United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

25 May 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

U.S. Expands Secret Military Acts in Mideast and Beyond (New York Times)
(Pan Africa) The top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a broad
expansion of clandestine military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or
counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region,
according to defense officials and military documents.

AFRICOM Organises Military Legal Conference (Peace FM Online)

(Ghana) The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has organised a 3-day first
Annual Africa Military Legal Justice System‘s conference at the Kofi Annan
International Peacekeeping Centre in Accra, Ghana.

Lack of prosecution poses challenge for foreign navies that catch Somali pirates
(Washington Post)
(Pan Africa) The United States and more than 20 allied countries have captured
hundreds of pirates since launching joint operations in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea
and Gulf of Aden last year. But catching the pirates -- almost all from Somalia, a failed
state on the Horn of Africa -- has been the easy part. Finding a place to hold them has
proved far more complicated.

US warns of Nigerian kidnappings after 2 deaths (Associated Press)

(Nigeria) The U.S. government is warning its citizens about rising violent attacks in
Nigeria after two Americans died in separate kidnappings in April.

Ugandans safe amid Mogadishu skirmishes (Daily Monitor)

(Uganda) Ugandan soldiers in Somalia were yesterday said to be secure and planning a
counter-offensive after advancing Al Shabaab fighters reportedly killed 20 civilians in
renewed attacks in Mogadishu.

Meles Zenawi's party 'heads for Ethiopia election win' (BBC)

(Ethiopia) Three-quarters of results have been declared. The governing party in
Ethiopia is leading the vote count from Sunday's election, officials say.
Study: African Economy to Grow 4.5% in 2010 (Wall Street Journal)
(Pan Africa) Economic growth in Africa will rebound with growth of 4.5% in 2010 and
5.2% in 2011, according to forecasts in a report published Monday.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
UN peacekeeper killed in clash in eastern DR Congo
Attack on presidential palace highlights urgency of solving Somali crisis, Ban
warns
Continued clashes leave Darfur’s security situation tense, UN reports
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

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

U.S. Expands Secret Military Acts in Mideast and Beyond (New York Times)

WASHINGTON — The top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a
broad expansion of clandestine military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups
or counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region,
according to defense officials and military documents.

The secret directive, signed in September by Gen. David H. Petraeus, authorizes the
sending of American Special Operations troops to both friendly and hostile nations in
the Middle East, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa to gather intelligence and build
ties with local forces. Officials said the order also permits reconnaissance that could
pave the way for possible military strikes in Iran if tensions over its nuclear ambitions
escalate.

While the Bush administration had approved some clandestine military activities far
from designated war zones, the new order is intended to make such efforts more
systematic and long term, officials said. Its goals are to build networks that could
―penetrate, disrupt, defeat or destroy‖ Al Qaeda and other militant groups, as well as to
―prepare the environment‖ for future attacks by American or local military forces, the
document said. The order, however, does not appear to authorize offensive strikes in
any specific countries.

In broadening its secret activities, the United States military has also sought in recent
years to break its dependence on the Central Intelligence Agency and other spy
agencies for information in countries without a significant American troop presence.

General Petraeus‘s order is meant for use of small teams of American troops to fill
intelligence gaps about terror organizations and other threats in the Middle East and
beyond, especially emerging groups plotting attacks against the United States.
But some Pentagon officials worry that the expanded role carries risks. The authorized
activities could strain relationships with friendly governments like Saudi Arabia or
Yemen, or incite the anger of hostile nations like Iran and Syria. Many in the military
are also concerned that as American troops assume roles far from traditional combat,
they would be at risk of being treated as spies if captured and denied the Geneva
Convention protections afforded military detainees.

The precise operations that the directive authorizes are unclear, and what the military
has done to follow through on the order is uncertain. The document, a copy of which
was viewed by The New York Times, provides few details about continuing missions or
intelligence-gathering operations.

Several government officials who described the impetus for the order would speak only
on condition of anonymity because the document is classified. Spokesmen for the White
House and the Pentagon declined to comment for this article. The Times, responding to
concerns about troop safety raised by an official at United States Central Command, the
military headquarters run by General Petraeus, withheld some details about how troops
could be deployed in certain countries.

The seven-page directive appears to authorize specific operations in Iran, most likely to
gather intelligence about the country‘s nuclear program or identify dissident groups
that might be useful for a future military offensive. The Obama administration insists
that for the moment, it is committed to penalizing Iran for its nuclear activities only
with diplomatic and economic sanctions. Nevertheless, the Pentagon has to draw up
detailed war plans to be prepared in advance, in the event that President Obama ever
authorizes a strike.

―The Defense Department can‘t be caught flat-footed,‖ said one Pentagon official with
knowledge of General Petraeus‘s order.

The directive, the Joint Unconventional Warfare Task Force Execute Order, signed Sept.
30, may also have helped lay a foundation for the surge of American military activity in
Yemen that began three months later.

Special Operations troops began working with Yemen‘s military to try to dismantle Al
Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an affiliate of Osama bin Laden‘s terror network based
in Yemen. The Pentagon has also carried out missile strikes from Navy ships into
suspected militant hideouts and plans to spend more than $155 million equipping
Yemeni troops with armored vehicles, helicopters and small arms.

Officials said that many top commanders, General Petraeus among them, have
advocated an expansive interpretation of the military‘s role around the world, arguing
that troops need to operate beyond Iraq and Afghanistan to better fight militant groups.
The order, which an official said was drafted in close coordination with Adm. Eric T.
Olson, the officer in charge of the United States Special Operations Command, calls for
clandestine activities that ―cannot or will not be accomplished‖ by conventional
military operations or ―interagency activities,‖ a reference to American spy agencies.

While the C.I.A. and the Pentagon have often been at odds over expansion of
clandestine military activity, most recently over intelligence gathering by Pentagon
contractors in Pakistan and Afghanistan, there does not appear to have been a
significant dispute over the September order.

A spokesman for the C.I.A. declined to confirm the existence of General Petraeus‘s
order, but said that the spy agency and the Pentagon had a ―close relationship‖ and
generally coordinate operations in the field.

―There‘s more than enough work to go around,‖ said the spokesman, Paul Gimigliano.
―The real key is coordination. That typically works well, and if problems arise, they get
settled.‖

During the Bush administration, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld endorsed

clandestine military operations, arguing that Special Operations troops could be as
effective as traditional spies, if not more so.

Unlike covert actions undertaken by the C.I.A., such clandestine activity does not
require the president‘s approval or regular reports to Congress, although Pentagon
officials have said that any significant ventures are cleared through the National
Security Council. Special Operations troops have already been sent into a small number
of countries to carry out limited surveillance and reconnaissance missions, including
operations to gather intelligence about airstrips, bridges and beaches that might be
needed for an offensive.

Some of Mr. Rumsfeld‘s initiatives were controversial, and met with resistance by some
at the State Department and C.I.A. who saw the troops as a backdoor attempt by the
Pentagon to assert influence outside of war zones. In 2004, one of the first groups sent
overseas was pulled out of Paraguay after killing a pistol-waving robber who had
attacked them as they stepped out of a taxi.

A Pentagon order that year gave the military authority for offensive strikes in more
than a dozen countries, and Special Operations troops carried them out in Syria,
Pakistan and Somalia.

In contrast, General Petraeus‘s September order is focused on intelligence gathering —

by American troops, foreign businesspeople, academics or others — to identify
militants and provide ―persistent situational awareness,‖ while forging ties to local
indigenous groups.
--------------------
AFRICOM Organises Military Legal Conference (Peace FM Online)

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has organised a 3-day first Annual
Africa Military Legal Justice System‘s conference at the Kofi Annan International
Peacekeeping Centre in Accra, Ghana.

The conference which was on the theme ‗An exchange of ideas: Discussing our common
legal challenges‘ brought together 50 participants from America, Canada and 15 African
countries including Ghana.

AFRICOM is one of six US Department of Defence geographic headquarters, based in

Stuttgart in Germany, with selected personnel assigned to the US Embassies and
diplomatic missions in Africa.

The conference aimed at providing awareness of origins and role of the legal advisor in
the military operations, discussed areas of the law where the military legal advisor
serves as an essential role in military operations.

It also discussed the issue of discipline, military justice, maritime law and counter-
narcotics authorities as well as operational law.

It afforded each African country legal delegation in attendance to do a power point

presentation about military legal system, structure, personnel as well as discussion of
any current legal challenges and development.

Colonel Jon L. Lightner, JA, US Army, US AFRICOM, underscored the importance of

military legal justice system, saying ‗it is the engine that drives proper behaviour of the
military personnel.‘

According to him, military legal advisors ought to be abreast with both national and
international laws in order to ensure that the military personnel operate within the rule
of law, in consistent with the international recognised standards, particularly in human
rights.

Colonel Lightner noted that with the military legal justice, when there is a problem or
an officer commits an offence, the case will go through a due process for the person to
have a fair trial for appropriate punishment when found guilty.
He said the aim of AFRICOM among other things is to share experience and ideas with
their African partners and find out their concerns and challenges so that together they
will discuss those concerns and find a better solution.

‗The conference has exceeded my expectation. The presentations, discussions and

questions are quality. We will find out from our partners the challenges to address next
time,‘ he stated in an interview the ISD after the conference.

The Head of Training at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre, Colonel
Leo Hirschmann, charged military personnel to live good exemplary life and be models
for people to emulate because they are the peacekeepers.

‗As military Officer, you must be disciplined and respect the rule of law and be vigilant
to ensure effective militarism. Rule of law is one step of preventing peacekeeping
operations,‘ he advised.

Col Hirschmann commended the participants and said what they have learnt will help
them handle and deal with complex legal issues in the military in their respective
countries.
--------------------
Lack of prosecution poses challenge for foreign navies that catch Somali pirates
(Washington Post)

For six weeks, two Navy warships have been cruising the Indian Ocean with some
unwanted guests: 10 accused Somali pirates the U.S. government doesn't know what to
do with.

The United States and more than 20 allied countries have captured hundreds of pirates
since launching joint operations in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden last
year. But catching the pirates -- almost all from Somalia, a failed state on the Horn of
Africa -- has been the easy part. Finding a place to hold them has proved far more
complicated.

Kenya, one of only two countries in the region that had been willing to take custody of
suspected buccaneers and put them on trial, announced last month that it would stop
taking new cases because they had become too much of a burden. On Wednesday, after
meeting with European diplomats, Kenya's foreign minister said his government would
resume accepting captured pirates. But U.S. officials said Thursday that they were still
waiting to hear formally from Kenya and that the suspension remained in effect.

With African countries reluctant to resolve the problem, the U.S., European and other
foreign navies that capture pirates increasingly have been confronted with the choice of
bringing them all the way home to face trial or simply letting them go -- a practice
known as "catch and release."

The Obama administration has argued that prosecution is necessary to deter Somali
outlaws who have disrupted some of the world's busiest shipping lanes by hijacking
vessels and demanding millions of dollars in ransom. On Tuesday, in the first U.S.
piracy case in decades, a Somali teenager pleaded guilty in federal court in New York to
involvement in last year's hijacking of the Maersk Alabama, a U.S.-flagged container
ship.

Last month, the Navy handed over 11 more suspected pirates for prosecution in federal
court in Norfolk. They were captured in two incidents last month after they launched
attacks on what they thought -- in the dark of night -- were unarmed merchant vessels
but turned out to be U.S. warships on patrol in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Reluctant hosts

Under international law, any country may prosecute pirates, regardless of whether its
citizens or companies were victimized. But the U.S. government has drawn the line at
cases involving American interests. As a result, the Navy has been stuck holding 10
other Somalis it captured April 5 after rescuing a vessel under attack in the Arabian Sea.

In that case, the McFaul, a U.S. guided-missile destroyer, apprehended a band of pirates
that had hijacked an Indian cargo ship and its nine crew members and was trying to
board another Indian vessel. Shortly afterward, the Navy transferred the pirates to the
Carney, another U.S. warship in the region, "whose mission could better support
further transfer of the suspected pirates to another country for prosecution," said Lt.
Matthew Allen, a spokesman for the Navy's 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain.

The handover attempt fell through, however, prompting the Navy to transfer the
suspects back to the McFaul, which is on a counter-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden.
The Navy did not identify the country that declined to take the Somalis.

"My preference is that we don't hold the pirates. But when you have them, you have
them," said Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of U.S. naval operations. "I'm kind of letting the
diplomatic channels work it out."

Meanwhile, the Navy says the accused pirates are detained "in a covered area on the
exterior" of the McFaul, where they are fed the same food as the sailors. "The one thing
that is for certain is that they gain weight while they're with us," Roughead said.

A senior U.S. official said the Obama administration is hoping to clinch a deal in the
next several days for another country to prosecute the accused pirates. The official said
prosecuting the Somalis in the United States was not under consideration because the
case did not involve U.S. victims or interests.

If no deal is reached, the Navy may have to let the prisoners go. "Catch and release is
always the last resort, but on occasion, we have resorted to the last resort," the official
said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "You can't rule it out."

Catch and release

Many European countries, whose navies are contributing to the international flotilla
patrolling the waters off Somalia, have been much quicker to employ the catch-and-
release approach.

The European Union's naval forces caught 275 pirates off the coast of Somalia in March
and April but released 235 of them after confiscating their weapons, said Anders Kallin,
a Swedish navy commander and spokesman for the E.U. forces. Ten were taken to
Hamburg to face charges of attacking a German-owned container ship, despite some
German officials' fears that the suspects might seek asylum. The island nation of
Seychelles agreed to prosecute 11 others, while the remaining 19 were handed over to
authorities in Puntland, a region in southern Somalia.

In the same period, the U.S. Navy -- which focuses more on capturing terrorists --
caught 39 Somali pirates and released 18 of them.

The increased foreign naval presence has reduced the number of hijackings in the Gulf
of Aden, a vital shipping lane leading to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. But pirates
have responded by hunting for prey elsewhere in the region.

Overall, Somali pirates attempted 217 hijackings in 2009, almost double the number
from the year before, according to the International Maritime Bureau, a London-based
agency. As of March 31, suspected Somali pirates were holding 10 vessels for ransom,
along with 178 crew members, the bureau reported.

U.S. Navy commanders say that the region is too vast for them to patrol effectively and
that it is incumbent on merchant ships to protect themselves. The only long-term
solution, they say, is to restore law and order in Somalia. But the country has lacked a
functional central government for two decades, and piracy represents one of the few
growth spots in an otherwise shattered economy.

"I don't think we can sustain the level of operation that we have down there forever,"
Adm. Mark P. Fitzgerald, commander of U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa, told
Pentagon reporters last month. "How do we deal with this? We've got to come to some
kind of solution."
--------------------
US warns of Nigerian kidnappings after 2 deaths (Associated Press)

LAGOS, Nigeria – The U.S. government is warning its citizens about rising violent
attacks in Nigeria after two Americans died in separate kidnappings in April.

The State Department announced the two deaths in a new travel warning for Nigeria
issued Monday. In the statement, the State Department said six foreign nationals had
been killed in kidnappings since 2009, including the two U.S. citizens.

The State Department said more than 110 expatriates have been kidnapped in Nigeria
since January 2009.

Militants in the Nigeria's southern delta have targeted oil workers for kidnapping in the
past during their campaign to bring more oil money to a region that suffered
environmental damage and economic neglect over 50 years of production. Criminal
gangs also kidnap foreigners and wealthy Nigerians for ransom.
--------------------
Ugandans safe amid Mogadishu skirmishes (Daily Monitor)

KAMPALA, Uganda - Ugandan soldiers in Somalia were yesterday said to be secure

and planning a counter-offensive after advancing Al Shabaab fighters reportedly killed
20 civilians in renewed attacks in Mogadishu.

Maj. Ba-Hoku Barigye, the spokesman for the African Union peace-keeping force,
comprising largely Ugandan troops, said there is ―no cause for alarm‖. He, however,
said they are ―on alert 20 hours a day.‖ ―This city (Mogadishu) is like an Ocean tide; the
Al Shabaab always make those maneuvers but there is nothing, whatsoever, to worry
about,‖ he told this newspaper by phone from Somalia.

Some 40 Ugandan soldiers have perished in the restive Mogadishu since 2007. The
Reuters news agency yesterday quoted Maj. Barigye saying the AU force, which is
propping up the shaky Transitional Federal Government of Sheikh Ahmed Sherif, will
pound when threatened. ―If the rebels cross the red line we‘ll act and they should know
that,‖ Maj. Barigye said, ―(And) the red line means any situation that can bring
insecurity to the government institutions or our troops.‖

Downplay threat

The spokesman later tried to downplay the threat at hand, saying ―there is no change in
the security situation on the ground.‖ Medics and Mogadishu-based Elman, a rights
group, however, reported some 30 people wounded in four days as the Al Shabaab, a
self-declared Al Qaeda affiliate, tried an onslaught on the presidential palace heavily
guarded by government and AU troops.

The snowball in violence comes days after top Ugandan and American military chiefs,
in a meeting at State House Entebbe last Thursday, reviewed the strategy for Somalia
operations to which US Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson pledged more
support.
--------------------
Meles Zenawi's party 'heads for Ethiopia election win' (BBC)

Three-quarters of results have been declared. The governing party in Ethiopia is

leading the vote count from Sunday's election, officials say.

Partial results show Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's party is ahead "in all regions", says
the election board.

EU observers are investigating complaints of irregularities during the vote, but say it
was largely peaceful and calm.

Human Rights Watch has condemned the election as multi-party theatre staged by a
single party state.

The US-based group says the election was preceded by "months of repression", in which
the government "pressured, intimidated and threatened Ethiopian voters".

The governing Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has

rejected the claims, and accused HRW of waging a malicious smear campaign.

Poll test

Election board official Merga Bekan said that with around three-quarters of the results
declared, the EPRDF was in the lead.

"Definitely, at this point the EPRDF has won, definitely," he said.

Ethiopia tackles election ghosts

The EPRDF is leading in the opposition heartland of Oromia region, and also in the
capital Addis Ababa, where it lost in the 2005 election.

Victory was widely expected, but few thought it would be such a landslide, reports the
BBC's Will Ross in Addis Ababa.
Mr Meles - in power since 1991 - put the expected win down to an impressive track
record, especially when it comes to economic growth.

The government has worked hard to improve infrastructure, especially in the urban
areas and access to social services like healthcare has increased.

But this poll was also being seen as a test for the country after the 2005 disputed election
led to violence.

An opposition coalition came close to winning the election, and protests against the
result led to almost 200 opposition supporters being shot dead in the streets. Opposition
leaders were also detained, and one remains in jail.

This time, there will be much debate as to whether the ruling party's certain victory is
down to impressive efforts at developing the country or state harassment of the
opposition, our reporter says.

Analysts suggest the truth is a combination of the two, he adds.

--------------------
Study: African Economy to Grow 4.5% in 2010 (Wall Street Journal)

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast—Economic growth in Africa will rebound with growth of 4.5%
in 2010 and 5.2% in 2011, according to forecasts in a report published Monday.

The African Economic Outlook 2010 report predicts the recovery will remain uneven,
with southern Africa—the region hardest hit in 2009—recovering more slowly than the
rest of the continent. The report by the African Development Bank, the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa said East Africa is predicted to lead the way higher, with growth
averaging more than 6% in 2010 and 2011.

"The prospect of only a moderate recovery in a number of African countries makes it

even more pressing to address the structural problems, which existed even before the
global crisis," said Leonce Ndikumana, Director of the Development Research
Department at the African Development Bank.

The report's authors say the world financial crisis slashed growth levels on the
continent from an average of 6% in 2006 to 2008 to 2.5% in 2009.

"The good news is that the continent has proved resilient to the crisis," said Henri-
Bernard Solignac-Lecomte, Head of the Europe, Africa and Middle East Desk at the
OECD Development Center in a press release. Mr. Solignac-Lecomte added that the bad
news was that the downturn could make it more difficult for countries to meet their
targets of reducing poverty.

The study also studied taxation revenue and found large differences in the performance
of individual countries, with some collecting only half the expected revenue given
living standards and incomes.

The report was published at the start of the annual meetings of the Board of Governors
of the African Development Bank Group, being held here.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

UN peacekeeper killed in clash in eastern DR Congo

24 May – An Indian soldier from the United Nations peacekeeping force in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was killed today when his patrol went to the
aid of national army forces caught in an ambush by unidentified gunmen in the east of
the country.

Attack on presidential palace highlights urgency of solving Somali crisis, Ban warns
24 May – Fresh from sponsoring an international conference aimed at forging a new
approach to bring peace to war-torn Somalia, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today
said yesterday‘s attack on the presidential palace there underscored both the urgency
and the scale of the challenge.

Continued clashes leave Darfur’s security situation tense, UN reports

24 May – The security situation in the war-ravaged Sudanese region of Darfur remains
tense and unpredictable due to ongoing clashes between Government forces and rebels,
the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission there said today.