africom related news clips 26 may 2011

8/6/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 26 May 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/africom-related-news-clips-26-may-2011 1/22

United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office26 May 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

AFRICOM in the Congo: Congo·s challenge: Feeding troops consistently (Stars andStripes)(Congo) Birds of prey hovered near the man-made ponds at the military base in this jungle city, where U.S. taxpayer dollars are being spent to help the struggling

Congolese army learn how to perform the most fundamental of tasks: feeding itssoldiers.

Obama: Libya campaign has limits but Kadhafi will go (AFP)(Libya) US President Barack Obama admitted Wednesday that NATO's campaign inLibya has limits but warned pressure will mount on Moamer Kadhafi to quit, even afterRussia slammed the alliance's latest bombing blitz of Tripoli.

Lawmakers question whether Obama is adhering to War Powers Resolution in Libya

(Washington Post)(Libya) Is President Obama breaking the law in Libya? That question ³ which both theWhite House and congressional leaders seemed to have ducked in recent days ³ wasraised by several legislators Wednesday morning at a House committee hearing.

Obama, Cameron Claim Agreement on Libya (VOA)(Libya) U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron aresounding a harmonious tone on their approach to protecting Libyan civilians fromattacks by Moammar Gadhafi's government forces.

List of missing grows in Libyan rebel city Misrata (AP)(Libya) Inside a small whitewashed building, a former Libyan prosecutor tends to the

list of Misrata's missing. It grows longer ³ at least 1,000 names so far ³ as rebelsexpand their territory and more families come forward with names of those whodisappeared during the seven-week siege by government forces on Libya's third-largestcity.

SAfrica's Zuma plans Kadhafi 'exit strategy' talks in Libya (AFP)



May 25, 2011KISANGANI, Congo ³ Birds of prey hovered near the man-made ponds at the militarybase in this jungle city, where U.S. taxpayer dollars are being spent to help thestruggling Congolese army learn how to perform the most fundamental of tasks:feeding its soldiers.

Some 45,000 tilapia were supposed to be swimming in the ponds scattered around thecamp, the fruits of an American effort to teach hungry soldiers how to farm their ownfood.

In 24 hours, the Congolese defense minister would be visiting the camp for a ceremonialfish harvest that was to be broadcast on national television.

But Beau Davis, the 28-year-old Texan in charge of the program, was concerned. Wouldthe harvest be plentiful? How many fish, really, were still in the ponds?

´I need a shotgun,µ Davis joked as he scanned the sky for birds. ´But it·s not as big of aproblem as another species of predators ³ with two legs.µ

Base workers, hungry and short on cash, have been known to fish the ponds and selltheir catch at village markets.

´I·m a part-time agricultural specialist, part-time baby sitter,µ Davis said.

For the past year, Davis has been working with a cadre of Congolese soldiers to raise

cattle, pigs and fish. The team also is growing maize, cassava and other crops as part ofa pilot project that could be replicated at bases across the Democratic Republic of theCongo.

Generations of military forces here have been living off the land in a different way.Without a reliable supply chain, troops in the Congo have found it easier to prey uponcivilians, stealing food and whatever else they need, rather than work their own fields.

Now, as the U.S. attempts to transform this unruly army into a more professional force,military officials say the key could be something as basic as ensuring that troops haveregular meals. Without such necessities, there is little hope that soldiers will cease toplunder the populations they are supposed to be protecting.

´To the Congolese·s credit, they recognize the weakness in (their logistical) system,µsaid a U.S. military official, speaking on background about the military mission inCongo. ´Feeding is an example of that.µ



For Davis, the visit by Congolese Defense Minister Charles Mwando Simba offered achance to showcase the progress of soldiers in Kisangani as they attempt to build a basethat can supply its own food. He hoped to be able to pull out baskets teeming withtilapia.

Growing stuff

Davis, a contractor from the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture atTexas A&M, manages a $1.9 million program funded by U.S. Africa Command and theU.S. State Department. The idea is to develop a sustainable source of food for themilitary mission at the camp while testing whether such an initiative can be replicatedin other regions.

A company of 60 Congolese soldiers were converted into agricultural specialistscapable of managing a diverse blend of crops and livestock. Jungle bush was plowed

into farmland and local agricultural consultants from a nearby university were broughtin to lend their expertise.

´That·s for the long-term sustainability, because we aren·t going to be here forever,µDavis said.

´If we could see this done across the nation, not only will it help in feeding the military,it could change the view of the army ³ that they·re not just people who take and takeand take,µ Davis said. ´There is not a base commander in Congo that doesn·t want aproductive farm on their base.µ

But in Kisangani, there are signs of trouble as short-term needs get in the way of thelong-term interests.

Fish, pigs, cattle and crops being cultivated have become potential targets for famishedtroops. There·s been at least one casualty: a young calf was found bloodied after beinghacked with a machete. Hungry soldiers, who only get one meal a day at the base, weresuspected.

Fish harvest

Before the arrival of the VIPs, Davis pulled a night shift, trying to discover just howmany fish were under the water·s surface.

During meetings in the capital city of Kinshasa, Davis had heard plenty of lip servicefrom government officials about how they were interested in building a military that isself-sustaining.



But over time, Davis said he saw leaders take a genuine interest in the agriculturalinitiative and Mwando, the defense minister, had become one of the program·sstrongest advocates.

Ít remains to be seen what the (Congolese military) will do on its own,µ Davis said.

Éverybody likes the idea when the U.S. is paying.µ

After all, it was American taxpayers who paid for the tilapia farms. The fast-growingfish species could introduce some much-needed protein into the diets of the soldiers onbase.

But would there be enough fish to feed an army?

Not, it turned out, on the day of Mwando·s visit. After a desperate night of fishing,Davis knew he needed to improvise the next morning. If the ceremonial harvest went

forward as planned, Mwando would likely be pulling fishless nets from the waterbefore the rolling cameras.

So instead, Davis laid out his meager catch from the night before in an anticlimacticdemonstration of the farm·s yet to be realized potential. The cameras clicked. The fishwere fried for lunch. And Davis pondered a new strategy for a better harvest the nextgo-around. Security would be part of that plan, he said.

Ás far as the actual fish we harvested, I was very disappointed,µ Davis said shortlyafter the defense minister·s visit. ´We had a lot more theft than we realized.µ

-----------------------Obama: Libya campaign has limits but Kadhafi will go (AFP)By Imed LamloumMay 25, 2011TRIPOLI ³ US President Barack Obama admitted Wednesday that NATO's campaignin Libya has limits but warned pressure will mount on Moamer Kadhafi to quit, evenafter Russia slammed the alliance's latest bombing blitz of Tripoli.

The African Union meanwhile urged a political solution to the long-running conflict,which is expected to be one of the main themes of a G8 summit in France on Thursdayand Friday, which Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron will attend.

"Once you rule out ground forces, then there are going to be some inherent limitationsto our air strike operation," Obama said, adding however that the aerial bombardmentwould eventually force out the Libyan strongman.



The US president told a joint news conference in London with Cameron that Kadhafi'sgovernment was under pressure in "a slow, steady process in which we are able to weardown the regime forces."

Cameron echoed Obama's view, saying "patience and persistence" were necessary in

Libya.

"We should be turning up the heat in Libya. I think the pressure should be on thatregime," the British leader said.

Their statements came only hours after a senior NATO military official said the Westernalliance is shifting into high gear in Libya in a bid to deliver a decisive blow to Kadhafi'sregime, hitting Tripoli with its heaviest bombardment to date.

NATO must "speed up the systematic destruction of Tripoli's military machine with the

goal of neutralising Kadhafi's forces for good," the official said, adding allies hopedKadhafi would fall by late June or early July.

African leaders, meanwhile, urged a political solution as they opened talks on thetroubled North African state in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

And Egypt's foreign minister Nabil al-Arabi said Cairo would send Hani Khallaf as itsenvoy to the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi to follow up on developments thereand push a political solution.

"I am convinced that only a political solution can lead to a lasting peace and satisfy thelegitimate aspirations of the Libyan people," said Jean Ping, head of the AUCommission, the pan-African bloc's executive body.

But the "current situation on the ground and the lack of coordination of internationalefforts do not favour the search for a solution," he added.

Before the talks even opened in Addis Ababa, the office of South African President Jacob Zuma said he would visit Tripoli next week.

"President Zuma will stop over in Tripoli for a discussion with Libyan leader ColonelMoamer Kadhafi, on May 30," the presidency said in a statement.

Presidency sources said the talks would focus on Kadhafi's "exit strategy."

Zuma visited Tripoli on April 10 as part of an African Union delegation that sought tobroker a truce between Kadhafi and the rebels, but their proposals foundered when therebels insisted the strongman quit office immediately.



Two sources in the president's office, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the talkswould focus on Kadhafi's "exit strategy."

"The purpose is to discuss an exit strategy for Kadhafi. The meeting is still very much in

the planning stages," one official said on condition of anonymity.

A second official said South Africa was working on a transition plan with Turkey,which last month proposed a "roadmap" to end the Libyan turmoil also envisagingKadhafi's departure.

A foreign ministry official said Turkey was ready to help any initiative to end Libya'sturmoil but had had no contact so far with South Africa's leader on an exit strategy forKadhafi.

"We have had no particular dialogue so far but it does not mean that we will not haveany in the future," the official said, adding Turkey was ready to contribute to any Libyapeace initiative.

Russia's foreign ministry called NATO's latest bombings of Tripoli a "grave departure"from UN resolutions on Libya that could lead to a further escalation in violence.

Moscow said the West's attempts to justify the offensive by pointing to the threats beingposed to civilians by Kadhafi's regime ignored the danger of the Tripoli governmentdigging in.

"Air strikes are not stopping the military confrontation between the Libyan parties andonly creating more suffering among peaceful civilians," the ministry statement said.

Six powerful explosions struck late on Tuesday near Kadhafi's residence, targeted a dayearlier by intensive NATO air strikes, an AFP journalist said.

At a refugee camp near the Tunisia-Libya border, a fire killed four people and injuredone, the United Nations said.

Thousands of people have fled to the camp since violence broke out in Libya inFebruary.----------------------Lawmakers question whether Obama is adhering to War Powers Resolution in Libya

(Washington Post)By David A. FahrentholdMay 25, 2011Is President Obama breaking the law in Libya?



That question ³ which both the White House and congressional leaders seemed tohave ducked in recent days ³ was raised by several legislators Wednesday morning ata House committee hearing.

It came on the same day that Obama, speaking in London, urged patience with the two-month-old campaign against Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi.

The hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee was the most public airing sofar of a complaint on Capitol Hill: that Obama has violated the 1973 War PowersResolution by not obtaining congressional authorization for the U.S. attacks in Libya.

´The undeniable conclusion is that the president is breaking the law by continuing theunilateral offensive war in Libya,µ said Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), a conservativefreshman testifying before the committee.

Amash has proposed a bill that would cut off funding for U.S. efforts in Libya untilObama obtains congressional authorization. ´The tragedy for our system of self-government would be if Congress continued to do nothing,µ he said.

On Friday, Obama missed a 60-day deadline set by the Nixon-era act that required himto obtain congressional permission for the operation in Libya. Instead, he sent a letter tocongressional leaders that did not mention the War Powers Resolution but urged thatthey pass a resolution of support for the campaign in the violence-torn country.

That resolution has been introduced in the Senate. But Majority Leader Harry M. Reid(D-Nev.) said Tuesday that it won·t be considered until after the Memorial Day recess,which lasts all next week.

On Tuesday, in fact, it was clear that the Libya operation has brought about aremarkable moment in Washington. The White House and Republican and Democraticleaders on Capitol Hill signaled a common strategy on the War Powers Resolution ³ alaw governing the key issue of how the United States goes to war. In what seems like apolitical magic trick, they appear to be trying their best to ignore the law in the hopethat it goes away.

Asked whether the president still has the authority to continue operations in Libya,Obama spokesman Ben Rhodes did not mention the resolution specifically.

´I think we addressed that through the letter the president sent up to Congress at theend of last week, again, reaffirming our ongoing efforts in Libya,µ Rhodes said. ´So webelieve we have the authorities we need.µ



Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) showed little concern thatObama had missed the deadline. ´We·ve had good discussions on Libya,µ Reid said.McConnell also was noncommittal: ´Discussions continue.µ

On Wednesday in London, there was no sign that the involvement in the Libyan

uprising would let up. Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke of acontinued commitment to pressure Gaddafi with military attacks.

´Gaddafi and his regime need to understand that there will not be a let-up in thepressure that we are applying,µ Obama said. Í believe that we have built enoughmomentum that as long as we sustain the course that we are on that he is ultimatelygoing to step down,µ Obama said.

Legal scholars say that the War Powers Resolution has been flouted repeatedly by pastpresidents. Congress tussled with Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton over the

resolution: in the 1980s, when Reagan sent Marines to Lebanon, and in 1999, whenClinton ordered airstrikes in the Balkans.

But scholars noted that past presidents often made an argument about why theresolution didn·t apply to them. As the deadline passed, Obama did not even do that.

Obama·s lack of response ´does take this final step of not even bothering to go throughthe motions,µ said Peter Spiro, a law professor at Temple University.

Spiro said he approved of the president·s decision: He, and some other legal scholars,

say the law deserves to be ignored. The resolution, Spiro said, has been unworkable andpossibly unconstitutional since its enactment.

´President Obama has clearly violated the letter of law. And nobody·s really jumpingup and down that much,µ Spiro said. ´That·s a reflection of a consensus understandingthat [this] law doesn·t represent ¶the law.· That the law isn·t the law.µ

But, in Congress, some legislators have begun to raise objections. On Tuesday, Sen.Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee,asked William J. Burns, a White House nominee for deputy secretary of state, about thethe missed deadline.

Ít appears to me that potentially a precedent is being set here that ... is not a good one,µLugar told Burns. Í·m hopeful that you·ll convey that backµ to the White House.

And on Wednesday morning at the House committee hearing, a series of legislatorsblasted Obama as ignoring the resolution ³ and Congress itself.



´They won·t even acknowledge the 60th day ... the day on which they began violatingthe law,µ said Rep. Bradley J. Sherman (D-Calif.). ´The fault is also with Congress. Somany of us would like to evade the contentious issues.µ

Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) testified before the committee about his own proposed

resolution, which would express the ´sense of Congressµ that Obama should seekauthorization for the operation in Libya.

Íf you·re going to go to war and send our troops into harm·s way, you need us ³ andthe American people ³ on board,µ Rooney said. ´What we·re asking for is simple ³that the president respect our role.µ

Historians say that the legislators who drafted the War Powers Act were trying toaddress two of Washington·s ingrained habits: Presidents usually seek to expand theirpowers, and Congress often shies away from inserting itself into ongoing wars, because

the downside of meddling is so high.

The act was intended to stop both, forcing Congress into confrontations that wouldcheck the president·s power.

But, since it was passed, the resolution has been undermined by the very habits it wasmeant to overcome.

Ít·s just like a [New Year·s] resolution, right? You start off the new year with the desireto go the gym,µ but bad old habits return quickly, said Saikrishna Prakash, a law

professor at the University of Virginia. Ýou can·t tie your hands with this piece ofpaper.µ-------------------Obama, Cameron Claim Agreement on Libya (VOA)By Kent KleinMay 25, 2011London - U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron aresounding a harmonious tone on their approach to protecting Libyan civilians fromattacks by Moammar Gadhafi's government forces.

At a news conference outside the British prime minister's residence, President Obamaand his British counterpart said there would be no letup in efforts to oust the Libyanleader.

Obama said the NATO military action in Libya has made progress, and pressure onGadhafi to step down will continue.



´Well, first of all, I do think that we have made enormous progress in Libya. We havesaved lives as a consequence of our concerted actions,µ Obama said.

The president did not say he would commit any more U.S. military resources to theeffort, even though France and some other NATO allies are calling for that.

Prime Minister Cameron said he and Obama agree that the allies should continueturning up the heat on Libya.

´Then this is a once-in-a-generation moment to grab hold of. It is not a time for us toshrink back and think about our own issues and interests. This is our issue, and this ismassively in our interests,µ Cameron said.

Both leaders agreed that the United Nations mandate that authorized the militaryaction in Libya does not call for regime change, but the president agreed with the prime

minister that Gadhafi must go.

´It is going to be difficult to meet the U.N. mandate of security for the Libyan people solong as Gadhafi and his regime are still attacking them,µ said Obama.

Obama and Cameron both ruled out sending ground troops to Libya. They agreed thatridding Libya of Moammar Gadhafi will be a slow, steady process, and the Britishleader advised patience and persistence.

The president said there is no secret, super-effective option for using air power to force

the Libyan leader out.

Cameron said he supports Obama's call to restart the Middle East peace process,including his controversial call for Israel to return to its 1967 boundaries, with mutuallyagreed-to land swaps.

´Again, I congratulated the president on his recent speech on the Middle East, whichwas bold, it was visionary, and it set out what is needed in the clearest possible terms --an end to terror against Israelis and the restoration of dignity to the Palestinians,µ saidCameron.

The president said achieving progress toward Middle East peace will require what hecalled ´wrenching compromiseµ by both sides. And he said the talks need to resume.

´What I am absolutely certain of is that if they are not talking, we are not going to makeany progress. And neither the Israeli people nor the Palestinian people will be wellserved,µ stated Obama.



Obama came out strongly against the Palestinians' plan to pursue statehood through aU.N. Resolution. Cameron again said his government would take a wait-and-seeapproach to the issue.

The president and the prime minister showed some difference on their methods of

fighting government debt. Cameron said they might take different paths but hope toend up in the same place. His government has instituted massive budget cuts, in hopesof regaining financial health.

On the state of the relationship between the U.S. and Britain, Obama said it is ´thestrongest it has ever been.µ Some observers have questioned the health of the so-called´special relationship,µ but both leaders, as well as Britain's Queen Elizabeth, have goneout of their way to say it is not only special, but essential.-----------------------List of missing grows in Libyan rebel city Misrata (AP)

By Unattributed AuthorMay 25, 2011MISRATA, Libya ³ Inside a small whitewashed building, a former Libyan prosecutortends to the list of Misrata's missing.

It grows longer ³ at least 1,000 names so far ³ as rebels expand their territory andmore families come forward with names of those who disappeared during the seven-week siege by government forces on Libya's third-largest city.

The costs from the bombardment and battles in Misrata are well known. But only now

³ after rebels have driven out the last of Moammar Gadhafi's forces and reclaimed thefarms, olive groves and villages on Misrata's outskirts ³ another aspect of the fight isbeginning to emerge.

It's contained in Tarek Abdel-Hadi's ledger: the disappearance of hundreds of people ³sometimes even whole families ³ during the onslaught.

"We have to do this and tell the outside world what has happened to these people," saidAbdel-Hadi, a former prosecutor now in charge of the missing persons file.

Some were "forcibly taken away" by Gadhafi's troops, he claimed. Others may have leftof their own accord to escape the relentless violence that once gripped Misrata. Others,of course, could have been killed and their bodies not yet recovered.

Abdel-Hadi logs each name, age and the date they were last seen. A passport photo isstapled to the top of each page. The names are then put into a computer database that issent to the rebel leadership in Benghazi, as well as human rights groups and socialnetworking sites in hopes that something can be done.



"We will always ask the outside world for help to find out about what happened tothem," he said. "They can put pressure on Gadhafi to release those that are captured."

One father believes this was the fate of his wife and their seven sons.

Mohammed shuffles through Misrata's rubble-strewn streets clutching theirphotographs. He is convinced they were kidnapped by Gadhafi's forces in the closingdays of their siege earlier this month, and has been told they are being held in a town ingovernment-held territory.

While it is impossible in many cases to determine exactly what happened to themissing, there appear to be some patterns. Government troops hauled away young menin the early days of the battle, and later went after families as they retreated.

Mohammed, a quiet 48-year-old who walks with a slight limp, fears his family wastargeted because he's a rebel supporter living in a housing development dominated byGadhafi loyalists.

"I have no answer for why they took my family ³ only Gadhafi knows," saidMohammed, who gave only his first name because of fears of reprisals or furtherendangering his missing wife and children.

"Maybe he wants to use them as human shields," he added before turning his away tohide his tears.

In the early days of the Libyan uprising in February, Mohammed drove four Egyptianstrying to escape the chaos east to Benghazi. He was unable to return to Misrata by landbecause of the fighting along the coastal highway, but eventually returned to Misrata bysea, catching a ride on a fishing boat.

By that time, government forces had already besieged the city. Mohammed was againtrapped, this time unable to get through the front lines to his family in Kararim, about12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Misrata.

For six weeks he waited without word, until the rebels finally broke the siege andexpelled the last of Gadhafi's forces in mid-May.

Mohammed raced home the next day to his apartment in a new four-story, peach-colored block overlooking dusty fields, eucalyptus trees and the pillars of morebuildings under construction.



Signs of the tumult that swept through the area were everywhere: smashed cars stoodempty at odd angles in the parking lot and on the sidewalks; shell casings littered theasphalt; laundry left out to dry on balconies snapped in the wind.

He ran upstairs to the second floor and found the door to his apartment open a crack.

"I pushed open the door and rushed in, calling out the name of my eldest son, Salah," hesaid.

There was no answer. They were gone.

He tried to piece together what happened from his ransacked apartment. The bedroomshared by his three youngest sons ³ Youssef, 8, Abdel-Kadr, 5, and Zubeir, 12 ³ wascharred black, the floor covered with ash and twisted metal.

In the bedroom of his four other sons ³ aged 13 to 22 ³ the beds were overturned. Thered Liverpool football club flag was still taped to the wall, an Arabic-English dictionarystill sitting on the desk.

Gadhafi forces had stayed at some point in the apartment. Flies swarmed the rottingfood they had left in the kitchen, but there was no sign of what had happened toMohammed's family.

Then a friend of Mohammed managed to speak to his own missing relatives on aborrowed satellite phone. The man's family told him they were being held in al-Hisha,

between Misrata and Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, and that Mohammed's family wasthere, too.

Another man, Mahmoud Abaja, knows exactly what happened to his two missing sons:He watched Gadhafi's soldiers haul them away.

Over glasses of sweet tea, Abaja and his neighbors recounted how some 40 governmenttroops stormed into their Misrata suburb of Kirzas in tanks and armored-personnelcarriers on March 16 and moved house to house, rounding people up and sprayingbuildings with random gunfire.

They dragged Abaja, a slim 55-year-old with a close-cut white beard, from his housealong with two of his sons, Mohammed, 24, and Salem, 30. The soldiers tied the men'shands behind their backs and sat them down in front of the local bakery along witheight others.

"They took seven of them sitting there and threw them into the back of a pickup truck,"Abaja said.



The soldiers left behind two men who had been shot: one in the legs, the other in thestomach. Abaja, too, was not loaded onto the truck.

"I'm an old man, that's why they left me," he said.

Abaja said there's been "no word whatsoever of them," but he believes he will see themagain. "I have hope in God that they will come back."

Back in Kararim, Mohammed sifted through the wreckage of his home, scavengingkeepsakes.

From the sooty, blackened floor of his bedroom, he picked up a photograph of his kidstaken around a decade ago, the boys sitting alert in two rows in a white horse-drawncarriage with red trim.

Mohammed carefully removed the photo from the shattered glass and gilded woodenframe, and tucked it away.-------------------------SAfrica's Zuma plans Kadhafi 'exit strategy' talks in Libya (AFP)By Jean-Jacques CornishMay 25, 2011PRETORIA ³ South African President Jacob Zuma will visit Tripoli next week, hisoffice said Wednesday, for talks that officials told AFP would focus on an "exit strategy"for Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.

"President Zuma will stop over in Tripoli for a discussion with Libyan leader ColonelMoamer Kadhafi on May 30," the presidency said in a statement.

Two sources in the presidency, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the talkswould focus on Kadhafi's "exit strategy".

"The purpose is to discuss an exit strategy for Kadhafi. The meeting is still very much inthe planning stages," one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A second official told AFP that South Africa was working with Turkey on the exit plan.

"The plan is to discuss an exit strategy with Moamer Kadhafi. We are working with theTurkish government," the official said.

Zuma's spokesman Zizi Kodwa insisted that discussion of an exit strategy was"misleading," saying the visit was taking place within African Union efforts for Libya to



adopt "the political reforms necessary for the elimination of the causes of the currentcrisis."

Turkey last month proposed a "roadmap" to end the Libyan turmoil, with a plan thatcalled for the removal of Kadhafi to open the way for a comprehensive political

transition.

A Turkish foreign ministry official said the country was ready to help any initiative toend Libya's turmoil, but has had no contact so far with South Africa's leader on an exitstrategy for Kadhafi.

"We have had no particular dialogue (with South Africa) so far, but it does not meanthat we will not have any in the future," the official told AFP on condition ofanonymity.

"Turkey has announced a roadmap and submitted it to the international community,including the African Union. We are ready to contribute to any peace initiative" forLibya, he said.

South Africa's new diplomatic push came as NATO jets blasted Libya's capital, with thealliance saying it was shifting into high gear in a bid to deliver a decisive blow toKadhafi's government.

Zuma visited Tripoli on April 10 as part of a high-ranking African Union delegation tobroker a truce between Kadhafi and rebels, but a peace plan fell through when the

rebels insisted the strongman step down.

South Africa voted for the UN resolution authorising the no-fly zone over Libya, buthas since criticised NATO's bombing campaign in the country and said that it does notsupport regime change in Tripoli.

At the same time, South Africa has condemned attacks on civilians by Kadhafi forces,with Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane denouncing the Libyan leader's"heinous violation of human rights against his own people."

On Friday the minister accused Kadhafi of lying to South Africa about the fate of AntonHammerl, an Austrian-South African photographer.

Hammerl was shot dead by Kadhafi forces six weeks earlier, despite repeatedassurances from the Libyan leader that he was alive.----------------------Amnesty: Ivory Coast·s Ouattara Giving 'Green Light' to Violence (VOA)Selah Hennessy



May 25, 2011A new Amnesty International report says war crimes have been committed on bothsides of the political divide during Ivory Coast's violent post-election standoff.

A group from Amnesty International spent about two months in Ivory Coast, speaking

to witnesses of a power struggle that erupted after last November·s disputedpresidential election.

Amnesty International deputy director for Africa Véronique Aubert says forces loyal toformer leader Laurent Gbagbo have carried out war crimes. That is also true, she says,of forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, the incumbent president.

"We know that they have executed hundreds of men of all age on political and ethnicgrounds," said Aubert. "We know that women have been raped. There are quite a lot oftestimonies in the report, including on sexual violence."

Amnesty·s investigations focused on crimes carried out in and around Duékoué, a townabout 500 kilometers from the capital, Abidjan.

She says the U.N. Operations in Ivory Coast, or UNOCI, failed to protect the populationfrom the mass killings and rape that took place there in March.

"We all know that a lot of this happened when the United Nations operation was veryclose by, just a kilometer away from the killings in Duékoué," she said. "The UNOCIwas not acting and was not protecting the population the way it had to."

And Aubert says the violence is continuing. The Amnesty report says in the first weeksof May attacks were carried out against villages inhabited by people believed to besympathetic to Gbagbo.

Ouattara has promised to reconcile the two sides of the divide and has asked theInternational Criminal Court to probe allegations of serious crimes during the crisis.

But Aubert says Ouattara needs to do more by publicly condemning violence carriedout by the force he set up in March, the Ivory Coast Republican Forces.

"It is his responsibility to exercise strict control over the armed forces and to call for animmediate end to the reprisals," she said. "He is the president and that is why we areasking him to publicly condemn those violations and control his forces.

The crisis in Ivory Coast was partially quelled last month when Gbagbo, who hadrefused to step down following the disputed election, was captured.----------------------



North May ¶Cleanse· Sudanese Border Town, U.N. Says (NYT)By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN and JOSH KRONMay 25, 2011NAIROBI, Kenya ³ After seizing a disputed town on the border of the breakawayregion of southern Sudan on Saturday, the army of northern Sudan is now facilitating a

relatively large influx of nomadic people into the area, according to new United Nationsfield reports.

United Nations officials said the move could mean that the Sudanese government istrying to ´ethnically cleanseµ the area, in a bid to permanently change its demographicsand annex the town, Abyei, just weeks before southern Sudan is supposed to split offfrom the north and form its own country.

As the July target for the south·s independence draws near, the battles over Abyei havegrown more intense, and the moves by the north have threatened to plunge the two

sides into a conflict that diplomats fear could scuttle the carefully choreographed treatyarranging for the south to become the world·s newest state.

One United Nations official said a northern Sudanese general revealed this week thatthere was a plan to bring 15,000 Misseriya, an Arab and nomadic people, into Abyei inthe coming days, which could have a serious impact on Abyei·s delicate demographics.Other United Nations officials estimated that 5,000 to 10,000 Misseriya had alreadyentered Abyei town.

The Misseriya have a long history of being used by the Sudanese government as proxy

forces, and they live in the vast stretches of desert around Abyei, occasionally cominginto Abyei to graze their animals. Abyei·s permanent residents, however, are the NgokDinka.

Abyei straddles the north-south border and has oil (though a relatively scant amount)and both sides have laid emotional claims to it. A referendum was supposed to be heldthis year to decide what the people of Abyei wanted, but it was shelved because ofdisputes over who could vote.

If the Sudanese government is intent on settling thousands of Misseriya in Abyei, theUnited Nations official said, then this weekend·s attack on Abyei ´was planned asethnic cleansing strategy.µ

´Displace the Ngok Dinka residents and bring in Misseriya, then allow the referendumto take place,µ said the official, who works closely on Sudan issues but was notauthorized to speak publicly.



´They want to show that they are part of Abyei, which is not true,µ he added.

As for the south·s response, Colonel Aguer said, ´We wait and see.µ

The consensus among most analysts is that neither side actually wants to go to war over

Abyei because both have too much to lose.

The south has less than two months to go before declaring independence and does notwant to risk the complications of the northern government·s not recognizing itssovereignty. The north is worried about its access to oil (most of Sudan·s oil lies in thesouth) and was on the verge of being lifted from punishing American sanctions untilthe Abyei crisis erupted.

But analysts are troubled by the echoes of Darfur. Abyei, at 4,072 square miles, is aspeck compared to Darfur, which is the size of France. Millions of people have been

displaced by the violence in Darfur, with most still stuck in squalid refugee camps. Butfewer than 50,000 people have been displaced by the Abyei incursion (50,000 is thoughtto be the size of Abyei·s total population).

But there are clear parallels: nomad versus farmer, Arab versus African, a government-backed force versus civilians who have supported the rebels.

´It·s impossible to understand Sudan·s wars without seeing the basic pattern thatunderlies them all,µ Mrs. Griswold said.

Many analysts believe Abyei will be a tinderbox until both sides compromise. Thepossible solutions are many: simply dividing Abyei territory between north and south,having the United Nations administer it, holding the referendum or granting the areaits own independence and creating something along the lines of a tiny, landlockedUnited Republic of Abyei.

This week, an African Union team is planning to introduce a proposal to northern andsouthern leaders. African Union officials would not share any specifics, saying theissues were far too volatile to discuss publicly.---------------------------------Controversial Leaders Not Invited to Inauguration - SGF (Daily Champion)By Unattributed Author25 May 2011Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Alhaji Yayale Ahmed has said thegovernment would not invite those he called "controversial leaders" to the inaugurationof President Goodluck Jonathan.



Ahmed made the remark i while briefing newsmen on ceremonies lined up for theinauguration by the committee in charge.

He said a lot of importance was attached to the inauguration that the government couldnot afford to invite any controversial personality to grace the occasion.

The scribe said 40 Heads of Government were invited for the inauguration, adding thatthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs had received acknowledgement from 15 leaders.

He said the committee was still expecting more acknowledgements, adding that thegovernment would make adequate preparations to host them.

Ahmed put the cost of the inauguration at N1 billion.

He said the 63 political parties and their presidential candidates would also be invited.

"It is very significant to accord to them their status as elder statesmen.

"It is by right, not by our discretion, to invite political parties." Ahmed said.

He gave the assurance that adequate security measures would be made to check anysecurity breach, adding that the government was aware of such challenges.

"We are satisfied that our security agencies are prepared to tackle security challenges.

"We are not unaware of the security challenges in our country, but our security agenciesare on alert to check any security breach," the SGF added.

In a vote of thanks, Prof. Dapo Afolabi, Head of Civil Service of the Federation urgedthe media to continue to report Nigeria positively.

Afolabi lauded the media for contributing to the development and sustenance ofdemocracy in Nigeria.

--------------------------UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website



Sudanese town of Abyei still tense after burning and looting, UN reports25 May ² While the Sudanese town of Abyei is now empty with its residents having fledthe recent violence, the situation there remains tense, according to the United Nations,which called on both sides to cease their hostilities and return to negotiations.

Somalia: Ban urges leaders to commit to stability and public service25 May ² Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Somalia·s transitional federalinstitutions (TFIs) to demonstrate they are moving the country towards politicalstability and social-economic development, saying the Security Council and donors arelosing patience with the tensions within the leadership.

I n Africa, UN chief spotlights progress in improving women·s and children·s health25 May ² Visiting with health workers in Ethiopia, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moontoday spotlighted the progress made in improving the health of women and children,while also stressing the need to do more to avoid needless deaths.

Africa·s young people vital to sustainable development, says UN chief 25 May ² One of Africa·s greatest untapped resources is its young people, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed today, urging the continent to take advantage of theskills and talents of its youth to promote sustainable development.

africom related news clips 26 may 2011

Documents