United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

30 November 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Obama takes aim at Africa's Lord's Resistance Army (Global Post)

(Uganda) Under the cunning leadership of Joseph Kony, the LRA has evaded all efforts
to eradicate it by the Ugandan army as well as the United Nations. Now the LRA must
also battle the efforts of the United States to disarm it.

US Envoy Calls for Ouster of Top Kenyan Officials (Voice of America)

(Kenya) Kenya's Daily Nation is reporting that American Ambassador Michael
Ranneberger has called for sweeping changes to Kenya's justice system on Monday.

Algeria to host N. African talks with United States (AFP)

(North Africa) Algeria will on Wednesday welcome delegates from the United States
and north African countries for a two-day seminar to encourage business opportunities,
the APS news agency announced on Monday.

Africa, EU on summit collision course over economic deals (AFP)

(Pan Africa) Africa squared up to fight for a better economic deal with the European
Union on Monday as Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi opened a key summit warning the
continent was ready to do business elsewhere.

UN says Congo armed groups forming criminal gangs (Associated Press)

(Congo) Armed groups in eastern Congo, including the army, have bypassed
international reform programs and have instead formed criminal networks to exploit
the nation's mineral wealth, with one group even trying to sell uranium, the United
Nations said in a report Monday.

Cote d'Ivoire to release partial results of presidential run-off on Monday (Xinhua)

(Cote d'Ivoire) Partial results of Cote d'Ivoire's presidential run-off which was
contested by incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and ex-prime minister Alassane
Ouattara will be released on Monday, the country's Independent Electoral Commission
(CEI) has said.

S Sudanese 'flee border area' (Reuters)

(Sudan) At least 1,500 south Sudanese civilians have fled areas along the north–south
border fearing aerial attack on Bahr al-Ghazal by the Sudan Armed Forces, the UN and
southern officials said.

Somalia receives first head of state visit in nearly 20 years (CNN)

(Somalia/Uganda) A surprise trip from Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
to Somalia has made him the first head of state to visit the war-torn country in almost
20 years, according to the African Union Mission for Somalia.

Kenya leader: Homosexuals 'should be arrested' (MSNBC)

(Kenya) Kenya's prime minister has said that homosexuals should be arrested,
according to reports.

Massmart Gets Firm Offer From Walmart (South African Press Association)
(South Africa) Massmart has received written notice from US firm Walmart of its firm
intention to make an all cash offer to acquire a 51 percent stake in the SA retailer.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
 Somalia: Security Council maintains exemption of aid delivery from embargo
monitoring
 Ivorian poll passes off in democratic atmosphere despite tension – UN envoy
 Security Council renews DR Congo sanctions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday and Thursday, December 15-16; National Defense

Industrial Association
WHAT: Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction Operations
WHO: Amb Robert Loftis, Acting Coordinator, Reconstruction and Stability,
Department of State (S/CRS); Susan Reichle, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau
for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, USAID; Dr. James Schear,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Stability Operations; GEN Carter
Ham, Commander, US Army, Europe; and others (see agenda)
Info: http://www.ndia.org/meetings/1450/Pages/default.aspx

WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, December 16, 9:00 a.m.; Africa Center for Strategic Studies
and the Center for Complex Operations
WHAT: Sudan: Regional Implications of Post-Referendum Scenarios
WHO: Special Envoy to Sudan, Maj. General Scott Gration (ret.), Keynote; See agenda
for full speaker list
Info: http://ccoportal.org/event/sudan-regional-implications-post-referendum-
scenarios
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Obama takes aim at Africa's Lord's Resistance Army (Global Post)

NAIROBI, Kenya — With a campaign of kidnapping children to make them hardened

soldiers or sex slaves, tactics including amputations, torture and the murders of entire
villages, the Lord's Resistance Army has been a vicious, destabilizing force in central
Africa for more than 20 years.

Under the cunning leadership of Joseph Kony, the LRA has evaded all efforts to
eradicate it by the Ugandan army as well as the United Nations.

Now the LRA must also battle the efforts of the United States to disarm it. U.S.
President Barack Obama has announced a strategy aimed at ending the scourge of the
LRA , notorious for abduction, rape, murder and pillage across a swath of central
Africa.

Obama said the strategy “identifies priority actions related to protecting civilians and
eliminating the threat posed by the LRA.” In a letter to U.S. Congressmen last week,
Obama said it was necessary to bring, “political, economic, military, and intelligence
support to bear in addressing the threat.”

Obama's priorities are to protect the civilians who are the main victims of LRA attacks,
to capture or kill LRA leader Joseph Kony and his senior commanders, encourage
defections by lower-ranking officers and foot soldiers, and increase aid to affected
communities.

Advocacy groups welcomed the announcement which had been expected since May
when Obama signed into law the "LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery
Act" after hard lobbying by activists.

“President Obama’s team has done an admirable job in formulating a strategy and
demonstrating commitment to address the LRA scourge, but the challenge now is to
turn this piece of paper into improvements on the ground,” said Paul Ronan, director of
Advocacy at Resolve, a Washington-based advocacy group.

Ronan called on Obama to match the words with “a significant boost in resources.”

Defeating the LRA will be difficult, because the LRA purposely targets communities in
remote and marginalized areas.

Details are scarce in Obama's strategy but it does not appear that any U.S. troops will be
sent to central Africa. Implementation of the White House plan will depend on funding
but some aspects should be relatively inexpensive such as building telecommunications
infrastructure — mobile phone and radio capacity — so that communities being
targeted have a way of getting information out to the outside world.

Obama also suggested that it will be important to improve coordination of militaries in

the region. Last month, Uganda, the Central African Republic, Sudan and the
Democratic Republic of Congo agreed to form a joint military force to fight the militia.

In late 2008, U.S. military intelligence helped plan and organize attacks on the LRA but
there was no indication that Obama is willing to put American boots on the ground to
hunt down Kony.

The LRA rebellion began in northern Uganda in 1987. For more than 20 years the LRA
has terrorized northern Uganda and fought a low-level war against President Yoweri
Museveni’s army. During that time close to 2 million people have been forced from
their homes, and perhaps as many as 70,000 children were abducted to fight in the rebel
ranks or to be sex slaves to LRA commanders.

An end seemed near in 2006 when peace talks were hosted in Sudan but when
negotiations collapsed in 2008 the LRA, pushed out of Uganda, began launching attacks
in southern Sudan, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo and southeastern
Central African Republic.

In the last two years more than 2,000 people have been killed in LRA attacks and close
to 3,000 have been abducted while a further 400,000 have been forced to flee their
homes, according to the United Nations and human rights researchers. In late March
reports emerged of a four-day killing spree carried out by LRA fighters in northeastern
Congo, one of 240 attributed to the rebels this year alone.

The LRA claims to be fighting to establish rule by the Bible's 10 commandments. But
under the leadership of Joseph Kony the group has shown few signs of Christianity as it
spreads terror across central Africa.

Although most attacks are on civilians, the LRA is no rag-tag rebel army, but a battle-
hardened force with decades of experience of guerrilla war in Africa’s forests. A team of
Guatemalan Special Forces deployed by the U.N.’s Congo peacekeeping mission in 2006
to kill Kony were themselves ambushed and killed.

The LRA is thought to number less than 400 fighters but even though they have
fragmented into small units they are adept at causing mass havoc.

Kony and two of his surviving top commanders (Okot Odhiambo and Dominic
Ongwen) are wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, accused of
dozens of counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“Halting the LRA threat to civilians and catching its leaders who are wanted for war
crimes is achievable with political will and the right resources,” said Anneke Van
Woudenberg, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch in New York.

The imperative to act against the LRA is not only moral but also strategic, according to
activists. The areas in which the LRA operates are on the fringes of some of the world’s
weakest countries; the rebel group’s presence increases the likelihood of fragile states
becoming failed ones.
------------------
US Envoy Calls for Ouster of Top Kenyan Officials (Voice of America)

The U.S. Envoy in Kenya has called for the removal of the nation's chief justice and
attorney general as the country steps up its fight against corruption.

Kenya's Daily Nation is reporting that American Ambassador Michael Ranneberger has
called for sweeping changes to Kenya's justice system on Monday.

Speaking at a development forum in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Ranneberger called

for the east African nation to replace its top judge and lawyer.

Ranneberger told the crowd that removing Attorney General Amos Wako and Justice
Evan Gicheru were important steps eradicating a "culture of impunity." The U.S. envoy
said that ensuring political stability and good governance would be critical for Kenya to
attract foreign investment.

In attendance at the forum was Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Seated with Mr.
Odinga was Cabinet Minister Charity Ngilu, who is facing corruption allegations and
calls for her resignation.

Ambassador Ranneberger has been an outspoken critic of Kenya's notoriously

ubiquitous corruption. It is not the first time he has called for a more independent
judiciary. Speaking in late September, the envoy urged Kenyan officials to carefully
select a new chief justice.

"The new chief justice is going to be one of the most important positions in the country,"
he said. "It is critically important that a person of the highest competence, of
independence and of good repute be put in that position. I do not want to rule anyone
out or in, but clearly their needs to be a selection process that is transparent. And
where the best possible person is chosen; a person who will truly strive to make the
judiciary corruption free and independent."

As part of Kenya's transition to its new constitution, the country must install a new
Chief Justice by February 2011. The Attorney General must also be replaced by August
of next year. Wako was originally appointed by former President Daniel arap Moi and
has been the attorney general for nearly 20 years.

During his tenure Wako has overseen the infamous Goldenberg scandal - in which the
Kenyan government illegally subsidized non-existent gold exports from the company
Goldenberg International. The debacle has cost Kenya an estimated $76 million.

While Ambassador Ranneberger has previously called for strict vetting for future
Justice and Attorney General appointments, this is the first time he has called for the
two officials to step down.

The envoy recently made headlines by announcing that three senior members of
government, as well as a prominent businessman, had been handed a U.S. travel ban for
their alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking. Speaking just two weeks ago,
Ranneberger said the illicit trade was a very serious problem which was made possible
by the country's rampant corruption and "culture of impunity."
------------------
Algeria to host N. African talks with United States (AFP)

ALGIERS – Algeria will on Wednesday welcome delegates from the United States and
north African countries for a two-day seminar to encourage business opportunities, the
APS news agency announced on Monday.

"This meeting is the direct result of the presidential summit on business organised by
President Barack Obama in April in Washington," US Assistant Secretary of State for
Economic, Energy and Business Affairs Jose W. Fernandez told the state-run APS from
Washington.

When Obama late in April met about 50 businessmen from Muslim countries for talks
about economic development, a series of partnerships was announced.

The Algiers conference is "the follow up of work to encourage entrepreneurship and

create regional partnerships," added Fernandez, who was due to arrive in the capital
Monday heading a delegation of officials and businessmen.

The conference, organised by the US State Department, will bring together heads of
local companies from five north African, or Maghreb, nations -- Algeria, Libya,
Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia -- with the US visitors.

According to APS, Fernandez described the gathering as "an important step forward in
promoting the culture of a business spirit in Algeria and in the Maghreb, by creating a
trading environment more favourable to the private sector."
The US official will be visiting Tunisia, Libya and Morocco after his four-day stay in
Algiers. He told APS that Algeria has "an enormous potential for American investors"
outside the domain of oil and gas, which are the country's main exports.

The US senior director for global engagement at the national security staff, Pradeep
Ramamurthy, said in Algiers last July that Washington wants to "strengthen economic
ties with Algeria and the Maghreb by way of a long-term partnership but also
cooperation in the domains of science and of health."
------------------
Africa, EU on summit collision course over economic deals (AFP)

TRIPOLI — Africa squared up to fight for a better economic deal with the European
Union on Monday as Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi opened a key summit warning the
continent was ready to do business elsewhere.

"We have failed in our economic partnership with Europe," Kadhafi told leaders of 80
nations gathered in the high-rise seaside Libyan capital for the two-day talks.

Opening the first summit in three years between the two continents, Kadhafi reopened
old wounds between former colonial powers and nations marking half a century of
independence at a time when the onus is on efforts to seal a "new, equal" partnership.

In Tripoli, where a massive police presence cordoned off the heart of the city, a draft of
a joint declaration seen by AFP states the two continents are "determined to seize
together new opportunities for broader and mutually beneficial initiatives."

"We want win-win relations based on mutual interest, not on exploitation," said the
white-robed Libyan leader in a 45-minute speech described by one EU diplomat as
"aggressive."

"Europe talks to us of governance, human rights," said Kadhafi. "Africa needs

economics, not politics."

But EU president Hermann Van Rompuy retorted that "in Europe?s experience, the
perspectives for economic growth are closely linked to elements of good governance."

"Africa is not an exception," he told the summit. "Business-friendly policies attract

private investment, where corruption is not tolerated, where the rule of law is
respected, and transparency valued."

Kadhafi's speech followed a diplomatic rumpus on the eve of the summit as Sudan
announced a boycott of the talks in retaliation for the exclusion of President Omar al-
Bashir, who faces an international arrest warrant.
Blaming the EU for the shut-out, Bashir said Europe's stand was "an attack on the
African Union and Sudan while also undermining the idea of real dialogue and
cooperation between Africa and Europe."

Sudan, meanwhile, asked the AU to postpone a meeting of its Peace and Security
Council due to take place on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Tripoli summit.

Africa's leading aid donor, the 27-nation EU faces fractious rows on trade and
immigration but also saw foreign ministers from 53 African states reject a joint
statement on climate change that had been intended as "a strong signal" as climate talks
open in Cancun.

"It reflected European rather than African priorities," one African diplomat told AFP.
Asked for comment, an EU diplomat said further efforts would be made at the summit
to find common ground.

And Kadhafi's harsh words came as Africa's leadership prepared to battle behind closed
doors with the EU on trade following almost a decade of failed efforts to strike
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) deemed unfair by the Africans.

While the bloc remains Africa's top trading partner, emerging giants such as Brazil and
India are joining China in chasing the spoils of the resources-rich continent.

Saying "Africa and Europe need each other," Kadhafi warned that in the event of failure
Africa had alternatives in the Americas, China and India.

Africa wanted to deal with "groups that respect our space, our sovereignty, our regimes
and that don't interfere in our internal affairs," he said.

"This is an extremely important question where we still have differences," said African
Union Commission president Jean Ping.

Africans complain Europe is setting conditions for the EPAs that will throw up new
hurdles for poor countries by lifting tariff barriers -- causing a major loss of government
revenue and threatening fledgling African industries forced to compete with European
goods.

China has pumped billions of dollars in investments in oil, mining and manufacturing
while winning hearts and minds with soft loans and aid in infrastructure and energy,
geared to lift the globe's most destitute continent out of poverty.

European Commission president Jose-Manuel Barroso underlined however that the EU

remains the globe's top provider of "aid for trade," delivering more than 10 billion euros
in 2008.
Africa, currently clocking up the world's highest growth, is setting its heart on new
private investment initiatives -- in fields such as renewable energy, adding value to
natural resources and developing infrastructure.

"We have come to Tripoli with the fascinating long-term perspective of a Euro-African
economic area in mind," said Barroso, "an area which will provide opportunities for 2.5
billion citizens by 2050."
------------------
UN says Congo armed groups forming criminal gangs (Associated Press)

KINSHASA, Congo – Armed groups in eastern Congo, including the army, have
bypassed international reform programs and have instead formed criminal networks to
exploit the nation's mineral wealth, with one group even trying to sell uranium, the
United Nations said in a report Monday.

The report said the armed units have done so despite recent efforts to disarm illegal
militias and reform the disorganized, ill-disciplined army. The report said the army has
even formed a criminal gang within its ranks.

Investigators cited several examples of militants illegally exploiting minerals and

natural resources, seizing land, recruiting child soldiers and poaching endangered
wildlife.

The report said Rwandan-led Hutu rebels in Congo in 2008 attempted to sell six
canisters of what they said was unenriched uranium — an amount that the report said
would not be enough to create even a small amount of fissile material — but could not
find a buyer for more than a year and gave up.

At U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday, the Security Council renewed its arms
embargo for people and groups not associated with the government, along with a travel
ban and a freeze on the assets of people linked to illegal armed groups.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice welcomed the extension of the sanctions,
which she said "can play an important role in bringing stability to the (Congo) and
holding accountable those who direct the massacre of civilians, recruit child soldiers, or
use rape as a weapon of war."

Rice also welcomed the council's support for possible new guidelines for people and
companies that import, process, or consume Congolese mineral products.

"If implemented, these guidelines could significantly limit the illicit minerals trade,
which has for many years fueled violence" in Congo, she said.
Eastern Congo has been wracked by violence since Rwanda's 1994 genocide spilled war
across the border. Hutu militias that participated in the massacres of more than 500,000
Tutsis and moderate Hutus sought refuge in Congo.

The U.N. has documented numerous human rights violations and atrocities at the
hands of armed groups in eastern Congo.

In October, the U.N. said more than 300 civilians were raped by militants in 13 villages
between July 30 and Aug. 2. The numbers were shocking even for eastern Congo, where
rape has become a daily hazard and some women have been sexually assaulted
repeatedly over the years.

Efforts have been made to professionalize the army and to bring militia groups into the
organization. But those efforts are struggling. In October, the top U.N. envoy said
Congolese government troops were raping, killing and looting civilians in the same area
of eastern Congo where militias carried out the mass rapes.
------------------
Cote d'Ivoire to release partial results of presidential run-off on Monday (Xinhua)

ABIDJA - Partial results of Cote d'Ivoire's presidential run-off which was contested by
incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and ex-prime minister Alassane Ouattara will be
released on Monday, the country's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) has said.

"These results will partially be communicated as from Monday, Nov. 29, 2010 at 3 p.m.
(0300 GMT)," a statement said, adding the "phase for counting and announcing of
results in the polling stations was over."

"The only remaining stage is that of compiling results at the local CEI offices," the
statement declared.

The election was marked by low turnout and a statement from the Interior Ministry
reporting two people died in violence during Sunday's election.

Gbagbo's camp complained of an unfair voting exercise and serious irregularities in the
northern part of the country under the control of ex-rebel forces, the New Forces (FN).

As for Ouattara's camp, it complained of intimidations, massive fraud and delay at the
start of the voting exercise, especially in the central-west, southwest as well as in certain
Abidjan districts.

"CEI would wish to reiterate once more that it will announce the true results from the
ballot boxes," the statement said.
------------------
S Sudanese 'flee border area' (Reuters)
At least 1,500 south Sudanese civilians have fled areas along the north–south border
fearing aerial attack on Bahr al-Ghazal by the Sudan Armed Forces, the UN and
southern officials said.

Giovanni Bosco, the head of the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs
in southern Sudan, said on Monday that there was no formal camp set up to receive the
new arrivals, but the UN was helping the local community feed them.

"People are leaving their villages because of the military tensions in the area," he said.

Officials in the area say they have received "hundreds" of additional arrivals in just the
last few days, and some reports put the number of overall displaced much higher.

"The report we received says 2,500 have been displaced in the area," said southern army
(SPLA) spokesman Philip Aguer.

Northern government officials were unavailable for comment on the reports. The SPLA
says northern forces are still flying fighter planes along the border to scare southern
villagers.

"Khartoum's newly-acquired Chinese planes are flying in the area.

"They are trying to cause terror and disrupt the referendum," Aguer told Reuters.

Voter registration for a referendum in south Sudan to decide whether the oil producing
region secedes from the north has recently been extended to end on December 8.

The vote is part of a 2005 peace deal between the dominant parties of the north and
south, ending decades of civil war that claimed two million lives.

Relations between north and south Sudan have threatened to boil over in the build-up
to the southern vote.

Sudan's economy depends on oil, located mostly in the south, and Khartoum does not
want to lose an important source of revenue.
------------------
Somalia receives first head of state visit in nearly 20 years (CNN)

A surprise trip from Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to Somalia has made
him the first head of state to visit the war-torn country in almost 20 years, according to
the African Union Mission for Somalia.
Museveni met with dozens of Ugandan peacekeepers, including ordinary soldiers and
top commanders, immediately after arriving at the main southern Halane base in
Mogadishu on Sunday afternoon, a statement from the mission said.

"We should be happy that our country is taking the lead in helping solve the Somalia
problem," Museveni told his troops, who were thrilled at the sight of their leader and
welcomed him with songs and dance, said the statement.

"His visit will surely motivate us to work harder to support our Somali brothers," Pvt.
Mukona Eliya told the mission.

Later in the day, Museveni held a private meeting with Somali leaders at a UN
compound within the base, amid tight security. In attendance were President Sheikh
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi and Speaker of Parliament
Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden.

Sunday's visit is Museveni's second to Mogadishu since 1992, the African Union
Mission said.

"We see his visit as historic, and we warmly welcome him," Sheikh Sharif said in the
statement.

The Ugandan president also visited the mission's main hospital, which is run by
Ugandan peacekeepers and gives free treatment to Somali government forces.

On July 11, a series of bombs tore through an Ethiopian restaurant and a rugby center in
the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Officials said the blasts, which killed 79 people, were
probably set off by suicide bombers.

Four people were arrested and charged in connection with the attacks.

The militant group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the bombings.

Members of the group have said they were acting in retaliation for Uganda's
contribution of troops for peacekeeping operations in Somalia, which has been at war
for nearly two decades.
------------------
Kenya leader: Homosexuals 'should be arrested' (MSNBC)

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya's prime minister has said that homosexuals should be
arrested, according to reports.
"We will not tolerate such behaviors in the country," the BBC quoted Raila Odinga as
saying. "The constitution is very clear on this issue and men or women found engaging
in homosexuality will not be spared."

Africa Review reported that Odinga told a rally in Nairobi on Sunday that "if found the
homosexuals should be arrested and taken to relevant authorities."

The website said that Odinga added it was "madness" for two men to fall in love with
each other when a recent census showed there were "plenty of women" in the country.

However, Odinga's spokesman said Monday that the prime minister was quoted out of
context and that he was only highlighting that the country's constitution bans same-sex
weddings.

Kenya's largest gay rights organization said the comments sparked panic among its
members.

'Extortion, blackmail and violence'

Nguru Karugu, a board member with the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya, said
Monday the group had received calls from concerned members, some of whom are
HIV-positive and fear they will be arrested when they collect life-prolonging medicine
from government clinics.

David Kuria, another activist with the organization, told the BBC that he believed the
prime minister's remarks would provoke "extortion, blackmail and violence."

Kenya's laws prohibit "sex against the order of nature." That charge is punishable by up
to 14 years in prison.
------------------
Massmart Gets Firm Offer From Walmart (South African Press Association)

Cape Town — Massmart has received written notice from US firm Walmart of its firm
intention to make an all cash offer to acquire a 51 percent stake in the SA retailer.

The board said on Monday it was "unanimous" in support of the proposed deal, which
would see Walmart pay R148 per ordinary share, but it still needed the support of a
two-thirds majority of shareholders and the South African authorities.

"The Massmart board has considered the terms of the offer and the opinion of [bankers]
Morgan Stanley, the independent advisor and is unanimous in its support for the
proposed transaction. The total transaction is valued at approximately R17 billion for 51
percent of Massmart," the retailer said in a statement.
It said offers on comparable terms were being extended to the beneficiaries of the
employee share trust, the Thuthukani trust and the black scarce skills trust.

"These offers will be inter-conditional with the offer to ordinary shareholders."

The board said the offer from Walmart followed a rigorous due diligence process.

"There are still a number of important conditions that need to be fulfilled before the
transaction can be implemented. These include amongst others two thirds majority
shareholder support (75 percent) and approval from the South African competition
authorities."

Massmart CEO Grant Pattison said the offer was a sign of confidence in the local
economy and could create new jobs.

"This is a milestone in Massmart's history and is a vote of confidence not only in

Massmart and our employees, but also in the strong growth potential of South Africa
and the continent.

"If approved, the transaction promises to be very positive for the regional economy,
facilitating job creation, providing new opportunities for small and medium businesses
and improving competitiveness.

"In gaining access to Walmart's experience and capabilities, we expect to be able to offer
consumers an even wider selection of products that are competitively priced and more
consistently available, delivering an improved customer experience across all our
stores."

Pattison said Walmart had undertaken to respect existing agreements with trade
unions, who had been opposed to the deal given the firm's reputation for being at
loggerheads with labour in the United States.

"We reaffirm Walmart's commitment to honour existing union agreements and to

maintain our broad-based black economic empowerment credentials, working
diligently with all parties to grow skills, create jobs in the retail industry, advance
transformation and further socio-economic development initiatives," he said.

Walmart's interest in acquiring a share of Massmart was announced to the market on 27

September.

The SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union had threatened to go on strike
if the deal went ahead. Saccawu this month handed Pattison a set of demands
pertaining to the proposed deal, including that employment conditions and agreements
remain intact.
Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel had set up a panel to advise the
government of the likely implications of Walmart's bid.
------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

Somalia: Security Council maintains exemption of aid delivery from embargo

monitoring
29 November – The Security Council today maintained the exemption of activities
related to the delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia from restrictions imposed under
the Council’s existing arms embargo relating to the Horn of Africa.

Ivorian poll passes off in democratic atmosphere despite tension – UN envoy

29 November – The run-off presidential elections in Côte d'Ivoire yesterday proceeded
“in a democratic atmosphere” despite tension and violent incidents that left three
people dead, the United Nations envoy to the West African country said today, calling
for calm as the provisional results are awaited.

Security Council renews DR Congo sanctions

29 November – The Security Council today extended for another year the arms embargo
and other sanctions it imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and
requested Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to renew the mandate of the group of experts
tasked with monitoring the measures.