United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

14 February 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Danish Navy Sidelines Somali Pirate ‘Mothership' (VOA)

(Somalia) The Danish navy says one of its warships has put a Somali pirate
“mothership” out of action. A statement from the navy Sunday says the warship
Esbern Snare stopped a suspicious-looking boat off the coast of Somalia on Friday.

AU, US gov’t in talks to support AU peace, security efforts (Walta Info)

(Ethiopia) Africa is working to address the root causes of conflict in order for it to grow
and prosper. “Causes of conflict on the continent come down to the basics i.e. access to
resources, food, pasture, water etc”, and in some cases, these issues have not been
resolved.

U.S. Seeks to Cut Costs in Sustained War Against HIV/Aids (America.gov)

The U.S. government is preparing for a sustained war against HIV/AIDS. At a
gathering of international health experts in Washington February 10, the Obama
administration official in charge of the anti-HIV/AIDS campaign, Dr. Eric Goosby, said
the watchword in the campaign has become "sustainability" -- rather than "emergency"
-- and the key is reaching more people while reducing costs.

Sudan: Death Toll in Jonglei Clashes Reaches Over 105 - Officials (Sudan Tribune)
(Sudan) Officials say at least 105 people have been killed following deadly clashes
involving forces belonging to the South Sudan army and armed groups loyal to General
George Athor, a renegade commander in Fangak County, Jongeli State.

New pro-reform rally in Algeria called for Feb. 19 (Associated Press)

(Algeria) - The organizers of a pro-reform protest that brought thousands of Algerians
onto the streets of the capital over the weekend called Sunday for another rally next
week.

Nigeria: Accidents, Stampede Claim Lives as Jonathan Campaigns (Vanguard)

(Nigeria) Two separate accidents, yesterday, involving the convoy of some governors,
occurred in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when President Goodluck Jonathan visited the
state to launch his presidential campaign in the south-south.
Tunisia's foreign minister leaves transitional govt weeks after predecessor's
resignation (Canadian Press)
(Tunisia) - Tunisia's foreign minister has resigned just weeks after he was named to
replace the month-old transitional government's first, short-lived foreign minister, the
official TAP news agency said Sunday.

Uganda opposition threatens Egypt-style protests (Associated Press)

(Uganda) - Opposition members in Uganda are threatening Egypt-style protests if next
Friday's presidential election is rigged so that Yoweri Museveni can extend his 25-year
grip on power.

Opposition Leader in Rwanda is Sentenced to 4 Years (New York Times)

(Rwanda) A prominent Rwandan opposition leader, Bernard Ntaganda, who was
accused of stoking ethnic tensions was sentenced on Friday night to four years in jail,
Rwandan authorities said.

Charles Taylor war crimes trial extended in The Hague (BBC)

(Liberia) The war crimes trial of Liberia's former President Charles Taylor has been
extended after judges said they would decide on a defence appeal. Friday was due to
be the last day of the trial, which began in 2007.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
 UN partners with West African nations to boost information technology in
universities
 Help needed for Sudan''s displaced following referendum, says UN agency
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 2:00 pm; Brookings Institution

WHAT Access During Humanitarian Crises: Barriers to Protection and Assistance
WHO: Claude Wild, Head of the Political Affairs Division IV, Swiss Federal
Department of Foreign Affairs, The Swiss Confederation; Elizabeth Ferris
Senior Fellow and Co-Director, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, The
Brookings Institution; Buti Kale, Deputy Regional Representative for the United States
and the Caribbean, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;
Martin de Boer, Deputy Head, Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada,
International Committee of the Red Cross; Gerry Martone, Director, Humanitarian
Affairs, International Rescue Committee; Ashraf Hadari, Political Counselor, Embassy
of Afghanistan
Info: https://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Register/IdentityConfirmation.aspx?
e=1fbbf519-874e-4ac1-a753-9c1c457ca0aa

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 10:00 am; US Institute of Peace

WHAT: Can Nigeria Hold Credible Elections?
WHO: Peter M. Lewis, Director, African Studies Program, School of Advanced
International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University; Dave Peterson, Director of
Africa Programs, National Endowment for Democracy; Ambassador Robin Sanders,
Co-Moderator, International Affairs Advisor, Africare; David Smock, Co-Moderator,
Senior Vice President, U. S. Institute of Peace
Info: http://www.usip.org/events/will-nigerias-elections-be-credible
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Danish Navy Sidelines Somali Pirate ‘Mothership' (VOA)

The Danish navy says one of its warships has put a Somali pirate “mothership” out of
action.

A statement from the navy Sunday says the warship Esbern Snare stopped a suspicious-
looking boat off the coast of Somalia on Friday.

It says Danish forces boarded the vessel and found weapons, ammunition, a large
quantity of fuel, and two small boats of the kind that pirates use to launch their attacks.

The statement says the forces found two Yemeni hostages on board and 16 suspected
Somali pirates. It says the Yemenis were from a fishing vessel hijacked by pirates nearly
a year ago.

The Yemenis were placed on the Esbern Snare for return to Yemen. The suspected
pirates were taken back to Somalia after a Danish task force decided there was not
enough evidence to prosecute them.

The warship is part of the NATO anti-piracy force operating off the coast of Somalia.

Despite the efforts of NATO, the European Union, and other world powers, Somali
pirates continue to hijack ships and hold them for ransom.

The pirates use large, so-called “motherships” to travel far out to sea and attack ships in
the Indian Ocean.

Estimates vary, but the pirates are believed to be holding about 30 ships and some 700
hostages.
--------------------------------
AU, US gov’t in talks to support AU peace, security efforts (Walta Info)

Addis Ababa - Africa is working to address the root causes of conflict in order for it to
grow and prosper. “Causes of conflict on the continent come down to the basics i.e.
access to resources, food, pasture, water etc”, and in some cases, these issues have not
been resolved.

However, Africa is continuing to make progress in resolving conflict as evidenced by

the decline in the number of active conflicts on the continent, and the adoption of good
governance mechanisms. In addition, the AU needs the continued support and
cooperation of partners in order to succeed in ensuring peace and security.

This was said at the AU Commission on February 9, 2011 by the Commission’s Deputy
Chairperson Erastus Mwencha when he met a US delegation led by Ambassador Vicky
Huddleston, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State of Defense for Africa.

The delegation also included the US Ambassador to the AU, Michael Battle, according
to a press release AU sent to WIC today.

Mwencha said in efforts to stabilize the continent, the AU is working to resolve the
conflict in Somalia and allow the country to become a nation state; it is working with
Sudan in the post referendum period to resolve border disputes and to make sure South
Sudan benefits from its independence; and it is also heavily involved in efforts to bring
stability to Cote D’Ivoire.

In fact, at the time of the meeting, he said that a delegation of the Panel of 5 selected by
the AU Assembly in January this year, as well as the Chairperson of the Commission Dr
Jean Ping, was in Cote D’Ivoire to meet the two parties to the stalemate in efforts to
ensure that the country goes back to normalcy.

But, he said, continued support and cooperation was required from partners to
capacitate the AU to continue engaging in peace efforts. In this regard, he highlighted
the importance of making sure the African Standby Force becomes operational as well
as the need to secure African coastlines from conflict and piracy.

Mwencha’s comments were made in the context of the ongoing collaboration between
the AU and the US, through its US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the stated
objective, by Ambassador Huddlestone that the US Department of Defense and
AFRICOM were looking to the AU to see how they can structure their activities around
AU priorities.

The discussions were also informed by President Obama’s strategy where the US
supports African solutions and builds the capacity of African institutions so that they
can spearhead development.

The talks with Ambassador Huddleston also touched on the need to counter terrorism
and to prevent internal conflicts from spilling over into neighbouring countries.
---------------------
U.S. Seeks to Cut Costs in Sustained War Against HIV/Aids (America.gov)

The U.S. government is preparing for a sustained war against HIV/AIDS.

At a gathering of international health experts in Washington February 10, the Obama

administration official in charge of the anti-HIV/AIDS campaign, Dr. Eric Goosby, said
the watchword in the campaign has become "sustainability" -- rather than "emergency"
-- and the key is reaching more people while reducing costs.

Since PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) was launched in 2003,
the cost of administering anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) to one patient has fallen from
$1,400 per year a few years ago to an average of $435 per patient per year now, Goosby
said. The former medical director of the AIDS clinic of the San Francisco General
Hospital now heads the global AIDS office at the U.S. State Department.

In the first five years of PEPFAR, ARVs reached 1.7 million people as funding shot
upward from $2.3 billion in 2003 to $6 billion in 2008, Goosby said. But because of
budgetary constraints that have come with the global recession, funding increases to
combat the disease have flattened out. In 2009, the Obama administration spent $6.7
billion and in 2010, $6.8 billion for PEPFAR. Nevertheless, the number of people
receiving ARVs has mushroomed from 1.7 million in 2008 to 3.3 million through the
end of 2010.

Goosby said that PEPFAR has a special focus on children.

"In the last year alone, we have been able to prevent 114,000 transmissions to children
during pregnancy of HIV-positive mothers," he said, adding that 3.8 million vulnerable
children are cared for by PEPFAR programs. "From birth until they are 18 years old, we
feed them, clothe them, house them, educate them, train them for jobs and turn them
loose, and we have a case management relationship with them as they go into young
adulthood. This is a remarkable example of the American people's tax dollars having a
high impact to stabilize lives and save lives, stabilize communities and stabilize
countries."

"Despite funding constraints, the number of people receiving treatment is increasing

rapidly," said Dr. Charles Holmes, PEPFAR's chief medical officer.

As the United States prepares for a long-term campaign against the disease that
destroys the body's immune system, Goosby said making health management systems
more efficient is the core theme. "It's not flashy or sexy, but it has a huge monetary
impact. We want to have one manager for 20 clinics, not 20 managers for 20 clinics. We
want to have one procurement system for 20 clinics, not one procurement system for
each clinic," he said.
Goosby said the international community needs to do more to support the anti-AIDS
struggle, and said he hopes to see greater contributions from European countries, China
and Saudi Arabia, among others. PEPFAR, he said, is engaging faith-based charities
operating in AIDS-stricken countries as another measure to broaden its partnerships
and cut costs.

"When the PEPFAR efforts move out of cities into rural areas, medical facilities thin out
and people are more dependent on nonprofit groups. We have taken full advantage of
that, especially with faith-based organizations," Goosby said.

The end goal of PEPFAR is to enable health ministries in AIDS-affected countries to

take control of the efforts to counter the epidemic.

"The unifying thread is having a ministry of health that is strong enough to take the
reins so that they are able to plan effectively, define and prioritize unmet needs, then
move to implement the program," he said. "We are making a permanent system of care
embedded in the existing ministries of health that will be there long after PEPFAR is
gone."

Dr. Ndwapi Ndwapi of Botswana said he is taking many ideas from the conference to
make his country's anti-AIDS programs more effective.

"The emphasis on cost control, knowing how much things cost, going into the details,
looking at those areas that are most costly and finding interventions, such as the
procurement of ARV drugs, a strategy that South Africa is undertaking. I look at them
with great interest," Ndwapi said.

Ndwapi said it is urgent for the Botswana Health Ministry to bring down costs and
develop a self-sustaining program because international donors are beginning to send
their anti-AIDS funds to other countries deemed to be in greater need.
------------------------------
Sudan: Death Toll in Jonglei Clashes Reaches Over 105 - Officials (Sudan Tribune)

Khartoum - Officials say at least 105 people have been killed following deadly clashes
involving forces belonging to the South Sudan army and armed groups loyal to General
George Athor, a renegade commander in Fangak County, Jongeli State.

Athor was a former deputy chief of general staff in the southern army SPLA, who
became rebel after losing the gubernatorial seat for Jonglei, to his main rival, incumbent
governor Kuol Manyang Juuk, after contesting as independent candidate in the 2010
April elections. He accused the southern ruling party, the Sudan People's Liberation
Movement (SPLM), of intimation and vote rigging and refused to recognize the results.
In April 2010, the government of South Sudan in a weekly cabinet meeting accused him
to have staged an attack on SPLA base adjacent to his home village of Khorfulus,
located North West of Jonglei capital, Bor. Athor denied the accusations, claiming that
his rebellion occurred when soldiers in the southern army under his control refused
orders to arrest him.

Since his rebellion Athor's forces, predominantly members of his ethnic group and
members of the surrounding communities, clashed several times with forces belonging
to the SPLA. In October, South Sudan's President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, issued a
presidential decree pardoning him and his forces. Kiir also extended the amnesty to
some other armed groups, including Gabriel Tanginka (AKA Gabriel Tang) whose
forces clashed with the SPLA on several occasions in Malakal in 2007 and 2008.

Tanginka's forces fought internally when they were asked to move North with their
weapons as part of 2005 peace deal after the South voted to secede. The conflict spread
to other areas of Upper Nile state resulting in many deaths.

The decree stated that one of the conditions for the amnesty included laying down arms
prior to joining the SPLA. However, Athor has requested that Kiir review this
condition.

In January, his negotiating team and the government of south Sudan with the SPLA,
signed a cessation of hostilities agreement, which charted a way forward for a final
agreement after integration of his forces by the end of January 2011.

According to Athor, several places were selected to be transit assembly points for his
forces. This included Door in Jonglei, Wang Kei in Unity state. Other areas included
Pablo in Pibor county where his zonal operation commanders Gatluak Gai and David
Yau Yau operate.

However, Athor said Wednesday that SPLA forces in the area attacked his forces in
Koliet and Kolnyang and received another attack from Fangak the same day afternoon.
But SPLA spokesman Colonel Phillip Aguer Panyang denied the attack was initiated by
the southern army.

"Our forces never launched an attack on General Athor's forces. It was them who
attacked our forces. Not only did he attack but laid landmines. This is dangerous to the
local population", Aguer told Sudan Tribune from Juba on Thursday.

James Maluit Ruei, Fangak commissioner also confirmed the clash and blamed Athor
for the attack.

"George Athor attacked and captured Koliet and Kolnyang on Wednesday. He

advanced to Fangak and captured it after taking Door but was repulsed. Again, he
attacked Pom and overran it. The SPLA launched a counter attack but were repulsed.
Lives have been lost on both sides the commissioner said in an interview with Sudan
Tribune on Friday.

The violence comes days after results of a referendum on secession confirmed South
Sudan would declare independence in July, after decades of civil war which claimed
two million lives.

Fangak youth in Juba and in different parties of the world took to the streets
demonstrating against the clash reported to have claimed the lives of civilians in the
area and Friday. The group called on the President Kiir Mayardit and his government
cabinet to pay attention to the conflict with immediacy. They also warned taking
unilateral actions to defend their area if the president takes too long to respond.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune from Juba, Ruei Chany, a spokesman of the Fangak youth
group in Juba said needs President Salva Kiir and his Vice President Riek Machar to act
fast otherwise they would take unilateral action to defense their community.

"A lot of people have been killed. The media are saying 105 have been killed but it is
more than that. President Kiir and his Vice Dr. Riek Machar must act now otherwise we
will take act against perpetuators and members of their communities".

"Our people should not be victims of the tribal tension between Atar Gier Chuang and
the Luac Dinka of Athor. That is their problem why bring it to our innocent people.
President Kiir must act now".

"The situation in Fangak cannot wait. Our people have been ruthlessly and mercilessly
killed by George Athor", Chany told Sudan Tribune from Juba.

Dok James Puok, spokesman of General Athor said no report of new fighting on Friday
and the details of those killed in the fighting are still not clear but the number could 105
or more.

"I still do not have clear information but it is possible that number of casualties could be
105 or more. Casualties on our side will be more or less than six. Because reports from
our forces on the ground indicates that we lost three in the past clash on Wednesday
and three others in the last fighting on Thursday," said Puok.

However, Colonel Phillip Aguer, spokesman of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, in
a separate interview confirmed 105 people were killed. Reports from the area indicate
that 105 people from both sides have killed: 39 civilians, 24 police and 42 from Athor's
men.
The military officer reiterated that the southern government holds Athor responsible for
the attacks but said the SPLA was committed to reconciliation.

"The government is committed to full implementation of the ceasefire and complete

agreement and do not understand why Athor attacks. So, because we are still respecting
the ceasefire and it is holding, our forces never attacked General Athor because we
know the ceasefire is holding. It was George Athor's men who came with machine guns,
AK 47s and started shooting at our men. They never started fight," said Aguer.
----------------------------
New pro-reform rally in Algeria called for Feb. 19 (Associated Press)

Algiers, Algeria - The organizers of a pro-reform protest that brought thousands of

Algerians onto the streets of the capital over the weekend called Sunday for another
rally next week.

The Coordination for Democratic Change in Algeria - an umbrella group for human
rights activists, unionists, lawyers and others - has called for the Feb. 19 demonstrations
to take place throughout the country.

Saturday's rally - which came a day after an uprising in Egypt toppled that country's
autocratic ruler - took place only in the capital, Algiers.

Organizers said around 10,000 took part in the gathering, though officials put turnout at
1,500. Many protesters held signs reading "Bouteflika out," in reference to President
Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power in the impoverished but gas-rich North African nation
since 1999.

Under the country's long-standing state of emergency, public protests are banned in
Algiers, and an estimated 26,000 riot police set up barriers throughout the city in a
failed bid to quash Saturday's gathering, organizers said.

A human rights campaigner said police briefly detained around 400 people. No injuries
were reported.

The hours-long rally dissolved peacefully Saturday afternoon, and Sunday was calm in
the capital, though youth clashed with riot police in the eastern coastal city of Annaba.

The skirmish broke out after thousands of people responded Sunday to an ad in the
local paper announcing job vacancies at Annaba's city hall. When it turned out no jobs
were on offer, members of the angry mob started throwing stones at police.

Annaba is 375 miles (600 kilometers) east of Algiers, near the border with Tunisia.
Tensions have been high in Algeria since a spate of riots over high food prices early last
month that left three dead. and recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt that deposed
those country's leaders.

The success of those uprisings is fueling activists' hope for change in Algeria, although
many in this conflict-scarred nation of 35 million people fear any prospect of a return to
violence. The country lived through a brutal Islamist insurgency in the 1990s that left an
estimated 200,000 people dead.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called on the security
services to exercise restraint.

"In addition, we reaffirm our support for the universal rights of the Algerian people,
including assembly and expression," Crowley said. "These rights apply on the Internet.
Moreover, these rights must be respected. We will continue to follow the situation
closely in the days ahead."
-------------------------
Nigeria: Accidents, Stampede Claim Lives as Jonathan Campaigns (Vanguard)

(Nigeria) Two separate accidents, yesterday, involving the convoy of some governors,
occurred in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when President Goodluck Jonathan visited the
state to launch his presidential campaign in the south-south.

Whereas the accidents occurred along Aba Road, 10 persons were allegedly crushed in a
stampede at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt, the venue of the president's rally,
when policemen on horseback, after the event, rode into a crowd of people who were
scampering for Naira notes thrown into the air by a political bigwig.

Four reportedly died on the spot while six gave up the ghost at the hospital where they
were rushed to, after the stampede.

However, Rivers State police PRO, Dr. Rita Inoma-Abbey (a DSP), said no one died
during the stampede but that "people only suffocated and fainted and no death was
recorded. I have been to the hospital, no corpse has been deposited there".

Sunday Vanguard observed that police vans carried what appeared like lifeless people
as they drove away from the stadium premises, even as some people laid motionless
outside the gate of the stadium after the stampede.

It was also noticed that people wailed as the police vans drove along Elekahia
community, which hosts the stadium, just as some people rushed to the stadium to
ascertain the whereabouts of their relations who had gone to the rally.
A morgue attendant at the Braithwaite Memorial Hospital who did not want his name
in print said "some policemen brought some corpses a few minutes ago and they said
the people died during the president's visit".

Meanwhile, the president has assured the people of the south-south that his presidency
would bring about transformational change in the region. Addressing the zonal
campaign in Port Harcourt, Jonathan said he would sit with governors and leaders of
the party from the region to evolve a concrete development plan for the area after he is
elected in the general elections.

Promising that any project started by his administration in the region would be
completed, the president pleaded for cooperation from youths and people of the region.
According to him, no development comes up overnight.

He also said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, was already in talks
with those to invest in the petrochemical industry in the region. Jonathan said his
presidency would strive to address the challenges of unemployment. The president
stated with the local content law already in place people from the region would emerge
key actors in the oil and gas sector.

Noting that his ticket along with his vice president, Namadi Sambo, signifies national
unity and positive changes, Jonathan thanked the region for voting for him and his
deputy massively at the last presidential primary election of the PDP in Abuja.

The acting national chairman of the party, Dr Bello Muhamed, presented flags to the
PDP governorship candidates in the five states of the region where election would hold
in April this year. They include Governors Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers,
Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa , Senator Liyel Imoke of
Cross Rivers and Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta.

Other speakers at the event lauded the Jonathan/Sambo ticket, expressing the hope that
it would take the country to greater heights.
---------------------
Tunisia's foreign minister leaves transitional govt weeks after predecessor's
resignation (Canadian Press)

Tunis, Tunisia - Tunisia's foreign minister has resigned just weeks after he was named
to replace the month-old transitional government's first, short-lived foreign minister,
the official TAP news agency said Sunday.

The report didn't provide any details about the reasons behind Ahmed Ounaies'
resignation, but critics have decried what they saw as the offhand way he described the
"people's revolution" that ousted the North African nation's longtime autocratic
president, Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali, on Jan. 14.
It was not immediately clear when Ounaies' replacement would be named.

Ounaies's predecessor, Kamel Morjane, was a minister under Ben Ali and one of several
who initially kept their jobs in the transitional government formed days after the mass
uprising forced Ben Ali into exile. Continuing street protests later forced the
resignations of Morjane and most other Cabinet ministers with their roots in Ben Ali's
ruling RCD party.

Ounaies, a 75-year-old retired diplomat, was named to replace Morjane on Jan. 27 but
soon ran into trouble.

An interview with Tunisian television channel Nessma angered many who didn't
appreciated the light tone with which he spoke about the deadly protests that toppled
Ben Ali after 23 years in power.

A Feb. 4 visit to Paris, where he met with French counterpart Michele Alliot-Marie, got
him into more trouble. In declarations following their meeting, Ounaies told reporters
"Meeting Mrs. Alliot-Marie is a dream come true. I love to hear what she says in every
circumstance."

Tunisia is a former French protectorate, and some here took umbrage with the
comment's sycophantic overtones.

Alliot-Marie was also embroiled in a controversy over a year-end 2010 trip to Tunisia
that saw her and her family members take a private plane owned by a Tunisian
businessman suspected of having close relations with the fallen regime.

France's foreign minister had also come under fire for offering French police know-how
to Tunisian security forces while the number of demonstrators killed by Tunisian police
mounted. The opposition called on her to resign, but Alliot-Marie has resisted.
----------------------------------
Uganda opposition threatens Egypt-style protests (Associated Press)

Kampala, Uganda - Opposition members in Uganda are threatening Egypt-style

protests if next Friday's presidential election is rigged so that Yoweri Museveni can
extend his 25-year grip on power.

Museveni is widely expected to win another term in office, and the Ugandan military
and police would likely crush any attempted revolt.

"As long as people are oppressed for a long time, as long as they become hopeless in all
processes ... then a time comes when their anger explodes," opposition candidate Kizza
Besigye said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Museveni, who seized power in 1986 as the head of a guerrilla army, faces Besigye and
six other opponents in the election. The longtime leader, who has been accused of
quashing dissent and reversing presidential term limits, warned against unrest during
the upcoming poll.

"I hear some characters talking about violence during elections. There will be no
violence. Whoever attempts will do so at his or her own risk," he said earlier this month.

Pro-democracy protesters in Egypt brought down President Hosni Mubarak on Friday

after three decades of authoritarian rule. Analysts are playing down the possibility of a
similar Ugandan uprising.

"There may be some pockets of people coming to protest but it won't be full-scale," said
independent security analyst Levi Ochieng. "The police and army would act with
decisive force."

At a rally on Friday, Museveni arrived to the sound of his hit campaign song, a rap tune
featuring him singing the chorus "Do you want another rap?" Museveni has tried to
appeal to Ugandan youth; most are too young to remember any other ruler.

The top opposition candidate is Besigye, who is Museveni's former personal physician.
Besigye lost to Museveni in 2001 and 2006 polls that were tainted by intimidation and
violence. Besigye claims a pro-Museveni electoral commission means next Friday's vote
is already "fundamentally flawed."

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said during a swing through East Africa
earlier this month that the will of Ugandan voters must be heard in the upcoming vote.
Steinberg met with Museveni and opposition candidates in early February.

"For the United States it's not about individuals it's about institutions and processes,
and so what's important for us is that there be an open and transparent political and
electoral process that allows candidates to run and gives them access to the media,"
Steinberg said.

Museveni has won plaudits from the U.S. for contributing thousands of troops to the
African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia.

Uganda suffered twin terror bombings that killed 76 people during the final of the
World Cup last July, and the Somali militant group that claimed responsibility said
Ugandan had been targeted because of its AU troops. Police have warned of possible
terrorist attacks ahead of the election, though the run-up to the vote has been largely
peaceful.
Despite concerns over human rights and spiraling corruption, Western diplomats in
Uganda say the election campaign has been largely well-managed. They point to
Uganda's rapid economic growth as justification for Museveni's continued popularity.

Some observers say the peaceful run-up to Friday's vote is because the president's
ruling National Resistance Movement is bribing the electorate with money likely
funneled into the campaign coffers from public funds.

"This time the level of bribery is unprecedented," said Robert Lugolobi, executive
director at Transparency International Uganda. Bribes handed out on the campaign trail
range from just a couple of cents to envelopes stuffed with cash, Lugolobi said.

Anti-corruption campaigners have faced harassment and intimidation for raising the
issue of alleged bribery during the campaign, Human Rights Watch said in a statement
Thursday.

But ruling party spokesman Ofwono Opondo denied claims that Museveni is using
public funds to bribe voters.

"The claims of bribery are just being used as a scapegoat for people who are surely
going to lose," Opondo said.
-------------------
Opposition Leader in Rwanda is Sentenced to 4 Years (New York Times)

Kampala, Uganda - A prominent Rwandan opposition leader, Bernard Ntaganda, who

was accused of stoking ethnic tensions was sentenced on Friday night to four years in
jail, Rwandan authorities said.

“There is no place for hate speech and divisionism in Rwanda,” the chief prosecutor,
Martin Ngoga, said in a statement. “Our laws are there to protect Rwandans from those
who want to reverse the economic and social progress as well as the reconciliation that
has been made.”

Mr. Ntaganda pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is the second person who sought to
run in last year’s elections to end up in jail. The other was Victoire Ingabire. Both are
Hutu; President Paul Kagame is Tutsi.

Mr. Kagame handily won last August’s election, in which he ran against three marginal,
regime-friendly candidates, garnering 93 percent of the vote.

The election was the second since the end of Rwandan genocide in 1994, when radical
Hutu slaughtered nearly one million ethnic-minority Tutsi, and gave Mr. Kagame a
second seven-year term.
In a statement, Amnesty International criticized the court’s ruling against Mr.
Ntaganda. “Ntaganda’s prosecution for threatening state security and ‘divisionism’ was
based solely on his speeches criticizing government policies,” the statement said. It
added, “Today’s ruling once again criminalizes peaceful dissent.”

Human rights advocates argue that the government has misused powerful laws meant
to stop a repeat of the killing, sometimes using them to sideline political opponents.

Last month, two journalists were imprisoned on accusations that they promoted ethnic
divisions, denied the genocide and insulted the president. One of them was sentenced
to 17 years, the other to 7 years.

According to Mr. Ntaganda’s indictment, he was accused by the courts of criticizing an

economic program and the special genocide courts, saying some judges were unfairly
ruling against people based simply on their ethnic backgrounds.

Mr. Ntaganda was charged with endangering state security, as well as harboring ethnic
divisionism.

Mr. Ntaganda, who was the president of a political party, PS-Imberakuri, was arrested
at dawn on June 24, the first day presidential candidates could officially register.

He never had the chance. For the last half-year, Mr. Ntaganda has waited in prison and
was taken to a hospital after a hunger strike in October.
-----------------------------
Charles Taylor war crimes trial extended in The Hague (BBC)

The war crimes trial of Liberia's former President Charles Taylor has been extended
after judges said they would decide on a defence appeal.

Friday was due to be the last day of the trial, which began in 2007.

But defence lawyer Courtenay Griffiths stormed out of court this week after judges
refused to accept the late submission of a document.

Mr Taylor denies 11 counts - including murder, rape, and using child soldiers during
the civil war in Sierra Leone.

He is accused of arming and controlling the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels
during a 10-year campaign of terror conducted largely against civilians.

The RUF became infamous for hacking off the limbs of their victims, and using rape and
murder to terrorise the population.
Mr Taylor also boycotted the opening of his trial in June 2007, arguing he would not get
a fair hearing.

'Blood diamonds'

Mr Griffiths was in court on Friday but Mr Taylor was not.

Mr Taylor and his lawyers were upset at the court's refusal to accept a 500-page written
summary of the trial that was submitted late.

"What we were trying to do is ensure we get some semblance of justice out of this and
it's turned into this personalised attack on us," Mr Griffiths told reporters outside the
court on Wednesday. "I find it totally despicable."

The defence team has now been granted leave to appeal.

The BBC's Peter Biles in The Hague says after that appeal has been heard - perhaps
within the next two weeks - the defence will still need to discuss whether it will be
allowed to present closing oral arguments.

The separate issue over the apology demanded by the judges from Mr Griffiths is
potentially a disciplinary matter and has been deferred until 25 February, he says.

The defence has argued that Mr Taylor tried to broker peace in Sierra Leone at the
request of regional powers.

He is accused of selling "blood diamonds" for the rebels, in return for supplying them
with weapons.

Last year supermodel Naomi Campbell and actress Mia Farrow were summoned to
give evidence at the trial.

The prosecution was trying to establish a link between Mr Taylor and a number of
uncut diamonds that Miss Campbell said she had been given in South Africa in 1997.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague has heard from more than 100
witnesses in what is the first international trial of an African former head of state.

The judges are expected to deliver a verdict later in the year.

If convicted, Mr Taylor would serve a prison sentence in the UK.

--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website
UN partners with West African nations to boost information technology in
universities
11 February – The United Nations agency tasked with promoting education and the
West African monetary union today signed an agreement to launch a $12 million project
to boost the information and communications technology (ICT) capacity of universities
by creating a regional virtual library network.

Help needed for Sudan''s displaced following referendum, says UN agency

11 February – With the historic referendum on South Sudan''s independence now
complete, help is needed to support the return of southerners back to the South from
other parts of Sudan, according to the United Nations refugee agency, which is seeking
$53.4 million for this.