United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

21 May 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Desert menace (The Economist)

(West Africa) Operation Flintlock has begun. American special forces have been
descending on Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal in a joint exercise, expected
to last another week or so, to combat Islamist terrorism in the region.

US says Africom headquarters to stay in Germany (Expatica)

The United States is no longer considering moving the US military' command for Africa
(Africom) from Germany to the African continent, a senior US official said Thursday.

High level U.S. Delegation carries requests to Museveni on fair elections and Iran
sanctions (Africommons Blog)
(Uganda) Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs,
was joined by the acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Security Affairs
and Non-proliferation, and by General ―Kip‖ Ward, AFRICOM Commander, in
meeting Wednesday with Ugandan President Museveni.

Obama's man flies in over polls (Daily Monitor)

(Uganda) The US government has sent its highest ranking diplomat on Africa to
Uganda a month after a report highly critical of Kampala’s perceived failure to move on
electoral reforms was submitted to the American Congress, Daily Monitor can reveal.

Museveni tells US he will not fire EC (Daily Monitor)

(Uganda) The visiting top American diplomat for Africa, Ambassador Johnnie Carson,
on Thursday asked President Museveni to reconstitute the Electoral Commission to
include more representation of all political parties.

Bidens to travel to Egypt, Kenya, South Africa (Associated Press)

(Pan Africa) Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, are traveling to Egypt, Kenya
and South Africa early next month to meet with those country's leaders and represent
the United States at soccer's World Cup.

US 'appalled' at Malawi convictions (AFP)

(Malawi) The United States said Thursday it was "appalled" by the jailing of a gay
couple in Malawi, calling it a step backward in the protection of human rights in the
southern African country.

Nigeria: US citizen gets 2 years in check fraud (Associated Press)

(Nigeria) A Nigerian federal court has sentenced a U.S. woman to two years in prison
after she pleaded guilty to charges that she attempted to smuggle counterfeit checks out
of the country.

Guinea-Bissau May Receive ‘Significant’ Debt Relief From IMF (Bloomberg)

(Guinea-Bissau) Guinea-Bissau may have three-quarters of its debt canceled under an
International Monetary Fund program that targets higher state revenue and reduced
spending on civil servants’ salaries, an IMF official said.

Army puts down police mutiny in Madagascar capital (Associated Press)

(Madagascar) Soldiers in Madagascar stormed a national police barracks to put down
what the prime minister called a rebellion in clashes that left three dead Thursday.

International Crisis Group says Electoral Violence Still a Risk in Ivory Coast (Voice
of America)
(Ivory Coast) The International Crisis Group warns Ivory Coast's long-delayed
presidential poll could lead to "violent chaos" if more is not done to ensure the security
of the electoral process and resolve issues of nationality and voter eligibility.

In Algeria, 'Enemies of the State' (Wall Street Journal)

High crude prices have brought a windfall of about $120 billion to Algeria in the past
two years. But in Remli, Algiers' largest slum, the oil boom has stopped at the doors.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
Darfur: Security Council warned of ‘significant challenges’ to peace process
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

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: Tuesday, May 25, 10:00 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs: The Great Lakes Region:
Current Conditions and U.S. Policy
WHO: The Honorable Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, United
States Department of State; Mr. Franklin Moore, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for
Africa, Office of the Assistant Administrator, United States Agency for International
Development; Mr. John Prendergast, Co-founder, Enough Project
Info: http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1185

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, May 26, 2:00 p.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: U.S. Institute of Peace: The Nigerian Predicament: Strategies for Advancing Growth,
Governance and Security
WHO: Richard Joseph, Professor, Northwestern University; Oka Obono, Senior Lecturer,
University of Ibadan; Layi Erinosho, President, African Sociological Association; Dorina Bekoe,
Moderator, Senior Research Associate, U.S. Institute of Peace
Info: http://www.usip.org/events/the-nigerian-predicament-strategies-advancing-growth-
governance-and-security

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, May 26, 2:30 p.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Assessing Challenges and Opportunities
for Peace in Sudan
WHO: Ms. Katherine Almquist, Senior Fellow, Africa Center for Strategic Studies; Ms. Alison
Giffen, Deputy Director of the Future of Peace Operations Program, The Henry L. Stimson
Center; Mr. David Mozersky, Associate Director of Humanity United; Ms. Anne Richard, Vice
President for Government Relations and Advocacy, International Rescue Committee
Info: http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/20100526/

WHEN/WHERE: Thurday, May 27, 9:00 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: Brookings Institution: Ending Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS Pandemic
WHO: Ernest Aryeetey, Senior Fellow and Director, Africa Growth Initiative; Layi Erinosho,
President, African Sociological Association; Uche Isiugo-Abanihe, Professor of Demography
and REACH Chair, University of Ibadan, Nigeria; Gbenga Sunmola, Principal Researcher,
REACH, Research Coordinator, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Nigeria; Oka Obono,
Principal Researcher, REACH, University of Ibadan; Jacques van der Gaag, Senior Fellow and
Co-Director, Center for Universal Education; Phillip Nieburg, Public Health Epidemiologist,
REACH, Senior Associate, Center for Strategic & International Studies; Nkem Dike, Associate
Project Director, REACH, Northwestern University; Gbenga Sunmola, Principal Researcher,
REACH, Research Coordinator, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Nigeria; Richard
Joseph, Nonresident Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution, Principal Investigator, REACH;
John Evans Professor, Northwestern University
Info: http://www.brookings.edu/events/2010/0527_nigeria_aids.aspx

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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Desert menace (The Economist)

OPERATION Flintlock has begun. American special forces have been descending on
Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal in a joint exercise, expected to last another
week or so, to combat Islamist terrorism in the region. It is the latest stage of an
evolving partnership between America and much of west Africa. Over several years,
Americans have been training their counterparts in these countries in everything from
marksmanship and parachuting to the more touchy-feely stuff of winning over hearts
and minds.

When the Americans first started talking about al-Qaeda’s threat in the Sahara, many
were sceptical. But a sharp increase in the rate of attacks in the past 18 months by what
the jihadists call ―al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb‖, usually abbreviated to AQIM, have
convinced even cynics that a threat of sorts does exist.

When AQIM emerged three years ago out of a ruthless Algerian guerrilla outfit called
the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, better known by its French abbreviation
GSPC, it seemed intent on uniting north African jihadists to wage war on Europe. It has
largely failed on that score, having been squeezed by Algeria’s security forces, who
have broken up many of its cells. Instead, the group is now concentrating on softer
targets in a belt of countries farther south.

Armies in the Sahel, that wide stretch of land just south of the Sahara, have increasingly
often clashed with Islamist fighters. A handful of Westerners have been killed and a
dozen of them who had been kidnapped in the region last year ended up in the hands
of AQIM. It is not clear how many of those seizures were carried out by the group’s
own fighters, thought to number a few hundred, rather than freelancers who passed
them on. But ransom payments have certainly swelled AQIM’s coffers. Though
payments are never officially confirmed, negotiators speak of millions of dollars
changing hands to free captives. AQIM is still holding two Spaniards. Only one hostage,
from Britain, whose government refuses to pay ransoms to terrorists, has been killed.

Like other rebellious types in the region, such as the Tuaregs of Mali and Niger, AQIM’s
fighters have long blurred the lines between Islamist militancy and organised crime.
Kidnapping is a relatively new business and follows years of smuggling illicit goods
across the Sahara to Europe. In recent years Latin American drug gangs have been
funnelling a lot of cocaine through west Africa, making the trans-Saharan route far
more lucrative. An American-led sting operation in Ghana and the discovery of a burnt-
out Boeing aircraft in the desert in Mali have led to claims that AQIM has a big role in
the drug trade.
Drug and security specialists say the Islamists are just one of several groups involved.
But AQIM is plainly rattling several governments. It plays on local grievances. Its
bountiful cash is a lure to young men living in poverty in the desert. The authorities of
northern Nigeria are especially worried. The country was the original home of the
young man with explosive underpants who tried to blow up an American airliner over
Detroit at Christmas.

An additional worry for Western governments is that the AQIM threat may have
widened divisions within the region. Algeria is frustrated by the apparent inertia and
alleged lack of backbone shown by some of its southern neighbours. Mali, for instance,
was accused of feebleness when it freed some Islamists earlier this year in exchange for
a French hostage. In the coming weeks the co-operation between American trainers and
local security forces will be rigorously tested.
--------------------
US says Africom headquarters to stay in Germany (Expatica)

The United States is no longer considering moving the US military' command for Africa
(Africom) from Germany to the African continent, a senior US official said Thursday.

"We are here indefinitely. Not only are there no plans to relocate, but there are no plans
to study the possibility to relocate," said Anthony Holmes, the civilian deputy to the
Africom chief, General William Ward.

"It's very unlikely, and I believe that if we ever move from Stuttgart, it's likely to go to
the United States," he added.

"But, of course, the next administration can come in and have a different approach."

Africom was created in 2007 and headquartered in the German city of Stuttgart, which
is also where the US military's European command is based, after some speculation that
Africom could be based in Africa itself.

Holmes said that the United States had made initial enquiries about basing the
command in Africa, but then opted for Germany amid fears in many African nations
that the US was looking to establish a foothold on the continent.
--------------------
High level U.S. Delegation carries requests to Museveni on fair elections and Iran
sanctions (Africommons Blog)

Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, was joined
by the acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Security Affairs and Non-
proliferation, and by General ―Kip‖ Ward, AFRICOM Commander, in meeting
Wednesday with Ugandan President Museveni.
Commander, in meeting Wednesday with Ugandan President Museveni. According to
the Daily Monitor the U.S. was requesting that Museveni agree to reconstitute the
Ugandan Electoral Commission ahead of next year’s election and support a U.S. draft
resolution on Iran sanctions with Uganda’s current vote on the UN Security Council.

Museveni rejected the request regarding the Electoral Commission. Inter-Party

Cooperation (―IPC‖), the grouping of four opposition parties, has said that it will
boycott next year’s elections if the composition of the Electoral Commission is not
reconfigured. No word on the answer on the U.N. sanctions vote but it doesn’t sound
positive.

On the electoral issues, The New Vision reports:

Museveni advised the delegation and other foreigners, who are approached by the
―opportunistic‖ opposition members about Uganda’s problems to always, offer them a
cup of coffee and send them back because Uganda has structures that can solve its
problems.

On international issues:

Museveni challenged Americans to give him concrete evidence that the Iranians are
developing nuclear weapons and that they have refused to comply with the regulations.

On Somalia, the President said there was need to take tougher action against the
terrorists and ensure a roadmap towards elections so that the Somali people recover
their sovereignty from the gunmen.

Discussing the Sudan issue, the Americans assured Museveni of their commitment to
full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Carson said they were
preparing for the eventual outcome of the referendum expected to take place in April
next year.

Carson’s immediate predecessor at the Africa Bureau, Jendayi Frazer, is with the
Whitaker Group, the lobbyists for the Museveni government in Washington.
--------------------
Obama's man flies in over polls (Daily Monitor)

Kampala - The US government has sent its highest ranking diplomat on Africa to
Uganda a month after a report highly critical of Kampala’s perceived failure to move on
electoral reforms was submitted to the American Congress, Daily Monitor can reveal.
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jonnie Carson should have landed at
Entebbe Airport just after midnight yesterday, according to American embassy sources
here. The sources also said this was an unplanned, but ―official visit to allow [him]
address a broad range of bilateral and regional issues with President Museveni and civil
society leaders‖. ―It was not a scheduled trip … I believe the secretary of state (Hilary
Clinton) had a conversation with President Museveni a few weeks ago and the
President invited him,‖ Ms Joann Lockard, the public affairs officer at the US embassy,
said yesterday.

Ms Lockard said Mr Carson, who was in Kampala last October, will ―stress the US
government’s commitment to democracy, a free and independent media, good
governance, regional security and stability.‖ She could not, however, say whether Mr
Carson’s trip has anything to do with a report issued in April by Ms Clinton.

Yesterday, some Opposition politicians suggested that Mr Carson’s visit is connected to

the Clinton report issued in April that observed that the Uganda government has done
nothing to further the independence of the Electoral Commission, guarantee the
sanctity of the voters’ register, ensure free movement of opposition politicians, and that
the government continues to impose restrictions on local media.

Museveni’s views

Days after newspapers here reported on the existence of that document, President
Museveni said the American leadership had no right ―to lecture‖ Uganda on
democracy. In a telephone interview, Mr Robert Kanusu, press secretary to Uganda
People’s Congress leader, Olara Otunnu, confirmed that his party boss will be meeting
Mr Carson together with other opposition leaders. ―I am sure they will discuss the
disbanding of the Electoral Commission (EC) and how a new EC can be constituted. No
amount of intervention by President Museveni can stop the momentum now,‖ Mr
Kanusu said.

Also on Wednesday, Democratic Party leader Norbert Mao confirmed the planned
Friday lunchtime meeting to take place with Mr Carson at the American embassy. ―We
(opposition leaders) will amplify the Clinton report since we know the US State
Department is interested in the road to 2011 as a key partner of Uganda. We shall put
several footnotes to that report. For example, we shall show how the current voter
registration exercise is proving to be a sham,‖ Mr Mao said.

Mr Carson’s visit comes hours after the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC) demanded an
immediate disbanding of the EC presently headed by Eng. Badru Kiggundu. The IPC
(see full statement) leaders at a press conference in Kampala yesterday said the EC is
partisan and could not conduct free and fair polls in a multi-party system. Last evening,
Deputy Attorney General Fred Ruhindi said, ―The opposition has just presented a Bill
today (Wednesday) on the floor of the House on constitutional amendment and they
lost it.‖
--------------------
Museveni tells US he will not fire EC (Daily Monitor)

The visiting top American diplomat for Africa, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, on
Thursday asked President Museveni to reconstitute the Electoral Commission to
include more representation of all political parties.

Sources say Mr Carson, a former US ambassador to Uganda, told President Museveni

public confidence in the election process ahead of the 2011 ballot is vital.

However, Mr Museveni, according to a statement issued by State House, defended EC

chairman Eng. Badru Badru and his other six commissioners as professionals properly
vetted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee, comprising opposition MPs.

In Thursday’s statement, Ms Lindah Nabusayi, the deputy presidential press secretary,

said during the closed-door meeting Ambassador Carson ―said that some groups in
Uganda had raised concern over membership of the commission. He said they feel that
there should be more representation to the electoral body.‖

In recent months, the Inter-Party Cooperation, a grouping of four opposition political

parties, has demanded the disbandment of the current commission.

But the President, who reportedly met Ambassador Carson for close to three hours,
appeared unfazed – at least in remarks captured by his press team.

Cup of coffee

―The President advised Uganda’s development partners not to allow opposition

politicians to confuse them with lies,‖ State House said.
Mr Museveni is reported to have said: ―When they come, give them a cup of coffee to
boost our coffee industry and send them away because what they are complaining
about can be discussed in the Inter-Party Forum [a consensus-building avenue for all
parties].‖

Ms Joann Lockard, the public affairs officer at the US Mission in Kampala, when asked
if Ambassador Carson dropped a letter calling for outright disbandment of the EC, said:
―I’m not aware and I can neither confirm nor deny that.‖
Thursday’s meeting also discussed reported flaws in the ongoing biometric voter
registration exercise.

Opposition meet
The four leaders of IPC; UPC’s Otunnu, Dr Kizza Besigye (FDC), Mr John Lukyamuzi
(Conservative Party) and Mr Mohammed Kibirige (JEEMA) met late into the night on
Thursday at their Katonga Road head office in Kampala, ahead of their meeting with
Ambassador Carson on Friday.

―Mr Museveni listens more to foreign diplomats and international voices,‖ said Mr
Ibrahim Nganda, the IPC spokesman.

―Ambassador Carson is a unique visitor and we are going to speak to him about
electoral reforms, the attempts by the ruling NRM party to rig the upcoming elections
and the swindling of public resources by government officials.‖

Meanwhile, Reuters news agency reported last evening that Uganda’s opposition could
boycott the elections.

―This EC is deeply discredited and cannot hold a free and fair election as demanded by
the Constitution,‖ Kibirige Mayanja, chairman of the IPC told Reuters.
―We hope the government will hear the desire of Ugandans and sack the leadership of
the EC. But should they remain obstinate we’ll boycott any electoral activity organised
by them.‖

US Ambassador to Uganda Jerry Lanier; Mr Vann Van Diepen, the acting assistant
secretary for the Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation, General
William Ward, Commander of the US Africa command accompanied Ambassador
Carson.

The Uganda delegation included the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima,
Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa and his Permanent Secretary, Ambassador James
Mugume.

Mr Mugume later said Ambassador Carson had asked Uganda, a non-permanent

member of the UN Security Council, to support a draft resolution for sanctions on Iran
that his country introduced on Wednesday.
--------------------
Bidens to travel to Egypt, Kenya, South Africa (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, are traveling to Egypt,
Kenya and South Africa early next month to meet with those country's leaders and
represent the United States at soccer's World Cup.

The White House announced the trip Thursday.

Biden will meet in Egypt with President Hosni Mubarak, and in Kenya with President
Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Discussions in Kenya will address
issues of regional stability including Sudan and Somalia.

In South Africa, Biden will meet with that country's leaders and attend the opening
ceremony of the World Cup as well as the U.S. men's team's first game.

The trip is set for the week of June 7.

--------------------
US 'appalled' at Malawi convictions (AFP)

WASHINGTON — The United States said Thursday it was "appalled" by the jailing of a
gay couple in Malawi, calling it a step backward in the protection of human rights in
the southern African country.

"The United States is appalled by today's sentencing of same-sex couple Tiwonge

Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza to 14 years of hard labor," State Department
spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

"We view the criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity as a step
backward in the protection of human rights in Malawi," he said, reading a statement.

"We are particularly disturbed by the severity of the sentence. The government of
Malawi must respect the human rights of all of its citizens," Crowley added.

"The United States views the decriminalization of sexual orientation and gender
identity as integral to the protection of human rights in Malawi and elsewhere in the
world."

Chimbalanga and Monjeza were arrested on December 28 after holding an illegal same-
sex wedding, accused of violating "the order of nature". They were convicted Tuesday
and sentenced Thursday to 14 years hard labor in jail.

The men's lawyer, Mauya Msuku, said he would consult with his clients on filing an
appeal.

Homosexuality is illegal in Malawi and the couple was arrested under sodomy laws.
--------------------
Nigeria: US citizen gets 2 years in check fraud (Associated Press)

LAGOS, Nigeria – A Nigerian federal court has sentenced a U.S. woman to two years in
prison after she pleaded guilty to charges that she attempted to smuggle counterfeit
checks out of the country.
A spokesman for Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says 24-year-
old Sharon Denis Thorpe of Raleigh, N.C., received 2 years for each of the 13 charges
she faced after her Feb. 20 arrest. However, the spokesman says the judge ordered
Thorpe serve only a total of 2 years in prison during Wednesday's hearing after her
lawyer argued for leniency.

Thorpe was arrested as she attempted to board a flight to the U.S. en route to
Washington D.C. at Lagos' Murtala Mohammed International Airport. Authorities said
Thorpe was carrying more than $760,000 worth of fake checks.
--------------------
Guinea-Bissau May Receive ‘Significant’ Debt Relief From IMF (Bloomberg)

Guinea-Bissau may have three-quarters of its debt canceled under an International

Monetary Fund program that targets higher state revenue and reduced spending on
civil servants’ salaries, an IMF official said.

The West African nation, which currently has external debt of $1.06 billion, will
probably qualify for ―significant‖ debt relief if it makes progress under the fund’s
Highly Indebted Poor Countries initiative, Paulo Drummond, the IMF’s mission chief in
the country, said in a phone interview on May 14.

―These are very preliminary figures, but we might be talking about $700 million to $800
million in debt relief,‖ Drummond said.

Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony on the Atlantic coast of Africa, is recovering

from a decade of civil conflict, including military coups. The nation of 1.7 million
people is one of the world’s least-developed, according to the United Nation’s Human
Development Index. The country is also among nations in West Africa used by cocaine
smugglers in South America shipping the drug to Europe.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that ―several hundred kilograms‖ of
cocaine pass through Guinea-Bissau every week from Latin America en route to
Europe. Last month, the U.S. imposed sanctions on two of Guinea-Bissau’s top military
figures for alleged drug-running and plans to name other officials in the regional linked
to trafficking, Agence France-Presse reported on April 29.

Government Salaries

The government is working with the IMF to reduce government wages, which absorb
60 percent of the state’s income, according to the fund. The country currently has the
highest ratio of public servants to civilians in West Africa, it said.
By 2013, the government plans to force a fifth of its public servants into retirement and
reduce the size of the military from 4,500 active personnel to 3,500, of which only 1,500
would be permanent members, according to an IMF report published last week.

Savings made by the government will need to be pumped into upgrading

infrastructure, Drummond said.

―There are no roads, and electricity is bad,‖ he said. ―Government will need time, and
their ability to create fiscal space to improve infrastructure will be critical.‖

Guinea-Bissau’s economic growth is expected to accelerate to 4 percent to 5 percent

over the ―medium-term‖ from 3 percent last year, as the global recovery pushes up the
price of cashew nuts, the country’s cash crop, the IMF said last week.

Any acceleration in growth would take place against the backdrop of recent political
instability. On April 1, Guinea Bissau’s government thwarted a coup attempt by senior
military leaders.
--------------------
Army puts down police mutiny in Madagascar capital (Associated Press)

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar – Soldiers in Madagascar stormed a national police

barracks to put down what the prime minister called a rebellion in clashes that left three
dead Thursday.

Military officials said a loyal police officer, another who had joined the mutiny, and one
civilian were killed. The officials did not say how many people were arrested after a
day of fighting, but Police Col. Richard Ravalomanana had said earlier that 21 police
mutineers were involved.

Prime Minister Camille Vital, who also is defense minister, said in a statement only that
some mutinous members of the police force had been caught and others had escaped.
"Politicians encouraged these police officers to rebel," he said, without elaborating.

The fighting broke out after hundreds of demonstrators tried to converge on the police
barracks to protest alleged abuses by the national police in Madagascar, an
impoverished country that lies off the southeastern coast of Africa, in the Indian Ocean.

The police used heavy vehicles to block roads outside their barracks. After a day in
which gunfire and explosions broke out intermittently, soldiers stormed the barracks
where the mutinous police officers had holed up.
Madagascar has been tense since Andry Rajoelina, a former disc jockey and mayor of
the capital, ousted elected President Marc Ravalomanana in March 2009 with the
military's backing after a campaign of street protests.

Rajoelina has resisted international mediation efforts, and the military has shown signs
of cooling toward him in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, Rajoelina promised in a nationally televised address that he would
not run in presidential elections he has set for November. The pledge may have been an
attempt to reassure critics he is committed to democracy, but it did not address
international calls for a power-sharing government to oversee elections.

Rajoelina has scheduled talks to draft a proposed constitution by month's end, followed
by a constitutional referendum Aug. 12, a parliamentary election Sept. 30 and
presidential ballot Nov. 26.
--------------------
International Crisis Group says Electoral Violence Still a Risk in Ivory Coast (Voice
of America)

The International Crisis Group warns Ivory Coast's long-delayed presidential poll could
lead to "violent chaos" if more is not done to ensure the security of the electoral process
and resolve issues of nationality and voter eligibility.

In a report released this month, International Crisis Group cautioned that the existence
of armed groups and militias, a resurgence of xenophobic language and economic strain
make for an "explosive environment" as Ivory Coast struggles to get preparations back
on track for its presidential poll.

The vote is an attempt to find a lasting political solution to nearly a decade of internal
conflict. It has already been pushed back six times since civil war split the country in
half in 2002.

International Crisis Group Senior West Africa Analyst Rinaldo Depagne says Ivory
Coast is not only trying to organize elections, but also emerge from a long period of
crisis, which makes the current electoral stalemate all the more troubling and volatile.

The situation in Ivory Coast is tense, Depagne says. The population is exasperated and
does not see a light in the tunnel or how the country is going to get out of this long
crisis period. He says the economic situation is also very delicate, and there is political
tension. So, he says, any demonstration or protest could lead to violence and deaths, as
we saw in February.
The most recent setback came after President Laurent Gbagbo dissolved the
government and electoral commission on February 12, sparking violent protests around
the country that killed seven people and wounded dozens. Mr. Gbagbo had accused
the electoral commission of illegally registering as many as 400,000 foreigners.

Of the more than six-million names on the provisional voter list, the eligibility of 1.3-
million voters is still being disputed on grounds of nationality.

This week, the independent electoral commission opened the review process during
which those 1.3-million contested voters will have to prove their eligibility.

The question of "Who is Ivorian" was divisive during the civil war and remains
sensitive in Ivory Coast, which has attracted large immigrant populations from
neighboring countries like Burkina Faso.

In its report, the International Crisis Group condemned a resurgence of hate language
and, what it called, "xenophobic Ivorian nationalism." Depagne said the voter
identification process still carries serious risks of violence.

Depagne says Ivory Coast is a country of great immigration, and it is difficult to define
who is Ivorian. He says we just need to accept that everyone has the same objectives
and there are a number of people who have been living in Ivory Coast and want to
continue to live there and be respected. But, he says, that is not the case, and the issue
of nationality is still being used to political ends by all sides.

In the past week, President Laurent Gbagbo has met with lead opposition candidates,
Henri Konan Bedie and Alassane Ouattara, to reopen negotiations and try to get the
electoral process back on track.

But the publication of a final voter list is not the only obstacle remaining. The
disarmament of the country's former rebel factions, the New Forces, and pro-
government militias is also behind schedule.

International Crisis Groups says that means Ivory Coast is organizing elections in "a
situation of armed peace" that could compromise the vote and lead to violence.

Right now, Depagne says, the only hope we can have is that everyone begins to disarm,
meaning both the New Forces and the pro-government militias who are still active in
the extreme West of the country. He says it is very difficult to organize free and
transparent elections in a country where there are so many guns.

The International Crisis Group report called on the New Forces to not only start
disarming, but also to facilitate the organizing of elections by lifting roadblocks.
There could be as many as 40,000 former rebels to disarm and reintegrate.

But, Depagne says for the moment the New Forces is hesitant to disarm because it does
not trust the presidential camp will not try to reunite the country by force. So, he says,
each side is holding to its conditions.

The International Crisis Group has also called for the international community to be
bolder in identifying, and potentially sanctioning, those responsible for violence and for
blocking the electoral process.
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In Algeria, 'Enemies of the State' (Wall Street Journal)

High crude prices have brought a windfall of about $120 billion to Algeria in the past
two years. But in Remli, Algiers' largest slum, the oil boom has stopped at the doors.

The writing on a slum wall says it all: "We are the enemies of the state."

Remli is a cross between rural Africa and an inner-city ghetto, encapsulating what
happens when an oil boom coincides with a population boom.

Sheep and goats roam the streets. Walls are bare brick; roofs are corrugated iron and
tarpaulin; stairs are scavenged wood. Many locals sport an Islamist uniform of white
skullcap, bushy beard and a brown robe.

Dam Looms Over Uganda's Rafting Industry Africa's Generation Gap Dar Es Salaam's
Missing Dinner Guest WSJ.com/Africa: News, photos, video From these tightly-packed
houses, riots erupted in March protesting the poor conditions. The young seem to live
in a different country from the local elite who dine on fine wine at the Parisian-style
bistros in the capital, Algiers. The protests, therefore, were as much a statement about
current grievances as anger over a bleak future.

"They are 25-years-olds. No housing, no jobs," a local leader said of the youths who
protested. The man, a retired brick factory worker, refused to give his name, citing fears
of state security.

Within a decade, Algiers' population has grown by 500,000 to two million. If one
includes Remli, and ghettoized townships like it, the population soars past three
million.

The local leader says "people came from the countryside to find jobs," and many have
evidently failed. In Algeria, nearly half of the young are unemployed. In their eyes, the
government has failed to deliver on promises of basic housing while opportunities the
oil industry created are out of reach for most. The result can be explosive protests in
places like Remli and elsewhere.

One recent outburst was in the Diar el-Chems housing project, originally built by the
French. Five decades later, it's a labyrinth of rubbish-strewn flats. Huge families pack
into tiny rooms. Children who want to marry often have no housing.

It's a situation Algeria's leaders can't fail to notice, residents say, because Diar el-Chems
is in the center of the capital. "Every time the president goes from his palace to the
airport, he drives under our windows," says another local leader.

Fed up with perceived government inaction, some residents a few years ago built
makeshift homes in a nearby abandoned sports stadium. Police were pelted with stones
when they arrived to dislodge them. The police responded with tear gas, but slum
dwellers didn't back down.

Said one: "It was like a war for us."

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UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

Darfur: Security Council warned of ‘significant challenges’ to peace process

20 May – Despite some progress in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, violent clashes
between Government and rebel forces persist, civilians are still dying or being displaced
and humanitarian workers are still coming under attack, the top United Nations official
in the region said today.