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United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office


5 November 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Power Shift in US House & Feingold Defeat Could Influence Zimbabwe, Africa
Policy (Voice of America)
(Pan Africa) The power shift from Democrats to Republicans in the US House of
Representatives and the defeat of Senator Russ Feingold, now outgoing chairman of
the Africa subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations could augur a
more skeptical and penny-pinching approach to foreign aid including to Africa,
analysts say.

Kenya and Ethiopia to wipe out militias (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation)


(Kenya/Ethiopia) The Kenyan government in conjunction with Ethiopian authorities
has launched an operation in Moyale County to flash out the Oromo Liberation Front
militias following the killing of an administration Police officer on Tuesday.

ICC not biased against Africa (Business Daily)


(Pan Africa) In the past few months, a number of African commentators, political
leaders and policy-makers have criticised the International Criminal Court for its
alleged bias against Africans and its perceived threat to the sovereignty of African
states. Most criticism appears to be baseless.

Ivory Coast election results in runoff (CNN)


(Ivory Coast) Incumbent Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbabgo is slated to face ex-
prime minister Alassane Ouattara later this month in a run-off vote for the country's
leader.

Nigerian lawmakers give nod to election delay (AFP)


(Nigeria) Nigerian lawmakers approved constitutional changes Thursday allowing the
postponement of presidential elections set for early next year after warnings there
would not be enough time to prepare.

Fresh Darfur clashes raise concerns (Al Jazeera)


(Sudan) Fighters from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan's main rebel
group, have engaged in fresh clashes with security forces as the rebels ambushed a food
and supplies government convoy in southern Darfur.
Qatari-hosted Darfur peace talks postponed to mid December (Xinhua)
(Sudan) Sudanese official delegation to the Qatari-hosted Darfur peace talks on
Thursday announced to postpone the current round of negotiations between the
government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) to mid December 2010.

UN News Service Africa Briefs


Full Articles on UN Website
 Darfur: UN-African Union mission deeply concerned over recent arrests
 Western Sahara: UN announces next round of informal talks between the parties
 Ban, welcoming consensus on Guinea elections, urges peaceful campaign
 Pirates off Somalia committing more violence despite naval patrols – Ban
 Breakthrough Ivorian elections show people’s resolve to end crisis – UN official
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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

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

WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, November 18, 1:30 p.m.; Center for Strategic and
International Studies
WHAT: Foreign Policy and Development Structure, Process, and Policy
WHO: Jerry Hyman, President, Hills Program on Governance, CSIS; Jim Kolbe, Senior
Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund; Former Chair, House of Representatives
Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related
Programs; Larry Garber, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa; Dan
Runde, Director, Project on Prosperity and Development, CSIS
Info: http://csis.org/event/foreign-policy-and-development-structure-process-policy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Power Shift in US House & Feingold Defeat Could Influence Zimbabwe, Africa
Policy (Voice of America)

The power shift from Democrats to Republicans in the US House of Representatives


and the defeat of Senator Russ Feingold, now outgoing chairman of the Africa
subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations could augur a more
skeptical and penny-pinching approach to foreign aid including to Africa, analysts say.
Feingold's long-held Wisconsin seat went to Republican newcomer Ron Johnson, the
beneficiary of heavy conservative funding. Emira Woods, director of Foreign Policy in
Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, said the Congress is losing a key
champion for Africa who will not be easily replaced.

Feingold co-sponsored the Zimbabwe Transition to Democracy and Economic Recovery


Act of 2010, an amendment of the 2001 Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery
Act, which gave the administration greater flexibility in working with international
financial institutions to promote democratic change in Harare.

Analysts said there could be pressure for a tougher US line in Zimbabwe where
President Robert Mugabe continues to dominate the national unity government though
sharing power with the Movement for Democratic Change.

Policy analyst Marian Tupy of the libertarian Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity
told VOA Studio 7 reporter Tatenda Gumbo that while there has been a bipartisan
consensus on Zimbabwe so continuity is likely, there could be some pressure on foreign
aid budgets at a time when the United States faces record deficits.
--------------------
Kenya and Ethiopia to wipe out militias (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation)

The Kenyan government in conjunction with Ethiopian authorities has launched an


operation in Moyale County to flash out the Oromo Liberation Front militias following
the killing of an administration Police officer on Tuesday.

Two other security officers who were injured during the attack by the militia are
undergoing treatment at the Forces Memorial hospital in Nairobi.

The attack took place at Bandarero area of Moyale district where a fierce fire exchange
between the bandits and the security personnel ensued.

Eastern Provincial Commissioner Claire Omolo says so far six members of the militia
group have been arrested.

In a telephone interview with KBC, the PC said an assortment of firearms which include
four AK.47 assault rifles, 90 rounds of ammunition and 17 grenades have been
recovered from the suspected bandits.

She said the operation will continue until all the members of OLF are arrested.

Elsewhere, the Minister of state for provincial Administration and internal security
Prof. George Saitoti has said the government is in the process of reviewing its security
strategies to address emerging issues from the advancement of information and
communication technology.

The Minister said that the strategies will develop the best approach based on four
pillars of, preventing, disrupting, protecting and defending Kenya from terrorist attacks
and other external aggressors.

In a speech read on his behalf by assistant Minister Simeon Lesirma during the opening
of the African security and advanced technology summit, Prof. Saitoti said that the
country is facing diverse security challenges due to its strategic location in the region.

He said regional security, Maritime, border, counter terrorism and internet security are
the main security challenges that Kenya is facing and called on the summit participants
to focus on them.

"Kenya has been playing a major role under the auspices of AU and IGAD, and it
continues to facilitate security efforts, geared towards restoring law and order in
neighboring countries that have been in conflicts" he said

Addressing the same summit, the Head of Liaison, The Eastern Africa Standby Force
(EASF) Mr. Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed said that its vision is to contribute to regional and
continental peace through a regional approach.

"By embracing technology in security management, governments will improve the


efficiency and on cost of security incurred under the traditional security management
strategies" he said.

He added that the regions involved like the East, North South and West should
consider sharing security technologies for better management of cross border crime.

The aim of the summit is to exchange ideas and share best practices on how to deal with
unique security challenges in the continent which would enable the concerned countries
to reduce their expenditure on security and enable them compliment each other's
capacity on border security management.

The summit has participants drawn from Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon and Djibouti and
organizations like African Union (AU), Africom C4 systems, US naval forces Africa,
Africa development bank, Africa center for strategic studies and Eastern Africa standby
force.
--------------------
ICC not biased against Africa (Business Daily)
In the past few months, a number of African commentators, political leaders and policy-
makers have criticised the International Criminal Court for its alleged bias against
Africans and its perceived threat to the sovereignty of African states.

Most criticism appears to be baseless. I have supported the ICC since 1993, nine years
before the Rome Statute came into force in July 2002.

I believe this court is the closest global institution for which Africans can legitimately
claim ownership, and here’s why.

Those who claim the ICC is biased against Africans argue that since its inception, the
court has focused on atrocities in Africa while ignoring those committed in other places,
such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Sri Lanka.

It might be too early to argue that the ICC has ignored non-African atrocities, but it is
true that all the five cases the court has handled are in Africa, namely Uganda, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Sudan and now it is
investigating Kenya.

Three of these cases were initially referred to the ICC by the governments of Uganda,
the DRC and CAR, so they cannot be used to advance the claim that the ICC is biased.

The ICC investigated the fourth case, namely the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan, because
the United Nations Security Council asked it to do so in accordance with Article 13(b) of
the Rome Statute.

One cannot imagine a situation where the Office of the Prosecutor in the Hague would
turn down an invitation to investigate claims of genocide, war crimes and crimes
against humanity, but it should not be accused of bias for accepting an invitation to do
what it was created to do.

The fifth case, post-election violence in Kenya, is the only situation in which the ICC
initiated the investigation, but this is because the Kenyan parliament indirectly invited
the ICC by failing to pass a Bill to establish a local tribunal.

A scrutiny of the five cases, which the ICC has investigated so far, is likely to show that
the only bias the court has shown is towards the victims of impunity.

Africa’s recent criticisms of the ICC undermine the crucial efforts, which African
government delegates and NGOs made in the lead-up to the creation of the court from
1993 to 1998.

During the negotiations for the ICC, there were three clusters: the biggest was the Like-
Minded Group, which most African states joined, while the smallest was the P-5 group,
which, in the end, comprised China and the US; and in between was the non-aligned
group that comprised mainly Middle Eastern states and India.

It was with the support of African states that the like-minded group thwarted the
efforts of China and the US to have the ICC controlled by the Security Council.

As of now, 42 African states have signed the Rome Statute and 30 of them have ratified
it.

Thus, in terms of numbers, African states comprise the largest regional bloc within the
ICC and they need to devise strategies of utilising their numerical preponderance to
benefit their citizens.

Rather than reacting defensively to the ICC because one head of state has been indicted
or hiding behind African Union resolutions vowing not to co-operate with the ICC,
African states ought to see this court as their own creation.
--------------------
Ivory Coast election results in runoff (CNN)

Abidjan, Ivory Coast - Incumbent Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbabgo is slated to
face ex-prime minister Alassane Ouattara later this month in a run-off vote for the
country's leader.

The 65-year-old Gbagbo won 38.3 percent and Ouattara took 32.08 percent, according to
final results announced Thursday by the Independent Election Commission. More than
50 percent of the vote is needed to win the election.

The results must be validated by the Constitutional Council before they can be
proclaimed as official. A runoff date had been scheduled for November 28.

Ivoirians voted Sunday after several delays. Elections were expected in 2005, but they
have been postponed five times.

The West African country plunged into instability after northern rebels took up arms
earlier this decade.
--------------------
Nigerian lawmakers give nod to election delay (AFP)

ABUJA – Nigerian lawmakers approved constitutional changes Thursday allowing the


postponement of presidential elections set for early next year after warnings there
would not be enough time to prepare.
Both houses of parliament have now adopted the changes making it possible for the
poll to be organised as late as April instead of the previously scheduled January date.
State parliaments must now approve the measures.

"We have amended the constitution," senior lawmaker Ita Enang told reporters. "It will
now be sent to the state houses of assembly for their concurrence."

The two chambers had previously approved differing versions of the changes, requiring
fresh votes to bring the measures in line with one another.

The electoral commission will set the precise dates for polls, which will also include
state and legislative ballots. The presidential election had been set for January 22, with
legislative ballots a week before and state polls a week after.

Electoral commission chief Attahiru Jega had raised serious concerns over the limited
preparation time in a country known for fraudulent and chaotic ballots.

With the 2007 voters list riddled with false entries, poll organisers will need to overhaul
the entire register. The electoral commission expects to begin registering voters
sometime in January.

An estimated 70 million Nigerians, or slightly half of the number of people in Africa's


most populous country, are eligible to vote.

The approved changes state that elections should be held not earlier than 150 days nor
later than 30 days to the expiration of the tenure of an incumbent government, which in
the current case is May 29.

Back in July, the same parliament had approved constitutional amendments for the vote
to be moved forward to January.

The stated reason for the initial change was to allow more time for electoral disputes to
be settled before the May 29 swearing-in date.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who is running in the election, has pledged a free and
fair vote.
--------------------
Fresh Darfur clashes raise concerns (Al Jazeera)

Fighters from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan's main rebel group,
have engaged in fresh clashes with security forces as the rebels ambushed a food and
supplies government convoy in southern Darfur.

The fighting that erupted on Wednesday between the two sides was the first in months.
Conflicting reports on the death toll have emerged, and the country's ministry of
interior said that the police force killed "many" JEM fighters and "suffered only several
losses" in the clashes, without giving specific figures.

"The rebels attacked a commercial convoy and the Central Reserve Police protecting the
convoy engaged them, suffering several losses," the ministry said in a statement.

But Ali Alwafi, a JEM spokesman, told reporters that at least 50 police were killed,
while "three of JEM's members were injured in the combat, none of them seriously".

He also said that the group "captured 13 vehicles [from the government convoy] and
destroyed many more".

'Retaliatory attack'

However, police insisted that none of the convoy's contents were taken and that troops
were pursuing them.

Suleiman Sandal, JEM's chief commander, who also reported scores of police casualties,
told Reuters news agency that Wednesday's attack was carried out in retaliation to an
earlier attack by government troops in the eastern side of South Darfur.

JEM leaders halted their participation in the latest round of peace talks with Sudan's
government, which was hosted in Doha, the Qatari capital, last May.

They accuse government troops of continuing attacks on the group in Darfur despite a
deal aimed at a cessation of hostilities, signed in February.

Last week, the rebel group released several statements saying that the government was
mobilising troops in the western region in preparations to launch a major attack on its
strongholds.

Fighting in Darfur, which began with a 2003 rebellion by numerous groups that accuse
the government of mistreatment, has killed up to 300,000 people and displaced 2.7
million from their homes, according to UN figures.
--------------------
Qatari-hosted Darfur peace talks postponed to mid December (Xinhua)

KHARTOUM - Sudanese official delegation to the Qatari-hosted Darfur peace talks on


Thursday announced to postpone the current round of negotiations between the
government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) to mid December 2010.
"There are consultations between the two sides on some topics set in timetable to
expand the discussions on them with the mediation and the concerned parties," Ghazi
Salahuddin, Sudanese presidential adviser on Darfur issues, told reporters upon return
of the delegation from the Qatari capital of Doha Thursday.

"We have agreed on the timetable, which will begin on November 10 and last till
December 6. 2010, to complete the arrangements for signing the final agreement," he
added.

The Sudanese official further highlighted the commitments to the timetable set by the
joint mediation, expecting that a lasting peace could be achieved by the end of this year.

He added that the concerning parties have resolved most of the issues of difference over
the negotiations.

At present, the Darfur peace talks involves the Sudanese government and the LJM. The
other two key guerrillas, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan
Libration Army have so far shunned the talks.

In the meantime, Head of the Sudanese government delegation, Amin Hassan Omer,
disclosed that the delegation would participate the meeting to be hold in Addis Ababa,
slated for Nov. 6, 2010, to present its review regarding progress in the negotiations with
the LJM.

The Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa is expected to host on Nov. 6, 2010, a meeting to
bring together the major Sudanese peace partners, the National Congress Party (NCP)
and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), and representatives of the UN,
the African Union and the U.S Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration to discuss the
situations in the country with the focus on the upcoming south Sudan referendum and
the Darfur issues.
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

Darfur: UN-African Union mission deeply concerned over recent arrests


3 November – The African Union-United Nations mission in Sudan’s Darfur region,
known as UNAMID, said today that it was “deeply concerned” by reports of the closure
of the office of a radio station in Khartoum and the arrest of several journalists and
human rights activists.

Western Sahara: UN announces next round of informal talks between the parties
3 November – A new round of informal talks between the parties to the conflict over
Western Sahara will take place in New York next week at the invitation of the United
Nations envoy, according to a UN spokesperson.
Ban, welcoming consensus on Guinea elections, urges peaceful campaign
3 November – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed a consensus reached
among Guinean stakeholders that paves the way for the holding of run-off presidential
election on 7 November 2010, calling on all actors to ensure the smooth conduct of the
poll.

Pirates off Somalia committing more violence despite naval patrols – Ban
3 November – Naval patrols off Somalia’s coast have increasingly disrupted the
activities of pirates, with many sea bandits arrested and prosecuted, but others have
continued to seize ships using increasingly violent methods, Secretary-General Ban Ki-
moon says in a new report.

Breakthrough Ivorian elections show people’s resolve to end crisis – UN official


3 November – The Côte d’Ivoire’s “calm and orderly” presidential vote, avoiding any
major human rights violations, showed that the Ivorian people were ready to put an
end to the civil crisis that divided the West African nation, a top United Nations official
told the Security Council today.

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