africom related news clips 30 september 2011

8/4/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 30 September 2011

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office30 September 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command andAfrica, along with upcoming events of interest for September 30, 2011.

Of interest in today's clips is Djibouti News article on Djiboutis decision to send abattalion to Somalia, BBCs coverage ofyesterdays shooting in Douala, stories fromNigerian papers Vanguard and ThisDay on the arrest of five Boko Haram leaders andforeign funding of the terrorist organization, a blog published by the Christian Science

Monitor that calls Mali a rare democracy success story and Newstime Africa reports onECOWAS call for action against West African piracy.

U.S. Africa Command Public AffairsPlease send questions or comments to:[email protected] (+49-711-729-2687)

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Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa

Soldiers' Stories (IRIN News)

http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=93840IRIN's latest film follows two Ugandan soldiers - a female gunner and a male nurse -serving in the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) at a critical stage in thebattle for Mogadishu, between Al-Shabab militants and the internationally recognizedTransitional Federal Government. From their training in Uganda to deployment in theshattered city in July 2011, Roselyn Namutebi and Otto Moses share their thoughts andfears on the frontline of one of the world's most intractable crises. Reflecting on whythey serve, their relationship with Somali civilians, and what it means to leave friends andfamily at home, the film offers a rare glimpse into the reality of modern peace supportmissions.

Djibouti ready to send one battalion to Somalia (Djibouti News)

http://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspx29 September 2011By Moha Dahir Farah Jire
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=93840http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=93840http://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspxhttp://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspxhttp://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspxhttp://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspxhttp://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspxhttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=93840mailto:[email protected]


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DjiboutiDjibouti: The government of Djibouti has decided to send peacekeeping troopsto Somalia to serve under Africa Union Peacekeeping Force.

Cameroon shooting: Douala gunmen kill one (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15104866

29 September 2011By BBCGunmen have opened fire in the commercial capital of Cameroon, Douala, killing at leastone person, in an apparent anti-government protest.

Ivory Coast sets December date for legislative elections (AFP)

http://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbo29 September 2011By News WiresIvory Coast will go to the polls on December 11, the government said Wednesday as it

prepared to launch a commission aimed at reconciling a nation emerging from a deadlypolitical crisis.

Interpol puts Gaddafi's son on most-wanted list (AFP)

http://www.france24.com/en/20110929-libya-al-daadi-gaddafi-moamer-interpol-arrest-warrant-most-wanted-niger29 September 2011By News WiresThe international police agency Interpol announced Thursday that it had issued a rednotice for al-Saadi Gaddafi, son of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Al-SaadiGaddafi, last seen in Niger, is accused of corruption and intimidation.

US senators call Libyans inspiration for world (MSNBC)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44716432/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/29 September 2011By Kim GamelU.S. Sen. John McCain called Libya's revolutionaries an inspiration to the world, singlingout activists in Syria, Iran, China and Russia, Thursday as he led a Republican delegationto Tripoli. It was the most prominent American delegation to travel to the Libyan capitalsince the fall of Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

Boko Haram Top Commander, Five Others Arrested (Vanguard, Lagos)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109290004.html29 September 2011By Okey Ndiribe and Albert AkporBorno State Governor, Kashim Shettima said yesterday, that a top commander of thedeadly sect, Boko Haram has been arrested alongside five other members. With thearrest, a relieved Governor Shettima who confirmed it to the Associated Press said, "Ibelieve the worst is over".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15104866http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15104866http://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbohttp://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbohttp://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbohttp://www.france24.com/en/20110929-libya-al-daadi-gaddafi-moamer-interpol-arrest-warrant-most-wanted-nigerhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110929-libya-al-daadi-gaddafi-moamer-interpol-arrest-warrant-most-wanted-nigerhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110929-libya-al-daadi-gaddafi-moamer-interpol-arrest-warrant-most-wanted-nigerhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44716432/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44716432/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/http://allafrica.com/stories/201109290004.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109290004.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109290004.htmlhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44716432/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/http://www.france24.com/en/20110929-libya-al-daadi-gaddafi-moamer-interpol-arrest-warrant-most-wanted-nigerhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110929-libya-al-daadi-gaddafi-moamer-interpol-arrest-warrant-most-wanted-nigerhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbohttp://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbohttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15104866


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Foreigners Funding Boko Haram, Ihejirika Confirms (ThisDay, Nigeria)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109280718.html28 September 2011By This DayFrom official quarters came a confirmation that Boko Haram, which has claimed

responsibility for the bombing of strategic places in the country, notably the UnitedNations House, is funded and equipped from abroad.

With support, Mali could provide a rare democracy success story (The Christian

Science Monitor)http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-story28 September 2011By Alex ThurstonMali has asked for logistical and financial support in its 2012 presidential elections, anevent that could solidify huge strides made in recent years.

ECOWAS calls for action against piracy in West Africa (Newstime Africa,

Freetown)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109270007.html29 September 2011By IPSLOMEThere have already been more than thirty pirate attacks on ships along the WestAfrican coast so far this year. Regional governments will meet in Cotonou, Benin inOctober to discuss coordinating efforts to stem piracy. The figures for attacks come fromincidents reported by ships masters to the International Maritime Bureaus PiracyReporting Centre and underline the growing threat to shipping in this oil-rich region.Among the most recent attacks was the Sep. 15 seizure of the oil tanker Mattheos I andits 23-person crew off the coast of Togo. Ten days later, the ships Spanish owners toldmedia that tanker and crew had been released; no ransom was paid, but the company saidthe pirates stole some of the vessels cargo of diesel fuel.

In Africa, an Election Reveals Skepticism of Chinese Involvement (The Atlantic)

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/in-africa-an-election-reveals-skepticism-of-chinese-involvement/245832/29 September 2011By Howard W. FrenchOn the eve of Zambia's presidential elections last week, one of the most common tropesabout the vote was to describe it as a referendum on China. For a long time now, Zambiahas been at the leading edge of China's drive to expand its relations with the continent.Chinese have migrated to Zambia by the thousands, setting themselves up in mining,farming, commerce and small industry.

China, South Africa vow to enhance comprehensive cooperation (Xinhua)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/29/c_131168000.htm29 September 2011
http://allafrica.com/stories/201109280718.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109280718.htmlhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-storyhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-storyhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-storyhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109270007.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109270007.htmlhttp://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/in-africa-an-election-reveals-skepticism-of-chinese-involvement/245832/http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/in-africa-an-election-reveals-skepticism-of-chinese-involvement/245832/http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/in-africa-an-election-reveals-skepticism-of-chinese-involvement/245832/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/29/c_131168000.htmhttp://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/29/c_131168000.htmhttp://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/29/c_131168000.htmhttp://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/in-africa-an-election-reveals-skepticism-of-chinese-involvement/245832/http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/in-africa-an-election-reveals-skepticism-of-chinese-involvement/245832/http://allafrica.com/stories/201109270007.htmlhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-storyhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-storyhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109280718.html


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By XinhuaBEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- China and South Africa vowed to enhance comprehensivecooperation in a meeting between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South African VicePresident Kgalema Motlanthe on Thursday.

China's bidding: Should South Africa issue a visa to the Dalai Lama? (TheChristian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0929/China-s-bidding-Should-South-Africa-issue-a-visa-to-the-Dalai-Lama29 September 2011By Scott BaldaufIn the world of diplomacy, the question of whether to allow a Nobel-Prize-winningBuddhist monk to visit ones country is generally not controversial. But for South Africawhich is carrying out a major state visit to China and has just signed a deal for $2.5billion in Chinese investment in South Africathe question of whether to allow the DalaiLama into South Africa to participate in fellow Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond

Tutus 80th birthday celebrations has become a matter of embarrassment. For critics ofSouth Africas government, it's become a sign of South African subservience to China.

Africa: Lack of coherence in post-Gaddafi world (The Financial Times)http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3bfac26a-e836-11e0-9fc7-00144feab49a.html#axzz1ZMDi6fb8

28 September 2011By William WallisMuammer Gaddafi knows the long road south across the Sahara desert well. In one pasttheatrical performance he took his motorcade across Niger, Burkina Faso and Ghana to asummit in Togo, a retinue of female bodyguards in tow.

Libyan fighters seize Sirte airport (Al Jazeera)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/09/2011929133348186781.html29 September 2011By Al Jazeera and agenciesProgress in one of the last bastions of Gaddafi support claimed as Senator John McCainleads US delegation to Tripoli.

Kenyans watch as their leaders take the stand at ICC hearing (The Christian

Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0929/Kenyans-watch-as-their-leaders-take-the-stand-at-ICC-hearing29 September 2011

By Mike PflanzPre-trial hearings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on human rights chargesagainst six Kenyan leaders are must-see TV across Kenya, although support for Haguetrial hinges on firm proof of guilt.

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UN News Service Africa Briefs
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0929/China-s-bidding-Should-South-Africa-issue-a-visa-to-the-Dalai-Lamahttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0929/China-s-bidding-Should-South-Africa-issue-a-visa-to-the-Dalai-Lamahttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0929/China-s-bidding-Should-South-Africa-issue-a-visa-to-the-Dalai-Lamahttp://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3bfac26a-e836-11e0-9fc7-00144feab49a.html#axzz1ZMDi6fb8http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3bfac26a-e836-11e0-9fc7-00144feab49a.html#axzz1ZMDi6fb8http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/09/2011929133348186781.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/09/2011929133348186781.htmlhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0929/Kenyans-watch-as-their-leaders-take-the-stand-at-ICC-hearinghttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0929/Kenyans-watch-as-their-leaders-take-the-stand-at-ICC-hearinghttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0929/Kenyans-watch-as-their-leaders-take-the-stand-at-ICC-hearinghttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0929/Kenyans-watch-as-their-leaders-take-the-stand-at-ICC-hearinghttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0929/Kenyans-watch-as-their-leaders-take-the-stand-at-ICC-hearinghttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/09/2011929133348186781.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3bfac26a-e836-11e0-9fc7-00144feab49a.html#axzz1ZMDi6fb8http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0929/China-s-bidding-Should-South-Africa-issue-a-visa-to-the-Dalai-Lamahttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0929/China-s-bidding-Should-South-Africa-issue-a-visa-to-the-Dalai-Lama


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http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA

(Full Articles on UN Website)

Guinea: Ban calls on authorities to avoid excessive force after deadly protests

29 SeptemberSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on authorities in Guinea toensure that security forces avoid an excessive use of force and stressed the importance ofallowing peaceful protests after demonstrations this week in Conakry, the capital,resulted in loss of life.

UN Human Rights Council recommends reinstating Libyas membership29 SeptemberThe United Nations Human Rights Council today called for the lifting ofthe suspension of Libyas membership, and welcomed the new Governmentscommitment to protect human rights and democracy in the North African nation.

Liberia: UN envoy urges peaceful elections to consolidate recent gains

29 SeptemberLess than two weeks before Liberians go to the polls for presidential andparliamentary elections, the top United Nations official in the West African country hasurged them to remain peaceful and cast their ballots to show the world they are ready toconsolidate what has been achieved over the past eight years of stability.

Darfur: UN-African mission uses puppets to spread message about ordnance risks29 SeptemberThe joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur(UNAMID) is using puppets to raise awareness among local schoolchildren about thedangers of interacting with unexploded ordnance (UXO).

Peacebuilding efforts dominate talks between Ban and Guinea-Bissaus premier29 SeptemberThe implementation of a peacebuilding plan and social and politicalreforms in Guinea-Bissau were at the centre of todays discussions between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Prime Minister of the West African country, Carlos GomesJnior.

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Upcoming Events of Interest:

WHAT: Former ambassador to address U.S. policy in Horn of AfricaTOPIC: "U.S. Policy Toward the Horn of Africa."WHEN: Friday, September 30, 2011, at 3 p.m.BRIEFER: Dr. David H. Shinn, an adjunct professor in the Elliott School of InternationalAffairs at George Washington University since 2001 and a 37-year veteran of the U.S.Department of State.WHERE: Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan.MORE INFORMATION: http://www.wmich.edu/wmu/news/2011/09/071.htmlRSVP: For more information, contact Dr. Sisay Asefa at [email protected] or (269)387-5556.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA


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New onwww.africom.mil

Ghana Engineer Instructors Visit North Dakotahttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7269&lang=028 September 2011By North Dakota National Guard Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs OfficeGRAND FORKS, North Dakota, Sep 28, 2011Ghanaian Petty Officer 1st ClassBenjamin Afful grinned as he spun around in the turret of a military weapon systemcalled an Avenger Pedestal-Mounted Stinger. Having never been exposed to such amachine, he enjoyed seeing how it worked, spinning it back and forth to acquire "targets"on the screen. It was just one brief stop during a two-week trip to North Dakota for himand Sergeant Major Richard Kyere-Yeboah.

DOD Reviews Energy Strategy, Explores Energy Reduction Methodshttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7275&lang=029 September 2011By Danielle Skinner, U.S. AFRICOM Public AffairsSTUTTGART, Germany, Sep 29, 2011Sharon Burke, Assistant Secretary of Defensefor Operational Energy Plans and Programs, visited U.S. Africa Command September 20,2011 to discuss ways military forces can improve military readiness and capability byincreasing the efficiency and effectiveness of their energy consumption.

Environmental Security Workshop Conducted in Namibia

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7273&lang=029 September 2011By U.S. AFRICOM Public AffairsWINDHOEK, Namibia, Sep 29, 2011The first joint U.S. Africa Command, JointMultinational Training Command (JMTC) and U.S. Embassy Environmental Securityworkshop was conducted in Windhoek, Namibia, September 27-30, 2011.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Djibouti ready to send one battalion to Somalia (Djibouti News)

http://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspx29 September 2011By Moha Dahir Farah Jire

DjiboutiDjibouti: The government of Djibouti has decided to send peacekeeping troopsto Somalia to serve under Africa Union Peacekeeping Force.
http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7269&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7269&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7275&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7275&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7273&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7273&lang=0http://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspxhttp://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspxhttp://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspxhttp://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspxhttp://www.ssinformer.com/News/Africa/EastAfrica_2011/Djibouti/Djb_polpeacekeeping.aspxhttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7273&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7275&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7269&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/


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Africa union peacekeeping mission in Somalia AMISOM has been requesting AUmember states to send additional troops to Somalia for further assistance. DjiboutisForeign Affairs Minister Dr. Mohamed Ali Yousuf declared that the Djibouti governmenthas decided to send one battalion in October of 2011. He said the Government done allthe necessary preparations in commitment to send the troops to Somalia.

According to the Minister, the commitment is to the countrys determination to assist thesuffering brothers in Somalia out of the quagmire of war of attrition.

Djiboutis government has realized that its the most appropriate time to show solidarityand it is hoped that Somali brethren and sisters would welcome the gesture and bethankful to the military assistance to stop the merciless killings perpetrated by AlShabaab. Our military goal is to be on Somalias soil a in weeks time, in order to keepthe citizens of Somali safe from militant groups.

The leader of Al Shabaabs movement has stated that Djiboutis troops are going to fail,

if they come to Somalia soil. They have warned Djibouti not to send its troops toMogadishu. They have decided to fight and stay committed to disturb the peacekeepingplan like they did to Burundian and Uganda troops, according to Al Shabaabsspokesman.

The situation in Somalia has toned down due to international intervention in thepeacekeeping process, and has weakened the movement and its acceptance in Somalia.Since Ahlu Sunna Wal Jameca has started fighting with Al Shabaab, AMISOM will facedangerous challenges to keep the strength and the peace situation in Somalia.

Djibouti shares language, religion, cultural and ethical values with Somali.

Djibouti with a population of 700,000 has been trying to establish good neighbourlinesswith Somalia and fully understands that countrys inherent problems that started in 1991and continues to-date.

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Cameroon shooting: Douala gunmen kill one (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1510486629 September 2011By BBC

Gunmen have opened fire in the commercial capital of Cameroon, Douala, killing at leastone person, in an apparent anti-government protest.

Reports say the gunmen were dressed in military uniforms and were carrying placardsdemanding that President Paul Biya step down.

Mr Biya is widely expected to win a presidential election on 9 October.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15104866http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15104866http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15104866


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He has been in power for almost 30 years and is one of Africa's longest-serving heads ofstate.

In 2008 he changed the constitution to remove limits on the presidential term, provoking

nationwide unrest.

'Mountain of Irregularities'In Thursday's incident, the gunmen blockaded the mile-long Wouri bridge, shooting atpolice for several hours.

"A fierce exchange of gunfire ensued and one of the gunmen plunged into the RiverWouri. It is not clear if he drowned," said eyewitness Itah Robert.

One witness told the Associated Press news agency that the gunmen had placards thatread: "Paul Biya Must Go At All Costs" and "Paul Biya Dictator".

The security forces reportedly arrested some of the attackers.

Sporadic gunfire still could be heard in the area hours later, and armed soldiers have beendeployed across Douala to search vehicles.

Twenty-two candidates are challenging 78-year-old Mr Biya in the presidential election,including John Fru Ndi, the veteran candidate of main opposition party the SocialDemocratic Front (SDF).

On Tuesday, the SDF denounced in the organisation of the poll.

"There is a whole mountain of irregularities," Evariste Fopoussi, the SDF's spokesmantold AFP, citing double entries or missing names on electoral rolls.

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Ivory Coast sets December date for legislative elections (AFP)

http://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbo29 September 2011By News Wires

Ivory Coast will go to the polls on December 11, the government said Wednesday as itprepared to launch a commission aimed at reconciling a nation emerging from a deadlypolitical crisis.

The December 11 date became official after Ivory Coast's cabinet approved a proposalfrom the country's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), government spokesmanBruno Kone told journalists.
http://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbohttp://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbohttp://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbohttp://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbohttp://www.france24.com/en/20110928-ivory-coast-sets-december-date-legislative-elections-vote-civil-war-ouattara-gbagbo


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Prime Minister Guillaume Soro had promised earlier this month that legislative electionswould be held by December 15.

President Alassane Ouattara has vowed to unite the country after a deadly five-month

political standoff that was sparked by former president Laurent Gbagbo's refusal toaccept defeat after a November vote.

The polls are seen as crucial to repairing Ivory Coast's still bitter political divides, butGbagbo's party, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), last week pulled out of the electionpanel, slamming its composition as pro-Ouattara.

The FPI has also threatened to boycott the elections unless Gbagbo is released from ahouse arrest imposed after he was prised from power and arrested in April by pro-Ouattara forces.

Ouattara "was the first to regret the decision taken by the FPI (and) wishes that allpolitical factions in Ivory Coast participate in these elections," Kone said.

Ouattara was on Wednesday also expected to launch the Commission on Dialogue, Truthand Reconciliation (CDVR), with a mandate to help the country heal following the post-election crisis that left some 3,000 dead.

The 11-member commission, set to launch in the capital Yamoussoukro, will include oneChristian and one Muslim religious leader and five representatives of the country's majorregions.

Ouattara is a Muslim, while Gbagbo and his wife Simone identified with Ivory Coast'sgrowing evangelical Christian community.

The commission with a two-year mandate must work to "bring the country as quickly aspossible to normality" and "rebuild the social fabric" of the once regional powerhouse,the government has said.

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Interpol puts Gaddafi's son on most-wanted list (AFP)

http://www.france24.com/en/20110929-libya-al-daadi-gaddafi-moamer-interpol-arrest-warrant-most-wanted-niger29 September 2011By News Wires

The international police agency Interpol announced Thursday that it had issued a rednotice for al-Saadi Gaddafi, son of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Al-SaadiGaddafi, last seen in Niger, is accused of corruption and intimidation.
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AP - Interpol put ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafis son al-Saadi on theequivalent of its most-wanted list on Thursday, and said he was last seen in Niger.

The international police agency said in a statement that it has issued a red notice for al-Saadi Gadhafi, based on a request by the National Transitional Council, the opposition

movement whose fighters overthrew Gadhafi last month.

It was the first time Interpol has issued such a notice at the request of Libyas post-Gadhafi leadership.

Interpol says the notice was based on accusations that al-Saadi Gadhafi, 38,misappropriated property and engaged in "armed intimidation" when he headed theLibyan Football Federation.

He was also a special forces commander and is the subject of U.N. sanctions forcommanding military units involved in repression of demonstrations.

Al-Saadi and other Gadhafi regime loyalists have crossed into Niger earlier this monthfollowing former rebel advances on loyalist areas.

Interpol urged authorities in Niger and surrounding countries - and countries with directflights to Niger - to watch out for and arrest Gadhafi "with a view to returning him toLibya " for prosecution.

Interpols red notices are the highest-level alerts they can issue to their member countries.The notices do not force countries to turn over suspects but strongly urge them to.Countries who ignore such notices can come under pressure from the internationalcommunity.

Interpol has already issued red notices for Moammar Gadhafi and his son Seif al-IslamGadhafi based on a request by the International Criminal Court. Both men have beencharged with crimes against humanity.

Moammar Gadhafis whereabouts are unknown. Libyas new rulers said Wednesday theybelieve he may be hiding in the southern desert under the protection of ethnic Tuaregfighters, while two of his other sons are holed up in cities besieged by revolutionaryforces elsewhere in Libya.

Gadhafis wife and daughter fled to neighboring Algeria.

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US senators call Libyans inspiration for world (MSNBC)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44716432/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/29 September 2011By Kim Gamel
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U.S. Sen. John McCain called Libya's revolutionaries an inspiration to the world, singlingout activists in Syria, Iran, China and Russia, Thursday as he led a Republican delegationto Tripoli. It was the most prominent American delegation to travel to the Libyan capitalsince the fall of Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

McCain, a former presidential candidate from Arizona, expressed confidence in Libya'snew leaders but urged them to rein in armed groups and to press the hunt for Gadhafi,who has continued to try to rally supporters from his hiding place.

McCain said he was thrilled to be in Tripoli after traveling in April to the then-opposition's eastern stronghold of Benghazi.

"I've dreamed of returning to a liberated capital of a free Libya ever since I visitedBenghazi in April and our visit to Tripoli today has been exhilarating and hopeful,"McCain said.

But he expressed concern about the proliferation of weapons and armed groups, saying itwas important for the country's leadership "to continue bringing the many armed groupsin this city and beyond it under the responsible control of its legitimate governingauthority."

"It's also important to bring this war to a dignified and irreversible conclusion, to bringGadhafi and his family and his fighters to justice, while ensuring that past wrongs do notbecome a license for future crimes, especially against minorities," he said.

Interpol placed another of Gadhafi's sons, al-Saadi, on the equivalent of its most-wantedlist on Thursday, placing pressure on the government of Niger to surrender a manaccused of overseeing bloody repressions.A Niger presidential spokesman has said al-Saadi Gadhafi is living under house arrest inthe Western African country's capital, Niamey, after fleeing Libya earlier this month viathe desert bordering the two nations.

Interpol has already issued red notices for Moammar Gadhafi and his son Seif al-Islambased on a request by the International Criminal Court. Both men have been charged withcrimes against humanity.

The four lawmakers, who also included Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mark Kirk ofIllinois and Marco Rubio of Florida, addressed reporters after meeting with the head ofthe National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, and other high-ranking officialsfrom the group that is now governing Libya.

They also toured Martyrs' Square, formerly named Green Square and the site of frequentGadhafi speeches, and visited a prison amid allegations of poor conditions and humanrights violations by former rebels taking revenge on former Gadhafi supporters.


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Graham said that Libyans who met the team of visiting senators had expressed gratitudeand want to repay the international community that rallied around Gadhafi's opponents.NATO airstrikes played a key role in decimating Gadhafi's military forces as rebelsbattled their way into the capital late last month and forced Gadhafi into hiding.

"There is a desire here by the Libyan people to make sure that those who helped will getpaid back," Graham said.

American companies are hoping to tap into the wealth of oil and natural resources andother opportunities in Libya, which under Gadhafi long faced sanctions that prohibitedmuch business.

"I think that American investors are more than eager to come invest here in Libya and wehope and believe that they will be given an opportunity to do so," McCain said.

He acknowledged, however, that it would be difficult for companies to get started until

the country is completely secure. Gadhafi loyalists continue to put up a fierce resistancein three strongholds in central and southern Libya.

McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Libyansuccess in ousted Gadhafi was inspiring activists in other countries.

"The people of Libya today are inspiring the people in Tehran, in Damascus and even inBeijing and Moscow," he said. "They continue to inspire the world and let people knowthat even the worst dictators can be overthrown and be replaced by freedom anddemocracy."

U.S. relations with Gadhafi's regime had undergone a seismic shift in recent years afterthe longtime Libyan leader renounced weapons of mass destruction in 2003 and agreed topay compensation to the families of victims of 1980s terror attacks, including thebombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, blamed on Libyan agents.

The senators said they were confident the country's new rulers would help seek justice inthe 1988 Lockerbie bombing, which killed 270 people, many of them Americans.

Scotland has asked the new transitional leaders of Libya for help tracking down thoseresponsible now that Gadhafi is no longer in power. The only suspect convicted in theattack, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, was freed on compassionate grounds in 2009 because ofillness and is said to be in Tripoli.

"We'd like to know who else was connected with this," McCain said.

Libya's acting justice minister, Mohammed al-Alagi, said earlier this week that there wasno reason to drag al-Megrahi back to court but he was willing to probe the possibleinvolvement of others in the attack.


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The trip contrasted sharply to the last visit by McCain and Graham to Tripoli in August2009, when they met with Gadhafi and his son Muatassim to discuss the possible deliveryof non-lethal defense equipment as the erratic Libyan leader was moving to normalize hisrelations with the international community.

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Boko Haram Top Commander, Five Others Arrested (Vanguard, Lagos)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109290004.html29 September 2011By Okey Ndiribe and Albert Akpor

Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima said yesterday, that a top commander of thedeadly sect, Boko Haram has been arrested alongside five other members. With thearrest, a relieved Governor Shettima who confirmed it to the Associated Press said, "Ibelieve the worst is over".

Governor Shettima told The Associated Press in an interview at his heavily guardedoffice that officials believe a negotiated peace can be reached with the sect now. He,however, warned that members of the group who still continue sectarian campaign ofassassinations and bombings will be hunted down by the increasing military and policepresence in Borno state.

"I believe the worst is over," Shettima said, adding that five others were also arrested andare being detained. The governor did not however disclose the name of the arrestedcommander and his foot soldiers.

The heavy presence of the military on the streets of Maiduguri, according to GovernorShettima has reduced violence in the city, adding that intelligence gathering by militaryand the police led to the arrest of the man responsible for planning and orchestratingattacks around the city.

"Five others also were arrested and are being held by military and the police", he said.

Boko Haram maintains a loose command-and-control structure, allowing different groupsto operate autonomously of each other, Shettima said, noting that "they operate in somesort of cells, some sort of units that interlinked, but generally they take directive from onecommander."

The Federal Government Committee on Boko Haram which submitted its report lastMonday had recommended among others a dialogue between the government and thesect while the Sultan of Sokoto would represent the group at the talks. The committeeclaimed to have reached out to the sect and that its members were ready for talks withgovernment.
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The sect in its reaction the following day, however, distanced itself from the report sayingits members were not ready for dialogue. Spokesman for the sect, Abu Qaqa in atelephone interview with newsmen said the group did not have any input in the report anddenied that it was ready with peace talks with government. He vowed that the group willcontinue its attacks until its demands were met.

He added that the group was not satisfied with membership of the committee noting thatthose who advised the government to involve the Sultan of Sokoto did so withoutconsulting the sect. The demands of the sect according to him included "severepunishment for those who killed their leader, Mohammed Yusuf and other members ofthe sect in the July 2009 revolt." He said the group had also demanded that its places ofworship which were destroyed in Maiduguri and other states in the country by securityagents must be rebuilt as well as the release of all its members who were being detainedwhile adequate compensation must be made for the loss of their property.

Restrict and search vehicles into police formations, IGP tells officers

Following a fresh threat by the Boko Haram sect to attack some selected targets acrossthe country especially Abuja, the Inspector-General of Police IGP Hafiz Ringim hasdirected that the number of vehicles allowed into police stations and other formationsshould be greatly curtailed irrespective of the status of the occupant(s).

The directive also ordered that such vehicle(s) should be vigorously searched even if theycarry federal government, Police, military number or any of the security agency's numberplates. Sources said the signal which was directed to all the Assistant Inspectors-General(AIGs) and copied Commissioners of police (CPs) across the country, reads in part:"Henceforth, you are directed to ensure that vehicular movements in and out of all policeformations are greatly monitored and curtailed.

It is directed also that you ensure the meticulous screening of such vehicles irrespectiveof the personality of their occupants before they are allowed into your respective stations.Vehicles with Police plate numbers, federal government numbers, military and para-military numbers are not exempted. Their occupants are also not exempted, please."

Already, police formations in Lagos state have started implementing the directive whichsources said was received Monday. At the state police command, Ikeja, vehicles whichhitherto clustered in the premises have been dislodged while those attempting to enterwere restricted and subjected to serious screening. Other formations, including the SCIDPanti Yaba, SCID, Zone 2, Festac town Divisional headquarters, Apapa visited havecommenced enforcement of the order.

Abayomi AdeshidaNineteen suspected members of the Ahlan Sunnah Lid Da'waati wal Jihad Yaanaabrothers, also known as Boko Haram arraingned at the Chief Magistrate Court, WuseZone 2, Abuja.We ignored security reports to visit Nigeria - Canadian labour leader


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Meanwhile a Canadian Labour leader currently visiting the country has said his country'slabour delegation insisted on making its trip to Nigeria despite negative security reportsin order to debunk the impression terrorists wanted to convey about the country.

The Secretary General of Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Mr Hassan Yusuf said thisyesterday while responding to reporters' questions during a press briefing jointlyaddressed in Abuja by the Canadian Labour delegation and the leadership of the NigeriaLabour Congress (NLC).

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Foreigners Funding Boko Haram, Ihejirika Confirms (ThisDay, Nigeria)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109280718.html28 September 2011By ThisDay

From official quarters came a confirmation that Boko Haram, which has claimedresponsibility for the bombing of strategic places in the country, notably the UnitedNations House, is funded and equipped from abroad.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, who confirmed this tojournalists yesterday, however declined to name the countries or foreign backers of thegroup.

Ihejirika disclosed on the side-lines of the COAS Third Quarterly Conference 2011 inAbuja that the Nigerian Army did establish the involvement of foreigners in theoperations of Boko Haram.

He said several weapons and operational gadgets captured from the group gave strongevidence that there is foreign involvement in the terrorism going on in Nigeria.

He said: "It is definite that the group that call themselves Boko Haram or terroristsreceive training and possibly funding from some foreign elements.

This is evident from the types of weapons we have captured from them, from the type ofcommunication equipment we have captured and from the expertise they have displayedin the preparation of improvised explosive devices. These are pointers to the fact thatthere is foreign involvement in the terrorism going on in Nigeria."

The army chief emphasised that Nigeria's security is a collective responsibility ofeverybody, including the government, citizens and security agents.
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He assured Nigerians that the army would play its assigned role with cooperation andcollaboration with other security agencies to tackle the challenges posed by the sect,especially with the emerging foreign connection.

He said: "The army will meet the expectations of Nigerians and we are ever prepared to

carry out any task assigned to it. The issue of the country's security is a collective thingrunning from government at various levels, well-meaning citizens and all the securityagencies. What I want to assure you is that the Army will cooperate and collaborate withothers to improve on our present performance.

"A situation where bombing will continue to go on despite some measures being put inplace is unacceptable. So we need to really dissect our modus of operation, and the waywe work and cooperate with other agencies so as so to come up with better strategies toenhance security tremendously."

Ihejirika, while acknowledging the challenges posed by the activities of terrorist groups,

frowned on the growing rate of indiscipline amongst the junior officers and said that theconference would be used as an opportunity to address the issues.

He said: "This quarter has been particularly challenging in view of the numerous securityincidence across the country, the most recent being the UN bombing by the terrorists herein Abuja. This conference will be essentially used to appraise our performance training,administration and in tackling the operational challenges the Nigerian Army has beeninvolved in both internally and externally.

"I want to emphasise that we have to do a serious critique of our performances so that wecome out with a solution that will aid our performances in future undertakings."

He stated that the welfare of the army had improved tremendously during his tenure,adding that the erring men and officers of the Army would be disciplined accordingly inorder to restore professionalism within their ranks.

"The issue of indiscipline affecting soldiers is societal but what I want assure everyNigeria is that all acts of indiscipline on the parts of soldiers and officers would be dealtwith immediately whether by court-marshal or at the unit level. I have broughtcommanders from the field so that we will drum it right into their ears so that they toocan interact with us and we will know how to nip the problems in the bud once and forall," he said.

"As far as I'm concerned, the soldiers and officers are getting their welfare as at when dueat the right quantity and then timely. Before I took over office; the Army used to be paidlast but today there is no service that pays salaries to its men before the army. In any case,if there are complains on welfare, I will want that to be brought to my knowledge," hesaid.


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The COAS conference is a quarterly meeting drawing participants from all formationsand other key army establishments throughout the country. The conference, which is amajor activity in the Annual Training Directive of the Army, also affords the leadershipan opportunity for self-assessment and adjustment of strategies in line with the emergingnational challenges.

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With support, Mali could provide a rare democracy success story (The Christian

Science Monitor)http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-story28 September 2011By Alex Thurston

Mali has asked for logistical and financial support in its 2012 presidential elections, an

event that could solidify huge strides made in recent years.

Its not that Mali doesnt have problems (especially poverty), but in many ways thecountry exemplifies the kinds of reforms Western governments ask African countries tomake: Mali is a democracy that has peacefully transferred power from one president toanother, and its current prime minister is a woman. So I hope that those same Westernpowers will listen to the prime ministers appeal, made in New York recently, forfinancial and logistical support during the countrys 2012 presidential elections. Mali willalso hold a referendum next year on proposed changes to the legal and political systems.

[Prime Minister Mariam Kaidama Sidibe] told the UN General Assembly in New Yorkthat next years referendum and elections would be the culmination of a lengthyconsultative process launched by the countrys President, Amadou Toumani Toure.

Toure, is not running for re-election, so as to consolidate democracy, good governanceand the rule of law, Ms. Sidibe said.

Consolidation, I think, is the perfect word to describe Malis goal for next year. After twoterms under President Alpha Konare (1992-2002) and now two terms under Toure (orATT, as he is nicknamed), the next election will almost certainly see a second peacefultransfer of power, which some political scientists say is the sign of a full-fledgeddemocracy. ATT is not only not contesting, but has so far abstained from endorsing anyparticular candidate, so the election is quite open. With the proper support, the 2012elections should be quite a success.

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ECOWAS calls for action against piracy in West Africa (Newstime Africa,

Freetown)

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29 September 2011By IPS

LOMEThere have already been more than thirty pirate attacks on ships along the WestAfrican coast so far this year. Regional governments will meet in Cotonou, Benin in

October to discuss coordinating efforts to stem piracy. The figures for attacks come fromincidents reported by ships masters to the International Maritime Bureaus PiracyReporting Centre and underline the growing threat to shipping in this oil-rich region.Among the most recent attacks was the Sep. 15 seizure of the oil tanker Mattheos I andits 23-person crew off the coast of Togo. Ten days later, the ships Spanish owners toldmedia that tanker and crew had been released; no ransom was paid, but the company saidthe pirates stole some of the vessels cargo of diesel fuel.

Governments along the length of the West African coastline have expressed concernabout a surge in the number of attacks on cargo ships, and are seeking to combine limitedresources to take concerted actions, such as recent joint patrols in the Gulf of Guinea.

But we dont want to limit ourselves to joint patrols between Benin and Nigeria; we willvery shortly extend this to include the Togolese and Ghanaian navies, CommandantMaxime Ahoyo, Benins Naval Chief of Staff, told IPS. If we take care of problems withpiracy in Benins territorial waters but, for example, Togo doesnt take necessary securityprecautions, and we dont collaborate with Togo and other countries, this phenomenonwhich has such long tentacleswill only spread. The president of the EconomicCommunity of West African States Commission, James Victor Gbeho, has called foraction against piracy to be widened to include all the states along the coast. The naviesof all our coastal states should permanently combine their operations, Gbeho told IPS,underlining his belief that the problem of piracy must be addressed comprehensively.The phenomenon is becoming worrying and could have serious economic consequencesfor our countries. That is why we will act firmly against it.

Piracy has already led maritime insurers in London to put Benin on a list of high-riskzones for shipping. Maritime insurers represented by the Lloyds Market Association aredemanding higher fees to cover ships which pass through the region. According toBnetti Gagalo, Assistant Secretary General of the Togolese Association of Consumers,the situation will certainly have repercussions on income in regional ports as well as onthe cost of consumer goods. The urgency of the situation has pushed regionalgovernments to ask for support from France and the United States, who have bothdeployed naval vessels to the area. A French frigate, the Germinal, is already carrying outsurveillance along the coasts of Benin, Togo and Ghana to try and neutralise the pirates,as well as training naval personnel from all three countries. We have hosted thesesailors, and theyve taken part in all the security exercises and patrols that we havecarried out to prevent acts of piracy. And they have helped us with their intimateknowledge of the area of operations, Sbastien Chatelin, captain of the French vessel,told IPS.

A U.S. Navy vessel, the HSV Swift, is also in the Gulf of Guinea, supporting the fightagainst piracy with training for Beninois, Togolese and Ghanaian sailors as part of U.S.
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military cooperation programme called Africa Partnership Station. Our mission is to tryand train African partners on safety and security, said the captain ofthe U.S. vessel,Rhett S. Mann. The APS programme will allow us to work together to face the problemswhich affect our coastal waters, added Sam Nkruma, a Ghanaian naval officer. HisBeninois colleague, Christian Oussa, welcomed the training received on board the two

naval ships. This will allow us to face pirates and various traffickers on the sea. We havelearned how to board suspect vessels to inspect them; the training was reallyappropriate, he told IPS.

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In Africa, an Election Reveals Skepticism of Chinese Involvement (The Atlantic)

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/in-africa-an-election-reveals-skepticism-of-chinese-involvement/245832/29 September 2011By Howard W. French

On the eve of Zambia's presidential elections last week, one of the most common tropesabout the vote was to describe it as a referendum on China. For a long time now, Zambiahas been at the leading edge of China's drive to expand its relations with the continent.Chinese have migrated to Zambia by the thousands, setting themselves up in mining,farming, commerce and small industry.

Although China is a latecomer to Zambia's decades-old copper industry, it has quicklyestablished itself as an ambitious rival to "traditional" mining partners like Australia andSouth Africa. As almost everywhere in Africa these days, Chinese contractors arebuilding highways, dams, and other large infrastructure projects. Zambia even boasts twoChinese-built special economic zones, and has recently allowed banking in the Chineserenminbi instead of the kwacha, dollar, or euro to facilitate trade with China.

But these are not the only developments that have set Zambia apart, or at least placed itahead of the pack in terms of observable trends in its relations with China. Zambia wasone of the first African countries where the role of China and of Chinese people in thecountry became an explicit and potent political issue. During the campaigning forelections in 2006 and 2008, the now-newly elected leader, Michael Sata, made a sport ofbaiting China, calling its businesspeople in the country "profiteers," not investors, anddenouncing Chinese for "bringing in their own people to push wheelbarrows instead ofhiring local people."

"Zambia has become a province of China," Sata thundered in one campaign rally backthen. "The Chinese are the most unpopular people in the country because no one truststhem. The Chinaman is coming just to invade and exploit Africa."

Anti-Chinese sentiment was further fueled by violence against workers at Chinese-ownedcopper mines. In 2006, at one mine, Chinese managers opened fire on workers protestingover back pay and working conditions, injuring several employees. A year earlier, 50
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Zambians had been killed at the same mine by an accidental blast at the company'sexplosives plant. In 2010, at another mine, two Chinese managers were charged withattempted murder after opening fire on a group of employees protesting poor workingconditions. Earlier this year, before the election season got underway, the case against theChinese was quietly dropped, feeding resentment in some circles about China's fast-

growing political influence.

The widely employed line about the elections being a referendum on China can only befully appreciated by spending time, as I did, in Zambia in the weeks prior to the election.China's presence is felt almost everywhere in the country nowadays, from the big Bank ofChina billboard ads that welcome visitors in Chinese and are among the first sights thatany passenger arriving at the Lusaka airport sees, to the city's markets, streets, andshopping malls, where Chinese who were all but invisible just a few years ago nowabound. The most politically significant aspect of this presence, though, is the high-profile projects that China rushed to complete in time for the election. These include thenewly delivered and fully equipped 159-bed Lusaka General Hospital, and a striking

40,000 seat stadium in Ndola.

During my recent visit, the merits of the hospital were touted in exhausting detail everyevening one week on national television, and the stadium has received similarly lavishattention. During a wide-ranging conversation with China's highly articulate ambassador,Zhou Yuxiao, a veteran of several African postings, he spoke proudly of thesecontributions to Zambia's developments, calling the hospital a "grant".

"Among all nations, I think China is doing the best at getting resources from countriesand putting back into those countries," Zhou told me. "Can you find any other countrythat is doing better?" Several minutes later, when I asked the ambassador what theAmericans had contributed to Zambia, he marked a long pause and then fairly sneered,"You employ local people and put them as observers at each and every polling station.What else? I haven't seen any roads being built by them, any schools, any hospitals thatreally touch people, that can last, that can serve society for long. Maybe training electionpeople is your biggest contribution."

Never mind the lack of information reflected in these comments. The United States (likeother Western countries) has funded a large variety of infrastructure projects in Zambia,and will spend over $400 million in foreign assistance there this year alone. At the levelof impacting lives, as I later told Ambassador Zhou, the United States was funding dailyretroviral treatment for over 300,000 Zambians, effectively warding off premature deathfrom AIDS.

What struck me most about his remarks was the infusion of a kind of creeping hubris thatI've seen on numerous stops in my research among Chinese diplomats and businessexecutives. It allowed Zhou little space to consider Zambian perceptions of his country orof their own needs. According to this mindset, whatever China does in Africa bydefinition falls under the catchall rhetorical rubric of "win-win." An executive at SouthAfrica's Standard Bank who specializes in Africa sounded similar notes a couple of


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weeks later over dinner in Johannesburg. Since 2007, Standard Bank has been 20 percentowned by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. "The Western press doesn't justget it," he fairly lectured me over dinner one night. "Zambians are doing much better thanthey were just a few years ago, and that's mostly down to China."

Too often, thinking on China and Africa blindly obeys an ideological divide in which theauthor's biases are neither concealed nor inspected. China is either the new imperialpower preparing to ravage a helpless continent (and snatch it from the West), or China isa benign and misunderstood giant, a transformative actor, and by that one should read forthe good. Reality is much more complex than the bashers or the boosters realize, or atleast admit to themselves. But the Zambian elections should particularly give the lattercontingent pause. Zambians, too, have been told that China is good for them, notably bytheir leaders of most of the last decade, and the least one can say in the wake of their voteis that they haven't been altogether persuaded.

Some of the reasons why are obvious, and were repeated to me over and over by

Zambians in every walk of life. These range from widespread perceptions of Chinesecorruption -- both in dealing with political leaders and in more routine bureaucraticmatters -- to the lack of respect for labor laws and the poor working conditions in Chineseindustrial ventures.

But if Zambia is a leading edge in any meaningful sense, the implications of last week'selections there may go beyond issues like these, however important, raising broaderquestions about the entire Chinese approach to the continent. As a strategy for buildingbusiness for Chinese firms and for strengthening ties with incumbent leaders, it is anundoubted success. But judged according to the Dale Carnegie standard of how to winfriends and influence people, the Chinese razzle-dazzle of big, symbolic, high profileprojects, from stadiums to central hospitals, to new state houses and foreign ministries, toairports, all often pegged nowadays to electoral timetables, is proving to have sharplylimited returns.

In the end, Ambassador Zhou's own formula isn't a bad one. How does one make alasting difference, touch people and serve society? In Zambia and perhaps elsewhere inAfrica, China may have to rethink questions like these.

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China, South Africa vow to enhance comprehensive cooperation (Xinhua)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/29/c_131168000.htm29 September 2011By Xinhua

BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- China and South Africa vowed to enhance comprehensivepeaking highly of the bilateral cooperation in recent years, Wen said China and SouthAfrica should continue to support and assist each other, improve communication andcoordination, and better safeguard the common interests of the two countries and other
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developing countries.

Wen said China welcomes South African exports to China, and will encourage Chinesecompanies and financial institutes to participate in South Africa's infrastructureconstruction on transportation, energy and communication, and support the two sides to

expand cooperation in new energy and renewable energy, manufacturing, green economyand agriculture.

China will also enhance exchanges with South Africa in education, culture and health, thepremier said.

He also emphasized the important role South Africa plays in promoting China-Africafriendship and cooperation, saying China will work with South Africa to inject newvitality into the China-Africa strategic partnership.

Motlanthe said South Africa attached great importance to relations with China. The

country will strengthen bilateral high-level visits and people-to-people exchanges at alllevels, enhance mutual understanding and friendship, expand cooperation in trade,investment, aviation and tourism, and strengthen coordination and cooperation onregional and international affairs, so as to promote the bilateral ties and Africa-Chinarelations.

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China's bidding: Should South Africa issue a visa to the Dalai Lama? (The

Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0929/China-s-bidding-Should-South-Africa-issue-a-visa-to-the-Dalai-Lama29 September 2011By Scott Baldauf

In the world of diplomacy, the question of whether to allow a Nobel-Prize-winningBuddhist monk to visit ones country is generally not controversial.

But for South Africawhich is carrying out a major state visit to China and has justsigned a deal for $2.5 billion in Chinese investment in South Africathe question ofwhether to allow the Dalai Lama into South Africa to participate in fellow Nobel laureateArchbishop Desmond Tutus 80th birthday celebrations has become a matter ofembarrassment. For critics of South Africas government, it's become a sign of SouthAfrican subservience to China.

On Tuesday, South Africas spokesman on foreign affairs issues, Clayson Monyela, saidthat the South African high commission in New Delhi has begun processing the TibetanBuddhist leaders visa application after a lengthy delay. Mr. Monyela said that alloutstanding documents required by the South African government had now beensubmitted.
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China's $2.5 billion investment dealThe Dalai Lamas visa application has stolen some of the attention from Chinas $2.5billion investment deal, signed this week by Chinas Development Bank and visitingSouth African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe. Mr. Motlanthe, who is on a statevisit to Beijing, said the deal showed that Chinas relationship with South Africa was

deepening.

The difference between the present deal and those of the past, Mr. Motlanthe told a smallnews conference in Beijing, is that instead of just exporting these minerals as rawmaterials, there will be ... value add to create jobs on both sides."

South Africa exports about $5.5 billion of minerals each year to China, and a $2.5 billioninvestment in mineral refining inside South Africa would be a welcome boost for a SouthAfrican economy that is struggling with chronic 25 percent unemployment, particularlyamong its youth. This year, China edged out both the US and Britain to become SouthAfrica's largest trading partner.

Chinese pressureChina has been known to exert pressure on its trading partners, including even the UnitedStates, to avoid official contact with the Dalai Lama, who Beijing sees as the leader of aseparatist movement in Tibet, a region that China controls. Both US Presidents GeorgeW. Bush and Barack Obama have ignored Beijings protestations and met with the DalaiLama in the White House.

President Bushs insistence on meeting the Tibetan spiritual leader in the personalresidence of the White House, in May 2001, prompted a scornful response from thenChinese Foreign Ministry representative Zhu Bangzao, who told reporters at the time,the Dalai Lama is no ordinary religious figure. Hes a political exile engaged inseparatist activities.

While South Africa has indicated that it will now proceed with the Dalai Lamas visa, theinitial delays sparked anger from Mr. Tutu, who complained that the South Africangovernment appeared to be catering to the Chinese government, which he said isviciously cruel to its own citizens.

South Africa did deny a visa to the Dalai Lama once before, in the lead-up to the SouthAfrican-hosted World Cup of 2010.

The prospect of another visa rejection caused a media storm in South Africa, with theMail and Guardians online editor Chris Roper leading the sarcastic charge.

It's not as if we're rejecting ethics and morality entirely -- we can just adopt the ones ofwhichever country buys us at the highest price. Sure, there might be a few sacrifices if it'sAmerica, like having to give up polygamy and supporting Palestine. Or if it's China, we'llhave to become a one-party state that's big on oppression of freedom of speech, that's run


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as a kleptocracy, and that treats its people as commodities in the great economy ofretaining power.

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Africa: Lack of coherence in post-Gaddafi world (The Financial Times)http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3bfac26a-e836-11e0-9fc7-00144feab49a.html#axzz1ZMDi6fb828 September 2011By William Wallis

Muammer Gaddafi knows the long road south across the Sahara desert well. In one pasttheatrical performance he took his motorcade across Niger, Burkina Faso and Ghana to asummit in Togo, a retinue of female bodyguards in tow.

He treated sub-Saharan Africa like his empire, turning his ambition towards it when hisArab peers spurned him and using porous borders and client leaders to thumb his nose atthe international sanctions regime in the 1990s. In the impoverished belt of countriessouth of his own he fomented conflicts with one hand, and lavished petrodollars with theother.

The legacy of Col Gaddafis peculiar and mixed record of engagement haunts the regionnow, as some of his closest henchmen head south down the same road into exile and, inthe case of one son, Saadi, detention. Africas ineffectual response to the Nato -backedoverthrow of the regime is also partly the result.

Egypt was once one of the main poles of resistance to colonial rule in Africa, and throughthe 1960s hosted more than a dozen liberation and rebel movements.

But since Egypt began disengaging with sub-Saharan Africa under Hosni Mubarak, ColGaddafis Libya became the most potent link between the north and south of the Sahara.The tides may be turning as Libya post Gaddafi looks back to the Arab world and northto Europe, and Egypt makes a bid to improve relations with riparian states with which itshares the river Nile.

While much of the world has recognised the authority of the new rebel council in Tripoli,the African Union, which groups together 53 member states, has courted irrelevance bysuspending Libya until an inclusive government is formed. The continent is divided.Nigeria, which has a long history of confrontation with Col Gaddafi over his sponsorshipof west African rebellions, was the first of 21 African states to recognise the legitimacy

of the new rebel council in Tripoli.

Rival heavyweight South Africa, on the other hand, is in the curious position of seemingfor the second time this yearafter Ivory Coastto leap to the defence of a fallingtyrant.

South Africa, which has carried the AU for now, has criticised Nato for abusing themandate it won to protect civilians to achieve regime change and of undermining African
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efforts, led by President Jacob Zuma, to broker a negotiated solution to conflict. Nor havesouthern Africas former liberation movements entirely forgotten Col Gaddafis generoussupport for past struggles.

The Nigerians have scored some points on the international stage for pragmatism. But

South Africas position is probably more representative of African ambivalence about thebrother leaders overthrow and unease at the role of western intervention.In his efforts first to circumvent UN sanctions and later to unite the continent under hisinfluence, the former Libyan leader built up a network of client governments, politiciansand rebels.

His drive to galvanise African unity, underpinned by his own outsized ambitions tobecome the first president of a putative United States of Africa, helped further thecreation of the AU in 2002.

But Col Gaddafi also sewed division, fuelling conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali,

Sudan and Chad, among other countries. While he could count on the attentions of manyAfrican leaders, he was often humoured or feared, rather than supported.

People took his money but they didnt necessarily sign up to his ideas, says AdekeyeAdebajo, director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution in Cape Town.

For neighbouring countries, the unravelling of the colonels iron-fisted rule bearsimmediate dangers. Potentially, it opens up more space for al-Qaeda affiliates in the vastdesert between Libya, Algeria, Niger and Mali. The region is already a battleground inwhich US special forces conduct covert operations.

Then, there is the prospectalongside the flight of tens of thousands of African migrantworkersof well-armed mercenaries and seasoned ethnic Tuareg fighters who fought onthe side of the regime spilling back into their countries of origin as Gaddafi loyalistresistance is squeezed by the rebels.

Among these splintering forces are the remnants of the Islamic legion, a pan-Arab forcesponsored by Col Gaddafi to further his past ambition of annexing the semi-desertregions of the Sahel.

Its members fought before in Chad, Niger and Mali and most recently contributed onKhartoums side to the war in Sudans Darfur.

Col Gaddafi spent years pontificating about the need for African unity, while covertlyexercising the tactics of divide and rule.

It should be no surprise, then, that African countries have proved less than coherent innavigating the aftermath of his mercurial rule.

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Libyan fighters seize Sirte airport (Al Jazeera)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/09/2011929133348186781.html29 September 2011By Al Jazeera and agencies

Progress in one of the last bastions of Gaddafi support claimed as Senator John McCainleads US delegation to Tripoli.

Forces of Libya's interim government have captured the airport in Muammar Gaddafi'shometown of Sirte with support from NATO warplanes, one of two main remainingbastions of support for the deposed leader.

Sirte has withstood a two-week-long siege by fighters belong to the National TransitionalCouncil [NTC] hitting it with tank and rocket fire as well as NATO air raids.

But intense sniper and artillery fire from pro-Gaddafi forces has so far prevented the NTCforces from taking the city.

Thursday's developments on the Sirte frontline coincided with a visit by a US delegationheaded by John McCain, the influentail Republican senator and former presidentialcandidate, to the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

This was the first prominent visit by a US delegation since Gaddafi's overthrow.

"Libyan people have inspired the world, the sacrifice of the Libyan people give Libyans alasting chance for peace," he said at a news conference.

"The next few month will shape the future. The NTC will announce a new cabinet and itis important for it to be inclusive of all.

"It is important of the NTC to bring in any armed groups under its responsible authority.They also need to bring Gaddafi and his family to justice.

McCain also encouraged free flow of trade and investment between the two countries.

Hunger strike

In other developments, Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi, a prime minister under Gaddafi,said through his lawyer that he had started a hunger strike in a prison in Tunisa in protestagainst a request for his extradition from the NTC.

Tunisian prosecutors say they have received the request and are therefore keeping him inprison despite him winning an appeal against a six-month jail sentence for crossing intoTunisia illegally.
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Separately, Interpol issued an alert calling for the arrest of a second son of Gaddafi,putting pressure on Niger to detain Saadi Gaddafi who fled there three weeks ago.

The international police agency has already issued "red notices" seeking the arrest ofMuammar Gaddafi and one of his sons, the politically prominent Saif al-Islam Gaddafi,

as well as Gaddafi's intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Senussi.

The whereabouts of those three remain a mystery more than a month since Gaddafi's rulewas toppled.

Interpol, which is based in Lyon, said it issued an alert for Saadi Gaddafi at the request ofthe NTC, who accuse him of leading military units responsible for crackdowns onprotests and of misappropriating property.

Niger says it has placed Saadi Gaddafi under surveillance after he was interceptedcrossing its desert frontier.

Niger officials were not immediately available to comment on the Interpol arrest notice.

It has been more than a month since NTC fighters captured Tripoli, but Gaddafi remainsdefiantly on the run, pledging to lead a campaign of armed resistance against the newleaders.

Lack of co-ordination and divisions on the front have hampered NTC attempts to captureSirte and the other bastion of Gaddafi's control, Bani Walid.

Gaddafi is believed to be holed up near the western town of Ghadamis near the Algerianborder under the protection of Tuareg tribesmen, a senior NTC military official has said.

Many Tuaregs, nomads who roam the desert spanning the borders of Libya and itsneighbours, have backed Gaddafi since he supported their uprisings against thegovernments of Mali and Niger in the 1970s and allowed them to settle in Libya.

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Kenyans watch as their leaders take the stand at ICC hearing (The Christian

Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0929/Kenyans-watch-as-their-leaders-take-the-stand-at-ICC-hearing29 September 2011By Mike Pflanz

Pre-trial hearings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on human rights chargesagainst six Kenyan leaders are must-see TV across Kenya, although support for Haguetrial hinges on firm proof of guilt.
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The most prominent of six Kenyan men accused of masterminding the countrysinfamous 2007-08 post-election violence took the stand Thursday in pre-trial hearings atthe International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.

Uhuru Kenyatta is the son of Kenyas post-independence founding father Jomo Kenyatta,

and currently the countrys deputy prime minister and its finance minister.

Along with two other key allies of President Mwai Kibaki, he is accused of five counts ofcrimes against humanity, including murder, rape, persecution, and forcibly movingpeople from their homes.

Three other men, one-time supporters of Kibakis election rival, Raila Odinga, standseparately accused in a second similar case also before the court. Kenyatta is the biggestfish of the lot, however.

As he sat in the dockalthough not yet under conditions of a full trialmany Kenyans

in tea rooms and offices across the country sat riveted by the sight of one of their mostprominent politicians under scrutiny for such serious crimes.

Prosecutors allege that he organized members of a banned mafia-like sect, the Mungiki,to be armed, financed, and transported to towns northwest of Nairobi to carry out hisorders to attack supporters of his political rivals.

Appearing increasingly irritated by prosecution cross-examination on the stand Thursday,he denied this, as he has done since the charges were first aired earlier this year.

I never thought that the day would come when someone from that class would be calledto answer questions like that, said Margaret Adhiambo, a grocer lining up to deposit herdays pay at a Nairobi bank Thursday afternoon.

Beginning of the end of impunity?Kenyas leaders and the heads of its most prominent families have long been accused ofacting in their own interestslegally and illegallywith impunity. Local prosecutions ofcorruption, nepotism, or financial impropriety rarely succeed.

That is why these hearings at the ICC in The Hague carry such a weight of expectationfor justice for crimes committed during two months of violence following Kenyas 2007presidential elections.

More than 1,100 people died and 630,000 were forced from their homes as supporters ofrival politicians clashed in a handful of ethnically divided towns, mostly in the RiftValley which scythes through the countrys center.

Faith in the ICC wobblesLuis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC prosecutor, took up the case when it became clear thatpromised domestic processes and tribunals in Kenya were stumbling.


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Even had they gone ahead, they would have been seen by a majority of the population asopen to manipulation by the countrys powerful, opinion polls show.

But support for the Hague processwhich ran nationwide at close to 70 percent in late

2010had dropped by as much as half in Kenyattas strongholds in central Kenya byAugust this year, according to a recent poll.

Synovate, a Kenyan market research firm, found that those agreeing that they backed theICC trials there had dropped from 70 percent to 36 percent. In areas traditionallysupportive of the men contesting the second case at The Hague, a similar patternemerged.

Questions have since been asked over whether Ocampo truly has the evidence, andwhether it is right for international justice to rush in when some were calling for moretime for Kenya to investigate its own.

It seems to us that here is a man who has been targeted by Ocampo, and by people whohave ill feelings towards Kikuyus, said Wilson Muiruri, a caf owner in Nakuru, whereKenyatta is accused of sending Mungiki fighters.

But it would be wrong to suggest that Kenyans have lost confidence in the ICC process,says Ngunjiri Wambugu, director of Kikuyus for Change, a Nairobi-based civil societygroup.

That waning support is largely down to a narrative that people from that community arethe victims here, that Kenyattas the subject of a witch-hunt, he tells The Monitor. Its anarrative thats very cleverly been spun over the last couple of months, as Kenyatta andhis supporters have campaigned heavily among their supporters.

It was important to note, Wambugu adds, that most of those who profess to backKenyatta do so out of a genuine belief that he and Muthaura are innocent. Shouldprosecutors "catch him out telling a lie," things will change.

What will see the support for the ICC swing back the other way, even in central Kenya,will be if the prosecution shows that it has evidence, that there is proof that these guys didthese things, Wambugu says.

As the hearings continue, Kenyans will be watching closely. The current pre-trial"confirmation hearings" run until Oct. 5, after which judges will rule whether there isenough evidence to continue to full trials.

If that happens, the cases will drag through next year, when both Kenyatta and WilliamRuto, one of the accused in the other case, have already said they intend to stand forpresident in elections due at the end of 2012.


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