United States Africa Command Public Affairs Office 12 January 2012 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 January 12, 2012. Of interest in todays clips: -- AllAfrica.com writes that seven Al-Shabaab recruits were arrested in Kenya -- VOA reports that Ghana seizes arms believed to be bound for Nigeria -- All Africa says the rumors of Liberian V. P.'s death were quelled -- Al Jazeera reports that eight people were killed in the north as a fuel strike rattles Nigeria -- CNN reports that Swedish journalists held in Ethiopia hope for pardon Provided in text format for remote reading. Links work more effectively when this message is viewed as in HTML format. 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 Seven Al-Shabaab Recruits Arrested (All Africa) http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110199.html 11 January 2012 By Peter Leftie, Patrick Mayoyo and Fred Mukinda Seven foreigners including a former US soldier have been arrested in Kenya in the last two weeks over links to Al-Shabaab. Kenyan soldiers also killed six of the militants in Somalia on Tuesday. Ghana Seizes Arms Believed Bound for Nigeria (Voice of America) http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/01/11/ghana-seizes-arms-believed-boundfor-nigeria/ 11 January 2012 Police in Ghana say they have seized a truckload of weapons believed to be headed to Nigeria, where the government is struggling to contain sectarian violence and protests U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

over rising fuel costs. Rumors of Liberia V. P.'s Death Rubbished (All Africa) http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110929.html\ 11 January 2012 Since Sunday, January 8, 2012 up to yesterday, rumors had it that Vice President Boakai is dead. But the Vice President Chief of Office Staff has quelled what seems to be a fast growing rumors in Monrovia and its environs that his boss is dead, stating that V.P. Boakai is alive and sound. Rwandan President Cleared in 1994 Air Crash (Al Jazeera video) http://allafrica.com/view/resource/main/main/id/00030314.html 10 January 2012 By Jacky Rowland A French investigation has found that the missile which brought down the Rwandan president's aircraft in 1994 and prompted the country's genocide, was not fired by circles close to the current Rwandan president, Paul Kagame. Nigerian unions blame president of using 'thugs' to quash protests (CNN) http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/11/world/africa/nigeria-strike/index.html?hpt=iaf_c1 11 January 2012 Two Nigerian trade unions accused the country's president of using "armed thugs" to attack protesters, and urged demonstrators to continue their nationwide strike against fuel prices on Wednesday and beyond. Swedish journalists held in Ethiopia will not seek appeal; hope for pardon (CNN) http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/10/world/africa/ethiopia-swedishjournalists/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2 11 January 2012 By Per Nyberg The two Swedish journalists convicted as terrorists in Ethiopia have opted to seek a pardon rather than appeal the verdict and their 11-year sentences, a Swedish official said Tuesday. Deaths in Nigeria as tensions sharpen (Al Jazeera) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/20121102242998110.html 11 January 2012 Eight people killed in the north and an Islamic school burnt down in the south, as a fuel strike rattles the country. Gunmen have shot eight people dead in northern Nigeria and a mob torched an Islamic school in the south, as a nationwide fuel strike and growing religious tension rattled Africa's top oil producer. Kampala shops shut over Uganda interest rates (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16508825 11 January 2012 Businesses in Uganda's capital, Kampala, have closed their shops and are boycotting U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

banks to protest at high interest rates. Uganda's central bank raised rates last year when inflation hit more than 20%. Shopkeepers in Kampala say interest rates of up to 27% are crippling their businesses. Israel adopts harsher penalties for African migrants (San Francisco Chronicles) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/10/MNPK1MNABQ.DTL 11 January 2012 By Amy Teibel, Associated Press Israel's parliament on Tuesday approved harsh new penalties on illegal migrants and Israelis who help them, building on other contentious measures designed to stanch the flood of Africans seeking sanctuary here. The bill allows imprisonment of illegal migrants for an unlimited time without trial. People caught helping them could face prison terms of up to 15 years. Arab Spring momentum in Middle East, North Africa (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/11/us-mideast-springidUSTRE80A0RX20120111 11 January 2012 Here you can see the latest details of the revolts in the Middle East and North Africa and their aftermath, such as in EGYPT: A final phase of voting began on Tuesday in elections to the lower house, with Islamists emerging as major winners. Assessing Obamas Africa Policy, Looking at 2012 and Beyond (Voice of America) http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Butty-Africa-Obama-Second-TermKimenyi-11january12-137073473.html 11 January 2012 By James Butt The Washington-based Brookings Institution said Africa, to benefit from development opportunities in 2012, must prioritize regional integration efforts and manage a growing youth population. The public policy organization said the continent will have to increase the profile of organizations, such as the African Union, to sustain advancements in public health and increase the African voice in global governance. Wednesday, the groups Africa Growth Initiative hosts a discussion to identify top priorities for Africa for the coming year and beyond. Hungry African leaders 'had to buy own food' at ANC centenary celebrations (The Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/11/african-leaders-nandos-anccentenary?newsfeed=true 11 January 2012 By David Smith in Johannesburg They are often accused of living like kings while their impoverished peoples suffer. Not this time, it would seem. African leaders who attended last weekend's centenary celebrations of the African National Congress (ANC) had to embark on some hasty shopping when they found no food or bedding at their accommodation, according to a newspaper report. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

S.Africa's Transnet launches $2.9 bln fuel pipeline (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/11/safrica-transnet-idUSL6E8CA5NL20120111 11 January 2012 By Agnieszka Flak South African logistics group Transnet started operating a new multi-product fuel pipeline on Wednesday, the company's single biggest capital project to date, although it will take until 2013 to reach intended capacity. The 24-inch pipeline running over 550 km replaces an old 12-inch multi-product line from Durban to Johannesburg, built in 1965, which is nearing the end of its life. ### -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------UN News Service Africa Briefs http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA Developments in Nigeria top discussions between UN chief and foreign minister 10 January Recent developments in Nigeria, including progress in the investigation of last years bomb attack against the United Nations offices in the capital, Abuja, topped discussions today between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Olugbenga Ayodeji Ashiru. Twenty-five people, including 13 UN staff, died in the attack on 26 August last year. Liberian cocoa and coffee farmers to benefit from UN financing 10 January The United Nations rural development arm is to provide a $24.9 million loan to Liberia to improve the West African countrys cocoa and coffee production in an effort to alleviate poverty among rural communities recovering from the effects of past conflicts. Libya: UN and Government sign status of mission agreement 10 January The United Nations and the Libyan authorities today signed an agreement establishing the legal framework under which the UN mission set up last year to support the countrys post-conflict reconstruction efforts will operate. Security Council presses for ethnic reconciliation in troubled area of South Sudan 10 January Security Council members have called on warring ethnic communities in South Sudan's Jonglei state to engage in reconciliation and end the cycle of conflict that has claimed an unknown number of casualties in recent weeks. In a press statement, issued yesterday by Ambassador Baso Sangqu of South Africa, which holds the Council presidency this month, the 15-member panel voiced deep concern at the situation in Jonglei. African States and UN agree to beef up measures against Lords Resistance Army 9 January Central African countries affected by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) and U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

the United Nations agreed to toughen up measures against the notorious rebel group to stop its deadly activities on the continent. DR Congo: UN mission condemns killing of dozens of civilians in South Kivu 9 January The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today strongly condemned attacks against civilians by members of an armed group in remote villages in South Kivu province last week, during which at least 45 people were killed. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Upcoming Event of Interest: 12 January 2012 Symposium on Emerging Land Issues in African Agriculture: Impacts on Poverty Reduction and Food Policy WHO: Thom Jayne, Professor of International Development at Michigan State University; and Derek Byerlee (commentator), Independent Scholar and Director, World Development Report, 2009 WHERE: Stanford University Bechtel Conference Center, Encina Hall, 616 Serra Street CONTACT: Kate Johnston, 650-724-3723 or e-mail: kenjhnsn@stanford.edu -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Seven Al-Shabaab Recruits Arrested (All Africa) http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110199.html 11 January 2012 By Peter Leftie, Patrick Mayoyo and Fred Mukinda Seven foreigners including a former US soldier have been arrested in Kenya in the last two weeks over links to Al-Shabaab. Kenyan soldiers also killed six of the militants in Somalia on Tuesday. The seven were arrested as they tried to enter Somalia to join the militant group for training. Other suspects were from other European countries, said police spokesman Eric Kiraithe. Mr Craig Benedict Baxam, the ex-US soldier was charged in an American court on Monday with attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group, CNN reported. The TV station said he was arrested by Kenyan authorities on December 23. A British national, Mr Jermaine Grant was also charged at a Mombasa court for being in illegal possession of explosive materials. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

Mr Kiraithe said that police were on the trail of 10 Shabaab members who they believed were planning deadly attacks in Kenya. "There are so many people who have had contact with Al-Shabaab in the past and changed. But the 10 are dangerous." The spokesman spoke amid reports of an impending terror attack that was spread through SMS. Mr Kiraithe said the SMS is neither from the UN or the police and termed it as fake. Meanwhile, Kenyan troops yesterday killed six Al-Shabaab fighters as they intensified the military operation to dismantle the militant group. One Kenyan soldier was killed in the operation and two others sustained injuries. Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) reported that they encountered the militants as they conducted routine patrols between Tabda and Beles Qooqani, two towns which used to be Al-Shabaab bases but have since been captured by the Kenyan troops. "Other militants escaped with injuries and are likely to seek medical attention at nearby refugee camps," says a statement signed by the military spokesman, Major Emmanuel Chirchir. Al-Shabaab however boasted that they had killed seven Kenyan soldiers and destroyed two armoured personnel carriers belonging to KDF. ### Ghana Seizes Arms Believed Bound for Nigeria (Voice of America) http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/01/11/ghana-seizes-arms-believed-boundfor-nigeria/ 11 January 2012 Police in Ghana say they have seized a truckload of weapons believed to be headed to Nigeria, where the government is struggling to contain sectarian violence and protests over rising fuel costs. Authorities say they found double-barrel guns and ammunition inside a truck marked with the name of a soft drink company. Police say the items were hidden beneath a metal plate in the truck. The seizure took place in Ghana's capital, Accra, on Tuesday after authorities received a tip. Police arrested five people, including two Nigerian nationals and three suspects from U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

Ghana. ### Rumors of V. P.'s Death Rubbished (All Africa) http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110929.html\ 11 January 2012 Liberia's Vice President Joseph N. Boakai is alive and sound; contrary to wide spread rumors in Monrovia and its environs that the #2 man in government is dead. Since Sunday, January 8, 2012 up to yesterday, rumors had it that Vice President Boakai is dead. But the Vice President Chief of Office Staff has quelled what seems to be a fast growing rumors in Monrovia and its environs that his boss is dead, stating that V.P. Boakai is alive and sound. Mr. Sam Steve Quiah disclosed that he was constrained to dispel the rumors being circulated by some unknown persons in the Liberian society, adding that he had continued to receive persistent telephone calls from several individuals, whom he said, were calling to authenticate the veracity of the Vice President's alleged death news. The Vice President's Chief of Office Staff, who spoke Tuesday on the Truth FM's Truth Breakfast Show, wondered that he could not understand why some individuals, whose names he did not disclose, would even call him on Monday, January 9, 2011, when according to him, Vice President Boakai was at the Capitol performing his official function at the time. He indicated that the source of the rumors is unknown, stressing that the Vice President is in a stable medical condition, and there was no need for panic. However, he added that such false rumors of a person's death news in the Liberian society usually turn out mean such person would live long. At the same time, this paper yesterday gathered that Vice President Boakai is indeed alive and well; contrary to the wide spread rumors that he is dead. According to this paper's investigation, Vice President Boakai showed up for work yesterday at the Capitol Building-the seat of the Legislature where carried out his normal duties. This paper also verified account by Mr. Quiah that Vice President Boakai indeed showed up to work at the Capitol Building on Monday, January 9, 2011 and he performed his duty as usual. ### Rwandan President Cleared in 1994 Air Crash (Al Jazeera video) http://allafrica.com/view/resource/main/main/id/00030314.html 10 January 2012 U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

By Jacky Rowland A French investigation has found that the missile which brought down the Rwandan president's aircraft in 1994 and prompted the country's genocide, was not fired by circles close to the current Rwandan president, Paul Kagame. The findings essentially clear several people close to Kagame, who was the leader of the Tutsi fighters at the time of the assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu. Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports from Paris, France. ### Nigerian unions blame president of using 'thugs' to quash protests (CNN) http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/11/world/africa/nigeria-strike/index.html?hpt=iaf_c1 11 January 2012 (CNN) -- Two Nigerian trade unions accused the country's president of using "armed thugs" to attack protesters, and urged demonstrators to continue their nationwide strike against fuel prices on Wednesday and beyond. "In a Mubarak-style response to the peoples' protests, the Jonathan administration brought into Abuja, thugs armed with various weapons including guns," the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria said in a joint statement late Tuesday night. The unions were comparing President Goodluck Jonathan to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's alleged response to anti-government protests last year. Bonfires were set ablaze by protesters outside Lagos State University. iReporter Lawal Adekunle Olusegun said: "I know a lot of people around are suffering and going through a hard time the fuel subsidy is only making things worse for a lot of people." Occupy Nigeria protests "Labour warns the Presidency that it will be held responsible for whatever atrocities these thugs commit," the statement said. "We call on Nigerians to continue the strikes, rallies and protests ... Wednesday ... and subsequent days until the Jonathan government listens to the voice of the Nigerian People." Wednesday will mark day 3 of the strike spurred by a government decision that has more than doubled fuel prices in the largely impoverished country. So far, clashes have left at least 16 people dead and 205 injured, according to a tally collected by the Nigerian Red Cross Tuesday. The strike, continued religious violence in the north and a long-simmering separatist movement are all issues that have created growing problems for Jonathan and fueled U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

tensions on the street. The southern state of Edo was a focus for much of the violence, according to the Red Cross figures, with five people killed and 83 injured. "Revolution has come to Nigeria and the youth will spearhead it. Until our demands are met, we are ready to protest every day and make sacrifice," said Eromo Egbejule, a Nigerian freelance journalist. In a recent address, Jonathan tried to explain the need for the end of subsidies, telling Nigerians that the government would invest the money in the country's crumbling infrastructure. "My fellow Nigerians, the truth is that we're faced with two basic choices with regards to the management of the petroleum sector," Jonathan said. "Survive economically or continue with a subsidy regime that will continue to undermine our economy." Some analysts say the changes could help Nigeria in the future. "If they're prepared to try this petroleum subsidy removal then perhaps they can push through electricity reform too. If they do that, Nigeria's growth can be instead of 7%-8% a year, 10% or 11%," said Charlie Robertson, a chief economist at the global investment firm Renaissance Capital. But assurances from the president did not allay fears from many Nigerians who do not trust the government to use the money to improve the country's infrastructure. Many Nigerians view the subsidy as the only benefit of living in an oil-producing country that has little infrastructure, poor roads, high unemployment and intermittent electric power. "Though we know that in the long run, removal of (the) subsidy will help the economy, for now it is a high-profile lifestyle that is unbearable for most Nigerians, and soon the poorer ones will die out," said protester Diane Awunah. ### Swedish journalists held in Ethiopia will not seek appeal; hope for pardon (CNN) http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/10/world/africa/ethiopia-swedishjournalists/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2 11 January 2012 By Per Nyberg The two Swedish journalists convicted as terrorists in Ethiopia have opted to seek a pardon rather than appeal the verdict and their 11-year sentences, a Swedish official said Tuesday. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson were convicted in December by a court in Addis Ababa after being accused of helping the Ogaden National Liberation Front, which Ethiopia has labeled a terrorist organization, and for entering Ethiopia illegally. The decision to try for a pardon "does not mean any change in our view that they were there working as journalists and that they should be released as soon as possible," Kent Oberg, spokesman for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told CNN. Ethiopian troops captured Persson and Schibbye in July during an exchange of gunfire with the rebel group in the Ogaden, a prohibited region along the nation's border with Somalia, according to state media. Sweden reacts to journalist sentencing Swedish journalists get 11 years Swedish journalists jailed in Ethiopia In a short statement provided to CNN by Schibbye's mother, Karin, the two journalists said: "There is a tradition of mercy and forgiveness in Ethiopia and we choose to rely on this tradition." The Swedish Union of Journalists reiterated that Persson and Schibbye were in Ethiopia working as journalists. "It will always be a defeat for press freedom when journalists are prosecuted, imprisoned and convicted when they are performing their job as journalists," Jonas Nordling, president of the Swedish Union of Journalists, said in a statement on the union's website. Karin Schibbye said in a phone call with CNN that this has been a difficult time for the family. "I'm very shaken, but I'm starting to get used to it," she said. "We live day by day. The first big shock came when they were prosecuted. The next devastating moment was when the judge found them guilty of terrorism." She said the two men deny that they were in Ethiopia to support terrorism. "They are innocent. They had no intention of disrupting anything in Ethiopia, no bad intentions at all, but now it is like they are in a trap," she said. "The fact that they chose not to appeal means they now have to figure out exactly how this process of seeking a pardon will work, if they have to admit to the crimes or just apologize." The pair sought "the best possible advice," she said, adding that "most experts have said that seeking a pardon is the best way forward." U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

After the trial, she said, "They felt that their defense arguments didn't have much impact" and "They felt that it was very unlikely that another judge would see it any different." "This may take a long time, but they are ready for it," she said. Karin Schibbye last saw the two journalists just before Christmas, and she said the pair feels that they have great support from home. "They are happy that their case has put a spotlight on press freedom and human rights in Ethiopia and that their ordeal isn't in vain." Schibbye and Persson are being held under harsh circumstances at the Kality prison, Karin Schibbye told CNN. "The prison is divided into zones with about 1,000 people in each zone," she said. "In each zone there are small huts, with between 150 and 250 people in each, where they are locked up at night. In each hut there are only about 100 beds, so most people sleep on the bare floor. At one point Martin told me there were so many prisoners in the hut that they had to sleep stacked next to each other on the floor." But now Schibbye and Persson have advanced in the prison's "inner hierarchy," Karin Schibbye said, and they share a bed that is 90 centimeters wide. "They have also sewn, like, a tent to give them a little bit of privacy," she said. "But the light is never turned off and it is never quiet at night, so I think that is the hardest thing for them." The men have put themselves on a daily schedule of eating and exercising to try to stay healthy," she said. "But there is no room to exercise, so they jump up and down right where they are to at least do something." The family is paying a hotel across the street to bring them lunch packets each day, "and we've given them some dry food to cook at night," she said. "But they have to hang it up in the roof so that the rats don't eat it. ... We should have given them metal cans instead of plastic ones since the rats can eat through the plastic cans." Schibbye and Persson have also persuaded the prison warden to allow them to start setting up a library in the prison, she said. "Now every time we go down there from now on we will bring a suitcase full of English books. So if anyone wants to help out and send down English books to their new library that would be great," Karin Schibbye told CNN. When the process of seeking a pardon can start is still unclear, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. ### U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

Deaths in Nigeria as tensions sharpen (Al Jazeera) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/20121102242998110.html 11 January 2012 Eight people killed in the north and an Islamic school burnt down in the south, as a fuel strike rattles the country. Gunmen have shot eight people dead in northern Nigeria and a mob torched an Islamic school in the south, as a nationwide fuel strike and growing religious tension rattled Africa's top oil producer. The two-day general strike has not yet affected oil output but it has paralysed the country, already battling a brutal campaign by Boko Haram, an Islamist group who are suspected to be behind the gunning down of eight people in a pub on Tuesday. A doctor in Potiskum, a town in the northern state of Yobe, said eight bodies were brought to the mortuary after gunmen stormed a pub and opened fire before speeding away on a motorcycle. "The bodies included five policemen, a bartender, a customer and a 10-year-old girl," the doctor said. The police confirmed the shooting but did not provide a casualty toll. Earlier, attackers burnt part of the central mosque complex in the southern city of Benin, where clashes earlier killed five, bringing to 11 the number of people killed in incidents related to the strike over two days. "We have recorded so far five deaths -- on both sides, those that have been attacked and the attackers," said Dan Enowoghomwenwa, secretary-general of the Nigerian Red Cross in Edo state, told AFP news agency. He said 10,000 people were also displaced by the violence. Witnesses said an Islamic school adjacent to the mosque was burnt on Tuesday as was a bus parked next to it. The attacks in Benin started on Monday amid street protests against soaring fuel prices, when a crowd separated from the main demonstration to attack another mosque and terrorised residents of mainly Hausa neighbourhoods. Hausas are the largest ethnic group in Nigeria's north and are overwhelmingly Muslim. The Red Cross official could not specify who was behind the attacks, only saying there were "indigenes" targeting northerners. The attacks blamed on the Boko Haram have raised tensions between Christians and U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

Muslims. Africa's most populous nation is roughly divided between a predominantly Christian south and mainly Muslim north. Fuel protests Nigerians took to the streets in growing numbers against a sharp increase in petrol prices, increasing pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan to reverse his removal of fuel subsidies on January 1 that more than doubled petrol prices to at least $3.50 per gallon. Many citizens see the fuel subsidy as their only welfare benefit. Tuesday's protests were bigger than those on Monday in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, and in the capital, Abuja.

But Jonathan's resolve in the face of the kind of protests that have derailed past attempts to scrap the fuel subsidy showed no sign of weakening. Activists wore shirts bearing symbols for a loose-knit group called "Occupy Nigeria", inspired by those near Wall Street in New York. Anger extended to government corruption in Nigeria, a nation beset by politicians and military rulers who have stolen billions of dollars in oil revenues over the years. Protesters also demanded a stronger government response to ongoing religious violence in Nigeria that, according to an Associated Press news agency count, killed at least 510 people last year alone. ### Kampala shops shut over Uganda interest rates (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16508825 11 January 2012 Businesses in Uganda's capital, Kampala, have closed their shops and are boycotting banks to protest at high interest rates. Uganda's central bank raised rates last year when inflation hit more than 20%. Shopkeepers in Kampala say interest rates of up to 27% are crippling their businesses. A BBC correspondent says most shops are closed, leaving customers who travel to Kampala from across east Africa unable to stock up. The Kampala City Traders' Association - which called the strike after two days of negotiations with the government broke down - say shops will stay closed for three days. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

"We are not saying they should not increase interest rates," the traders' spokesperson Isa Ssekito told the BBC's Network Africa programme. "What we are saying is that they should not increase rates on old loans," he said. Business owners also say for the next three days they will withdraw all their savings from commercial banks and stop making any deposits into their accounts. The Bank of Uganda increased its base rate last year in response to soaring inflation, prompting banks to increase rates on new and old loans and pushing up the cost of doing business. Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi says the government is looking at ways to help people struggling to repay loans because of the rate hikes, but says striking may aggravate the problem. "I don't think striking will save [traders'] property; I don't think striking will save your business," Mr Mbabazi told the BBC. "In fact, striking will hurt you and hurt all of us as a country," he added. The BBC's Ignatius Bahizi in Kampala says hundreds of people are standing around on street corners, with the police monitoring the situation. Kampala is an east African trading hub and many of the people unable to shop have come from other parts of Uganda, as well as eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. City traders have used this tactic before, in July last year, to protest over the country's weakened currency and the presence of cheap goods in Chinese shops. ### Israel adopts harsher penalties for African migrants (San Francisco Chronicles) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/10/MNPK1MNABQ.DTL 11 January 2012 By Amy Teibel, Associated Press Israel's parliament on Tuesday approved harsh new penalties on illegal migrants and Israelis who help them, building on other contentious measures designed to stanch the flood of Africans seeking sanctuary here. The bill allows imprisonment of illegal migrants for an unlimited time without trial. People caught helping them could face prison terms of up to 15 years. Critics deplore the new law as an unconstitutional trampling of human rights. They U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

accuse the government of failing to formulate a coherent, humane policy on illegal migration that would address an issue that has become increasingly urgent over the years.

"I am not familiar with a Western country that allows such a law," said Asaf Weipzen, a lawyer for the Hotline for Migrant Workers, an advocacy group. Detentions in other countries are finite, and the European Union, for example, has an 18-month limit on incarceration, Weipzen said. Africans began trickling into Israel through its porous southern border with Egypt's Sinai desert after Egyptian security forces violently quashed a demonstration by a group of Sudanese refugees in 2005. The number of migrants surged as word spread of safety and job opportunities in the relatively prosperous Jewish state. The government estimates 50,000 Africans - the overwhelming majority from Sudan and Eritrea - have illegally entered Israel since. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called the swelling number of illegal migrants a "national scourge," voted for the bill. His spokesman, Mark Regev, called the legislation part of a "multi-tiered strategy to deal with the challenge of illegal immigration to Israel." He would not comment on critics' concerns about the new law. Israel already has repatriated hundreds of Africans and Netanyahu has said he would explore the possibility of repatriating others when he visits Africa this year. Last month, the Cabinet voted to finance a $160 million program to finish building a 150mile border fence along the Egyptian border and expand detention facilities to hold thousands of new arrivals. Employers who hire illegal migrants now face stiffened fines of up to $18,000. Migrant advocates contend the Africans are bona fide refugees and should be granted asylum. ### Arab Spring momentum in Middle East, North Africa (Reuter) http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/11/us-mideast-springidUSTRE80A0RX20120111 11 January 2012 (Reuters) - Here are the latest details of the revolts in the Middle East and North Africa and their aftermath: EGYPT: A final phase of voting began on Tuesday in elections to the lower house, with U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

Islamists emerging as major winners. - Banned under ousted President Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood has said Egyptians of all persuasions will have their say. They say the ruling military council must stick to the timetable for ceding power but also indicated it would not immediately seek to replace a council-appointed government. - Some presidential powers were handed to prime minister, Kamal al-Ganzouri, whose cabinet was sworn in on December 7. - Mubarak is still on trial, accused of conspiring to kill protesters; 850 people were killed in the uprising that ended on February 11 with Mubarak stepping down. A judge on Tuesday gave lawyers until February 16 to make their cases in the trial. YEMEN: Yemen's cabinet proposed a immunity law on January 8 to speed President's Ali Abdullah Saleh exit from office in line with a Gulf-brokered plan to end protests that paralyzed the country for most of 2011. - Saleh signed the deal in November, having backed out of it three times before, but questions remain over the intentions of the veteran leader, who last week said he would stay in Yemen, reversing a pledge to travel to the United States. - Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi issued a decree on December 7, paving the way for a unity government to be sworn in to prepare for the presidential election set for February 21, 2012. - Gunmen, believed to be militants linked to al Qaeda, attacked a minibus carrying intelligence officers in southern Yemen on Wednesday, an official and medics said, killing at least one person before fleeing. - Washington and Riyadh are keen for the power transfer deal to work, fearing that a power vacuum may give militants space to thrive near key oil and cargo shipping lanes in the Red Sea. BAHRAIN: A Bahraini appeal court has ordered the retrial of two men sentenced to death for running over and killing two policemen during the 2011 pro-democracy protests. - Bahrain remains in crisis after the Sunni Muslim monarchy repressed the protests led by majority Shi'ites by force. Demonstrators continue to clash daily with police in small protests in the Gulf island state. - The government has now proposed giving more powers to the elected chamber and allowing it to question ministers, as part of constitutional reforms following the protests. - The proposed reforms were the result of talks between some of Bahrain's opposition and U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

pro-government groups which began in July, aimed at healing the rifts opened the protests and the government response. Bahrain's largest Shi'ite opposition group Wefaq withdraw from the "national dialogue." LIBYA: Libya risks sliding into civil war unless it cracks down on the rival militias which filled the vacuum left by Muammar Gaddafi's downfall, the head of the interim administration said after an outbreak of violence in Tripoli. - Months after the anti-Gaddafi fighters captured and killed the former dictator, Libya's new rulers are still struggling to exert their authority as rival militia leaders refuse to cede control of their fighters and hand in their arms. TUNISIA: An uprising in January 2011 forced Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to leave Tunisia after almost 24 years in power, sparking the "Arab Spring" revolts that swept the Middle East. - But the protests and strikes that followed forced some businesses to close and drove away foreign tourists, on whom Tunisia relies for much of its revenue. ### Assessing Obamas Africa Policy, Looking at 2012 and Beyond (Voice of America) http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Butty-Africa-Obama-Second-TermKimenyi-11january12-137073473.html 11 January 2012 By James Butt The Washington-based Brookings Institution said Africa, to benefit from development opportunities in 2012, must prioritize regional integration efforts and manage a growing youth population. The public policy organization said the continent will have to increase the profile of organizations, such as the African Union, to sustain advancements in public health and increase the African voice in global governance. Wednesday, the groups Africa Growth Initiative hosts a discussion to identify top priorities for Africa for the coming year and beyond. Senior Fellow Mwangi Kimenyi, director of the Africa Growth Initiative, said, if reelected in November, President Barack Obama must take a pro-active policy position that encourages more engagement with Africa. What we are seeing is sort of what we may call a decline of the United States in Africa because it is being edged out slowly by China, Brazil, Russia, and others. And so, we would like to see President Obama take a very pro-active policy position with regards to Africa, he said. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

Kimenyi said Obama, in his first term, maintained funding for programs initiated and promoted by his predecessor, George W. Bush, including HIV and AIDS treatment and research funding. He also said while the president introduced his own initiatives, such as the Feed the Future program and the Global Climate Initiative, such initiatives are small in scale and scope. In a recent opinion article in the British Guardian newspaper, Kimenyi argued that, if Obama is re-elected, he should advocate for more U.S. investment in Africa. He said US and African economies would benefit by prioritizing trade and investment over foreign aid. I have to say that the president has done well in terms of programs like food and health. But, what Africa needs is economic growth. Africa needs to create jobs and get out of this idea of dependence, and we think that the best way to do that is through investment, Kimenyi said. He said, while aid is important, partnerships based on trade, investment, and joint ventures are much more important. Kimenyi said the US must do more to combat what he calls its declining commercial relationship in Africa and Chinas growing influence. The US has been a partner in Africa in terms of investment and development programs. But, when you compare what has happened in the last five to ten years, what you see is that China has literally invaded Africa in all aspects. So, if you compare Chinas rise in Africa in terms of involvement, you find that actually the United States influence in Africa, particularly commercial relations, is declining, he said. Obama visited Egypt and Ghana soon after he was elected in 2008. Kimenyi said, if reelected, the president should visit a number of Africa countries, this time accompanied by business executives What we would like to see is that he should visit several African countries; he should not go there with just government officials; he should go there with investors, he said. He said the priorities will remain the same whether Obama is re-elected or not. We have looked at these priorities from the perspective of Africa. So, whoever is elected as president, what we want [is to] engage Africa, what we want to communicate is that Africa is not a basket case; Africa should not been seen from the eyes of just aid. We should look at Africa as an opportunity for the United States to grow, Kimenyi said. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

He said Obama still has a chance to leave a US legacy in Africa, particularly if he follows the vision he articulated for the continent during his 2008 visit. ### Hungry African leaders 'had to buy own food' at ANC centenary celebrations (The Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/11/african-leaders-nandos-anccentenary?newsfeed=true 11 January 2012 By David Smith in Johannesburg They are often accused of living like kings while their impoverished peoples suffer. Not this time, it would seem. African leaders who attended last weekend's centenary celebrations of the African National Congress (ANC) had to embark on some hasty shopping when they found no food or bedding at their accommodation, according to a newspaper report. Such was the indignity that the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, was apparently forced to dispatch security guards to fetch him some grilled chicken from Nando's. The heads of state, including some of the continent's most feared autocrats, were "angry and disappointed" by the gaffe, an article in Volksblad said. But the South African government disputes the report and says it has received no complaints. It did acknowledge, however, that Museveni may have decided to order food in addition to that provided. There was no shortage of logistical hiccups during the events in Bloemfontein marking 100 years of Africa's oldest liberation movement. More than 40 heads of state were put up at the Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate on the edge of the city which might have proved less luxurious than it first appeared. "The leaders allegedly had to buy their own bedding, food, pots, pans, glasses and bottled water because the ANC had ordered the owners of the houses it rented at Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate to remove all their possessions," Volksblad claimed. "There was apparently only liquor provided." At least 15 women hired as housekeepers, waitresses and cleaners at the estate came forward to reveal how foreign dignitaries were treated, the paper said. Mampho Mmelaedi, who was working at the house used by Museveni, was quoted as saying: "Ugandan officials had to leave Woodlands to go and buy duvets, food and other necessities for the president as there was a bed without linen." Motladi Metsing added: "Namibian officials went to buy food, pots, plates and glasses to cook for the president. I could see he was angry and disappointed." U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

Kenalemang Pula claimed the Nigerian delegation arrived on Sunday morning and had packed their bags by lunchtime. And President Thomas Boni of Benin allegedly "stormed out" of Woodlands Hills immediately. Paul Kagame from Rwanda, Teodoro Obiang from Equatorial Guinea, Bingu wa Mutharika from Malawi and Namibia's Hifikepunye Pohamba were also denied the hospitality to which they have become accustomed, Volksblad added. "They kept asking us if we worked for the ANC or for the South African government," one of the women told the paper. "Understandably, they kept shouting at us. We were embarrassed to be there." Around 55 houses owned by private individuals had been rented out for an estimated 50,000 rand (3,997) a day. Valentine Rantsoareng, joint owner of the Rantsoareng hotel group, which was contracted to equip the houses, denied there had been a failure. "I think people who make these allegations are somewhat dissatisfied because they haven't been paid yet, but I have only now received the receipt for it," he told Volksblad. He added that some of the heads of state had deviated from the menu and "asked for chicken". A spokesman for Nando's said: "The Nando's restaurant in question was very busy throughout the weekend. Although a number of VIPs, dignitaries and security personnel purchased meals from the franchise during this time, neither the franchisee nor Nando's South Africa can confirm that they were linked to the Ugandan president." The South African government denied it had committed a diplomatic blunder. Clayson Monyela, South Africa's spokesman for international relations, said: "We don't know what these people are referring to. The African heads of state in Bloemfontein were looked after in terms of the standard protocol courtesies extended to heads of state. "We have not received any official complaint from any of them. Some of them stayed over until Monday and had bilateral meetings with President [Jacob] Zuma. This is just a malicious thing and we don't know where it came from." He added: "They may have requested one or two things that were not provided in the standard hospitality. It's not unexpected. If President Zuma wants something that isn't provided he sends his staff out to get it. That's standard." The ANC's centenary celebrations were marred by technical hitches: accreditation was chaotic for many; a golf tournament teed off late after a mix-up over the deputy president's diary. African heads of state missed Zuma lighting the "centenary flame" in the church where the ANC was founded because they arrived well after midnight. The president had to U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

request a recap from the chaplain on their behalf before all returned to a gala dinner that overran until 3am. Thousands of ANC supporters who travelled to a birthday rally were angry when they were locked out of the stadium, which emptied long before the event was over. ### S.Africa's Transnet launches $2.9 bln fuel pipeline (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/11/safrica-transnet-idUSL6E8CA5NL20120111 11 January 2012 By Agnieszka Flak HEIDELBERG, South Africa Jan 11 (Reuters) - South African logistics group Transnet started operating a new multi-product fuel pipeline on Wednesday, the company's single biggest capital project to date, although it will take until 2013 to reach intended capacity. The 24-inch pipeline running over 550 km replaces an old 12-inch multi-product line from Durban to Johannesburg, built in 1965, which is nearing the end of its life. The line will help supply fuel to South Africa's Gauteng province, the country's economic hub. "(The new pipeline) is the greenest, safest and most cost-effective method of fuel delivery," Chief Executive Brian Molefe said at the launch. "It will ensure that the inland market demand is met ... (and) ease road congestion by reducing the number of tankers on our roads." The entire project includes the pipeline, a network of smaller inland pipelines, pump stations and associated terminals at a total cost of around 23.4 billion rand ($2.9 billion), more than double an initial forecast of 11.1 billion rand. Until all terminals are completed, Transnet will only be able to use the new pipeline at half capacity and send only diesel, while the old line will be used to send other products. Once all facilities are ready in 2013, the new line will carry petrol, diesel and jet fuel at a capacity of a million litres per hour, which can be tripled to meet rising demand over the following two decades via modular expansions. Molefe said he was confident there would be no further cost escalations to the project. The pipeline is expected to operate for 75 to 80 years, he added. Transnet was granted a 59.9 percent increase in fuel pipeline tariffs for 2011/12 to help pay for the project, and the logistics group applied for another 22 percent increase in tariffs for the 2012/13 financial year to help cover the costs. ($1 = 8.1163 South African U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office  +49(0)711-729-2687  AFRICOMPAO@africom.mil

rand) ###

END REPORT

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