United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

13 May 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

U.S. envoy Gration says Sudan's peace accord is in peril (Washington Post)
(Sudan) Time is running out to salvage a peace accord that ended Africa's longest-
running war, a key U.S. official said Wednesday, but he rejected suggestions that the
Obama administration is not paying enough attention to the political turmoil in Sudan.

Relations with U.S. Strengthened Considerably in Last 32 Months (Angola Press)

(Angola) The relations between Angola and the United States got considerably
strengthened in the last 32 months. This was said on Tuesday in Luanda by the US
ambassador, Dan Mozena.

The End of a Beginning: LRA Bill to Pass the House (Modern Ghana)
(Ghana) The LRA Disarmament Bill is a Bill which will have the United States officially
join the effort to bring Joseph Kony leader of the Lord's Resistance Army to face justice
after two decades of conflict in Central Africa.

UN defers decision on cutting Chad peacekeepers (AFP)

(Chad) The UN Security Council on Wednesday postponed for two weeks a decision
on reducing UN peacekeeping forces in Chad and the Central African Republic, amid
fears of further bloodshed.

UN conference on Somalia set to raise international awareness: official (Xinhua)

(Somalia) The United Nations and Turkey will co-host a conference on Somalia in
Istanbul later this month with an aim to increase international awareness of what is at
stake for the country, UN political chief Lynn Pascoe said here on Wednesday.

WFP: Food aid still needed in Zimbabwe (Associated Press)

( Zimbabwe) A U.N. agency says Zimbabwe will need humanitarian aid this year after
crop failures caused a grain shortfall of about half a million metric tons.

China Defends Activities in Africa (Wall Street Journal)

(Pan-Africa) China's vice commerce minister pushed back against Western criticism of
China's activities in Africa, describing Chinese investment as "more market-driven" and
defending Beijing's stance on recent flare-ups.
US Aerobatic Pilot Helps Kenya's Wildlife Pilots Battle Poachers (Voice of America)
(Kenya) On the black market, ivory commands more than $1,000 per kilogram, making
poaching a persistent problem for African wildlife. But an American aerobatic pilot is
trying to end the slaughter by training the pilots who patrol the skies over Africa.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
Fear of more Darfur clashes causing displaced people to flee, says UN-AU
mission
Security Council extends UN force for two weeks as talks on troop cuts in Chad
continue
Somalia: UN looks to Istanbul forum as key step to aid war-torn nation
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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

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: Dr. George Alula – Macroeconomy, Movement of the Congolese Unity, UNIC; Engineer
Agnes Dimandja – Mining, Former Minister of Public Works, Urban and Housing; Dr. Patience
Kabamba – Microeconomy, Emory University; Dr. Malonga Miatudila - Foreign Aid, Retired
World Bank Senior Health Specialist; Professor Kitenge N'Gambwa – Education, Montgomery
College; Dr. Raymond Gilpin, Moderator, U.S. Institute of Peace; Ms. Nita Evele - Peace,
Justice & Security, Congo Global Action; Mr. Victor Ilunga – Leadership, Stable and Prosperous
Democratic Republic of Congo Foundation; Mr. Jacques Muzusangabo – Elections, Solidarity
International Foundation, Inc., Dr. Stephan Tubene - Good Governance, University of Maryland,
Eastern Shore
Info: http://www.usip.org/events/responsive-and-accountable-leadership-peaceful-and-
prosperous-congo

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, May 25, 8:30 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: Council on Foreign Relations: A Conversation with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
WHO: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President, Republic of Liberia
Info: http://www.cfr.org/

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, June 2, 9:30 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: U.S. Institute of Peace: Threats to Maritime Security
WHO: Donna Hopkins, Director, Office of Plans, Policy and Analysis, Bureau of Political
Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Bruce A. Averill, Ph.D., Founder and Senior Partner,
Strategic Energy Security Solutions; Michael Berkow, President, Altegrity Security Consulting;
Robert M. Perito, Moderator, Director, Initiative on Security Sector Governance, U.S. Institute
of Peace
Info: http://www.usip.org/events/threats-maritime-security
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FULL ARTICLE TEXT

U.S. envoy Gration says Sudan's peace accord is in peril (Washington Post)

Time is running out to salvage a peace accord that ended Africa's longest-running war,
a key U.S. official said Wednesday, but he rejected suggestions that the Obama
administration is not paying enough attention to the political turmoil in Sudan.

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration, the special envoy to Sudan, acknowledged
to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that preparations for a critical element of the
peace accord -- a referendum on independence for southern Sudan -- are behind
schedule. Many analysts fear that southern Sudan's secession could result in renewed
fighting.

"We have to redouble our efforts," Gration said, adding, "I think it's possible to get done
everything we need to get done, but we can't waste another minute."

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) asked the envoy whether it would make his job easier if
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.N. Ambassador Susan E. Rice "took a
more visible role in this, so as to heighten the level of importance that our American
government places on this issue."

Wicker also read a letter from Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) calling on Obama to put those
two senior officials more directly in charge of Sudan policy.

Gration responded that Rice is already "working the issue very hard" and that Clinton
"has been superb." He added: "She continues to help in every way she can."

Committee Chairman John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) echoed Wicker's concerns. Kerry told
Gration: "I think you ought to get a little more leverage on this effort, because I don't
think it's going to happen at the current pace."

Adm. Dennis C. Blair, the national intelligence director, has said that of all the countries
at risk of experiencing a widespread massacre in the next five years, "a new mass killing
or genocide is most likely to occur in southern Sudan."

The referendum, expected to be held in January, will be about allowing southern Sudan,
which is mostly Christian and animist, to secede from the Arabic-speaking Muslim
north. Many analysts have expressed concern that tensions over the vote, and the fate of
oil reserves along the potential new border, could trigger a resumption of a two-decade
war that led to the deaths of 2 million people.
Gration said important issues such as defining the new borders and the division of oil
revenues must be resolved. In addition, he said, he is worried about voter registration
for southern Sudanese living elsewhere.

"They have to register people outside, in 14 different nations, and they don't have a
system achieved to do that," he said.

He noted that a recent national Sudanese election was marred by violations of civil
liberties and harassment of opposition groups. "We have to take lessons from the
election," he said.

The 2005 peace agreement provided for religious and political autonomy in southern
Sudan until the referendum, set for 2011.

John Norris, executive director of the anti-genocide Enough Project, criticized Gration
after the hearing. Norris said in a statement:

"There still seems to be a real reluctance to take concrete measures and impose tangible
costs for Sudanese President [Omar Hassan] al-Bashir's continued abuses. . . . In order
to prevent a return to full-scale, national war, the U.S. must marshal more resources,
exert more pressure, and hold all parties accountable."
--------------------
Relations with U.S. Strengthened Considerably in Last 32 Months (Angola Press)

LUANDA, Angola — The relations between Angola and the United States got
considerably strengthened in the last 32 months.

This was said on Tuesday in Luanda by the US ambassador, Dan Mozena.

Speaking in a workshop under the theme "The building of Angola-US relations",

organised by the Angolan Catholic University, the diplomat highlighted that the
current results got beyond the expectations he had when he left Washington DC in
November 2007.

Before an audience mostly comprised by local university students, Dan Mozena said
that despite this fact, there is still a lot to be done.

The diplomat also reviewed the main tools and measures taken by the two countries for
the reinforcement of the co-operation during the referred period, with emphasis on the
visit of the Angolan Foreign Affairs minister to Washington DC, Assunção dos Anjos,
and the visit paid to Luanda by the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
He said that works are being done so as to set up a date still in 2010 for the Angolan
Foreign Affairs minister to visit the US once again and sign with US Secretary of State a
Memorandum of Understanding for the official establishment of the Strategic
Partnership Dialogue.

The ambassador said that Angola is very important for the US by the crucial role played
by this Southern African country in guaranteeing global security of energy, peace as
well as the regional and continental stability.

On the other hand, the diplomat was impressed about the initiatives implemented by
the Angolan government against corruption and, thus, manifested his support to the
programme dubbed "Zero Tolerance".

In addition, Dan Mozena said that the "new Administrative Probity Law", which was
approved on 05 March 2010, by the National Assembly, tackles issues related to
transparency and good governance, thus creating one more tool to efficiently fight
against corruption.

According to him, the US entrepreneurs are discovering Angola and seeking for
business opportunities to invest in this country.

Dan Mozena was accredited to Angola in November 2007 and is to terminate his
mission on 03 July.
--------------------
The End of a Beginning: LRA Bill to Pass the House (Modern Ghana)

The House of Representatives will vote upon a measure on May 12th that should have a
direct impact on the US Relations with Several Countries in Central Africa.

On the agenda to be considered on that date is the LRA Disarmament Bill. This is a Bill
which will have the United States officially join the effort to bring Joseph Kony leader of
the Lord's Resistance Army to face justice after two decades of conflict in Central Africa.
Hundreds of Thousands of lives have been impacted by this Ugandan militia leader.

This Legislation is a result of Operation Lightning Thunder. This was a Military

Operation conducted by the Ugandan. Southern Sudanese and the Congolese
(Kinshasa) Governments after Kony failed to show up not once but twice to sign a Peace
Accord with Kampala in 2008. The Bush Administration provided Logistical support for
the Operation which resulted in the fragmentation of the LRA to the point where it was
conducting operations in several countries including the Central African Republic.

The Bill was introduced into the US Senate after the LRA launched an attack on
Christmas Day in 2008. This attack which occurred in Doruma led to the killing of
hundreds of people. This was seen by many people as a reprisal for the offensive
against the LRA.

After sporadic raids throughout 2009 it was reported that March 2010 was one of the
most active months that the LRA had in its history of more than a quarter century. In
fact it was actually feared that the LRA which has had ties to the Sudanese Government
in the past would actually try and influence the Sudanese Elections by conducting
Operations in Southern Sudan. There have been evidence that the LRA has been
conducting raids in the DRC and in the Central African Republic as well.

There has been a large grassroots movement to bring Joseph Kony to justice for almost a
decade. Since the early days of the LRA the main recruiting tool and way to replenish
the ranks has been by kidnapping Children. Kony has long had the idea of creating his
own ―tribe‖. In following this dream he has terrorized thousands. In the US it was
hundreds of committed teenagers and college students that demanded enough!

There is reason for concern as well. Previous Administrations have had real cozy
relationships with President Museveni. In fact the Bush Administration gave its
blessings when Uganda threatened to use the LRA as an excuse to once again invade
the DRC. When it passed the Foreign Aid Act this year Congress set aside funds to
monitor the Elections next year in Uganda.

There are signs that the passage of this is a mere formality. Over the previous weekend
Speaker Pelosi and select members of the House flew to Germany to meet with
AFRICOM Head Gen. Ward and staffers. This trip would not have occurred if the
passage of this bill was not expected in the near future. So this means that Military
Critics may have to keep an eye on Kisangani, Juba or Djibouti. These are the most
logical locations where ground forces could launch operations from or the Air Base at
Kigali is another operation as well.

Sometime on May 12th the clock starts ticking for a potential increased role by the US in
Central Africa. This is the end of a beginning.
--------------------
UN defers decision on cutting Chad peacekeepers (AFP)

UNITED NATIONS – The UN Security Council on Wednesday postponed for two

weeks a decision on reducing UN peacekeeping forces in Chad and the Central African
Republic, amid fears of further bloodshed.

The 15-member council unanimously agreed to put off a decision until May 26 "to
examine thoroughly" recommendations put forward by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-
moon.
Ban's recommendations largely follow the outline of a deal struck in N'Djamena
between Chad and the UN mission known as MINURCAT under which the 3,300-
strong force would be reduced to 1,900.

It would remain in place until at least October 15, after which it would gradually
withdraw.

And from May 16, MINURCAT's mandate would no longer include the protection of
civilians which the Chadian government wants to assume.

Chadian President Idriss Deby has criticized the UN mission as "a failure," and accused
the troops of remaining behind the safety of their razorwire fences and not venturing
out to help refugees.

But last month Amnesty International appealed for the peacekeeping forces to remain
in Chad, after a recent spate of bloodshed in the east of the landlocked Central African
country.

And UN agencies warned last week that the planned departure of the international
peacekeepers could leave a security vacuum in eastern Chad, where humanitarian
workers face constant attacks by bandits.

The UN mission, deployed in Chad and the neighboring Central African Republic, was
created in 2007 to protect refugees who have fled the war in Darfur, in neighboring
western Sudan.

It never reached its planned full contingent of 4,900 peacekeepers. In March 2009 it took
over from the EU peacekeeping force EUFOR.
--------------------
UN conference on Somalia set to raise international awareness: official (Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations and Turkey will co-host a conference on
Somalia in Istanbul later this month with an aim to increase international awareness of
what is at stake for the country, UN political chief Lynn Pascoe said here on
Wednesday.

"We hope the conference will set a strong signal that there are solutions and hope for
Somalia provided both the Somalis and the international communities do the hard work
necessary to get there, " UN Under-secretary-general for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe
told reporters here at a press conference.

The conference will address the threats toward security and stability of the country, and
the possibilities of coping with those threats, especially in scope of development
restructuring, according to a press release from the Directorate General of Press and
Information under the office of the Turkish Prime Minister.

It will also explore measures to strengthen efforts to combat rampant sea piracy off the
Somali coast.

"It should help us increase international awareness of what's at stake in Somalia and
increase international commitment to help in a coordinated way," Pascoe said. "It
should also help focus the attention on the Somalis themselves, including the TFG (
Transitional Federal Government), on where they need to step up their efforts."

The United Nations Istanbul Conference on Somalia will be held on May 21-23 in
Istanbul, Turkey.
--------------------
WFP: Food aid still needed in Zimbabwe (Associated Press)

HARARE, Zimbabwe – A U.N. agency says Zimbabwe will need humanitarian aid this
year after crop failures caused a grain shortfall of about half a million metric tons.

The World Food Program said Wednesday that one-third of the country's districts —
mainly in the south and east — failed to produce enough food to meet their needs in
coming months.

Some 1.5 million people received food handouts in each of the first four months of this
year.

Erratic rain — too much in some areas and too little in others — has damaged crops of
corn, the staple food across the southern African nation. The former regional
breadbasket also has been hit by acute shortages of seed and fertilizer.
--------------------
China Defends Activities in Africa (Wall Street Journal)

BEIJING—China's vice commerce minister pushed back against Western criticism of

China's activities in Africa, describing Chinese investment as "more market-driven" and
defending Beijing's stance on recent flare-ups.

Economic activity in Africa has surged in recent years, with Beijing becoming an
important investor, creditor and donor for many African nations. But with the rise of
China's influence upon the continent, concerns persist that Beijing is preying on the
continent's resources to feed the Chinese economy, contributing little significant
improvement to African livelihoods.
Amid such criticism—and as China asserts that its presence in Africa is increasingly
being shaped by nongovernment actors—Beijing has put in place some mechanisms to
deal with issues surrounding its investment and trade on the resource-rich continent.

"China's presence in Africa is becoming more and more market driven, the actors
operating there are diverse, there are many models, and the areas they are in are broad,"
said Fu Ziying, the vice commerce minister, in a recent interview. "The Chinese
government is more and more aware that as the economic and trade cooperation
between China and Africa evolves, there need to be some laws and protections in
place."

What Assets China Need

In a rare discussion about China-Africa ties, Mr. Fu, the senior trade official in charge of
China's Africa portfolio, spoke about what he termed the misunderstandings
surrounding China's presence in Africa.

In response to questions about some sensitive cases in the past year related to China's
moves in Africa, Mr. Fu's comments suggested there were limits to what the
government could do, shedding little light on the controversies.

Last year, a Hong Kong-based entity named the China International Fund struck a
massive, $7 billion mining and infrastructure deal in Guinea that gave it, through two
Singapore-registered entities, sweeping concessions to the mineral riches of the West
African nation. Guinea authorities are now investigating the deal.

Company filings and other documents show that some CIF executives have ties to a
Chinese state-owned enterprise. Mr. Fu reiterated denials by Chinese government
officials that the government has any involvement in CIF.

"This fund is entirely built by individuals, and it has absolutely no government or

Chinese state-owned company background in it," Mr. Fu said, adding that the Chinese
government took the step to "inform relevant countries" that no such fund is registered
in China.

Meanwhile, when asked about the investigation by Namibian authorities into alleged
bribery involving Chinese security-equipment provider Nuctech Co., Mr. Fu said the
matter was a civil-commercial dispute, arising from commercial competition, and that
the Chinese government wouldn't intervene in such cases.

Mr. Fu, who accompanied powerful Politburo member Jia Qinglin to Namibia in March,
said that the Nuctech case hadn't come up during the visit. Neither Nuctech nor its
parent company has commented on the investigation.
The probe, which emerged late last year, is sensitive because the Communist Party
Secretary of Nuctech's parent company is Hu Haifeng, the son of Chinese President Hu
Jintao. References to the case disappeared from Chinese news websites soon after the
story surfaced.

Mr. Fu also expressed frustration over persistent criticisms against China by Western
nations and multilateral development agencies, which have cited Beijing's lack of
transparency in its dealings in Africa and that the financing it provides without
conditions on better governance or tackling corruption sets back the local economy.

"It's like marriage. The husband and wife are happy. Their happiness quotient is very
high. But suddenly you have someone beside you that keeps criticizing the marriage,"
he said. "If Africa has a criticism about China's investment in Africa, then that is a
problem."

China's engagement with Africa has begun to be studied only in the past few years. One
recent study by the Centre for Chinese Studies at South Africa's Stellenbosch University
and the Rockefeller Foundation listed the development of local worker skills and labor
rights as key challenges that may determine whether Africans will benefit from China's
presence on the continent in the long run.

The study also recommended more joint ventures be set up between African and
Chinese companies to transfer technology and build capacity and an increase in the role
of African civil society in project consultations.

This year China-Africa trade will exceed $100 billion, and the growth in bilateral
investment is likely to enter its fastest period in the next five years, Mr. Fu said. Last
year, trade between China and Africa fell to $91 billion amid the global financial crisis,
from $107 billion in 2008, according to Chinese government data.

In 43 African countries, China and the corresponding African nation have set up a joint
committee that convenes to discuss economic and trade issues when needed, Mr. Fu
said. Such committees often don't meet more than once a year, and Mr. Fu indicated
that there are cases that end up outside of that framework. But he claimed that, along
with agreements on bilateral trade and investment protection, they offer a way to
smooth burgeoning ties between the two developing economies.

Mr. Fu also responded to a question about a case involving investment in the other
direction, from Africa into China. South Africa's Sasol Ltd. in December submitted a
plan with its Chinese joint venture partner to build a plant that will convert coal to
liquid fuel in China. The project, estimated to cost $5 billion to $7 billion, would be
among the largest by an African company in China.
However, a document prepared by the local-level economic-planning agency in
Ningxia, where the plant will be located, said that the review of Sasol's plan was being
delayed to await a rival plan based on Chinese technology. Sasol has said it remains
confident in the project.

"This [Sasol's] project hasn't been rejected," Mr. Fu said, adding that at issue is still a
broader question of whether it is better to stick to using crude oil or convert coal to oil
for China's energy needs.

Mr. Fu himself led a delegation in April to five African countries: the Central African
Republic, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Liberia and Chad.

In Liberia, where China is carrying out a $2.6 billion project to revitalize the iron ore
Bong Mines, Mr. Fu said his group convened a roundtable with senior representatives,
including ambassadors, from the local embassies, including ones from the U.S. and EU,
along with foreign and local media.

Mr. Fu said the roundtable, including another one set up while he was in Gabon, was
done to address the misunderstandings of China in Africa.
--------------------
US Aerobatic Pilot Helps Kenya's Wildlife Pilots Battle Poachers (Voice of America)

On the black market, ivory commands more than $1,000 per kilogram, making poaching
a persistent problem for African wildlife. But an American aerobatic pilot is trying to
end the slaughter by training the pilots who patrol the skies over Africa. Based on
interviews from the documentary film "Over Africa," funded by the Lindbergh
Foundation and produced by Miles O'Brien Productions, VOA's Carolyn Presutti tells
us about Patty Wagstaff who is making a difference by helping her fellow pilots deal
with difficult and life-threatening conditions.

Patty Wagstaff is a three-time aerobatic champion. She is an airshow superstar.

And she is a pilot trainer who is committed to saving wildlife in Africa. Wagstaff is the
lead instructor for a group of wildlife pilots in Kenya.

"The pilots are good, basic pilots," said Patty Wagstaff. "But they just haven't had the
training or the experience to not make the mistakes you make when you're not trained
with precision and discipline."

Patty Wagstaff's pilots patrol vast plains, flying low to the ground at near-stall speed,
looking for poachers.
"It's so sad what's happening," she said. "The poaching is getting worse. Aviation is
becoming more important because it's been told by poachers that aviation is the single
biggest deterrent to them. So what these pilots are doing is really important."

Red dust kicks up in the intense heat of the afternoon as the airplanes start their
engines. Fuel is handpumped from drums. And any maintenance is basic. Every
airplane has crashed at least once or has been shot at by poachers.

Wagstaff pulls up her khaki's above her knees and stoops to the ground brief fellow
pilots. She draws directions in the red dirt of the airstrip.

The pilots gather every year for week-long clinics. The project is funded in part by The
Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation, named after the famed American
aviator Charles Lindbergh, who flew the first solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic.

"When it all comes down to it, we get up in the air and I can show them a few things,"
said Patty Wagstaff. "And if they give me any problems, I'll just flip them upside down,
so."

Poaching decreases when these pilots are in the air. And their love of flying combines
with their love of nature in this unique partnership.

George Mwangi is one of those pilots.

"When St. Peter comes and I eventually leave this world, I want I go to St. Peter and tell
him I did my big job and took care of your animals - our animals," said George Mwangi.

"We have this amazing resource, this global resource that you find in very few places in
the world that's becoming more and more endangered - elephants, the rhino and
everything else we fly over every day here and it belongs to everybody," said Wagstaff.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

Fear of more Darfur clashes causing displaced people to flee, says UN-AU mission
12 May – Fears of a possible military battle in North Darfur are causing people already
staying in camps for the internally displaced to flee again, the United Nations-African
Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) reported today, adding that it is monitoring the
situation.

Security Council extends UN force for two weeks as talks on troop cuts in Chad
continue
12 May – The Security Council today decided to extend the United Nations Mission in
the Central African Republic and Chad for another two weeks, as it continues to
examine possible options for a reduction of troops and a revised mandate for the force.

Somalia: UN looks to Istanbul forum as key step to aid war-torn nation

12 May – On the eve of a major global conference on Somalia, the top United Nations
envoy in the war-torn nation urged the world community to provide the needed
resources on the military, political and humanitarian fronts now to prevent an even
worse scenario from arising.