United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

9 May 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Bring Africa Command Home (Defense News)

The Pentagon is seeking a new home for Africa Command, the military headquarters
created for the continent in 2007. It is now housed at a base in Stuttgart, Germany, an
area The Economist aptly calls "perhaps the least African place in the world."
We say bring it home. Congress, for predictable reasons, agrees. At recent hearings,
lawmakers questioning Gen. Carter Ham, AFRICOM's commander, focused not on the
war he was then running in Libya but on landing the 2,000 jobs under his command for
their voters.

White House: Success in Protecting Libyan Civilians (ABC)

(Libya) While the Obama administration continues to celebrate the death of Osama bin
Laden, their troubles in the Middle East have not come to an end. In an interview with
"This Week" anchor Christiane Amanapour, the President's National Security adviser
insisted that the United States would not increase its presence in Libya due to NATO's
success in protecting the embattled nation's civilians.

African Union Official Urges Political Solution to Libyan Crisis (VOA)

(Libya) The African Union says its roadmap for peace is the best option for settling
Libya’s political crisis. El-Ghassim Wane said the AU “is convinced that only a political
solution will make it possible to promote peace in a lasting manner that will also fulfill
the aspirations of the Libyan people to democracy…and good governance.”

Libya Tribal Appeal to Rebels Falls Flat (WSJ)

(Libya) Col. Moammar Gadhafi has turned to Libya's tribal leaders in a new effort to
erode a Western-backed insurgency, but the initiative, including the promise of an
amnesty, is having no immediate impact on the stalemated conflict.

Fierce fighting reported in Libyan cities (AlJazeera)

(Libya) NATO air attacks have hit Libyan government weapons depots near Zintan,
southwest of Tripoli, the capital, according to a rebel spokesman in the town.

Italy rescues 500 Libya refugees in 'miracle' operation (AFP)

(Libya) Italian coast guards and local fisherman saved all 528 refugees on a boat from
Libya early Sunday after their vessel hit rocks off the island of Lampedusa, an operation
one rescuer described as a "miracle".

Ivorian President Sworn In (WSJ)

(Ivory Coast) Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara took oath of office on Friday as
authorities of the Western African country try to turn the page on the months-long civil
conflict that followed a contested election.

Ivory Coast: 29 bodies found in new mass grave (AP)

(Ivory Coast) A new mass grave containing 29 bodies has been found in a restive
suburb of Ivory Coast's commercial capital, said a resident who said the victims were
killed in the aftermath of a political standoff that plunged the country into violence.

Ivory Coast Begins Questioning of Ex-Leader Gbagbo (VOA)

(Ivory Coast) A prosecutor in Ivory Coast's government says officials have for the first
time questioned former President Laurent Gbagbo about alleged rights abuses
committed while he was in power.

U.N. warns about standoff in oil-rich Sudan region (CNN)

(Sudan) Violence in the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei will jeopardize relations
between north and South Sudan governments as the two sides gear up for a permanent
separation in July, the United Nations said.

Shipping Companies Urge Governments to Tackle Piracy (WSJ)

(Somalia) Ship owners are stepping up pressure on governments world-wide to take a
stronger role in policing the waters off Somalia and prosecuting hijackers, saying lax
enforcement is encouraging attacks and helping pirates extend their operations farther
into the Indian Ocean.

EU to Give Five Million Euros for Election (RFI)

(Guinea) The European Union is to provide five million euros to help Guinea run a
delayed general election.

Women Entrepreneurs Carve a Niche in Boston (IPS)

(Somalia/Boston) Deeqo Jibril is always on the go. Whether she is tending to her four
children or teaching breast cancer awareness classes to women in her community, the
Somali-born community organiser is always up for a new challenge.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
 As military stand-off continues in Sudan’s Abyei area, UN chief presses for
peace
 UN launches initiative to spur job creation for Africa’s poor
  UN agency deplores fatal shooting of Somali asylum-seekers in Mozambique
 Nigeria: UN signs cooperation pact to boost adult and youth literacy
 Côte d’Ivoire: UN human rights team heads to alleged mass grave site
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, May 13th; CSIS 1800 K Street, NW, WDC 20006
WHAT: U.S. Trade Relations with Africa and Outlook for the AGOA Forum
WHO: Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, Deputy United States Trade Representative;
Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Former Minister of Trade and Industry, Republic of Kenya; Jack
Edlow, President of Edlow International, Co-Chair, Trade Advisory Committee on
Africa
Info: http://csis.org/event/us-trade-relations-africa-and-outlook-agoa-forum
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Bring Africa Command Home (Defense News)

By BENJAMIN FRIEDMAN and HARVEY SAPOLSKY
May 9, 2011
The Pentagon is seeking a new home for Africa Command, the military headquarters
created for the continent in 2007. It is now housed at a base in Stuttgart, Germany, an
area The Economist aptly calls "perhaps the least African place in the world."
We say bring it home. Congress, for predictable reasons, agrees. At recent hearings,
lawmakers questioning Gen. Carter Ham, AFRICOM's commander, focused not on the
war he was then running in Libya but on landing the 2,000 jobs under his command for
their voters.

Sen. Jim Webb, a Virginia Democrat, pointed to the Hampton Roads real estate vacated
by Joint Forces Command's closure. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, bragged
of Atlanta's African diaspora community, and more relevantly, international airport.
South Carolina's Rep. Joe Wilson, a Republican, argued for Charleston because of the
culture it shares with West Africa, boldly trying to turn slavery into an economic asset
150 years after it was abolished.

Pathetic as the spectacle was, it had a certain logic. AFRICOM is basically useless. If it is
to exist, it might as well generate jobs at home.

The Pentagon burdened the command with a uniquely ambitious charge. Unlike our
other regional commands, AFRICOM was not intended merely to manage military
planning in its area. PowerPoint slides full of trendy terms like "interagency process,"
"unity of effort" "smart power" and "capacity-building" obfuscated AFRICOM's
audacious mission: to coordinate other U.S. agencies' efforts to help African
governments establish peace and stability, melding war planning, diplomacy and
development.

That mission assumes not only that American military officers know the causes of
Africa's troubles but that they can empower Africans to fix them. It also recommended a
headquarters in Africa.

Things have not gone as planned. For starters, no suitable host emerged. Many of
Africa's 55 nations suffered disqualifying conditions - disastrous civil wars, Muslim
populations big enough to provoke charges that we were occupying another Muslim
nation, or are under NATO attack.

That left only a handful of candidates to bribe for a base. But those African leaders
presumably had less confidence than their would-be mentors that modern nation-
building is distinct from the colonial variant that caused them so much trouble. So
Africa Command remains in Germany, shunned by the governments it aims to assist.
Another problem is the State Department has not sent AFRICOM as many diplomats as
it wants. Perhaps Foggy Bottom was reluctant to subordinate diplomats to generals in
service of goals that we used to call "diplomacy." They may also cling stubbornly to the
idea that our African embassies are a better place than Army bases in Germany from
which to engage African governments.
AFRICOM's biggest problem is that its objectives assume powers it lacks. Its advocates
imply that al-Qaida would be running much of the continent but for training it
organized and wells it helped dig. But African chaos is amenable neither to foreign
state-builders nor international terrorism. AFRICOM's busy work has no real impact on
our security.

It is not that taxpayers get a great deal on the other geographic commands. Southern
Command, which deals with South and Central America, fights the counterproductive
drug war and Haitian boat people. Northern Command, for North America, is mostly
concerned with missions that the National Guard and the North American Aerospace
Defense Command has covered. Its biggest enemies are storms, Posse Comitatus and
overwrought cyber fears.

European Command ran out of enemies in the 1990s. Even Central Command (the
Middle-East) and Pacific Command (Asia), which at least have real threats to hype,
largely replicate capacity in the Pentagon or the commands we stand up in the countries
where we fight. We should close them all.

Because our leaders likely will not do that, they should at least make AFRICOM a local,
rather than foreign, subsidy. Bring it home, as we already have done for Southern and
Central Commands. As Massachusetts natives, our first choice for AFRICOM's new
home is Fort Devens, a closed base near Boston, just across the ocean from the continent
it is to run. The Gulf Coast could also work. New Orleans and Biloxi are both home to
military bases and still struggling from Hurricane Katrina and the oil spill.

Washington has some empty offices, three nearby airports and plenty of hard workers
well-versed in this brand of technocratic idealism.

Bringing peace and stability to Africa is a tall order for the U.S. military. Bringing a few
jobs home is doable. Military programs shouldn't be jobs programs, everyone says. But,
as it happens, they are, and we might as well make them local ones.
-------------------------
White House: Success in Protecting Libyan Civilians (ABC)
By SARAH HERNDON and EVAN HARRIS
May 8, 2011
While the Obama administration continues to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden,
their troubles in the Middle East have not come to an end. In an interview with "This
Week" anchor Christiane Amanapour, the President's National Security adviser insisted
that the United States would not increase its presence in Libya due to NATO's success
in protecting the embattled nation's civilians.

"NATO is still running this operation now, we're supporting it," Donilon told
Amanpour. "They have the assets that are needed for them to engage in the civilian
protection mission, and they are engaging."

Recalling NATO's ineffective war policy in Bosnia, where the U.S. "gave the Europeans
the lead and they weren't able to protect the civilians," Amanpour asked if the United
States policy of "leading from behind" will be ineffective in achieving the desired results
in Libya.

"Will the U.S. step up more involvement?" Amanpour asked the White House National
Security Adviser.

"No," responded Donilon. "When the president made this decision, there was an
immediate threat to 700,000 Libyan civilians in the town of Benghazi. We've had a
success here in terms of being able to protect those civilians. Now we need to continue
that civilian protection mission and continue to put the pressure on Gadhaffi."
-----------------------
African Union Official Urges Political Solution to Libyan Crisis (VOA)
By Peter Clottey
May 8, 2011
The African Union says its roadmap for peace is the best option for settling Libya’s
political crisis.
El-Ghassim Wane said the AU “is convinced that only a political solution will make it
possible to promote peace in a lasting manner that will also fulfill the aspirations of the
Libyan people to democracy…and good governance.”

The AU plan calls for a ceasefire, and a dialogue between all Libyan parties for a
solution to the crisis. It also calls for the protection of African workers in the country.

Wane said the proposal, which is geared towards achieving stability in Libya, is the
basis for AU talks with both the administration of Moammar Gadhafi and the
opposition National Transitional Council.

Wane also said the AU is encouraged by the rival parties’ support of its efforts to
resolve the crisis. In late April, Libya’s foreign minister went to Ethiopia’s capital to
discuss the peace plan with AU officials. However, rebels want any agreement to
include Gadhafi’s removal from power.

Some members of the international community do as well. But, Wane said that’s an
issue for the two parties decide.

“It’s not up to the AU to determine the future of Libya,” said Wane. “Our conviction is
that the future of Libya should be determined by Libyans. Our role is to help Libyans to
negotiate…with the view of fulfilling the aspirations of their people.”

Some experts have been critical of the AU’s roadmap deal saying it has so far been
infective in resolving the almost daily violent clashes between Gadhafi loyalists and the
rebels seeking to overthrow the government.

Wane acknowledged the challenges the roadmap faces but expressed confidence in the
AU’s ability to help resolve the stalemate.

“We won’t relent in our efforts,” said Wane, “because it is our conviction that the only
way to address in a sustainable manner the crisis in Libya is through dialogue.”

His comments came after loyalist forces intensified their shelling of towns Saturday in
the country's western mountains, a stronghold of anti-Gadhafi rebels.
---------------------------
Libya Tribal Appeal to Rebels Falls Flat (WSJ)
By RICHARD BOUDREAUX
May 9, 2011
TRIPOLI, Libya—Col. Moammar Gadhafi has turned to Libya's tribal leaders in a new
effort to erode a Western-backed insurgency, but the initiative, including the promise of
an amnesty, is having no immediate impact on the stalemated conflict.
The rebel leadership dismissed an appeal by hundreds of tribal elders to engage in
peace talks. And the tribal chiefs, who held a nationally televised conference in Tripoli,
stopped short of pledging armed followers to back up the Libyan leader's military
campaign.

Government forces attacked isolated rebel strongholds in western Libya over the
weekend, striking a fuel terminal in rebel-held Misrata with ground-to-ground rockets
and igniting a fire that threatened the besieged port city's fuel supply.

The rebel-held mountain towns of Zintan and Wazin also came under rocket fire,
forcing many inhabitants to flee across the border into Tunisia. About 80 shells fell on
Tunisia's soil, prompting a protest by its government Sunday to Libyan authorities, the
Tunisian state news agency reported.

Since the uprising began in mid-February, Libyan authorities have enlisted local tribal
leaders and offered amnesties in some towns recaptured from the rebels. The latest
amnesty plan, announced Saturday by Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmoudi, would
cover all of Libya, including the rebels' eastern strongholds.

The Justice Ministry is drafting an amnesty law, Mr. Mahmoudi told a news conference,
and a nationwide committee of tribal leaders will be entrusted to present it to
counterparts in rebel-controlled areas in an effort at reconciliation.

The tone of the prime minister's remarks was plaintive, reflecting frustration over
Libya's division and deadlock. At one point, he addressed defectors from his
government who now work for the rebels' Transitional National Council, calling them
"my brothers" and urging them to "say no to bloodshed."

"If there were mistakes or wrongs" in governing Libya, he said, "then the mistakes
belong to all of us."

Abed Abu Hamada, a leader of the Mergharbah tribe from the eastern city of Ajdabiya,
struck a similar note at the tribal conference, appealing to "our brothers in the eastern
regions—the armed ones, the misled ones." The two-day conference ended late Friday
with a denunciation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's aerial attacks and
support for an amnesty and peaceful dialogue.

Mansour el-Kikhia, an adviser to the rebel leadership, said the tribal leaders' message
would have no impact in eastern Libya, where rebel forces shielded by NATO airstrikes
have a solid hold on Benghazi, seat of their leadership council, and other coastal cities.

"The east is feeling so free, so removed from Gadhafi, that none of this is going to make
any difference," he said.
Moussa Ibrahim, a Libyan government spokesman, said about 200 elders from the
rebel-held east took part in the conference and would exert their influence back home.
But in interviews, two of those elders said they had fled the region weeks ago, after the
rebel takeover, and didn't plan to return anytime soon.

Tribal loyalties and influence have diminished in recent decades as Libya's population
has become more mobile and urban, social scientists say. Tens of thousands of members
of the predominately western tribes that form the core of Col. Gadhafi's support now
live in Benghazi and in March staged a demonstration there calling on their western
cousins to join the revolt.

The government gave extraordinary publicity to the tribal conference and opened it to
foreign journalists. "You can't get more representative than this," said Mr. Ibrahim, who
listed 851 tribal groups present. "It sends a powerful message to the country."

George Joffe, a Cambridge University professor who has studied Libya's tribal politics,
said the gathering may have been staged more for audiences in the West "in the hope of
creating the impression that Col. Gadhafi enjoys widespread support." Even that
support was limited. Two weeks after government officials suggested that armed tribal
groups might take up the siege of Misrata, there was no mention of such action at the
conference.

Instead, the gathering's final declaration called for peaceful marches to rebel-held
"hijacked towns" to try to "liberate" them. But no marches were immediately planned.
"NATO must stop bombing first," said Mansour Khalaf, leader of the Warfalla tribe.
"Then Libyans will stop fighting each other."

In Misrata on Sunday, fires were still blazing from fuel depots a day after being struck
by Col. Gadhafi's forces. Rebel spokesman Mohammed Alzawwam said the attack had
diminished gasoline supplies for rebel vehicles.

It was the second pinpoint attack on Misrata by government forces in recent days.
Rebels were working to clear antitank mines that had been dropped by parachute
across the port area late Thursday from rockets that open in midflight.

In Benghazi, Abdul Hafidh Ghoga, spokeman for the rebels' governing council, said it
planned to use money from a fund pledged for humanitarian and reconstruction needs
to buy weapons from the Italian government. Maurizio Massari, an Italian Foreign
Ministry spokesman, denied that Rome planned to supply weapons to the rebels. He
said the fund, set up by 22 NATO and Arab countries last week, could not be used for
weapons purchases from any source.
------------------------
Fierce fighting reported in Libyan cities (AlJazeera)
By Unattributed Author
May 9, 2011
NATO air attacks have hit Libyan government weapons depots near Zintan, southwest
of Tripoli, the capital, according to a rebel spokesman in the town.

Separately, two loud explosions rocked a western sector of Tripoli on Sunday as jets
flew overhead, witnesses told the AFP news agency.

An international coalition began carrying out attacks on forces loyal to Muammar

Gaddafi, Libya's long-time ruler, on March 19, under a UN mandate to protect civilians
in the country. NATO took command of operations over Libya on March 31.

"NATO struck weapons depots five minutes ago in an area which lies about 30km
southeast of Zintan," Abdulrahman, the rebel spokesman, told the Reuters news agency
by telephone on Sunday.

"We heard a loud explosion ... I think the strike hit some of them [the depots].

"We are now at a cemetery burying 11 people martyred during yesterday's fighting, in
which 35 other fighters were also wounded."

The reported air raids came a week after the Libyan government said that Gaddafi's
son, Seif al-Arab Gaddafi, and three of his grandchildren were killed in a NATO air
strike on a compound in Tripoli.

Elsewhere in the country, rebels in the contested city of Misurata clashed with
government forces near the airport, a rebel spokesman told the Reuters news agency on
Sunday.

"Fierce fighting is taking place now at the airport and in the air force college area [near
the airport]. We are still hearing sounds of artillery and rockets," the spokesman, called
Abdelsalam, said from Misurata.

"NATO struck an area in the east of Misurata today but we do not have details."

Fuel depots destroyed

Misurata is the last remaining city in Libya's west under rebel control. It has been under
siege for more than two months and has witnessed some of the war's fiercest fighting
between the rebels and Gaddafi loyalists.

On Saturday, a rebel spokesman in Misurata said that Gaddafi's forces dropped bombs
on four large oil-storage tanks, destroying them and sparking a fire that spread to four
more.
Government forces used small, pesticide-spraying planes for the overnight attack in
Qasr Ahmed close to the port, Ahmed Hassan, the spokesman, said.

"Four tanks were totally destroyed and huge fire erupted which spread now to the
other four. We cannot extinguish it because we do not have the right tools," he said.

"Now the city will face a major problem. Those were the only source of fuel for the city.
These tanks could have kept the city for three months with enough fuel."

Commenting on the latest fighting, Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from the
rebel stronghold of Benghazi, said on Sunday that Libya "is showing that it is ready for
any kind of foreign aggression.

"They know that it is extremely important to keep the momentum in what appears now
to be a very long and protracted conflict".

Border tensions

Against this backdrop of continued conflict, Tunisia warned on Sunday that the
repeated shelling from Libya of one of its border towns may force it to take measures to
protect its sovereignty.

The country's official TAP news agency said that about 80 shells from Libya have fallen
on Tunisian territory.

There were no reported injuries after the shells fell as Libyan troops fought with rebels
to regain control of the Wazen-Dhehiba border post.

TAP quoted the Tunisian foreign ministry as warning that the country would take "all
measures needed" within the law to ensure protection of its citizens, refugees and its
territory.

Tunisia summoned Libya's ambassador on April 29 to complain after shells fell in

inhabited areas. It now says Libya is not keeping to its commitments.

Meanwhile Italian coast guards and local fisherman saved all 528 refugees on a boat
from Libya after their vessel hit rocks off the island of Lampedusa in an operation a
rescuer described as a "miracle."

Among the refugees who had thrown themselves into the water at night were 24
pregnant women.
---------------------------------------
Italy rescues 500 Libya refugees in 'miracle' operation (AFP)
By Dario Thuburn
May 8, 2011
ROME — Italian coast guards and local fisherman saved all 528 refugees on a boat from
Libya early Sunday after their vessel hit rocks off the island of Lampedusa, an operation
one rescuer described as a "miracle".

Refugees threw themselves into the water in the night, with some clinging to ropes
strung between the rusty fishing boat and the shoreline by rescuers, as officers and local
residents dived in to help along the rocky coast.

"There were about 500 people on board. It was a difficult situation. Our patrol boats
couldn't come close because of the shallow water and the undertow was very strong,"
said Antonio Morana, a coast guard spokesman.

Coast guards later said 528 had been on board, including 24 pregnant women.

Many refugees were later seen wrapped in thermal blankets on the rocks and in
temporary housing in the port in footage released by coast guards.

"The sea was rough and it was pushing the boat towards the coast," said one coast
guard, Davide Miserendino.

"When the first immigrants jumped into the water, we immediately dived in to try and
rescue as many as possible," he added.

"When we finished, to be honest, we burst out crying and embracing. We all thought
about those children in the sea. It was incredible. It was a real miracle that we managed
to rescue everyone," he said.

Local residents brought food and clothes for the survivors and a Ghanaian woman with
a baby called Wisdom was given diapers and toys.

A few of the refugees suffered slight injuries and have been hospitalised.

President Giorgio Napolitano later expressed "since admiration" for the rescuers and
said: "Italy is showing solidarity and a spirit of hospitality."

Most of those on board were migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia who
have been living in Libya. Thousands of refugees fleeing Libya have been arriving in
Lampedusa in recent weeks as the conflict there has escalated.

"The bombs forced us to flee. Right now the situation in Libya doesn't leave us any
choice," a Pakistani refugee was quoted by ANSA news agency as saying.
Lampedusa, which measures 20 square kilometres (eight square miles), is Italy's
southernmost point and is closer to North Africa than to the mainland.

Morana said an investigation was underway into what had gone wrong but he believed
there had been "a malfunctioning of the rudder" on the vessel.

Also Sunday, another boat carrying 800 refugees from Libya arrived in Lampedusa, a
day after two boats with 842 refugees including 101 women and 22 children also fleeing
the North African state landed there.

Lampedusa, which has a population of only around 5,000 has been overrun by more
than 30,000 migrant and refugee arrivals since the start of the year. Almost all have
since been transferred to the mainland or sent back.

Almost all have been Tunisians in search of a better life in Europe amid continued
upheaval in their homeland in the wake of a revolt in January.

Some 150 refugees fleeing Libya are believed to have died on April 6 after their boat
capsized in stormy weather in the middle of the Mediterranean. Italian coast guards
managed to pluck 53 survivors from the sea.

A week later, two women died and another person was reported missing after their
overcrowded boat hit rocks on the Italian island of Pantelleria.
-----------------
Ivorian President Sworn In (WSJ)
By MONICA MARK and DAVID GAUTHIER-VILLARS
May 6, 2011
Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara took oath of office on Friday as authorities of
the Western African country try to turn the page on the months-long civil conflict that
followed a contested election.

Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara takes his presidential oath in a tense ceremony
conducted by an ally of ousted leader Laurent Gbagbo. Video courtesy of Reuters.

It is the start of a new era of reconciliation," Mr. Ouattara said in a short speech after the
ceremony.

Mr. Ouattara and ousted leader Laurent Gbagbo were engaged in an armed conflict
after the latter refused to relinquish his president's post following his loss in the
November election. Mr. Gbagbo was put under house arrest after he was pulled from a
basement bunker at his residence on April 11.
Life is slowly returning to normal in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's commercial hub: Banks
have reopened for business and cocoa export companies are girded to resume trade,
though many complain about racketeering.

Officials have had to deal with sporadic uprisings in recent weeks. On Friday, the
United Nations dispatched investigators to inspect the site of alleged massacres in one
Abidjan district.

In the normally bustling district of Youpougon, two U.N. tanks guarded the short dusty
road that led to a field where children once played soccer and marriage receptions were
held. An official said at least 44 dead bodies were now buried in mass unmarked graves
there, surrounded by looted shanty homes and a mosque with a caved-in roof.

"A group of volunteers came to bury some of the bodies that were rotting in the sun
three weeks ago," said 24-year-old Alberto Samake, holding three unclaimed identity
cards found among the strewn belongings. "While we were doing that, Gbagbo's
militiamen came and started shooting again."

Meanwhile, Ivory Coast prosecutors were scheduled to question Mr. Gbagbo on Friday
as part of a preliminary probe aimed at determining his role in the nearly five-month
standoff. Two French lawyers for Mr. Gbagbo said they could not meet with their client
on Friday because they were denied entry into Ivory Coast on the grounds that their
visas were not valid.

Habiba Toure, a third lawyer for Mr. Ggabgo who had remained in Paris, said
prosecutors had to allow for the presence of a counsel to question their client.

Mr. Gbagbo is held under house arrest on the grounds of a 1963 law aimed preventing
public unrest. Prosecutors have said it was too early to say what charges might be
pressed against him.

Prosecutors, however, have said they would not look into possible accusations of crime
against humanity—something they would leave to the Hague-based International
Criminal Court.

The ICC has said it was planning to launch an investigation into alleged widespread
killings in Ivory Coast, a probe that could involve both sides of the conflict.

Ivory Coast government officials said an inquiry will look into the mass graves of
around 800 people found in the western town of Duekoue last month. Human rights
groups said forces loyal to Mr. Ouattara were behind the massacres.

Mr. Ouattara has said no crime would be left unpunished, even if perpetrated by his
own supporters.
-------------------------
Ivory Coast: 29 bodies found in new mass grave (AP)
By Unattributed Author
May 8, 2011
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — A new mass grave containing 29 bodies has been found in a
restive suburb of Ivory Coast's commercial capital, said a resident who said the victims
were killed in the aftermath of a political standoff that plunged the country into
violence.

U.N. investigators had said they were investigating the reports of a new mass grave.

Yopougon resident Brahima Bakayoko said late Saturday that militants loyal to arrested
strongman Laurent Gbagbo swept through the neighborhood amid celebrations over
Gbagbo's April 11 arrest.

He said the militants targeted members of two ethnic groups that supported
democratically elected President Alassane Ouattara, the Dioula and the Baoule.

"Here, they killed two youths of the Baoule and they forced us to bury them in the same
tomb," he said, adding that he counted 29 bodies in the grave.

An Associated Press reporter visited the site late Saturday and spoke to other residents
who said their family members were killed. They did not give their names.

The U.N. human rights office in Geneva announced Friday that their investigators were
headed to a soccer field in Yopougon believed to be the site of a new mass grave.

"We are told that there is a vast field that is used to play soccer. It is now an open-air
cemetery," said Hamadoun Toure, spokesman for the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast.

Yopougon had voted in large numbers for Gbagbo. His militias are believed to have
taken cover in Yopougon, and the neighborhood was the scene of pitched battles until
Thursday, when Ouattara's military spokesman announced that the area had been
brought under control.

Toure said it was not known if the dead were killed by Gbagbo's forces, or if they were
Gbagbo supporters slain in reprisal killings by forces loyal to Ouattara. Human rights
groups have detailed massacres by the forces backing Ouattara, who swept the country
coming in from the north, east and west.

Judicial officials began questioning Gbagbo on Saturday over human rights abuses
committed while he was in power.
Gbagbo's refusal to cede power after losing a November poll sent the West African
nation into a spiral of violence. More than a 1,000 civilians were killed, first by the army
controlled by Gbagbo and later by a former rebel group allied with Ouattara that seized
control of the country and toppled Gbagbo.
-------------------------
Ivory Coast Begins Questioning of Ex-Leader Gbagbo (VOA)
By Unattributed Author
May 7, 2011
A prosecutor in Ivory Coast's government says officials have for the first time
questioned former President Laurent Gbagbo about alleged rights abuses committed
while he was in power.

Prosecutor Simplice Kouadio Koffi told reporters that Gbagbo was questioned Saturday
despite the absence of his lawyers.

Gbagbo's team of French lawyers flew into Abidjan Friday, but were not allowed to
enter the country. Ivorian officials say did not have valid visas.

Koffi said judicial officials will question Gbagbo's wife, Simon, on Sunday. Simone
Gbagbo was a key figure in her husband's government.

Gbagbo was arrested last month for refusing to step down after losing a November
election. His refusal to cede power sparked a violent power struggle between loyalists
of Gbagbo and supporters of President Alassane Ouattara who won the election.

The political unrest killed hundreds and displaced about 1 million people.

Ouattara took power last month, after his supporters captured the defiant Gbagbo in his
Abidjan home with the help of United Nations and French forces. Ouattara was sworn
into office Friday inside the presidential palace.
------------------------
U.N. warns about standoff in oil-rich Sudan region (CNN)
By Unattributed Author
May 7, 2011
Violence in the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei will jeopardize relations between north
and South Sudan governments as the two sides gear up for a permanent separation in
July, the United Nations said.

Northern Sudan's army clashed with southern forces in the region this week, killing at
least 14, the United Nations said Friday.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he "is deeply concerned by the
continued tension" in the area.
"The military standoff is unacceptable," Ban said in a statement.

South Sudan in January voted to split from the north, and is expected to officially
become an independent nation in July.

However, the fate of the oil-rich Abyei region remains a flashpoint.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said last month that his government would not
recognize the new state of South Sudan if it claims Abyei.

"Abyei is a part of the north and will remain a part of the north," the president said in a
speech broadcast on state television.

Al-Bashir's declaration reneged on an earlier promise to honor the results.

On Friday, Ban urged the two sides to avoid claiming ownership of the area to avoid
undermining a peaceful resolution.

"The parties must refrain from provoking each other or engaging in any military
confrontation in Abyei as this could result in further loss of life and significantly affect
the future relationship between North and South," he said.

Leaders of the north and the South have a range of issues to address as their separation
nears, including Abyei.

Ban said the two sides should make negotiations on the disputed region a priority,
joining the United States in calling for a resolution to outstanding concerns.

"It is important that both sides ... focus intensely on trying to resolve the key issues that
have not been completed ... Abyei is one of them," Johnnie Carson, the U.S. assistant
secretary of state for African affairs, said last month.

The referendum to split was part of a 2005 peace agreement that ended two decades of
violence between the north and oil-rich south. The conflict led to the deaths of 2 million
people, many from starvation.
------------------------
Shipping Companies Urge Governments to Tackle Piracy (WSJ)
By NEENA RAI
May 9, 2011
Ship owners are stepping up pressure on governments world-wide to take a stronger
role in policing the waters off Somalia and prosecuting hijackers, saying lax
enforcement is encouraging attacks and helping pirates extend their operations farther
into the Indian Ocean.
Piracy hit an all-time high in the first three months of 2011, with 142 attacks world-
wide, up from 67 a year earlier, according to statistics from the International Maritime
Bureau, a non-profit organization set up to counter maritime crime. The sharp increase
was led by a surge in hijackings off the coast of Somalia, where 97 attacks were
recorded in the first quarter of 2011, up from 35 in the comparable period last year.

"National governments hold the key to resolving this crisis. Their brief to the naval
forces has, in most cases, been simply to deter and disrupt unless it involves a national
interest," said Graham Westgarth, president of Teekay Marine Services, a unit of Teekay
Corp., the world's largest owner of medium-sized crude oil tankers. "Prosecution is
vital. Even when caught red-handed by naval forces, 80% of pirates are released again
to attack," Mr. Westgarth adds, citing figures compiled by the International Association
of Independent Tanker Owners, or Intertanko.

Since March 31, Somali pirates have taken a further 30 vessels for ransom, holding 588
crew members of varying nationalities as hostage, according to the IMB.

Ship owners also point to increasing cases of torture and execution of hostages. Earlier
this year, Somali pirates shot and killed four American hostages on a 58-foot yacht
seized in the Arabian Sea. In the first quarter of 2011, seven hostages were killed,
according to IMB data. In contrast, no hostages were killed in the year-earlier period.

Ship owners also say that the threat of piracy has increased voyage times, as ships use
safer, but significantly longer, routes. About 40% of the world's oil supply is shipped
through the Indian Ocean, an area where Somali pirates are dramatically increasing
their presence.

"Vessels now sail from the Arabian Gulf, then very close to coast of India before they go
around Africa," said Richard Arnesen, Head of Tankers at Oslo-based oil shipping
broker Imarex Asa. "It's adding an extra four to five days in voyage times, but it's safer
than sailing straight down the Indian Ocean," he said.

More than 20 naval vessels now patrol the coast of Somalia as part of multinational
coalition established in December 2008. The flotilla includes ships from the EU, U.S. and
NATO, as well China and Russia. But ship owners and brokers question its
effectiveness, saying governments are reluctant to take captured pirates to their
countries for trial because failure to convict could open the door to claims for asylum.

"Especially in the European Union, it's clear that governments do not wish to prosecute
pirates in the fear that a failure to convict will open the floodgates for asylum claims
into the country under question," said a shipping industry executive who asked not to
be identified.
Recent cases highlight the difficulty putting pirates on trial. In April, the European
Union Naval Force Somalia, or EU Navfor, returned 18 suspected pirates to Somalia,
after its requests to three states considered to have an interest in the case proved
unsuccessful. "The states either decided not to prosecute or could not provide intent to
prosecute within the required timescale," EU Navfor said.

The pirates were detained by Finnish warship FNS Pohjanmaa April 6, after they
hijacked the Singapore-flagged vessel MV Pacific Opal April 5 in the North Arabian
Sea, about 500 kilometers east of Salalah, Oman. The states that were offered a chance to
prosecute were Finland, Singapore and Kenya. All three governments declined to
comment on the situation.

"The shipping community feels that the countries where the hijacked vessels are
registered or the country involved in the detention of pirates, should be taking a lot
more responsibility in the prosecution procedure," said Bill Box, spokesman for
Intertanko.

Under international maritime law and United Nations Security Council resolutions on
piracy, all states have the jurisdiction to prosecute people suspected of involvement in
piracy. And under article 105 of the U.N. convention on the Law of the Sea, a state that
has seized suspected pirates has the right to prosecute them. Generally, the next state to
be contacted is the flag state of the attacked vessel. The crew members' or ship owner's
country can also be asked to prosecute.

With the Pacific Opal pirates, "there was no state willing to prosecute the pirates, and as
EU Navfor cannot detain the pirates indefinitely, as this is in breach of the regulations
of the European Convention on Human Rights, so we decided to release the pirates,"
EU Navfor spokesman Paddy O'Kennedy said.

In another case, the U.K. Royal Navy frigate HMS Cornwall's capture of 17 Somali
pirates aboard a hijacked vessel in the Indian Ocean Feb. 15 stirred controversy after the
director of the Public Prosecutions Service instructed the navy to return the offenders to
Somalia.

"We support the wishes of the countries [such as Somalia] to prosecute and imprison
pirates in the region, and we are helping them to do so," a spokeswoman for the U.K.
Foreign Office said. She declined to comment on the issue of asylum.

But a trial in Somalia is extremely unlikely—the central government has little control
outside the capital, Mogadishu.

In the face of increasingly brazen attacks and little hope of a law-enforcement

crackdown, ship owners say they have no option but to pay more ransom to free crews
and retrieve ships, which in turn encourages more piracy.
"We cannot let the shipping trade cope alone with piracy by ransom pay outs, which
merely encourage further acts of piracy. But if governments do not intervene, what
choice to do shippers have to recover hijacked vessels and crew members?" said Mr.
Box of Intertanko.

On April 8, Somali pirates released Greek-owned oil tanker Irene SL after 58 days in
captivity. Published reports claim a fee of more than $13 million was negotiated. That
level would mark a record-high ransom paid by a ship owner for the recovery of a
vessel. Martin Baxendale, spokesman for NS Lemos & Co. Ltd., owner of the Irene SL,
declined to comment on the size of the ransom paid to recover the tanker.

The hijacking marked a significant escalation in Somali piracy, taking it into the main
sea lanes of the Arabian Gulf. The crude oil tanker hijacking represented 20% of total
U.S. daily crude oil imports, or 5% of total daily world seaborne oil supply.

According to non-governmental organization One Earth Future, a global-governance

think tank, a total $415 million was paid in ransoms to Somali pirates in 2009 and 2010.

Aside from pushing for more prosecutions, ship owners want more aggressive policing
at sea. "We specifically want governments to reduce the effectiveness of the easily
identifiable mother ships, the hubs from which gangs operate, as well as increase naval
assets in the piracy zone," Intertanko's Mr. Box said.

One nation that has taken a more pro-active stance is India, which earlier this year
moved to give its navy greater powers to crack down on pirates farther out at sea, as
pirate attacks moved deeper into its shipping lanes. The approach has already yielded a
big catch. On March 12, the Indian navy intercepted a pirate mother ship, Vega 5, 600
nautical miles west of India, in international waters. The hostage crew was released
unharmed and the 62 pirates were detained and transported to India, where they await
trial. This was the southernmost incident of Somali piracy.
-----------------------
EU to Give Five Million Euros for Election (RFI)
By Daniel Finnan
8 May 2011
The European Union is to provide five million euros to help Guinea run a delayed
general election.

Wrapping up his two-day visit to Guinea on Saturday the European Commissioner for
Development Andris Piebalgs told RFI that support for the country's parliamentary
elections is "crucial" to avoid future ethnic violence.
"Elections are crucial because countries in Africa have a lot of tribal history and it is
very difficult to find any other method to avoid violence and poor representation of
each and every ethnic group," Piebalgs says.

Guinea has not had a legislature since 2008 when it was dissolved by former military
junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara. A 155-member National Transition Council has
been acting in place of parliament since February 2010.

"Without parliament all the debates that come between different groups of interest
could overspill," says Piebalgs, who arrived in Guinea a few days after violence left at
least 25 people dead in the south east of the country.

The European Union broke off diplomatic relations with the former French colony
following the military's coup in December 2008 and Piebalgs' visit marks a warming of
ties since last year's presidential election.

"For us, it was of crucial importance - the presidential election - it passed well," the EU
Commissioner insists. "Since then we've started to develop cooperation.".

During the visit Piebalgs took part in the inauguration of the Forecariah bridge, a
structure providing a route between Conakry and Freetown, completed with 8.35
million euros from the EU.

But aside from EU support for improvements to the country's infrastructure, Piebalgs
believes reform to the country's lucrative mining sector could bring the biggest
windfall.

"There is quite substantial interest from Rio Tinto and also from other companies. And
that gives the country a chance to move quite rapidly out of poverty if the governance is
right," he believes.

Guinea has some of the largest bauxite reserves in the world. Income from bauxite
mining is "key", according to Piebalgs. Although he warns that the status of existing
contracts signed under the previous government is a "delicate area". Guinean President
Alpha Condé has already embarked on a review of mining licenses.

The EU diplomat also discussed military reforms with Condé reflecting concerns over
any future involvement of the army in governance.

"This country has a huge army and it's definitely important to have security sector
reforms," Piebalgs says. "For the size of the country, it definitely requires people to go
into retirement and that means that we need to support this process, because if we don't
the risk of military coup there is quite substantial."
--------------------------
Women Entrepreneurs Carve a Niche in Boston (IPS)
By Talia Whyte
6 May 2011
Boston — Deeqo Jibril is always on the go. Whether she is tending to her four children
or teaching breast cancer awareness classes to women in her community, the Somali-
born community organiser is always up for a new challenge.

Recently, she gave up her job as a social worker to focus full time on the Boston-based
Somali Community & Cultural Association, a nonprofit Jibril founded a year ago to
support Somali-American women.

The organisation is located inside a 3,000-square-foot retail building in Dudley Square,

the heart of Boston's African American community. Jibril is also a building co-landlord
and currently subleases space for six businesses.

"Most of my tenants are from Africa and the West Indies," Jibril said. "I started
subleasing the building two years ago so other entrepreneurs could have a chance at the
American dream."

Statistically, Somalis have struggled more than nearly any other immigrant group in the
United States. The American Community Survey estimated just over 100,000 Somalis
lived in the U.S. in 2009, with almost 30,000 living in Minnesota, although other sources
suggest 60,000.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income for Somalis is
among the lowest, with 51 percent living in poverty. But that could be changing.

Jibril's enterprise is not only an example of the evolving multicultural dynamic within
the U.S. workplace, but also the role of women. According to Joyce Stanley, head of the
Dudley Square Main Streets Program, a city initiative to support business development
in the community, there are nine businesses that were started up by African women in
the area, many of them in the last four years alone.

"In the immigrant community, anyone who comes here to America is motivated to
achieve," Stanley said. "Somalis are one of the fastest growing immigrant communities
in Boston, but it is simply amazing to see the Somali women take charge."

Like many Somalis in Boston, Jibril immigrated with her mother and four siblings in
1991 to escape the civil war in Mogadishu. Entrepreneurship runs in Jibril's blood, as
her mother, Lul Isak, is also an entrepreneur who sells women's scarves from a cart in
her daughter's building.

Down the street is Mabruuk Fashions, a store specialising in traditional Islamic apparel
for women, which was started up by Somali entrepreneur Sapia Gelle in 2007. Gelle is
out of the country for several weeks, so her daughter Amenia Wasin is currently
managing the store.

"My mother was always a businesswoman at heart even before she came here," Wasin
said. "It's a special thing to see all these women running businesses here."

Dudley Square has been a revolving door of culturally diverse entrepreneurship for
over a century. Up until the 1940s, the community was supported by businesses run by
Jewish, Irish and Eastern European immigrants. The square evolved after World War II,
when an influx of African Americans migrated there from the South, escaping harsh Jim
Crow laws.

Most of them were Pullman Porters, who not only helped modernise the country's
railroad system, but also contributed to the rise of the black middle class. Many of these
businessmen were influenced by Marcus Garvey's call for black economic self-reliance.

Today, there are abandoned buildings reminiscent of Dudley Square's glory days of
African American entrepreneurship, ranging from pharmacies, barbershops and
restaurants. Beginning in the 1990s, some of those buildings were taken over by a new
wave of entrepreneurs from South Korea, Jamaica and Nigeria.

For many of the Somali women, owning their own businesses here gives them financial
independence, which is something they didn't have in their home countries. In Somalia,
men are generally the breadwinners in their traditionally Muslim households, while
their wives kept house and took care of the children.

However, once these families come to the United States, the roles change, and the
women are setting up shop and bringing home paycheques.

Saido Farah moved to Boston from Somalia in 1996 and started Roots Halal Meat
Market in the neighbouring community of Jamaica Plain in 2004. Farah, who is five
months pregnant, runs the store seven days a week with the support of her husband
and one of her 10 children. Farah says it can be hard at times, but she does good
business with her predominately Muslim clientele. She also believes in giving back to
her community.

While her husband is very supportive of her venture, she said many of her male
customers are not sure how to take her.

"They are not used to seeing women in positions of power," Farah said. "However, the
men are generally supportive of me."
Back in Dudley Square, Ismahar Warfa helps run the Indian Ocean Grocery and Halal
Meat with her husband. She says that no matter whether a man or a woman is running
the store, in this economy, "work is work", and everyone chips to support the business.

The male businessmen in Jibril's building are supportive of her work.

"I think it's healthy to have business women since some of the best world leaders are
women, like Hillary Clinton, Golda Meir, and Indira Gandhi," said Josiah Faeduwer, the
Sierra Leonean manager of Bintimani Restaurant located in the building. "Deeqo is a
powerful woman who has the character to bring people together."

Unfortunately, Jibril says she is not getting that same support for her ventures from her
husband, who she is currently divorcing. Despite the tragedy of a marriage breakup,
Jibril says she has more freedom now to concentrate on her nonprofit's work, such as
providing English language training and developing business skills for other Somali
women.

In fact, she will be honored for her work in the community May 18 by the
Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women as an "Unsung Hero".

"It is an honour to serve my community," Jibril said. "Giving back and empowering
other women only makes our community stronger."
--------------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

As military stand-off continues in Sudan’s Abyei area, UN chief presses for peace
6 May – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced concern over the continuing
military stand-off in Sudan’s disputed area of Abyei, saying the deadlock has led to
further loss of life, despite the recent peace measures agreed to by both parties.

UN launches initiative to spur job creation for Africa’s poor

6 May – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched an
initiative to boost job creation through involving low-income people in Africa in
business development programmes as customers, employees, producers or
entrepreneurs.

UN agency deplores fatal shooting of Somali asylum-seekers in Mozambique

6 May – The United Nations refugee agency today condemned the recent shooting by
Mozambican police of four Somali asylum-seekers and called on authorities to ensure
that those responsible are brought to justice.

Nigeria: UN signs cooperation pact to boost adult and youth literacy

6 May – The United Nations agency tasked with promoting universal access to
education today signed an agreement with Nigeria to revitalize adult and youth literacy
in a country where an estimated 50 million adults cannot read and write and nearly 9
million children are out of school.

Côte d’Ivoire: UN human rights team heads to alleged mass grave site
6 May – A United Nations human rights team is investigating the reported killing
earlier this week of at least 40 people in the Yopougon district of Côte d’Ivoire’s
commercial capital, Abidjan, and is due to visit an alleged mass grave there today,
according to a spokesperson.