United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

13 July 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

First AFRICOM air chief looks to future (Air Force Times)

(Pan Africa) Maj. Gen. Ronald Ladnier faced a gargantuan task after he left his
command at U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Detachment 5: Stand up a numbered Air Force
and the air component for U.S. Africa Command from scratch.

Uganda bombings signal change in terror group's tactics (Stars and Stripes)
(Somalia) The Somali militant group al-Shabab, which has al-Qaida links and has been
declared a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department, on Monday claimed
responsibility for the attacks, according to the Associated Press.

US says Sudan's president should go to Hague (AFP)

(Sudan) The United States said Monday that Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir should
present himself to the International Criminal Court after it accused him of genocide in
Darfur.

Learning From American Anti-Corruption Offensive (Daily Independent)

(Nigeria) United States President, Barack Obama, last week, authorised the State
Department to revoke the visas of former government officials and their close relatives
over their role in the controversy that surrounded the health of former President,
Umaru Yar'Adua, and the looting of the nation's treasury.

U.S. Denies Funding 'Yes' Team in Push for New Law (Daily Nation)
(Kenya) The US has denied providing money to support the "Yes" campaign, a claim
made by some Kenyan leaders opposed to the proposed constitution.

DR Congo gets new MONUSCO commander (Xinhua)

(DR Congo) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named Indian lieutenant-general
Chander Prakash as the new commander of the UN Mission for Stabilization of DR
Congo (MONUSCO) , a UN source in Kinshasa told Xinhua on Sunday.

Burundian army on high alert after Kampala blasts (Xinhua)

(Burundi) The Burundian army is put on high alert after blasts occurred in the
Ugandan capital Kampala on Sunday night.
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website
• Perpetrators of ‘vicious’ attacks in Uganda must to be brought to justice – Ban
• Dismissing appeal, ICC says trial of Congolese militia leader will go on
• Darfur: ICC charges Sudanese President with genocide
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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, July 14, 10:30 a.m., Washington Foreign Press Center
WHAT: On-the-Record Roundtable Discussion on “USG Assistance to Refugees and
Internally Displaced Persons in Africa”
WHO: Dr. Reuben Brigety, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees,
and Migration
Info: http://www.fpc.state.gov
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

First AFRICOM air chief looks to future (Air Force Times)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Maj. Gen. Ronald Ladnier faced a gargantuan task
after he left his command at U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Detachment 5: Stand up a
numbered Air Force and the air component for U.S. Africa Command from scratch.

Ladnier got the job done, though it seemed at times like, as he described it, putting out a
fire without any firemen.

Seventeenth Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Africa mark their second year in September,
a milestone that Ladnier will note from back in the U.S. The two-star is set to officially
wrap up his 33-year career Sept. 1 but will leave Germany later this summer.

Before his successor, Maj. Gen. (Select) Margaret Woodward, now vice commander of
the 18th Air Force, takes over, Ladnier sat down with Air Force Times in his office here
to reflect on what it took to stand up U.S. Air Forces Africa and what its future holds.

Q What will you remember most as the first commander of U.S. Air Forces Africa?

A Probably the biggest point is how fast we stood up. When I showed up, our first
major challenge was how to buy pencils. Today, we’re talking about how can we help
the Nigerian military perform their role better, how can we help the South Africans,
how can we engage with Morocco and Ethiopia and Rwanda — so it is very different
from where we started….
The second biggest thing that stands out in my mind is how proud I am of my airmen.
And you probably hear that everywhere you go, but this is why it is different here:
When the building is on fire, you do not go out and interview people and ask who has
the specialty of a fireman. You say, “The building is on fire. You go do this and you do
this and this.”

When we stood up, we had to do a lot of that because we didn’t have the exact person
we may have needed from Day One, and so our airmen said, “Sure. I don’t have the
depth of experience in that area, butI am willing to work at it.” And what I have seen
was folks rose to the occasion. Young folks took on responsibilities that might be
reserved for more senior people, and some people took on responsibilities that weren’t
in their area of expertise at all, and the results have been good.

Q What will it take or how far off is it before U.S. Air Forces Africa has assigned forces?

A We do have a request in for a certain number of people to be assigned. I think the

initial number is 67 additional people and then that number increases over the years.

I can’t speak to how our requirement racks and stacks in the overall list of priorities for
the Department of Defense, but we see a requirement and we have submitted a
requirement, so we are just going to have to see if there’s funding, and you know how
tough the current climate is.

Q What effect does the current budget climate have on a young numbered Air Force
such as U.S. Air Forces Africa?

The entire military feels the pressure to be as effective as possible while saving
resources when possible. … 17th Air Force is no different. We want to give the biggest
bang for our buck, and we want to accomplish as much as we can with the resources we
have.

If you are thinking about a lean model to get the most bang for your buck, I think 17th
Air Force is a good model to look at. We are not large. We borrow — if I can use that
term — forces from other commanders to do things for a short period of time and then
we release them to go back to their home unit.

Q What capabilities does U.S. Air Forces Africa’s new air operations center bring, and
how will that help the African continent?

A A good segue from the last discussion: To get the most out of your resources, you
have to have good command and control. That’s what our AOC brings — good
command and control. What is exciting to underscore is that we have seen our activities
increase about 300 percent. So we just think the AOC is going to be a lot busier. When
you look at all the missions going on there, humanitarian relief is required, evacuation
if that is required, movement of peacekeepers, anti-terrorism, anti-piracy, the list goes
on and on. So if something is required, you do that, and everything that we have seen is
that those activities are increasing.

Q Why send airmen to train African forces?

We don’t do up-and-up training because that is a different process. But we do a lot of

familiarization training. Using our officers and NCOs to do familiarization training on
the continent is huge for a couple of reasons. They are not getting that from anywhere
else so in many cases — and they are hungry to do more for their country — they just
don’t have the skill, they don’t have the exposure.

The second huge benefit is when they see our NCOs and our young officers, they go:
“Holy smoke, that is what I call a professional military,” so we are a good example.
When we go out and about, there is no one who is not impressed by our NCOs.

And by the way, women are not everywhere in African militaries, so when I send a
female NCO or female officer they say, “Wow, this person really knows her stuff.” That
is a great example. Not only the work they do, but the example they set goes to the
heart of what we do.

Q What place do the light-attack and light-cargo aircraft have in Africa?

A Whatever airplane they choose, we think there is a big role in Africa. You do not see
any sophisticated fighters on the continent.

What you do see is the single-engine, twin-engine prop throughout the continent. So if
we could come into town and work with African militaries and African air forces on
those same aircraft — and just through that work — we are going to develop a closer
relationship and partnership. And by the way, that they want those same aircraft, it is
their choice, of course, I think many of those aircraft are better suited to their needs. …
If an African air force has four airplanes, they probably don’t need to buy four F-16s.
Maybe something small like a twin-engine or like a light-attack aircraft is what they
need, and that is a lot more appropriate, and they will be a lot more successful with that
aircraft. So I’m excited about both of those airframes and what they might allow us to
do in Africa.

Q: Do you have a preference which airframe is chosen? A: We are not part of the source
selection but we have folks in our headquarters that have lots of experience in building
partnership capacity so they bring that and will well represent us.
Q What role do contingency response groups have with U.S. Air Forces Africa and
should 17th Air Force have one assigned to it?

A We sort of touched on earlier that our whole model is based on borrowing forces for a
specific need and a CRG is about supporting that need. So if we have something pop up
in a contingency perspective, then we request those folks. We have the 435th here at
Ramstein. It could also be the 621st CRG at [Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J..]
But in either case, they will come and build that pipeline to come in and bring mobility
forces or humanitarian relief or whatever the crisis of the moment is. They have been
doing that and they have a great history doing that so they will continue.

Now, the exciting development — in addition to that great work — is they are looking
at how we can use these folks to build partnership capacity in Africa. I mean they
represent a great cross section of specialties. Anywhere from airfield security to repair
to air traffic control, the list goes on and on. How can we borrow those people to best
help build partnership capacity? So some CRGs are looking at acquiring more
manpower positions to support exactly that so I am excited to see that.

Q How have requests from African militaries developed since you stood up?

A Once we talk about what 17th Air Force is about, they go: “Oh, that is not what we
had heard. That is not what we thought. Yes, we would love to work with you.” So, the
more we get out and the more we open the door by senior leaders visiting African
leaders, the more we get requests for things like air crew tactics, aircraft maintenance,
air field security, air traffic control, medical response, logistics, supply chain
maintenance, intelligence. How do you collect and how do you work that process in
intelligence gathering? We do all that in familiarization training and we are getting
more demands for that. I think we just needed to get out and talk to those leaders, and
once they understood what we were about, they were a lot more receptive to us.

Q How have those perceptions changed about AFRICOM?

A First of all, the United States is sort of a 500-pound gorilla, so people worry when we
come to town. In the worst cases, people worry that we are coming to take over their
country. Some think we want to build a lot of bases to launch a war in another area.
Those are the biggest misconceptions. Truth is, we meet a lot of African militaries and ...
they want to do good things for their country. They want to protect their citizens. What
they may lack is the familiarization and that training we talked about or they lack
resources, and in both cases, we can help some with that. So if we can help make their
military more successful, maybe we can help stability in that country. And if we can
help stability, then maybe that will help with economic development, and with
economic development, you can beget a better quality of life and ignore a tendency
toward conflict.
You look at the number of people who die here in Africa, you can’t help but look to
help.

Q As those walls come down, does it provide the possibility of establishing AFRICOM’s
headquarters on the continent?

A I know of no plans to do that. What I would offer, I would say what regional
commands are outside the United States? What headquarters?

Q U.S. Forces in Europe is based in Europe.

A That is because we have obligations to NATO. AFRICOM is here so we’ll set that
aside. Southern Command is in the United States. Central Command and Pacific
Command are all on U.S. soil. So to me, if we just followed that logic, AFRICOM would
move back to the United States. … Doesn’t that just make sense?

Q Does it still make sense to have 17th Air Force at Ramstein and AFRICOM
headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany?

A I’ll let you ask AFRICOM if it makes sense for them to be in Germany, but I think for
17th Air Force it does make sense for us to be here because there is some support
structure here that I live off of. If we move somewhere closer to the continent, that
would represent a greater investment that we might not have. So it makes sense right
now to stay here at Ramstein.

Q Has South Africa reached out to U.S. Air Forces Africa for help with the World Cup?

A Let me say it this way. Any country that comes to the United States and says we
would like to work with you on any issue then in most cases we are willing to do that. If
we share values and we share interests then we will do that. In many cases, countries
have plenty of capability. They may just have a little gap here and a little gap there that
we might help them with.

QWhat effect will the Volunteer Africa program have on an airman’s career?

A We wanted to include the commander in that process, they have to sign off on it,
because there are other considerations. I don’t know if career is one of them, but how
about the manpower? How stressed is the unit.? If you are stressed, you don’t want to
send blank number of people to do extracurricular activities. You don’t want to send
people off when there is something else they could be doing. And that’s why we keep
the commander in the process. However, if there is a spare capacity somewhere, then
our volunteer initiative will hopefully capture that, and that is what we are interested
in. We don’t want to have anyone work harder than anyone else. We don’t want to have
a negative impact on their life or career, but there is excess capacity on the small scales.

Q Is there anything you would do differently as the commander of 17th Air Force?

A I am probably in the minority when I say this, but no, I would not. The reason why is
that we had a huge, huge challenge standing up 17th Air Force and we did what we
had to do and we got the most out of our people. Our airmen rose to the occasion.
--------------------
Uganda bombings signal change in terror group's tactics (Stars and Stripes)

STUTTGART, Germany — The synchronized bomb attacks in Uganda carried out by

the Somali militant group al-Shabab marks a troubling new front in al-Shabab’s
campaign to isolate the U.S.-subsidized transitional government in war-torn Somalia,
according to some analysts.

More than 70 people were killed in the two bombings on Sunday, which targeted large
gatherings of soccer fans watching the World Cup final.

The Somali militant group, which has al-Qaida links and has been declared a terrorist
group by the U.S. State Department, on Monday claimed responsibility for the attacks,
according to the Associated Press.

Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, a militant spokesman in Mogadishu, claimed responsibility,

AP reported.

The attacks are the first time that al-Shabab has attacked sites outside Somalia, targeting
nations that lend military support to Somalia’s fragile government. And by targeting
Uganda, Shabab also is targeting a key part of the United States’ strategy in Somalia.

“This is the first time they (Shabab) have acted outside the Somali territories. They’ve
really gone abroad. It [will] indeed represent a game-shifter,” said Sally Healy, a
Somalia expert from Chatham House, a London think tank that researches and analyzes
international affairs. “This is absolutely a new dimension,” Healy said Monday.

Ugandan troops, crucial to preventing an al-Shabab takeover of Somalia’s government,

receive predeployment training from U.S. Africa Command and European partners. By
exporting terror and violence to Uganda, Shabab could cause leaders there to rethink
their involvement in Somalia.

“I think there is probably going to be a considerable reaction in Uganda,” said Healy,

who anticipated a public outcry, and a possible second-guessing about the Somalia
mission in Ugandan media.
Whether that reaction causes leaders to cut and run from Somalia or act with greater
resolve remains to be seen. But al-Shabab showing signs of exporting terror could
prompt others in the region to band around Uganda and lend more support to
containing the Somalia threat, Healy said.

The international community is counting on Uganda to remain committed in Somalia,

but leaders in Kampala could face political heat at home for their engagements abroad,
added Richard Downie, an Africa analyst at the Center for Strategic and International
Studies.

“It’s bound to cause serious concerns and some reevaluation. There is an election
coming up next year and ordinary Ugandans are going to be asking, ‘why are we
getting involved here?,” Downie said. “But I don’t really see what the United States can
do. There aren’t any attractive options.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed support for Uganda, according to a
statement. Clinton didn’t call out al-Shabab by name but she said the U.S. would
support the hunt for those involved in the attacks.

“At this tragic moment, the United States stands with Uganda. We have a long-
standing, close friendship with the people and government of Uganda and will work
with them to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice,” Clinton said in the
statement.

As of Monday, AFRICOM had not fielded any requests to lend support in response to
the attacks in Uganda, a command spokeswoman said.

On the ground in Mogadishu, Somali government forces and insurgents are fighting for
control of the capital.

Millions in U.S. taxpayer dollars are pumped into the bankrupt nation each year in an
attempt to prop up a transitional federal government, which so far has proven
incapable of securing Mogadishu from Islamic militant groups.

Ugandan Lt. Gen. Edward Katumba, during a visit with U.S. military officials in
Washington this spring, said more engagement from the international community is
needed in Somalia. Katumba told Stars and Stripes that more training from AFRICOM
and others would help the Ugandan and Somali forces in the fight against al-Shabab.

“If the world closes its eyes on Somalia, that is where the al-Qaida will find a foothold,”
Katumba said in May.
Earlier this year, a U.S. State Department official said there is no plan for a strategy
overhaul in Somalia.

Indeed, it will probably take more than a few isolated terrorist attacks on foreign soil to
change that approach. However, Shabab, for the first time, appears to have become
expeditionary.

“Profound change would happen if it were terrorist attacks close to us,” Healy said.
Otherwise, “I would be astounded if the Americans ever sent troops to Somalia.”
--------------------
US says Sudan's president should go to Hague (AFP)

WASHINGTON – The United States said Monday that Sudan's President Omar al-
Beshir should present himself to the International Criminal Court after it accused him of
genocide in Darfur.

"At some point President Beshir has to present himself to the ICC and be held to
account," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

"Everyone is entitled to a day in court, and we think the sooner that President Beshir
presents himself to that court, the better," he said.

The US special envoy on Sudan, Scott Gration, will visit the region next week and
renew his call for Beshir to "cooperate fully" with the court in The Hague, Crowley said.

The court on Monday accused Beshir of three counts of genocide, saying there were
"reasonable grounds" to believe that government forces singled out the Fur, Masalit and
Zaghawa ethnic groups for attack.

In March last year, the ICC issued a warrant for Beshir's arrest on charges of war crimes
and crimes against humanity, its first ever for a sitting head of state, but stopped short
of accusing him of genocide.

Beshir rejects the jurisdiction of the ICC, the world's only independent, permanent court
with authority to try genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and has
refused to hand over two key allies wanted for crimes in Darfur.

The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died since conflict broke out in
Darfur in 2003, when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated
regime for a greater share of resources and power.
--------------------
Learning From American Anti-Corruption Offensive (Daily Independent)
LAGOS, Nigeria — The crusade against corruption once again came into focus last
week as two notable members of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC), Theophilus
Danjuma and Ben Nwabueze, exerted energy on their discussion of the way out of the
national malaise.

From the United States came a more practical proposition as the government hit at
some key officials who have been suspected of soiling their fingers in the public till.
Though the United States action would unsettle quite a number of public servants
whose preference for travel to the United States is incurable, it is doubtful that the
Nigerian government would follow Washington's example, which according to
commentators, should take the form of more determined investigation and prosecution
rather than the selective hounding, which has in recent times, been the trademark of the
country's anti-graft agency.

United States President, Barack Obama, last week, authorised the State Department to
revoke the visas of former government officials and their close relatives over their role
in the controversy that surrounded the health of former President, Umaru Yar'Adua,
and the looting of the nation's treasury. The action came a week after former Justice
Minister, Michael Aondoakaa, was similarly blacklisted for the same offence.

Reports also indicated that the American Government was currently considering the
same action for several top Nigerian officials who were named in the Halliburton
bribery scandal as a prelude to filing charges against them. Some officials who served
under former President Olusegun Obasanjo and those said to have benefited from
several deals within the past 20 years may be affected by America's new offensive
against corrupt Nigerian officials.

White House sources said those affected include close security aides to the late Nigerian
leader, some serving governors and assistants "who failed to fully brief relevant
authorised government officials and institutions about the health of the late president."

Also affected by the ban are former and serving government and political party officials
who had been tried and convicted of corruption or abuse of office. The White House
said some Nigerian officials benefited financially from the ordeal of President Yar'Adua
and should be made to account for their roles in the controversy.

"We know Mr. Yar'Adua was not in a position to discharge his duties while in hospital
in Saudi Arabia, but certain decisions and expenditures were made with his authority
and some officials should be held responsible," a senior administration spokesman
stated.
Obama said the new directive was "pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 770, which
authorised all America institutions to deny entry into the United States, persons and
their relations with links to corruption."

Danjuma and Nwabueze on Wednesday, in Lagos, disagreed on how to disengage from

the unending quandary.

Nwabueze who was visibly alarmed by the rate of corruption in the system argued that
only a bloody revolution could halt the overwhelming decadence that has plagued
governance in the country.

He was especially miffed by what he considered the looting spree in the National
Assembly where, he said, lawmakers were voting billions for themselves while the
electorate reels in acute deprivation.

He said: "We have seen what is happening at the National Assembly; people vote
billions of naira to themselves while those who voted them into the House live in abject
poverty; people who were voted to serve the country go there to loot - you need to
know what we (members of PAC) now know."

Nwabueze announced that the deterioration in the state of affairs in Nigeria is such that
Nigeria had been listed among the eleven failed states in Africa and among the
seventeen in the world.

Arguing in favour of a violent revolution, he claimed that France is what it is today

because of the success of the 1789 Revolution in France.

"I don't believe in small changes; we've had ad hoc arrangements; Nigeria needs a
revolutionary change, and it has to be bloody; those who survive it will pick up the
pieces," he said, and added "I cannot see Nigeria survive any other way."

Nwabueze spoke at the launch of his books 'Colonialism in Africa: Ancient and
Modern', published in two volumes.

In reaction to Nwabueze's view, Danjuma who was the chairman of the launch stated
that he agreed with his fellow PAC member that Nigeria needed transformation, but
that he disagrees with him on the approach.

In the opinion of the former Defence Minister, a bloody revolution was not the best way
out of the present situation.

Bloody or violent revolutions, he said, were patently dangerous since it would not spare
any one and become untamable once it has begun.
"Revolution devours its sons; it knows no friends or enemies; It's an exceedingly
dangerous means of transformation," he told the audience, and emphasized that "I am
an optimist; I believe that one right man in position of authority can transform the
entire country; we have not been lucky to have such a man, but we shall muddle
through."

Commenting on the books that were presented, one time Minister of Commerce, Bola
Kuforiji-Olubi, argued that Nigeria's modern coloniser was the political class who had
held Nigeria hostage over the years and plundered its resources.

She said those who did not deserve it had taken over the leadership of the country and
foisted a reign of mediocrity on it.

When news of the U.S. visa ban broke on Thursday, Charles Nwodo, National
Chairman of Progressive Action Congress (PAC), hailed as an indictment of Nigeria's
government inability to curb corruption among office holders in the country.

While conceding that the action could slow down the trend of corruption, he
nonetheless stressed the need for the Nigerian government to take a cue from the
American example by bringing suspects to book.

Nwodo who is also the Chairman of Coalition for a New Nigeria (CNN), an umbrella
body of 17 political parties, told Daily Independent that the government has thus far
failed to demonstrate a carefully coordinated war against corruption.

His words: "The U.S. ban is an indictment of Nigeria's government, for its inability to
control those who exploit the state. It is disappointing that other nations are more
sympathetic to the cry of Nigerians against looting of the treasury by office holders; it is
so because of the failure of government. The ban is a good development; it is also a
wake up call for us to do it ourselves.

"Definitely, the U.S. measure would be able to control the tide of corruption, and it
could also control the individualisation of the institutions of states by cabals. We expect
that the Nigerian government would bring more people who belong to the corrupt
category to book soon."

Analysts continue to express anguish over the re-circling of politicians who have served
in high-profile offices and left with sordid track records only to return to juicier
positions. The example of the United States, some have remarked, could signal the
beginning of an era where discredited office holders are blacklisted and deprived of the
privileges of occupying public offices. This would possibly require the review of the
section of the draft constitution, which grants indicted public servants liberty to contest
elections.
--------------------
U.S. Denies Funding 'Yes' Team in Push for New Law (Daily Nation)

NAIROBI, Kenya — The US has denied providing money to support the "Yes"
campaign, a claim made by some Kenyan leaders opposed to the proposed constitution.

The US also denied that ambassador Michael Ranneberger or the its embassy in Nairobi
is intimidating opponents to the proposed constitution.

"These claims are categorically false, and those making such allegations are lying," read
Monday's statement from the embassy.

Officials at the embassy wanted to clarify that the US supports a constitutional reform
process, but it neither endorses nor opposes a potential "Yes" campaign victory.

"This is a singular opportunity to put Kenyan governance on a more solid footing that
can move beyond ethnic violence, can move beyond corruption, can move the country
towards a path of economic prosperity," the embassy quoted an earlier statement US
President Barack Obama. "And so I hope that everybody participates, everybody takes
advantage of this moment, and those who would try to undermine this process, I think,
are making a big mistake."

Church groups and opposition politicians in the US have also claimed the US
government is supporting passage of the proposed constitution.

In the US, some conservative, opposition politicians from the Republican Party are
concerned about the abortion clause in the proposed Kenyan constitution. They have
made it a political issue, arguing that any support for Kenya is support for abortion.

"There is no doubt that the Administration is advocating for adoption of the proposed
constitution," said US politician Chris Smith, a Republican.

The embassy in Nairobi has denied such allegations. Its statement on Monday
reinforced the position that the US is for governmental reform, but is neutral in terms of
the outcome of a vote.

"The US Government is supporting the constitutional review process as the centrepiece

of the broad reform agenda agreed to following the post-election crisis," the embassy
said in a statement on Monday. "The referendum is in the hands of Kenyans. They will
be alone in the voting booth, voting their conscience. The US Government stands with
the people of Kenya. We encourage the Kenyan people to vote in a free and fair
referendum, towards a peaceful and prosperous future."

The controversy around the US stance concerning Kenya's proposed constitution began
several months ago. US. Vice President Joe Biden visited Nairobi and spoke in support
of a reform process that would promote stability, and US investment, in Kenya.
--------------------
DR Congo gets new MONUSCO commander (Xinhua)

KINSHASA, Congo - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named Indian lieutenant-

general Chander Prakash as the new commander of the UN Mission for Stabilization of
DR Congo (MONUSCO) , a UN source in Kinshasa told Xinhua on Sunday.

Prakash takes over duty from Babacar Gaye from Senegal, whose mandate in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) ends this month.

Until his appointment, Prakash was in charge of the UN peacekeeping mission in

India's Defense Ministry.

Prakash, 57, is a father of two children.

--------------------
Burundian army on high alert after Kampala blasts (Xinhua)

BUJUMBURA, Burundi - The Burundian army is put on high alert after blasts occurred
in the Ugandan capital Kampala on Sunday night.

Speaking to a local radio on Monday, army spokesman Col. Gaspard Baratuza said
security measures have been taken to prevent Somalia's Al Shabaab insurgents from
attacking in Burundi.

"It's not the first time for them (Al Shabab) to send threat messages that they will attack
Burundi and Uganda,", said Baratuza.

"Some of our strategies to counter them include close collaboration between security
forces, the administration and the population," he added.

The spokesman called upon everyone to share information as quickly as possible

whenever there is something suspicious.

A couple of weeks ago, Somalia's Al Shabab Islamist group issued threat messages
saying they would attack the embassies of both countries and in their capital cities.
Burundi and Uganda have contributed troops serving in the African Union Mission in
Somalia, or AMISOM.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

Perpetrators of ‘vicious’ attacks in Uganda must to be brought to justice – Ban

12 July – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the bombings that
struck the Ugandan capital on Sunday, killing dozens of people and wounding
hundreds at two sites as they were watching the final match of the football World Cup.

Dismissing appeal, ICC says trial of Congolese militia leader will go on

12 July – Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) today dismissed a request by
Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga to have the war crimes case against him
dropped.

Darfur: ICC charges Sudanese President with genocide

12 July – The International Criminal Court (ICC) today issued a second arrest warrant
for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, adding genocide to the list of charges for crimes
he has allegedly committed in the war-ravaged Darfur region.