wednesday, September 28, 2011, 2-3:30 p.m. BRIEFER: Eric P. Schwartz, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration WHERE: U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DC MORE INFORMATION: http://www.usip.org/events/saving-lives-securing-interests-reflections-humanitarian-resp onse-and-us-foreign-policy RSVP: Please contact Amanda Mayoral at amayoral@usip.org with any questions about this event. --------WHAT: Former ambassador to address U.S. policy in Horn of Africa TOPIC: "U.S. Policy Toward the Horn of Africa." WHEN: Friday, September 30, 2011, at 3 p.m. BRIEFER: Dr. David H. Shinn, an adjunct professor in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University since 2001 and a 37-year veteran of the U.S. Department of State. WHERE: Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. MORE INFORMATION: http://www.wmich.edu/wmu/news/2011/09/071.html RSVP: For more information, contact Dr. Sisay Asefa at sisay.asefa@wmich.edu or (269) 387-5556.

### New on www.africom.mil Students in Southern Djibouti Receive School Furniture http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7248&lang=0 26 September 2011 By Staff Sergeant Stephen Linch DIKHIL, Djibouti Omar Ladieh Ismael, the Dikhil Regional Director of Education, gathered with approximately 20 local community members outside the Dikhil Regional School Resource Center August 25, 2011 to unload a delivery of school furniture. "This will help all the children in Dikhil," he said. AFRICOM Supports U.S. Embassy to Promote Rural Development in Central Tunisia http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7241&lang=0 23 September 2011 TUNIS, Tunisia U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Air Forces Africa staff visited Tunis, Tunisia, September 12-17, 2011, in support of U.S. Embassy humanitarian assistance projects and initiatives to promote rural development in central Tunisia. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULLTEXT Libyan NTC fighters breach Gaddafi city Sirte from east (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15065463 26 September 2011 By The BBC Anti-Gaddafi fighters have breached the former Libya leader's hometown of Sirte from the east for the first time, as their three-day long assault continues. Soldiers traded rocket fire with Gaddafi loyalists as they edged from the eastern suburbs into the city. The advance comes two days after the soldiers, loyal to the National Transitional Council, attacked from the west before retreating again. Sirte is one of the last remaining strongholds of Gaddafi loyalists. The BBC's Alastair Leithead, in Sirte, says civilians have been streaming out of the city some of them were not aware that Tripoli had fallen.

Many of them were terrified, he says, having been told that rebel fighters would slit their throats if they ventured out of the city. Our correspondent says the remaining civilians are in increasing danger, caught in the middle of intensifying fighting. Gaddafi loyalists have been fiercely protecting the city from NTC advances in recent weeks. The NTC troops were forced to retreat on Saturday after getting very close to the centre from the west. Sirte is a sprawling city and much of the fighting has been conducted over a long distance, with artillery and tank shells and Nato air strikes. Sirte and Bani Walid, about 250km (155 miles) further west, are the only two major cities still holding out against the NTC. Fighting is continuing around Bani Walid, with one rebel commander telling the AFP news agency he expected the final battle for control to be within the next two days. "Since this morning we have been hitting Gaddafi's forces non-stop with heavy artillery, tanks and anti-aircraft guns," Commander Mohamed al-Seddiq told the agency. "We are facing heavy resistance, that's why we are using the heavy artillery and not sending in any infantry for now."

The NTC still has not found Col Gaddafi, who ruled the country for more than 40 years. But several of his children and members of his inner circle have fled abroad. His daughter Aisha fled to Algeria, and told journalists last week that her father was in good spirits and fighting alongside his supporters. The Algerian newspaper El-Khabar reported on Monday that a group of Gaddafi supporters, possibly including Aisha, had now left the country for Egypt. Egyptian officials have since denied the report. Meanwhile, UN officials are warning that more care needs to be taken to secure stockpiles of weapons and other materials in Libya. Lynn Pascoe, the UN's top political official, told the Security Council that control must be established over sophisticated arms including ground-to-air missiles and chemical weapons.

He said destruction of chemical-weapons stockpiles stopped in February when international inspectors left the country. Last week NTC forces uncovered a stockpile of yellowcake - a powdered form of uranium ore that can be used for nuclear weapons. ### European oil giants resume production in Libya (France 24) http://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-producti on 26 September 2011 By AFP Italian oil giant ENI has resumed oil production in Libya more than six months after civil unrest brought oil and gas output in the country to a near standstill, the company said Monday. A statement said that ENI had restarted production at the Abu Attifel oil field. Before the conflict that ousted leader Moamer Kadhafi, ENI was the top foreign oil producer in Libya, a former Italian colony. ENI, working in partnership with Libya's state-run oil company NOC, opened 15 wells at Abu Attifel bringing production to 31,900 barrels. Other wells will be reactivated in the coming days with the goal of creating enough volume to allow production to be transported by oil duct to the Zueitina terminal, the company said. ENI, which has worked in Libya since 1959, signed an agreement in August with the new rulers in Tripoli so that the company could resume output as soon as possible. Excepting a gas field whose output went towards local electric power, ENI's total activity in Libya during the conflict fell to 50,00 barrels a day from an estimated 280,000 barrels a day before war broke out. On Friday, French oil giant Total said it had restarted production from an offshore oil platform off Libya, making it the first major to return to work since the fall of Kadhafi. Before the war Libya produced around 1.6 million barrels of crude per day. One local firm, Arabian Gulf Oil from the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi, restarted production earlier this month. ### Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dies at 71 (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-lau reate-dies-at-71.html 26 September 2011 By Jeffrey Gettleman NAIROBI, Kenya Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who began a movement to reforest her country by paying poor women a few shillings to plant trees and who went on to become the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, died here on Sunday. She was 71. The cause was cancer, said her organization, the Green Belt Movement. Kenyan news outlets said that she had been treated for ovarian cancer in the past year and that she had been in a hospital for at least a week when she died. Dr. Maathai, one of the most widely respected women on the continent, played many roles environmentalist, feminist, politician, professor, rabble-rouser, human rights advocate and head of the Green Belt Movement, which she founded in 1977. Its mission was to plant trees across Kenya to fight erosion and to create firewood for fuel and jobs for women. Dr. Maathai was as comfortable in the gritty streets of Nairobis slums or the muddy hillsides of central Kenya as she was hobnobbing with heads of state. She won the Peace Prize in 2004 for what the Nobel committee called her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace. It was a moment of immense pride in Kenya and across Africa. Her Green Belt Movement has planted more than 30 million trees in Africa and has helped nearly 900,000 women, according to the United Nations, while inspiring similar efforts in other African countries. Wangari Maathai was a force of nature, said Achim Steiner, the executive director of the United Nations environmental program. He likened her to Africas ubiquitous acacia trees, strong in character and able to survive sometimes the harshest of conditions. Dr. Maathai toured the world, speaking out against environmental degradation and poverty, which she said early on were intimately connected. But she never lost focus on her native Kenya. She was a thorn in the side of Kenyas previous president, Daniel arap Moi, whose government labeled the Green Belt Movement subversive during the 1980s. Mr. Moi was particularly scornful of her leading the charge against a government plan to build a huge skyscraper in one of central Nairobis only parks. The proposal was eventually scrapped, though not long afterward, during another protest, Dr. Maathai was beaten unconscious by the police. When Mr. Moi finally stepped down after 24 years in power, she served as a member of Parliament and as an assistant minister on environmental issues until falling out of favor with Kenyas new leaders and losing her seat a few years later.

In 2008, after being pushed out of government, she was tear-gassed by the police during a protest against the excesses of Kenyas well-entrenched political class. Home life was not easy, either. Her husband, Mwangi, divorced her, saying she was too strong-minded for a woman, by her account. When she lost her divorce case and criticized the judge, she was thrown in jail. Wangari Maathai was known to speak truth to power, said John Githongo, an anticorruption campaigner in Kenya, who was forced into exile for years for his own outspoken views. She blazed a trail in whatever she did, whether it was in the environment, politics, whatever. Wangari Muta Maathai was born on April 1, 1940, in Nyeri, Kenya, in the foothills of Mount Kenya. A star student, she won a scholarship to study biology at Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kan., receiving a degree in 1964. She earned a master of science degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She went on to obtain a doctorate in veterinary anatomy at the University of Nairobi, becoming the first woman in East or Central Africa to hold such a degree, according to the Nobel Prize Web site. She also taught at the university as an associate professor and was chairwoman of its veterinary anatomy department in the 1970s. A day before she was scheduled to receive the Nobel, Dr. Maathai was forced to respond to a report in The East African Standard, a daily newspaper in Nairobi, that she had likened AIDS to a biological weapon, telling participants in an AIDS workshop in Nyeri that the disease was a tool to control Africans designed by some evil-minded scientists. She said her comments had been taken out of context. It is therefore critical for me to state that I neither say nor believe that the virus was developed by white people or white powers in order to destroy the African people, she said in a statement released by the Nobel Committee. Such views are wicked and destructive. In presenting her with the Peace Prize, the Nobel committee hailed her for taking a holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights and womens rights in particular and serving as inspiration for many in the fight for democratic rights. Dr. Maathai received many honorary degrees, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh in 2006, as well as awards, including the French Legion of Honor and Japans Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. She is survived by three children, Waweru, Wanjira and Muta, and a granddaughter, according to the Green Belt Movement.

Former Vice President Al Gore, a fellow Peace Prize recipient for his environmental work, said in a statement, Wangari overcame incredible obstacles to devote her life to service service to her children, to her constituents, to the women, and indeed all the people of Kenya and to the world as a whole. In her Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Dr. Maathai said the inspiration for her work came from growing up in rural Kenya. She reminisced about a stream running next to her home a stream that has since dried up and drinking fresh, clear water. In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, she said, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now. ### The White House Blog: Famine in the Horn of Africa: Be a Part of the Solution (The White House) http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/26/famine-horn-africa-be-part-solution 26 September 2011 By Courtney ODonnell Last Monday, the U.S. Agency for International Development, in partnership with the Ad Council, launched a public awareness campaign called FWD standing for Famine, War, Drought to draw the attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. The campaign is calling on Americans to FWD the Facts. FWD them to your friends, FWD them to your neighbors, FWD them to everyone you know. A few of the facts: More than 13 million people are in crisis making this the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. More than 700,000 people have fled from their homes in Somalia to Ethiopia and Kenya creating the worlds largest refugee camps. 1 child is dying every 6 minutes in Somalia. More than 750,000 people are projected to perish from starvation in Somalia within the next four months if humanitarians are not allowed access in to southern Somalia.

In addition to FWD the Facts, the campaign will feature TV and radio public service announcements (PSAs), a text to donate campaign, and a new website

www.usaid.gov/FWD. The FWD campaign is all about getting people engaged in the crisis to Do More Than Donate and to learn about the solutions to the problem. We know that it doesnt have to be this way famine does not have to exist. Through the Presidents Feed the Future initiative the government is working to prevent future food crisis from occurring in the first place by investing in Africas agriculture development. Dr. Biden visited the Horn of Africa region in early August to draw attention to the crisis, and met mothers who walked more than 100 miles seeking medical attention and food for their children. Last week, Dr. Biden spoke to David Letterman about her trip and encouraged Americans to get involved. You can be a part of the solution. Small donations can make a difference between life and death for a child. But you can also Do More Than Donate visit usaid.gov/FWD to learn more about how you can get involved. (Courtney ODonnell is Communications Director to Dr. Jill Biden.) ### Yemens descent into chaos fuels piracy fears (Financial Times) http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rs s#axzz1Z7lm3UC0 26 September 2011 By Peter Shaw-Smith As the Indian Ocean monsoons wane, international shipping companies are bracing themselves for a new season of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, fearing fresh involvement from actors beyond Somalia. The rains and rough seas of the monsoon season which runs from June to September have traditionally seen a lull in activity. But last month two chemical tankers were seized in Omani territorial waters, one at anchorage two miles off Salalah, the sultanates main southern port. Worldwide, pirate attacks have been increasing. According to the International Maritime Bureaus Piracy Reporting Centre, attacks on the worlds seas totalled 266 in the first six months of this year, up from 196 incidents in the same period last year. Data published earlier this month showed the worldwide figure had risen to 335 events. Somali involvement stood at 188 incidents, with 24 hijackings, 400 crew members held hostage and eight killed. Now the deteriorating domestic security situation in Yemen is adding to concerns. Sanaa, the capital, has seen days of bloody street battles following the unexpected return of Ali

Abdullah Saleh, the president. Even in more peaceful times, Mr Salehs authority outside the Yemeni capital was tenuous. Yemen is spinning apart and people there are wondering where their next paycheck or meal is coming from, says Michael Frodl, head of C-Level Maritime Risks, a US consultancy. Some Yemenis are looking back to piracy themselves, or even just facilitating the piracy of others, be they Yemeni or Somali or even others. Riad Kahwaji, chief executive of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (Inegma), agrees there is collusion from Yemeni coastal actors with the pirates. Pirates have learnt to discern vessels owned by companies who have paid large ransoms, and are ignoring tonnage belonging to bad payers. Ships being intercepted so precisely should indicate that there is a sophisticated intelligence network for the pirates, providing them with information on the whereabouts and heading of ships, says Mr. Kahwaji. You can only gain this information [through] ports overlooking the Gulf of Aden. The scourge of piracy and the sustained unrest of the past months has hit Yemen hard. In 2008, throughput at Aden, Yemens biggest port, was 40,000 twenty-foot-equivalent-units (TEU) a month, a common industry measurement. That number fell to 27,000 in 2009 but recovered to 30,000 in 2010. Abhishek Tandon of UK-based Drewry Shipping Consultants says that year-to-date data suggest that the average has plummeted to an all-time low of 14,000 TEU per month this year. Aden is Yemens primary port for container handling. It also has four tanker berths. Other historic Yemeni ports such as Mukalla and Mokha have only limited cargo handling equipment and infrastructure. The combined effect of piracy at its peak, the extremely volatile situation in the country and development of other transshipment hubs in its vicinity like Dholera (on Indias west coast), Jeddah and Salalah have reduced its chances, says Mr Tandon. Aden was hit when Pacific International Line, a main-line operator, shifted its transshipment hub from Aden to Djibouti and no replacement has been found. Dubais DP World obtained concessions in Aden and Mukalla in 2008. Asked about the future of those concessions, a DP World spokesperson says:

As we have said previously, unrest in the Middle East earlier this year impacted throughput at some of our terminals in the region but ours is a long-term business and we have no intention of pulling out of Aden. Nigel Chevriot of PIL Yemen says that there are difficulties in moving cargo from Yemens ports to the main markets of Sanaa and Taiz. Yemeni merchants are nervous over a possible worsening of the crisis. They have been reducing stocks and are finding it hard to obtain credit, he says. Mr Frodl says that Yemenis, Kenyans, Ethiopians, Omanis, and even Iranians are going out to sea and do not need Somalis to lead them. Nationals from all these countries have been picked up already by the navies operating in the Indian Ocean. The international shipping community has not been passive in the face of the piracy threat. In 2009 it created the International Recommended Transit Corridor under which ships approaching the Gulf of Aden form convoys under warship escort drawn from the European Union, the US and China. Moreover, few observers believe that the pirates will be able to extend their activities inside the Straits of Hormuz due to the heavy US navy presence among others. But risk analysts say that piracy in the Indian Ocean remains a relatively low-risk occupation and that Somalis are inspiring others in the region to think of piracy as a career or industry given how well it pays and how little risk it entails. There will likely be a resurgence in piracy in the western Indian Ocean (including up to the Straits of Hormuz) as the weather becomes more favourable for small boat operation, says the head of a Europe-based umbrella shipping organisation. It is likely that, inter alia, disaffected groups from Yemen will see this as a good business opportunity and either join Somalis or conduct copycat activity, he says. ### West African officials call for greater UN involvement in fight against piracy (UN) http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39784&Cr=piracy&Cr1= 26 September 2011 By UN News Centre UNITED NATIONS -- West African officials are calling for greater United Nations and international support to prevent the regions coasts from becoming a haven for pirates and to fight growing drug and arms trafficking. The evils of drug trafficking, piracy, trafficking of illicit goods and arms trafficking have reared their ugly heads across the sub-region, Gambian Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy

told the General Assembly at the start of the fifth day of its annual general debate. The nature and extent of these crimes call for swift international action to nip them in the bud before it is too late. As these crimes feed on each other and sow the seeds of terror, economic sabotage and the collapse of social order, we must pool our resources together in the areas of detection, surveillance, law enforcement and prosecution in order to deny the culprits safe havens. In order to do this, we must come together and agree on a framework for cooperation with the support of the international community. We look forward to greater United Nations engagement with regional and subregional leaders and organizations in stamping out these menaces. Togolese Prime Minister Gilbert Fossoun-Houngbo referred to recent acts of piracy off the coasts of Togo and Benin. At a time when the West African region is witnessing a resurgence of violence due to drugs and terrorism, our coasts cannot be allowed to be taken hostage by pirates, he told the Assembly on Saturday, calling for closer cooperation between all countries to confront the new phenomenon. The crises and conflicts, the threats to international peace and security, such as piracy, cyber-crime and drug trafficking, which undermine efforts to consolidate peace in the world, must impel the international community to rethink the UN role in the context of security and economic and social development. At the end of last month the Security Council voiced concern over increasing piracy, armed robbery and reported hostage-taking in the Gulf of Guinea, saying the crimes were having an adverse impact on security, trade and other economic activities in the sub-region. Mr. Fossoun-Houngbo also called for urgent UN and international steps to confront the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa where tens of thousands of people have already starved to death and 13.3 million people are threatened. Both officials called for reform of the 15-member Security Council, expanding it and making it more representative of the regions of the world and correct what Mr. Fossoun-Houngbo called flagrant and unacceptable injustices, and Ms. Njie-Saidy termed the glaring under-representation of Africa. Africa needs to be adequately and properly represented and we will not give up on what is a very legitimate demand. What is even more appalling is that negotiations are progressing at snails pace, she said, stressing that reform is long overdue, and the lack of it is undermining the credibility of the organ and the legitimacy of its decisions. Other African leaders also highlighted the vital role the UN has to play in settling conflicts and promoting development.

Ugandan Vice-President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi called on the UN and international community to strengthen support to Somalia in terms of capacity building for the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) and in providing funding and logistical assistance for the deployment of 3,000 additional troops for the African Union peacekeeping mission there. Noting that peace initiatives should be led by the region with strong support from regional organizations, the UN and other relevant actors, he stressed that preventive mediation is a worthwhile investment, costing much less compared to other undertakings such as peacekeeping or peace enforcement and averting unnecessary wars with their loss of life and property. Foreign Minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi of Cameroon cited the UN intervention in Sudan which helped forge the peaceful secession of South Sudan as an illustration of the irreplaceable and decisive role that we desire to see the UN play in direct correlation with the fundamental aims and objectives of its founding Charter. It is within this framework that the role of mediation in settling conflicts, the theme of this years general debate, assumes its full importance, he added. Vice President Mompati S. Merafhe of Botswana voiced appreciation to the UN and the international community for their response to recent disasters such as the tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan and the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa, calling it generous and timely. He also highlighted the growing collaboration between the UN and regional organizations in dealing with conflicts and the institutionalization of conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms around the world. ### Joint Action Against Piracy (IPS) http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105241 26 September 2011 By Nol Kokou Tadgnon Congolese sailors participate in a boarding team operations course hosted by High Speed Vessel Swift in July. LOME, Togo - There have already been more than thirty pirate attacks on ships along the West African coast so far this year. Regional governments will meet in Cotonou, Benin in October to discuss coordinating efforts to stem piracy. The figures for attacks come from incidents reported by ships' masters to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre and underline the growing threat to shipping in this oil-rich region.

Among the most recent attacks was the Sep. 15 seizure of the oil tanker Mattheos I and its 23-person crew off the coast of Togo. Ten days later, the ship's Spanish owners told media that tanker and crew had been released; no ransom was paid, but the company said the pirates stole some of the vessel's cargo of diesel fuel. Governments along the length of the West African coastline have expressed concern about a surge in the number of attacks on cargo ships, and are seeking to combine limited resources to take concerted actions, such as recent joint patrols in the Gulf of Guinea. "But we don't want to limit ourselves to joint patrols between Benin and Nigeria; we will very shortly extend this to include the Togolese and Ghanaian navies," Commandant Maxime Ahoyo, Benin's Naval Chief of Staff, told IPS. "If we take care of problems with piracy in Benin's territorial waters but, for example, Togo doesn't take necessary security precautions, and we don't collaborate with Togo and other countries, this phenomenon - which has such long tentacles - will only spread." Economic consequences The president of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, James Victor Gbeho, has called for action against piracy to be widened to include all the states along the coast. "The navies of all our coastal states should permanently combine their operations," Gbeho told IPS, underlining his belief that the problem of piracy must be addressed comprehensively. "The phenomenon is becoming worrying and could have serious economic consequences for our countries. That is why we will act firmly against it." Piracy has already led maritime insurers in London to put Benin on a list of high-risk zones for shipping. Maritime insurers represented by the Lloyd's Market Association are demanding higher fees to cover ships which pass through the region. According to Bnetti Gagalo, Assistant Secretary General of the Togolese Association of Consumers, the situation will certainly have repercussions on income in regional ports as well as on the cost of consumer goods. External assistance The urgency of the situation has pushed regional governments to ask for support from France and the United States, who have both deployed naval vessels to the area. A French frigate, the Germinal, is already carrying out surveillance along the coasts of Benin, Togo and Ghana to try and neutralise the pirates, as well as training naval personnel from all three countries.

"We have hosted these sailors, and they've taken part in all the security exercises and patrols that we have carried out to prevent acts of piracy. And they have helped us with their intimate knowledge of the area of operations," Sbastien Chatelin, captain of the French vessel, told IPS. A U.S. Navy vessel, the HSV Swift, is also in the Gulf of Guinea, supporting the fight against piracy with training for Beninois, Togolese and Ghanaian sailors as part of U.S. military cooperation programme called Africa Partnership Station. "Our mission is to try and train African partners on safety and security," said the captain of the U.S. vessel, Rhett S. Mann. "The APS programme will allow us to work together to face the problems which affect our coastal waters," added Sam Nkruma, a Ghanaian naval officer. His Beninois colleague, Christian Oussa, welcomed the training received on board the two naval ships. "This will allow us to face pirates and various traffickers on the sea. We have learned how to board suspect vessels to inspect them; the training was really appropriate," he told IPS. ### U.S. spy drone crashes in south Somalia: rebel, residents (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-somalia-drone-idUSTRE78P34020110926 26 September 2011 By Sahra Abdi and Yara Bayoumy MOGADISHU (Reuters) - An unmanned U.S. spy drone has crashed in Somalia's southern port city of Kismayu, a bastion of the al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab Islamist group, a rebel official and residents said. The incident over the weekend came as residents cited an increase in the frequency of drones flying over Kismayu in the past few weeks. The U.S. embassy in Nairobi declined to comment immediately. "This plane was a spy for the American government and by the will of Allah, it crashed near the airport," al Shabaab official Sheikh Ibrahim Guled told Reuters on Monday. "We did not target it but it fell down," he said, although the group's radio station in Kismayu said the drone was shot down by its militants as it patrolled above the airport. A Kismayu resident, who gave his name as Ali Gab, also confirmed he saw the crashed drone.

"I saw the plane at the police station ... We did not see any damage on it," he said, suggesting a technical fault may have caused the crash. The United States has authorized covert operations in the Horn of Africa nation in the past. U.S. special forces killed one of east Africa's top al Qaeda militants, Kenyan-born Saleh Ali Nabhan, in southern Somalia in September 2009. U.S. officials have said they have a list of suspects they believe are in Somalia and constantly monitor the country with a view to striking if any are spotted. Last week The Washington Post reported the United States was building a ring of secret drone bases in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula as part of an aggressive campaign against al Qaeda affiliates in the anarchic Somali state and crisis-hit Yemen. The article said Washington had flown drones over Somalia and Yemen from bases in the African nation of Djibouti. Classified U.S. diplomatic cables show that unmanned aircraft have also conducted missions over Somalia from the Seychelles. Al Shabaab launched an insurgency against Somalia's Western-backed government four years ago, in the latest cycle of violence to grip the country since the 1991 toppling of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Fighting has killed more than 21,000 people since al Shabaab launched its insurgency in 2007. ### US Reaper drones in Seychelles 'unarmed' says minister (Channel 4) http://www.channel4.com/news/us-reaper-drones-in-seychelles-unarmed-says-minister 26 September 2011 By Channel 4 staff Jean-Paul Adam, minister for foreign affairs in the Seychelles, has denied claims the US is flying armed drones from the Seychelles to Somalia and Yemen in order to target suspected terrorists. In a statement released to Channel 4 News, he said the reports are "purely speculations based on uncited and unidentified sources" and that the agreement between America and the Seychelles is based on the drones being unarmed. Mr Adam insisted that the unmanned Reaper aircraft based in the Seychelles are used solely for "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance purposes in the fight against piracy." Reaper MQ-9 drones have the capacity to carry laser-guided bombs, air-to-ground and heat-seeking missiles.

The minister's response follows claims the US is assembling new bases for its drone fleet in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The Washington Post, which cited US officials as its source, described a "constellation of secret drone bases" and added that the CIA is building an airstrip somewhere in the Arabian Peninsula "so it can deploy armed drones over Yemen." Mr Adam said the US government has never requested that the Seychelles drones carry weapons, but "any possible future request would be given serious considerations before being approved through the appropriate channels." He said: "In 2009 there was a real need to address the shortcomings in our fight against piracy and one of those deficiencies was in the area of surveillance and intelligence. "There are currently two drones operating from Seychelles which are part of ongoing coordinated efforts to combat piracy and other illegal activities in the Indian Ocean region." ### In The Hunt For Al-Qaida, Drone Program Expands (NPR) http://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expa nds 26 September 2011 By Dina Temple-Raston The Obama administration is expanding its controversial drone program to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The Washington Post first reported last week that the administration was setting up secret bases for the unmanned aircraft all over the region. U.S. officials say the drone surveillance will allow them to keep watch on terrorists in Yemen and Somalia. The question is whether the program will eventually go a step further and include armed drones to kill terrorists before they strike. The decision to expand the drone program is the clearest sign yet that the Obama administration is shifting its focus from al-Qaida's core group to the affiliates it has spawned over the past 10 years. From The Core To The Periphery Until now, drones have largely been used in Iraq and Afghanistan and the tribal regions of Pakistan. The military basically ran the drone program in Iraq and Afghanistan and the CIA took aim at terrorists in Pakistan and occasionally in Yemen.

In some respects in the United States we're a victim of our own counter-terrorism success. We've been so effective at weakening al-Qaida core that the threat has now migrated to the periphery. - Bruce Hoffman, counter-terrorism expert The CIA has run operations in Yemen in trying to hunt down leaders of al-Qaida's arm there, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). That was the group that allegedly sent a young Nigerian named Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab onto a U.S. airliner with explosives in his underwear. The bomb failed to ignite properly and Abdulmuttalab will be tried next month. AQAP has also taken responsibility for a bomb plot that was supposed to blow up cargo planes over the U.S. last Thanksgiving. That plot was foiled too. "In some respects in the United States we're a victim of our own counter-terrorism success," says Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert and professor at Georgetown University. "We've been so effective at weakening al-Qaida's core that the threat has now migrated to the periphery and it isn't surprising that as it has migrated to the periphery we would adopt the same tactics that we used in South Asia to address that threat." In other words, the drone attacks in Pakistan have been so effective in attacking al-Qaida's core leadership, the U.S. is going to try the same tactic elsewhere where the threat from al-Qaida is growing, specifically in Yemen and Somalia. Concerns About Blowback That's what worries Brian Fishman, a counter-terrorism research fellow at the New America Foundation. Expanding the drone program, he says, could have some blowback and play into al-Qaida's hands by providing more fodder for their recruitment efforts. "I worry that the expansion of drone strikes outside the South Asian context is going to have unintended repercussions," he says. "We've reduced the ability of al-Qaida to do major attacks, but I think we've increased their ability to inspire folks in the west to take up arms on their behalf." Georgetown's Hoffman agrees. "This, I think, is one of the problems of just having a kinetic outlook in countering terrorism," he says. "You are solving the supply problem, in other words, the supply of terrorist leaders, but you are doing nothing to interdict the demand side. In other words, the flow of recruits and supporters into the movement that constantly enables the movement to regroup, reorganize and regenerate itself." Over the past two years, drones have been responsible for the death of most of al-Qaida's top leaders and nearly all of its mid-level operatives. Even before the death of Osama bin Laden last May, officials were trumpeting the effectiveness of the drone program against al-Qaida's core leadership. Now, the U.S. and

Pakistan have a short list of members in al-Qaida's core operation that they say, if captured or killed, could lead to the collapse of the core group. Evolving Threats The concern is that the U.S. could increasingly see a different type of attack like the failed Times Square car bombing in May 2010. That terror plot was essentially the work of one man, a Pakistani-American named Faisal Shahzad. He traveled to Pakistan to learn how to make a bomb. He spent a week at a Pakistani Taliban training camp and then returned to the U.S. But there is one detail from the case that often is overlooked: he told investigators that the drone attacks in Pakistan were a huge motivation in his decision to lash out at the U.S. The question now is whether expanding the drone attacks will inspire others like Faisal Shahzad. Not just young men from Pakistan, but now young men and women from Yemen and Somalia and other places the drones are flying. "You cannot defeat al-Qaida's ideology while we are directly engaged in military action in many places around the world because that is going to feed al-Qaida's ability to recruit in other locations," says Fishman. "You can't defeat ideology with a missile in Pakistan. You can't defeat ideology with a missile in Yemen or Somalia either." ### We Won't Bow to West - President Mugabe (The Herald) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109260623.html 26 September 2011 By Morris Mkwate ZIMBABWE remains committed to the principles of Africa's founding fathers and will not betray the struggle against colonialism by bowing to the West, President Mugabe has said. Speaking to journalists in Harare yesterday soon after arriving back home from New York where he attended the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Mugabe said some African countries were "selling out" because they were receiving assistance from Westerners. He said divergent opinion over the Libyan conflict gave ample evidence of expediency. "The period in which we are is a period in which there appears to be a reversal of what the founding fathers did and the principles of the founding fathers," said President Mugabe. "Principles are being sacrificed on the altar of expediency as (the late Ghanaian leader Kwame) Nkrumah would have said.

Because you are being assisted by the West, you, therefore, must bow to the West. "It is a terrible period and it is selling out of the principles of the founding fathers, and Zimbabwe can not stand for that." Cde Mugabe said the African Union (AU) determined that Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) will only be accorded a seat on the continental body after the AU Summit accedes. He said African leaders were backing negotiations between the NTC and Colonel Muammar Gadaffi's loyalists as well as the withdrawal of Nato forces from Libya. "As far as we are concerned, the African position is that the NTC can only have a seat in the AU if the Summit of the AU recognises that," said President Mugabe. "In fact, now that they are in control, they are the de-facto authority of Libya. "We will not go as far as the Europeans, Nato countries, to recognise them de jure to say they are the absolute government. No, of course, because we still want negotiations, inclusive negotiations between the NTC and the Gadaffi loyalists. "So, that to us remains the issue. Will there be negotiations? Will there be an inclusive government? Will there also be the withdrawal of those who intervened illegally using Chapter VII of the (United Nations) Charter and interpreting it in a broader sense, which sense was an illegal one, in order to enable them to do the things they have been doing: pounding, battering and harassing the population of Libya." Last week, President Mugabe arrived in New York with a busy schedule on his hands. He attended the High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases where he implored the international community to help developing countries prevent and treat the conditions by increasing assistance. Member states eventually adopted a political declaration that identifies prevention as the foremost global strategy to combat the diseases. President Mugabe also addressed the High-Level Meeting on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication. He told delegates to embrace zero net land degradation and adopt effective land reclamation programmes.

He said it was critical to deal with drought and land degradation expeditiously, as they compromise the social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainable development. On Wednesday, he attended the official opening of the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly. He later met AU Commission chairman Dr Jean Ping who declared his re-election bid and also clarified the AU position on Libya. President Mugabe discussed investment opportunities in Zimbabwe with an American business delegation led by civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson. Addressing the main plenary on Thursday, President Mugabe castigated Nato for deliberately misinterpreting provisions of the UN Charter in order to steal Libya's oil and impose leadership on its people. He said the AU should not be undermined and also called for the reform of the UN Security Council to, among other issues, include two permanent seats for Africa. He also urged member states to recognise Palestine's bid for nationhood and full UN membership. Regarding the Western-imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, the President said: "When we in Zimbabwe sought to redress the ills of colonialism and racism, by fully acquiring our natural resources, mainly our land and minerals, we were and still are subjected to unparalleled vilification and pernicious economic sanctions, the false reasons alleged being violations of the rule of law, human rights, and democracy. "My people have condemned these illegal sanctions and recently, over two million signatures of protesters have demonstrated their antipathy to them. We thank Sadc and the African Union for supporting us and demanding the immediate removal of the illegal sanctions." ### Ahmadinejad in Sudan to boost ties (Al-Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926131459753271.html 26 September 2011 By News Agencies Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has met his Sudanese counterpart in Khartoum after arriving on a two-day visit. Ahmadinejad's visit is aimed at boosting political and economic ties between the two allies, Sudanese officials said.

Ahmadinejad received a warm welcome from Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir at Khartoum airport. Iran, along with China, is one of the biggest supporters of al-Bashir, who faces indictment from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in the long-running Darfur conflict. Shunned by the West, Sudan, which is facing an economic crisis after losing much of its oil wealth to newly-independent South Sudan, is keen to expand trade ties with Iran. Most Western firms avoid Sudan due to a tough US trade embargo. Sudan and Iran have also strong military ties after signing a co-operation agreement in 2008. Al-Bashir has supported the Iranian nuclear programme which Washington says is to build nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. ### Burundian troops in Somalia killed Malaysian journalist, investigation finds (AP) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysi an-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.html 26 September 2011 By Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya The African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia says its investigation has found that four Burundian soldiers were responsible for the killing of a Malaysian journalist in Mogadishu earlier this month. The force said in a statement Monday that the four peacekeepers involved in the killing of cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor were discharged from the force and will be tried in Burundi.Nor was killed Sept. 2 while covering a Malaysian aid agencys humanitarian mission in famine-struck Somalia. Human rights groups and residents have accused the African Union force of indiscriminate shelling against civilian targets. Rights groups say the force has improved its record of indiscriminate shelling, killing fewer civilians than in the past. ### Students in Southern Djibouti Receive School Furniture http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7248&lang=0 26 September 2011 By Staff Sergeant Stephen Linch

DIKHIL, Djibouti Omar Ladieh Ismael, the Dikhil Regional Director of Education, gathered with approximately 20 local community members outside the Dikhil Regional School Resource Center August 25, 2011 to unload a delivery of school furniture. "This will help all the children in Dikhil," he said. The furniture, which will be distributed to schools throughout the region, is meant to enhance the learning environment for the children of southern Djibouti. "Through a partnership with the Djibouti Ministry of Education, we are delivering excess property from the U.S. Department of State to the Dikhil Regional School Resource Center," said U.S. Army Captain Jennifer L. Newhouse, 490th Civil Affairs Battalion projects officer. The delivery consisted of three semi-truck trailers filled with desks, chairs and tables. Community members unloaded the furniture while soldiers from the 490th CA BN, assigned to Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, inventoried the items. According to Ismael, the furniture will be distributed to 18 schools in the area. "I know in every school, we don't have enough tables; we don't have enough desks; we don't have enough chairs," he said. "[This delivery] is going to help a lot." The delivery will provide students with classroom furniture and tables for their cafeterias, as well as give teachers and directors new workstations, Ismael said. "By providing a quality facility that is conducive to a learning environment, it will allow the Djibouti Ministry of Education to enhance the educational experience of hundreds of students in Dikhil," Newhouse said. "This isn't just about desks and chairs. This is about a brighter future for the children of southern Djibouti." ### AFRICOM Supports U.S. Embassy to Promote Rural Development in Central Tunisia http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7241&lang=0 23 September 2011 TUNIS, Tunisia U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Air Forces Africa staff visited Tunis, Tunisia, September 12-17, 2011, in support of U.S. Embassy humanitarian assistance projects and initiatives to promote rural development in central Tunisia. Lieutenant Colonel Wade Carmichael, AFRICOM humanitarian assistance and health activities program officer, joined members of the contracting office for U.S. Air Forces Africa, engineers, medical officers, and U.S. Embassy personnel to assess future and ongoing projects in Carthage, Kesra, Makthar, Saliana, Sfax, and Tunis.

Among the trip highlights, Carmichael said, was the contract signing for the Training Center for Rural Women in Makthar, which will provide basic hygiene, child and family healthcare, and vocational training to local women. The $500,000 training center will be managed by the Fondation pour le Dvelopement Communautaire (FTDC), a civil society organization that encourages regional development through local citizen participation. The project supports the Tunisian national strategy for development, job opportunities, and training in rural towns in central Tunisia. The team also traveled to Sfax to conduct a proposal opening session for a $450,000 drug rehabilitation center extension, the objective of which is to continue to support initiatives to counter drug abuse and drug traffic related activities in Tunisia. The extension aims to increase the center's accommodation capabilities to handle more patients now that it is the only operating rehabilitation center in the country. According to the center's director, Tunisia has faced a significant increase of drug use after the revolution. Due to the reduction in size of Tunisia's police force, the nation has less capability to address drug-related issues and make as many arrests. The extension will allow the center to accommodate nearly double the number of patients seeking treatment. During a visit to the Center for the Blind in Sidi Thabet, the team met with residents there who are receiving training geared to help them better assimilate into their communities. Training focuses on areas such as telephone operating, physical therapy, precision metal rod making, and how to use telephonic and internet devices. At an HA site visit to an AIDS Prevention Center in El Menzah, the team toured the facilities and spoke with Doctor Ridah Kammoun, president of the AIDS Prevention Association in Tunis. Prior to the contract signing ceremony on September 15, Carmichael and Ambassador Gordon Gray met with the governor of Siliana and discussed regional and local development, including the need for additional DOD/AFRICOM Humanitarian Assistance-funded programs and partnerships. During the Ambassador's visit to Makthar, the 17th Air Force contracting officer and the builder signed the contract for the Makthar training center. Gray and the U.S. delegation traveled to the construction site to review construction plans for the new FTDC Training Center with Tunisian architect, Mohamed Remy Bouaziz, and the construction contractor Fathi Ncib, a resident from Makthar. Gray also toured the archeological sites and rich forest surroundings of the area and commented on the development potential that exists in Central Tunisia. ### END REPORT