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United States Africa Command Public Affairs Office 9 December 2011 USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa, along with upcoming events of interest for December 9, 2011. Of interest in todays clips: General Ham discusses Libya with USA Today, South Sudan and Sudanese militaries clash in border region, Al Shabaab enters social media world with first tweet on Wednesday, hours before attacking AU base. Also, AQIM claims kidnapping of five French in Mali last month and Al Jazeera provides its point of view on how some U.S. policies may be contributing to the ongoing crisis in the Horn of Africa. Provided in text format for remote reading. Links work more effectively when this message is viewed as in HTML format. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Please send questions or comments to: africom-pao@africom.mil 421-2687 (+49-711-729-2687)

www.africom.mil -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa U.S. in talks to rebuild Libya (USAToday) http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-12-07/united-states-libya-militaryforces-gadhafi/51718436/1 7 December 2011 by Jim Michaels The United States is in discussions with Libya over ways to help rebuild the country's military, which the U.S. military considers essential to unify the country and bring rival militias under national control. Sudan, S. Sudan armies clash in disputed border region (Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7B700O20111208 8 December 2011

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by Hereward Holland and Khalid Abdelazi The armed forces of Sudan and South Sudan clashed in a border region claimed by both sides on Wednesday, in a rare direct confrontation between the old civil war foes. Qaeda group claims kidnap of five Europeans in Mali (AFP) http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hj9IxOVppZ2sZ8YpWpoHTKnf 7w5A?docId=CNG.54e1e36e7a47fa0479187fc25908029f.ca1 8 December 2011 Al-Qaeda's north African wing was behind the kidnapping of two "French spies" and three other Europeans in Mali last month, according to a non-authenticated statement purportedly from the group. Somalias al-Shabab launches Twitter war (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16091751 8 December 2011 by Mary Harper Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab has launched an account on the microblogging site Twitter. Rocket attack kills three at Ivorian election rally (Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7B705020111208 8 December 2011 Reuters Wire Three people were killed and three others wounded following a rocket blast at an election campaign rally on Wednesday in south-west Ivory Coast, the West African nation's defence minister said on Thursday. Eastern Congo braces for election results (Christian Science Monitor) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/1208/Eastern-Congobraces-for-election-results 8 December 2011 by Laura Heaton With the announcement of Congos next president expected before midnight tonight, though possibly delayed, the restive eastern part of the country is quiet but wary about what tomorrow might bring. South Africa: China trade trumped Dalai Lama Visa (allAfrica) http://allafrica.com/stories/201112071488.html 7 December 2011 A senior South African official admitted that the Dalai Lama was blocked from attending Desmond Tutu's 80th birthday celebrations in October to preserve vital trade ties with China. Al-Qaida offshoot hopes to turn Africa's Sahel region into a 'new Somalia' http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/08/al-qaida-maghreb-sahel-new-somalia
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8 December 2011 by Simon Tisdall An offshoot of al-Qaida is working to turn the whole of Africa's Sahel region into a "new Somalia" and terrorist bases there pose a growing threat to European and pan-African security, a panel of experts has warned. Faultines (Video) Horn of Africa Crisis Part II (al Jazeera) http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/faultlines/2011/12/20111246513425294.html 6 December 2011 Part 2 of a series looking at U.S. policies in the Horn of Africa may be contributing to the crisis. ### -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------UN News Service Africa Briefs http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA Reducing flow of arms in Central Africa crucial for regional security Ban 8 December Stemming the flow of illicit arms in Central Africa can help reduce the growing threat of piracy and maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, disrupt the activities of trans-national armed groups, notably the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), and prevent acts of terrorism and election-related tensions, Secretary-Ban Ki-moon said today. Cte dIvoire: UN envoy voices concern about violent pre-election incidents 8 December Three days before Ivorians go to the polls to vote in crucial parliamentary elections, the top United Nations official in the West African country has expressed concern over a series of violent incidents provoked by armed men surrounding some of the candidates. Somali and Sudanese issues top discussions between Ban and Kenyan leaders 8 December Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today discussed the situation in Somalia and Sudan with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, with the United Nations chief taking note of progress since the adoption by Somalias leadership of a political roadmap on the restoration of peace and stability in the Horn of Africa country. Security fragile as stalemate over Abyei persists senior UN official 8 December The security situation in the disputed area of Abyei remains fragile, with both South Sudan and Sudan failing to withdraw their armed forces as agreed under a demilitarization pact reached in June, the head of United Nations peacekeeping told the Security Council today. (Full Articles on UN Website)

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### -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Upcoming Events of Interest: Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011 AFRICOM Commander's Speaker Series: Maj. Gen. Moses Bisong Obi, Force Commander of the U.N. Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) presents Waging Peace in Independent South Sudan" WHEN: 1:30 p.m. 3 p.m. WHERE: Kelley Theater, Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, GE CONTACT: J9 ### -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------New on www.africom.mil Malian Defense Soldiers Learn Logistics with U.S. Army Special Forces By Staff Sergeant Allison D. Hill, WVARNG 153rd Public Affairs Detachment 8 December 2011 KINGWOOD, West Virginia West Virginia Army National Guard Special Forces soldiers from Charlie Company, 219th Special Forces Group, along with the 300th Military Intelligence Battalion, the 294th Quartermaster Company and the 5th Quartermaster Battalion from Germany taught the Malian Defense Forces (MDF) of the 33rd Parachute Infantry Regiment how to effectively conduct drop zone selection, request aerial resupplies along with different methods of dropping supplies via air transport in order to maximize joint stability and security efforts. ### -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL TEXT U.S. in talks to rebuild Libya (USA Today) http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-12-07/united-states-libya-militaryforces-gadhafi/51718436/1 7 December 2011 by Jim Michaels

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The United States is in discussions with Libya over ways to help rebuild the country's military, which the U.S. military considers essential to unify the country and bring rival militias under national control. "We're looking for ways in which we can be helpful," said Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command. "They have to find some way to form a national army." In an interview with USA TODAY in Washington, Ham said the discussions had not reached the level of agreeing to specific cooperation. If the two countries do establish a relationship, it would not be the scale of U.S. efforts to rebuild the militaries of Iraq and Afghanistan. "We'd like, for example, to begin having Libyan officers come to U.S. staff colleges," he said, adding that the United States could also sell Libya equipment and offer training. Estimates of the size of the Libyan army under dictator Moammar Gadhafi ranged from 50,000 to 130,000 soldiers. He used it to crack down on political rivals and sometimes to assist other dictators in the region, such as Uganda's Idi Amin. Libya's military mostly disintegrated over the course of the revolt that began with protests in February. Some units defected to the rebel side, some fought alongside foreign mercenaries and indiscriminately bombed cities, and others broke under pressure from rebel forces and NATO airstrikes. Libya had an impressive arsenal for a small country, according to a report of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, with more than 4,000 tanks and other armored vehicles and 400 combat aircraft. Even so, combat-readiness on the equipment was "exceptionally low" and even its best combat units suffered from severe training and leadership problems, political favoritism and erratic training, the report said. The new Libyan government is interested in maritime security, because of its long coastline, Ham said. That is also an area of defense in which the U.S. military can assist, he said. Ham said Libya's new leaders recognize the new military must be "inclusive" and not exclude professional officers from Gadhafi's military as long as they did not participate in atrocities. In Iraq, efforts to exclude from the military even midlevel officials in Saddam Hussein's ruling Baath Party deepened divisions. Michael Rubin, a former adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, said military training would be a good way to prevent the militias roaming the country from disrupting the country. A well-run and professional army and navy automatically gains legitimacy at the expense of militias, casting the latter as gangs rather than protective forces, he said. Rubin said U.S. involvement would also create personal relationships with Libyan officers that would provide intelligence benefits and help prevent militant infiltration of the Libyan military by helping it institute background checks. The U.S. military has
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learned from its experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, where militias competed with national forces for the hearts of young fighters, that "the sooner we start the easier it will be," Rubin said. The Pentagon has also expressed concern about weapons and ammunition that may fall into the hands of rogue elements inside or outside the country. Gadhafi is believed to have stocked 20,000 portable surface-to-air missiles. Ham said that some of the mercenaries who fought for Gadhafi might have brought weapons with them when they fled the country. There is "no hard evidence of that but my instinct tells me that's a pretty likely outcome," Ham said. ### Sudan, S. Sudan armies clash in disputed border region (Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7B700O20111208 8 December 2011 by Hereward Holland and Khalid Abdelaziz JUBA/KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The armed forces of Sudan and South Sudan clashed in a border region claimed by both sides on Wednesday, in a rare direct confrontation between the old civil war foes. Both countries said they would bring complaints against the other to the United Nations, moves likely to hinder already tense talks over issues such as oil and debt that have been unresolved since South Sudan seceded in July. South Sudan's military spokesman, Philip Aguer, said the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) bombarded the Jau area with warplanes and used artillery to hit positions of the south's Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). "The SPLA is trying to repulse the attackers, the Sudan Armed Forces," he told Reuters. "The first attack was on Saturday when SAF started invading ... It is in South Sudan, there is no dispute about that. Jau is deep in South Sudan." Al-Sawarmi Khalid, spokesman for Sudan's military, confirmed the clashes, but said Jau was in Sudanese territory. "Now the Sudanese army controls the Jau area, which is inside the Republic of Sudan," he said. "South Sudan's army tried to attack six times today. This is an assault on the Sudanese army and Sudanese land." Neither spokesman gave a casualty figure. Each country has accused the other of backing rebel groups on either side of the border for months, but the fighting in Jau - which straddles the poorly defined border - was an unusual direct clash.
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The fighting drove "several hundred" civilians from Jau towards the Yida refugee camp and also southwards, said Mimi Girard, an official with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in South Sudan. "Jau is a very strategic place so we feared that there would be more clashes and there were more attacks today," she said. SECURITY COUNCIL COMPLAINTS Sudan's foreign ministry spokesman, El-Obeid Morawah, accused South Sudan of attacking Sudanese territory on Tuesday and Wednesday, describing it as "blatant aggression against Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity." "The ministry filed a complaint today to the U.N. Security Council regarding this blatant aggression," he said in an emailed statement. South Sudan's foreign affairs spokesman, Mathiang Ring, also said his country would complain to the Security Council. "We will say that the government of Sudan has attacked and invaded a piece of land in South Sudan, in Jau. They captured one and killed one soldier," he said. "It is premature to say that the two sides are at war, but the South is now acting in self defence. We will not tolerate aggression by the north." The two sides were already at loggerheads over what transit fees South Sudan should pay to export its oil in pipelines running through Sudan, as well as a range of other postsecession issues like pensions and the border's position. A Western diplomat at the U.N. Security Council told Reuters the South Sudanese had written to the council on Monday about the fighting, but the letter had not been seen by all the council's members yet. "We would have expected the letter to have been circulated to all Council members by now in the usual way, but this hasn't yet happened," he said. South Sudan voted overwhelmingly in January to secede in a referendum held under a 2005 peace deal that ended one of Africa's longest and deadliest conflicts. The civil war, waged over ethnicity, oil, religion and ideology, killed an estimated 2 million people. ### Qaeda group claims kidnap of five Europeans in Mali (AFP) http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hj9IxOVppZ2sZ8YpWpoHTKnf 7w5A?docId=CNG.54e1e36e7a47fa0479187fc25908029f.ca1 8 December 2011
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RABAT Al-Qaeda's north African wing was behind the kidnapping of two "French spies" and three other Europeans in Mali last month, according to a non-authenticated statement purportedly from the group. In a statement sent to AFP in Rabat, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) said it was responsible for the November 24 kidnapping of the two French nationals and three Europeans a day later in Timbuktu. "We will soon make our demands known to France and Mali," the statement read. The same statement was received by the Nouakchott News Agency (ANI) in Mauritania. The agency has previously reported on AQIM communiques without these subsequently being rejected by AQIM as a hoax. French nationals Philippe Verdon and Serge Lazarevic, whom the Al-Qaeda statement claimed "work for the French intelligence services" were seized at gunpoint from their hotel in the town of Hombori near the border with Niger. The next day, an armed gang snatched a Swede, a Dutchman and a man with dual BritishSouth African nationality from a restaurant on Timbuktu's central square and killed a German with them who tried to resist. ### Somalias al-Shabab launches Twitter war (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16091751 8 December 2011 by Mary Harper Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab has launched an account on the microblogging site Twitter. The feed has attracted dozens of followers since it was created on Wednesday. The account might be an attempt by al-Shabab to counter Kenya's military spokesman, Maj Emmanuel Chirchir, who regularly tweets about operations in Somalia. Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October to fight the militants. Its parliament voted on Wednesday to integrate the troops into the 9,000-strong African Union (AU) force backing Somalia's weak interim government. 'Sober up' The first al-Shabab tweet was a koranic phrase in Arabic, meaning "In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful".
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After that, al-Shabab switched to English and got down to the serious business of military propaganda. The first tweets gave a hint of what was, within a few hours, to become the most intense fighting for several months between the Islamists and government troops backed by African Union (AU) troops in the capital, Mogadishu. The tweets spoke of an attack by al-Shabab on an AU base in the north of the city. This was despite the fact that al-Shabab in August announced that it had withdrawn from Mogadishu - something the transitional government described as a massive victory. The tweets then launched into what the group described as the utter failure of Kenya's military intervention in Somalia. One quoted the BBC story about the plan for Kenyan troops to join the AU force. It said this was proof that Kenya had run out of money to pay for the military operation, so it now needed the AU to pay for it. The advice to the Kenyan soldiers was put into one word, in capital letters - "FLEE". There was also a tweet referring to the need for Somali government soldiers to sober up, accusing them of being intoxicated by the narcotic leaf, khat, which has been banned by al-Shabab. The al-Shabab Twitter site has attracted dozens of followers since it was launched a few hours ago. At the time of writing, al-Shabab is following nobody. The Islamist movement has in recent months become increasingly adept at communicating its activities and messages to a non-Somali audience. It writes sophisticated press releases in excellent English, complete with photographs. And now it has a Twitter account. Perhaps this is in response to the highly active Twitter account of Kenya's military spokesman. He issues a steady stream of information about what he says are Kenya's military successes in Somalia. So far, he appears to be winning the Twitter war. He has nearly 10,000 followers. Al-Shabab has 400, but its site has only been active for a few hours, and that number increases every time I look at it. ### Rocket attack kills three at Ivorian election rally (Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7B705020111208 8 December 2011

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Reuters Wire ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Three people were killed and three others wounded following a rocket blast at an election campaign rally on Wednesday in south-west Ivory Coast, the West African nation's defence minister said on Thursday. Paul Koffi Koffi said the incident, which occurred in Grand-Lahou about 100 km (60 miles) west of the commercial capital Abidjan, was being investigated by authorities. "This is not an act of destabilisation," Koffi Koffi said. The country is recovering from a power struggle in late 2010 and early 2011 that killed some 3,000 people and displaced more than a million. The rocket exploded in a yard near where supporters of a candidate for Sunday's legislative election were gathered, killing a girl and two boys, a regional administrator said. "It could be an accident or as an act of intimidation (against the candidate). The investigation is ongoing and the perpetrators have not been found yet," the administrator said, requesting not to be named. A politician in the Grand-Lahou region, who also requested not to be named, said candidates campaigning for parliamentary seats travel with armed guards and one of them may have fired the rocket. Despite the end of post-election conflict in April following the arrest of former president Laurent Gbagbo, there are still security concerns in the country over unrecovered weapons that were distributed to militias. Gbagbo has appeared at the International Criminal Court at The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity, including murder and rape. ### Eastern Congo braces for election results (Christian Science Monitor) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/1208/Eastern-Congobraces-for-election-results 8 December 2011 by Laura Heaton UPDATE: On Dec. 6, the Associated Press reported that Congo's national electoral commission has announced a 48-hour delay in publishing final presidential election results, due to technical difficulties. Final results are expected on Thursday night. With the announcement of Congos next president expected before midnight tonight, though possibly delayed, the restive eastern part of the country is quiet but wary about
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what tomorrow might bring. Early vote tallies predicted President Joseph Kabila as the winner, with UDPS candidate Etienne Tshisekedi as a close second, but the electoral commission today announced that with more than two-thirds of the ballots counted, Kabila had pulled ahead with 46 percent of the vote, to Tshisekedis 36 percent. Despite widespread allegations of rigging and logistical constraints that denied many eligible citizens the right to vote, international observation missions have blessed the process. The stage seems set for Kabila to be declared winner of another five-year term. According to the preliminary count by the national electoral commission, tallied by province, Kabila is leading in both North and South Kivu but doesnt carry a majority in either province. But unlike in other parts of the country, a Kabila victory will likely cause greater calm in the East than any other electoral outcome. The region has had a unique connection to President Kabila because it was a rebellion led by his father and originating in the East, with support from Rwanda, which overthrew long-time dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and installed Laurent Kabila as president in 1997. Joseph Kabila was born in South Kivu province and rose to the presidency after the assassination of his father in 2001. Joseph Kabila is credited with officially ending the war in the East in 2003 and with striking an unexpected compromise with friend-turned-foe Rwanda in 2008 that saw the formal integration of the formidable CNDP rebel group into the Congolese national army. But many of the voters the Enough Project has spoken to in the eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu say that the enduring insecurity in the East, the lack of infrastructure and social services, and the rampant corruption and impunity undercut any advantage Kabila might have enjoyed as a native son of the Kivus. One church leader, a father of seven, voiced a common sentiment when he spoke to Enough: Justice and republican army are the pillars of any strong countries. Joseph Kabila has proven to be not even the least good on those subjects. With our mineral wealth and other natural resources, Congo has all the cards to be a country that can contribute positively to the world advancement. () But since Kabila controls the country assets, the army, police and secret service, I'm afraid my choice would not make a big difference. Some parts of the country, in particular the capital of Kinshasa, are bracing for a likely showdown in the event that Kabila is declared the winner and opposition leaders dispute the final results. News reports indicated that thousands of Kinshasa residents had poured over the border into neighboring Republic of Congo in anticipation of violence in the capital. Reports emerged in the East as well of people crossing the border into Rwanda. Enough spoke to a businessman as he prepared to take his family of seven over the border into Gisenyi: I want none of my kids to be this countrys hero, Katembo said. With leaders who want to remain in power at all costs, and an opposition incapable of transcending
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their egos, only gunfire judgment will be able to separate the two. I dont want to watch that coming and wait. But as Enough researcher Sarah Zingg Wimmer reported from Goma, the city feels relatively calm. Congolese are going on with their lives, she said. The biggest difference today is that Goma is empty of internationals, and some police and soldiers in riot gear are patrolling the streets. Armed groups, most worryingly the ex-CNDP rebel group and segments of the Congolese army, have pledged to fight back if Kabila is not declared the winner. Military units and members of the ex-CNDP have been involved in coercive attempts to compel voters to support Kabila. A Kabila win may thwart the likely renewed insurrection instigated by the armed groups who have benefited during his time in power an outcome no doubt quietly welcomed by institutions like the UN peacekeeping mission that already have a difficult time responding to frequent attacks against civilians in the East, at times perpetrated by Congos own army. Threats issued by groups like the CNDP, combined with the view expressed by some civilians that the region feels more peaceful now than it has in more than a decade, have contributed to the sense of resignation about the prospect of another term of President Kabila. Certainly not all opposition leaders and supporters will accept the results without protest, possibly leading to clashes, but even those who say they voted for the opposition voiced concern about the impact in the East if their candidate won. I voted for Kamerhe, for change. Kabila promised so much, but he didnt do anything, said a 26-year-old woman Enough spoke to in Goma. If Kabila passes, it will be calm in the East. If Tshisekedi wins, there will be war. Kabila will come here to start a war; he has already placed Rwandan soldiers here. A 37-year-old man in Bukavu voiced a similar view: We have to accept the results as they will be published by the CENI. We have no other choice, otherwise there will be another chaos if people protest. We are tired with violence. ### South Africa: China trade trumped Dalai Lama Visa (allAfrica) http://allafrica.com/stories/201112071488.html 7 December 2011 A senior South African official admitted that the Dalai Lama was blocked from attending Desmond Tutu's 80th birthday celebrations in October to preserve vital trade ties with China. Home Affairs secretary-general Mkuseli Apleni said in a court affidavit quoted by the Times daily that his advice to his minister on the Tibetan spiritual leader's visa application was not to jeopardise ties with Beijing.
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"In giving advice... regarding the application for a visa by the Dalai Lama, I had recourse to our trade relations with China," Apleni said, replying to two opposition parties' court challenge over the handling of the visa debacle. The "backlash" for France and Australia "provided some learning to the government and the sensitivities that were attendant" to allowing the visit by the Dalai Lama, whom China considers a dangerous separatist, said Apleni. French and Australian heads of state met separately with the Tibetan spiritual leader in 2008, souring diplomatic relations with China.

China is South Africa's biggest trade partner with exports from Africa's biggest economy reaching $4.9 billion (3.7 billion euros) in the first six months of the year. The Dalai Lama called off his trip days ahead of Tutu's birthday in October, saying he had received no news about his visa, two years after South Africa already denied him a visa over fears of jeopardising ties with China. Apleni insisted that the home affairs minister had not acted "under the dictates of China," but "further took into account the fact that the deputy president had just conducted a successful visit to China." The country also felt indebted to China for orchestrating South Africa's invitation to join BRICS, the group of developing giants Brazil, Russia, India and China. Opposition parties the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Congress of the People (Cope) filed papers in the Cape High Court the same month. The case is still before court. South Africa never publicly announced whether it would grant a visa to the Dalai Lama, who was scheduled to give a speech to mark Tutu's 80th birthday. The Dalai Lama cancelled the trip, saying he had received no news about his visa, provoking a furious reply from Tutu who called President Jacob Zuma's administration "worse than the apartheid government" for bowing to China and ignoring the values of the liberation movement. ### Al-Qaida offshoot hopes to turn Africa's Sahel region into a 'new Somalia' (Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/08/al-qaida-maghreb-sahel-new-somalia 8 December 2011 by Simon Tisdall

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An offshoot of al-Qaida is working to turn the whole of Africa's Sahel region into a "new Somalia" and terrorist bases there pose a growing threat to European and pan-African security, a panel of experts has warned. Jerome Spinoza, head of the Africa bureau in the French ministry of defence, said the sub-Saharan Sahel area, up to 1,000km wide and stretching from the Atlantic in the west to the Red Sea in the east, presented challenges that western policymakers ignored at their peril. "Instability is on the rise," Spinoza told the Chatham House thinktank in London on Thursday. "Without a meaningful policy, the area could constitute a lasting safe haven for jihadists." Robert Fowler, a former UN special envoy to Niger and Canadian diplomat who was kidnapped and held hostage for four months in 2008-9 by al-Qaida in the Maghreb (AQIM), said the 31-strong group of captors was well-disciplined and wholly concentrated on its aim of creating an Islamic caliphate embracing the Muslim lands of Africa and the Middle East. "These men are highly motivated and totally ascetic," Fowler said. "These guys have no needs. They are dressed in rags. They have a bag of rice and a belt of ammunition and that's it. I was held in 23 different locations in about 70 days. They are organised. They can break camp in under four minutes." Fowler continued: "This was the most focused group of young men I have ever encountered in my life. They are totally committed to jihad. They said to me, 'We fight to die, you fight to go home to your wife and kids. Guess who will win?' Even if it takes 200 years They want to turn the Sahel into a new Somalia." Fowler said the terrorist threat to Europe's southern flank had risen after advanced weapons were plundered during the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in Libya. "They (AQIM) are now equipped with enormous amounts of Libyan weapons and I mean sophisticated weapons such as 20,000 [shoulder-mounted] SA-24 missiles, heavy mortars, heavy artillery and thousands of anti-tank mines The UN has demanded they be handed over. Well, good luck with that." The Sahel region embraces southern Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, southern Algeria, Niger, northern Nigeria, Chad, South Sudan and Darfur in western Sudan, northern Ethiopia and Eritrea. Spinoza said a host of critical issues faced the region going beyond terrorism. They included recurring rebellions by nomadic Tuareg tribesmen, some of whom were armed by and fought as mercenaries for Gaddafi in this year's Libya conflict, cocaine trafficking to Europe from the west African coast, and people and arms smuggling.

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The region was also confronted by rapid population growth, weak and ineffective governance, inter-state tensions, poor access to education and employment, and increasingly acute food supply problems exacerbated by climate change and the southward advance of the Sahara desert, he said. AQIM was exploiting the resulting instability, he suggested, spreading its influence south from Algeria and raising the prospect of transcontinental link-ups with Boko Haram militant Islamists in Nigeria and al-Shabaab in Somalia. Spinoza called for a joined-up approach by the international community, suggesting interested countries including France, the Netherlands and the US needed to coordinate their policies with regional and local players. "The EU's strategy for security involves development, rule of law and (non-military) security but the EU needs to be more concrete," he said. Speaking this week, Kristalina Georgieva, the EU commissioner for humanitarian aid crisis response, said the Sahel was likely to experience severe food shortages next year because of erratic rainfall and localised dry spells. Seven million people were already facing shortages in Niger, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, she said. Current trends pointed to a massive problem of food availability next year. The European commission last month increased humanitarian funding to the Sahel by 10m (8.5m) to a total of 55m this year. Niger and Mauritania have already declared a crisis, prepared national action plans, and appealed for international help. At the eastern end of the Sahel arc, 13 million people remained in need of emergency help and the crisis there was expected to last until the spring and perhaps the summer of 2012, Georgieva said. ### Faultines (Video) Horn of Africa Crisis Part II (al Jazeera) http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/faultlines/2011/12/20111246513425294.html 6 December 2011 The second piece of a 2-part series looks at how some U.S. policies in the Horn of Africa may be contributing to the ongoing crisis. The worst drought in 60 years has thrown more than 13 million people across the Horn of Africa into crisis.

U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 AFRICOM-PAO@africom.mil

In Kenya, those already living in the greatest precarity have been pushed even closer to the edge. In the arid lands deadly inter-tribal conflict is escalating with pastoralists competing over increasingly scarce resources, as climate change accelerates drought cycles. Weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable and small scale farmers are struggling to grow enough food. In Nairobi's poorest neighbourhoods, residents are reduced to eating one meal a day, as the price of food spirals out of reach. As world leaders discuss climate policy in Durban, Fault Lines travels through Kenya's drought zone. In the second part of a two-part series, we ask how US policies intersect with drought and hunger, and how the US is responding to the emergency in the Horn of Africa. ### END REPORT

U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 AFRICOM-PAO@africom.mil

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