United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

17 December 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

US: Ivory Coast leader told to leave country (Associated Press)

(Ivory Coast) The United States and other nations have given the president of Ivory
Coast an ultimatum to step down and leave the country within days or face travel and
financial sanctions, a senior Obama administration official said Thursday as deadly
postelection violence hit the African nation.

U.S. pulls embassy staff amid Ivory Coast unrest (AFP)

(Ivory Coast) The United States said Wednesday it was allowing non-emergency
embassy staff and their families to leave Ivory Coast amid widening post-election
violence in the African nation.

Ivory Coast Opposition Says 32 Supporters Killed (Bloomberg)

(Ivory Coast) Ivory Coast’s opposition coalition said 32 of its supporters were killed as
security forces clashed with protesters in Abidjan and Yamoussoukro, the commercial
and political capitals of the world’s top cocoa producer.

U.S. Slams Terrorism Charges On Abdulmutallab (This Day)

(Nigeria) A Nigerian, Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, who attempted to blow up a
Detroit-bound American aircraft last Christmas, was yesterday indicted on terrorism
charges.

Kagame Shares Insights With Chicago Students (New Times)

(Rwanda) President Paul Kagame, yesterday, hosted students from the University of
Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy Studies, with whom he shared insights on how
Rwanda has managed to come up with the right policies to rebuild herself after the 1994
genocide against the Tutsi.

Kenya's Politicians Look to Withdraw from ICC as Suspects Named (Voice of

America)
(Kenya) The Kenyan parliament is considering a motion that would remove the
country from the Rome Statute and end its obligations to the International Criminal
Court.

Algeria: Defections in Canada Raise Questions (Morocco Board)

(Algeria) Sixteen members of the Algerian National Ballet (BNA) that was Sent by
Algeria's Cultural Ministry to celebrate the 56the anniversary of the war of
independence against France in 1954, have decided to seek political refugee status and
refused to return to Algeria.

Bombings by N. Sudan violated 2005 peace deal (Associated Press)

(Sudan) Three bomb attacks in Southern Sudan this month made by aircraft from the
northern Sudanese military violated Sudan's 2005 peace agreement, a joint north-south
committee has concluded, a United Nations spokesman said Thursday.

Govt Elusive On 'Settler Deal' (The Namibian)

(Namibia) This week, when whistle-blower website WikiLeaks released US confidential
cables about Namibia allegedly agreeing to settle 5 000 Chinese families in return for a
defaulted loan, a renewed storm broke loose with Government denying that it had ever
failed to pay back any Chinese loan.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
 UN peacekeeping chief warns of risks ahead of independence vote in southern
Sudan
 UN and partners unveil programme to combat West Africa’s growing drug trade
 UN mission in Côte d’Ivoire urges restraint amidst reports of growing violence
 Burundi: Security Council sets up new body to further consolidate peace
 UN peacekeepers helping train DR Congo police on security in mining centres
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday and Wednesday, February 8-9, 2011; National Defense

Industrial Association, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC
WHAT: Defense, Diplomacy, and Development: Translating Policy into Operational
Capability
WHO: Keynote Speakers include ADM Michael Mullen, USN, Chairman, Joint Chiefs
of Staff; BG Simon Hutchinson, GBR, Deputy Commander, NATO Special Operations
Forces Headquarters; ADM Eric T. Olson, USN, Commander, U.S. Special Operations
Command; Gen Norton A. Schwartz, USAF, Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force
Info: http://www.ndia.org/meetings/1880/Pages/default.aspx
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

US: Ivory Coast leader told to leave country (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON – The United States and other nations have given the president of
Ivory Coast an ultimatum to step down and leave the country within days or face travel
and financial sanctions, a senior Obama administration official said Thursday as deadly
postelection violence hit the African nation.

The United States, the U.N., France and the African Union passed the message to
President Laurent Gbagbo's camp that "he has to go," the official said, adding that there
were signs he might agree to leave despite refusing to relinquish power since losing
elections late last month. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the
ongoing discussions.

The official would not describe the signs that Gbagbo might leave, but noted that the
president and his family have "multiple homes in multiple countries" that they would
not be able to use if sanctions are imposed. The U.S. and the European Union have
threatened sanctions on Gbagbo, his family and his supporters if he does not accept the
result of the elections.

Earlier Thursday, gunfire and explosions shook Ivory Coast's biggest city of Abidjan as
supporters and security forces loyal to Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara, the recognized
winner of the Nov. 28 election, clashed in the streets. The fighting killed at least 15
people and bolstered fears the world's top cocoa producer is teetering on the edge of
another civil war.

One errant rocket-propelled grenade struck an outer perimeter wall of the U.S. Embassy
in Abidjan during the fighting, but no injuries were reported and the damage was
minor, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters.

"We remain very concerned about the outbreak of violence today in Cote d'Ivoire," he
said, referring to the country by its French name. "We deplore the use of violence and
call on everyone to remain calm as we continue to work with the international
community to help resolve this situation."

Crowley said a combined delegation from the African Union and the Economic
Community Of West African States would soon be in Abidjan "to continue to encourage
President Gbagbo to step aside."
------------------
U.S. pulls embassy staff amid Ivory Coast unrest (AFP)

The United States said Wednesday it was allowing non-emergency embassy staff and
their families to leave Ivory Coast amid widening post-election violence in the African
nation.
The U.S. State Department "has authorized the departure of non-emergency personnel
and all eligible family members of U.S. embassy personnel," it said after warning U.S.
citizens against visiting the West African country.
The U.S. embassy's consular section in Abidjan meanwhile "has temporarily curtailed
all consular services except emergency services for U.S. citizens," the statement said.

It added that tensions were high following "sporadic demonstrations, violence and
deaths" and said it "cannot rule out anti-American sentiment."

Fierce clashes erupted in Abidjan and central Ivory Coast on Thursday, leaving at least
11 dead and many more hurt as the stand-off between two self-declared presidents
spilled into the streets.

The State Department had earlier said its embassy was damaged by an "errant" rocket-
propelled grenade during the fighting.

Supporters of Alassane Ouattara had intended to march on the headquarters of state

television, held by his rival the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, but fighting broke out
when they were faced with heavily-armed security forces.

Both Ouattara and Gbagbo claim to have won last month's election, and both have
declared themselves president, leading to a dangerous new stand-off in a country
already divided since 2002 into northern and southern armed camps.

Ouattara has been recognized by the international community but has proved unable to
assert his rule, with Gbagbo retaining control of the ministries, the army and the cocoa
ports that are the key levers of state power.

The United States has also backed Ouattara, and a senior U.S. official had earlier
predicted that Gbagbo would bow to international pressure and hand over power in the
coming days.

"He's got a decision to make and he's got a limited amount of time to make it," the
official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Ivory Coast has been split since 2002, when a failed putsch against Gbagbo sparked civil
war, but there has been a truce since 2003.
------------------
Ivory Coast Opposition Says 32 Supporters Killed (Bloomberg)

Ivory Coast’s opposition coalition said 32 of its supporters were killed as security forces
clashed with protesters in Abidjan and Yamoussoukro, the commercial and political
capitals of the world’s top cocoa producer.

The deaths come after Alassane Ouattara called for two days of protests to force
Laurent Gbagbo to step down from the presidency. Troops loyal to Gbagbo used live
ammunition and tear gas to disperse opposition supporters, said Meite Sindou, a
spokesman for Ouattara’s Prime Minister Guillaume Soro. Ouattara is the United
Nations-backed winner of a Nov. 28 election run- off.

“The crisis could significantly escalate and spiral into political violence or a worst-case
‘return to war’ scenario,” Rolake Akinola, the London-based Principal Analyst for sub-
Saharan Africa for VoxFrontier Consulting, said in an e-mailed note today. Gbagbo’s
“continued intransigence increasingly suggests this will be a fight to the finish”.

Ouattara, 68, has urged his backers to march through Abidjan over the next two days to
help him take control of government offices and state television. The army, which backs
Gbagbo, reinforced its positions at the national broadcaster and the presidency before
the protests.

Disqualified Votes

Ivory Coast has been in political limbo since the electoral commission declared Ouattara
the winner of the runoff election with 54.1 percent of the vote and the Constitutional
Council, after disqualifying seven voting districts in the north, said Gbabgo won. While
Ouattara is supported by the U.S., the European Union and the African Union, he
remains under the protection of United Nations peacekeepers and Gbabgo, 65, holds
the presidency.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday said the deepening political crisis may
spark a new civil war in the West African nation. Ivory Coast has been divided since
2002, when rebels in the north attempted to topple Gbagbo, accusing his government of
discriminating against northerners.

Ban is “deeply concerned” that any violence now “could have unpredictable
consequences, including reigniting civil war,” the UN said in a statement.

The U.S., Canada and the Netherlands on Dec. 14 advised their citizens in Ivory Coast
to leave the country while the uncertainty persists. AU Chairman Jean Ping will visit
Abuja, the Nigerian capital and headquarters of the Economic Community of West
African States, before traveling to Abidjan, the Addis Ababa-based body said in an e-
mail yesterday.

Cocoa Climbs

Cocoa climbed for the fourth day amid fears the political conflict would hamper
exports, gaining $29, or 1 percent, to $3,008 by 11:04 a.m. in New York.

Ouattara’s strategy to invoke a popular rebellion mirrors the one used by Gbagbo to
enter the presidency a decade ago. President Robert Guei was forced to flee as violent
youth groups wreaked havoc in Abidjan after both he and Gbagbo claimed victory in
disputed elections.

Ouattara’s call for marches is “a significant change in strategy,” Sebastian Spio-Garbrah,

a New York-based Africa analyst with DaMina Advisors, said yesterday in an
interview. “It shows that he’s realized that the formal approach is not going to work. He
realizes that he has to do something.”

Gunfire tore through Abobo, a neighborhood largely inhabited by northerners, before

diminishing later in the day, Hamed Kone, an official with Ouattara’s youth wing said
in an interview.

Unjustified Force

Amnesty International is “appalled by this completely unjustified and disproportionate

use of force and calls on the Ivorian security forces to stop these killings immediately,”
said Salvatore Sagues, West Africa researcher with the London- based group, in an e-
mailed statement. “Those who opened fire on these people, as well as those who gave
the order, will have to account for their acts.”

Army chief Philippe Mangou and other senior military officers have appeared on Radio
Television Ivoirienne over recent days calling on troops to “respect the republican
spirit”.

Security forces were simply protecting state institutions, Eric Ane, a spokesman for
Gbagbo’s party, said in an interview. “The security forces are doing their job, which is
to say to maintain order, not more,” he said, without saying how many people were
killed.

‘Freedom of Information’

Guillaume Soro, whom Ouattara chose as his prime minister, called on supporters to
“not be put off by this dictatorship of tanks and to reclaim pluralist freedom of
information by the state media,” according to an e-mailed statement.

The Liberian Bureau of Immigration closed its border with its eastern neighbor on
concern that former fighters were returning to Ivory Coast to participate in the violence.

“It is on full alert to arrest would be individuals attempting to cross into Ivory Coast to
engage in conflict,” the agency said in an e-mailed statement.

Over 3,000 people had fled into Liberia from Ivory Coast since the runoff vote, Saah
Nyumah, deputy executive director of the Liberia Refugees, Repatriation and
Resettlement Commission told reporters in Monrovia yesterday.
------------------
U.S. Slams Terrorism Charges On Abdulmutallab (This Day)

New York — A Nigerian, Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, who attempted to blow up a

Detroit-bound American aircraft last Christmas, was yesterday indicted on terrorism
charges.

Abdulmutallab, was charged on December 26, last year in a US District Court for
Eastern District of Michigan, on two criminal counts: of attempting to blow up and
placing a destructive device on a US civil aircraft. Additional charges were added in a
grand jury indictment on January 6, 2010.

With the new terrorism charges slammed on him, the Nigerian faces a maximum
penalty of life imprisonment on conviction.

The 24-year old Nigerian, who is facing strings of criminal charges, which included
attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder of 289 people,
had been in detention since he was subdued by Flight 253 passengers and crew while
attempting to detonate a bomb and was later handed over to security operatives.

The new charge of conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism alleged that Abdulmutallab
acted in concert with others whose names are known and unknown to the federal grand
jury.

The indictment alleged that the accused traveled to Yemen to get involved in violent
jihad on behalf of Al Qaeda, practiced detonating a bomb similar to the one he used last
Christmas Day incident and subsequently received a bomb for the botched mission.

According to US laws, however, an indictment contains mere allegations and a

defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

At his appearance in court in September, the first since January 8, 2010, when he first
pleaded not guilty to charges filed against him, Abdulmutallab sacked his lawyers and
told District Judge Nancy Edmunds that he would represent himself, saying, "Any
representation I would have, there would always be a conflict of interest."

He also gave an indication he may be considering guilty plea when he posed a question
to Judge Edmunds saying: "If I want to plead guilty to some counts... basically, how
would that go?"
------------------
Kagame Shares Insights With Chicago Students (New Times)

Urugwiro Village — President Paul Kagame, yesterday, hosted students from the
University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy Studies, with whom he shared
insights on how Rwanda has managed to come up with the right policies to rebuild
herself after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

The 12 policy students, led by Professor Charles Wheelan, were in the country under
the auspices of the International Policy Practicum (IPP), an annual programme which
sees policy students travel to a selected country to draw lessons from its policies.

Speaking to the press shortly after the meeting at Village Urugwiro, Prof. Wheelan said
that Rwanda was chosen as the international topic because it has registered
commendable success, over the last 16 years, which can be attributed to good
governance and policies.

"We chose Rwanda because in every other country that we had visited, people who are
trying to solve problems like education and poverty were frustrated by the lack of good
governance, corruption and other kinds of problems," Wheelan said

"So we actually began to ask people in the development community what would be a
good country for us to visit in order to learn more about creating good governance out
of difficult situations and Rwanda was recommended to us."

Prof. Wheelan said that for the one week the students have been in the country, they
interviewed a range of people including, Ministers and other policy makers, NGO staff
and ordinary citizens, to get insight into the successful policies instituted by the
government.

He added that when the group met President Kagame, they were interested in knowing
how the country was rebuilt and how the government managed to build effective
institutions.

"We wanted to know what lessons can be applied from Rwanda to other countries. We
also asked the President how the United States policies can be improved, vis-à-vis
Rwanda and Africa, so that we can improve both the interests of the US and Rwanda,"
Wheelan said.

He added that the policy students were amazed at how efficiently the government
demands accountability at every level; from the very top all the way down to "the folks
at the bottom".

"What we found was that a combination of expecting complete honesty and confidence
and then monitoring and enforcing, actually leads to institutions that are not corrupt
and efficiently delivering the services they are supposed to be delivering." Wheelan said
The Minister of Local Government, James Musoni, pointed out that the policy students
wanted to know what "magic" was applied for the country to be where it is today, in
terms of development and good governance.

"They were interested in the magic the government applied for the country to come
from where it was to where it is today. They particularly commended the good
leadership and its role in fostering development," Musoni said.

"They were particularly happy that the President took time off to explain to them, first
hand, how the country managed to do it and also gave them the lessons they can draw
from Rwanda's experience,"

The IPP was conceived in 2005 as a tool for connecting the University of Chicago to the
world and providing international policy experience to a select group of Harris School
students.

Each year, 12 second-year Harris School students are chosen to study a specific
international topic.

Upon their return to Chicago, the participating students are required to produce a
collaborative 40-50 page memo with policy recommendations on their topic.

This memo is distributed to officials whom the group met during the study and other
relevant policy actors in the U.S. and the country of study. It is typically published in
the Chicago Policy Review, a student produced policy journal at the Harris School.
------------------
Kenya's Politicians Look to Withdraw from ICC as Suspects Named (Voice of
America)

The Kenyan parliament is considering a motion that would remove the country from
the Rome Statute and end its obligations to the International Criminal Court.

There is a wave of discontent rising within the Kenyan legislature against Prosecutor
Luis Moreno-Ocampo and the International Criminal Court.

A day after the announcement that six-prominent Kenyans are marked to face charges
at The Hague, Kenya's Parliament discussed a motion that would see it withdraw its
signature from the Rome Statute and disavow the authority of the international court.

The motion was put forward by Isaac Ruto, a member of Kenya's Orange Democratic
Movement Party, who is seen as a close ally of suspended Higher Education Minister
William Ruto, one of the suspects named by the prosecutor.
Isaac Ruto told VOA the motion had significant support in the parliament, and a
member of Speaker Kenneth Marende's staff said he thought the vote could go either
way.

The "Hague Six", as the suspects are being called, include three members of ODM and
three members of PNU, Kenya's two leading political parties. That fact has led many
politicians, including Cabinet Minister Njeru Githae to dismiss the prosecutor's cases as
politically motivated. "We think Ocampo has politicized this issue. We think there is a
game here being played, where some candidates are being knocked off to give room for
other candidates in 2012," Githae said.

According to Article 127 of the Rome Statute a country must wait at least one-year after
submitting a written request to the Secretary General of the United Nations, before
leaving the court.

Proponents of withdrawal from the ICC are framing the matter as an issue of
sovereignty. There has been a recent push in Kenya to establish an independent court
to try the 2008 chaos suspects, and many feel a local trial would be better for the
country.

Kenya tried in 2009 to establish a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission to delve
into the violence, but controversy surrounding the body's chairman crippled the
commission, and indefinitely stalled its work.

Some within parliament believe the push for local trials is simply aimed at dodging
indictment. MP Martha Karua reminded the house of the strong support for the ICC
investigation with the passage of the International Crimes Act in 2008. She warned
opponents, to some laughter, that they would not be able to withdraw from Kenya's
legal system if indicted locally.

The motion has been delayed on procedural grounds. There is disagreement regarding
whether a motion can legally repeal an international treaty.

Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo called the motion unconstitutional. Under Kenya's new
constitution, any international treaty signed previously becomes part of Kenyan Law.
Some in Parliament believe it would take an amendment to the constitution withdraw
from the ICC.
------------------
Algeria: Defections in Canada Raise Questions (Morocco Board)

A cold war tactic of infiltrating foreign agents into Western democracies disguised as
political refugees has happened recently in Canada.
Sixteen members of the Algerian National Ballet (BNA) that was Sent by Algeria's
Cultural Ministry to celebrate the 56the anniversary of the war of independence against
France in 1954, have decided to seek political refugee status and refused to return to
Algeria. Such a high numbers of "deserter", as the pro-government Algerian press called
them, was a major embarrassment for the Military controlled government of Algeria.

Following negotiations that involved Algeria's foreign minister, Mr. Mourad Medelci,
the group of 16 "political refugees" was whittled down to 6 dancers who remained
steadfast in their refusal to return home. The relative high numbers of "defectors" who
have switched sides indicates, according to local community residents, that many were
in fact Algerian Security agents sent to monitor the Algerian-Canadian community in
Quebec.

The Montreal region houses around 60,000 Canadians of Algerian descent, according to
official estimates. a large percentage of which are of Kabyle heritage and many are
actively seeking independence for their region, in addition, many members of the
"provisional Kabyle government" reside in the area. Also targeted by the Algerian
security services are many professionals and former senior government officials who
have fled Algeria to settle in Canada.
------------------
Bombings by N. Sudan violated 2005 peace deal (Associated Press)

JUBA, Sudan — Three bomb attacks in Southern Sudan this month made by aircraft
from the northern Sudanese military violated Sudan's 2005 peace agreement, a joint
north-south committee has concluded, a United Nations spokesman said Thursday.

A committee with representatives from the U.N. mission in Sudan and the northern and
southern Sudanese militaries found that the bombings violated the agreement that
ended more than 20 years of civil war, said U.N. spokesman Kouider Zerrouk.

The bombings in western Bahr el Ghazal state happened Dec. 6, Dec. 8 and Dec. 9. No
casualties were reported, but they follow multiple bombing runs by the north in
November in a disputed region on the border between neighboring northern Bahr el
Ghazal state and southern Darfur state.

The members of the committee did not characterize the November bombings as a
violation of the peace agreement, but both the northern and southern militaries agreed
that those incidents were "unfortunate and should not be repeated."

The bombings come less than a month before Southern Sudan is scheduled to hold a
Jan. 9 independence referendum that is likely to see Africa's largest country split in two.
The 2005 peace accord gives the south the right to the vote. Diplomats, the U.N. and the
African Union are working behind the scenes to ensure a peaceful referendum.

An Associated Press reporter last week visited the sites of the November bombings and
saw multiple bomb craters and evidence that straw huts burned to the ground after the
explosions. Southern military officials said they believed the bombings were
provocations intended to ignite conflict and disrupt the referendum.

Thousands of civilians fled the site of the November bombings, and the southern
military brought in three anti-aircraft guns as a defensive measure. The total wounded
in the attacks is believed to range from 16 to 22, with 10 to 11 of those being soldiers. No
deaths were reported.

The joint U.N.-Sudanese committee — known as the Ceasefire Joint Military Committee
— recorded the December bombings as a violation of the 2005 agreement despite an
objection from the senior member from north Sudan, the U.N. said.

Meanwhile, the U.N.'s human rights chief told The Associated Press on Thursday that
Sudan's government is blocking aid workers from entering the country ahead of next
month's referendum. Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said
human rights observers and aid workers need to be in place before Jan. 9 to prepare for
possible unrest.

"There's a huge holdup of visas, almost 1,000," Pillay told the AP. "It just seems
deliberate, this holdup on visas. I hope the Secretary-General (Ban Ki-moon) will
address this directly with the government."

"It will really hamper human rights and humanitarian work if we're not there on the
ground in time," she said.

An official who answered the phone at Sudan's mission in Geneva described claims of a
delay in issuing visas as "baseless." The woman, who gave her name as Naima Lazaar,
said senior embassy officials were unavailable to discuss Pillay's claim.

The Carter Center — the largest international mission observing the referendum — said
late Wednesday that the three-week registration process of southern voters was
"generally credible." The final voter list is not scheduled to be published until Jan. 8, one
day before voting begins.

A group of lawyers from Khartoum has said it will file a lawsuit to challenge the
registration process, and a group claiming to represent Southern Sudanese groups filed
a similar suit.

The head of the referendum commission's bureau in the south has dismissed the
complaints as "baseless, frivolous, and politically motivated."

"If the referendum is delayed, I think the repercussions could be great in terms of
violence and in terms of confidence and the trust between north and south," said Chan
Reec Madut, the head of the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau.
The Southern Sudan Referendum Commission says more than 3.2 million people
registered to vote in the south — 96 percent of the eligible population.

Northern and southern officials continue to negotiate over key issues such as
citizenship, wealth-sharing, demarcation of the border and the status of the region of
Abyei. That region had also been scheduled to decide on Jan. 9 whether to join the north
or south, but the U.S. said last week that Abyei's vote won't happen and that the
region's status is likely to be decided through talks.
------------------
Govt Elusive On 'Settler Deal' (The Namibian)

The dishing out of Namibian passports to foreign nationals started way back in 1994
when then Minister of Trade and Industry Hidipo Hamutenya recommended to
Cabinet to issue "service passports" to foreign 'investors'.

When The Namibian revealed the story at the time, then Home Affairs Minister and
current President Hifikepunye Pohamba confirmed that in June of 1994, 12 such "service
passports" were issued to Hong Kong nationals.

This week, when whistle-blower website WikiLeaks released US confidential cables

about Namibia allegedly agreeing to settle 5 000 Chinese families in return for a
defaulted loan, a renewed storm broke loose with Government denying that it had ever
failed to pay back any Chinese loan.

But Finance Deputy Minister Calle Schlettwein, who only said that Namibia had never
defaulted on any Chinese loan, pleaded ignorance about any deal involving the
settlement of Chinese nationals in Namibia.

Prime Minister Nahas Angula yesterday also jumped onto the wagon of denial, saying
the claims are "unsubstantiated and mere fabrications".

Angula claimed Chinese nationals "are among the lowest number of those who have
acquired Namibian citizenship".

According to him, only five Chinese citizens have acquired Namibian citizenship - three
by naturalisation, one by marriage and one by descent.

Recently the Minister of Home Affairs, Rosalia Nghidinwa, said only two Chinese have
been awarded citizenship since she became the minister in 2005.

Yesterday, the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), of which Hamutenya is now
the president, issued a release in which they said they were "shocked though not
surprised to learn that WikiLeaks cables have uncovered what has hitherto been kept
hidden from Namibia's public eye.

"Allegations of 5 000 Chinese families resettled in Namibia in exchange for the

settlement of a so-called loan are very serious and tantamount to corruption of the
highest order," RDP statement said.

The RDP's deputy secretary for information and publicity, Nghiningilwandubo

Kashume, further charged: "The RDP has on many occasions warned Namibians that
[the] Swapo Party has lost vision to such an extent that they are only busy with the
looting of the treasury and other financial institutions like the Government Institutions
Pension Fund (GIPF), the Social Security Commission and so forth. It was not so long
ago when it was revealed that Chinese bursaries only benefited ministers' children,
including that of the President."

When approached for comment Tarah Shaanika, the chief executive officer of the
Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), said Government needs to be
firmer with countries that suck Namibia dry without Namibia benefiting in return,
especially China.

He said the chamber is concerned about foreigners who come here to start businesses
that "don't really add value to our economy and support our efforts of creating jobs".

He said Chinese nationals are involved in the Namibian transport sector, "taking away
business from Namibians".

On Tuesday, Schlettwein said the Namibian Government had never defaulted on loans
to China. In fact, it prepaid some of its loans from this Asian giant, he said.

According to him, Namibia's total debt amounts to "only 15% of the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP)", which "shows that we don't default on loans".

He said he could not comment about a deal with China involving passports or
residence permits. "I am unaware that such a deal was done."
------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

UN peacekeeping chief warns of risks ahead of independence vote in southern Sudan

16 December – The peace process that ended two decades of war between northern and
southern Sudan, culminating in next month’s referendum on independence for the
country’s south, risks unravelling unless both sides reach agreement on the disputed
oil-rich Abyei region, the United Nations peacekeeping chief warned today.
UN and partners unveil programme to combat West Africa’s growing drug trade
16 December – With drug traffickers in West Africa increasingly adjusting their tactics
to avoid counter-narcotics efforts, the United Nations and partner organizations today
launched a comprehensive, integrated programme to combat drug trafficking and
organized crime in the region.

UN mission in Côte d’Ivoire urges restraint amidst reports of growing violence

16 December – The UN peacekeeping mission in Côte d’Ivoire today called for all
parties to show restraint and to remain calm amidst reports of violent clashes, including
the use of mortars and heavy weaponry, in the country’s capital city Abidjan.

Burundi: Security Council sets up new body to further consolidate peace

16 December – The Security Council today set up a “significantly scaled-down” United
Nations operation in Burundi to help the Central African country as it embarks on the
latest stage of its recovery from decades of civil war and ethnic fighting.

UN peacekeepers helping train DR Congo police on security in mining centres

16 December – UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are
helping train national police officers to secure trade centres in the mineral-rich Kivu
provinces in the country’s east.