United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

10 May 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

United States Pledges to Help Reform Guinean Army (African Press Agency)
The Deputy Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), Anthony
Holmes, said Friday in Conakry that the United States will spare no effort to support
the electoral process and reform the defense and security forces in Guinea.

US Scott Gration on the Referendum of South Sudan (Sudan Tribune)

USA Special Envoy for Sudan Gen. Scott Gration is vying for the separation of South
Sudan and preparing for the emergence of a new country as an outcome of South Sudan
self determination scheduled to take place in January of 2011.

No quick fix in Northern Uganda (The Hill)

The Northern Uganda Recovery and Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament Act of 2009
opens the door for AFRICOM, the U.S. military command for Africa, to support
military intervention aimed at the LRA. Given the current realities of U.S. foreign
policy, military mechanisms – including AFRICOM – are privileged over diplomatic
avenues or development efforts.

Obama Condoles With The Nation (Daily Champion)

LAGOS, Nigeria — United States (US) President Barack Obama has expressed his
condolences to President Umaru Yar'Adua's family and Nigerians.

EU naval force arrests 11 Somali pirates (Xinhua)

NAIROBI, Kenya - European Union anti-piracy mission said on Saturday its
Netherlands warship has disrupted and arrested 11 Somali pirates and detained three
pirate boats in the middle of Somali Basin.

ICC prosecutor wants to use Kenya as an example (Associated Press)

NAIROBI, Kenya – Investigations by the International Criminal Court into Kenya's
post-election violence should deter other African countries from holding volatile polls,
the court's prosecutor said during a visit to Kenya Saturday.

Leaders criticise African coalition governments (AFP)

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – African leaders on Friday criticised the formation of
coalition governments on the continent following flawed or disputed elections.

Ruling Party Blamed for Death of Opposition Candidate (Reuters)

Ethiopia’s ruling party is accusing the opposition of killing a ruling party candidate in
advance of this month’s national election. The main opposition alliance has denied the
allegation.

Madagascar armed forces step back from interfering (Reuters)

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar - Madagascar's armed forces have rowed back on an
ultimatum given last month to the Indian Ocean island's leader Andry Rajoelina and
said they have no place to influence the make up of a new government.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
• Security Council consults on cutting UN military force in Chad
• UN aid chief highlights ills caused by drought in Niger, conflict in DR Congo
• Somalia: UN official urges armed groups to vacate clinic and allow access for
civilians
• UN condemns killing of peacekeepers in Darfur
• UN agency moves Central African refugees into Chad
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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, May 12, 9:00 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: U.S. Institute of Peace: Seizing the Moment: Media & Peacebuilding
WHO: Dr. Roy Godson, Dr. Richard Shultz, and former Director of Global Outreach for the
National Security Council Kevin McCarty
Info: http://www.usip.org/events/seizing-the-moment-media-peacebuilding

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, May 12, 11:00 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Sudan: A Critical Moment for the CPA,
Darfur, and the Region
WHO: Major General Scott Gration, USAF (Ret.), Special Envoy to Sudan, Department of State
Info: http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/20100512/

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, May 12, 10:00 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: Center for Strategic and International Studies: U.S. Capabilities to Manage Irregular
Conflicts in the 21 Century
WHO: Michel Martin, Moderator, Host, Tell Me More, National Public Radio ; Jared Cohen
Member of the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff, U.S. Department of State; Patricia
Harrison, President and CEO, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Marvin Kalb, Veteran
Broadcaster and Visiting Expert, USIP; Riz Khan, Senior News Anchor, Al Jazeera English;
Gary Knell, President and CEO, Sesame Workshop; Rebecca MacKinnon, Co-Founder, Global
Voices; Mir Ibrahim Rahman, CEO, Geo TV Pakistan; Frank Sesno, Director, School of Media
and Public Affairs
Info: http://csis.org/event/us-capabilities-manage-irregular-conflicts-21-century

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, May 14, 9:30 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: U.S. Institute of Peace: Responsive and Accountable Leadership for a Peaceful and
Prosperous Congo
WHO: Commander of the U.S. Central Command Gen. David Petraeus
Info: http://www.usip.org/events/responsive-and-accountable-leadership-peaceful-and-
prosperous-congo
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FULL ARTICLE TEXT

United States Pledges to Help Reform Guinean Army (African Press Agency)

The Deputy Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), Anthony
Holmes, said Friday in Conakry that the United States will spare no effort to support
the electoral process and reform the defense and security forces in Guinea.

“AFRICOM will follow the policy of the White House and the State Department, and
our task will be to back the restructuring of the army, the police and the judiciary,”
Anthony Holmes said at a press briefing.

He hailed the willingness and commitment of the Guinean authorities and politicians at
all levels to go to presidential polls on 27 June.

Holmes recalled having spoken with the Guinean government on the need to
implement the recommendations made in the investigation report on the armed forces
that General Lamine Cisse, an UN-appointed international expert, presented on 4 May.

The reforms of the Guinean armed forces include keeping defense forces out of politics,
giving them necessary means for good living and existence conditions and the
reintegration of soldiers, officers and privates, as well as holding talks on the judiciary.

The AFRICOM Deputy Commander concluded that he hopes on election day the voters
will vote freely without any constraint, and the election outcome will be accepted by all.
--------------------
US Scott Gration on the Referendum of South Sudan (Sudan Tribune)

By now, there is little doubt on what the USA Special Envoy for Sudan Gen. Scott
Gration wants for South Sudan. He is vying for the separation of South Sudan and
preparing for the emergence of a new country as an outcome of South Sudan self
determination scheduled to take place in January of 2011.
With only seven months left for the referendum, Envoy Gration is running out of time.
Initially, he proposed the South Sudan referendum vote to take place between six to
four months ahead of January 2011, to enable South Sudan get better prepared to
transition into post referendum. The January 9, 2011, would be for formal conduct of
referendum ceremony, which its outcome would have been known way in advance.
Nonetheless, Envoy Gration’s proposed scheduled could not pan out for several
reasons. For one, it met oppositions from partners to the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA), particularly the National Congress Party (NCP). Secondly, the
proposed scheduled could not have happened prior to implementations of other
important benchmarks to the CPA, outstandingly amongst them the elections.

To Envoy Gration, the conduct of Sudan elections was necessary, not so much that it
would be free and fair, but it was necessary as a process of getting to the last stage of
the CPA, which will define the future of Sudan. In other words, the elections are a
springboard for the future transformation of Sudan.

Right after Sudan’s elections results were announced, Envoy Gration rushed into Sudan
to promote for the post elections arrangements. Among his top agenda is the
referendum of South Sudan. His idea of proposing the voting for referendum ahead of
January 2011 has finally prevailed. The Government of South Sudan announced that the
people of South Sudan will go to polls in December of 2010 to vote for the referendum.
The January 9, 2011, will be the date the referendum results is officially announced and
hopefully celebrated.

In all likelihood, Envoy Gration predicts the secession of South Sudan. His challenge
and task is to make the secession as smoothly as possible, without both the North and
South return to another cycle of war. Even more challenging for Envoy Gration is the
sustainability of South Sudan as an impoverished and newly emerging nation—a region
devastated by decades of wars and without basic infrastructure, institutions, and
capacity.

As a solution, Envoy Gration is proposing a “Juba Surge,” a phenomenon that will

enhance capacity building for South Sudan. For example, as far as the USA
administration is concerned, it intends to upgrade its consulate in Juba by sending in an
experienced former ambassador with a purpose of mobilizing necessary resources
worldwide to build and sustain South Sudan as a nation. According to him, the Sudan
problem is a “global problem” that will require a global efforts. In a small way, Envoy
Gration must be credited for mobilizing international attention and support, especially
on CPA implementations. It is asserted that he maintained constant contacts with
Special Envoys to Sudan from around the world, at least weekly. His goal is to make
sure that Sudan ranks at the top ten on world stage, in menu of the globally concerned
nations. This will be the kind of attention and support the independent South Sudan
state will deserve from the global community.
The world cannot afford to see a potentially prosperous nation like South Sudan fails.
Most of South Sudan problems are man made, noticeably, the insecurity. Envoy Gration
recent visit to South Sudan was significant in essence, because he attempted to address
the issue of insecurity. To show the seriousness in this aspect, he traveled to Juba along
with Vicki Huddleston, the USA deputy assistant secretary of defense for Africa at the
Department of Defense.

Despite the relative peace ushered in by the CPA, South Sudan, during the interim
period, experienced violence of unimaginable proportion. There are at least three major
sources of violence; the foreign, Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) of Uganda, the
Khartoum armed forces, and the internal South Sudan ethnic conflicts. The LRA had for
the last two decades roamed South Sudan freely, with the clear intention to abduct, loot,
and kill South Sudanese populace. Up to this day, the LRA are still enjoying their
brutalities in South Sudan, with it civil population bearing their brunt. Since the signing
of the CPA in Jan 2005, Khartoum armed forces have provocatively launched three
major devastating attacks against South Sudan, in Abyei and Malakal towns. The
Khartoum armed forces threats against South Sudan remains one of the major security
concerns that require great deal of attention, especially as secession of South Sudan
looms in the horizon. Last year, the world was shocked with the intensity and scale of
South Sudan ethnic conflicts that its death rate, at that time, surpassed that of Darfur
war ravaged region by far.

All these sources of violence need to be stemmed out. For the LRA, it requires military
strategy that will entail the hunting, capturing and killing of the LRA combatants. The
USA military, AFRICOM can play a greater role in shaping such strategy. The
Khartoum armed forces can be contained through exerted pressure to bear on its
political leadership. Khartoum must be assured that it is not in its interest to initiate a
war in South Sudan when the entire country is about to disintegrate violently. As for
the South Sudanese ethnic violence, the bulk of it rests on the authorities in Juba, with
little support the outside world can offer. However, the international community can
assist to improve the legal, policing, and military capacity of South Sudan. It will help
reduce ethnic conflicts. Although most of the ethnic conflicts in South Sudan have roots
in traditions, in the modern state era, the root causes of these conflicts can be termed
criminals by nature, which are handled through state justice system. Take for example
the cattle rustling, the major cause of ethnic violence; in a modern state justice system, it
is either theft or robbery. The reasons these types of violence blow up is due to lack of
state interventions. In any incidents, only individual or a group of individuals are
involved, and the state has an opportunity to deal with those individuals before the
entire incident spread to involve all. That is why the onus here lies with the government
of South Sudan where its capabilities in law enforcement is necessary, including the use
of military intervention to stop ethnic violence.
--------------------
No quick fix in Northern Uganda (The Hill)
It is critical for Congress to ensure the United States’ actions promote sustainable peace,
reconciliation, and development in the region, rather than further entrench conflict and
insecurity.

Unprecedented legislation has the potential to foster reconciliation and recovery for
Northern Uganda. Or will it repeat past mistakes by inciting new U.S.-backed military
operations?

After twenty-three years of conflict and turmoil at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance
Army (LRA) rebel group, current legislation has the potential to spur development and
promote healing and reconciliation in Northern Uganda. In the acrimonious and hyper-
political atmosphere that has characterized the 111th Congress, the bill has managed to
garner support from both sides of the aisle. As Northern Uganda has been wracked
with numerous violent conflicts since achieving independence, this bipartisanship is
particularly admirable for legislation that addresses long-standing reconstruction and
humanitarian needs for the country and other communities affected by the LRA in
Central Africa.

However, this bill also requires the Obama administration to develop “an interagency
framework to plan, coordinate, and review diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and
military elements of United States policy across the region regarding the Lord’s
Resistance Army.” To many, this seems like a perfectly reasonable policy prescription.
After all, the LRA are responsible for murdering civilians indiscriminately, maiming
victims, and abducting children. As far as rebel groups go, the nature of this conflict has
been as ruthless as they come.

The Northern Uganda Recovery and Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament Act of 2009
opens the door for AFRICOM, the U.S. military command for Africa, to support
military intervention aimed at the LRA. Given the current realities of U.S. foreign
policy, military mechanisms – including AFRICOM – are privileged over diplomatic
avenues or development efforts. Significant budget and personnel disparities, not to
mention political support, favor increasing military might at the cost of disempowering
civilian agencies.

A military operation aimed at the LRA is not a new strategy. After losing patience in a
peace process widely accepted as responsible for Northern Uganda’s current stability,
the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) teamed up with the DRC and South Sudan
armies in late 2008 promising to rout the LRA and free abducted civilians once and for
all. This joint offensive, dubbed Operation Lightning Thunder (OLT), failed to
apprehend top LRA commanders, resulted in vicious backlash attacks on civilians, and
caused the violence to spread to neighboring areas previously not affected, displacing
thousands. This operation marked AFRICOM’s inaugural activity on the continent,
since they provided technical and logistical assistance to the UPDF. Led by Uganda's
President Yoweri Museveni, who favors the use of military might to end the conflict,
OLT was widely condemned as a failure. Further, the UPDF are still receiving
substantial U.S. support to actively pursue the LRA across central Africa.

The UPDF tried in vain to eliminate the LRA through Operation North in 2001 and
again through Operation Iron Fist in 2002. Even the United Nations’ peace-keeping
force in DR Congo (MONUC) targeted the LRA in 2006. The result? Eight MONUC
soldiers were killed, five wounded, and Kony remained at large. Again, the LRA
responded with brutal retaliatory attacks on civilians. Clearly, the military option has
been utilized and has failed every time to apprehend top commanders and demobilize
the rebels.

The bill rightly requires the U.S “to work multilaterally with regional mechanisms,
including the Tripartite Plus Commission and the Great Lakes Pact.” Close coordination
with existing and emerging diplomatic efforts is imperative; civil society must be
consulted at every step. However, the bill concedes the strategy “may include a
classified annex.” It is crucial to demand a non-violent, civilian led effort that protects
civilians and holds the U.S. accountable for its actions in the region. Furthermore, any
action must take into consideration the abducted individuals within the ranks of the
LRA to help foster their safe return to their respective communities.

Since OLT, the LRA have decentralized into small bands of soldiers that operate in three
separate countries. This makes a targeted military option nearly impossible, given
challenging terrain and the number of splintered LRA groups that now operate.
Secondly, the Ugandan government last year arrested individuals accused of organizing
a new rebel group within the country. Additionally, the LRA’s financial supporters
remain unknown. These reasons illustrate that Joseph Kony is no longer the “end all be
all” for both the LRA and the continuation of violence in the region. A quick fix does
not exist.

Previous military failures prove that now is the time to fully utilize the diplomatic and
economic elements of U.S foreign policy. Civilian agencies, rather than AFRICOM,
must take the lead in developing and executing an inter-agency strategy to disarm and
demobilize the LRA and negotiate a comprehensive and holistic solution to the conflict.
It is critical for Congress to ensure that the United States’ actions promote sustainable
peace, reconciliation, and development in the region, rather than further entrench
conflict and insecurity.
--------------------
Obama Condoles With The Nation (Daily Champion)

LAGOS, Nigeria — United States (US) President Barack Obama has expressed his
condolences to President Umaru Yar'Adua's family and Nigerians.
In a statement, he said President Yar'Adua worked to promote peace and stability in
Africa through his support of Nigerian peacekeeping efforts as well as his strong
criticism of undemocratic actions in the region.

"He was committed to creating lasting peace and prosperity within Nigeria's own
borders, and continuing that work will be an important part of honouring his legacy,
the U.S. President added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the national flag at the Nigeria House
in New York was lowered late on Wednesday to mourn the President.

A condolence register has been opened at the Nigeria Mission in New York, which
houses the Consulate and the Nigeria UN Mission staff.

Diplomats and representatives of UN member-states have been calling the country's

Permanent Representative, Prof. Joy Ogwu, to express their condolences.
--------------------
EU naval force arrests 11 Somali pirates (Xinhua)

NAIROBI, Kenya - European Union anti-piracy mission said on Saturday its

Netherlands warship has disrupted and arrested 11 Somali pirates and detained three
pirate boats in the middle of Somali Basin.

EU Naval Force spokesman John Harbour said the naval force's Netherlands warship
Johan de Witt, only 30 nautical miles from the position, was sent to intercept the
suspected pirates on Friday by the Force Commander Jan Thornqvist onboard the Flag
ship HSwMS Carlskrona. "The mother ship and the two skiffs were stopped and,
following a boarding from Dutch marines, evidence of piracy was found," Harbour
said. "In mid-afternoon, HNLMS Johan de Witt found the PAG, consisting of one
Whaler and two skiffs with a total of 11suspected pirates. During the approach, the
suspected pirates were seen throwing material overboard," he said.

Harbour said all 11 pirates were taken on board Johan de Witt as well as the three pirate
boats.

Kenya shares its southern border with Somalia, whose coastline has been infected with
piracy in recent years.

More than 160 pirate attacks were reported in the waters off Somalia from the
beginning of last year.

Pirate attacks off the Somali coast have continued despite the presence of several
warships, deployed by navies of the NATO, the European Union, Russia, China, South
Korea and India, in the region to protect cargo and cruise ships against piracy.
--------------------
ICC prosecutor wants to use Kenya as an example (Associated Press)

NAIROBI, Kenya – Investigations by the International Criminal Court into Kenya's

post-election violence should deter other African countries from holding volatile polls,
the court's prosecutor said during a visit to Kenya Saturday.

Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said the investigations will send out a signal to 15
African countries that are scheduled to hold elections in the next 18 month and
discourage them from violence.

"Kenya will send out a signal to all these elections — if you commit crimes then you go
to the Hague," Moreno Ocampo said.

Moreno Ocampo is in Kenya to investigate the country's 2007-2008 election violence

that killed more than 1,000 people.

The prosecutor has said he believes crimes against humanity were committed during
the violence. Judges at the ICC last month authorized Moreno Ocampo to open an
investigation.

Past elections in Africa have often been plagued by political violence. Ethiopia, which is
to hold elections this month, has struggled with election irregularities and violence,
notably in the aftermath of 2005 general elections when security forces killed 193
protesters. An opposition candidate was stabbed to death in northern Ethiopia in
March.

Rwanda, which is scheduled to hold elections in August, has had a series of explosions
from grenade attacks in the capital in February and March that killed one and injured
scores. Rwandan authorities could not say whether the attacks are related to politics.

Moreno Ocampo said his investigations in Kenya are important to ensure the country
holds peaceful elections in 2012. He said he expects his investigation to take between
the six and seven months.

Upon completing his investigations, Moreno Ocampo said he expects to prosecute no

more than five people — those who are found to bear the most responsibility for the
violence.

He said 30 to 50 witnesses will provide evidence for the charges. Ocampo said the ICC
will provide security for the witnesses.

The Kenyan government has the responsibility to provide security for witnesses whose
lives may be in danger but who are not in the ICC's list, he said.
Several Kenyan witnesses of the 2007-08 violence have said they lack faith in the ability
of Kenya's witness protection program.

Moreno Ocampo said he will not record statements from witnesses during his current
five-day visit in Kenya. He said the purpose of his visit is to meet with victims of the
violence to understand their views and concerns. He also plans to listen to concerns of
the people who think they are suspects in the ICC probe.
--------------------
Leaders criticise African coalition governments (AFP)

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – African leaders on Friday criticised the formation of

coalition governments on the continent following flawed or disputed elections.

Two African countries -- Kenya and Zimbabwe -- are now ruled by power-sharing
governments following contested polls which also sparked political crises.

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga -- named to the post in a 2008 deal with President
Mwai Kibaki whom he accused of rigging his re-election the previous year -- said their
agreement should not be replicated.

"The Kenyan example is not a model to be followed. It is a compromise that has been
reached as a result of a crisis," Odinga said during the World Economic Forum on
Africa being held in Dar es Salaam.

"It is not an example for Africa to follow. Zimbabwe followed because it was seen that
the incumbent has lost and refuses to leave power (and) there is a danger of
disintegration of the state," he added.

South African President Jacob Zuma -- whose predecessor negotiated the Zimbabwe
deal -- defended the agreement, but said lack of implementation was undermining it.

"It is the only route to peace and stability in Zimbabwe," Zuma said. "The problem is at
the level of implementation. You cannot have an agreement and not implement it."

On Thursday, Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said he would not agree
to a coalition government again, terming it a "very painful exercise."

"Would I do this again? I don't think so. I think it is a bad precedent," he explained.

Kenya's Odinga blamed the African Union of failing to instil democracy in its 53
member states.
"It is also the ineffectiveness of the African Union to take the lead and a firm stand on
issues where democracy is in danger," he said.

"That's the reason why we end up with such kind of compromises. They are basically
examples of how not to do it."

Salim Ahmed Salim, former secretary general of the Organisation of African Unity,
since renamed the African Union, criticised Africa's inability to crack down on leaders
who cling to power.

Africa "has been unable to deal decisively with the phenomena of leaders trying to
perch themselves to power perpetually without any possibilities of change," he said.
"Coalition governments are not a solution."
--------------------
Ruling Party Blamed for Death of Opposition Candidate (Reuters)

Ethiopia’s ruling party is accusing the opposition of killing a ruling party candidate in
advance of this month’s national election. The main opposition alliance has denied the
allegation. Both sides have turned up the stepped up rhetoric ahead of the May 23
election -- the first vote in the Horn of Africa country since 2005 when a disputed
election ended with street riots and the jailing of politicians.

An Ethiopian government spokesman, Shimeles Kemal, said on Friday that members of

Medrek, the country’s main opposition coalition, fatally stabbed Itana Idossa a week
ago as he left a meeting. "Police have apprehended suspects, Medrek activists." Mr.
Kemal said. Medrek dismissed the accusation. "The people who killed him have no
connection with us," Merera Gudina, a leader of one of the coalition parties, the Oromo
Peoples’ Congress, said in an interview.

Medrek is seen as the most potent political force challenging the 19-year-old
government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, whose Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary
Democratic Front is expected to win the election comfortably. Last month, a senior
Medrek official, Bulcha Demeksa, said an opposition activist was bludgeoned to death
with a gun butt by members of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front.
The ruling party responded by saying the man died of cancer and vowed to prosecute
Mr. Bulcha. On Thursday, the activist’s man’s father told Voice of America radio station
that his son had been beaten to death by government militia men.
--------------------
Madagascar armed forces step back from interfering (Reuters)

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar - Madagascar's armed forces have rowed back on an

ultimatum given last month to the Indian Ocean island's leader Andry Rajoelina and
said they have no place to influence the make up of a new government.
The army's chief, General Andre Ndriarijoana, who backed Rajoelina's power grab last
year, had given Africa's youngest leader until the end of April to produce an acceptable
road map to end a crisis that has hurt foreign investment.

"It is not our job to define whether this road map is clear ... and if it will allow the
country to exit the crisis. We are only observers," Ndriarijoana told reporters late on
Thursday.

Analysts say that while some military commanders are frustrated at Rajoelina's failure
to end the crisis and restore constitutional order, a military takeover risked deepening
divisions within the armed forces and triggering infighting.

Earlier this week, Rajoelina said he could form a politically "neutral" government after
last-ditch power-sharing talks with ousted leader Marc Ravalomanana and former
Presidents Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy failed.

He did not elaborate on what he meant by neutral but there had been speculation
Rajoelina could include technocrats and military officials or simply members of rival
political parties prepared to work with him.

The army refused to comment on whether its reversal was an endorsement of

Rajoelina's proposal but it appeared to rule out the threat of a military takeover.

Some opposition leaders dismissed Rajoelina's talk of neutrality and said it would be
impossible to organize elections before installing a legitimate, consensus government.

"For us, once again, this is another unilateral initiative which has no legitimate basis,"
Emmanuel Rakotovahiny told Reuters.

Former disc-jockey Rajoelina has said elections should be held by the end of the year
but the constitution must be amended first if he is to run for president. Under the old
charter, the 35-year-old is five years too young to be head of state.

"We think it would be best to organize a constitutional referendum on August 12, 2010,"
Hery Rakatomanana, president of the National Independent Electoral Commission
(CENI), told reporters on Thursday.

International mediators last year brokered a string of power-sharing deals, but the bitter
political rivals could not agree how to divide up the main posts and each accord
collapsed.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website
Security Council consults on cutting UN military force in Chad
7 May – The Security Council today held closed consultations on cuts to the United
Nations peacekeeping mission in Chad after the Government’s call for the withdrawal
of the military component, despite warnings that this could impair delivery of
humanitarian aid to some 430,000 people.

UN aid chief highlights ills caused by drought in Niger, conflict in DR Congo

7 May – The world still has time to avert catastrophe in Niger, where more than half the
population have been hit by drought, while crucial humanitarian aid in the strife-torn
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could be harmed by a premature withdrawal
of peacekeepers, the top United Nations relief official warned today.

Somalia: UN official urges armed groups to vacate clinic and allow access for civilians
7 May – The top United Nations relief official in Somalia today called on armed groups
occupying a medical clinic outside the capital, Mogadishu, to vacate the compound and
allow unfettered access to the facility for those who need assistance.

UN condemns killing of peacekeepers in Darfur

7 May – The United Nations has voiced outrage after two peacekeepers serving with the
joint African Union-UN force in Sudan's war-scarred Darfur region were killed and
three others seriously wounded in an ambush earlier today.

UN agency moves Central African refugees into Chad

7 May – After fleeing Government-army clashes and walking some 60 kilometres to the
border with Chad, 1,100 refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) are being
moved into a United Nations camp.