AFRICOM Related News Clips 29 September 2011

8/4/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 29 September 2011

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office29 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 29, 2011.

Of interest in today's clips is a claim by Al-Shabaab published in Mogadishu‘s Sunatimes

that it will display a U.S. drone shot down by its militia, stories from the Guardian on theescalation of AQIM violence in Algeria and from AFP on an anti- Qaeda raid by theAlgerian army, speculation on an ‗African Spring‘ by the Atlantic, reports on the

possibility of amnesty for members of the LRA and Boko Haram from the ChristianScience Monitor and the Vanguard and articles on election violence in Guinea and thecreation of a reconciliation panel in the Cote d‘Ivoire in Al Jazeera.

U.S. Africa Command Public AffairsPlease send questions or comments to:[email protected] 421-2687 (+49-711-729-2687)

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

Al-Shabaab set to display crashed U.S drone (Sunatimes, Mogadishu)

http://www.sunatimes.com/view.php?id=1394 27 September 2011By Adbi GuledAl-Shabaab militia in the Port city of Kismayo has announced that it will display atFreedom Park on Friday a U.S. spy drone that has crashed in the city after it wasallegedly hit by the militia.

Aqim escalates the violence in Algeria – helped by Libya's war (the Guardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/28/aqim-violence-algeria-libya?newsfeed=true 28 September 2011By Simon TisdallA sharp surge in terrorist attacks, attributed to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim), isthreatening pro-western Algeria's political stability even as it struggles to defuse populardiscontent sparked by the Arab spring, according to a new study. The rising violence is

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.sunatimes.com/view.php?id=1394


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/28/aqim-violence-algeria-libya?newsfeed=true









partly linked to the Nato-led war in next-door Libya, which appears to have fuelled jihadist sentiment and activity and increased the availability of weapons.

Algerian army kills five in anti-Qaeda raid (AFP)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gcGBoRqqg90c-

IxJWP68iHe7SNUA?docId=CNG.211f4e001608b37db54efe2a0eef44b5.541 28 September 2011By AFPALGIERS — Algerian troops have killed five militants in a large operation againsthideouts used by Al-Qaeda's regional franchise east of the capital, residents and securityofficials said Tuesday.

In New Sub-Saharan Leader, Hints of an African Spring (The Atlantic)

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/in-new-sub-saharan-leader-hints-of-an-african-spring/245782/ 28 September 2011

By G. Pascal ZacharyNewly elected Zambian President Michael Sata is bringing populism and technocraticmanagement to a part of the world that rarely sees either but badly needs both.

U.S. Works With World Organization On Global Health Security (allAfrica.com)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109280862.html 27 September 2011US Department of State Press ReleaseWashington — The United States and the World Health Organization (WHO) are movingto a higher level of cooperation, combining resources to help other countries boost theirpublic health infrastructure for the good of their own people and the rest of the world.

Uganda rules that amnesty can't be denied to LRA leaders (The Christian Science

Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0927/Uganda-rules-that-amnesty-can-t-be-denied-to-LRA-leaders 27 September 2011By Ashley BennerUganda's Constitutional Court has ruled that former Lord's Resistance Army CommanderThomas Kwoyelo, the first LRA member to be prosecuted, can't be denied amnesty.

Boko Haram - FG Panel Calls for Amnesty (Vanguard, Lagos)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109270007.html 27 September 2011By Kinglsey Omonobi, Anayo Okoli, Clifford Ndujihe & Daniel IdonorAbuja — The Presidential Committee on Security Challenges in the North-East Zone,which was set up following the bomb attacks by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, yesterdaysubmitted its final report, asking President Goodluck Jonathan to consider the grant of amnesty to members of the sect wishing to surrender their arms to the Federalgovernment.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gcGBoRqqg90c-IxJWP68iHe7SNUA?docId=CNG.211f4e001608b37db54efe2a0eef44b5.541



http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/in-new-sub-saharan-leader-hints-of-an-african-spring/245782/



http://allafrica.com/stories/201109280862.html


http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0927/Uganda-rules-that-amnesty-can-t-be-denied-to-LRA-leaders















US helping secure Libya arms stockpiles: White House (AFP)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jgthjMmOYCbcYqLmN4rvGzCAJgBg?docId=CNG.211f4e001608b37db54efe2a0eef44b5.e91 28 September 2011

By AFPABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — The United States is working closely with Libya's newinterim leaders to secure all arms stockpiles, amid concerns over weapons proliferation,the White House said Tuesday.

At UN, Libya's new leaders seek support to thwart terrorist threat (The Christian

Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0927/Uganda-rules-that-amnesty-can-t-be-denied-to-LRA-leaders 27 September 2011By Ashley Benner

Uganda's Constitutional Court has ruled that former Lord's Resistance Army CommanderThomas Kwoyelo, the first LRA member to be prosecuted, can't be denied amnesty.

Islamists seek new role in post-revolutionary Libya (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15084555 27 September 2011By Alan LittleLibya's Islamists must take their chances in the free-for-all of this new freedom. And,although this is a conservative and highly religious society, there is little evidence thatLibyans want an Islamic government or state.

Libya fighting: Fears grow for civilians in Sirte (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15085224 27 September 2011By BBCInternational officials have expressed fears for more than 200,000 civilians caught infierce clashes in the Libyan cities of Sirte and Bani Walid.

France rejects Rwanda's Habyarimana extradition bid (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15095003 28 September 2011By BBCA French court has rejected a Rwandan bid to extradite the widow of ex-PresidentJuvenal Habyarimana, whose killing sparked the 1994 genocide.

Ivory Coast launches reconciliation panel (Al Jazeera)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/09/201192882415338421.html 28 September 2011By Agencies

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jgthjMmOYCbcYqLmN4rvGzCAJgBg?docId=CNG.211f4e001608b37db54efe2a0eef44b5.e91






http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15084555




http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15095003


http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/09/201192882415338421.html












Archbishop Desmond Tutu says commission necessary to heal wounds of post-electionviolence in which 3,000 people died.

Deadly crackdown on protests in Guinea (Al Jazeera)


28 September 2011By AgenciesAt least four people have died after security forces used truncheons and tear gas to break up an opposition protest in Conakry, the capital of Guinea.

Sudan Risks Burgeoning Civil Wars If No Urgent Actions Taken – Report (Sudan

Tribune, Khartoum)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109270408.html 27 September 2011By STNairobi — Robust international engagement is needed to stave off the spread of civil war

in Sudan and its possible impact on the whole region, a new report has recommended.

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UN News Service Africa Briefs

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

(Full Articles on UN Website)

World is watching how South Sudan builds new nation, says UN envoy28 September – The world will be watching to see that the commitments expressed bySouth Sudan‘s leader last week before the General Assembly are translated into action,

from the way the country manages its security and respects human rights to promotingtransparency and good governance, the United Nations envoy to the country said today.

Zimbabwe’s orphans to benefit from UN -backed cash grant programme28 September – Tens of thousands of Zimbabwean orphans and otherwise vulnerablechildren will benefit from cash transfers, educational aid and protection services under anew Government programme launched in partnership with the United Nations andinternational donors.

Commitment and funding key to eliminating HIV infections among children – UN 28 September – The goal of eliminating HIV/AIDS infections among children andensuring that infected mothers stay healthy throughout pregnancy and after delivery canbe met by the 2015 deadline with sufficient political commitment and adequate resources,the head of the United Nations agency spearheading the global response to the pandemicsaid today.

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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.

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New on www.africom.mil

Ugandan, U.S. Health Workers Come Together For Animal Education

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7267&lang=0 28 September 2011By CJTF-HOA Public AffairsKAABONG, Uganda — Thirty community animal health workers from Kaabong,Uganda participated in a two-week veterinary civil action program (VETCAP) to gainknowledge and skills in livestock treatment and sustainment September 2011.

African Union Military Delegation Tours DOD Facilities in Washington, D.C. Area

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7265&lang=0 28 September 2011By Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)WASHINGTON, D.C. — A delegation of African Union military personnel participatedin a 10-day partner nation familiarization event in the Washington, D.C. area, September2011.

CJTF-HOA Welcomes New Senior Enlisted Leader

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7264&lang=0 28 September 2011By CJTF-HOA Public AffairsSTUTTGART, Germany — U.S. Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant JamesDavis assumed the role of the of the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africacommand senior enlisted leader during a senior enlisted leader change of responsibilityceremony at Camp Lemonnier September 22, 2011.

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http://www.africom.mil/



http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7267&lang=0












Al-Shabaab set to display crashed U.S drone (Sunatimes, Mogadishu)

http://www.sunatimes.com/view.php?id=1394 27 September 2011By Adbi Guled

Al-Shabaab militia in the Port city of Kismayo has announced that it will display atFreedom Park on Friday a U.S. spy drone that has crashed in the city after it wasallegedly hit by the militia.

The militia who made the announcement using loudspeakers mounted on a militia carordered the locals to avail themselves at the park to witness the drone they claimed theyshot down.

Abdirahman Sheikh Mudey, one of the Al-Shabaab leaders in the city claimed they shotdown the drone while taking photographs of parts of the city.

But locals say some herders have spotted the suspected drone crashed some 13 km fromthe city centre, where they immediately informed the militia leaders.

Just Last week, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. is expanding a dronesurveillance program in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to gather intelligence andattack Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia and Yemen.

The report said the U.S. is building a new installation for the drones in Ethiopia and hasalready flown drones over both Somalia and Yemen from a base in Djibouti.

The U.S. has used drones to attack Al-Shabaab targets in Somalia in the past.

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Aqim escalates the violence in Algeria – helped by Libya's war (the Guardian)http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/28/aqim-violence-algeria-libya?newsfeed=true 28 September 2011By Simon Tisdall

A sharp surge in terrorist attacks, attributed to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim), isthreatening pro-western Algeria's political stability even as it struggles to defuse populardiscontent sparked by the Arab spring, according to a new study. The rising violence ispartly linked to the Nato-led war in next-door Libya, which appears to have fuelled jihadist sentiment and activity and increased the availability of weapons.

A sharp surge in terrorist attacks, attributed to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim), isthreatening pro-western Algeria's political stability even as it struggles to defuse populardiscontent sparked by the Arab spring, according to a new study. The rising violence is











partly linked to the Nato-led war in next-door Libya, which appears to have fuelled jihadist sentiment and activity and increased the availability of weapons.

A study by Andrew Lebovich published by the Combating Terrorism Centre at the WestPoint military academy in the US charts a rise since April in Aqim outrages, including

several suicide bombings, largely aimed at the Algerian security forces. "The months of July and August witnessed at least 23 attacks, including 13 IEDs [improvised explosivedevices], six gun attacks, and four suicide bombing attempts," it says.

A number of factors could explain the escalation, including security force complacencysymbolised by the dismantling of local militias, known as groupes de legitimes defense,which fought Islamist militants during the 1990s civil war. The northern Algerian branchof Aqim is a direct descendant of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat of thatperiod. Government opponents have also blamed President Abdelaziz Bouteflika'sreconciliation policy for going soft on terror.

But a connection between the surge in violence and the British and French-ledintervention in Libya is the most persuasive explanation, the study suggests. It notesAlgerian and other African leaders have warned since March that chaos in Libya coulddestabilise Algeria by encouraging jihadist attacks and the movement of militants back and forth. They also suggested "that Aqim could gain possession of arms stolen fromLibyan stocks".

"Evidence has since emerged that surface-to-air missiles and other unspecified weaponshave been looted from Libyan stores, weapons that, according to European officials, havefallen into the hands of Aqim" – most likely via Aqim criminal affiliates in theungoverned Sahel regions to the south, the study says.

Lebovich sees a number of possible consequences if the violent trend continues upwards,including growing friction between the military and the Bouteflika administration,reviving suspicions that the army may be somehow manipulating the terrorist groups (asalleged during the civil war), and even a return of the feared eradicateurs – kill squadsthat ruthlessly exterminated the militants at every opportunity. "Regardless of whatemerges from the infighting and tension in Algeria's ruling classes, it seems likely thatAqim's violence will continue to increase in the north," Lebovich concludes.

The Aqim resurgence comes as Algeria's rulers try to avoid an Arab spring-style popularinsurgency. Government efforts to date to buy off unrest, funded by oil and gas revenues,include big salary increases for civil servants, raised subsidies on basic foodstuffs, and alifting of the state of emergency dating back to the civil war. Bouteflika, whose healthand staying power are in question, has also promised reforms including an amendedconstitution, new electoral laws, and a press code.

But these and other measures implemented since riots broke out in Algiers in Januarycannot overcome some systemic problems, according to the analyst Hamoud Salhi.



"So far the policy of appeasement and concession has worked well for the Algeriangovernment. But for how long? There are severe housing shortages in Algeria,accompanied by high consumer prices and low salaries. According to the IMF,unemployment rates have reached 25% among 24-year-olds, widening gaps betweensocial classes," Salhi wrote in a BBC analysis. "Algeria has not necessarily weathered the

storm."

Other experts and the US government have also got the jitters about a possibly violentspillover. "Aqim poses the greatest immediate threat of transnational terrorism in north-west Africa and is escalating its attacks against regional and western interests," saidAndre Le Sage, writing for the US National Defence University's Institute for NationalStrategic Studies.

Policymakers were concerned that more direct American involvement might exacerbateIslamist militancy and internal tensions in Algeria and elsewhere, he said. Nevertheless,given the growing threat, the US "needs to be prepared to take more aggressive actions to

disrupt, degrade, and ultimately defeat Aqim and should clearly determine in advancewhat level of increased Aqim activity would represent a direct threat to US nationalsecurity interests".

In a possible sign of a more activist approach, the US embassy in Algiers issued a publicterrorism alert earlier this month, saying it had information that Aqim was planning toattack planes chartered by western oil companies operating in the Algerian Maghreb.General Carter Ham, head of US Africa Command, warned, meanwhile, that there were"very worrying" indications that Aqim was increasingly co-operating with al-Shabaab inSomalia and Boko Haram in Nigeria – raising the spectre of an Islamist militant network spanning the continent.

In a statement many Algerians may view as a decidedly mixed blessing at a time of domestic political weakness and uncertainty, the US state department said Algeriacontinued to be "one of our strongest partners" in the fight against terrorism.

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Algerian army kills five in anti-Qaeda raid (AFP)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gcGBoRqqg90c-IxJWP68iHe7SNUA?docId=CNG.211f4e001608b37db54efe2a0eef44b5.541 28 September 2011By AFP

ALGIERS — Algerian troops have killed five militants in a large operation againsthideouts used by Al-Qaeda's regional franchise east of the capital, residents and securityofficials said Tuesday.








Elite units backed by gunships started sweeping the Chouicha forest near Boumerdes,only 60 kilometres (40 miles) east of Algiers, late last week to root out suspectedmembers of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Four suspected AQIM fighters were killed Tuesday, according to residents who said the

operation was ongoing.

There was no official confirmation of the military operation.

The El Watan newspaper said on its website that another fighter was killed late Mondayas he attempted to flee from an area surrounded by Algerian forces.

Boumerdes and the neighbouring regions of Tizi Ouzou and Bouira -- where groupsaffiliated to AQIM are active -- are those most affected by a recent surge in violence.

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In New Sub-Saharan Leader, Hints of an African Spring (The Atlantic)

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/in-new-sub-saharan-leader-hints-of-an-african-spring/245782/ 28 September 2011By G. Pascal Zachary

Newly elected Zambian President Michael Sata is bringing populism and technocraticmanagement to a part of the world that rarely sees either but badly needs both.Global political pundits are waiting in vain for an "African spring," in which the forces of mass, grassroots democracy course through sub-Saharan Africa, a region arguably in asmuch need of genuine political reform and civic participation as the Arab world. Eversince the North African countries of Tunisia and Egypt exploded in protest, observers of sub-Saharan politics have observed with envy the seemingly revolutionary activitiestaking place in the north of the continent.

While the Arab Spring may be moving to another season altogether -- with Syria'sviolence and Egypt's drift -- the point remains that what's commonly called "black Africa" deserves a prolonged encounter with the sort of extreme-makeover politics thathas upended long-term tyrannies in the Arab world. There are plenty of entrenchedpresidents in sub-Saharan Africa that could give good impersonations of recently deposedArab dictators. Zimbabawe's Robert Mugabe is surely a match for Libya's Qaddafi interms of stubborn self-destruction and bizarre narcissism. Cameroon's Paul Biya, who hasso rarely actually governed during his 30 years in power that he sports the nickname "theghost of Africa," could give Mubarak a decent competition in the realm of complacencyand corruption. Uganda's Yoweri Museveni is no less the wily autocrat the Yemen'sembattled Ali Abdullah Saleh. And yet none of these African autocrats seem threatenedby dissent in their own countries. Nor do a passel of other African presidents -- the headsof Congo, Togo and Gabon, for instance -- whose positions and power flow directly fromtheir own deceased fathers.








Despite the paucity of protest indicators in black Africa, the region has seen important,quiet victories by democrats and progressives. The latest shy triumph came this past week in Zambia, where a sitting president was defeated by an opposition party leader. If that'snot impressive enough, it was the second time in a decade that a Zambian president lost

power through peaceful, democratic elections. Such orderly changes in power are ahallmark of maturing democracies, and in Zambia, an economic powerhouse in southernAfrica, there are other reasons to rejoice as well.

A former British colony once called "Northern Rhodesia," Zambia is copper-rich countrythat has long been among the most urbanized in black Africa. Recently, according to TheWorld Bank, Zambia's economy "graduated" from the ranks of the poorest countries intothe "middle-income" category. Large cities in Africa have often incubated oppositionpolitics; in Lusaka, Zambia's capital, this has been especially true, as Danielle Resnick,an American scholar based in a United Nations university in Helsinki, observes in aperceptive new article in the Journal of Modern African Studies.

"[Sata] is probably the most effective all-round executive that Africa has ever seenholding the office of president""Urban centers have frequently represented the locus of political contention and change in sub-Saharan Africa," Resnick writes. But transformingurban dissent into meaningful political transformation has been difficult in the region.That makes Zambia's multiple peaceful transfers of presidential power even morestriking. And in the latest case -- the election of longtime opposition leader Michael Satato Zambia's presidency -- the outlines of new African populism are clearly visible.

In understanding the significance of Sata's victory -- and emergence on the world'spolitical stage -- I rely heavily on the insights assembled by my dear colleague in Lusaka,Chanda Chisala, a former fellow at the Hoover Institution and the editor and founder of Zambia Online, one of the most important digital publications in the sub-Saharan. Alongtime resident of Lusaka, Chisala has watched Sata closely for decades, and has in thepast been a strident critic of the new president. Yet as Sata has grown so has Chisala'sview of him. In an essay published immediately after Sata's victory last week, Chisalaidentified two of Sata's traits -- his effective management skills and his genuine populism-- as setting him apart for most African presidents.

Sata is indeed both hands-on and a man of the people. He formed his own oppositionparty after some successful turns as a government minister where he gained a reputation -- almost unheard of in African politics -- for getting things done, and quickly. Chisala,whom I first met in Lusaka several year ago, considers Sata a pragmatic radical wholiterally cleaned up Lusaka, completed complex housing projects, and even got the rightroads built on time and on budget. "I have no doubt," writes Chisala, that Sata "isprobably the most effective all-round executive that Africa has ever seen holding theoffice of president."

Most African presidents bring special meaning to the word "aloof." Even those who arenot stubbornly out of touch with their own people and places are often condescending,



elitist, and unabashed in their admiration of British, French, or American manners andsociety. Not Sata. Writes Chisala, "Whereas most political leaders fail to communicateeasily to the poor uneducated masses," Chisala observes, "Sata was able [in thecampaign] to effectively communicate all his ideas to everyone who listened to him."Sata has a knack, virtually unknown among leading African politicians, for coining

catchy phrases and promoting straight-forward ideas of justice and equality. "Moremoney in your pockets" is among his latest.

For Zambians, economic equity remains an elusive ideal. Because of sky-high copperprices, the country's economy is booming; GDP growth exceeded 6 percent annually overthe past three years. Mining is supplemented by a solid agricultural sector, giving thiscountry of about 13 million an economy worth $13 billion (or$1,000 per person,impressive for the region). But inequality is rife in Zambia and rising. The rights to mineand sell copper are dominated by Chinese investors and many small retailers are Chinese-run and owned. In a smart political move, Sata has complained about foreign investorsfor years, risking approbation from the international community while at the same time

raising the reasonable point that more of Zambia's economic power should be in thehands of Zambians. While in Latin America such a political position would be viewed asroutine, even boring, in African politics -- where leaders fear upsetting foreign investors -- Sata's position is singular, even incendiary.

There's something else of Sata's populism that has echoes in the Arab Spring. "Don'tkubeba," a phrase taken from a popular song that literally means "don't tell them,"became Sata's signature phrase, encouraging his followers to accept the ruling party'spay-outs for votes -- but to then vote against the ruling party anyway. Sata managed toconvince the urban dispossessed that the bribes were the people's money anyway, so"they could feel no guilt in pretending" to support the ruling party. In showing ingratitudefor government handouts, Zambians displayed something similar to what Arabs in oil-rich Libya did in turning against their own bribe-happy governments.

After losing a number of past presidential elections, Sata's victory came as shock toZambia's elites, who generally opposed him. Chisala and many of Sata's supporters, whileproud of another peaceful transfer power in his country, know well that his success ingovernance is hardly assured. Sata has the chance to be, Chisala writes, either "the worstPresident Africa has ever seen or the best."

I am less worried about a failed Sata presidency. Already, he has stimulated a useful andoverdue debate over race in sub-Saharan Africa by indicating he may appoint as vicepresident Guy Scott, a Zambian-born son of white immigrants who came to the countrywhile it was still the British colony of Northern Rhodesia. Scott, already an electedofficial in Zambia, is vice president of Sata's Patriotic Front party; he would become thehighest-ranking white elected politician in sub-Saharan Africa. A longtime political allyof Sata, Scott is both a crony of the new president and a symbol of his penchant for out-of-the-box thinking. While Sata sometimes rails against the excessive influence thatChinese investors appear to have in his country, he also seems to truly believe thatZambia will benefit from attracting and retaining foreign talent -- even if that talent is



white, an often unpopular color in a southern Africa still hurting from the twin legacies of colonialism and racial segregation. By choosing Scott, Sata may be the improbablytroubadour of a new, multiracial model for African society.

For all his charms, Sata is the latest African political leader who belongs the oldest

generation. Sata, 74 today, would be nearly 80 by the end of his term. Too many Africanpolitical leaders are similarly old, and generationally unsuited to lead or understandcountries where, almost without exception, 50 percent of the populations are under 20.The continued political power of men born and raised while their countries were stillcolonies sidelines a more dynamic and fluent generation of potential leaders: men andwomen in their 40s and 50s who were educated in a more open, equal and progressiveera. The Zambian election, for all its signals of a potentially new era in African politics,is also a reminder of one of the most serious challenges to politics there. A true African(political) spring will be unlikely to occur until a younger generation of leaders emergewith real power, at least in civil society if not in electoral politics, closing black Africa'sgeneration gap and making men and women like Sata less of an exception and more of a

norm.

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U.S. Works With World Organization On Global Health Security (allAfrica.com)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109280862.html 27 September 2011US Department of State Press Release

Washington — The United States and the World Health Organization (WHO) are movingto a higher level of cooperation, combining resources to help other countries boost theirpublic health infrastructure for the good of their own people and the rest of the world.

In New York September 19, the two parties signed what is formally called a"memorandum of understanding" to help developing countries improve their publichealth capabilities and create better adherence to the International Health Regulations(IHR). President Obama expressed his commitment to the endeavor when he addressedthe U.N. General Assembly.

"We must come together to prevent, detect and fight every kind of biological danger,"Obama said in his September 21 speech.

The United States and the WHO have a long record of cooperation and mutual support inworking together to contain infectious disease outbreaks, expand vaccination coverageand decrease infant and child mortality rates. This agreement elevates that cooperation toa "whole-of-government approach," according to an official in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness andResponse (ASPR).






"It's about any event that may have a negative impact on international public health," saidDr. Jose A. Fernandez, the acting deputy director of the ASPR Division of InternationalHealth Security. "Radiological releases, chemical spills, food-borne outbreaks andpandemic influenza would all be examples" of events that have the potential to moverapidly across borders and harm individuals with no regard for nationality.

The regulations took on an expanded form in recent years after sudden outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and avian influenza caused major publichealth scares and proved how transportation and globalization can put disease on a fasttrack.

One-hundred-ninety-four nations are signatories to the IHR, but Fernandez says manynations need some assistance to upgrade their disease identification, surveillance andresponse capabilities.

The United States has been training and assisting medical professionals in the developing

world for some time. Notably, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) maintains a network of Global Disease Detection Centers throughout the world towork directly with countries and the WHO to bolster capacities for disease surveillanceand response.

The U.S. Navy medical research unit in Cairo brought in teams of specialists from manyAfrican countries during the avian influenza scare to provide training in detection of thedisease.

"The [Department of Defense] labs alone have provided an enormous amount of supportgenerally to countries and institutions," Fernandez said. But the newly signedmemorandum of understanding reaches for new levels in "successfully improving,enhancing and protecting global health security."

This new level of commitment to the International Health Regulations comes as theObama administration is implementing its Global Health Initiative, which strives toinvest in the most effective health care programs. Fernandez said helping countries buildgreater capability to meet the responsibilities of the IHR is compatible with the Obamainitiative.

"When we do these capacity-building activities, there has to be country ownership, it hasto be sustainable, and that means it needs to address day-to-day public health needs,"Fernandez said.

The WHO is striving to upgrade the capabilities of all nations to assess, notify andrespond to infectious disease threats, and is working toward achieving that level of competence by 2012.

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Uganda rules that amnesty can't be denied to LRA leaders (The Christian Science

Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0927/Uganda-rules-that-amnesty-can-t-be-denied-to-LRA-leaders 27 September 2011

By Ashley Benner

Uganda's Constitutional Court has ruled that former Lord's Resistance Army CommanderThomas Kwoyelo, the first LRA member to be prosecuted, can't be denied amnesty.

Uganda‘s Constitutional Court has issued an important ruling that will significantly affect

the future of the crisis caused by the Lord‘s Resistance Army, or LRA. The court upheldthe Ugandan Amnesty Act as constitutional and ruled that it should be applied to the trialof former LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo, the first former LRA member to beprosecuted.

The court ruled last Thursday that the refusal to grant amnesty to Kwoyelo was indeed aviolation of the equal treatment provision of the constitution. It ordered that the Kwoyelotrial be returned to the Ugandan High Court‘s International Crimes Division and

dismissed.

In August, the attorney general and Directorate of Public Prosecutions, or DPP, hadcontested the constitutionality of the Amnesty Act during Kwoyelo‘s trial, asserting that

it was unconstitutional on several grounds.

But the Constitutional Court found that ―[t]he DPP did not give any objecti on andreasonable explanation why he did not sanction the application of Kwoyelo like others.‖

According to the Ugandan newspaper The New Vision, 274 people were pardoned withthe apparent sanction of the DPP in 2010, the year that Kwoyelo applied for amnesty.

Since the Amnesty Act‘s adoption in 2000, close to 13,000 LRA members have receivedamnesty. The law has been an important tool for encouraging LRA rebels – many of whom were abducted and coerced to fight – to leave the group.

Kwoyelo, who claims he was abducted at the age of 13, had reportedly renounced therebellion and applied for pardon under the Amnesty Act. However, he had not beengranted amnesty, unlike thousands of other former LRA, including commanders of higherrank than Kwoyelo. His lawyers argued that it was unconstitutional – specifically, aviolation of the equal treatment provision in the constitution – for Kwoyelo to be deniedamnesty.

The Ugandan Amnesty Commission has clashed with the DPP and the attorney generalon the Kwoyelo trial. According to a recent article in The East African, the commissionalleged that the attorney general‘s office and the DPP were engaged in ―an underhanded plan to administer justice in a selective manner,‖ and it applied to the ConstitutionalCourt to be enjoined in Kwoyelo‘s case. A source interviewed by the paper accused the








government of being ―dead set‖ on prosecuting Kwoyelo and orchestrating ―behind the

scene manoeuvres to frustrate his application.‖ Concerned about the implications of striking down the Amnesty Act, the Amnesty Commission‘s chief legal officer, NathanTwinomugisha, said, ―What this effectively means is that all those who are benefiting

from the amnesty law are doing so illegally and can be arraigned in court and prosecuted

any time.‖

Following the decision, Kwoyelo was returned to Luzira Maximum Security Prison. Toformalize his release, Kwoyelo must be transferred to the International Crimes Divisionof the High Court in Gulu, northern Uganda. His lawyers anticipate that the court‘sdecision will be appealed.

If the decision stands, the Amnesty Act will remain as constitutional, which will allowcurrent LRA members to leave the group without fear of criminal prosecution – animportant enticement to encourage defections of lower ranking combatants.

In northern Uganda, the reaction to the ruling was mixed, with some welcoming it andothers voicing concern that the Amnesty Act ―shields‖ war criminals.

###

Boko Haram - FG Panel Calls for Amnesty (Vanguard, Lagos)http://allafrica.com/stories/201109270007.html

27 September 2011By Kinglsey Omonobi, Anayo Okoli, Clifford Ndujihe & Daniel Idonor

Abuja — THE Presidential Committee on Security Challenges in the North-East Zone,which was set up following the bomb attacks by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, yesterdaysubmitted its final report, asking President Goodluck Jonathan to consider the grant of amnesty to members of the sect wishing to surrender their arms to the Federalgovernment.

The committee submitted its report on a day the security agencies commenced manhuntfor suspected Boko Haram members who may have sneaked into Abuja to carry outsuicide bomb attack on a national asset to dent the nation's 51st Independenceanniversary celebrations.

The Federal Government panel headed by Ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari,recommended that "the Federal Government should fundamentally, consider the option of

dialogue and negotiation which should be contingent upon the renunciation of all formsof violence and surrender of arms to be followed by rehabilitation".

The committee also told Vice President Namadi Sambo, who received the final report onbehalf of President Jonathan that the Jaamatus Ahlus Sunnah Lid Daawatis Wal Jihad,aka Boko Haram, has nominated the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III or hisrepresentative; the Emir of Bauchi and Sheik Abubakar Gero Argungu, as itsrepresentatives in any federal government team that will negotiate with its members.






The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar in his reaction said he was not aware of thepanel report and has not been contacted.

Following the attack on UN House in Abuja by Boko Haram on August 28 this year

which claimed 23 lives, spokesman of the group, Abu Kakah accused the FederalGovernment of insincerity in dialoguing with the group, saying the only condition theywould accept to talk with government was unconditional release of all their memberswhom, he said, are in prisons all over the country.

Claiming responsibility for the UN House attack as well as the failed suicide attack onBorno police command headquarters and the attack on banks in Gombi, Adamawa Statewhich left more than 16 people dead the spokesman of the group said they had not beencontacted by Borno State Government and the Federal Government or theirrepresentatives for dialogue.

The spokesman had also described the Sultan as the 'Seriki' of Sokoto and not the leaderof the Muslims in the country, accusing him of supporting the Federal Governmentpolicies against Islam.

The panel which had earlier submitted its preliminary report to the Secretary to theGovernment of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim Pius, said: "Government mayconsider constituting another committee with wider powers and with increasedmembership to handle the assignment within a reasonable timeframe but not weeks aswas given to this committee".

The committee which said it had interacted with various stakeholders, including thegovernors of Borno, Bauchi, Kano, Niger and Sokoto states and the Sultan of Sokotoamong other traditional rulers, also urged "the Federal Government to diversify andstrengthen its means of creating avenues for international intelligence sharing and inter-agency cooperation through diplomatic channels/pacts".

It added that "the Federal Government should create an informal forum at the highestlevel, where Mr President will discuss national security issues with governors and othermajor stakeholders from time to time. Again, there is an urgent need for arranging aninformal forum where Mr President will grant audience to each state governor on one-to-one basis where issues on security, could be addressed".

It further recommended that "the Federal Government and Borno State Governmentshould ensure that human and organisational victims most especially, churches andmosques including schools, which were destroyed during religious crises in the past andeven in the recent past, should be compensated monetarily and by way of resuscitatingand reconstructing their properties. Survivors of the deceased victims should becompensated appropriately".

Causes of security challenges



The panel listed the remote and immediate causes of the present security challenges in thecountry, to include among others: "High level of poverty and illiteracy existing in theNorth-East; massive unemployment of youths, both skilled and unskilled; and existenceof private militias that were established, funded and used by politicians and individuals

and then dumped after having been trained to handle arms".

Other causes, according to the seven-man panel, are "presence of large number of almajiris who together with those mentioned above could easily be used as canon-foldersto ignite and sustain crises"; and "influx of illegal aliens resulting from porous andunmanned borders coupled with provocative and inciting preaching by some religiousclerics".

Also listed to be the immediate causes of the ongoing terrorist attacks are "the extra- judicial killing of the sect leader, Mohammed Yusuf and some members of the sect bysecurity agents"; and "weak governance and failure to deliver services in the wake of

huge resources accruing to state and local governments".

The panel remarked that on the part of the security forces there are palpable operationallapses, service rivalry, underfunding, under-equipment and lack of collaboration; whilegovernments have failed to deliver justice and bring immediate relief to victims of thecrises.

Also cited as a major discovery by the panel is the "general failure of effective andcoordinated intelligence gathering and its deployment to forestall events with undesirableconsequences"; stressing that "in this direction, there is no high level securitynetwork/forum (outside the statutory national security institutions) that will enable aninformal meeting between Mr President and the governors as well as other top levelsecurity stakeholders".

Receiving the report from the committee members, Vice President Sambo who was joined by the National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi, the SGF, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, promised to implement therecommendations as contained in the report.

The Vice President, while commending the committee for a job well done, said that"some of the major issues you have stated regarding the issues of poverty,unemployment, breach of the peace and the existence of private militia are issues that thisadministration is looking at seriously."

Sambo explained that it was for this purpose that the government had in the 2011 budget,made available a large sum of money to tackle unemployment, stating that the issue of inadequate power supply which government was addressing squarely was central to jobcreation.

FG arrests suspects planning to disrupt independence celebrations



Following 'substantiated' intelligence reports that the Boko Haram sect had concludedarrangements to carry out a suicide bombing inside the federal capital territory by hittingat a National Asset to dent the nation's 51st independence anniversary celebrations,topmost security organizations in the seat of power have commenced a manhunt for

adherents of the group who may have sneaked into Abuja.

Towards this end, Vanguard learnt yesterday that more than 40 persons suspected of having links with the group, amongst them, some foreign nationals from Niger, were atthe weekend arrested by a combined team of military police and military intelligencepersonnel attached to the Guards Brigade at Dei-Dei, a district located on the Kubwa-Suleija-Kaduna axis of the FCT.

It was gathered that the operation to round up suspects of the Boko Haram group which istermed 'top priority' by the security agencies, is being spearheaded by the ArmyHeadquarters Garrison, the Military Intelligence, while all the battalions under the

Guards Brigade have been put on a 24-hour alert at all the entry points into the FCT toensure the sect members did not find their way into the FCT.

A Major General, (names with-held), is said to be coordinating the security network inthe FCT, in the wake of the threats and the past experiences whereby the group beat allsecurity cordons and successfully carried out the bombing of the UN House in Abuja.

Vanguard was informed that the 40 persons arrested on suspicion of being associates of the Boko Haram sect, were interrogated by the military authorities after which they werehanded over to the Immigration authorities for further screening to determine the realnumbers among them that are Nigerien nationals and those that are Nigerians after whichthe foreigners' will be repatriated.

The manhunt it was further gathered, has led to the Nigeria Police deploying scores of plain clothes police officers into the city and the same action is being taken by the SSSand areas mapped out for possible infiltration, like Suleija, Zuba, Dei-Dei, Mararaba,Keffi, Nyanya, Gwagwalada, Kwali, Abaji are being closely monitored.

There are two types of Boko Haram - Yuguda

Meanwhile, Bauchi state Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda has said that there are two typesof the sect operating in the country today. According to Governor Yuguda, while onefaction of the sect distorts the true teaching of Islam, the other faction is a band of criminals who are out to destroy the country for their selfish reasons.

Yuguda said that while the group that misinterprets Islamic teaching could be allowed toexist if they don't want to be corrected on account of freedom of worship, the one thatgets involved in criminal activities should be tackled.

The Governor who spoke in Umuahia, Abia state capital, assured that the federal



government would bring those behind the criminal group to book.

"I want to use this medium to educate adequately our people about Boko Haram. Theyare categorized into two different groups. The real one is not after killing people, butfocused on the distortion of the real teachings of Islam. They have different agenda from

the other group.

"The other people who call themselves Boko Haram are criminals. They are the ones thatkill, bomb places, loot, burn police stations everywhere in the northern part of ourcountry. I want to associate their activities to, maybe the massive unemployment in thecountry.

"But the Islamic sect that call themselves Boko Harm, they have distorted Islamicteaching, and the preaching of the Prophet as contained in the Holy

Quran. And I think they need to be corrected, and the system is doing its best to do the

correction. And for those criminals who bomb others, we will make sure they are broughtto book.

"Those criminals, we will take care of them because they are into criminal activities butfor those who are into a sect that are trying to misinterpret the Quran, they can always becorrected. As long as they don't want to be corrected and to the extent that they are notcarrying weapons and attacking people, the constitution provides for freedom of worship", Governor Yuguda said.

Ijaw groups give Boko Haram 14-day ultimatum

Disturbed by what they termed "tsunami of Boko Haram," which has claimed many livesincluding Christians in the country in recent times via bomb blasts, some Ijaw groupshave given the Islamist Boko Haram a 14-day ultimatum to end the murderous activitiesor face reprisal attacks.

Attributing the blasts to alleged opposition of a section of the country to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan's presidency, four Ijaw groups (Egbesu Mightier Fraternity of Izon) in a jointstatement, said they could no longer fold their arms and watch innocent lives beingdestroyed.

Signed by Okin Sele, Elvis Tenten, General Krumah and Abu Mic, the statement read inpart: "The continuous killings of Christians in the North should be stopped forthwith. Thetsunami of Boko Haram will not, in its sweep, skip the homes and interests of itspromoters, active or passive. If further killings by Boko Haram continue as a result of Goodluck Jonathan's Presidency in the country within 14 days of this statement, we shallwithout hesitation commence sending every Muslim in the Niger Delta Region to theirvarious homes and ask our people to return home..."

No section of this country is an embodiment of killing others. Muslims can't live in our



land freely (Niger Delta) while they will be killing our people in their land. If they don'twant peace we will meet them where ever they are. This is our message."

###

US helping secure Libya arms stockpiles: White House (AFP)http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jgthjMmOYCbcYqLmN4rvGzCAJgBg?docId=CNG.211f4e001608b37db54efe2a0eef44b5.e91 28 September 2011By AFP

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — The United States is working closely with Libya's newinterim leaders to secure all arms stockpiles, amid concerns over weapons proliferation,the White House said Tuesday.

"Since the beginning of the crisis we have been actively engaged with our allies and

partners to support Libya's effort to secure all conventional weapons stockpiles includingrecovery, control and disposal of shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles," spokesman JayCarney said.

"We are exploring every option to expand our support," he told reporters on Air ForceOne as President Barack Obama toured western states.

US General Carter Ham, who led the first stage of the coalition air campaign in Libya,said in early April that there were fears that militants could seize some of the estimated20,000 shoulder-launched missiles in Libya, calling it "a regional and an internationalconcern."

The proliferation of arms raided from the vast stores of ex-strongman Moamer Kadhafi israising fears not only for Libya's future stability, but also that the weapons will fall intothe hands of radical groups like Al-Qaeda.

Many of the weapons have made their way into the hands of fighters for Libya's NationalTransitional Council (NTC) struggling to take the remaining bastions of Kadhafi support.

Carney said five contractor specialists were on the ground to work with the new Libyanleadership to secure weapons stockpiles.

Carney's comments came as Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer wrote to DefenseSecretary Leon Panetta and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to equipwide-body passenger jets with anti-missile countermeasures.

"While many US military aircraft are outfitted with defenses against these deadlyweapons, commercial aircraft remain at risk," she said in the letter, which her office madepublic.








"Recent reporting of unaccounted for missiles in Libya is yet another reminder of thisthreat," said Boxer, who praised the Obama administration's "strong policies" to securethose weapons.

The US State Department has provided $3 million to help destroy weapons and raised

particular concern over the spread of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, also known asMan-Portable Air-Defense Systems (MANPADS), which could be used to target civilianaircraft.

###

At UN, Libya's new leaders seek support to thwart terrorist threat (The Christian

Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2011/0927/At-UN-Libya-s-new-leaders-seek-support-to-thwart-terrorist-threat 27 September 2011

By Howard LaFranchi

Libya‘s interim government says capturing Qaddafi is a matter of security and stability

not just for Libya, but for the region and beyond.

Libya‘s interim government may be this year‘s darling of the international community,reaping praise from world leaders, including President Obama, at the United Nations‘

annual gathering in New York.

But Libya‘s new leaders say they are not getting the support of key African countries for

their efforts to stabilize their country. Indeed, they worry that some African leaders inZimbabwe, Algeria, and elsewhere still root for the deposed Muammar Qaddafi, who ison the run but still issuing defiant statements of resistance.

―Libya will need support from the international community to put pressure on thoseAfrican countries who still support Qaddafi and benefit from his money,‖ said Mahmoud

Nacua, charge d‘affaires at the Libyan embassy in London, in an interview Tuesday with

Reuters. ―The international community has a vital role to stop any sabotage from Qaddafiand his sons and his supporters.‖

IN PICTURES: Libya conflict

Libyan leaders say that their country‘s revolution is at risk and strides towards democracy

will be halting until Qaddafi is captured and any forms of support he is receiving fromoutside the country – including moral – are stopped.

―This is no exaggeration to say that even beyond the African continent, Qaddafi with the

means that he has, could return to his terrorist practices by providing arms across thecontinent ... that his absence from the political stage would be synonymous with theexpansion of Al Qaeda and terrorist organizations,‖ said Mahmoud Jibril, interim prime

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2011/0927/At-UN-Libya-s-new-leaders-seek-support-to-thwart-terrorist-threat







minister and head of Libya‘s Transitional National Council (TNC), in a UN SecurityCouncil appearance Monday.

Diplomats at the UN in New York say Libya‘s new leadership is taking the same

message to meetings with world leaders on the margins of the UN General Assembly‘s

annual opening session which began last week.

SOUND OFF on Facebook: How should the international community help the Libyantransition government when it comes to Qaddafi and the future?

Mr. Jibril met in New York with President Obama last week before a high-level meetingon Libya. He and other TNC members met with a long line of international leaders beforeMr. Jibril addressed the General Assembly on Saturday and then met with the SecurityCouncil on Monday.

Evidence of the lingering support for Qaddafi came from Zimbabwe‘s President Robert

Mugabe, who on Sunday accused African countries that recognize the TNC as Libya‘slegitimate government of being ―sellouts.‖

Libya‘s new leaders have also had rocky relations with next-door neighbor Algeria, inpart over the role Islamists would play in a new Libya.

Algiers miffed the TNC leadership when it allowed one of Qaddafi‘s daughters and other

family members to flee into Algeria. Algerian officials said the move a humanitariangesture because the daughter is pregnant.

But since entering Algeria members of the Qaddafi group have given repeated mediainterviews, prompting the Algerian government this week to threaten deportation if theydo not stop.

In his meetings with leaders of the international community, Jibril has stressed thatcapturing Qaddafi and draining his remaining reservoirs of support is a matter of securityand stability not just for Libya, but for the region and beyond.

Noting that Qaddafi stockpiled large quantities of arms including chemical weapons,Jibril emphasized the need for help from the international community in tackling theQaddafi threat.

Some UN officials second Jibril‘s concerns, at least the urgent need to secure Libya‘s

weaponry.

―The spread of these weapons and the danger they could fall into the hands of terrorists

are matters of grave concern,‖ said Lynn Pascoe, the UN‘s under -secretary-general for political affairs, at Monday‘s Security Council meeting.

―Reestablishing control over chemical weapons material is of paramount importance.‖



###

Islamists seek new role in post-revolutionary Libya (BBC)


27 September 2011By Alan Little

The revolution in Libya has thrown up some powerful new folk heroes.

Sheikh Khaled Sherrif is surrounded by an adoring crowd of demonstrators, mostlywomen and children, waving the black, green and red flag of the new Libya.

We are in Tripoli's Military Academy, until recently the fiefdom of Khamis Gaddafi, oneof the most feared of the former dictator's sons.

Sheikh Khaled is a lifelong Islamist. In the 1980s, as a young man, he went toAfghanistan to fight the Soviet occupation, and stayed. He knew Osama Bin Laden andlived alongside the al-Qaeda leader and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.

He was captured by the Americans in 2003, held by them for two years at Bagram AirBase and, he says, tortured.

"We were subjected to sleep deprivation," he says. "Then, for 24 hours a day, we had toendure loud rock music. I was hung up by my arms for three days."

Going mainstream

Sheikh Khaled is a close lieutenant of Abdel Hakkim Belhaj, a fellow former Islamistfighter and political prisoner and now one of the most powerful men in Tripoli.

Both men have denounced democracy in the past, asserting that jihad was the only way toensure the victory of Islam.

"I think dialogue is the best way," Sheikh Khaled told me.

"We [Libyans] need to speak to each other and, God willing, we will reach agreement.The Libyan people need space to choose the kind of government they want. We will bewith them on this journey. No-one should force anything on the Libyan people."

There is a remarkable - and rather hopeful - spirit in Tripoli. People are free for the firsttime in decades to make political demands. There are demonstrations in the streets almostevery day, most of them urgent, vociferous but good-humoured.






Libya's Islamists must take their chances in the free-for-all of this new freedom. And,although this is a conservative and highly religious society, there is little evidence thatLibyans want an Islamic government or state.

"Libya is not the place for extremists," one man told me after praying at a city centre

mosque. "Don't be scared of my beard! We are moderate Muslims here."

"We are Muslims, but we are moderate by nature," said a woman in Tripoli's city centremarket. "We cannot accept extremism. We are well-educated. We know what we aredoing. We want our Islamic culture but not an Islamic state."

There is a sense of optimism and hope on the streets of Tripoli Many secular and liberalLibyan activists have come to believe that the former Islamists are ready to seize theopportunity the revolution provides to abandon armed jihad.

Hana al-Galal is a Western-educated human rights activist who joined the revolution at

the beginning, in Benghazi. In the early days, she was a member of the nascent NationalTransitional Council (NTC), but resigned to concentrate on human rights advocacy.

"We have been sharing ideas [with the Islamists]," she told me. "We have been takingadvice from each other. We have been running in this revolution together.

"I don't think they have it in their minds to create some kind of Taliban-style Islamicstate. There will be lots of discussions on some issues, of course, but I believe that wewill reach compromises. I think we can show that Islam is not contradictory to humanrights or democracy."

Post-revolutionary honeymoon

Western intelligence services have long held deep suspicions about Libya's Islamists, andview their new prominence here with alarm. Sheikh Khaled says they are wrong. He isanxious now to distance himself from al-Qaeda.

"We knew Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan but all we had in common with him was thatwe were in the same country. We discussed his attacks on the west, but we did notcontribute to it. We kept our independence and our own views."

He said the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, to which he and Mr Belhaj once belonged, nolonger exists.

"The Americans, when they arrested me [in 2003], thought I was a member of al-Qaeda.But they investigated and they know that this is not true."

Now, he and his fellow Islamists appear to be seeking a new relationship with the West.



"All Libyans thank God that the international community took the side of the Libyanpeople against the dictatorship," he said. "All the Libyan people appreciate that."

Libya is still enjoying its post-revolutionary honeymoon. No-one knows what dangers lieahead. But the optimism here is intoxicating. It is a moment of extraordinary expectation.

###

Libya fighting: Fears grow for civilians in Sirte (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15085224 27 September 2011By BBC

International officials have expressed fears for more than 200,000 civilians caught infierce clashes in the Libyan cities of Sirte and Bani Walid.

Nato said fighters loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi were hiding in civilian areas, puttingthe population in great danger.

Spokesman Col Roland Lavoie said drinking water, food and medicine were running low.

Fighters from the interim authorities have intensified their assault on the two cities.

They are the last two major areas under the control of Gaddafi loyalists.

The National Transitional Council (NTC) says it is just a matter of time before the cityfalls.

Chaotic fighting

But Col Lavoie said the remaining Gaddafi loyalists were refusing to accept defeat,adding: "As a last resort, they are hiding in civilian areas."

Both Col Lavoie and the Red Cross warned that the conditions civilians were living inwas becoming increasingly perilous.

Civilians have continued to flee from Sirte, as a lack of clean drinking water is reportedto have led to the spread of water-borne diseases.

"There's no food, no electricity. We were eating just bread," Sirte resident Saraj al-Tuweish told AFP news agency as he left the city on Tuesday.

"I've been trying for 10 days to get out and every time the army forced us back. Today weused a dirt road early in the morning and we managed to escape."






Witnesses in Sirte described chaotic scenes as NTC fighters tried to advance further intothe city.

They came under heavy fire from Gaddafi loyalist snipers, and TV channels backing theNTC reported that a number of their soldiers had been killed in the clashes.

It is thought Col Gaddafi is still in Libya - possibly in Bani Walid or Sirte.

But many of his inner circle have already fled the country.

His daughter Aisha escaped to Algeria several weeks ago, and has appeared on theSyrian-based Arrai TV channel telling the audience her father was healthy and fightingalongside his troops.

Algerian officials on Tuesday warned her to stop meddling in politics.

On Tuesday Arrai broadcast footage it said was filmed on 20 September Col Gaddafi'sson Saif al-Islam rallying troops.

Saif al-Islam, once groomed as his father's successor, is still on the run and has not beenseen in public for weeks.

###

France rejects Rwanda's Habyarimana extradition bid (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15095003 28 September 2011By BBC

A French court has rejected a Rwandan bid to extradite the widow of ex-PresidentJuvenal Habyarimana, whose killing sparked the 1994 genocide.

Agathe Habyarimana, 69, is accused by the Rwandan authorities of helping to plan thegenocide. She denies the accusations.

French forces flew her out of Rwanda shortly after the violence began and she has livedin France for years.

More than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus died in the massacres.

Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was killed when his plane was shot down above Kigaliairport on 6 April 1994.

Within hours a campaign of violence, carried out mostly by Hutus against Tutsis, spreadfrom the capital throughout the country.






The Hutu militias blamed the Tutsis for downing the president's plane, although it hasnever been proved who was responsible.

It is widely believed that Hutu extremists and the government had long planned thegenocide.

Mrs Habyarimana also faces a case in France's civil courts brought by rights activists.

But her lawyer, Philippe Meilhac, said the extradition ruling would cause problems forthe civil case.

"We can't stay like this for ever. The very serious accusations against Mrs Habyarimanaare old and completely denied by Mrs Habyarimana," he said.

France and Rwanda have no extradition treaty, so each case is dealt with separately.

In recent years French courts have turned down several extradition requests for genocidesuspects on the basis that the individuals would not get a fair trial.

Rwanda's Tutsi-led government, which seized power after the genocide, has oftenaccused France of not doing enough to help provide justice for the victims.

###

Ivory Coast launches reconciliation panel (Al Jazeera)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/09/201192882415338421.html 28 September 2011By Agencies

Archbishop Desmond Tutu says commission necessary to heal wounds of post-electionviolence in which 3,000 people died.

Ivory Coast has launched a South African-style truth and reconciliation commission in abid to heal the wounds of a post-election conflict that left at least 3,000 people dead.

Officials were set to inaugurate the Commission on Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation(CDVR) in the capital, Yamoussoukro, on Wednesday with the aim of bringing peaceand "rebuilding the social fabric" of the once west African powerhouse.

The 11-member Ivorian panel will have to deal with the decade of turmoil, coup attempts,political and sometimes ethnic-religious violence, that culminated in the post-poll unrestfrom last December to April.

Following the run-off vote on November 28, Laurent Gbagbo, the then president, refusedto admit defeat and hand over power to Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognisedwinner of the poll.






The months-long crisis culminated in weeks of warfare.

A group of world statesmen founded by Nelson Mandela said punishment must behanded down fairly to those guilty of crimes on both sides.

Any suggestion that "victor's justice" is being applied in Ivory Coast would undermineattempts to overcome its post-election bloodshed, South African Archbishop DesmondTutu said on the eve of the launch.

'Victor's story'

Tutu headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up in his country after the endof apartheid.

"We encourage President Ouattara to demonstrate to his people and the world that the

judicial process he has started is both fair and completely impartial," the archbishop saidin a statement by the Elders, the rights group he chairs.

"We are convinced that the perception that 'victor's justice' is being applied would greatlyundermine the reconciliation process," Tutu said.

Ouattara promised reconciliation when he assumed the presidency in May but hisgovernment has been accused of rounding up allies of Gbagbo, who was captured and isnow under house arrest in the north of the country.

The group led by Tutu said: "The Elders emphasise that a successful commission shouldbe inclusive and independent."

"The Elders encourage President Ouattara to take steps to demonstrate publicly hiscommitment to the commission's impartiality and independence. Reconciliation and justice are intertwined."

###

Deadly crackdown on protests in Guinea (Al Jazeera)


28 September 2011By Agencies

At least four people have died after security forces used truncheons and tear gas to break up an opposition protest in Conakry, the capital of Guinea.

The West African state is preparing for December parliamentary election which theopposition allege is being rigged by President Alpha Conde who came to power after adisputed November 2010 election that ended military rule.







Cellou Dalein Diallo, the leader of the opposition, told the AP news agency by telephoneon Tuesday, that one of the four dead bodies was dumped in front of the headquarters of his party, the Union of the Democratic Forces of Guinea.

Three others were at the local morgue, he said.

Mohamed Said Fofana, the prime minister, addressed the nation later on Tuesday eveningon state television.

Fofana said 23 police officers were hospitalised with injuries after being hit by rocksthrown by protesters.

He said just two people had died, but reporters who were present when he visited thelocal morgue said the premier arrived after one of the three bodies stored there hadalready been picked up by relatives.

"We deplore these acts, which do nothing to advance our democracy and we regret thatblood of another Guinean has once more been spilled," Fofana said.

The opposition had expected to rally supporters from the majority-Peul areas lining theRoute du Prince, a major artery that runs across the neighborhoods of Bambeto, Matato,Enco-5 and Cosa - all of which voted inlarge numbers for Diallo.

Rare gesture

On Monday, the government announced that the march was authorised to go ahead, a raregesture in a nation which last year saw the military hand power to civilians for the firsttime since 1984.

That vote was considered the first democratic transfer of power in Guinea's history, butthe poll was marred by days of clashes pitting Diallo's Peul supporters with the mostly-Malinke security force backing the successfulcandidate, Conde, who is himself a Malinke.

Despite the announcement, opposition leaders including Diallo were not able to evenleave their homes for the first part of Tuesday morning after riot police took positions atthe main intersections and fired tear gas grenades atanyone attempting to assemble.

Pro-opposition youths began hurling rocks, intensifying the standoff and by earlyafternoon, witnesses said the police began using live rounds in at least one district -Matoto.



Despite that, several residents described the dispersal of the march as less violent thanGuinea has been accustomed to in the past.

In 2009, the red-beret wearing presidential guard opened fire with machine guns on apro-democracy demonstration inside the national soccer stadium, killing scores of people.

Diallo was among those injured and was evacuated to France for treatment.

"What is remarkable is that the police units are using riot control tools to disperse theprotesters - tear gas and night sticks, and not fire arms for the most part,'' said shopkeeperSouleymane Sow, a Peul who was backing Diallo.

"It's my opinion that the repression I'm seeing is not too violent compared to what we areused to."

Nascent democracy

The march marks the first major demonstration since the historic election 10 months ago.

Many hope the civilian-led government will put an end to abuses by the army and werereassured on Monday when Army Chief of Staff Souleymane Kelefa Diallo orderedsoldiers via a broadcast on state television to stay inside their barracks on Tuesday.

Mouctar Diallo, a Peul politician who helped organise the Tuesday march, said the policehave a long way to go in the nascent democracy.

He charged that they had deliberately blocked the movement of people in Peulneighbourhoods.

"Yesterday the government promised to ensure the security of our peaceful march, but infact what we are now witnessing is an assault by the gendarmerie exclusively onneighborhoods that are favourable to theopposition," said Diallo

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Sudan Risks Burgeoning Civil Wars If No Urgent Actions Taken – Report (Sudan

Tribune, Khartoum)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109270408.html 27 September 2011By ST

Nairobi — Robust international engagement is needed to stave off the spread of civil warin Sudan and its possible impact on the whole region, a new report has recommended.






he International Crisis Group (ICG), a Brussels-based research organization, on Mondayissued a report sounding the alarm over renewed conflicts in Sudan's tense border regionsof South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Abyei.

Sudan has been fighting rebels previously aligned with the newly independent state of

South Sudan in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since early June and Septemberrespectively.

"The growing war on multiple fronts poses serious dangers for the country, for its futurerelationship with the Republic of South Sudan and for the stability of the region as awhole," ICG warned.

The report, titled Stopping the Spread of Sudan's New Civil War, attributed the outbreak of the war to deficiencies in the implementation of the 2005's Comprehensive PeaceAgreement (CPA) which ended more than two decades of civil wars between north andSouth Sudan, especially with regards to security arrangements in Blue Nile and South

Kordofan

According to the report, those lagging issues include the failed democratic transformationof Sudan, stymied popular consultations, and the unresolved status of the Sudan People'sLiberation Army (SPLA) forces indigenous to the North.

The report further warned that the fact that hardliners within Sudan's ruling NationalCongress Party have opted for a military solution rather than a negotiated settlement isuniting rebel groups and could trigger a wider civil war for control of the country.

"There is a real possibility of a new era of protracted civil war in Sudan if keyinternational actors are not able to contain it," ICG warned, adding that fighting couldquickly expand and spill over into South Sudan.

ICG also predicted that increased fighting in South Kordofan and Blue Nile could flareup the situation in the western region of Darfur, noting the recent return of the leader of the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement Khalil Ibrahim.

The report said that the situation will escalate if the international community does notrespond swiftly and coherently to the situation.

ICG stressed that a new approach is urgently needed to deal with the internal crisis in thenorth and conclusion of post-CPA arrangements between the north and the south.

"The international community should unite behind a single approach to begin addressinginternal Sudan crises," it said.

The report went on to say that "a sustainable solution to these must focus on a cessationof hostilities and an inclusive national dialogue consisting of renegotiating therelationship between the centre and peripheries, and agreement on decentralisation and a



redistribution of power leading to a new constitution, on the basis of which a referendumand new elections should be held."

"In the absence of a national political framework, and without clear internationalconsensus to encourage and support a national peace process, the conflict in Sudan may

spiral out control and engulf the region," it concluded.

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Ugandan, U.S. Health Workers Come Together For Animal Education

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7267&lang=0 28 September 2011By CJTF-HOA Public Affairs

KAABONG, Uganda — Thirty community animal health workers from Kaabong,

Uganda participated in a two-week veterinary civil action program (VETCAP) to gainknowledge and skills in livestock treatment and sustainment September 2011.

The program was a joint effort between the Uganda People's Defence Force, the UgandanMinistry for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, and the Combined Joint Task Force -Horn of Africa.

Soldiers from the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion Functional Specialty Team (FxSP),assigned to Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, traveled to Kaabong, August 29to September 9, to bring veterinary assistance to the northern region of the country.

"The Karamoja region has a shortage of veterinarians, so they rely heavily on communityanimal health workers," said U.S. Army Major Dean Klenz, the VETCAP missioncommander. Klenz added that having a plentiful number of health workers who are up-to-date on providing treatments is vital to farmers since animal diseases can often betransmitted to humans.

The group spent one week in a classroom environment discussing how to detect diseasesand apply preventative measures to cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys, dogs and cats.

"This emphasizes how important their livestock is, what diseases that humans can catchfrom them, and how healthy animals and livestock will lead to healthier people," saidU.S. Army Specialist Shawn England, 490th FxSP veterinary technician.

Afterwards, the community animal health workers, along with the FxSP team and fourveterinary students from Makerere University in Kampala, traveled to three treatmentsites in and around Kaabong to provide free treatments for livestock owners. Makererestudents and the health workers took on the responsibility of being the primary treatmentgivers in the field.






"The students were very knowledgeable which made it easy to teach them and wereequally eager to learn new things," said Mbatidole Irene, a Makerere graduate. "When itcame to the field work, they were very cooperative and hard working, thus we managedto treat many animals."

A total of 29,502 animals were treated in the one-week field VETCAP period, with themajority of those animals -- more than 25,000 -- being cattle brought by local owners.With the assistance of both the Ugandan and American veterinary representatives, theteam completed the mission with spray pumps, medicinal drenching guns and coolers.Their work enables future assistance to animal owners and farmers to continueinoculations for animals to remain healthy.

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African Union Military Delegation Tours DOD Facilities in Washington, D.C. Area


28 September 2011By Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A delegation of African Union military personnel participatedin a 10-day partner nation familiarization event in the Washington, D.C. area, September2011.

Throughout the week, the group visited the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland, along with the Defense Spectrum Organization(DSO) in Annapolis and the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) in Indian Head.

The delegation, which included senior military officers from South Africa, Nigeria,Burundi, Mauritania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Botswana, Uganda, Togo,Benin, Sudan, and Ghana, was sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

"[DISA] continues to strengthen our partnerships with African partner nations byexposing their senior level communicators with our U.S. military communicators in theareas of operations, training, and support," said Franklin James, who plans andcoordinates foreign military visits to the agency through the Service, Agency, andInternational Engagement Office, part of the Strategic Planning and InformationDirectorate (SPI).

During the visit to the headquarters, DISA's military and civilian leaders providedbriefings and led discussions with the delegation.

Larry Huffman, principal director of operations, provided opening remarks. Scott Rodakowski, chief of Corporate Strategy and Communications (SPI), gave

an overview of DISA which focused on enterprise operations, support to the DoD,and the strategic and operational focus of the agency.

Army Colonel David Barlow, commander of DISA's AFRICOM Field Office,spoke about DISA's ongoing engagements in Africa.






Army Colonel Gregory Jaksec, commander of the DISA Command Center, spokeon the DCC operations and gave a tour of the facility.

Navy Rear Admiral David Simpson, DISA's vice director, made closing remarks.During the delegation's visit to DSO, they received a DSO overview brief from JohnHickey, DSO vice director, and a brief on the World Radio Communication Program

from Steven Molina, director of DSO's Strategic Planning Office. The DSO visitconcluded with a briefing from Army Major Thomas Meccia, the Joint Spectrum Center(JSC) operations officer, regarding the JSC's operations and capabilities. The Africanvisitors then participated in a discussion on the latest automation tools technology.

On the final leg of the African military delegation's visit to DISA, the group touredJITC's test labs in Indian Head, Maryland and learned about ongoing projects there.

Anthony Stout, JITC's chief of Washington operations, provided details on some of JITC's most significant projects, and there was also considerable dialogue about JITC'sdirect support to AFRICOM.

"Our African partners were able to learn how DISA is organized, and how we use our joint enablers -- such as the Joint Spectrum Center and Joint Interoperability TestCommand -- to meet our communications and information technology requirements; andour DISA personnel were able to interact with [the delegation] and learn about theirchallenges and opportunities in their countries," said Barlow, who accompanied thedelegation during the visits to each DISA site.

Other sites the delegation will visit before returning to their home countries include thePentagon, the U.S. Army Signal Center in Fort Gordon, Ga., and the Special WarfareCenter and School in Fort Bragg, N.C.

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CJTF-HOA Welcomes New Senior Enlisted Leaderhttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7264&lang=0 28 September 2011By CJTF-HOA Public Affairs

STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant JamesDavis assumed the role of the of the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africacommand senior enlisted leader during a senior enlisted leader change of responsibilityceremony at Camp Lemonnier September 22, 2011.

Davis accepted his new role as the senior enlisted leader for CJTF-HOA by saluting U.S.Navy Rear Admiral Michael Franken, CJTF-HOA commander, who presided over theceremony. Davis previously served as command chief master sergeant for 18th Wing,Kadena Air Base, Japan.






"I was the command chief for over 6,000 enlisted men and women and then I got the callfrom the admiral for an interview to become the CJTF-HOA SEL," said Davis. "Yes, thatwas a big mission, but this one is an even bigger mission with bigger circumstances andbigger possibilities; I'm looking forward to that."

The ceremony had in attendance service members from all branches, distinguished guestsand members of coalition forces.

"I chose Chief Davis to represent array of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilians,principally because he's been performing at this level for quite a number of years," saidFranken. "There is no doubt that Chief Davis is the right man for the job."

Like his predecessor, U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Major Scott Mykoo, Davis will serveone year in this position, working to fulfill the promise to mentor and lead the enlistedpersonnel of all the services stationed at Camp Lemonnier, no matter which uniform themember wears.

"I'm concerned about the U.S. part of it," said Davis "because I want to take care of mymen and women. That's the bottom line."

CJTF – HOA, under the command of U.S Africa Command, conducts civil and non-combatant military operations in East Africa aimed to strengthen defense capabilities andprotect U.S. and Coalition interests, promote regional stability and dissuade conflict.

###END REPORT

AFRICOM Related News Clips 29 September 2011

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