United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

11 June 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Biden in Sudan as concern over elections grows (Washington Post)

(Sudan) Vice President Biden is leading an interagency delegation to Africa this week,
but his final stop at the 2010 World Cup is not the point of the journey. Biden is there to
get involved in Sudan policy and lend some senior-level supervision to an issue that has
split the Obama administration for months.

Obama Will Visit Nation If Draft is Passed (Nairobi Star)

(Kenya) Vice President Joe Biden yesterday told President Kibaki and Prime Minister
Raila Odinga at State House in Nairobi that the world's most powerful man has
promised to revisit his father's homeland if Kenya passes the proposed constitution.

ICC prosecutor wants accused Sudanese arrested (Associated Press)

(Sudan) The International Criminal Court prosecutor said he will ask the U.N. Security
Council on Friday to take action to ensure the arrest of a Sudanese governor and a
militia leader accused of atrocities in Darfur.

Task force formed to implement Istanbul conference resolutions on Somalia (Xinhua)

(Somalia) A United Nations-backed meeting, held here on Thursday, has formed a task
force which will ensure the resolutions reached at the Istanbul conference on Somalia
are implemented.

Uganda Eyes New Oil Future (International Relations and Security Network)
(Uganda) In what is now being called the largest onshore oil discovery in sub-Saharan
Africa in 20 years, Tullow Oil believes that this drilling area in Uganda will yield
“several billion” barrels of oil.

Burundi Presidential Vote to Proceed Despite Opposition Boycott (Voice of America)

(Burundi) The chairman of Burundi’s Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) said
preparations are far advanced ahead of the presidential election scheduled for 28th June
despite the opposition decision to boycott the vote.

"Pirate fishing" takes root off West African coast (Reuters)

(West Africa) European and Asian fleets, drawn by the zone's shoddy maritime
surveillance, are taking as much as $1 billion worth of illegal catch each year from West
Africa's waters to feed voracious demand back home, experts say, threatening a key
source of local food and employment.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
• In Cameroon, Ban urges ‘less talk, more action’ to achieve targets on
development
• Nigerian to be new force commander for UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan
• UN lauds commitment of Central African nations to halt use of child soldiers
• Final electoral list immediate priority for Côte d’Ivoire, says UN envoy
• UN backs production of new history syllabus for African students
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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, June 15, 9:30 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars: Media as a Tool for Social Change
in Africa
WHO: John Marks, President and Founder, Search for Common Ground; John Siceloff,
Executive Producer NOW on PBS, CEO of JumpStart Productions; Sylvia Vollenhoven, Knight
Development Journalism Fellow, International Center for Journalists; Steve McDonald,
Consulting Director, Africa Program, Wilson Center
Info:
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.event_summary&event_id=623411

WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, June 17, 2:30 p.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs: Horn of Africa: Current
Conditions and U.S. Policy
WHO: Mr. Ted Dagne, Specialist in African Affairs, Congressional Research Service; Ms. Leslie
Lefkow, Senior Researcher, Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
Info: http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1191
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Biden in Sudan as concern over elections grows (Washington Post)

Vice President Biden is leading an interagency delegation to Africa this week, but his
final stop at the 2010 World Cup is not the point of the journey. Biden is there to get
involved in Sudan policy and lend some senior-level supervision to an issue that has
split the Obama administration for months.

On Wednesday, Biden became the most senior Obama administration official to meet
with Salva Kiir Mayardit, president of the South Sudan region. Ahead of the meeting, a
senior administration official said the purpose of the visit was "to talk about the
necessary steps to fully implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and to plan for
post-referendum Sudan," adding that the conversation would be "mostly about the
future of southern Sudan."

That's an indication that the Obama team is getting concerned about the January 2011
elections, when the south is widely expected to vote to separate from the north, a result
that could spark violence or even a return to civil war. The elevation of the Sudan issue
to the top levels of the White House is exactly what leading Sudan activists have been
demanding for months. They are fed up with what they see as deep divisions inside the
Obama team about how to approach Sudan.

"It really is time for the president, the vice president and Secretary of State Clinton to
get more directly involved in this issue," said John Norris, executive director of the
Enough Project, an advocacy group. But it's still not clear whether Biden's involvement
will lead to a sustained attention from top administration officials, Norris cautioned.

The divisions inside the White House were highlighted last month during what
multiple administration sources describe as a vigorous and heated internal debate over
whether to send a U.S. government representative to the re-inauguration ceremony for
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has been indicted for war crimes by
the International Criminal Court.

It was Hillary Rodham Clinton who ultimately made the decision to send the chief
consular officer at the U.S Embassy in Khartoum. Sending a junior-level representative
was a compromise, but one that apparently left both sides equally unhappy.
--------------------
Obama Will Visit Nation If Draft is Passed (Nairobi Star)

NAIROBI, Kenya — US President Barack Obama will visit Kenya if the referendum on
August 4 approves the proposed constitution.

Vice President Joe Biden yesterday told President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila
Odinga at State House in Nairobi that the world's most powerful man has promised to
revisit his father's homeland if Kenya passes the proposed constitution. The American
President last visited Kenya and his grandmother in Kogelo village as senator for
Illinois in 2006.

"He told us that Obama was handling Kenya's case personally, outside the wider
African policy, and will visit the country if we pass the proposed constitution," Raila
told the Star last night.

Biden said Obama believed that the new constitution would unlock resources for Kenya
and lift the country to a higher level.
"He encouraged us to forge ahead with reforms we initiated at the beginning of the
coalition government, especially a new constitution, because they are critical for the
country's future. We gave him our commitment that we will ensure that all the
necessary reforms are enacted," said Raila.

The 10 am meeting between Biden and the two principals was set to last 20 minutes but
it went on for more than an hour.

Biden commended Kibaki and Raila for mending their differences and furthering
reforms which he promised would attract more US support.

"Thank you ... for making me more optimistic than I had been about the prospect of this
reform occurring," Biden said at a press conference around noon in State House.

He said the funding was dependent on Kenya implementing the reforms including a
new constitution, restoration of the rule of law, and other reforms under the National
Accord of 2008.

Also in State House while Biden was meeting the two principals were Vice President
Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy PMs Musalia Mudavadi and Uhuru Kenyatta, Cabinet
ministers, US assistant Secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson and US ambassador
Michael Ranneberger.

Addressing the press after the meeting, Biden wanted the "right climate" in Kenya and
described the proposed constitution as a "single unique opportunity".

"America wants to do business here. When these reforms happen, you will see a
different attitude from America and its investors," Biden said.

The US has in recent months applied unprecedented pressure on the government to

resolve its internal disputes and implement the reform agenda.

Biden said that Kenya was already the largest recipient of American aid in Sub-Saharan
Africa and implementation of the promised reforms would spur a new wave of US
cash.

"Putting in place a new constitution and strengthening your democratic institutions and
rule of law will further open the door to major US development programmes and
investment from US corporations," he said.

Biden predicted that "Kenya's best days are yet to come" and that fresh US investment
would boost confidence in Kenya across the world.
Kenya could now become eligible for the Millennium Challenge development funding
offered to countries meeting 17 indicators centered on the rule of law and opportunities
for growth. Since 2005 Kenya has received US $12.7 million for public sector reforms
including strengthening the Public Procurement Oversight Authority and roll-out of an
electronic-procurement system in the Office of the President and ministries of
Education, Roads, Public Works, Energy and Health.

During yesterday's talks, Kibaki asked the US to increase its assistance to the transport,
housing, energy and water sectors which are covered by the Millennium Challenge
account for poor countries.

Kibaki requested Obama's administration to encourage US investors to explore the East

African Common Market that comes into effect on July 1, according to a statement
released by the President Press Service.

Biden said good governance was not an end in itself but must translate into certain
realities such as creation of jobs for millions of skilled but unemployed youth.

Kibaki promised Biden that his government would deliver on the new constitution that
he described as the "most important reform initiative" of the grand coalition
government.

Kibaki expressed concern over piracy off the Coast of Somalia and the instability caused
by extremist groups.

"We will support you in your efforts to secure your border with Somalia," Biden said.

Other regional issues discussed included the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for
Sudan where Kenya and the US are guarantors. A referendum in January 2011 will
determine whether Southern Sudan becomes an independent, autonomous region.

"We expect the referendum will take place as scheduled. The best way of supporting
Sudan's internal stability, regional peace and prosperity is to respect the verdict of the
people," Kibaki said.

Biden described the discussions as "productive" said he was "truly impressed" to

witness the mutual cooperation between Kibaki and Raila.

"I must tell you I was truly impressed by the mutual cooperation between you and the
prime minister ... and your mutual commitment to reform," Biden said.

Kibaki also thanked President Obama for his "continued interest" in Kenya. "We count
on his administration's goodwill and cooperation,"Kibaki added.
The Cabinet ministers also present at State House were Sally Kosgey (Agriculture),
Moses Wetangula (Foreign Affairs), George Saitoti (Internal Security), Mutula Kilonzo
(Justice), Amason Kingi (East Africa) and the Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura.

After his meeting at State House, Biden laid a wreath at the August 7 Memorial Park
before holding talks with the Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende.
--------------------
ICC prosecutor wants accused Sudanese arrested (Associated Press)

UNITED NATIONS - The International Criminal Court prosecutor said he will ask the
U.N. Security Council on Friday to take action to ensure the arrest of a Sudanese
governor and a militia leader accused of atrocities in Darfur.

Luis Moreno Ocampo said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press that the
court's pre-trial judges ruled on May 25 that the Sudanese government has refused to
cooperate and hand over South Kordofan Governor Ahmed Harun and Janjaweed
militia leader Ali Kushayb.

The prosecutor said he will tell the council at Friday's open meeting: ""After the judges
decision, it's the Security Council's responsibility."

The court's Darfur investigation — which led to arrest warrants for Harun, Kushayb
and Sudan's President Omar Al-Bashir — was prompted by a request from the Security
Council.

Sudan is not a member of the tribunal and refuses to recognize its jurisdiction.

But Moreno Ocampo says Khartoum has a "binding legal obligation," underpinned by a
council resolution, to cooperate with the court and comply with the arrest warrants
issued in 2007 for Harun and Kushayb on a total of 51 charges of crimes against
humanity and crimes of sexual violence as war crimes.

While fugitives are normally in hiding, the prosecutor said Harun has a high-profile job
in South Kordofan, the oil-rich region which lies on the disputed border between
Sudan's Arab-dominated north and black African south. He said Kushayb's
whereabouts in South Darfur are also well known.

The Security Council issued a presidential statement in June 2008 reminding Sudan of
its obligation to arrest both men.

Moreno Ocampo said it's important now for the council to instruct all the U.N.
representatives and mediators in the country to request their arrest and ensure that the
issue of justice is part of all peace negotiations.
Those representatives are expected to attend an open Security Council meeting on
Monday.

All are expected to brief the council: Ibrahim Gambari, the joint U.N.-African Union
representative in Darfur; U.N.-A.U. chief mediator Djibril Bassole who is trying to
promote peace between the rebels and the government in western Darfur; former South
African President Thabo Mbeki who chaired an A.U. panel on Darfur; and Haile
Menkerios, the U.N. envoy trying to implement the 2005 peace agreement that ended
Sudan's 21-year civil war.

Moreno Ocampo said the arrest of Harun is "critically important" because his "expertise
is to attack civilians using tribal militias."

Harun allegedly attacked civilians in the Nuba mountains and organized a secret
service to collect information and carry out attacks in camps for the displaced, the
prosecutor said. He then moved to Darfur where he organized attacks against civilians
in the villages and then became minister of state for humanitarian affairs "to attack the
people in the camps," Moreno Ocampo said.

A crucial referendum will be held next year on independence for southern Sudan, and
Moreno Ocampo indicated Harun is in a key position.

"If you follow what he did in the past, be careful what he is doing in South Kordofan,"
the prosecutor warned. "Why do they need him there? His expertise is to attack civilians
... "

South Kordofan lies in the heart of Sudan and borders Darfur where U.N. officials
estimate 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have been displaced since ethnic
African rebels rose up in 2003, accusing Sudan's Arab-dominated central government of
neglect and discrimination. The province also includes the contested border town of
Abyei, whose status remains one of the most contentious outstanding issues in the
implementation of the 2005 north-south peace deal.

What about the prospects of arresting president al-Bashir, who was just re-elected and
is wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity?

"Richard Nixon was re-elected after Watergate and his future, his destiny, was not
good," Moreno Ocampo said.

"The destiny of Bashir is to face justice," he said. Whether it "will be five years, 10 years,
15 years, he will face justice. The problem is how many people will die, how many
people will be raped? Justice can wait. Stopping the crimes cannot."
--------------------
Task force formed to implement Istanbul conference resolutions on Somalia (Xinhua)
NAIROBI, Kenya - A United Nations-backed meeting, held here on Thursday, has
formed a task force which will ensure the resolutions reached at the Istanbul conference
on Somalia are implemented.

UN Special Representative Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, along with representatives of the

Islamic Development Bank and Turkey co- chaired the meeting to discuss the
implementation of the recommendations made at the Istanbul conference.

An international conference on Somalia co-hosted by the UN and Turkey was held in

Istanbul in May. The three-day meeting ended with the Istanbul Declaration, which
highlighted the need of a determined, long-term effort from the Somali government to
promote political cooperation and build strong government institutions, while
appealing to those who threatened to undermine the peace process. "The engagement
on reconstruction and development is our commitment to take parallel action on
political, security and development front," Ould-Abdallah said on the meeting in
Nairobi.

The meeting, held at the request of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), established a
Task Force to immediately take action in the areas of basic services, reconstruction and
infrastructure, livelihoods and energy.

The meeting also discussed a framework for resource mobilization and funding
mechanisms, stating that these would build on already existing mechanisms.

The participants reiterated the need to invest in reconstruction and development, and
stressed the need to engage the Somali business community as an important contributor
in bringing about peace and security in the war-torn country.

The meeting was attended by representatives from France, Italy, Japan, Norway,
Sweden, Somalia, Turkey, Britain, the African Union, the European Union, the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States, World Bank,
and the Qatari Red Crescent.
--------------------
Uganda Eyes New Oil Future (International Relations and Security Network)

The Great Rift Valley of East Africa - the birthplace of humankind - holds a reservoir of
billions of barrels of untapped oil. Over the last four years, UK-based oil exploration
and production company Tullow Oil has discovered reserves of nearly 2 billion barrels
of oil in rural western Uganda, with the largest finds in the Lake Albert Basin.

In what is now being called the largest onshore oil discovery in sub-Saharan Africa in 20
years, Tullow believes that this drilling area will yield “several billion” barrels of oil;
and at least 15 major strikes by various oil companies have been made throughout
Great Rift Valley since Tullow’s discovery. (See this article to view Tullow’s drilling
area with further analysis.)

Now as with any new resource discovery, especially on the African continent, and
especially when it involves a private company from a former colonial power, questions
begin to emerge about the host country’s negotiating power and the regional and
international relations implications of the find.

Uganda is now at this point: It is a potentially new wealthy oil state, landlocked by its
neighbors who are watching enviously as petro dollars promise to double Ugandan
state revenues. The country is also being eyed by other international actors who wonder
how oil might shape relations that were once based primarily on non-energy trade, the
country’s captive labor pool and military training exercises with Ugandans as a part of a
larger strategy to thwart terrorism in Horn of Africa.

Uganda’s oil discovery is also being compared to what is often cited as the Nigerian
“petroleum curse” in which “billions of pounds in oil revenues [are] siphoned off by
corrupt leaders while communities in the environmentally scarred, oil-producing
regions still live in poverty.”

Still, others have identified the ongoing employment of Ugandans as private security
contractors, trained and shipped off to Iraq by western private military and security
companies, as a security advantage for Uganda. Their training in Iraq could come in
handy on the front line of security for Uganda’s new oil infrastructure.

Securing the future

Uganda is in the same neck of the woods as the US military’s Africa Command
(AFRICOM) regional military support apparatus. Furthermore, there are several EU
energy and oil extraction projects throughout East Africa.

“One interesting dynamic is that while Uganda’s political risk will increase, western
states will have less say in Uganda matters. In the medium term, once oil production
starts, dependence on donor money will fall. Uganda will still need significant
financing to build its oil infrastructure, both physical (refinery, pipeline, railway
construction or rehabilitation) and institutional. But one should expect that there will be
support forthcoming from non-western partners such as China, Iran, India, etc,”
independent country risk analyst and publisher of www.ratio-magazine.com, Andrea
Bohnstedt told ISN Security Watch.

“If Uganda takes this, it won’t need the West; if the West tries to muscle out those
regimes, it can’t put conditions on its assistance. Remember what was seen in Chad
where the West financed the pipeline, and tried to impose certain conditions on the
government in return: They had limited impact, and when the president was under
threat from rebel armies advancing on the capital, he basically threw all those
restrictions out and did what he wanted and/or needed to do to save the regime,” he
said.

While AFRICOM has security and economic interests in Uganda, for the time being,
Bohnstedt said, “the largest African oil producers are Libya, Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial
Guinea - and it’s not clear if Uganda will get anywhere near them in terms of reserves,
and it’s still too fragmented to become a ‘hot oil region.’”

“Domestic security [in Uganda] will be closely related to political risk. Many Ugandans
are fed up with [President] Museveni’s seemingly interminable rule (and all the
contracts and business opportunities going to his family and entourage), and no longer
think that they can achieve a change of government through the ballot box. That
Uganda will be an oil producer just ups the stakes in the political contest,” Bohnstedt
concluded.
--------------------
Burundi Presidential Vote to Proceed Despite Opposition Boycott (Voice of America)

The chairman of Burundi’s Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) said

preparations are far advanced ahead of the presidential election scheduled for 28th June
despite the opposition decision to boycott the vote.

Pierre Claver Ndayicariye told VOA that the electoral body has a track record of
organizing elections that both local and international observers have judged to be free
and fair.

“We are a technical commission and our mission is to organize technically the elections.
Today, we are preparing (for) the presidential election, which are scheduled on 28th of
June 2010. We are really preparing (for) this election,” he said.

This comes after the last remaining opposition presidential candidate pulled out of the
upcoming vote citing concerns the elections will be rigged in favor of incumbent
President Pierre Nkurunziza.

Several opposition groups have accused the electoral body of failing to prevent fraud in
last month’s district elections won by the ruling CNDD-FDD party with over 60 percent
of the votes. The opposition parties have also demanded a re-run of the district elections
after rejecting the results.

But, electoral chairman Ndayicariye said, despite the boycotts, the presidential election
will proceed as originally planned.

“In 2005, we had (only) one candidate and the election was organized and in Burundi
(it) is not the first time we have had a single candidate…they (the opposition) were
invited to participate, but they said it’s not good to continue to proceed participating in
this election. It’s their own political will,” Ndayicariye said.

Observers say the boycott will seriously undermine the credibility of the election and
weaken Burundi’s fledgling democracy.

Incumbent President Nkurunziza is expected to win by a landslide if the opposition

parties continue their boycott of the presidential vote.

Chairman Ndayicariye said Burundians should expect a transparent vote.

“The Burundi people today really are very, very keen in supporting peace reconciliation
and security. Burundi people have got many lessons from the past. We will like to see
political party leaders to work together to support the democratic process,” Ndayicariye
said.

Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, as well as other foreign diplomats,
has called on the various opposition parties to reconsider their decision to boycott the
28 June election.
--------------------
"Pirate fishing" takes root off West African coast (Reuters)

OUAKAM BEACH, Senegal - Saliou N'Diaye comes from a long line of once-wealthy
Lebou fishermen who call the Cap Vert peninsula on Africa's western tip home. But he
hopes his children don't follow him to the sea.

"There are no fish left now," he said, fingering the blade of a knife and surveying the
dozens of brightly painted wooden boats on the cliff-framed beach at Ouakam north of
Dakar.

"We spend a week at sea to bring back $10 worth of fish. It is not a life I want for my
children."

It is a story echoed in villages all along West Africa's coast, an area once famous for its
rich fishing grounds but which experts say is being ruined by ever-increasing illegal
trawling by international vessels.

European and Asian fleets, drawn by the zone's shoddy maritime surveillance, are
taking as much as $1 billion worth of illegal catch each year from West Africa's waters
to feed voracious demand back home, experts say, threatening a key source of local
food and employment.
Fishermen say declines in catches have led many to attempt do-or-die boat rides to
Europe, a symbol of hope in a poverty-stricken region, and hundreds of rickety boats
are believed to sink among the Atlantic's white caps each year.

"Pirate fishing is having a direct impact on some of the world's poorest people," said
Pape Samba Diouf of the World Wildlife Fund in Dakar. "The biggest problem is the
inability of coastal states in the region to patrol their own waters."

The global fishing fleet takes in about 90 billion tons of marine fish per year and experts
estimate that a fifth of that is captured illegally, particularly in regions ill-equipped to
enforce their maritime boundaries.

The European Union said it has passed strict regulations barring vessels from engaging
in illegal fishing. "They have to act in full transparency to the specific rules coming from
international agreements," said European Commission fisheries spokesman Oliver
Drewes.

But environmental groups say trawlers are flouting the regulations, and making use of
lax enforcement at ports like Las Palmas in Spain's Canary Islands to shuffle illegal
catches in with legitimate ones before shipment to European markets.

"The situation continues to be bad and is very likely getting worse," said Steve Trent,
director of Environmental Justice Foundation which has taken surveys of fishing vessels
active in the area. He said as many as 60 percent of the fishing vessels off Guinea's coast
are unlicensed.

PIRATE BOATS

In the palm-fringed Ivory Coast fishing village of Lahou, sandwiched between a thin
sliver of lagoon and the Atlantic ocean, fishermen stand in the waves casting their nets.

Residents say the fish on which they depend are fast disappearing and blame "Chinese"
boats, as they call them, because they say most of the crews look east Asian.

"It's no longer profitable to fish," said Henry Joel Segui, as he stood in the sand
repairing his net. "There are boats which come and cause us trouble, those Chinese over
there," he said, nodding toward the black shape of a trawler out to sea.

West Africa's best fishing grounds -- stretching from Mauritania in the north to Angola
in the south -- have traditionally teemed with tuna, dorado, and other fish species
drawn by a nutrient-rich upwelling current.
That resource has for centuries supported fishing communities with food and
employment in a job-scarce region where 75 percent of available protein comes from the
sea.

While data on local catches is hard to find in the region, Ivory Coast says its reported
catch fell 30 percent last year and is down to about a quarter of its recent peaks.

Jeanson Djobo Anvran, director of Ivory Coast's fishing regulator, said the illegal
trawlers came from China, Korea and all over Europe.

"We don't have the means to properly oversee our fishing grounds," he said. "To
counter these pirates requires international cooperation."

Africom, the U.S. military command center for Africa, has been running training
programs for West African navies and coast guards to combat piracy and illegal fishing
though experts say a lack of boats and money for fuel is a key stumbling block.

In Lahou, Ivorian fish seller Helene Lizier held up her measly wares of two small fish
from her plastic bucket. "Everyone is suffering because of those boats," she said.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

In Cameroon, Ban urges ‘less talk, more action’ to achieve targets on development
10 June – Africa, with its limitless potential, can achieve the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in Cameroon today, calling for
“less talk, more action” to help the continent meet the globally-backed targets.

Nigerian to be new force commander for UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan

10 June – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today named a Nigerian major-general as the
new Force Commander of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS).

UN lauds commitment of Central African nations to halt use of child soldiers

10 June – Six countries in Central Africa have committed to end the recruitment of child
soldiers, a move welcomed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as a step
forward in giving all young people in the region a better life.

Final electoral list immediate priority for Côte d’Ivoire, says UN envoy
10 June – The United Nations envoy in Côte d’Ivoire has urged a new impetus for the
country’s electoral process and reunification efforts to overcome the ongoing political
impasse and make progress towards the holding of the long-delayed presidential polls.

UN backs production of new history syllabus for African students

10 June – In an effort to ensure that African youth learn about their common heritage,
the United Nations agency responsible for cultural issues said today it is working with
historians, education specialists and government representatives to develop a history
syllabus for African schools.