United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

1 April 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Pentagon eyeing drone shift to aid Somalia (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON, DC — The Pentagon is considering dispatching surveillance drones
and other limited military support for a Somali government offensive against al-Qaida-
linked insurgents, U.S. officials said, part of a cautious move to increase U.S. assistance
to the anarchic African nation.

U.S. embassy in Nigeria raises security alert status (Reuters)

ABUJA, Nigeria – The United States embassy in Nigeria said Wednesday it had raised
its security alert status because of "continuing worldwide terrorist threats against U.S.
citizens."

Hundreds arrested in bid to counter poverty-fuelled crime wave (France 24)

NIGER - Niger authorities arrested 618 suspects in raids aimed at curbing a crime wave
in the capital, Niamey, where residents say serious food shortages and severe poverty
have led to a surge in crime.

US, Britain, Norway urge 'credible' Sudan vote (AFP)

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States, Britain and Norway on Wednesday jointly
urged all sides in Sudan to work for credible elections, voicing concern about
impediments to the polls slated to begin April 11.

NSE, SEC Partner U.S. SEC to Promote Transparency, Regulatory Efficiency

(Vanguard)
The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) is set to partner with the United States' Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) to ensure transparency and effective organisation of the Nigerian capital market.

U.S Collaborates with Country, Ippan to Generate 10,000mw by 2010 (Vanguard)

The American Ambassador to Nigeria, Robin R. Sanders has disclosed that the U.S.
Government is collaborating with the government and with the Independent Power
Providers Association of Nigeria (IPPAN) to implement one of its top priorities,
increasing electricity generation to 10.000 megawatts by 2011.
Central African Republic elections set for May (Associated Press)
BANGUI, Central African Republic – The president of Central African Republic says
elections in the world's second poorest nation will be held May 16.

Ruling means Kenyan leaders could face charges (CNN)

NAIROBI,Kenya - Pretrial judges at the International Criminal Court on Wednesday
authorized a prosecutor to investigate Kenya's bloody post-election violence, a move
that could lead to key leaders facing charges at The Hague.

Zimbabwe: New Charge in Terror Trial (New York Times)

More than a year after Roy Bennett, one of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s closest
allies, was put on trial for terrorism-related offenses, the attorney general’s office has
notified him that he will face a new charge of hoarding maize nine years ago, Mr.
Bennett’s party, the Movement for Democratic Change, reported Wednesday.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
• Ban names new head for UN mission in Chad and Central African Republic
• ICC gives green light for probe into Kenya’s post-election violence
• Outbreak of Rift Valley fever affecting humans in South Africa – UN agency
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, April 2; 10:00 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: US Institute of Peace: Previewing Sudan’s Upcoming Elections
WHO: Linda Bishai, senior program officer at USIP; John Ryle, Legrand Ramsey professor of
anthropology at Bard College; Khalid Mustafa Medani, professor of political science and islamic
studies at McGill University; and Jon Temin, senior program officer at USIP.
Info: http://fpc.state.gov/events/124194.htm

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, April 2; 9:00 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies: Religion and Politics in
Africa
WHO: Various Africa experts will discuss this topic during a daylong conference. Peter Lewis,
director of the SAIS African Studies Program, will deliver opening remarks.
Info: http://www.sais-jhu.edu/calendar
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Pentagon eyeing drone shift to aid Somalia (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON, DC — The Pentagon is considering dispatching surveillance drones

and other limited military support for a Somali government offensive against al-Qaida-
linked insurgents, U.S. officials said, part of a cautious move to increase U.S. assistance
to the anarchic African nation.
U.S. diplomats are pressing Somali leaders to detail the goals of the looming assault, in
order to figure out the most appropriate ways the U.S. can help.

Determined to avoid a visible American footprint on the ground or fingerprints on

Somalia's shaky government, U.S. officials are struggling to find the right balance
between seizing the opportunity to take out al-Qaida insurgents there and avoiding the
appearance of a U.S. occupation.

Any U.S. moves in Somalia are haunted by the disastrous 1993 U.S. military assault into
the Somali capital — made famous in the book and movie "Black Hawk Down." The
strike left 18 U.S. soldiers dead.

American diplomats have been meeting in Kenya with leaders of Somalia's embattled
government, urging them to think beyond military objectives and focus more on
improving their governing.

U.S. officials want the Somali government to determine how to provide services to its
people once the fighting is over, and work to gain support among more moderate
groups.

While American diplomats are huddling with the Somalis in the U.S. Embassy in
Nairobi, Pentagon leaders are preparing a range of options to help boost Somalia's weak
security forces.

One proposal would move surveillance drones to the Horn of Africa from an island in
the Seychelles, where several unarmed Reaper systems were sent last fall for counter-
piracy operations in the western Indian Ocean. The move would represent a more
enduring U.S. commitment, which also would be largely invisible to the population.

Armed versions of the pilotless aircraft have been used to tail and fire missiles at
militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq, but the U.S. has also used them in Yemen to
monitor insurgents from the air.

U.S. defense and Western diplomatic officials spoke about the deliberations on
condition of anonymity because final decisions have not been made.

While administration officials said that sending U.S. troops into the embattled country
is not seen as a viable option, they say they are not ruling out the use of small numbers
of U.S. commandos when necessary for specific operations — much as they have done
in the past.

Right now, however, there are no American military advisers in Somalia assisting the
government there, and the U.S. is not managing or planning any of the military
operations. Officials said the Somali government has not yet made any specific request
for military aid.

"This is not an American conflict," Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson told
reporters in a recent briefing. "It will be up to the Somalis to ultimately resolve this
conflict. The U.S., along with others in the international community, can contribute in a
supporting role, which we do and acknowledge, but not to become directly engaged in
any of the conflict on the ground there."

Officials are concerned that any taint of U.S. interference or direct military support will
only fuel the Somali insurgency. Over the past year or two, al-Shabab has grown from a
clan-based collection of militants to a terror organization more closely aligned with al-
Qaida.

U.S. officials have become increasingly concerned that battle-hardened al-Qaida

insurgents are moving out of havens along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border into
Somalia, where vast ungoverned spaces allow them to train and mobilize recruits
without interference. Officials also warn that militants frequently cross the Gulf of
Aden, moving between Yemen and Somalia.

At the same time, young Somalis have traveled from the United States back to Somalia
to fight with the insurgents, stoking fears that they could return to plot attacks in the
U.S.

The bulk of U.S. aid that has recently been sent to Somalia has been delivered to
Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti. Several African nations have pledged forces to the
African Union's peacekeeping force in Somalia, known as AMISOM, and there are now
more than 5,000 troops stationed in the country.

But in several previous operations the U.S. has provided intelligence and surveillance
information, and — as recently as last September — delivered a surgical strike against a
convoy that reportedly killed powerful insurgent Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan.

The Somalis have been saying for months that government troops will soon launch an
offensive against al-Shabab in an effort to expand the government's area of control. But
widespread problems, including corrupt officials and a lack of supplies, have delayed
the launch.

Urged on by Osama bin Laden, al-Shabab is trying to topple Somalia's government and
install a strict form of Islam.
--------------------
U.S. embassy in Nigeria raises security alert status (Reuters)
ABUJA, Nigeria – The United States embassy in Nigeria said Wednesday it had raised
its security alert status because of "continuing worldwide terrorist threats against U.S.
citizens."

An email sent to Americans living in Nigeria did not give details of the threats.

"Due to continuing worldwide terrorist threats against U.S. citizens, U.S. government
facilities, and U.S. interests, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria, which includes the U.S.
Embassy in Abuja and the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, has increased its alert
status," the notice said.
--------------------
Hundreds arrested in bid to counter poverty-fuelled crime wave (France 24)
NIGER - Police in Niger have rounded up 618 suspects in a bid to crack down on rising
crime in the country, a police officer said on Wednesday.

"Operation Punch" carried out in several areas is aimed at eradicating banditry and
robbery which has increased sharply in the capital," the police official told AFP on
condition of anonymity.

The swoop was "unrelated" to the recent arrests of a dozen close aides of Niger ex-
president Mamadou Tandja, including former ministers, for allegedly plotting against
the new authorities who ousted him in February, the source said.

About 600 members of security forces were drafted for Monday night's operation
combing through crime hotspots in Niamey, has seen a surge in robberies in recent
weeks.
--------------------
US, Britain, Norway urge 'credible' Sudan vote (AFP)

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States, Britain and Norway on Wednesday jointly

urged all sides in Sudan to work for credible elections, voicing concern about
impediments to the polls slated to begin April 11.

"We urge all parties in Sudan to work urgently to ensure that elections can proceed
peacefully and credibly in April," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, British Foreign
Secretary David Miliband and Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Store said in a joint
statement.

"We are deeply concerned by reports of continued administrative and logistical

challenges, as well as restrictions on political freedoms," they said.

The April 11-13 vote is slated to be the first multi-party election in the vast nation in 24
years.
Earlier Wednesday, Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir ruled out any delay as he held a
political rally.

The US, British and Norwegian foreign ministers said that the election should be a
"major milestone" in the 2005 agreement that ended more than two decades of north-
south civil war.

"We urge all parties in Sudan and all regional and international partners to work
together to achieve the peaceful future that the people of Sudan deserve," they said.

Britain was formerly the colonial power in Sudan, while Norway is a major provider of
aid.
--------------------
NSE, SEC Partner U.S. SEC to Promote Transparency, Regulatory Efficiency
(Vanguard)

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) is set to partner with the United States' Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) to ensure transparency and effective organisation of the Nigerian capital market.

Speaking during the visit of officials of US SEC to the NSE, Monday, Director-General
of the NSE, Professor (Mrs.) Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke stated that the regulators and
operators in the Nigerian capital market stands to gain a lot from the partnership and
will explore the opportunities presented by the alliance to ensure the growth of the
market.

She stated that the officials of the US SEC, who is on a one week visit to the country are
expected to hold talks with the NSE, SEC and operators in the market, on ways to
promote transparency and development of the market.

She noted that the visitors are expected to present innovative ideas to Nigeria's SEC and
other regulators to ensure effective regulation, promote transparency and proper
surveillance of the Nigerian capital market.

She said, "I believe that at the end of the visit, Nigeria's SEC will be better off, especially
as the visit will afford SEC the opportunity of learning new ideas that will help them in
their regulation of the market.

Meanwhile, Total Nigeria Plc, in its audited report for the 2009 financial year, is
proposing a dividend of N8.28 per share for its shareholders.

This was in spite of the 9.67 per cent drop in its profit after tax to N3.97 billion
compared to a profit after tax of N4.4 billion recorded in its 2008 financial year. Its
turnover rose by 0.65 per cent to N178.75 billion compared with a turnover of N177.41
billion recorded in 2008.
--------------------
U.S Collaborates with Country, Ippan to Generate 10,000mw by 2010 (Vanguard)

The American Ambassador to Nigeria, Robin R. Sanders has disclosed that the U.S.
Government is collaborating with the government and with the Independent Power
Providers Association of Nigeria (IPPAN) to implement one of its top priorities,
increasing electricity generation to 10.000 megawatts by 2011.

Besides this, their help in the energy sector also includes providing capacity building
assistance to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and a grant by
the U.S. Government Agency, USTDA, of $162.000 to assist IHS Nigeria, a local
company that manufactures towers for cellular, microwave, and radio uses to improve
its efforts to evaluate energy alternatives, for renewable energy solutions, and in the
ICT sector.

Robins said this through an agreement he signed last week and through the Nigerian
Energy and Climate Change project, a U.S. Government effort to help Nigeria generate
clean power, generate power from flared gas, and assist independent wind and solar
firms to develop bankable investments.

He further affirmed that they are working with the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN)
Information Technology department to help on cyber-security solutions and security
best practices in the banking sector and Nigeria being the largest agribusiness market in
Sub-Saharan Africa for the United States. They are working to deepen U.S. Nigeria
agribusiness tie through trade and development programs. Each year, hundreds of
Nigerian agribusinesses participate in industry-specific events in the United States to
source products, services, and technical know-how for their operations.

According to him, "We support and sponsor various agricultural technical exchanges
between U.S. and Nigerian institutions through programs including USDA's fellowship
and faculty exchange programs. These offer short-term agricultural training
opportunities for mid-level managers from the government and NGOs.

As part of the U.S. $25 million Global Food Security Program for Nigeria, we are
working with federal, state, and private sector institutions to build capacity in
agricultural productivity, markets, linkages, and building agricultural yields in cassava,
rice, and cow peas. Nigeria's agricultural future is vital to this country's well-being, and
I am pleased that I have had an opportunity to meet with Nigerian farmers all over
Nigeria to see how our technical assistance has helped farmers to produce protein
enriched cassava and cow pea flour, and better rice.
Recently in Ogun State, I visited an innovative public-private partnership between Ekha
Agro and the U.S. Government through USAID which is helping over 1,000 Nigerian
cassava farmers produce glucose from cassava, the first agro-business of its kind in
Nigeria and the first in all of West Africa. Small scale farmers will double their
productivity and increase their net incomes by over 150 percent thanks to better yields
and higher prices. In Benue's Olam farm, we have also helped a 200_member farmers'
cooperative improve rice yields and increase exports.

In Ondo State, an agro-business is making cassava flakes for export. All of these projects
are using, and are advancing with U.S.-funded technical assistance and capacity
building. I know this audience is primarily filled with business persons active in the
dynamic commercial sector of Lagos. But it doesn't mean that your voices should not be
heard at this crucial political time for Nigeria. You know as well as I do that investment
and economic growth don't like uncertainty, so what is going on now politically in
either the short term or the long term does affect your interests so your voices need to
be heard. That being said, the U.S. Government wants to assure you that we support the
democratic efforts to find a way out of these uncharted waters.

We are still your friend and I speak today as a friend of the nation. So I want to tell you
some of the things we are still doing to be helpful and supportive during this critical
time, in the areas of energy, banking. ICT and agriculture. I know these are uncertain
political times for Nigeria, as your Acting President needs your support in ensuring
Nigeria's democracy not only continues to mature but also so that the country remains
stable. The U.S. Government cares deeply about Nigeria, Not only how it is doing as a
nation, but where it is going, and how it is planning to get there.

We wish you success as you continue to chart a way forward during these uncertain
political times as you decide as a nation how to address the issues at hand, from the
dignity for an ailing President to reports that a small group is being less than
transparent about his status. Your Acting President needs the support of the entire
nation at this time to ensure that the way forward for Nigeria is not only democratic
and maintains unity of purpose, but also inspires the right actions on election reform
and addressing the fundamental areas of development particularly in the Niger Delta,
and including encouraging more transparency in the Petroleum Industry and Local
Content Bills for the energy sector." He said.
--------------------
Central African Republic elections set for May (Associated Press)

BANGUI, Central African Republic – The president of Central African Republic says
elections in the world's second poorest nation will be held May 16.

A decree read on national radio Tuesday said that the election was being changed from
April 25 because the international community said the vote could not be organized in
time.
President Francois Bozize said that campaigning will run from May 3-14.

The mineral-rich country that borders Sudan's troubled Darfur region has been plagued
by military revolts and other uprisings since independence from France in 1960.

The top U.N. envoy to Central African Republic has said that the upcoming election and
disarming of rebel groups are key to the country's stability.
--------------------
Ruling means Kenyan leaders could face charges (CNN)

NAIROBI,Kenya - Pretrial judges at the International Criminal Court on Wednesday

authorized a prosecutor to investigate Kenya's bloody post-election violence, a move
that could lead to key leaders facing charges at The Hague.

In a 2-1 ruling, the ICC judges said the available information "provides a reasonable
basis to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed on Kenyan
territory."

Kenya's disputed 2007 election between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader
Raila Odinga led to clashes, leaving more than 1,000 dead and displacing hundreds of
thousands.

Kibaki was declared the winner, although Odinga and the opposition, along with many
independent observers, said the vote was rigged.

In his dissenting opinion, Judge Hans-Peter Kaul held that the crimes committed do not
qualify as crimes against humanity.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the court prosecutor, said the decision "means that there will be
no impunity for those most responsible for crimes committed during the post-election
violence."

Investigating and prosecuting leaders responsible for the post-election violence had
been a key part of a deal that set up a coalition government of all political parties.

However, the coalition government, led by Kibaki and Odinga, the prime minister,
missed a September deadline for setting up a tribunal to try suspects involved in
orchestrating the post-election chaos.

After the government missed the deadline, the ICC said it would step in. Moreno-
Ocampo visited Kenya in November and asked judges at the ICC to approve
investigations into the violence.
The issue of prosecuting post-election culprits has sparked public wrangling among the
coalition government. Analysts said the administration has been reluctant to pursue
prosecutions because the chief suspects are senior government officials.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who negotiated the deal that led to the
coalition government, repeatedly has warned the ICC would intervene if a tribunal to
try the suspects was not established.

Annan handed a list of suspects to the ICC in July, a sign he was losing patience with
the delay in the formation of a tribunal.

Kenya's next election is scheduled for late 2012, and some analysts have said they worry
the ICC will not be able to move fast enough to bring perpetrators to trial before then.

The ICC sits at The Hague, the Netherlands.

--------------------
Zimbabwe: New Charge in Terror Trial (New York Times)

More than a year after Roy Bennett, one of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s closest
allies, was put on trial for terrorism-related offenses, the attorney general’s office has
notified him that he will face a new charge of hoarding maize nine years ago, Mr.
Bennett’s party, the Movement for Democratic Change, reported Wednesday. The party
contends that Mr. Bennett is being persecuted by its partner in governing, the ZANU-
PF party of President Robert Mugabe. Mr. Bennett, who is white, is a former
commercial farmer whose land was confiscated. State agents recently blocked him from
collecting his father’s remains from the farm he used to own, his party said. Mr.
Tsvangirai nominated him as deputy agriculture minister, but Mr. Mugabe has refused
to appoint him.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

Ban names new head for UN mission in Chad and Central African Republic
31 March – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today named a veteran United Nations
official as his Acting Special Representative for the UN Mission in the Central African
Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), which was set up over two years ago amid
increasing unrest, partly due to the war in neighbouring Sudan’s Darfur region.

ICC gives green light for probe into Kenya’s post-election violence
31 March – The International Criminal Court (ICC) today granted the prosecutor’s
request to investigate crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Kenya in post-
election ethnic violence two years ago, when some 1,000 people were killed and 300,000
others forced to flee their homes.
Outbreak of Rift Valley fever affecting humans in South Africa – UN agency
31 March – Dozens of farmers, veterinarians and farm workers have been infected with
Rift Valley fever in South Africa, and at least two people have died, the United Nations
World Health Organization (WHO) reported today.