United States Africa Command Public Affairs Office 13 April 2012 USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please see today's news review for April 13, 2012. This e-mail is best viewed in HTML. Of interest in today's report: -New Mali Leader Dioncounda Traore Warns Rebels of War. -South Sudan Says it Won't Withdraw From Disputed Area. -U.N. Council Says Sudans Must End Hostilities. -Analysts Say Somalia Pirates Have New Weapons From Libya. - Cameron Calls on Islam to Embrace Democracy and Reject Extremism. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Please send questions or comments to: publicaffairs@usafricom.mil 421-2687 (+49-711-729-2687) Headline Attempted rebellion in Congo curtailed by specially trained troops Date 04/13/2012 Outlet Christian Science Monitor

As President Kabila arrived in Goma yesterday, it appears that [military commander, Bosco Ntaganda] may have misplayed his hand. After asking troops loyal to him to defect from the Army and to reinforce his personal guard last week, Bosco ...

Central Africa: UN, AU Officials to Visit Troops Countering LRA

04/12/2012

Africa Leader

Senior officials from the United Nations official and African Union (AU) are visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) to strengthen the newly-launched joint initiative to counter the threat of the terror gr...

'Fit as a fiddle' Mugabe returns home

04/12/2012

Aljazeera

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has returned home after a visit to Singapore that fuelled rumours about the 88-year-old leader's state of health.Mugabe, accompanied by his wife Grace, was welcomed by Joice Mujuru, his vice president, as well as several ...

'Attempted coup' in Guinea-Bissau

04/13/2012

Aljazeera

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc, has condemned what it terms a coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau, the Ivorian foreign minister has said. "We have received some difficult information from Guinea-Bissau, and this informati...

Mali: The Difficult Process of Return to Democratic Rule

04/12/2012

AllAfrica.com

Analysis: An interim government is expected to take power in Mali, but the biggest concern for them will be how to deal with the increasing number of refugees ... ( Resource: Refugees Stream Out of Northern Mali. The situation in Mali has considerably deter...

Country Denounces Mali Rebels' 'Declaration of Independence'

04/12/2012

AllAfrica.com

THE Namibian government has expressed "revulsion" at the declaration of the 'independence of Azawad', the northern region in Mali, by the National Movement for the liberation of Azawad (MNLA) rebel group. Declaring the region independent from Mali on Frida...

New Mali leader Dioncounda Traore warns rebels of war

04/12/2012

BBC

Mali's new leader, Dioncounda Traore, has threatened a "total war" against separatist rebels in the north. Mr Traore's inauguration marks a return to civilian rule following last month's coup in the West African state. Mr Traore now has 40 days to organise...

South Sudan says it has seized disputed oil-rich area

04/12/2012

CNN

By Jared Ferrie Malakal, South Sudan (CNN) -- South Sudan forces have captured a disputed oil-rich area along the border with Sudan, escalating tensions between the two longtime rivals and threatening a return to war. Sudan claims the oil fields in the to...

Fearing a backlash, Tuareg community flees Bamako

04/12/2012

France 24

By Leela JACINTO Sitting cross-legged on the floor of his jewelry store in the Malian capital of Bamako, dressed in the distinctive indigo garb associated with the Tuareg people, Mohammed Karbando freezes the moment he's asked about the situation in Mali....

Sudan warplanes launch first attack on 04/12/2012 S.Sudan town

France 24

AFP - Sudanese warplanes launched their first attack on a major South Sudanese town on Thursday, with five bombs dropped on the capital of the oil-producing Unity border state, Southern officials said. "They dropped bombs in Bentiu town -- apparently they ...

Cameron calls on Islam to embrace democracy and reject extremism

04/12/2012

Guardian.co.uk

Nicholas Watt Democracy and Islam can flourish together, David Cameron will declare on Thursday as he uses a landmark speech in Indonesia to tell the Muslim world that it can reject a "dead-end choice" between extremism and dictatorship. In one of his mo...

Analyst says Somali pirates have new weapons from Libya

04/12/2012

MSNBC

CAPE TOWN -- Somali pirates have acquired sophisticated weaponry, including mines and shoulder-held missile launchers from Libya, and are likely to use them in bolder attacks on shipping, a senior maritime security analyst said on Thursday. "We found that...

South Sudan says won't withdraw from 04/12/2012 disputed area

Reuters

By Ulf Laessing; Tom Pfeiffer and Robin Pomeroy CAIRO (Reuters) - South Sudanese forces will not leave an oilfield vital to the northern economy until the threat of cross-border attacks by Khartoum is removed, the south's information minister said on Thur...

Mali's Traore sworn in as acting president

04/12/2012

Reuters

By Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO (Reuters) - Former parliament speaker Dioncounda Traore took over as Mali's interim president on Thursday from the leaders of last month's coup, promising to hold elections and fight Tuareg and Islamist rebels occupying half the c...

Experts Discuss Hunt for LRA and Security-Sector Reform in Central African Republic

04/13/2012

US Africa Command

WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr 12, 2012 -- The appearance of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the Central African Republic and the lingering presence of rebel groups have overwhelmed the country's small military, regional officials said during an international...

United Nations News Centre - Africa

04/13/2012

United Nations News

Briefs

Service

-Security Council demands unconditional end to Sudan-South Sudan fighting -UN launches first flight in expanded family visits for Western Sahara refugees -Darfur: UN-African mission chief reports security, humanitarian improvements -Senior UN official u...

News Headline: Attempted rebellion in Congo curtailed by specially trained troops | News Date: 04/13/2012 Outlet Full Name: Christian Science Monitor News Text: ByJason Stearns As President Kabila arrived in Goma yesterday, it appears that [military commander, Bosco Ntaganda] may have misplayed his hand. After asking troops loyal to him to defect from the Army and to reinforce his personal guard last week, Bosco himself is reported to have to flee Goma on Friday night as Kinshasa deployed a battalion of Belgian-trained special forces in town. Most reports place Bosco in central Masisi at the moment, between Kilolirwe and Mushaki. At the same time, Col. Innocent Kaina (aka India Queen), a close Bosco ally, briefly took control of the border town of Bunagana (located close to the junction of Rwanda, Congo and Uganda) on Sunday before being pushed out by Congolese troops under the command of Col. Philemon Yav. Kaina was reportedly forced to flee to Uganda. Think you know Africa? Take our geography quiz. Tellingly, Yav was collaborating with Capt. Kennedy, formerly one of Bosco's closest supporters. As Kinshasa spends considerable efforts and, allegedly, money on rallying Bosco loyalists to its side, others have defected, as well, including Col. Ndayisaba in Rutshuru. Col. Innocent Zimurinda, who commands troops in Bosco's heartland of Masisi, is reported to be "stuck" in Goma with a small bodyguard. The situation, however, is still volatile, with a considerable number of de facto defectors outside of government control in South and North Kivu. But Bosco's strategy of grandstanding in order to prevent his arrest seems to have backfired for now.
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News Headline: Central Africa: UN, AU Officials to Visit Troops Countering LRA | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: Africa Leader News Text: Senior officials from the United Nations official and African Union (AU) are visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) to strengthen the newly-launched joint initiative to counter the threat of the terror group known as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). In the DRC, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa, Abou Moussa, and the AU Special Envoy on the LRA issue, Francisco Madeira, will hold a working session in Kinshasa with authorities and regional and international partners involved in the fight against the LRA, which the AU has declared a "terrorist group." During the six-day visit, which began yesterday, the two officials will also travel to Dungu in the DRC's north-eastern Orientale Province, where the DRC component of the Regional Task Force (RTF) authorized by the AU to track the LRA will be based.

"We are very concerned about the repeated attacks by the LRA in this region and elsewhere," said Mr. Moussa, who is also the head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), in a press release. "It must stop now." More than 4,200 people have been displaced as a result of LRA activity in Orientale Province since the beginning of this year. The group was formed in the 1980s in Uganda and for over 15 years its attacks were mainly directed against Ugandan civilians and security forces, which in 2002 dislodged the rebels. It then exported its activities to Uganda's neighbouring countries, with practices that include the recruitment of children, rapes, killing and maiming, and sexual slavery. From Dungu, the UN-AU delegation will on Friday travel to Obo in south-eastern CAR, where another RTF contingent will be based. The officials will meet with the CAR and Ugandan soldiers who are currently participating in anti-LRA operations, with the support of a military unit from United States. "We learned that the situation has improved in Obo," said Mr. Moussa. "But we must remain vigilant, especially since several other cities in the south-east continue to suffer from the attacks of the LRA." The joint UN-AU mission to the DRC and CAR follows the March launch in March in Juba, South Sudan, of the UN-supported and AU-led Regional Cooperation Initiative against the LRA (RCI-LRA) and its military component, the RTF. The RTF will comprise 5,000 soldiers drawn form the four countries affected by the LRA menace - Uganda, DRC, CAR and South Sudan. The task force has set up its headquarters in Yambio, South Sudan. It will have bases in Dungu, Obo and Nzara, South Sudan. It is mandated to capture LRA leader Joseph Kony and other members of his group, which terrorized inhabitants of northern Uganda for two decades before it was defeated military about seven years ago, after which its remnants dispersed into neighbouring countries.
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News Headline: 'Fit as a fiddle' Mugabe returns home | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: Aljazeera News Text: Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has returned home after a visit to Singapore that fuelled rumours about the 88-year-old leader's state of health. Mugabe, accompanied by his wife Grace, was welcomed by Joice Mujuru, his vice president, as well as several government and security officials on his arrival at Harare airport. Shortly after landing, a Reuters reporter saw Mugabe joking and laughing with Mujuru, often touted as his possible successor. The president has seemed robust during recent public appearances. The president did not speak to waiting reporters, but is expected to chair a weekly cabinet meeting later on Thursday. The cabinet meeting venue is closed to the media. Webster Shamu, the information and publicity minister, blamed western media for spreading false reports about Mugabe's health.

"As you can see, he is fit as a fiddle. Why do we spread rumours? It's all lies told by a press driving an imperialist agenda," he told reporters at the airport. Health rumours Mugabe, who has ruled the southern African country for more than three decades, travelled to Singapore eight times last year for medical check-ups, prompting speculation that he was receiving treatment for a cancer-related illness. Mugabe's office earlier said he had left Harare on March 31 to supervise postgraduate studies for his daughter Bona, 22, in Hong Kong. Rumours about his health swirled last year after a 2008 US diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks suggested that the head of Zimbabwe's central bank had told the country's then-US ambassador that Mugabe was battling prostate cancer and had been advised by doctors he had less than five years to live. Mugabe has laughed off suggestions that he is seriously ill, but details of his health are a closely guarded secret. Rumours over Mugabe's health have stoked infighting within his ZANU-PF party over the question of who will eventually succeed the veteran leader, with rival factions gathering around Mujuru and Emmerson Mnangagwa, the defence minister. Some party members are afraid that, should Mugabe die in office without settling a bitter succession battle, the party could erupt in internal conflict and destabilise the country. Although party officials rally behind Mugabe in public, in private many want him to retire and pass the baton to a younger person as they fear his advanced age may cost the party victory in an upcoming election pitting the party against prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). But Mugabe is still seen by many as a crucial controlling influence over the highly partisan Zimbabwean army, which is still led by veterans of the 1970s independence war.
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News Headline: 'Attempted coup' in Guinea-Bissau | News Date: 04/13/2012 Outlet Full Name: Aljazeera News Text: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc, has condemned what it terms a coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau, the Ivorian foreign minister has said. "We have received some difficult information from Guinea-Bissau, and this information indicates to us that there is a coup underway," Daniel Kablan Duncan told reporters after a meeting of the 15-nation regional group in Abidjan. "ECOWAS formally and rigorously condemns such an attempted coup d'etat," he added. Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau's capital had fired automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades as they took over the central part of the city, witnesses and a diplomat said.

There were reports of heavy arms fire and explosions from the area late on Thursday night, with the home of Carlos Gomes Junior, the prime minister and presidential poll frontrunner, coming under attack. The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the whereabouts of Raimundo Pereira, the country's interim president, and former prime minister Gomes were unknown. An AFP correspondent reported that the military had taken control of the ruling party headquarters and national radio station, with rocket fire and shots also being heard. The news agency said that soldiers had occupied an avenue where the residence of outgoing prime minister and president hopeful Gomes is located. "It was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and we were forced to retreat," said a police officer who had guarded Gomes' residence. He said Gomes had been there earlier but could not confirm his current whereabouts. Roads blocked After the gunfire and explosions, armed soldiers stopped journalists from approaching the residence of the former prime minister. Soldiers also blocked the main roads in and out of the crumbling coastal capital, one witness said. The gunfire later subsided, but frightened government officials and residents kept to their houses. Resident Edmond Ajoye, an employee of a Dutch NGO, said he was around five kilometres from his home when the shooting began. "There was panic. Women were running," he said. "There were rockets being launched, and the soldiers were shooting with guns mounted on their trucks." "The soldiers took downtown," he continued. "The shooting lasted from 7:00pm until 9:00pm. They then went from embassy to embassy to make sure that the politicians couldn't seek refuge there." Soldiers were also reported to have been posted outside the United Nations office in the capital. At the ECOWAS meeting, Mamadu Djalo Pires, the foreign minister of Guinea-Bissau, appealed for international aid. "The situation is serious. The soldiers are occupying the streets," Pires told Reuters. "I spoke to the interim prime minister [Adiato Djalo Nandigna] and she said she was under fire", he added. Emergency election The country was due to hold a runoff election on April 29, pitting Gomes against former president Kumba Yala. Guinea-Bissau's opposition - led by second-placed Yala, who claims the first round vote was rigged - have called for a boycott of the run-off vote and warned against campaigning. The five main opposition candidates, including Yala, said during a joint news conference on

Thursday evening that the boycott would be in the name of justice. Guinea-Bissau has weathered successive coups and attempted coups since winning independence from Portugal in 1974. The emergency election is being held after the death of former leader Malam Bacai Sanha, who died in January after being rushed to Paris for treatment for end-stage diabetes. Last Saturday, the United Nations Security Council urged candidates and voters to "exercise restraint" ahead of the presidential run-off. The 15 members of the council urged the country's political leaders to "resolve their disputes in accordance with the constitutional framework". They underscored the importance of successful elections to progress on peace-building priorities including demobilising troops and police, fighting drug trafficking and promoting national reconciliation.
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News Headline: Mali: The Difficult Process of Return to Democratic Rule | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: AllAfrica.com News Text: analysis An interim government is expected to take power in Mali, but the biggest concern for them will be how to deal with the increasing number of refugees ... ( Resource: Refugees Stream Out of Northern Mali The situation in Mali has considerably deteriorated over the past few days. Tuareg insurgents and Islamists have taken advantage of the existing political stalemate in Bamako to occupy the northern region and proclaimed its independence. At the same time, the junta that seized power in Bamako has found itself isolated both locally and externally. The downfall of the major cities in the north and the ensuing humanitarian crisis in the rebel-controlled areas have exposed the inability of the junta to effectively take control of the country and preserve its territorial integrity, as they expected of the previous government before staging the coup d'etat. The sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), coupled with domestic pressure has compelled the coup leaders to engage in negotiations with the regional body under the auspices of Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore to craft an exit strategy for the junta and the resolution of the political and security impasse. The speed at which ECOWAS responded to the crisis in Mali emanated from its appreciation of the high stakes and the impact of the crisis on the region as a whole. At the moment, Mali has to confront three main threats at the same time. Firstly, apart from violating the regional norms on unconstitutional change of government and disrupting the national democratisation project, the coup d'etat has become a major source of instability due to the junta's inability to preserve the territorial integrity of the country. Secondly, the Tuareg declaration of independence directly threatens the stability of Mali and many see the junta as contributing to these developments. Thirdly, the threat of terrorism as represented by the fundamentalist group Ansar Dine has gained momentum besides the proliferation of

armed militias and groups and the complexity of the worsening security situation in the north. The northern region of Mali has become a dangerous area where various armed groups including the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (NMLA), the National Front for the Liberation of Azawad (NFLA), Ansar Dine, and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) with divergent agendas seek to establish their control at the expenses of the fundamental human rights of the citizens. There are also reports that Boko Haram members, the fundamentalist sect active in Nigeria, have been sighted in northern Mali raising fears over the possibility of a threat to create an Islamist state in the region. All these call for diligent and coherent response mechanisms from Mali's partners. ECOWAS is currently working on a strategy that encompasses both political initiatives and military options. Close to 3 000 troops are said to be on standby with the mandate for their deployment awaiting approval from the Heads of state. This military venture might face serious challenges in terms of its logistics, and the familiarity of the troops with the desert area. The agreement reached by ECOWAS and the junta this week is therefore significant in many regards provided that all parties adhere to its provisions. The deal makes provisions for the appointment of an interim president, a government of national unity, and a plan to work towards holding presidential elections in forty days. As Dioncounda Traore, the Speaker of Parliament met with Amadou Sanago, the leader of the military junta, it was expected that both would work out the details for a speedy normalisation of the political crisis. Under the current arrangements for transition, Sanago is meant to step down for Traore to be sworn in as interim president. As guarantees for its support, ECOWAS immediately lifted the range of sanctions imposed on Mali on the conditions that an interim government be put in place. The normalisation of the political environment is seen as the first step toward the resolution of the security crisis in the north. There are concerns that the immediate lifting of the sanctions might weaken the regional body's bargaining power and remove important tools for pressure and allow the junta to manipulate the process. Even though the ECOWAS deal stipulates a role for the junta in the defence and security matters of the country, some of its members might want to remain central to the political process for their own interests. As is common with most of the post-coup transitions, disagreements over the interpretation and implementation of the political deal by hardliners could cause further delay in the resolution of the crisis. Yet, the longer it takes, the more complex and protracted it could become. Another concern is whether the elections could take place within the timeframe prescribed by ECOWAS. It is hoped that return to constitutional order will have two major outcomes. It could provide the much-needed sense of authority and create the environment to plan credible elections. It could also provide for a framework for negotiations with the insurgents on the status of the northern region. ECOWAS, AU, and other development partners including the US and France have officially rejected the declaration of the independence of Azawad. The debate is now around the nature of the political entity and the degree of autonomy that could be acceptable to all actors involved.

Regardless of the form it will take, two key principles are likely to remain at the heart of the negotiations on the status of the northern region. These are the principle of territorial integrity and the principle of the intangibility of colonial borders, as controversial as they might be. An independent state in northern Mali under the current circumstances will create more problems than it seeks to resolve. If allowed, Azawad is likely to become a refuge for war criminals, arms traffickers, kidnapers and terrorist groups. What is at stake here is no longer the national security of Mali but the security of the whole region and beyond. There is a need for coherence in regional and external actors' stand on this. In the past, Tuareg insurgents used to seek refuge in Libya. The prevailing security and political situation in Libya and their involvement in the conflict alongside Muammar Gaddafi's army made the Libyan option impossible. Discussions between Algeria, Mauritania and Niger might also provide opportunity to define a common approach to the crisis. The situation in northern Mali has the potential to become very chaotic and any further deterioration and delay must be avoided at all costs as it can lead to the destabilisation of the entire region.
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News Headline: Country Denounces Mali Rebels' 'Declaration of Independence' | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: AllAfrica.com News Text: THE Namibian government has expressed "revulsion" at the declaration of the 'independence of Azawad', the northern region in Mali, by the National Movement for the liberation of Azawad (MNLA) rebel group. Declaring the region independent from Mali on Friday, April 6, the rebel group hoisted its own flag - strikingly similar to the new flag flying in Libya of the National Transitional Council (NTC) with its red, green, and black, with an added yellow front tip - in the northern city of Goa. Denouncing the 'independence' of Azawad, the Namibian Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the principle of the African Union (AU) on the inviolability of borders inherited at independence from colonialism. It said the principle of indivisibility of these borders has served Africa well since its adoption by the Organisation for African Union (OAU) in 1964. The Namibian government rejected any attempt to "dismember" any African country and "unreservedly" condemned all manner of secessionist aspirations. It called on all Malians, irrespective of their historical backgrounds or political differences, to uphold the national unity and territorial integrity of their country. The ministry said the "profoundly retrogressive" developments in Mali "are a direct consequence of the unstable security and political situation in Libya, created by the precipitous military overthrow" of Muammar Gaddafi's regime. "[Those] countries that rushed to use military force in Libya had underestimated the severe repercussions of their actions in the Sahel region," the Namibian Foreign Affairs Ministry said. "They should thus bear some responsibility for the instability in Mali and the general insecurity in the region."

The Namibian government said it supports the Ecowas initiative to help the Malian parties find a political solution that preserves the unity and territorial integrity of Mali. It said the resignation of Mali's President Amadou Toumani Toure should facilitate the Ecowas mediation efforts. "Those who subverted the constitution [of Mali] by overthrowing the democratically elected government should hand over power unconditionally in full compliance with the provisions of the Malian constitution," said the Namibian government. Upon declaring the independence of Azawad, the MNLA pledged to restore security in the region and start building state institutions that will lead to a "democratic constitution for an independent Azawad". The MNLA called on the international community to recognise the Azawad's independence without delay, and said it would continue to manage the affairs of Azawad until the appointment of a national authority. The MNLA was formed in October 2011 when local Tuareg rebels were joined by their comrades who were in Libya after the fall of Gaddafi. In January, the MNLA said it constitutes old rebels, fighters returning from Libya that fought with NTC forces in that country, volunteers from various ethnicities of northern Mali, as well as soldiers and officers that deserted the Malian army. The Malian army staged a military coup in the middle of March since the Tuaregs have gained territorial gains in some northern parts, accusing Toure of not acting firmly enough to keep the rebels in check.
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News Headline: New Mali leader Dioncounda Traore warns rebels of war | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: BBC News Text: Mali's new leader, Dioncounda Traore, has threatened a "total war" against separatist rebels in the north. Mr Traore's inauguration marks a return to civilian rule following last month's coup in the West African state. Mr Traore now has 40 days to organise elections - though correspondents say this deadline is unlikely to be met because of the situation in the north. Since the coup, Tuareg and Islamist militants have taken control of much of the northern desert region. The UN says there are continuing reports of civilians being killed, robbed, raped and forced to flee northern rebel-held areas. "Reports also suggest that tensions between different ethnic groups are being stirred up, increasing the risk of sectarian violence," the UN human rights commissioner Navi Pillay said in a statement.

Handshake Mali's former parliamentary speaker was sworn in by Supreme Court President Nouhoum Tapily at a brief ceremony in the capital, Bamako. Moments after taking the presidential oath and to applause, Mr Traore warned he would use military force to wrest back the northern part of Mali unless Tuareg rebels and Islamist militants ceded control of the territory they seized in the wake of the coup. He called on the rebels to "return to the fold and to strengthen this nation instead of dividing it," adding that if they do not, "we will not hesitate to wage a total and relentless war." The BBC's West African correspondent Thomas Fessy in Bamako said there was a standing ovation when coup leader Capt Amadou Sanogo shook hands with the new president. Correspondents say that while Mr Traore's inauguration may bring hope, lasting peace in the north will not be achieved until the end of the political uncertainty in Bamako - and the role of coup leader Capt Sanogo becomes clear. West African states lifted sanctions against Mali after Capt Sanogo agreed to step aside in a deal agreed with the regional bloc Ecowas on Friday. But Capt Sanogo told the BBC subsequently: "The agreement is clear. [Traore] will be here for 40 days and after 40 days, my committee and Ecowas will sit together and fix transition organs." Asked if that meant he would be back in power after that time, he replied: "I didn't say that. I don't know." Food crisis warning Before the deal he had formally asked Ecowas for help in defeating Tuareg separatists and their Islamist allies. However, he has since said he needs only equipment and logistical support - and rejected the intervention of a 3,000-strong foreign force. Nevertheless, Ecowas is still mulling the possibility of sending in regional troops, and foreign ministers are discussing the situation on Thursday in Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan. The Tuaregs, who inhabit the Sahara Desert in Mali and several neighbouring countries, have fought several rebellions over the years, claiming they have been ignored by Bamako. But human rights groups warn there could be a major humanitarian disaster in the wake of the fighting in the north. "The urgency of the situation in Mali is exacerbating an already extremely serious humanitarian crisis affecting the whole of the Sahel region, and the country may soon be plunged into a devastating food crisis with a risk of other shortages, including medical supplies, if the insurrections and insecurity persist," Ms Pillay said. Correspondents say Mr Traore, 70, has long harboured presidential ambitions - but he had hoped to come to power through the ballot box, by contesting elections originally scheduled for later this month. The former mathematician heads Mali's largest political party, the Alliance for Democracy in

Mali, and was an ally of the deposed President Amadou Toumani Toure, who formally resigned on Sunday. Known as ATT, the former president had been due to step down this month after two terms in office - and people had become increasingly frustrated with his government for doing little to tackle corruption and the growing insecurity and eventual rebellion in the north. As a consequence, many Malians are wary of Mr Traore, Bamako-based journalist Martin Vogl told the BBC's Network Africa programme. Mr Traore is not regarded as charismatic, nor seen by many people as a natural leader, he says.
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News Headline: South Sudan says it has seized disputed oil-rich area | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: CNN News Text: By Jared Ferrie Malakal, South Sudan (CNN) -- South Sudan forces have captured a disputed oil-rich area along the border with Sudan, escalating tensions between the two longtime rivals and threatening a return to war. Sudan claims the oil fields in the town of Heglig, which account for about half of the nation's oil production. A spokesman for South Sudan's military said Wednesday that his country's soldiers have been defending the territory from attacks by Sudanese forces for the past two days. South Sudan's military now occupies oil fields and other areas of Heglig, according to Philip Aguer, the spokesman. Oil at the center of Sudan clashes "That is South Sudan," he said. "Khartoum has refused to demarcate the border. We know where the border is." Sudan also claims ownership of Heglig and lodged complaints with the United Nations Security Council and the African Union on Wednesday, urging them to pressure South Sudan to withdraw troops from its territory. Sudan's parliament approved "general mobilization" of the country's resources to support the military. It also voted to withdraw from negotiations with South Sudan that have been ongoing since the South declared independence last July. Aguer called the parliamentary decisions "a public relations exercise" and accused Sudan of carrying out attacks even during the peace talks. "There was no negotiation as far as I am concerned," he said. "The SPLA (South Sudan military) at the border were being bombed even when the politicians were talking." Sudan has repeatedly bombed southern territory since independence, including the November attack of a refugee camp in the neighboring nation's Unity state. South Sudan fought a two-decade civil war against the government in Khartoum, which led to secession.

When they separated, South Sudan acquired three quarters of Sudan's oil reserves. The two countries have been locked in negotiations about how much the landlocked South Sudan should pay to use a pipeline and processing facilities in the north. In late July, South Sudan halted oil production after accusing Sudan of "stealing" $815 million worth of its crude. Sudan said it confiscated the oil to make up for unpaid fees. The African Union-led negotiations also cover other outstanding issues since secession, including the status of citizens of both countries who find themselves living on either side of the world's newest international border. The fate of the Abyei region and other disputed border areas are also a point of contention. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was scheduled to travel to the southern capital of Juba earlier this month to meet with his counterpart Salva Kiir. The presidents were to sign agreements on citizenship and border demarcation, but Khartoum canceled the trip after fighting broke out along the border. South Sudan's sovereignty officially broke Africa's largest nation into two, the result of a referendum last year overwhelmingly approved by voters. The referendum was part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war pitting a government dominated by Arab Muslims in the north against black Christians and animists in the south. The war killed about 2 million people.
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News Headline: Fearing a backlash, Tuareg community flees Bamako | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: France 24 News Text: By Leela JACINTO Sitting cross-legged on the floor of his jewelry store in the Malian capital of Bamako, dressed in the distinctive indigo garb associated with the Tuareg people, Mohammed Karbando freezes the moment he's asked about the situation in Mali. Minutes earlier, the 55-year-old Tuareg silversmith was all smiles as he proudly displayed his handmade jewelry pieces. But now that the touchy question has been posed, the seconds tick uncomfortably by in his tiny, sweltering store before Karbando hazards a response. Really, I don't know much about the situation in Mali, he says slowly, his kohl-rimmed eyes staring blankly ahead. All I know is that I am afraid. Sometimes I want to leave, sometimes I want to stay, but always, I'm afraid. Every time I listen to this radio, he gestures to a dusty contraption on the floor, I hear 'Azawad, Azawad' -- it does not stop. Azawad is a contentious word in Bamako these days -- especially if you're Tuareg. For decades, it referred to the mythical Tuareg homeland that stretches across the border regions of present-day Mali, Niger and Algeria. But following the April 6 declaration of independence by a Tuareg rebel group in an unholy alliance with various Islamist militant groups, Azawad now refers to the northern Mali region that fell from government control last month following a March 22 military coup. It's also a term loosely used to refer to the Tuareg rebel group, the MNLA (Mouvement National pour la Liberation de l'Azawad) -- a deeply unpopular organization in Bamako, where

public anger against the independence declaration has been running high. But as the rage against the northern self-declared secession mounts, Bamako's tiny Tuareg community has been declining. All the Tuareg have left -- civil servants, businessmen, students, musicians, artists... They've all gone, says Mohamed Ag Ossad, director of TUMAST, a Bamako-based Tuareg cultural center, as he surveys the empty premises, where posters of now-canceled events are bleached by the unremitting sun. Ossad estimates that before the recent crisis, Bamako was home to around 2,000 to 3,000 Tuaregs. Today, he estimates that there are only around 15 to 20 Tuaregs left in a city of 1.8 million inhabitants. There are no official figures of the city's latest exodus in a country that has still to patch together an interim government following last week's agreement by the military junta to handover power to civilian control. The Tuaregs and other ethnic groups of North African Berber origins comprise about 10 per cent of Mali's total population of 14 million. Even in the north, the Tuaregs are a minority, making the Tuareg secessionist claim in the north difficult to digest for Mali's other ethnic groups. A mosaic of muti-ethnic groups A vast, multi-ethnic West African nation, Mali is home to a variety of ethnic groups, including the Bambara, Malinke, Soninke, Peul and Songhai, to name but a few. The often bewildering mosaic of diverse ethnic groups has largely spared Mali the sort of ethnic violence that has wrecked a few other African nations with populations more evenly split between major tribes and ethnic groups. Since its independence from France in 1960, Mali has experienced several Tuareg rebellions, as well as several peace accords that have led to measures intended to assimilate Tuaregs into the modern Malian economy -- although poverty, heath issues and a lack of the education necessary to produce marketable skills are problems that continue to confront the Tuaregs in the underdeveloped north. But over the past three decades, Ossad says the community has made several strides forward, with Tuaregs entering the ranks of civil servants and professionals. The Tuareg think they have been ill-treated, said Ossad. But if you look at any institution, any ministry, there's not a single ministry where there isn't a Tuareg. Not too many of them though are left in Bamako these days, as the Tuareg community in the city, fearing a backlash, have fled for neighbouring countries. Two waves of flight According to Ossad, the Tuareg exodus from Bamako started in February after a Tuaregowned pharmacy and homes -- including that of Mali's former minister of tourism and arts, Zakiatou Walet Halatine -- were attacked during a demonstration in Kati on the outskirts of Bamako. This attack was the latest in a series of protest movements targeting Tuaregs, Arabs and Mauritanians because of their lighter skin color. The northern Malian uprising in January, after Tuareg fighters in Libya returned home following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, seems to have triggered the initial tensions.

The security forces' failure to act resulted in thousands of Tuaregs and others fleeing Bamako, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania, according to Amnesty International. According to Ossad, the situation calmed in the following few weeks and some Tuareg started returning home. The men came back to resume their work -- we're talking about civil servants and professionals who have jobs in Bamako -- leaving their wives and children behind with their relatives outside Mali, explained Ossad. But after the [March 22] coup, there was a second wave of departures and that's when everyone started leaving. Now they aren't about to return - right now, I don't know of anyone who's coming back. A Tuareg married to an ethnic Bambara (the majority ethnic group in Mali), Ossad admits that he considered sending his children to their grandmother's in Burkina Faso. But when a transition power handover deal was signed last week, he decided against it. Me, I am not afraid, he insists. Bamako is my city. Mali is my country. I never asked for independence. (...) I really don't understand the goal of this separation of the north. I don't understand what these people [the rebels] are thinking -- in fact, they're not thinking, that's the problem. Ossad doesn't regret his decision to stay on in Bamako. Look around, Ossad says, his eyes sweeping around the cool, welcoming cultural center premises. Do you see any trouble? Here I am, everyone knows I'm here and no one has bothered me. I don't believe in violence. I am a man of culture, I support Tuareg culture and everyone knows culture is non-violent.
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News Headline: Sudan warplanes launch first attack on S.Sudan town | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: France 24 News Text: AFP - Sudanese warplanes launched their first attack on a major South Sudanese town on Thursday, with five bombs dropped on the capital of the oil-producing Unity border state, Southern officials said. "They dropped bombs in Bentiu town -- apparently they were aiming for a bridge," South Sudan's deputy information minister Atem Yaak Atem told AFP. Bombs were dropped at dawn targeting a strategic bridge on the edge of Bentiu, which lies some 60 kilometres (40 miles) from the frontier, on the third straight day of violence. The latest clashes brought the two former civil war foes closer to an outright war, after parliaments in both countries on Wednesday urged their respective citizens to take up defences. "Our position is not to go to war except in self-defence" Atem said, adding that there were no reported casualties from Thursday's raid. Atem said the bridge was near a United Nations compound, slightly outside the town and on the road leading north to the frontline.

Khartoum has vowed to react with "all means" against a three-pronged attack it said South Sudanese forces had launched against Sudan's South Kordofan state, including the Heglig oil field. A statement on Khartoum's official SUNA news agency warned of "destruction" in South Sudan. "I think they want to disable communication and transport -- they said they were going to destroy the South," Atem added. The African Union, United Nations and the United States have called for restraint and voiced deep concern at the esclation of violence which saw South Sudan's army seize the Heglig oil region. In response, Khartoum has pulled out of AU-led crisis talks aimed at resolving the protracted dispute over oil, border demarcation, contested areas and citizenship issues.
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News Headline: Cameron calls on Islam to embrace democracy and reject extremism | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: Guardian.co.uk News Text: Nicholas Watt Democracy and Islam can flourish together, David Cameron will declare on Thursday as he uses a landmark speech in Indonesia to tell the Muslim world that it can reject a "dead-end choice" between extremism and dictatorship. In one of his most significant speeches on Islam, the prime minister will say that the world can defeat extremists, who are a "dangerous foe" on a par with supporters of slavery. Cameron will hail the "extraordinary journey" undertaken by Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, since the end of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998 as an example of the "inspirational path" countries can follow. "What Indonesia shows is that in the world's largest Muslim-majority country, it is possible to reject this extremist threat and prove that democracy and Islam can flourish alongside each other," the prime minister will tell students at Al-Azhar University in Jakarta. "That's why what you are doing here is so important, because it gives heart to those around the world who are engaged in the same struggle." Downing Street regards the prime minister's speech as one of the highlights of his trip to Asia as the visit moves from a trade mission to focus on politics. The main highlight will come on Friday when the prime minister becomes the first western leader to go to Burma since Aung San Suu Kyi's recent success in a series of parliamentary byelections. In his speech on Thursday, the prime minister will pay tribute to Aung San Suu Kyi and to the Burmese president, Thein Sein, who faced down conservatives to allow Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy to contest the recent elections. Cameron, who will visit the president in the Burmese capital of capital Naypyidaw and Suu Kyi in Rangoon, will say: "Where reform is beginning, like in Burma, we must get behind it. So let's pay tribute to those who have for decades, and at huge personal cost to themselves, fought for that freedom and reform. Not least, of course, the inspirational Aung San Suu Kyi.

"Let's pay tribute also to the leadership of President Thein Sein and his government, which has been prepared to release political prisoners, hold byelections and legalise political parties that had previously been outlawed. And let's show that when they have the courage to reform, we have the courage to respond." The prime minister's visit to Burma is likely to have an immediate impact as it accelerates moves towards the scaling-down of sanctions against the country. His speech in Indonesia will address one pressing issue Syria but also sketch out what he sees as a longer-term challenge facing the whole world, which, he will say, needs to join together to face down four major threats to democracy. On Syria, the prime minister will say that the determination of President Bashar al-Assad to remain in power risks a civil war. "Where cries for reform are being resisted and the people are being repressed just as they are today in Syria we must oppose the authoritarian. Because the longer Assad stays, the more dangerous things become for his people and the greater the likelihood of a bloody civil war." Cameron will label Assad as one of the world's "dangerous foes" who follow in an ignoble historical tradition. "Wherever [the] vision of democracy and citizenship has been advanced, it has encountered dangerous foes. From slavery in America to the civil rights movement a century later. From apartheid in South Africa to the situation in Syria today." The prime minister will identify four groups he believes are determined to defeat democracy: Authoritarian leaders. Cameron will cite Muammar Gaddafi, Hosni Mubarak, the former Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and Assad as he says: "In each case the Arab spring has shown that denying people their rights in the name of stability and security actually makes countries less stable in the end. Over time, the pressure builds up until the people take to the streets and demand their freedoms." Corrupt elites. Cameron will cite the Tunisian official who prompted the fruit seller Mohammed Bouazizi to set himself alight after refusing to let him sell his goods. "Corruption denies the people their economic and political stake the citizenship, the job and the voice that they want. Worse still, it breeds a cynicism and a sense of rage." Extremists. The prime minister will say he is not talking about Islam, which he will describe as a "religion observed peacefully and devoutly by over a billion people", and he will also make clear that other religions attract extremists. But he will say: "There is a problem across the globe with Islamist extremism, which is a political ideology supported by a minority." And he will go on to condemn "extremists some of whom are violent and all of whom want to impose a particular and very radical, extreme version of Islamism on society to the exclusion of all others. And this total rejection of debate and democratic consent means they believe that democracy and Islam are incompatible." He will identify an early test as he challenges the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to guarantee the rights of other religions. "The world will expect them to live up to the commitments they have made to protect the rule of law for all citizens, to defend the rights of the Coptic Christians and minority groups and to accept that democracy means they will be held accountable in the courts, and that they should not pervert the democratic process to hold on to power should the will of the people change." Tribalists. The prime minister will cite Northern Ireland's past as an example of the "poison" of tribalists who discriminate against other groups.
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News Headline: Analyst says Somali pirates have new weapons from Libya |

News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: MSNBC News Text: CAPE TOWN Somali pirates have acquired sophisticated weaponry, including mines and shoulder-held missile launchers from Libya, and are likely to use them in bolder attacks on shipping, a senior maritime security analyst said on Thursday. "We found that Libyan weapons are being sold in what is the world's biggest black market for illegal gun smugglers, and Somali pirates are among those buying from sellers in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other countries," said Judith van der Merwe, of the Algiers-based African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism. "We believe our information is credible and know that some of the pirates have acquired ship mines, as well as Stinger and other shoulder-held missile launchers," Van der Merwe told Reuters on the sidelines of an Indian Ocean naval conference. After Libya's ruler Muammar Gaddafi was killed by rebels in the north African state, weaponry from his well-stocked arsenals made its way onto the black market, she said. The information was gathered from interviews with gun smugglers, pirates and other sources, said Van der Merwe. Pirates operating from the Somali coast have raked in millions of dollars in ransoms from hijacking ships and a report in 2011 estimated that maritime piracy costs the global economy between $7 billion and $12 billion through higher shipping costs and ransom payments. Warships from NATO, the European Union and other affected countries deployed in the Gulf of Aden have had only limited success in combating pirate attacks, mainly because of the huge expanse of sea that needs surveillance, some 2.5 million square miles. "What we are seeing is a decrease in the number of successful attacks, but an increase in the ransom amounts paid out, and the fear is that better armed pirates could risk more or pose a greater challenge when facing capture," Van der Merwe said. Pirates have attacked as far away as the Indian coast, about 1,000 nautical miles away, and are increasingly turning their attention southwards towards South Africa. A former commander of naval Task Force 151, one of the multi-national forces in the Gulf of Aden, said pirates usually surrendered when faced with the massive firepower of naval vessels. "At this stage we are seeing no evidence the pirates of Somalia are having any weapons beyond the AK47s and RPGs," Rear Admiral Harris Chan of the Singapore Navy told Reuters at the conference.
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News Headline: South Sudan says won't withdraw from disputed area | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: Reuters News Text: By Ulf Laessing; Tom Pfeiffer and Robin Pomeroy CAIRO (Reuters) - South Sudanese forces will not leave an oilfield vital to the northern economy until the threat of cross-border attacks by Khartoum is removed, the south's information minister said on Thursday.

Sudan said on Wednesday it would mobilise its army against South Sudan and halted talks with the southern government over oil payments and other disputed issues after the South occupied the border region oilfield. The south said it did so to put an end to attacks from the north. "There must be a mechanism so they don't launch another attack," South Sudan's Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin cited President Salva Kiir as saying. He said Sudan's air force had dropped six bombs on Unity State on the southern side of the illdefined border on Thursday, killing one soldier.
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News Headline: Mali's Traore sworn in as acting president | Top News | Reuters | News Date: 04/12/2012 Outlet Full Name: Reuters News Text: By Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO (Reuters) - Former parliament speaker Dioncounda Traore took over as Mali's interim president on Thursday from the leaders of last month's coup, promising to hold elections and fight Tuareg and Islamist rebels occupying half the country. Traore, 70, a labour activist turned politician, was sworn in by Supreme Court President Nouhoum Tapily in the capital Bamako as part of a deal to restore civilian rule after army officers staged a March 22 coup in the West African state. The coup shattered predominantly Mulsim Mali's image as one of the most peaceful and stable states in the region. Triggered by army anger over the previous civilian government's failure to tackle a Tuareg-led rebellion in the north, it backfired spectacularly, allowing the rebels to advance and declare a northern separatist homeland. Al Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters are among the occupying rebels. With residents and U.N. rights experts reporting killings, rapes and looting on the rise in rebelseized northern towns, there are fears of the vast northern territory becoming a lawless and destabilising "rogue state" in West Africa. "We will never negotiate the partition of Mali," Traore said in his inauguration speech in which he promised to organise "free and transparent elections over the whole of the national territory". Former President Amadou Toumani Toure, deposed by last month's coup, formally resigned to facilitate the transition deal with the coup leaders. "I am president of a country that loves peace," Traore said, wearing the presidential sash over a dark suit. But he added: "I will not hesitate to wage a deadly and implacable war against the rebels and the hostage-takers who discredit our country". This was a clear reference to al Qaeda fighters who have held Western hostages in northern Mali. But despite his brave words, there are no immediate signs that Mali's army, weakened by last month's putsch, is readying any significant offensive against the rebels whose ranks were swelled by arms and Tuareg soldiers who had served slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The 15-state ECOWAS grouping of West African countries, which pressured the Bamako coup leaders to give up power, is preparing an intervention force of up to 3,000 troops. But it has said its mandate is to prevent any further rebel advances rather than win back the lost territory. Former colonial power France has offered logistical support but ruled out sending troops. CIVILIANS "KILLED, ROBBED, RAPED" As Traore was sworn in in the southern capital Bamako, confusion reined over which factions of the diverse rebel movement were controlling what strategic locations in the fabled desert trading city of Timbuktu and the garrison town of Gao. There have been reports of Islamist rebels seeking to apply sharia law among the local population, shutting down bars and ordering women to cover their heads. Other reports have spoken of looting and gun-toting, turban-wearing fighters roaming the streets, forcing many non-Tuaregs to flee the north. The top U.N. human rights official, Navi Pillay, condemned reported serious violations being committed against civilians in Mali, and said the situation there risked worsening a grave humanitarian crisis already affecting the drought-plagued Sahel region, as thousands of refugees flee the rebels. Reports from the north of the country suggest that civilians have been killed, robbed, raped and forced to flee," Pillay said in a statement released by her office in Geneva. Pillay added that while the reports were confused, "a variety of different rebel groups have been accused of looting private and public property, including hospitals and health care facilities." She said that human rights violations, including illegal arrests, poor conditions of detention and attempts to restrict the right to freedom of expression, have also been reported in Bamako in the wake of the military takeover. Separatist leaders have declared a secular Tuareg homeland of "Azawad" in an area bigger than France in northern Mali - a secession bid so far snubbed by the world. Those separatist rebels have distanced themselves from their Islamist comrades-in-arms, who, for their part, reject secession and say they want to apply sharia across all of Mali.
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News Headline: Experts Discuss Hunt for LRA and Security-Sector Reform in Central African Republic | News Date: 04/13/2012 Outlet Full Name: US Africa Command News Text: WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr 12, 2012 The appearance of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the Central African Republic and the lingering presence of rebel groups have overwhelmed the country's small military, regional officials said during an international roundtable discussion at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., on April 6, 2012. Continuing instability caused by the armed groups threaten any hope of creating security or development in the landlocked, poverty-ridden country, said Colonel Jean-Francis Bozize, the CAR's deputy minister of defense.

Bozize spoke during the meeting that included Central Africa specialists from the U.S. departments of State and Defense, Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) scholars, and high-level officials representing CAR, the UN, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Bozize commented on the status of the LRA and security-sector reform in his country. "The operational capabilities of the LRA have been reduced by 75%," he said. "But the group's center of gravity remains in the CAR despite efforts to cooperate" by neighboring countries' militaries and around 100 U.S. military advisors. "The LRA has become a permanent source of instability in the region," he said. Joseph Kony's LRA, originally from Uganda, is known for its brutal acts of terrorism and butchery in the region's remote countryside. The group appeared in the CAR following offensives by the country's neighbors to eradicate it from their lands. Kony and other LRA leaders are said to be in the country's Zomongo forest. But a number of challenges--difficult terrain, low visibility, and complex resupply operations--face regional militaries as they continue to pursue the quick-moving LRA. The group's impact in the CAR's southeast has been significant. With virtually no government presence in the remote wilderness, local self-defense groups have organized defensive lines around towns. Villagers stuck in these strongholds, meanwhile, have grown frustrated at being unable to return to their farms and other work and stresses caused by the invading marauders are beginning to fray relationships between settled agrarian communities and their pastoralist neighbors. Alexis Arieff, an African affairs specialist with the Congressional Research Service, said the LRA's appearance in the CAR became known in 2008 following incidents of looting and abduction of villagers. "There are significant challenges for the CAR: How does the country prioritize their problem with the LRA against the other major problems it faces?" Arieff said. The group joins at least five political-military rebel groups with a presence in the country. Margaret Vogt, the special representative and head of the UN's Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the CAR, said the CAR's security situation could influence the rest of the region. "If we don't move quickly, possible linkages between the LRA and other politico-military groups in the CAR could become a reality," Vogt said. "The country must become a firewall to prevent further degradation of security across the Sahel." Indeed, Bozize confirmed one rebel group, the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace, has provided information to the LRA and helped it attack the CAR army. Vogt said the CAR government is trying to contain the situation as best it can and focusing on an aggressive attempt to stabilize the country's security. So far, it has signed security agreements with Chad and the Sudan that resulted in the deployment of a tripartite force and the return of significant numbers of refugees. "This seminar is an opportunity to talk about a country that is not very often at the center of public attention," Vogt said. "The government has been unable to deploy the resources necessary to control its territory." Bozize acknowledged the CAR must develop a professional national security apparatus.

"Peacebuilding must have an effective, capable security force to prevent conflict and enforce the peace," the deputy defense minister said. "We need to disarm and demobilize all of the combatants in my country. Our momentum has stalled due to a lack of resources." Ambassador (ret.) William M. Bellamy, the director of ACSS, which hosted the roundtable, said the CAR has been willing to try multiple approaches and paths to overcome the obstacles to its security. "What the CAR faces is daunting," Bellamy said. "No other examples come to mind of such a beleaguered state experiencing so many security challenges. The question for its leaders becomes, 'Where do you begin?'" The Africa Center is the pre-eminent Department of Defense institution for strategic security studies, research, and outreach in Africa. ACSS offers a range of academic symposiums, workshops, and programs throughout Africa, the United States, and Europe. Since 1999, more than 4,500 African and international leaders have participated in ACSS programs.
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News Headline: United Nations News Centre - Africa Briefs | News Date: 04/13/2012 Outlet Full Name: United Nations News Service News Text: Security Council demands unconditional end to Sudan-South Sudan fighting 12 April The Security Council today voiced growing alarm at the escalating conflict between Sudan and South Sudan, warning that fighting threatens to take both countries to full-scale war, which in the past brought only death, suffering, destruction of infrastructure, and economic devastation. UN launches first flight in expanded family visits for Western Sahara refugees 12 April The United Nations refugee agency on Wednesday launched the first flight in an expanded programme of visits for long-separated Sahrawi families in the Tindouf camps of Algeria and in the territory of Western Sahara. Darfur: UN-African mission chief reports security, humanitarian improvements 12 April The head of the joint United Nations-African Union mission in the western Sudanese region of Darfur (UNAMID) today reported a decrease in clashes and ethnic conflict, as well as a decline in criminal activities against civilians, including banditry, and fewer attacks on humanitarian convoys in the area. Senior UN official urges action to halt human rights abuses in Mali 12 April The top United Nations human rights official today called for urgent national and international action to end the political instability that has been fuelling recent violence in Mali, while voicing alarm at continuing reports of serious rights violations, especially in rebel-held northern areas.
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