United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

7 July 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

USAID to Support Regional Power Pool (East African Business Week)

(Rwanda) Powering Progress Project, a two-year, $2.5m initiative will provide capacity
building and technical assistance to the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) towards its
goal of improving access to affordable, clean energy through regional electricity trade
and exchange.

Northrop Grumman Gets African Training Contract From U.S. Department Of State
(RTTNews)
(Pan Africa) Northrop Grumman Tuesday announced that the U.S. Department of
State has awarded a contract to the company to continue providing staff to conduct
peacekeeping operations and humanitarianism assistance training for the African
Contingency Operations Training and Assistance or ACOTA program.

Country Drawn Into US-Russia Spy Saga (Daily Nation)

(Kenya) The father of a Russian woman arrested in the United States on allegations of
espionage worked in Kenya in the early 90s.

EU, U.S. Dumping Toxic Waste in Continent (The East African)

(Pan Africa) European states are still using African coasts as a dumping ground of toxic
waste, even after enactment of legislation aimed at ending the practice by the European
Union.

U.S. Ambassador Recognises Government's Effort to Eradicate Malaria (Angola

Press)
(Angola) The outgoing ambassador of the United States of America (USA) to Angola,
Dan Mozena, recognised Tuesday in Luanda, the Angolan Governments effort towards
fighting and eradication malaria in the country.

Sudan must give Darfur peacekeepers access: commander (AFP)

(Sudan) The head of the UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur
called Tuesday for the Sudanese government and rebels to lift immediately restrictions
on its movements.
Kenya's electoral body lacks funds for August referendum (Xinhua)
(Kenya) Kenya's independent electoral poll body said it does not have enough funds to
conduct the referendum on the new constitution, schedule on August 4.

India to pump $1 bln into Mozambique: govt (AFP)

(Mozambique) Indian companies' investment in Mozambique could pass the one-
billion-dollar (800-million-euro) mark in 2010, state media reported on Tuesday.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
 UN helps train anti-riot police officers ahead of Sudanese referendum
 UN-supported renewable energy centre for West Africa opens in Cape Verde
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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, July 8, 12:00 p.m., Heritage Foundation

WHAT: U.S. Capabilities to Manage Irregular Conflicts in the 21st Century
WHO: Roy Godson, Ph.D., President, National Strategy Information Center (NSIC)
and Emeritus Professor of Government, Georgetown University; Richard Shultz, Ph.D.,
Professor and Director, International Security Studies Program, Fletcher School, Tufts
University and NSIC Research Director
Info: http://www.heritage.org/Events/2010/07/Irregular-Conflicts

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, July 9, 1:00 p.m., U.S. Institute of Peace

WHAT: Measuring Progress in Stabilizing War-Torn Societies
WHO: Colonel John Agoglia, Discussant, Director, Counterinsurgency Training Center
– Afghanistan; Michael Dziedzic, Moderator, Senior Program Officer, U.S. Institute of
Peace; Barbara Sotirin, Discussant, Deputy Director for Global Security Affairs, The
Joint Staff; John McNamara, Discussant, Director, Office of Planning, Office of the
Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization
Info: http://www.usip.org/events/measuring-progress-in-stabilizing-war-torn-
societies
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

USAID to Support Regional Power Pool (East African Business Week)

KIGALI, Rwanda — Powering Progress Project, a two-year, $2.5m initiative will

provide capacity building and technical assistance to the Eastern Africa Power Pool
(EAPP) towards its goal of improving access to affordable, clean energy through
regional electricity trade and exchange.
The project will further the development of the Eastern Africa regional electricity
market by assisting the EAPP to promote reliability, address shortages, lower access
costs and expand regional power capacity within the Eastern Africa region.

PP was launched in Rwanda last week.

Through PP, USAID/East Africa will help to increase EAPP's capacity to exploit clean
and renewable energy resources; harmonize regional policies and regulations for
improved cross-border

trade; increase private-sector investment in electricity by addressing specific policy and

regulatory barriers and improve the technical and financial performance of EAPP
member utilities.

The Director of USAID/EA's Regional Economic Growth and Integration office

Candace Buzzard said lack of efficient, clean power impacts on everything in the
region.

Buzzard said such impact could be whether children have light to do their homework at
night, the ability of African businesses to realise a profit, and the willingness of
international companies to invest in this region.

Mr. Jasper Oduor of EAPP said, "this project fills vital gaps in the enabling environment
and will expedite operationalization of the regional energy market."

An early activity will be to prepare a strategy for institutional development for

developing the enabling environment for infrastructure investment.

PP will also facilitate at least three bilateral electricity-trading agreements and develop
cross-border protocols for rural electrification.
--------------------
Northrop Grumman Gets African Training Contract From U.S. Department Of State
(RTTNews)

Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC: News ) Tuesday announced that the U.S. Department
of State has awarded a contract to the company to continue providing staff to conduct
peacekeeping operations and humanitarianism assistance training for the African
Contingency Operations Training and Assistance or ACOTA program. The contract has
a potential value of $150 million over five years.

According to the company, it has supported the African Crisis Response

Initiative/African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance or ACRI/ACOTA
program since its inception in 1998 and designed the initial training materials and
conducted computer-assisted peacekeeping exercises for African Partner Nations.
The company provides the staff and training to select African Nations through
seminars, instruction, simulation-supported exercises and field training. Nations
currently participating in the ACOTA program include Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Mauritania,
Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania, Togo,
Uganda, Zambia.

Northrop Grumman also stated that work on the ACOTA program will be performed
on site in the participating African nations and from its Leavenworth, Kansas, facility,
where the company supports several other military training contracts.

Commenting on the program, Mike Devlin, Northrop Grumman Technical Services

International Program Director, stated, "The ACOTA program is to arguably the most
successful engagement program that the U.S. State Department has had in Africa. The
objective is to enable participating nations' militaries to develop their own trained unit
capacity to provide peacekeeping support operations where required."

"We've been supporting the ACOTA program for more than 11 years in 22 countries,
and we embrace the opportunity to spend another 5 years supporting these African
nations," said, Tom Vice, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman
Technical Services.
--------------------
Country Drawn Into US-Russia Spy Saga (Daily Nation)

NAIROBI, Kenya — The father of a Russian woman arrested in the United States on
allegations of espionage worked in Kenya in the early 90s.

Ms Anna Chapman, 28, who was seized last week is believed to have been part of a
KGB spying ring.

Now Kenya has been dragged into the controversy after it emerged that her father
worked at the Russian embassy in Nairobi.

The international media was on Tuesday abuzz with reports that Mr Vasily Kuschenko,
was also suspected of being an undercover agent when he was in Kenya.

According to the reports, Mr Kuschenko ran a sky diving school in Kenya during his
tour of duty, raising suspicion that he could have been on a secret mission.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has promised to issue a statement on the matter on
Wednesday.
"Let me check out all the facts about the matter then I can speak tomorrow," Foreign
Affairs Minister Moses Wetang'ula said on Tuesday.

Right wing British tabloid Daily Mail described Ms Chapman as a "practised deceiver"
whose father, 53-year-old Kuschenko, worked in Kenya when she was a teenager.

According to the reports, the Russian Foreign ministry has refused to discussion about
Mr Kuschenko or his career.

British papers report that much of Mr Kuschenko's work was undercover. He and his
wife Irina, 51, live in Moscow flats set aside for diplomats.

Also dragged into the saga is Zimbabwe following revelations that Ms Chapman had
links with a Harare tycoon.

Her former husband, Briton Alex Chapman, reportedly told British intelligence that she
set up a company, Southern Union with Mr Ken Sharpe, a Zimbabwean businessman.

The company, which has charitable status was set up to enable Zimbabwean expatriates
send money back home at competitive exchange rates.

Zimbabwe's state-owned Herald newspaper on Tuesday reported that Mr Sharpe was

recently involved in brokering a deal between the Harare City Council and a Ukrainian
company for the construction of a major road in the capital.

British media report that Ms Chapman moved millions of US dollars between

Zimbabwe and the UK using Southern Union.

The money was allegedly laundered for espionage purposes.

There have also been claims that her father, was a KGB agent in Zimbabwe at the time.
--------------------
EU, U.S. Dumping Toxic Waste in Continent (The East African)

NAIROBI, Kenya — European states are still using African coasts as a dumping ground
of toxic waste, even after enactment of legislation aimed at ending the practice by the
European Union.

The worst examples of such dumping in the recent past, according to a report by the
international environmental campaign group Greenpeace, is at the Somali port of Eel
Ma'aan, north of Mogadishu.

Greenpeace is now calling on the United Nations to investigate the dumping of toxic
and radioactive materials in Somalia.
In a 36-page document titled "Toxic Ships," the UK-based group claims that it has
photographic evidence from an inconclusive investigation by the Italian authorities into
the suspected burying of shipping containers filled with toxic waste inside the
foundations of the port at Eel Ma'aan, in the 1990s.

The EU adopted tough regulations on e-waste in 2003 but almost 70 per cent is still
unaccounted for, Greenpeace said, citing figures from the European Commission.

"Waste management is extremely lucrative," the group said, citing a sector turnover of
€100 billion ($124 billion), providing up to 1.5 million jobs.

Europe generates some 1.3 billion tonnes of household and industrial waste a year, plus
700 million tonnes of agricultural waste, according to the European Environment
Agency.

Of this, 40 million tonnes is hazardous."

Ever since ocean dumping of industrial and radioactive waste was banned by the
London Convention in 1993, Greenpeace says that "rumours of dumping operations in
the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and off the coast of Somalia had been circulating,
but governments have done little or nothing to verify them at source."

But it says despite the new legislation, "the dirty, lucrative business goes on" and that
"every day "toxic ships" sail from EU ports with cargos of toxic waste destined for a
developing country.

Between 1988 and 1994, Greenpeace revealed 94 attempted or actual cases of hazardous
waste exports to Africa, involving over 10 million tonnes of residues.

Some schemes included the building of local waste management facilities, incinerators
and landfills.

Others concerned radioactive waste -- such as the infamous ODM project that targeted
at least 16 different African countries.

Many schemes, however, were simple dumping operations.

Waste containers were shipped following the path of least resistance and weakest
governance, ending up in remote areas of countries such as Equatorial Guinea,
Lebanon, Somalia and the Congo.

Toxic waste was also dumped on Nigerian and Haitian beaches.

European countries have been facing the challenge of dealing with the hazardous waste
they produce for at least 30 years.

Greenpeace says that "as the cost of managing and disposing of this waste safely
became clear, governments began exporting the problem to developing countries where
environmental and workplace legislation is either inadequate or unenforced."

Evidence of growing environmental crime in waste management forced European

Union countries to adopt legislation to curb waste shipments to poor countries.

Unfortunately, proper enforcement of such provisions has been lacking, Greenpeace

says.

In July 2009, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) published the
report, "Transnational trafficking in West Africa," in which it identifies trafficking in
persons, drugs, oil, cigarettes, counterfeit medicines, toxic waste and electronic waste as
posing a serious threat to security and development.

Greenpeace says that it is "not possible to document at EU level what specific kind of
hazardous and problematic waste is shipped across boundaries, because 40-50 per cent
of waste shipped outside the EU is defined simply as 'other waste.' However, the nature
of such waste is largely unknown."

But Greenpeace concludes by saying, "It is likely that most waste shipments result in
environmental and public health crimes in receiving countries."

Greenpeace says that the UN must carry out an independent assessment on the alleged
dumping of toxic and radioactive waste in Somalia, particularly in the area of the port
of Eel Ma'aan.

It also calls upon the EU to implement its own toxic waste prevention measures, which
are one of the pillars of the EU waste policy.

It particularly singles out the Italian government, which it says "must create a strong co-
ordination among all the investigative authorities (Procura della Repubblica) which
have been, and still are, working on the issue of toxic and radioactive waste trade, to
identify and neutralise the network of people and enterprises managing the illegal
waste trade shipped to developing countries (and possibly dumped into the sea) with
the help of criminal networks and the support of state civil servants."

"Banning shipments of hazardous waste for disposal to the poorest countries is a

laudable achievement," Greenpeace said, referring to EU adoption of the 1989 Basel
Convention, which was ratified by most EU states by 1998. "Yet large amounts of waste
are shipped from Europe and the US to Africa and Asia on a daily basis," it said, noting
that most are illegal shipments of electronic or e-waste, such as computers, cell phones
and television sets.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has estimated that the EU generates 8.7 million
tonnes of e-waste a year and that African countries, primarily Nigeria and Ghana, "run
the risk of becoming the rubbish dumps of the planet."

"Lack of enforcement, control and data collection on EU waste exports is common in all
member states for the very simple reason that illegal waste shipments to poor countries
save a lot of money for both business and governmental agencies in charge of
monitoring the implementation of EU waste legislation," Greenpeace said.

It urged the EU to implement its own toxic waste prevention measures.

A chapter of the 37-page report is devoted to Somalia and the release to Greenpeace of
an Italian investigation into the suspected dumping of radioactive and other toxic waste
at Eel Ma'an from 1990 to 1997 in an alleged deal between Italian businesses and local
warlords.

Investigations

The inquiry was eventually dropped for lack of evidence because the authorities were
unable to inspect the site.

The UK-based Financial Times newspaper said that in 2005, Giancarlo Marocchino, a
businessman at the centre of the investigation, testified before a parliamentary inquiry
into the deaths of two Italian journalists in Mogadishu and denied involvement in
dumping.
--------------------
U.S. Ambassador Recognises Government's Effort to Eradicate Malaria (Angola Press)

LUANDA, Angola — The outgoing ambassador of the United States of America (USA)
to Angola, Dan Mozena, recognised Tuesday in Luanda, the Angolan Governments
effort towards fighting and eradication malaria in the country.

Speaking at the first National Conference on Malaria, organised by the National

Network of Journalists in the fight against Malaria, Dan Mozena said in his visits to
provinces of Angola he saw the great progress that country has made in reducing
deaths of children of malaria.

This year, he said, US assistance to combat malaria has increased from USD 18 to 32
million per year.
He said that under a partnership with the Angolan Government, the US programme
distributes insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets, provides millions of doses of drugs
against malaria, both for children and pregnant women.
--------------------
Sudan must give Darfur peacekeepers access: commander (AFP)

KHARTOUM, Sudan – The head of the UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in

Sudan's Darfur called Tuesday for the Sudanese government and rebels to lift
immediately restrictions on its movements.

"I call on all the parties in Darfur to agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities and
restricted access by UNAMID and humanitarian community to all areas of Darfur,"
UNAMID chief Ibrahim Gambari told journalists in Khartoum.

The peacekeepers have had restricted access to sensitive zones in Sudan's war-ravaged
western region over the last few months, including where fighting has been taking
place between rebels and the Sudanese army.

"We have the mandate to provide security for the population... we have the mandate to
provide the environment for the delivery of the humanitarian assistance to those in
need," Gambari said.

The mission, the world's largest with 20,000 police and soldiers deployed, only has five
helicopters to patrol an area roughly the size of France and needs Khartoum's approval
48 hours in advance of any flights.

Gambari said he realised that his mission would not always get access when fighting
was ongoing.

"Where there is heavy fighting, they don't want UNAMID to be caught in crossfire, we
understand that but it is not everywhere that there is shooting," he said.

UNAMID commanders met with representatives of permanent UN Security Council

members China and Russia as well as the Arab League in Darfur's El-Fasher on
Monday, after which they also called for a lifting of restrictions.

Their final statement "underscored the need for full humanitarian access and freedom
of movement for UNAMID and the humanitarian community. In particular, the
meeting stressed the need for the government of Sudan to lift all restrictions on the use
of UNAMID air assets."

The largely arid region of Darfur has been gripped by a civil war since 2003 that has
killed 300,000 people and displaced another 2.7 million, according to UN figures.
Khartoum says 10,000 people have died.
--------------------
Kenya's electoral body lacks funds for August referendum (Xinhua)

NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenya's independent electoral poll body said it does not have
enough funds to conduct the referendum on the new constitution, schedule on August
4.

The chairman of Kenya's Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) Ahmed

Isaack Hassan said the finance ministry has failed to provide adequate funding needed
for the electoral body to conduct the upcoming referendum, despite repeated appeals.

Hassan said the commission had requested the Treasury for 4.6 billion shillings (about
58 million U.S. dollars) for the vote, but only received a paltry 2.6 billion shillings
(about 32.5 million dollars).

"Unless we get the money we will be unable to carry out the exercise," Hassan told
Parliamentary Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs late Monday.

Kenya's parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs has subsequently summoned the

finance and justice ministers, as well as officials of the electoral commission, to resolve
any problems that could derail the upcoming referendum.

The new development came as it also emerged that the activities of most of the
commissions formed in 2008 after the country's post- election violence were likely to be
hampered by lack of adequate funding.

Besides printing ballot papers and purchasing new transparent ballot boxes, the
electoral commission will employ over 60,000 temporary workers to assist in the
referendum.

The commission also has a huge budget for voter education and publicity in readiness
for the exercise and high transport expenses.

This is the second time the Treasury is involved in a funding row over the proposed
constitution, after it was embroiled in a similar tussle with the Committee of Experts on
the Constitution Review (CoE) over civic education program funding.

Kenyans are scheduled to decide whether to accept or reject a proposed constitution in

the referendum.

Analysts have said Kenyans' demand for reform could be undermined if the electoral
body is incapable of organizing the referendum.
Kenyans, as well as the international community, demanded reforms of state
institutions following the 2007 post-election violence that led to the loss of life and
destroyed property.

Kenya's current constitution goes back to its independence in 1963.

--------------------
India to pump $1 bln into Mozambique: govt (AFP)

MAPUTO, Mozambique – Indian companies' investment in Mozambique could pass the

one-billion-dollar (800-million-euro) mark in 2010, state media reported on Tuesday.

This will double the 500 million dollars that India invested in the country in 2009,
director of investment promotion Rafik Jusob told Noticias newspaper.

Jusob made the announcement at a meeting between Indian business leaders and
Mozambican authorities in capital Maputo.

"We have several packages in discussion, which I hope will materialise this year," said
Jusob.

The Indian delegation led by Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna met with Mozambican
President Armando Guebuza.

India is the fourth-largest investor to Mozambique, according to official figures.

Krishna announced a 25-million-dollar rural electrification project to benefit remote

northern and central provinces.

The southern African country is still rebuilding after a 16-year civil war which ended in
1992.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

UN helps train anti-riot police officers ahead of Sudanese referendum

6 July – The United Nations has helped train some 200 anti-riot police officers in
southern Sudan, which is preparing for next year’s referendum on whether it should
secede from the country.

UN-supported renewable energy centre for West Africa opens in Cape Verde
6 July – A new regional centre to help develop the renewable energy potential for West
Africa opened today in Cape Verde, the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), which is supporting the facility, said.