United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

19 October 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

DoD Asks Media Not to Publish Secret Docs (Fox News)

(Washington) The Pentagon is bracing itself for another massive, classified document
from self-proclaimed whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, and this time it's asking
reporters not publish the senstive information that WikiLeaks provides.

Soldiers wield rape as a weapon in the Congo (Stars and Stripes)

(Congo) About the time U.S troops were wrapping up a training mission with an elite
group of soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo in September, other elements
of the DRC military could have been involved in a series of atrocities again women in
the country, according to a new United Nations report.

U.S. is Executing a Genocide in Somalia - Deputy Speaker (Daily Nation)

(Somalia/Kenya) As the Islamist group al-Shabaab continues to put Somalia's
Transitional Federal Government under siege, Deputy House Speaker Farah Maalim is
accusing the US of executing a genocide in that country.

U.N. to send 100 extra troops to Sudan's tense Abyei (Reuters)

(Sudan) The United Nations is sending 100 more troops to Sudan's oil-producing Abyei
region to step up security ahead of a referendum that could pitch the area back into
bloodshed.

Nation Must Move Fast On 2011 Timetable, Say Observers (This Day)
(Nigeria) Nigeria needs to move quickly to establish a new election timetable and get
on with registering voters if it is to hold credible polls next year, a group of
international observers said at the weekend.

EU to send 100 observers to monitor Cote d'Ivoire's elections (Xinhua)

(Cote d'Ivoire) The European Union (EU) will send at least 100 observers to monitor
Cote d'Ivoire's presidential elections scheduled for Oct. 31.

China seeks to block U.N. report on its weapons in Darfur (Washington Post)
(Sudan) China has mounted a strenuous diplomatic campaign to block the publication
of a U.N. report that claims that Chinese ammunition has been shipped into Darfur in
the past year, in clear violation of U.N. sanctions, according to several U.N. diplomatic
sources.

Global Pirate Attacks Fall (Associated Press)

(Somalia) Pirates are increasingly attacking ships in the South China Sea and
Indonesian waters, but fewer incidents off Somalia have caused the world-wide total to
fall slightly this year, a maritime watchdog said Monday.

Benin floods kill 43, leave nearly 100,000 homeless: UN (AFP)

(Benin) Flooding in the West African nation of Benin has killed 43 people and left
nearly 100,000 homeless, a UN official said Monday, citing numbers collected since the
beginning of October.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
 UN envoy on Western Sahara in Algeria ahead of new talks to resolve dispute
 Secretary-General arrives in France to address Council of Europe
 Sudan: UN ready to increase capacity as needed for upcoming referenda
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, October 20, 3:30 p.m.; Center for Strategic and
International Studies
WHAT: State Department: A Dual-Track Approach to Somalia
WHO: Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of African
Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Info: http://csis.org/event/state-department-dual-track-approach-somalia

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, October 27, 12:00 p.m.; Council on Foreign Relations

WHAT: A Conversation with Senator Richard G. Lugar
WHO: Senator Richard G. Lugar, Ranking Member, Committee on Foreign Relations,
U.S. Senate
Info: http://www.cfr.org/

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, November 5, 9:30 a.m.; U.S. Institute of Peace

WHAT: Women in War Conference: The Trouble with the Congo
WHO: Severine Autesserre, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Barnard College,
Columbia University; Raymond Gilpin, Associate Vice President, Sustainable
Economies, Centers of Innovation, U.S. Institute of Peace; Christine Karumba, Women
for Women International; Howard Wolpe, Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars; Diane Orentlicher, Deputy Director, Office of War Crimes, U.S. Department of
State
Info: http://www.usip.org/events/woman-and-war
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

DoD Asks Media Not to Publish Secret Docs (Fox News)

(Washington) The Pentagon is bracing itself for another massive, classified document
from self-proclaimed whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, and this time it's asking
reporters not publish the senstive information that WikiLeaks provides.

Col. David Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, made the request to reporters on Monday
morning during a daily off camera briefing.

WikiLeaks has already released 77,000 classified documents related to the Afghan war,
and now WikiLeaks says it has as many as 400,000 documents on the Iraq war.

The Pentagon has established a 120-man working group to review the 77,000 Afghan
documents and the Iraq documents it believes WikiLeaks might have. Top Pentagon
officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral
Mike Mullen, have said the Afghan documents did not reveal the nation's most
sensitive intelligence, but it did name Afghans who cooperated with the U.S. Military,
which puts those lives at risk.

It's unclear when WikilLeaks will release the Iraq documents, but based on previous
statements made by the website the Pentagon is prepared for a release as soon as this
week.
--------------------
Soldiers wield rape as a weapon in the Congo (Stars and Stripes)

STUTTGART, Germany -- About the time U.S troops were wrapping up a training
mission with an elite group of soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo in
September, other elements of the DRC military could have been involved in a series of
atrocities again women in the country, according to a new United Nations report.

Just last week, the UN reported that hundreds of women who were raped by rebels in
the DRC three months earlier now appear to face similar abuses from government
troops. “There is already some information from (UN) peacekeepers on the ground that
rapes, killings and lootings have been perpetrated by FARDC (the government)
soldiers,” said Margot Wallström, the UN’s special Representative on sexual violence
and conflict, on Thursday.

No statistics were offered on the rapes by government soldiers, but last month a UN
human rights team confirmed that more than 300 civilians were raped during a span of
just a few days by armed rebel groups. “The possibility that the same communities who
were brutalized in July and August … are now also suffering exactions at the hands of
FARDC troops is unimaginable and unacceptable,” Wallström said in a U.N. news
release.

While there was no indication that any DRC troops involved in these rapes were ever
trained by the U.S. military, the report of violence against women underscores the
dilemmas U.S. Africa Command faces as it engages in training missions in
unpredictable regions. In September, AFRICOM completed a 7-month training program
with 750 Congolese soldiers, who are part of a light infantry battalion that is intended to
serve as model force for the rest of the DRC army. As part of that training, U.S. trainers
also focused instruction on teaching soldiers how to prevent acts sexual violence.

During an interview with Stars and Stripes in August at his headquarters in Stuttgart,
Gen. William E. Ward, AFRCIOM’s four star commander, talked about doing work in
territory where there is the potential for partners to become involved in abuses and
crimes. “Every now and then things do go in a way that you would not have planned …
but does that stop what you do when you see other indicators of things moving in the
right direction?” asked Ward, not talking specifically about the DRC but about
partnerships in general. “The answer is no. At least, I hope not because I think it is
about a long-term commitment, long-term sustainment, long-term engagement,” Ward
said.

For Ward, the decision on whether or not to engage comes down to this: Are the abuses
a tragic anomaly or something that is a more endemic and widespread. In the DRC, it
can be hard to tell at times.
--------------------
U.S. is Executing a Genocide in Somalia - Deputy Speaker (Daily Nation)

Nairobi — Deputy House Speaker Farah Maalim is in a foul mood. And this has
nothing to with the MPs who can't resist the mildest temptation to cheapen debate on
critical issues. Far from that. He is terribly angry with the US government.

As the Islamist group al-Shabaab continues to put Somalia's Transitional Federal

Government under siege, Mr Maalim is accusing the US of executing a genocide in that
country.

The Lagdera MP, who has been vocal on issues Somalia, was a strong supporter of the
Islamic Courts Union which was fought out of Mogadishu by an alliance of American
and Ethiopian forces.

In his view, the union provided the "best opportunity" to secure lasting peace in
Somalia because they were "an integration of traditional democracy and modern
secularism".
Led by warlord Yusuf "Indho Ade" Siad, the union comprised Sharia courts which
mobilised and formed a rival government to the TFG in 2006.

After being kicked out of Mogadishu, Islamist extremists broke ranks with the ICU and
formed militant groups, such as al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam, to continue the war
against the government.

Mr Maalim accuses the US of instigating instability in Somalia mainly to create room for
exploitation of mineral and marine resources on the Somalia coastline.

Remain unstable

"It is in the interest of the US for Somalia to remain unstable, weak and destitute. That is
why they are perpetrating a genocide."

Thousands of Somalis have been killed in fighting between clans and militia groups. Mr
Maalim thinks that Americans are uncomfortable with the heritage and historical pride
of the Somali people.

He says despite the Somalis' interaction with the outside world, their industry, identity,
bond and value systems, they remain uncorrupted by Western philosophy.

Mr Maalim has been linked to secessionists groups in Somalia, raising questions in

some quarters on the nature of his relationship and the motive.

Last year, some blogs on Somalia were abuzz with speculation that he had been barred
from travelling to the US because of his criticism of America's role in the Somali peace
effort as well as his links to some groups in the Horn of Africa.

But the deputy Speaker, whose constituency neighbour's Somalia, insists that he has
been working with what he calls "progressive secularist" forces seeking to stabilise the
region.

Mr Maalim says that he has no relationship with secessionists and militant outfits such
as al-Shabaab, an offshoot of the Islamic Courts Union.

"I supported the Islamic Courts Union to hell but I have never been sympathetic to al-
Shabaab. They (al-Shabaab) call me an infidel," he told the Sunday Nation in an
interview. "Al-Shabaab is a creation of the West."

The MP, who is opposed to the idea of the African Union's intervention in Mogadishu,
could not confirm that he is barred from visiting the US. However, he narrated an
incident in which the American embassy could not process his visa because of a "mix up
of names".
"They said there was a mix-up of Muslim names and therefore I could not travel to the
US. The ambassador wrote to me about it and that is the much I know of my status."

The embassy was reluctant to comment on the matter. But the possibility of a ban does
not worry him at all. "Kenya is my heaven on earth. I am ever comfortable at home in
Rama Guda and Rama Agon with my camels," he says.

"We could be poor and weak but we have an unalienable right to think. Americans
want us to subordinate our views to theirs and I find such a pitiable state of mind,"
declares the seemingly resolute MP.

He also accuses US ambassador Michael Rannerberger of interfering in Kenyan affairs.

Mr Maalim is categorical that given a chance to meet Mr Rannerberger's bosses, he will
call for his removal.

The MP is a strong believer in the theory of decentralisation. He argues that

empowerment of the various Somali states is the only way for peace in the country.
And he can hardly conceal his commitment to the theory.

Last month, he was the chief guest at the inauguration of the new President of
Hiraanland state that is leaning towards secession.

If it declares independence, Hiraanland will be the fourth state to secede from the larger
Somalia after Somaliland, Galmudug and Puntland.

During the ceremony in Nairobi, Mr Maalim told the Somalis that if the power is taken
from the capital and divided into the other regions through the devolution system, war
will come to an end.

"What you have just done is something you ought to have done previously," he said.
The Hiiraan State has only one province, which is controlled by the al-Shabaab. The
TFG charter of the Somali Republic allows formation of such states. However, Mr
Maalim distances members of the Hiraanland state from al-Shabaab.

Early this year, Mr Maalim led a parliamentary team in a controversial trip to

Somaliland which declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Mr Maalim describes it
as a role model on democracy. The AU only recognises the United federal state of
Somalia.

Last month, the Mr Johnnie Carson, the assistant US Secretary of State for African
Affairs, said Washington will strengthen its relations with Somaliland and Puntland but
clarified that his government had no intention extending formal diplomatic recognition
to the breakaway regions.
The deputy Speaker believes that Americans have axe grind with Somalis after their
defeat in the Battle for Mogadishu.

"They have never forgiven Somalis since their humiliation during the Operation Restore
Hope after the fall of Siad Barre."
--------------------
U.N. to send 100 extra troops to Sudan's tense Abyei (Reuters)

KHARTOUM – The United Nations is sending 100 more troops to Sudan's oil-
producing Abyei region to step up security ahead of a referendum that could pitch the
area back into bloodshed.

South Sudan is due to vote on whether to secede from the north on January 9 next year,
while Abyei, which lies between north and south, is scheduled to decide on the same
day which half of the country it wishes to join.

But north and south Sudan, which signed a deal in 2005 to end decades of civil war,
have yet to agree even on the composition of the commission to plan the Abyei
referendum or who will vote in it.

"UNMIS (the U.N. mission) has been making adjustments to the deployment of their
existing troops ... throughout the ceasefire zone to defuse tensions where they exist --
Abyei is an example," the top U.N. official in Sudan, Haile Menkerios, told reporters
Monday.

Officials from UNMIS, the U.N. mission monitoring the north-south peace deal, said a
company of about 100 troops would be sent.

Menkerios said no decision had been made on increasing the 10,000-strong mission in
order to police a buffer zone along the disputed north-south border. South Sudan's
President Salva Kiir requested the additional troops during a visit to Sudan by U.N.
Security Council envoys this month.

"Indeed the U.N. is assessing the needs and will continue to consult with the parties on
how best it can assist them to respond to these needs," Menkerios said.

Despite an international ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration on Abyei's

borders, the frontier has not been demarcated on the ground. The north says it is now
impossible to hold the Abyei vote on time, but the south rejects any delay.

The date for the southern referendum is also under pressure, with the final voter
register due to be completed on December 31, just nine days before the vote. No party
has dared to voice support for a delay fearing violent demonstrations by southerners
anxious to express their right to self-determination after fighting Africa's longest civil
war.

Most analysts believe southerners will vote to secede from the north, creating the
world's newest nation.
--------------------
Nation Must Move Fast On 2011 Timetable, Say Observers (This Day)

Nigeria needs to move quickly to establish a new election timetable and get on with
registering voters if it is to hold credible polls next year, a group of international
observers said at the weekend.

U.S.-based election watchdog, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) said after a five-
day visit that important steps had been taken to improve on the country's previous
flawed votes but that "vigorous action" was still required.

"There are encouraging developments in Nigeria's election process," an NDI delegation

led by former Botswanan President Ketumile Masire and former Canadian prime
minister Joe Clark said in a statement following the visit.

"However, concerted efforts are required to clarify the electoral calendar, implement
practicable improvements and inspire public confidence and participation," it said.

The NDI delegation -- which met groups including political parties, lawmakers, civil
society groups and the security services -- said concern had been expressed over
disagreement within the Peopled Democratic Party (PDP) about Jonathan's candidacy.

Jonathan is fighting for the PDP party nomination but his bid is contentious because of
an unwritten agreement that power should rotate between the north and the south
every two terms.

"Some citizens that met with the delegation expressed fears that a "do or die" mentality
could heighten negative competition and raise the risk of politically motivated
violence," the NDI said in its assessment.

"The delegation notes with concern rising fears that, if poorly managed, the PDP
primaries could be so contentious as to exacerbate regional, religious or ethnic tensions,
perhaps resulting in violence," it said.

"Large-scale problems with voter registration, including attempts to create an electronic

registry in an unreasonably compressed time, undermined past elections," the NDI said.

"Particular attention therefore is needed to ensure that the present registration builds
voter confidence through transparency, verification and public education."
President Goodluck Jonathan, who is standing in the forthcoming polls, has vowed to
make the next vote credible, although time is running out for the electoral authorities.

He said on Friday the elections must be held in time to ensure the next leader can be
sworn in on May 29.

"The present administration ... has a constitutional mandate of four years and not a day
more. This mandate will expire on May 29, 2011 and the president fully intends to keep
that date with history," his office said in a statement.

The next general elections was originally scheduled to hold in April 2011, but the date
was moved forward to January earlier this year in order to allow more time for any
legal disputes to be settled before the new presidential term begins in May.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) later said the accelerated
timetable did not leave it with enough time for a badly needed overhaul of the voter
register.

National Assembly is considering another constitutional amendment to set the polls

back again to April.
--------------------
EU to send 100 observers to monitor Cote d'Ivoire's elections (Xinhua)

ABIDJAN - The European Union (EU) will send at least 100 observers to monitor Cote
d'Ivoire's presidential elections scheduled for Oct. 31.

"At the opening of the campaigns, 32 long term observers were deployed on the ground
and they will remain there to evaluate the conduct of the entire election process. There
are 62 short term observers to reinforce the team during the election week in order to
follow the voting, counting, tallying of the results and the announcement of the official
results," the head of the EU observer mission, Christian Dan Preda, said at the weekend.

Preda said the mandate of the observer mission was to monitor the entire election
process with an objective of giving an impartial, independent and neutral electoral
report.

He said the mission is to see that the electoral process conforms to the established
national and international standards.

The head of the EU mission vowed to encourage a climate of confidence and

transparency, watch against any fraud, reinforce the respect for the law and human
rights and help resolve the country's political crisis.
--------------------
China seeks to block U.N. report on its weapons in Darfur (Washington Post)

UNITED NATIONS - China has mounted a strenuous diplomatic campaign to block the
publication of a U.N. report that claims that Chinese ammunition has been shipped into
Darfur in the past year, in clear violation of U.N. sanctions, according to several U.N.
diplomatic sources.

The report does not claim that Chinese arms dealers knew that their ammunition was
being sent to the western region of Sudan. But the findings provide some of the
strongest evidence to date that Khartoum has routinely channeled imported arms and
ammunition from China into Darfur, where the Sudanese government is engaged in a
military campaign against rebels.

Sudan has been under a comprehensive U.N. arms embargo for six years. But at a
briefing this month, a U.N. panel responsible for implementing the embargo told the
Security Council that Sudanese forces have used more than a dozen types of Chinese
ammunition against Darfurian rebels over the past two years.

The panel also reported finding recently manufactured shell casings from Chinese
ammunition at the site of numerous attacks launched by unidentified assailants against
peacekeepers from the joint U.N.-African Union mission.

"These were very concrete allegations against the Chinese," said a U.N.-based diplomat
familiar with the issue. "The Chinese don't want the report to be published."

Under the terms of the U.N. arms embargo, Khartoum is allowed to purchase weapons
abroad, as long as they are not used in its military operations in Darfur. But the report
found that the Sudanese government had routinely skirted the sanctions - using
recently purchased Russian helicopters, Sukhoi 25 fighter planes from Belarus and at
least one Russian MiG-20 fighter jet in Darfur.

China responded angrily to the revelations, insisting it would block the public release of
the report unless the findings were rewritten, according to diplomats, who spoke on the
condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the dispute.

A spokesman for the Chinese mission to the United Nations, Liu Yutong, did not
respond to a request for comment. But on Thursday, a Chinese diplomat, Yang Tao, told
the Security Council that China had "serious concerns" about the report and believed
"there is much room for improvement."

"We urge the panel of experts to conduct its work under the principles of objectivity
and responsibility," Yang said.
The U.N. sanctions panel has repeatedly alleged that large amounts of foreign
ammunition and weapons, principally from China and Chad, have illegally made their
way into Darfur in recent years, fueling a conflict that has left more than 300,000 dead
and driven more than 2.7 million from their homes.

Last year, the former head of the panel, Enrico Carisch, testified before Congress that
the Security Council had failed to act on more than 100 panel recommendations aimed
at strengthening the sanctions. He also faulted the United States, France and Britain for
doing little to force a more public debate.

But the panel's report showed how difficult it is to enforce the sanctions. For instance,
Russia has sold some 36 Mi-24 and Mi-17 helicopters to Khartoum since 2009, while
Belarus has sold 15 Sukhoi 25 jets to the Sudanese government since 2008, according to
the panel. Sudan signed end-user agreements with both governments guaranteeing that
the aircraft would not be used in Darfur.

Sudan acknowledged to the panel that it had transferred some of the aircraft into
Darfur, but insisted that the aircraft had not been used in military operations and
therefore did not violate sanctions.

The panel uncovered a total of 18 varieties of shell casings, including 12 from China and
four from Sudan. Two samples of ammunition - which were used by the Justice and
Equality Movement, one of the main rebel groups - were manufactured in Israel. The
panel said that Israel confirmed that the ammunition was sold to the government of
Chad. Chad - which also signed an end-user agreement with Israel not to ship the arms
to a third country - has long been accused of smuggling weapons to JEM.
--------------------
Global Pirate Attacks Fall (Associated Press)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Pirates are increasingly attacking ships in the South

China Sea and Indonesian waters, but fewer incidents off Somalia have caused the
world-wide total to fall slightly this year, a maritime watchdog said Monday.

The number of attacks tripled to 30 in the South China Sea between January and
September over the same period a year earlier, mainly because of pirates operating off
Indonesia's coastline, according to data compiled by the London-based International
Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Malaysia.

Armed pirates have been robbing mostly merchant vessels in the South China Sea off
the Indonesian island of Mangkai, said Noel Choong, head of the reporting center. The
area is a transit route used by vessels heading southeast to the Singapore Strait or
northwest to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean. The pirates appeared to take advantage of
periods when Indonesian naval patrols were relatively weaker, Mr. Choong said.
Attacks in other parts of Indonesia's sprawling archipelago away from the South China
Sea also increased from seven to 26 in the same period, probably because patrols in
those areas were reduced as well at certain times, Mr. Choong said.

He said Indonesian authorities haven't told the bureau why patrols were sometimes cut
back, but he noted they boosted vigilance after the bureau wrote to them last month
about recurring attacks in the South China Sea.

However, the global number of attacks dipped from 306 in the first nine months of 2009
to 289 this year, the bureau reported. The improvement was because attacks by Somali
pirates in the Gulf of Aden dropped in this period to 44 from 100.

Lawlessness in Somalia has caused piracy to spiral off the country's coastline in the Gulf
of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, which is patrolled by an
international flotilla of warships.

Naval intervention has helped ease attacks in the Gulf of Aden this year, coupled with
monsoon weather that moved piracy farther out to sea. However, the monsoon season's
end in mid-September may mean that attacks increase in the final three months of 2010,
the bureau warned.

The European Union Naval Force said Monday that the bulk carrier MV Daisy, hijacked
in April off Somalia, was released Sunday from pirate control. The crew, 21 Filipinos,
were reported to be in good health. The EU Naval Force statement didn't say how much
of a ransom was paid for the ship's release.
--------------------
Benin floods kill 43, leave nearly 100,000 homeless: UN (AFP)

COTONOU – Flooding in the West African nation of Benin has killed 43 people and left
nearly 100,000 homeless, a UN official said Monday, citing numbers collected since the
beginning of October.

"Over about the first 15 days of the month of October, a UN mission has traveled the
country's 77 communes and counted 43 deaths due to continued flooding," Kemoral
Jadjombaye, an official with the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs, told AFP.

"The deaths were caused by either drowning or the collapse of homes."

He also said that 97,815 people were homeless, while nearly 360,000 were affected and
more than 55,000 homes were destroyed.
Nearly two-thirds of the nation were hit by flooding, a statement issued by the UN said,
adding that the humanitarian situation was "becoming increasingly worrying", with the
country in need of emergency shelter, food and clean water.

A survey of the city of Cotonou, the economic capital, and of the country's south by
helicopter showed "that the crisis has been underestimated", according to the statement.

"Out of the country's 77 communes, 42 are completely inundated," said Jadjombaye.

A cholera outbreak has added to the misery, with 800 cases counted across Benin,
including seven deaths, he said.

"With the floods, an upsurge in the epidemic and water-borne illnesses is feared across
the country," the statement said.

Benin borders Nigeria and has a population of some 8.8 million.

Cotonou is low-lying and deals with yearly flooding. The Oueme river often overflows,
typically affecting thousands of people.

An increasing number of people have moved into floodplains, exacerbating the

problem.

Floods have hit a wide swathe of West Africa this rainy season, including Nigeria,
where entire villages have been destroyed and scores have been left homeless,
particularly in the country's north.

Farms have also been ruined and officials have expressed concern over how the
flooding will affect food supply. Nigeria's north has seen a deadly cholera outbreak this
year as well.

In Niger, the UN said in late August that floods had left nearly 200,000 people
homeless. The country had already been dealing with a severe food crisis.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

UN envoy on Western Sahara in Algeria ahead of new talks to resolve dispute

18 October – The top United Nations envoy on the status of Western Sahara held talks
in Algeria today as part of efforts to resolve the long-running dispute that dates back to
1976 when fighting broke out between Morocco and the Frente Polisario after the end of
the Spanish colonial regime.

Secretary-General arrives in France to address Council of Europe

18 October – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived today in Strasbourg, France,
where he will address the Council of Europe tomorrow on the occasion of the 60th
anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Sudan: UN ready to increase capacity as needed for upcoming referenda

18 October – Citing critical issues still outstanding less than three months before
referenda take place on whether southern Sudan secedes from Africa’s largest country
and reported troop build-ups by both sides, the United Nations today pledged to
increase its capacity as needed to prevent confrontations.