AFRICOM Related News clips 15 Sep, 2011

8/4/2019 AFRICOM Related News clips 15 Sep, 2011

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United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office15 September 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa,along with upcoming events of interest for September 15, 2011.

Of interest in today's clips are news reports resulting from General Carter Hams pressevent with the Defense Writers Group in Washington, D.C. According to the New YorkTimes, Ham warned that three violent extremist organizations on the African continentwere trying to forge an alliance to coordinate attacks on the United States and Westerninterests. AFP reports that deposed Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi still has smallnumbers of loyal fighters but his ability to influence events "has largely been eliminated.According to Stars and Stripes, General Ham said he wants more special operations forcesto handle a growing demand for counterterrorism operations against Al-Qaeda and other

terrorist groups and to help build up Africas own militaries. The Army Times reports thataccording to the AFRICOM commander, Chinese sales of military equipment to Africannations can be helpful and do not represent military competition with the UnitedStates. In The Hill, the commander of U.S. Africa Command said Wednesday thatshrinking Pentagon budgets would lead him to advise Defense Secretary Leon Panettaagainst moving its European headquarters.

In other news, a spate of ship hijackings off West Africa indicates the region could emergeas a new piracy "hotspot," reports the AFP. And according to Reuters, Somalia's Islamistrebel group al Shabaab said on Wednesday it was not behind the kidnapping of a Britishwoman from a luxury beach resort in neighboring Kenya.

New on www.africom.mil, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and U.S.Africa Command (AFRICOM) concluded a week-long cooperative border securityworkshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as part of a joint effort to enhance security at portsand borders in the region. Humanitarian assistance coordination is stressed at Natural Fire2011 in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/


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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

Kadhafi controls few forces, not a US target: general (AFP)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKKkoic2Bnw2effCQSTO413LA7rw?docId=CNG.73fa2bce50221a12ab98013337927324.261By Unattributed Author14 September 2011 - Deposed Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi still has small numbers ofloyal fighters but his ability to influence events "has largely been eliminated," thecommander of US forces in Africa said Wednesday.

AFRICOM commander: 'I'd like more special operations forces now' (Stars and

Stripes)

http://www.stripes.com/news/africom-commander-i-d-like-more-special-operations-forces-now-1.155066By Kevin Baron14 September 2011 - The commander of U.S. troops in Africa said he wants more specialoperations forces to handle a growing demand for counterterrorism operations against al-Qaida and other terrorist groups and to help build up Africas own militaries.

Three Terrorist Groups in Africa Pose Threat to U.S., American Commander Says

(New York Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/three-terrorist-groups-in-africa-pose-threat-to-us-general-ham-says.htmlBy Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt14 September 2011 - The senior American military commander for Africa warnedWednesday that three violent extremist organizations on the continent were trying to forgean alliance to coordinate attacks on the United States and Western interests.
mailto:[email protected]://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKKkoic2Bnw2effCQSTO413LA7rw?docId=CNG.73fa2bce50221a12ab98013337927324.261http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKKkoic2Bnw2effCQSTO413LA7rw?docId=CNG.73fa2bce50221a12ab98013337927324.261http://www.stripes.com/news/africom-commander-i-d-like-more-special-operations-forces-now-1.155066http://www.stripes.com/news/africom-commander-i-d-like-more-special-operations-forces-now-1.155066http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/three-terrorist-groups-in-africa-pose-threat-to-us-general-ham-says.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/three-terrorist-groups-in-africa-pose-threat-to-us-general-ham-says.htmlmailto:[email protected]://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKKkoic2Bnw2effCQSTO413LA7rw?docId=CNG.73fa2bce50221a12ab98013337927324.261http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKKkoic2Bnw2effCQSTO413LA7rw?docId=CNG.73fa2bce50221a12ab98013337927324.261http://www.stripes.com/news/africom-commander-i-d-like-more-special-operations-forces-now-1.155066http://www.stripes.com/news/africom-commander-i-d-like-more-special-operations-forces-now-1.155066http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/three-terrorist-groups-in-africa-pose-threat-to-us-general-ham-says.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/three-terrorist-groups-in-africa-pose-threat-to-us-general-ham-says.html


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AFRICOM chief: Chinese sales can be helpful (Army Times)

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-africom-carter-ham-says-chinese-sales-sometimes-helpful-091411w/By Sean Naylor

14 September 2011 - Chinese sales of military equipment to African nations can behelpful and do not represent military competition with the United States, the head ofU.S. Africa Command told reporters Wednesday.

Africa Command chief would advise Panetta against moving headquarters(TheHill)

http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/181619-africa-command-chief-would-advise-panetta-against-moving-headquartersBy John Bennett14 September 2011 - The general in charge of U.S. Africa Command (AfriCom) saidWednesday that shrinking Pentagon budgets would lead him to advise Defense Secretary

Leon Panetta against moving its European headquarters.

Freed of Gadhafi, Libyans expect post-war boom (AP)

http://news.yahoo.com/freed-gadhafi-libyans-expect-post-war-boom-070959584.htmlBy Karin Laub14 September 2011 - Airlines are readying their return to Libya, ports largely shutteredduring the fighting are receiving cargos and foreign oil companies that had fled thecountry's civil war are making tentative steps back.

American Military Team Visits Libya To Assess Risks Of Reopening U.S. Embassy

(New York Times)

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110913/ZNYT03/109133017By Anne Barnard14 September 2011 - Four members of the American military are in Tripoli, the Libyancapital, to determine what security measures are necessary to reopen the United StatesEmbassy here.

W. Africa becoming piracy 'hotspot' (AFP)

http://news.yahoo.com/w-africa-becoming-piracy-hotspot-005802510.htmlBy Unattributed Author14 September 2011 - A spate of ship hijackings off West Africa indicates the region couldemerge as a new piracy "hotspot".

Kenyans make arrest in kidnapping case (Al Jazeera)

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/20119148245550305.htmlBy Unattributed Author14 September 2011 - Police have arrested a Kenyan suspected of aiding the armed menwho kidnapped a British tourist and killed her husband on the remote island resort ofKiwayu Island, near the border with Somalia.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-africom-carter-ham-says-chinese-sales-sometimes-helpful-091411w/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-africom-carter-ham-says-chinese-sales-sometimes-helpful-091411w/http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/181619-africa-command-chief-would-advise-panetta-against-moving-headquartershttp://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/181619-africa-command-chief-would-advise-panetta-against-moving-headquartershttp://news.yahoo.com/freed-gadhafi-libyans-expect-post-war-boom-070959584.htmlhttp://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110913/ZNYT03/109133017http://news.yahoo.com/w-africa-becoming-piracy-hotspot-005802510.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/20119148245550305.htmlhttp://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-africom-carter-ham-says-chinese-sales-sometimes-helpful-091411w/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-africom-carter-ham-says-chinese-sales-sometimes-helpful-091411w/http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/181619-africa-command-chief-would-advise-panetta-against-moving-headquartershttp://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/181619-africa-command-chief-would-advise-panetta-against-moving-headquartershttp://news.yahoo.com/freed-gadhafi-libyans-expect-post-war-boom-070959584.htmlhttp://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110913/ZNYT03/109133017http://news.yahoo.com/w-africa-becoming-piracy-hotspot-005802510.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/20119148245550305.html


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Libya unrest: Saadi Gaddafi 'in capital of Niger' (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14909734By Unattributed Author14 September 2011 - Saadi Gaddafi, one of the sons of fugitive Libyan leader ColMuammar Gaddafi, has arrived in the capital, Niamey.

Niger: Mixed emotions over Gaddafi fugitives (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14903435By Thomas Fessy14 September 2011 - At least three top commanders loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi havemade it to Niger in the past 10 days. One his own sons, Saadi, has also joined the growinggroup of officials from Libya's deposed government who are being hosted on"humanitarian grounds" by Niger's government.

Senior US diplomat holds talks in Tripoli (Reuters)

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D00F20110914?sp=true

By William Maclean14 September 2011 - Libya's new interim leader met the most senior U.S. official to visitTripoli since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, though details of Wednesday's talks were notimmediately available.

Somalia's al Shabaab says not behind kidnap of Briton (Reuters)

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D09A20110914?sp=trueBy Feisal Omar14 September 2011 - Somalia's Islamist rebel group al Shabaab said on Wednesday it wasnot behind the kidnapping of a British woman from a luxury beach resort in neighbouringKenya.

Kenya cabinet proposes 2012 election delay (Reuters)

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D03C20110914?sp=trueBy Unattributed Author14 September 2011 - Kenya's cabinet on Tuesday proposed delaying next year's electionsby four months, a suggestion that risked angering citizens determined politicians shouldstick to a timetable set out in the country's new constitution.

Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, readying forces-spokesman (Reuters)

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/muammar-gaddafi-in-libya-readying-forces-spokesman/By Sylvia Westall and Maria Golovnina14 September 2011 - Muammar Gaddafi is still in Libya and in good spirits, with apowerful army behind him, the ousted leader's spokesman said on Wednesday.

Nigeria Islamists could attack universities - police (Reuters)

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/nigeria-islamists-could-attack-universities--police/By Anamesere Igboeroteonwu14 September 2011 - An Islamist sect responsible for a series of deadly bombings in
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14909734http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14909734http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14903435http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14903435http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D00F20110914?sp=truehttp://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D09A20110914?sp=truehttp://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D03C20110914?sp=truehttp://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/muammar-gaddafi-in-libya-readying-forces-spokesman/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/nigeria-islamists-could-attack-universities--police/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14909734http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14903435http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D00F20110914?sp=truehttp://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D09A20110914?sp=truehttp://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D03C20110914?sp=truehttp://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/muammar-gaddafi-in-libya-readying-forces-spokesman/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/nigeria-islamists-could-attack-universities--police/


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Nigeria in recent months could target universities in the south of Africa's most populousnation, police said on Wednesday.

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UN News Service Africa Briefshttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA(Full Articles on UN Website)

Somali consensus on end of transition paves way for restoring stability UN envoy

14 September A broad consensus on how to end the transitional period and restore peaceand stability in Somalia now exists among the countrys leadership, the United Nationsenvoy told the Security Council today, urging it to send an unequivocal message to theleaders that a return to political bickering will not be tolerated.

UN unveils full list of staff killed in recent deadly attack in Abuja, Nigeria

14 September The United Nations has announced the names of the 11 staff members whoperished when the world bodys offices in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, were attacked by asuicide bomber on 26 August.

Mandate of UN peacebuilding office in Sierra Leone extended for another year

14 September The Security Council today extended for another year the mandate of theUnited Nations office that is helping Sierra Leone on its journey towards becoming astable, peaceful and democratic country.

UN working on ways to mitigate climate changes impact on African agriculture

14 September The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today itis working with African leaders to help the continent adapt agricultural approaches that aremore resilient to the impact of the climate change and scarcity of natural resources.

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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

20 SEPT 2011

WHEN: September 20, 2011, at noonWHAT: Pakistan, the U.S. and Public Diplomacy with Consul General Riffat Masood CPDConversations in Public Diplomacy

WHO: Riffat Masood, the Consul General of PakistanWHERE: USC; SOS B40CONTACT :[email protected]

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What's New onwww.africom.mil
http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://c/UserData/SkinnerD/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/ANZ8NHGK/story.asp?NewsID=39548&Cr=somalia&Cr1=http://c/UserData/SkinnerD/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/ANZ8NHGK/story.asp?NewsID=39546&Cr=abuja&Cr1=http://c/UserData/SkinnerD/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/ANZ8NHGK/story.asp?NewsID=39544&Cr=Sierra&Cr1=Leonehttp://c/UserData/SkinnerD/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/ANZ8NHGK/story.asp?NewsID=39542&Cr=agriculture&Cr1=mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://c/UserData/SkinnerD/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/ANZ8NHGK/story.asp?NewsID=39548&Cr=somalia&Cr1=http://c/UserData/SkinnerD/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/ANZ8NHGK/story.asp?NewsID=39546&Cr=abuja&Cr1=http://c/UserData/SkinnerD/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/ANZ8NHGK/story.asp?NewsID=39544&Cr=Sierra&Cr1=Leonehttp://c/UserData/SkinnerD/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/ANZ8NHGK/story.asp?NewsID=39542&Cr=agriculture&Cr1=mailto:[email protected]://www.africom.mil/


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NNSA and AFRICOM Conduct Inaugural East African Border Security Workshop

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7193&lang=0On September 16, 2011, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and U.S.Africa Command (AFRICOM) concluded a week-long cooperative border security

workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania as part of a joint effort to enhance security at portsand borders in the region.

Partnership Building Takes Center Stage at Natural Fire 2011

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7191&lang=0Senior leaders and civilian authorities from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ugandaand the United States joined together to participate in a series of multinational disasterresponse and humanitarian assistance exercises as part of Natural Fire 2011 in Zanzibar,Tanzania September 12, 2011.

Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Stressed during Natural Fire 2011

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7192&lang=0Some of the major themes of Natural Fire 11 are humanitarian aid and disaster relief forEast Africa and how the five nations, along with the assistance of the United States, canpool their resources and truly make a difference.

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Full Text

Kadhafi controls few forces, not a US target: general (AFP)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKKkoic2Bnw2effCQSTO413LA7rw?docId=CNG.73fa2bce50221a12ab98013337927324.261By Unattributed Author14 September 2011WASHINGTON Deposed Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi still has small numbers ofloyal fighters but his ability to influence events "has largely been eliminated," thecommander of US forces in Africa said Wednesday.

General Carter Ham, who heads the US Africa command, or AFRICOM, told reporters thatKadhafi is "probably" still commanding some troops, but "certainly a very, very smallnumber, a significantly smaller number of regime loyalists."

"It seems to me that his ability to influence day-to-day activities has largely beeneliminated, probably not completely eliminated, but pretty significantly."

He said there remained "some pockets in (Kadhafi's home town) Sirte, and some residualsin Bani Walid," two pro-Kadhafi bastions where civilians have reported fighting in recentdays between Kadhafi loyalists and forces under transitional government authority.
http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7193&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7191&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7192&lang=0http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKKkoic2Bnw2effCQSTO413LA7rw?docId=CNG.73fa2bce50221a12ab98013337927324.261http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKKkoic2Bnw2effCQSTO413LA7rw?docId=CNG.73fa2bce50221a12ab98013337927324.261http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7193&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7191&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7192&lang=0http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKKkoic2Bnw2effCQSTO413LA7rw?docId=CNG.73fa2bce50221a12ab98013337927324.261http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKKkoic2Bnw2effCQSTO413LA7rw?docId=CNG.73fa2bce50221a12ab98013337927324.261


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When asked specifically whether Kadhafi was therefore a legitimate military target, Haminsisted it was a "policy matter."

"We don't target individuals, we target capabilities. And so a command and controlcapability or a facility that we go after, if we had some indication that he was present at that

facility, it would not have a significant effect on the decision to strike or not strike," hesaid.

"Considerable" military resources would need to go into tracking down a specific person inhiding, and such a mission would detract from the overall aim of reducing capability bystriking command facilities, Ham added.

"If he happens to be at one of those sites, then so be it."

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Monday that "remnants of Kadhafi's regime stillconstitute a threat to the civilian population" and that the North Atlantic alliance would

pursue its campaign as long as such a threat remained.

After leading the air campaign against Libya in the days following UN approval of actionagainst Kadhafi forces to protect civilians, the US military handed control of the operationsto NATO.

NATO's UN mandate expires on September 27, and Rasmussen said the military alliancewould begin considerations this week as to whether it would have to prolong it.

Ham said that even with a possible extension of NATO's Libya mission, "they're probablycloser to the end of (it) than they are to the beginning."

The United Nations should have a "very significant role in post-conflict Libya," he said,but added that the world body was also looking for outside actors to take on a leading rolein reconstruction, security and stabilization operations.

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AFRICOM commander: 'I'd like more special operations forces now' (Stars and

Stripes)

http://www.stripes.com/news/africom-commander-i-d-like-more-special-operations-forces-now-1.155066By Kevin Baron14 September 2011

WASHINGTON The commander of U.S. troops in Africa said he wants more specialoperations forces to handle a growing demand for counterterrorism operations against al-Qaida and other terrorist groups and to help build up Africas own militaries.
http://www.stripes.com/news/africom-commander-i-d-like-more-special-operations-forces-now-1.155066http://www.stripes.com/news/africom-commander-i-d-like-more-special-operations-forces-now-1.155066http://var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch27492/C://polopoly_fs//1.137696.1300118582!//image//2734647486.jpg_gen//derivatives//landscape_490//2734647486.jpghttp://var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch27492/C://polopoly_fs//1.137696.1300118582!//image//2734647486.jpg_gen//derivatives//landscape_490//2734647486.jpghttp://var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch27492/C://polopoly_fs//1.137696.1300118582!//image//2734647486.jpg_gen//derivatives//landscape_490//2734647486.jpghttp://www.stripes.com/news/africom-commander-i-d-like-more-special-operations-forces-now-1.155066http://www.stripes.com/news/africom-commander-i-d-like-more-special-operations-forces-now-1.155066http://var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch27492/C://polopoly_fs//1.137696.1300118582!//image//2734647486.jpg_gen//derivatives//landscape_490//2734647486.jpghttp://var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch27492/C://polopoly_fs//1.137696.1300118582!//image//2734647486.jpg_gen//derivatives//landscape_490//2734647486.jpghttp://var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch27492/C://polopoly_fs//1.137696.1300118582!//image//2734647486.jpg_gen//derivatives//landscape_490//2734647486.jpg


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Id like more special operations forces now, said Army Gen. Carter Ham, commander ofU.S. Africa Command, at a defense writers breakfast Wednesday in Washington.

Ham said he expects to see incremental increases in the numbers of U.S. special operationsforces in Africa over the next couple of years, but doesnt expect to see a large-scale

change until the U.S. draws down in Afghanistan after 2014.

The general is the latest U.S. defense leader to call for more special operations forces, asWashington heads into a budget-slashing exercise. Already this year, several of PresidentBarack Obamas new crop of top commanders told Congress those elite forces were in highdemand, and warned any budget cuts to special operations would threaten national security.

The AFRICOM commander said North Africas three main terrorist groups Al-Shabab,in East Africa; al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM; and Nigeria-based Boko Harem are showing increased signs of collaboration in training and operations. Each group, hesaid, is a significant security threat to the United States because they have publicly voiced

intent to target the U.S. and are gaining capacity to attack U.S. interests.I have questions about their capability to do so, but I have no question about their intent todo so, Ham said.

Officials briefing reporters later at the Pentagon about recent intelligence across the regionalso said the groups are showing alarming signs of cross-pollination, particularly inexchanging trainers and in shared anti-government ideologies, but officials were notforeshadowing a pan-African alliance.

I wouldnt go down this Legion of Doom theory where theyre all going to join hands,said a senior defense official, speaking anonymously per Pentagon rules.

Those comments follow Defense Secretary Leon Panettas warning this summer that as Al-Qaidas core elements in Pakistan diminish, particularly since the death of Osama binLaden, the U.S. expected the group to shift its center of gravity to Yemen, Somalia, andacross the Middle East and North Africa.

If left unaddressed, you could have a network that ranges from East Africa through thecenter and into the Sahel and Maghreb, and that I think that would be very, very worrying,Ham said.

When the U.S. started the specific combatant command for Africa in 2007, opponents wereconcerned the U.S. was seeking to militarize Americas presence in Africa, move itsheadquarters from Germany to the continent and eventually set up permanent U.S. bases.Ham said that in his six months as commander African leaders are not pushing back at theAmerican presence.

We keeping getting asked to do more and more and more, and go to more places, he said.More exercises, more military-to-military engagement, more and more requests for
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9/31

interchanges, and I dont recall anybody saying, We dont want you to come hereanymore.

The biggest U.S. military activity under AFRICOM so far has been its participation inNATOs Libya mission. Ham expects the U.S. will send a normal contingent to protect the

embassy in Tripoli, once re-established, and later maybe some trainers for exercises. But hedid not expect the U.S. would lead any permanent foreign military training there, stationtroops or conduct any operations.

Ham said that most U.S. forces are training and helping Africas own militaries. Hedeclined to give details about the levels of U.S. counterterrorism operations, including themilitarys use of armed drones over Somalia. But he acknowledged Special OperationsCommand-Africa has grown, he works closely with U.S. Special Operations Command andhas a wonderful relationship with SOCOMs Adm. William McRaven.

Ham said he is confident other commands will support AFRICOM whenever they have

high-priority assignments.

We have what we need, but I kind of like not talking about that, he said, not wanting toreveal operations to terrorist targets.

At Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, the U.S. presence for a spectrum of missions is alsoexpanding, in acreage, housing and other facilities designed to meet an influx of additionaltroops.

In Djibouti, we have grown. Its a little bit larger. Its a very, very interesting andimportant hub, not only for U.S. Africa Command, but for Central Command, of courseSpecial Operations Command, for Transportation Command, Ham said, Its a very, veryimportant place for us.

Ham said special operations forces require enablers, but not a large infrastructure base, sosmall teams that are out training in countries like Mali are a pretty bare bones operation,where host nations provide barracks and other sustainment.

Ham doesnt think Lemonier will grow much more. I think it will probably plateau, atleast for a while, he said.

###

Three Terrorist Groups in Africa Pose Threat to U.S., American Commander Says

(New York Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/three-terrorist-groups-in-africa-pose-threat-to-us-general-ham-says.htmlBy Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt14 September 2011
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6.1300118582!//image//2734647486.jpg_gen//derivatives//landscape_490//2734647486.jpghttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/three-terrorist-groups-in-africa-pose-threat-to-us-general-ham-says.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/three-terrorist-groups-in-africa-pose-threat-to-us-general-ham-says.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/three-terrorist-groups-in-africa-pose-threat-to-us-general-ham-says.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/three-terrorist-groups-in-africa-pose-threat-to-us-general-ham-says.html


10/31

The senior American military commander for Africa warned Wednesday that three violentextremist organizations on the continent were trying to forge an alliance to coordinateattacks on the United States and Western interests.

The commander, Gen. Carter F. Ham, the top officer at Africa Command, said terrorist

organizations in East Africa, in the deserts of northern Africa and in Nigeria have veryexplicitly and publicly voiced an intent to target Westerners, and the U.S. specifically.

General Ham made clear that the three militant organizations the Shabab in Somalia, AlQaeda in the Islamic Maghreb across the Sahel region of northern Africa and Boko Haramin northern Nigeria had not yet shown the capability to mount significant attacks outsidetheir homelands.

I have questions about their capability to do so, General Ham told a group ofcorrespondents, adding that he was worried about the voiced intent of the threeorganizations to more closely collaborate and synchronize their efforts.

Each of those three independently presents a significant threat not only in the nations inwhich they primarily operate, but regionally and I think they present a threat to theUnited States, General Ham said.

Defense Department officials confirmed later on Wednesday that a large car bombdetonated in August by Boko Haram militants bore signature elements of the improvisedexplosives used by the Qaeda offshoot in the Sahel; those forensics are leading analysts tosuggest that the group had shared its tactics and techniques with the Nigerian terroristorganization.

Defense Department officials noted that the three African terrorist groups had traditionallyhit local government targets, and that they differed in ideology. But one DefenseDepartment official said they were believed to be working toward an alliance ofconvenience.

Government experts consider the ascendancy of regional affiliates of Al Qaeda asespecially worrisome. Al Qaedas traditional leadership in Pakistan is deemed less capableof planning and carrying out significant attacks, especially since the death of Osama binLaden in May. But Pentagon and intelligence officials hold that regional affiliates inparticular the Qaeda branch in Yemen pose increasing threats to American intereststoday.

Wary of committing a large number of troops, the United States has sought to use morediplomatic and development tools than military force in Africa. For example, smallnumbers of American Green Berets are training African armies to guard their borders andpatrol vast, desolate expanses against infiltration by Al Qaedas militants, so the UnitedStates does not have to.


11/31

In the Sahel part of northern Africa, the Pentagon is playing a supporting role to UnitedStates embassies, acting quickly before terrorism becomes as entrenched there as it is inSomalia, an East African nation where there is a heightened militant threat.

Unlike Somalia, countries like Mali and Mauritania are willing and able to have dozens of

American and European military trainers conduct exercises there, and the nations leadersare clearly worried about militants who have taken refuge in their vast Saharan north.

Citing the current mission to train and equip forces in Mali to counter extremists operatingthere, General Ham said, We think we are contributing in a meaningful way to increasingMalis capability.

The fight against the Shabab, a group that United States officials fear could someday carryout strikes against the West, has mostly been outsourced to African soldiers and privatecompanies out of reluctance to send American troops back into Somalia, a country theyhastily exited nearly two decades ago. After years of turmoil, there are indicators that the

strategy may be gaining some traction.

In early August, the Shabab abruptly pulled out of Mogadishu, the bullet-ridden capital,leaving it in the hands of the government for the first time in years.

In a separate interview later on Wednesday, General Ham said that a 9,000-soldier AfricanUnion peacekeeping force had steadily improved its urban fighting operations in recentyears. Fazul Abdullah Mohamed, an important Shabab commander and a wanted Qaedaagent, was killed in June in a shootout at a checkpoint in Mogadishu, dealing the groupwhat General Ham said was a serious setback. Its far too early to say Shabab is on therun, but theyre certainly unsettled, he said.

General Ham also told reporters that the pending withdrawal of American forces from Iraqand the reductions in American forces in Afghanistan might make larger numbers ofSpecial Operations forces available to Africa Command. These could be deployed astrainers to nations on the continent.

What we seek to enable are African solutions to African security challenges, he said.

General Ham also expressed concerns that the current upheaval in Libya might allowextremist groups to make inroads there, and he warned that missiles, explosives and evenpoisonous chemicals held by the Qaddafi government might fall into terrorists hands.

The presence of extremist organizations in Libya, and expanding their influence, is aconcern not only of the U.S. but certainly of the regional states, as well, he said.

Three types of Libyan government weapons appeared to be on the loose amid the upheaval:shoulder-launched antiaircraft missiles, military ordnance that could be converted intoimprovised roadside bombs and the precursor components of chemical weapons.


12/31

Libya was subject to a program to dismantle its chemical weapons stockpiles, General Hamsaid, but that program was not completed before fighting broke out this year.

Some of those materials remain, he said. It is not weaponized it is not easilyweaponized.

But the United States, NATO and nations in the region want to assure the completedestruction of those materials, he said.

###

AFRICOM chief: Chinese sales can be helpful (Army Times)

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-africom-carter-ham-says-chinese-sales-sometimes-helpful-091411w/By Sean Naylor14 September 2011

Chinese sales of military equipment to African nations can be helpful and do notrepresent military competition with the United States, the head of U.S. Africa Commandtold reporters Wednesday.

China has aggressively marketed its weapons to African governments during the pastdecade, often in exchange for access to the continents vast mineral deposits.Yet Army Gen. Carter Ham, who took command of AFRICOM on March 9, did not appearunduly troubled by Beijings maneuvering.

Its very clear that the Chinese, like us and like many others, are engaged in supportingAfrican militaries with equipment, Ham told defense reporters over breakfast inWashington. As the commander of U.S. AFRICOM, I dont see that as a militarycompetition, if you will, between us and China.

Ham cited Beijings recent delivery of riverine craft to the Democratic Republic of Congossecurity forces as an example. I actually think thats pretty helpful, he said. Thats acapability that they need, its not a capability that we possess and so it actually can bepretty helpful. There are a number of African nations who fly Chinese aircraft, haveChinese maritime patrol vessels and the like and I dont see that, again, as a militarycompetition, but rather African nations making decisions about where can they best find asupply of the materiel and equipment that they need to accomplish their objectives.

Would I prefer them to have all U.S. stuff? Absolutely. That makes it easier for us toengage but the Africans will make decisions that are best for them.

The general said it was uncertain whether China had provided arms to MoammarGadhafis regime in Libya, and added that off the top of my head he did not knowabout any Chinese delivery of man-portable air defense missiles to African countries.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-africom-carter-ham-says-chinese-sales-sometimes-helpful-091411w/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-africom-carter-ham-says-chinese-sales-sometimes-helpful-091411w/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-africom-carter-ham-says-chinese-sales-sometimes-helpful-091411w/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-africom-carter-ham-says-chinese-sales-sometimes-helpful-091411w/


13/31

However, such missiles rank first among what Ham said were three categories of weaponshe was concerned might find their way from the Gaddaffi regimes arsenal into extremistorganizations hands in the wake of the Libyan uprising.

Second in Hams list are conventional munitions and explosives that militants might use as

components of improvised explosive devices. The third category includes the residualcomponents of Gadhafis chemical weapons program that were the focus of ademilitarization effort that interrupted by the uprising, Ham said. Although such elementsare difficult to turn into weapons, there is nevertheless a great concern about the securityof that material, he said.

###

Africa Command chief would advise Panetta against moving headquarters(TheHill)

http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/181619-africa-command-

chief-would-advise-panetta-against-moving-headquartersBy John Bennett14 September 2011

The general in charge of U.S. Africa Command (AfriCom) said Wednesday that shrinkingPentagon budgets would lead him to advise Defense Secretary Leon Panetta againstmoving its European headquarters.

Since AfriCom was formally established in October 2008, Pentagon officials andlawmakers have floated the idea of shifting its main hub from Stuttgart, Germany, to Africaor the United States.

But U.S. officials are hesitant to have a permanent and high-profile U.S. military presenceon African soil due to indigenous skepticism about such an arrangement, which has left noclear candidates for its permanent home.

Now, it looks as if the Pentagons shrinking budget not political worries might keepit in Stuttgart for longer than anticipated when the George W. Bush administration set upthe organization.

The money piece is perhaps more relevant, Army Gen. Carter Ham, AfriComcommander, said Wednesday during a breakfast with reporters in Washington sponsored by

the Center for Media and Security. Id have a pretty tough time in this fiscal environmentgoing to Secretary Panetta and saying, Hey, we oughtta spend a bunch of money to movethe headquarters any place even if doing so might have some other benefits.

Right now, in this environment, itd really have to be a compelling reason to go back tothe secretary and say, We oughta spend a bunch of money to do this.

Still, Pentagon officials are getting ready to look into the matter.
http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/181619-africa-command-chief-would-advise-panetta-against-moving-headquartershttp://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/181619-africa-command-chief-would-advise-panetta-against-moving-headquartershttp://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/181619-africa-command-chief-would-advise-panetta-against-moving-headquartershttp://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/181619-africa-command-chief-would-advise-panetta-against-moving-headquarters


14/31

The House-approved 2012 Pentagon authorization act would require the DefenseDepartment to conduct a sweeping study of just where might be the best permanentlocation for the AfriCom hub.

The legislation calls for the Pentagon to deliver lawmakers a study by April 1 examiningthe cost-benefit associated with moving the U.S. Africa Command headquarters from itscurrent location to the United States, according to a report that accompanied thatlegislation.

The House-ordered study also would require the department report back on the strategicrisk associated with each possible headquarters home.

The House Armed Services Committee, which crafted the provision, believes theheadquarters of U.S. Africa Command should be located at an installation that provides themaximum military value to the realigned command and at the minimum cost required to

implement the relocation, according to the report.

While that provision is not yet law, Ham said the Office of the Secretary of Defense isgetting energized to do a real, no-kidding Africa Command basing study in anticipation ofthat [legislative] requirement.

With both the Bush and Obama administrations reluctant to establish a permanent U.S.military presence on African soil, lawmakers have at times seized the opportunity topublicly push for the headquarters to be placed in their districts or states.

For instance, House Armed Services Committee members Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and HankJohnson (D-Ga.) used Hams appearance before the panel in April to deliver sales pitchesfor Charleston, S.C., and Atlanta, respectively.

Any time a major military facility such as a regional command organizations headquarterscomes to an area, it provides jobs and an economic boost.

Such an arrangement would not be unprecedented. U.S. Central Command, for instance, isheadquartered in Tampa, Fla.

In its report, the HASC noted other basing arrangements also provide models that could becopied.

The committee notes that a viable model exists to locate a geographic combatantcommand headquarters outside the respective area of responsibility and in the UnitedStates, as demonstrated by U.S. Central Command, U.S. Southern Command, and U.S.Pacific Command, it stated. The committee believes that this type of basing model isparticularly relevant for U.S. Africa Command because of the sensitivities that manyAfrican nations may have with regard to a permanent U.S. combatant command on theAfrican continent.


15/31

###

Freed of Gadhafi, Libyans expect post-war boom (AP)

http://news.yahoo.com/freed-gadhafi-libyans-expect-post-war-boom-070959584.html

By Karin Laub14 September 2011TRIPOLI, Libya -- Airlines are readying their return to Libya, ports largely shutteredduring the fighting are receiving cargos and foreign oil companies that had fled thecountry's civil war are making tentative steps back.

And waiting eagerly on the doorstep are businessmen looking to get in on what theybelieve could be a bonanza for investment -- an oil-rich nation with large tourism andconstruction potential that went largely untapped under an eccentric and often closed 42-year-long regime. Slowly, Libya is reopening its doors after seven months of fighting, evenas former rebels still hunt for ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

"Definitely, Libya is an El Dorado," said Husni Bey, one of Libya's biggest entrepreneurs."It has great resources that really allow it to turn around in no time."

The optimism is tempered by the challenges the country faces in overcoming decades ofunderdevelopment and corruption that helped fuel the uprising against Gadhafi.

In the immediate term, the nascent government has to jump-start the economy even as ittries to establish its authority in a country that remains unstable.

Libya's economy largely ground to a halt when the brutal regime crackdown on a popularuprising was met by international sanctions and opened up a civil war. An embargo by air,land and sea -- exempting humanitarian supplies and food -- froze most trade.

Inventories ran low. Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers fled, abandoningconstruction sites, bakeries and oil fields.

For the Libyan public, improvement is coming gradually. Food and fuel prices are droppingnearer to prewar levels and waits at gas stations now last hours instead of days.Links to the outside world are reopening, though NATO is still only granting case-by-caseexceptions to its air embargo.

Royal Jordanian resumes daily flights to Benghazi on Thursday, with an aim for flights tothe capital Tripoli later this month. Turkish Airlines plans to start before the end of themonth. Already, Libya's national carrier offers three daily flights between Tripoli andBenghazi, the country's second largest city.

Hadi Elayeb, whose Horizons Travel Agency made bookings for 17 airlines before the war,said most intend to come back, including Air Malta, which contacted him and said they
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hope to resume flights soon. He hasn't booked a flight since March 1, but hopes to be backin business by October.

Beyond that, Elayeb -- like many -- dreams of a boom.

"It's going to be fantastic," he said. "Libya, in good hands, will be even better than HongKong."

The reasons many see a gold mine are clear. With a small population of only 6 million,Libya raked in $40 billion last year from oil and gas exports. Long-term possibilities aremany, including tourism in a country that boasts pristine Roman ruins and hundreds ofmiles of undeveloped beaches just across the Mediterranean from Europe.

Gadhafi opened up the country somewhat in the 2000s, but the arcane political system,unpredictable business and visa rules and other restrictions kept much business away.

"Now Libya is a very easy place to work. There's lots of money and it has huge investmentneeds," said Ahmed Maiteeg, who owns three hotels and was involved in a majorconstruction project.

He said he's already been contacted by about a dozen European companies aboutpartnerships.

Local business leaders are making plans. Bey wants to build a 36,000 square meter(387,500 square foot) mall, and Maiteeg envisages a 35 million euro ($49 million), 50-bed,heart hospital employing Libyan doctors currently working in the U.S.

That earlier Gadhafi opening, however, provides a lesson in investment gone wrong.Foreign firms -- particularly international oil majors -- streamed into Libya after decade-oldsanctions against Gadhafi were lifted in 2003.

Luxury hotels arose, shopping malls and hypermarkets opened. New German and Japanesecars sped along paved highways and trendy coffee shops brewed espressos and blendedcoffee drinks. Oil exports filled coffers, with Libya's foreign reserves climbing past $100billion and the country enjoying no real foreign debt.

But the prosperity was a veneer enjoyed by those closest to Gadhafi. Private sector growthwas stunted and industry remained firmly in the hands of Gadhafi, his immediate familyand his supporters.

The wider population saw little benefit, facing shortages of affordable housing, substandardeducation and little opportunity in the private sector -- all problems that still exist.

With Gadhafi gone, oil companies are putting tentative feet forward. Foreign firms werethe backbone of Libya's pre-war production of about 1.6 million barrels a day. Experts sayit could take about a year or more to get back to that level.


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Output has begun at one of the eastern fields, the acting prime minister said this week.At the offices of Mellitah Oil & Gas, a partnership between state-run National Oil Corp.and Italy's Eni North Africa, human resources manager Ramadan Gushti is contacting morethan 240 foreign employees to return. Many of its 4,000 Libyan workers are already back

on the job, and Gushti expects production to resume in a month.

The company produced more than a third of Libya's oil output and delivered natural gasdirectly to Italy via pipeline.

Traffic is resuming at Tripoli's port, where under the wartime embargo only shipments offood, medicine and humanitarian supplies were allowed. The Overseas Shipping Co. said itexpects two container ships from Malta this week, carrying spare parts for cars, furnitureand personal effects.

To lure back investors, the National Transitional Council -- Libya's new, Western-backed

government -- promised to honor international contracts.

But it is leaving the drafting of a new economic policy largely to the next, electedgovernment, said Wafik al-Shater, an economic adviser to the NTC.

For now, "it's a priority for the government to kickstart the economy as soon as possible sopeople can get back to work," he said.

Shopping in the open-air market next to Tripoli's central square, history teacher ZahrahDabbah said she's now paying 3.5 dinars for a kilogram of chicken -- about $1.13 a pound-- half the wartime price.

A few of the gold traders in Tripoli's historic market have opened their shop doors. But theyare keeping their wares locked up and the display cases empty, leery of weapons thatflooded the streets since the uprising began.

With expectations that Gadhafi-era nepotism is over, some Libyan business leaders arecalling for review of contracts signed under the old regime.

But that could backfire, warned Said Hirsh, the London-based Mideast economist withCapital Economics.

"Whatever happened during Gadhafi's time, corruption and bribery, the foreign investorsshould not be penalized," he said. "Otherwise, that will probably send the wrong signal."


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American Military Team Visits Libya To Assess Risks Of Reopening U.S. Embassy

(New York Times)

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110913/ZNYT03/109133017

By Anne Barnard14 September 2011

TRIPOLI, Libya -- American forces are back on the shores of Tripoli -- albeit in a smallway.

Four members of the American military are in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, to determinewhat security measures are necessary to reopen the United States Embassy here, aPentagon spokesman said Tuesday.

The embassy closed when staff members and other American citizens were evacuated

during the six-month revolution that drove Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi from power. It isnow preparing to reopen as Libyan-American relations begin a new chapter.

Diplomatic relations with what is now Libya have a complex history going back toAmerica's first decades. Though another North African Muslim state, Morocco, was amongthe first countries in the world to recognize the United States diplomatically, the new nationsoon fought the Barbary Wars in the region over attacks on its ships by Berber pirates fromTripoli -- the origin of the shores of Tripoli reference in the Marines' Hymn.

In more recent years, given America's seesawing relationship with Colonel Qaddafi, theUnited States Embassy was closed for a long time. Even after it reopened in 2006, it wasguarded by Libyan security personnel, not the Marine guards that are common at otherdiplomatic posts around the world.

Now, with Colonel Qaddafi ousted, many Libyans express excitement at the prospect ofimproved relations with the West and the rest of the world. Officials of the de factogovernment and citizens alike say they plan to seek foreign advice about establishing therule of law, expanding their economy and adhering to international human rights standardsafter decades of isolation.

The challenges involved were highlighted on Tuesday when Amnesty International releaseda report contending that anti-Qaddafi forces had committed unlawful killings and tortureduring the rebellion.

The report said that the pro-Qaddafi forces had committed many more serious violations,but that Colonel Qaddafi's opponents have also committed human rights abuses, in somecases amounting to war crimes, albeit on a smaller scale.

The Transitional National Council, the new government in Libya, issued a statement onTuesday acknowledging that there had been a small number of incidents committed byanti-Qaddafi fighters during the uprising.
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The council condemned any abuses perpetrated by either side and said it was firmlycommitted to upholding human rights and the rule of law, both international and local -- theviolation of rights no longer has a place in Libya.

Dr. Aref Nayed, the chief of the council's stabilization team, said a day before the reportwas released that a top priority was to seek the advice of international experts to establishLibyan institutions that could protect the human rights of both sides in the conflict.Many Libyans say they are hungry for foreign advice and help; some road signs evendisplay the flags of the United States and other Western countries and thank them for theirassistance -- a rare sight in this part of the world. But Libyans are wary of the possibilitythat foreign interests might hijack their revolution, making even the visit of four membersof the American military a delicate matter.

Capt. John Kirby of the Navy, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told TheAssociated Press that the American service members, including two who specialize in thedisposal of explosives, are not in Libya in an offensive or defensive military capacity, onlyto help the State Department.

The Pentagon has acknowledged only once before that American service members wereinside Libya during the uprising -- in March, when Marines rescued an American pilot whohad ejected over the country while participating in a NATO airstrike. There has beenspeculation that intelligence personnel were on the ground helping to target airstrikes.

The White House said no ground troops would be deployed during the NATO action.Diplomatic relations soured early in Colonel Qaddafi's rule; the United States withdrew itsambassador in 1972 and closed its embassy in 1979 after a mob burned it. That same year,the United States listed Libya as a sponsor of terrorism; in 1986, after a bombing in aBerlin disco, the United States conducted airstrikes in Libya. Relations worsened with thebombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988.

But in 2003, relations started to normalize after Colonel Qaddafi renounced chemical,biological and nuclear weapons. A liaison office opened in 2004; it was upgraded to anembassy in 2006.

While other American embassies in the region tend to be fortresslike compounds, theLibyan government had not given permission for construction, and the Americandiplomatic offices in Tripoli were instead in residential houses.


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W. Africa becoming piracy 'hotspot' (AFP)

http://news.yahoo.com/w-africa-becoming-piracy-hotspot-005802510.htmlBy Unattributed Author

14 September 2011

A spate of ship hijackings off West Africa indicates the region could emerge as a newpiracy "hotspot", a global maritime watchdog warned Wednesday after a Cyprus-flaggedtanker went missing.

The tanker was reported missing at 0120 GMT Wednesday after it transferred oil to anothervessel off Cotonou in Benin, said the International Maritime Bureau's Kuala Lumpur-basedpiracy reporting centre, which did not name the ship.

The region has seen a marked increase in hijackings this year, with 18 vessels attacked

since March in an area where no incidents were reported in 2010, said Noel Choong, headof the piracy centre.

"These are heavily armed attacks and not just simple thefts, they also steal the crew'sproperty and the ship's cargo as well," Choong told AFP.

The waters off tiny Benin appear to have become particularly risky due to the country'sweak enforcement capabilities, he added.

"It also looks like it will become a hotspot as neighbouring Nigerian authorities haveincreased patrols in their waters while authorities in Benin lack the assets and resources tosecure their waters," he said.

Choong said all contact had been lost with the Cyprus-flagged tanker and the piracy centresuspected it had been hijacked. The other vessel, which was Norwegian-registered, was stillat the scene awaiting the arrival of authorities, he said.

Choong said he did not yet have more detailed information on the two ships.

Pirates in the area were forcing the captains of hijacked ships to radio authorities that allwas fine, delaying responses by naval patrols and compounding the difficulty of deterringattacks, he added.

The International Maritime Bureau warned in July that attacks on the world's seas weresoaring as more heavily armed pirates become increasingly emboldened, seizing moreships than before and taking even bigger risks.

The first six months of 2011 saw 266 piracy attacks globally, compared with 196 over thesame period last year, it said.
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Most were carried out off East Africa in the Gulf of Aden by Somali pirates, who staged163 attacks up to July, compared to 100 in the first half of 2010.

But the West African hijackings were were causing increasing worry among shippingcompanies and oil firms, Choong said.

In June, heavily armed pirates hijacked a Greek tanker in the area, ransacking the vesseland its cargo before abandoning the ship.

A month earlier, a Philippine seaman was found dead on board his chemical tanker, fourdays after the vessel was attacked by pirates off Benin.

The bureau's July report on global piracy warned that hijackers, who in the past oftenwielded only knives, were increasingly armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

However, it also said hijackers were seeing a lower success rate in actually taking overships, due to the vigilance of international anti-piracy naval forces operating in the Gulf ofAden.

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Kenyans make arrest in kidnapping case (Al Jazeera)

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/20119148245550305.htmlBy Unattributed Author14 September 2011

Police have arrested a Kenyan suspected of aiding the armed men who kidnapped a Britishtourist and killed her husband on the remote island resort of Kiwayu Island, near the borderwith Somalia, according to an official.

David and Judith Tebbutt had arrived at the Kenyan resort during the day on Saturday andwere attacked in their room shortly after midnight.

Stephen Ikua, the government administrator of Kenya's Lamu West district, said onTuesday that a suspect in custody is believed to have information about the organiser ofJudith Tebbutt's kidnapping and her husband's killing.

He said the organiser was a Kenyan who operates in Somalia and has links to the armedSomali group al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab, which aims to topple Somalia's government, has threatened to attack Kenya onseveral occasions.

Ikua said he thinks the group may have fled to Somalia with Tebbutt, but he is not aware ofany communications with the kidnappers.
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He declined to give further details, citing ongoing investigations.'Doing everything possible'

London's Metropolitan Police said Tuesday that some of its officers were working with

Kenyan authorities.

London police said the force had sent a "small team" to Kenya but declined to say howmany officers were in the country. It said that Kenyan authorities remain the leadinvestigators.

Armed security officers patrolled the resort on Monday, with guards posted on the white-sand beach, fringed by palm trees.

A massive manhunt for the woman's abductors has been beefed up by police search boatsand helicopters, according to an AFP reporter travelling on a boat through the area.

"Our forces have been out since Sunday doing everything possible to rescue her," AggreyAdoli, the regional police commander leading the search, said.

"We have also appealed to members of the public in this area to work closely with us."

Kiwayu island and the surrounding area is one of Kenya's top luxury holiday destinationsand favoured by celebrities, despite being close to the border with war-torn and drought-struck Somalia.

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Libya unrest: Saadi Gaddafi 'in capital of Niger' (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14909734By Unattributed Author14 September 2011

Niger says that Saadi Gaddafi, one of the sons of fugitive Libyan leader Col MuammarGaddafi, has arrived in the capital, Niamey.

Saadi Gaddafi crossed the border from Libya over the weekend and was granted refuge,officials in Niger confirmed.

The US State Department has said he is under "essentially a house arrest", although Nigerhas not confirmed this.

The whereabouts of Col Gaddafi remain unknown. He has said he will die rather than fleeLibya.Saadi Gaddafi is reported to have been flown to Niamey on a military transport plane fromthe northern town of Agadez.
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A source in Niger told AFP news agency that he was in the "safe custody" of Niger securityforces in Niamey.

The source said he had previously been staying at a residence of the governor of Agadez.

So far 32 members of Col Gaddafi's inner circle - including three generals - have enteredNiger this month.

Reports say the generals have applied for political asylum but it is not clear if SaadiGaddafi has done so too.

Niger Justice Minister Marou Amadou would not say whether the Gaddafi loyalists wouldbe granted political asylum, but suggested that returning them to Libya was not an option,the Associated Press news agency reported.

"These people have been received on humanitarian grounds. We didn't ask them to come

here, and if they are here it is for humanitarian reasons. It is my opinion that you can'tchase away someone that is fleeing a war," he said.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Tuesday that authorities inNiger were working with Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC).

"Our understanding is, like the others, he (Saadi Gaddafi) is being detained in a state guesthouse," she said.

"It is essentially a house arrest in this government facility, is our understanding."

Exits limited

Niger has recognised the NTC's authority, but said it had not yet decided whether it wouldallow Col Gaddafi to enter the country.

Saadi Gaddafi is a former footballer who had a very brief career in Italy. Since retiringfrom football he has become involved in the film industry.

Col Gaddafi's wife, daughter and two of his sons crossed into Algeria late last month,prompting the country to close its border.

With roads to Tunisia, Egypt, Chad and Sudan largely controlled by rebel forces, Niger hasbeen used as an exit route by Gaddafi loyalists.

The last remnants of Col Gaddafi's forces still control Sirte on the Mediterranean coast,Sabha in the southern desert and Bani Walid south-east of the capital Tripoli.Rebel forces say they have captured the northern half of Bani Walid but have struggled topush further.


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Niger: Mixed emotions over Gaddafi fugitives (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14903435By Thomas Fessy

14 September 2011

A few police officers are on duty at the checkpoint that opens the way to the long roadleading to Agadez, hundreds of kilometres northwards, and then on to the Libyan border."Several cars escorted by our military passed through here late in the night last week," saysHamza Toudou, who sells aubergines and onions on the side of the road.

At least three top commanders loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi have made it to Niger in thepast 10 days.

One his own sons, Saadi, has also joined the growing group of officials from Libya's

deposed government who are being hosted on "humanitarian grounds" by Niger'sgovernment.

The fleeing Libyans are believed to have been travelling with Tuareg fighters from Niger.

We fear that weapons might enter our country along with former Tuareg rebels.

They were allegedly hired as mercenaries by Col Gaddafi in his battle with supporters ofthe National Transitional Council which now controls most of Libya.

"We hear on the radio that the Libyans are here but we have not seen them so we don'tknow exactly who they are," says Mr Toudou.

Next to him stands Mukaila, who runs after buses stopping at the road block to sell plasticbags of water to passengers.

He says Niger has "no choice but to host them because they are Muslims".

"Islam says one cannot deliver a Muslim brother to their enemies," he says.

"But we fear that weapons might enter our country along with former Tuareg rebels," headds.

Tuareg communities in the Sahel region just south of the Sahara Desert have had a closerelationship with Col Gaddafi.

He helped resolve various rebellions led by Tuaregs over the years - most recently one inthe north of Niger where they were demanding a greater share of profits from the region'suranium mining.
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Silver worries

But people in the capital express mixed feelings about the arrival of the Gaddafi loyalists.This reflects the awkward position that the government of Niger faces at present.

The country, surrounded by the Sahara Desert, is one of the world's poorest - and the UNhas just warned of a potential new food crisis.

But its ties with Libya are not just tribal.

Over the years, Col Gaddafi has donated and invested large sums of Libya's oil money inNiger's agriculture and tourism industry.

With such strong bonds to its northern neighbour, Niger's government took its time torecognise the National Transitional Council as the new Libyan authority - only doing so inlate August.

However, the imposing Libyan embassy in Niamey is now home to a representative of theNTC.

Nearby is the "Chateau 1" neighbourhood in central Niamey, famous for handmade Tuaregnecklaces and rings.

A trader proudly shows me a vintage picture pinned on the wall of his shop featuring theformer Libyan leader standing at a conference next to Malian President Amani ToumaniToure.

"Gaddafi is our brother," says Mahamadou, who sells silver jewellery.

"He can come here, no problem. He can even come and stay at mine; I will make space forhim," he says.

But the other shopkeepers in the same street in Chateau 1 are more preoccupied about thehigh price of silver than the regional power games.

They say they are going through a hard time because the price of silver has doubled since2008 and they are barely selling anything.

Meanwhile, Niger's government has said it will comply with its obligations as a signatoryof the International Criminal Court if Col Gaddafi or any of his loyalists tagged with anarrest warrant crossed into the country.But so far officials have not said whether that means they would be arrested.

Most likely, they are hoping that none of the indicted Libyans show up here so they neverhave to answer this question.


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Senior US diplomat holds talks in Tripoli (Reuters)

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D00F20110914?sp=trueBy William Maclean

14 September 2011

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's new interim leader met the most senior U.S. official to visitTripoli since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, though details of Wednesday's talks were notimmediately available.

Reuters journalists saw Jeffrey Feltman, a key figure in U.S. Middle East policy, meetMustafa Abdel Jalil at a public building in the capital. It was not clear when Feltman, whois Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department, had arrivedin Libya.

Compared to other parts of the country, Tripoli has been relatively stable since forces of thenew ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) overran it three weeks ago. NTC fightersbacked by NATO are trying to capture at least three towns still held by Gaddafi loyalists.

Interim government forces are besieging one of those last bastions, Bani Walid, 180 km(110 miles) south of Tripoli, along with Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte on the Mediterraneancoast and Sabha, deep in the southern desert.

After a week of fighting NTC forces at Bani Walid have been urging people to leave beforethey try to storm the town. Scores of cars packed with families left Bani Walid onWednesday as NTC forces broadcast messages telling them to go and handed out freepetrol to help them evacuate.

"There is a lot of random shooting. It is much safer for my children to leave. Gaddafimilitia men do not want to negotiate," Fathalla al-Hammali, 42, said, driving away from thetown with his three young children.

Loyalist resistance has complicated NTC efforts to normalise life in the oil-rich NorthAfrican state and the United Nations has voiced fears about the plight of civiliansmarooned inside besieged pro-Gaddafi towns, particularly Sirte.

GADDAFI STILL MISSING

Gaddafi's whereabouts are unknown. NTC officials have said he could be hiding in one ofthe outposts like Bani Walid, helping to rally a last stand against NATO-backed forces.Bani Walid resident Isa Amr, 35, said the town was running out of fuel, food and water,making it impossible for his family to stay any longer. "Rebels gave us some petrol, enoughto drive to Tripoli. The rebels are really helping us," he said.
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NTC field commanders said people in Bani Walid had been told in radio messages they hadtwo days to leave town.

"I think only 10 percent of the people are Gaddafi supporters. They are fanatics. And therest are waiting to be liberated. We have given them two more days to leave the city," NTC

fighter Abumuslim Abdu said.

The country's new rulers have hesitated to employ heavy-handed tactics to seize BaniWalid, which is the traditional home of the Warfalla tribe, Libya's largest.

Libya's interim rulers have said that, along with taking control of pro-Gaddafi enclaves,capturing or killing the fugitive leader is a priority and only then could Libya be declared"liberated".

The U.S. State Department said one of his sons, Saadi Gaddafi, who arrived inneighbouring Niger on Sunday on one of four convoys of senior Gaddafi loyalists to have

crossed the southern Sahara desert frontier, was being held there.

"Our understanding is, like the others, he's being detained in a state guest house," StateDepartment spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in Washington on Tuesday.

"It's essentially a house arrest in this government facility, is our understanding," she said,adding that Niger was working with Libya's interim rulers on the issue.

Niger said on Monday it was keeping Saadi Gaddafi under surveillance but had notdetained him. A government source said on Tuesday that he had been transferred from thenorthern desert town of Agadez to the capital Niamey late on Tuesday.

"He is in a secure place. Like the others he is here on humanitarian grounds. He is notbeing sought after. He is under surveillance, not imprisoned," the source said, adding thathe was not, however, free to move: "You do not have freedom of movement when you areunder surveillance."

Gaddafi and his fugitive son Saif al-Islam are wanted by the International Criminal Court(ICC), though NTC officials have said Libyans would like to try them first.

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Somalia's al Shabaab says not behind kidnap of Briton (Reuters)

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D09A20110914?sp=trueBy Feisal Omar14 September 2011

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's Islamist rebel group al Shabaab said on Wednesday itwas not behind the kidnapping of a British woman from a luxury beach resort inneighbouring Kenya.
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Gunmen, whose identities are still unknown, raided the remote Kiwayu Safari Village inthe early hours of Sunday, shooting dead publishing executive David Tebbutt, 58, andtaking hostage his wife Judith, 56, before escaping by boat.

"Al Shabaab has not abducted any Briton from Kenya. We believe bandits carried out theattack," a senior al Shabaab official told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosedlocation.

"We shall release a statement later that al Shabaab is not involved," the rebel official said.An al Shabaab recruitment officer in Kismayu, more than 200 km (120 miles) north of theKenyan border, said Judith Tebbutt had been brought to the port city on Tuesday but herwhereabouts were now unknown.

She said the ruthless attack had been carried out by militia fighters normally sympathetic toal Shabaab but on this occasion funded by local pirate financiers.

"Pirate investors provided a boat and weapons for the raid. The pirate gang want now todemand a ransom but al Shabaab are against the idea," said the rebel recruiter, who ismarried to a senior al Shabaab commander.

She said she received the information by telephone from al Shabaab's top administrationofficial in Kismayu, the nerve centre for the rebels' operations in southern Somalia.

Kenyan police have said they believed the gang were likely to be acting on the orders of alarger group of militia men and had probably fled to Somalia.

Kidnapping for ransom has chiefly been carried out by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Adenand Indian Ocean but Somali gunmen have attacked Westerners just across the border withKenya on several occasions.

Three aid workers were kidnapped in July 2009, and two western nuns in November 2008.

The south of Somalia bordering Kenya is mainly controlled by the al Qaeda-linked alShabaab insurgents, who have been fighting the Western-backed government in the capitalMogadishu for more than four years.

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Kenya cabinet proposes 2012 election delay (Reuters)

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78D03C20110914?sp=trueBy Unattributed Author14 September 2011

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's cabinet on Tuesday proposed delaying next year's elections
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by four months, a suggestion that risked angering citizens determined politicians shouldstick to a timetable set out in the country's new constitution.

After the country's last presidential poll sparked nationwide violence, foreign donors andaid groups warned that any uncertainty about the next vote could spark more unrest.

Under the constitution approved last year, Kenya was due to hold presidential andparliamentary elections on August 14 2012. The change would delay the votes untilDecember 17.

"Cabinet found the (December) date to be appropriate in view of the government budgetarycycle and time required for preparations for the next elections," said a statement by thePresidential Press Service.

Parliament must now vote on the proposed amendment.

Donors have urged Kenya to set a date as quickly as possible to avoid a repeat of the chaos

that erupted after the previous poll in east Africa's largest economy.

The disputed result of 2007's presidential election triggered fighting across Kenya thatkilled more than 1,200 people.

The constitution was a key component in an accord signed by President Mwai Kibaki andRaila Odinga, then Kibaki's political rival and now prime minister, to end the ethnicbloodshed.

Many Kenyans hoped it heralded a new chapter in Kenya's post-colonial politics thatanalysts say has been plagued by nepotism, corruption and a self-serving political elite.

Some Kenyans see a delay as a ruse by lawmakers to make sure they get paid for an extrafour months. Kenya has some of the highest paid parliamentarians in the world.

"The cabinet is looking at this from a practical point of view. Of course, none of the MPswant to go home early, they want to sit for a long as possible," said political com

AFRICOM Related News clips 15 Sep, 2011

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