United States Africa Command Public Affairs Office 8 November 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 November 8, 2011. Of interest in todays clips: In Nigeria: According to the BBC, major hotels, including Hilton, Nicon Luxury, and Sheraton, were named as possible targets of the Boko Haram group following violent attacks in northeastern Nigeria. In Liberia: RFI and Reuters report on continuing challenges as Liberia moves towards run-off elections; there are threats of turmoil from the challenger side if things are not postponed and reorganized. Al Jazeera reports that at least three are dead in an exchange of gunfire between Liberian police and protestors. In Sudan: AllAfrica reports on a statement issued by the UN, confirming one of their peacekeepers has been killed and two others injured in the Darfur region. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Please send questions or comments to: africom-pao@africom.mil 421-2687 (+49-711-729-2687) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa US warns of attacks on hotels in Nigerian capital (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15613176 6 November 2011 An Islamist group which has carried out deadly attacks in north-eastern Nigeria may be planning to bomb hotels in the capital, Abuja, the US embassy says. The Hilton, Nicon Luxury and Sheraton hotels were named as possible targets of the Boko Haram group. Nigerian Terror Metastasizing (Assyrian International News Agency) http://www.aina.org/news/20111107114552.htm 7 November 2011
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By Arnold Ahlert In Nigeria, a radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram carried out a series of terrorist attacks killing more than 100 people in the states of Borno and Yobe on Friday. Yobe's capital city of Damaturu bore the brunt of the damage when a car bomb exploded outside a military office and barracks, killing several security agents. Al-Qaida's North Africa branch a growing threat (Seattle Times / McClatchy Newspapers) http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2016707077_alqaida07.html 7 November 2011 By Alan Boswell In January 2009, Yaou Mahaman, a Tuareg tour guide from Niger, was coming off a lucrative week. His three-car convoy carrying four European adventurists sped along the Sahara's Mali-Niger border. Suddenly, the first one veered off and pulled a U-turn. The back two, not quick enough to respond, fell into an ambush. Tuna fished 'illegally' during Libya conflict (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15597675 By Richard Black Evidence is emerging of unregulated and probably illegal tuna fishing in Libyan waters during this year's conflict. Liberia: President Sirleaf Is Trying to Intimidate Me, Says Run-Off Candidate Tubman (RFI) http://allafrica.com/stories/201111060154.html Liberian opposition presidential candidate Wilson Tubman has accused President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of intimidation after she criticised his call for a boycott of Tuesday's runoff polls. Liberia challenger warns of turmoil unless poll delayed (Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A600M20111107 7 November 2011 By Richard Valdmanis and Alphonso Toweh Liberia could tip into chaos not seen since its civil war if a presidential run-off election set for Tuesday is not delayed and reorganized, presidential hopeful Winston Tubman said on Sunday. Deadly clashes ahead of Liberian vote (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111171433737475.html 8 November 2011 At least three people have been killed in an exchange of gunfire between Liberian police and protesters as a mass opposition rally in Monrovia, the capital, turned violent on the eve of a presidential election runoff vote, according to reports from the scene. Somali pirates capture Seychelles fishermen (Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A607I20111107 7 November 2011
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Somali pirates are holding two Seychelles sailors aboard a fishing boat that was captured 65 miles west of Mahe last week, a government minister said. Weathering Africa's Storms (Wall Street Journal) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203716204577017753918580794.html 7 November 2011 By William Lyons It's been a tumultuous year for Ahmed Heikal. When a tide of civil unrest gripped Egypt in February, eventually overthrowing President Hosni Mubarak, Mr. Heikal, chairman of private-equity firm Citadel Capital and one of Egypt's best-known financiers, was caught in the aftermath. Ordered not to travel, he found himself under investigation amid wider corruption allegations levied against several business and government figures. Africa: Continent Must Shun Western Aid (The Herald <published by govt. of Zimbabwe>) http://allafrica.com/stories/201111070159.html 6 November 2011 By Tendai Moyo It seems some world leaders, though misguided, are clearly driven by archaic and racist theories propagated by discredited individuals like Charles Darwin, who centuries ago proclaimed that the white people are a superior race with the inherent responsibility to enlighten and subjugate other dark-coloured races. UN peacekeeper killed in Sudan's Darfur (AllAfrica.com) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/201111742522450242.html 7 November 2011 A UN peacekeeper in Sudan's violence-plagued Darfur region has been killed and two others injured, according to a UN statement. ### -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------UN News Service Africa Briefs http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA Security Council stresses need to end impunity after latest attack on peacekeepers 7 November The Security Council today stressed the need to end impunity for those who attack peacekeepers, after one soldier serving with the joint United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur was killed and two others injured on Sunday in the latest incident in the Sudanese region. On eve of election, UN envoy appeals to Liberians to ensure peaceful poll 7 November All Liberians who wish to vote in the presidential run-off election must be able to do so freely and in safety, the top United Nations envoy to the country said on Monday as she addressed the nation on the eve of the poll.
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Security Council calls on all Liberians to take part in upcoming poll 6 November Voicing concern over statements urging a boycott of Liberia's presidential run-off, the Security Council on Sunday called on all actors to work together to ensure a successful completion of the electoral process. Darfur: Ban deplores attack on UN-African Union peacekeepers 6 November Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned today's attack on a United Nations-African Union patrol in Sudan's Darfur region that led to the death of one peacekeeper and the wounding of two others. Ban and Security Council strongly condemn terrorist attacks in Nigeria 5 November Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council have strongly condemned Friday's terrorist attacks in Nigeria which led to numerous deaths and injuries, and underlined the need to bring those responsible to justice. (Full Articles on UN Website) ### -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Upcoming Events of Interest: 8 NOV 2011 UNITED STATES SENATE - COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES There will be a meeting of the Committee on ARMED SERVICES Tuesday, November 8, 2011 9:30 AM Room SD-G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington D.C. Meeting is OPEN to the public To receive testimony on the Committees investigation into counterfeit electronic parts in the Department of Defense supply chain. WHEN: 11:00 a.m. WHAT: Secretary of State Clinton will deliver remarks on the future of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. WHERE: National Institutes of Health, Masur Auditorium (Building 10), 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland CONTACT: National Institutes of Health, Calvin Jackson at 301- 594-8750 or JACKSONC@od31tm1.od.nih.gov; Department of State, Office of Press Relations at 202-647-6249. NOTE: Credentialed media interested in attending should contact Calvin Jackson in the NIH Press Office at 301-594-8750 for specific logistics information. Pre-set time for
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video cameras: 9:00 a.m. at the Masur Auditorium. Final access time for journalists and still photographers: 10:00 a.m. at the Masur Auditorium. More information at www.state.gov SOURCE: U.S. Department of State event announcement at: www.state.gov WHAT: Discussion Event Can Mothers Stop Terrorism? SPONSOR: The Paley Center for Media WHEN: Tuesday, November 8, 6:30 pm WHERE: The Paley Center for Media 25 West 52 Street NYC CONTACT: Carrie Oman 212-621-6785 coman@paleycenter.org BACKGROUND: Aicha el-Wafi, the mother of Zacarias Moussaoui (the only person ever to be tried in a U.S. court on charges of having been involved in the September 11 attacks), will have a conversation with Abdul Haqq Baker, the former Imam of the Brixton Mosque in London, which Zacarias attended while becoming radicalized. More: http://www.paleycenter.org/2011-fall-can-mothers-stop-terrorism 9 NOV 2011 WHEN: 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. WHAT: U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) Program on Religion and Peacemaking: Reflections on Current Challenges and Future Prospects. Speakers: Richard Solomon, Introductory comments, U.S. Institute of Peace; Joshua Dubois, White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; Suzan Johnson Cook, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom; Scott Appleby, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies; Rabbi Michael Melchior, Mosaica Center for Inter-Religious Cooperation; Jackie Ogega, Religions for Peace; Qamar-ul Huda, U.S. Institute of Peace; Mohammed Abu-Nimer, American University; and David Smock, Moderator, U.S. Institute of Peace. WHERE: USIP, 2301 Constitution Avenue, NW CONTACT: 202-457-1700; web site: www.usip.org SOURCE: USIP event announcement at: http://www.usip.org/events/religiouspeacebuilding-taking-stock-the-field WHEN: 10:00 11:30 a.m. WHAT: Brookings Institution Briefing on Elections and Reform in Morocco and Tunisia. Speakers: Introduction and moderator by Daniel L. Byman, Director of Research, Saban Center for Middle East Policy; Panelists: Njib Ayachi, President, The Maghreb Center; Anouar Boukhars, Assistant Professor of International Relations McDaniel College; and Sarah Yerkes, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Government,
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Georgetown University. WHERE: Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW CONTACT: 202-797-6105 or events@brookings.edu; web site: www.brookings.edu SOURCE: http://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1109_morocco_tunisia.aspx ### -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------New on www.africom.mil Lesotho hosts Africa Endeavor 2012 planning conference http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7411&lang=0 7 November 2011 By Major Paula Kurtz, U.S. AFRICOM Public Affairs MASERU, Lesotho, Nov 7, 2011 Defense representatives from more than 30 African nations joined together in Maseru, Lesotho, November 7-11, 2011, to participate in the initial planning conference for next year's Africa Endeavor. ### -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL TEXT US warns of attacks on hotels in Nigerian capital (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15613176 6 November 2011 An Islamist group which has carried out deadly attacks in north-eastern Nigeria may be planning to bomb hotels in the capital, Abuja, the US embassy says. The Hilton, Nicon Luxury and Sheraton hotels were named as possible targets of the Boko Haram group. The warning came as the Nigerian Red Cross said more than 100 had died in the attacks, mainly in the town of Damaturu. Pope Benedict XVI has appealed for an end to the violence. On Sunday, Boko Haram gunmen shot dead a police inspector in the city of Maiduguri, 130km (80 miles) east of Damaturu. Specific warning The US embassy warning is regarded as unusually specific. The hotels it has named draw diplomats, politicians and Nigeria's business elite.
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The embassy said the attack may come as Nigeria celebrates the Muslim feast of Eid alAdha. It instructed its diplomats and staff to avoid those hotels. Boko Haram has told a newspaper it was behind the Damaturu attacks and that it plans to hit further government targets. The government stepped up security in Abuja, which has been the target of past Boko Haram attacks. They included a suicide bomb attack on at the UN headquarters on 26 August which killed 24, and the bombing of the police headquarters on 16 June, in which six people died. 'Tragic events' Pope Benedict said he was following with apprehension the "tragic events" in Nigeria. "While I pray for the victims, I ask for an end to all violence, which does not resolve problems but increases them, sowing hatred and divisions, even among the faithful," the pope said. The United Nations Security Council also condemned the attacks as "criminal and unjustifiable". A statement from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for "an end to all violence in the area" and offered sympathy to the victims. President Goodluck Jonathan was "greatly disturbed" by the attack, and said his government was working hard to bring those "determined to derail peace and stability in the country to book", according to a spokesman. But Boko Haram gunmen carried out another killing on Sunday. They stopped a police inspector's car at gunpoint, as he neared a mosque to pray with his family in the city of Maiduguri. Local Police Commissioner Simeon Midenda said the family was ordered away while they shot the inspector dead, before letting them drive the car away. "Our men who live in the midst of the Boko Haram are not safe," Mr Midenda said. The targets of the earlier attacks on Damaturu included churches and the headquarters of the Yobe state police.

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A priest described gangs of young men roaming the streets throwing improvised bombs into churches. Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden", has launched frequent attacks on the police and government officials. ###

Nigerian Terror Metastasizing (Assyrian International News Agency) http://www.aina.org/news/20111107114552.htm 7 November 2011 By Arnold Ahlert In Nigeria, a radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram carried out a series of terrorist attacks killing more than 100 people in the states of Borno and Yobe on Friday. Yobe's capital city of Damaturu bore the brunt of the damage when a car bomb exploded outside a military office and barracks, killing several security agents. The terrorist assault continued through the night when rampaging gunmen blew up a bank, and attacked at least three police stations, and five churches, leaving behind nothing but rubble, officials said. Gunmen also raided the nearby village of Potiskum, leaving at least two people dead there, according to witnesses. A Boko Haram spokesman calling himself Abul-Qaqa promised more of the same. "We will continue attacking federal government formations until security forces stop their excesses on our members and vulnerable civilians," he warned. Boko Haram, which translates from the local Hausa language into "Western education is sacrilege" in English, wants to impose Sharia law over the entire oil-rich nation of 160 million people, despite the fact the country is evenly divided into a largely Muslim north and a largely Christian south. The sect completely rejects the notion of Western-inspired democracy, which they contend has corrupted government officials. Government spokesman Reuben Abati, speaking on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan, said that "every step will be taken" to arrest those responsible for the carnage. "The security agencies will tell you that what happens on this scale is even a fraction of what could have happened considering the scope of the threat," Abati said. "The security agencies are busy at work trying to make sure the will of the majority of the Nigerian people is not subverted by a minority with a suicidal streak." Yet if the Associated Press is correct, reality is far more complicated. Boko Haram has reportedly split itself into three separate factions, all of which have different goals. One faction is ostensibly moderate and welcomes an end to all violence. A second faction wants a peace agreement similar to the one offered to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) in 2009, which included a presidential pardon, a rehabilitation program, and education and training.

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The third faction rejects any compromise. Its spiritual leader, imam Abubakar Shekau, heard speaking in a scratchy recording obtained by the AP, insists that holy war is the only way to bring about change. "Whomever we kill, we kill because Allah says we should kill and we kill for a reason," Shekau says in the recording, characterized as a sermon. Underscoring this faction's seriousness is the readiness to kill one of their own members. In September, a representative of one of the moderate factions of Boko Haram was executed for negotiating with former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo. This attack, coupled with one in August on a United Nations compound in Abuja, which killed 24 and wounded 116, indicates the group's continued potency, despite a 2009 crackdown. In July of that year, a riot and a military response left 700 people dead. Former Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed in police custody in Maiduguri, the sect's spiritual home. Human Rights Watch called the killing "extrajudicial" and "illegal" at the time. Moreover, the subsequent crackdown following last August's attack, which human rights activists contend has resulted in the deaths of innocents, may be fueling the insurgency. Three other factors may be fueling it as well. One is the disappointment many northern Nigerians felt when the implementation of Sharia in northern states from 1999 to 2001 failed to eliminate corruption, fix the northern economy, or address feelings of political irrelevance. Second was the April election to the presidency of southern Christian Goodluck Jonathan, following the death of northern Muslim Umaru Yar'Adua. This ostensibly violated an unofficial power-sharing agreement by which the presidency rotates every two terms, between north and south. Thirdly, is the reality that Nigeria is a nation divided not only by religion, but by an economy characterized as a "prosperous, oil-rich south and its economically deprived, semi-arid north." About a year ago, Boko Haram re-emerged and began a campaign of assassinations carried out by motorcycle-riding gunmen toting Kalashnikov rifles hidden under their traditional robes. The mayhem has resulted in at least 361 deaths this year alone, according to AP. In response, motorcycles have been banned from the street in Maiduguri, but the killing continues. Government officials, police officers, soldiers in the region, and clerics who speak out against Boko Haram are routinely targeted. On Sunday another such assassination was carried out against a local police inspector on his way to pray at a mosque with his family. Gunmen separated the man from his family, ordered them to leave, and then murdered him. Khalifa Dikwa, a professor at the University of Maiduguri, notes that a region beset by grinding poverty, as a well as a level of perceived corruption and injustice, makes for a fertile breeding ground for recruitment by the Boko Haram. While the rich and wellconnected get justice, he contends, "somebody who was incarcerated for stealing just a chicken will be behind bars for six years without trial. Again, it boils down to injustice, alienation, arm-twisting of the law, corrupting the entire system." He further notes that such injustice, coupled with a 70 percent unemployment rate and few opportunities for youths who lack access to good education, makes the terrorist group an attractive alternative to the status quo. "Anybody who feels cheated is Boko Haram," he added.
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On Saturday, the U.N. Security Council condemned the attacks. "The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of its motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group," a statement read. "The members of the Security Council reaffirmed the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the charter of the United Nations, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts," it added. On Sunday Pope Benedict XVI also called for an end to the violence in Nigeria. A spokesman for the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA) who wished to remain anonymous condemned the killings, but insisted that Muslims could not be responsible because they were perpetrated during a holy month and on the eve of Eid. The Eid alAdha celebration, or the "Festival of Sacrifice," is a three-day affair centering around the slaughter of sheep and cattle in remembrance of Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son by command of Allah. Allah allowed the boy to live after Abraham demonstrated his willingness to submit to the command. The holy month is a reference to the Hajj, the Fifth Pillar of Islam, which requires every Muslim make a pilgrimage to Mecca, if one is able-bodied and can afford to do so. This year the pilgrimage occurs in November. Hence the skepticism. "I am very doubtful that the people that did this are Muslims," said the SCIA spokesman. "If they are, what kind of Islam are they practising? No sane Muslim would do this. If you are fighting for God, you must first obey him and observe his commandments. The holy month must be kept holy." Maybe not. On Sunday the U.S. embassy issued a statement warning of more to come. "The U.S. Embassy has received information that Boko Haram may plan to attack several locations and hotels in Abuja (this week) Targets may include the Nicon Luxury, the Sheraton Hotel, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel," it read. As for the rest of the year? A decade of attacks outlined here suggests that with respect to "fighting for God," anytime may be the right time for Islamic terrorists in Nigeria. Yet for the most part, terrorism in Nigeria has remained under the radar despite the fact that the country has been victimized by more attacks in the last two years than any country in the world except Somalia--and despite the fact that the fruits of that terroristinspired unrest have already been exported to the United States: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear aboard a Northwest Airlines flight in December of 2009, was Nigerian. An isolated incident? Maybe not. Attacks with large bombs may indicate that Boko Haram is receiving training from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Furthermore in August, Gen. Carter F. Ham, head of the United States Africa Command, contended that both groups were attempting to establish a "loose partnership" with Shabaab, the Somali-based terror group responsible for the bombings at the World Cup soccer matches in Uganda last year where more than 70 people were killed. Ham characterized the development as one that "would be the most dangerous thing to happen not only to the
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Africans, but to us as well." That same month the Obama administration stated that Nigeria was incapable of fighting terror within the nation's borders. It is worth remembering that Americans knew very little about al Qaeda and Afghanistan prior to 9/11, and those who did were loath to believe such a relatively "insignificant" development could blossom into a force capable of carrying out the worst domestic attack in the history of the nation. Precious few Americans have heard of Boko Haram. Every reasonable effort possible should be undertaken to prevent them from becoming a household name. ### Al-Qaida's North Africa branch a growing threat (Seattle Times / McClatchy Newspapers) http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2016707077_alqaida07.html 7 November 2011 By Alan Boswell NIAMEY, Niger In January 2009, Yaou Mahaman, a Tuareg tour guide from Niger, was coming off a lucrative week. His three-car convoy carrying four European adventurists sped along the Sahara's Mali-Niger border. Suddenly, the first one veered off and pulled a U-turn. The back two, not quick enough to respond, fell into an ambush. The eight bandits demanded Mahaman's four clients two Swiss, a German and a Briton. They were then sold to North Africa's al-Qaida affiliate as hostages. The Briton was later killed, and the other three eventually released, along with two Canadian diplomats working for the United Nations who had been captured in Niger a month earlier. The abduction of tourists was not a first, but where it took place was: nearly 300 miles south of Algeria, where an Islamist rebel group had rebranded itself in 2007 as Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The earlier kidnapping of the Canadian diplomats took place even farther south, in Niger. The al-Qaida branch had moved its operations across the Sahara, the transcontinental desert that throughout history has stopped empires in their tracks. Embassies fretted. Tourism vanished. Researchers warned of the Africanization of alQaida. The expansion drew the attention of Western powers, with the U.S. increasing to $150 million a year its counterterrorism support to poor governments in the region, most of which are closer to France, the area's former colonial power.

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France, too, took action. In February last year, a senior French diplomat told U.S. officials in Paris that AQIM was now his country's No. 1 priority on the continent, according to a diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks. AQIM was back under the spotlight this past summer, attempting four suicide bombings over two months in northern Algeria, culminating in a twin suicide blast Aug. 26 that struck Algeria's premier military academy in Cherchell, killing 18. And many now fear that the group could get a boost from the war in Libya, which has loosened new weapons from former leader Moammar Gadhafi's armories, and sent thousands of pro-Gadhafi mercenaries and laborers back to their home countries bordering the Sahara. Analysts disagree over how serious a threat AQIM is. With its desert hideaways and shadowy movements, AQIM is one of the world's least understood and most opaque jihadist organizations. Jean Pierre Filiu, a French academic in Paris, uses the term "gangster jihadism" to describe the group, saying it mixes traditional al-Qaida goals with revenue-generating illicit activity. "They are the jihadi organization that has been the farthest in this path. It is very peculiar to AQIM," Filiu said. U.S. officials say the ransoms that other Western nations have paid for the release of AQIM's hostages are its primary source of money. Next in line is income from smuggling, largely moving Latin American cocaine along routes that take it to Europe. Army Gen. Carter Ham, head of the U.S. Africa Command based in Stuttgart, Germany, has been the U.S.' most vocal official proclaiming the AQIM threat. "We view the threat posed by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb as a very serious threat not only to African people but to us as well," Ham said in August. A month later, he said intelligence estimates suggested that al-Qaida's global affiliates and emulators including AQIM, Boko Haram in Nigeria and the Shabab movement in Somalia may be gaining strength even as the core al-Qaida command is weakening. On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Lagos warned that luxury hotels frequented by foreigners and Nigeria's elite may be bombed by Boko Haram. Possible targets were identified in Abuja as the Hilton, Nicon Luxury and Sheraton hotels, which draw diplomats, politicians and even reformed oil delta extremists. While the summer attacks in Algeria showed that the group's northern wing was still active, it's the group's expansion south that most alarms Washington.
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The move into what is known as the Sahel the sparsely vegetated belt squeezed between central Africa's tropics and the Sahara was spurred by a mix of desperation and opportunism. A crackdown by Algerian authorities in 2008 severely weakened the group, but the desolate Saharan dunes, porous borders, and weak governments to the south also proved a vast safe haven and valuable money sources. Now there are worries that the group is strengthening its ties to black Africa, and other like-minded jihadist groups, Nigeria's Boko Haram in particular. The Aug. 26 blast in Cherchell came just a few hours after a more headline-grabbing suicide attack by Boko Haram against the headquarters of the United Nations in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, that killed 23. In Washington, Ham said the intent to collaborate was especially strong between AQIM and Boko Haram, which was blamed for a blast Saturday that killed at least 67 people in Nigeria. That, however, is not a universally held opinion, even within the U.S. government. A State Department official specializing on security in the region downplayed the links, calling the contacts between the two groups "episodic." Andrew Lebovich, an analyst at the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan Washington research group, said "the public evidence" of collaboration "is too thin to draw that kind of conclusion." Boko Haram remains a very Nigerian organization, and AQIM despite its global jihadist rhetoric remains largely Algerian-focused, with an Algerian leadership, he noted Some analysts point out that regional governments have an incentive to play up the terrorist threat attracting more Western aid. ### Tuna fished 'illegally' during Libya conflict (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15597675 By Richard Black Evidence is emerging of unregulated and probably illegal tuna fishing in Libyan waters during this year's conflict. Signals recorded from boats' electronic "black boxes" show a large presence inside Libyan waters, a major spawning ground for the endangered bluefin tuna. Several strands of evidence, including a letter from a former industry source, suggest the involvement of EU boats.
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The issue will be aired this week at the annual meeting of Iccat, which regulates tuna fishing in the region. The European Commission believes any fishing in Libyan waters this year could be judged illegal. EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki told BBC News that she is also investigating whether Italian authorities made bilateral deals with Libya on tuna-fishing, which would contravene EU regulations. The annual meeting of Iccat - the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas - opens in Istanbul on Friday, preceded by two days of talks within its Compliance Committee, which will begin to assess whether rules have been broken. Suspension suspended After the Libyan civil conflict began in February, Ms Damanaki's office was set to request a suspension of all tuna fishing in Libyan waters, given that the breakdown in governance made regulation difficult. Misrata, a tuna-fishing base, saw bloody fighting early in the Libyan civil conflict On 7 April, Libyan authorities, in one of a series of letters obtained by BBC News, told Iccat that because of the "recent and exceptional circumstances" they were going to suspend all tuna fishing in their waters voluntarily. Three weeks later, Libya sent another letter to Iccat cancelling the suspension, without citing its reasons. Iccat chairman Fabio Hazin asked Libya to reconsider. It was too late to procure international observers for the vessels, as regulations require, he said; and Iccat members did not have the time needed to discuss and approve Libya's proposed fishing plan. In response to further correspondence, Dr Hazin and Compliance Committee chairman Christopher Rogers told Libyan official Nuredin Esarbout that "fishing by the Libyan fleet... in 2011 might be in contravention" of Iccat rules. Ms Damanaki further warned that any catches would be "well on track to be deemed illegal". She asked EU member states to "monitor the activities of your national operators" to make sure they were not catching or trading potentially illegal fish. She also warned that she stood ready to use recently adopted EU rules on illegal fishing against anyone involved in such activities.

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Activity maps Under Iccat rules, all purse seine boats - the type most common in bluefin operations have to be equipped with a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), an electronic gadget that transmits information including the boat's location every six hours. The statistical report prepared for the forthcoming meeting - also obtained by BBC News - includes a map showing the number of VMS signals received from various locations in the Mediterranean during the 2011 fishing season. The biggest bursts of activity are in the spawning grounds where bluefin gather in the early summer; and this includes the waters off the Libyan coast. This map does not show which vessels were operating there, although Iccat is believed to have this information. According to environmental groups that monitor tuna-fishing ports, vessels authorised to fish in Libyan waters did not do so, remaining in French and Maltese ports all season. If that is correct, it implies that boats from other Iccat member states were operating there, which would be illegal. As well as the area extending 12 nautical miles off the coast which is the Mediterranean standard for territorial waters, Libya claims the whole of the Gulf of Sirte covering 57,000 sq km (22,000 sq miles) and a further "exclusive fishing zone" extending 62 nautical miles into the Med. It is one of six main spawning grounds that purse seine vessels target. The nets are drawn around the roiling shoals like a basket, and the fish are subsequently transferred to cages that are slowly towed to "ranches" or "farms" for fattening before death and sale. Inside track A letter recently sent to WWF and Greenpeace - which work closely together on the bluefin issue - by an experienced hand in the bluefin tuna fishery says illegal operations have been rife in the southern part of the Mediterranean for years. At different times, he says, operators based in Spain, France, Malta and Italy have been involved. In 2010, Italy voluntarily closed tuna fishing in its own waters. But, the informant writes, Italian fishermen were transported to Libya by means that evaded border controls, and fished there instead.

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He also accuses EU fleets of using planes to spot aggregations of spawning tuna, which has been banned since 2006; catching undersized fish; and operating with such little regard for bad weather that entire hauls of fish ended up dead in the water. "Would you like to know where all these dead fish are? They are on the sea floor!", he writes. Most of the bluefin ends up in Japan - and Japan is concerned about practices in the Med Government inspectors, he says, "can be bought for a cigarette packet". The letter has been forwarded to Iccat. Although reports from fisheries academics and environment groups have regularly condemned aspects of the Mediterranean bluefin industry down the years, first-hand reports from people this close to the industry are rare, partly because of intimidation. But, the source says, he is moved to "repentance" because of the "incredible things" he has seen. His letter is very specific, naming companies, locations, activities, time periods and catch sizes. How closely the source's claims are related to the European Commission investigation of possible bilateral deals between Italy and Libya is not clear, as Ms Damanaki preferred not to elaborate on the nature of that investigation. Sanctuary call From an ecological point of view, a plunder in Libyan waters would be disturbing. The northern bluefin was classified as endangered on the internationally accepted Red List earlier this year. Environment groups are urging Iccat and the EU to act swiftly. "The real plundering of the bluefin tuna population in Libyan waters by local and foreign fleets makes a strong case for a ban of the fishery in those waters from 2012," said Sergi Tudela, head of WWF's Mediterranean fisheries operation. "Actually, this area must be turned into a bluefin tuna sanctuary protecting one of the most important breeding grounds for this iconic species," he told BBC News. WWF and the other environment groups involved in the issue continue to warn that the basic problem across the region is over-capacity - there are simply too many boats that need to exceed their catch quotas in order to turn a profit.

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Last month, a report from the Pew Environment Group calculated that 140% more bluefin flesh entered the market from the Mediterranean than was declared by fishing boat skippers. "Fifteen years after tuna farming started in the Mediterranean, it's still impossible to know the biomass of tuna originally caged in every farm, which prevents achieving traceability in this fishery," said Dr Tudela. "The moment has come for Iccat Parties to ban tuna farming." ### Liberia: President Sirleaf Is Trying to Intimidate Me, Says Run-Off Candidate Tubman (RFI) http://allafrica.com/stories/201111060154.html

Liberian opposition presidential candidate Wilson Tubman has accused President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of intimidation after she criticised his call for a boycott of Tuesday's runoff polls. On Saturday, Sirleaf claimed Tubman's call violated the constitution and she urged his supporters to stay away from the polls. Tubman says the call for a boycott is "a constitutionally guaranteed right" and an expression of free speech. He has already said he will not recognise the outcome of Tuesday's poll. "She wishes to silence me," he said. "She wishes to intimidate me, to make me afraid to speak." Tubman claims the first round of voting on 11 October, when he was placed second with 32.7 per cent of the vote, was flawed by voting irregularities. He has made several demands for the run-off including that members of his Congress for Democratic Change be allowed to observe the counting process. Sirleaf, who took 43.9 per cent of the vote in the first round, has since managed to secure the support of key smaller parties for the run-off. The African Union observer mission to Liberia says it is concerned by Tubman's call for a boycott, just days ahead of the vote. "We are very concerned, it's a bad signal.... political leaders must be prepared to win or lose," said the head of the observer mission, former Ugandan vice-president Speciosa Wadira Kazibwe.
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### Liberia challenger warns of turmoil unless poll delayed (Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A600M20111107 7 November 2011 By Richard Valdmanis and Alphonso Toweh MONROVIA (Reuters) - Liberia could tip into chaos not seen since its civil war if a presidential run-off election set for Tuesday is not delayed and reorganized, presidential hopeful Winston Tubman said on Sunday. Tubman, a former United Nations diplomat, was meant to stand against incumbent Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in the November 8 run-off but last week withdrew his participation in the process and called for a boycott, citing electoral fraud during the first round of voting last month. "I think that at the end of the day we will have to evaluate what is likely to be better for the country: delaying the elections or going forward with them in a way that doesn't carry the support of such a big party in the country," Tubman told Reuters in an interview in the garden of his residence in the capital Monrovia. "The impact on the region would be huge if we were to descend into chaos again. The whole cycle would begin again, confusion in neighboring countries, people running away, tension in the country. This would be far more costly in the long term than if we were to delay the election for a month." International election observers called the October 11 poll mostly free and fair, and the United States, regional bloc ECOWAS and the African Union have all criticized Tubman's decision to boycott the second round. Tubman's CDC party has accused Liberia's election commission of "massive fraud" during the first-round vote, in which Tubman took just under 33 percent of the votes to Johnson-Sirleaf's nearly 44 percent. The party said it had evidence that at least three ballot boxes were opened improperly by electoral staff shortly after the vote, and said there were several other inconsistencies that pointed to systematic rigging. "Calling it massive fraud may be an exaggerated way of talking, but we feel that what happened did not properly reflect the protection of our interests, and we would like to see those interests respected," Tubman said. He said he was asking that his party be granted additional access to the vote counting process "so that we can see what is happening" and that a run-off be delayed by between two and four weeks to allow time for campaigning.
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The election is the West African state's first locally-organized presidential contest since the end of its civil war in 2003, and was meant to be a gauge of the country's progress and to open the door to mine and oil investment. A demonstration called by the CDC over the weekend failed to attract large-scale support, but the boycott call has raised fears that some of the party's supporters could try to disrupt voting on Tuesday. The National Election Commission, whose chairman resigned last week under pressure from the CDC, said the vote would go ahead as planned. Tubman is pushing for a delay and says he has sought but failed to talk directly to Johnson-Sirleaf about the issue. A spokesman for Johnson-Sirleaf denied Tubman had requested a meeting and added "once he agrees to meet with the president, she will surely welcome him". NOT MY CHOICE Johnson-Sirleaf became Africa's first freely elected female head of state in 2005, and has been internationally praised for reducing debt and maintaining peace in a country devastated by 14-years of fighting that killed up to a quarter of a million people. But she faces criticism within the country for the slow pace of recovery from the war, with more than half the population still living on less than 50 cents a day and most citizens lacking access to power and water. Tubman, whose running mate in the election is former soccer star George Weah, said that he felt unable to give in to the broad international pressure to reverse his boycott because it risked radicalizing his mostly young, unemployed supporters. "I cannot on my own say I am pulling my party into this election on the 8th. If I were to do that before convincing my party that this is the way to go, the result would be worse for the process because my party would no longer be influenced by me and I don't know what influences it would fall under." "It could become more extreme, it could become belligerent," he said. Tubman said he was urging his supporters not to resort to violence, but he reaffirmed his refusal to recognise results coming from the election and warned of long-term turmoil. "We will do everything to be calm, law abiding. But there would be problems, I have to admit. People...who want to invest here would think, well, we better take our money elsewhere because Liberia might explode." he said.

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### Deadly clashes ahead of Liberian vote (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111171433737475.html 8 November 2011 At least three people have been killed in an exchange of gunfire between Liberian police and protesters as a mass opposition rally in Monrovia, the capital, turned violent on the eve of a presidential election runoff vote, according to reports from the scene. Opposition demonstrators took to the streets on Monday after Winston Tubman, the opposition candidate hoping to unseat Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, said he would boycott the runoff and called on his supporters to do likewise over fears of fraud favouring the incumbent president. Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege, in Monrovia, said that she was shown the bodies of three men allegedly killed by police during the protests. "The entire area where the opposition party HQ is situated has been boarded up. Riot rounds have been fired, tear gas has been fired," she said, adding that members of Liberia's United Nations' peacekeeping force (UNMIL) had been deployed to intervene to break-up the clashes. "Opposition supporters took me into their HQ and showed me three dead bodies of young men that they allege were shot indiscriminately by the Liberian police for simply protesting about the decision to continue with tomorrow's presidential election. "It's an extremely bloody scene. It's so bloody, in fact, that the United Nations has sent tanks down here and peacekeepers to try and stop the confrontation between the police and those protesters." The Reuters news agency reported that Liberian police stormed the opposition party headquarters before being repelled by UN peacekeepers, who had set up a cordon around the building. The report said that Liberian police fired tear gas and some live rounds as they entered the compound but were pushed back by Nigerian UN peacekeepers who were positioned there. Yasmina Bouziane, a spokesperson for the UN mission in Liberia, did not confirm or deny the report. "The people on the ground there did what they needed to do in order to bring the situation back down to order," she told Al Jazeera. Live fire
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One police officer at the scene said a supporter of the opposition party, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), fired the first shot prompting police to shoot back, after officers had earlier responded to stone throwers with tear gas. However, an eyewitness blamed the security forces for the flare-up and the deaths.

The body of a man reportedly killed in the melee was on display at CDC headquarters in Monrovia [AFP] "He was standing in front of the building when a policeman shot and I saw him going down," said witness Anita Mulba. Rocks and debris were strewn throughout the area, while journalists working for Reuters saw several people injured, including two police officers. They said a UN vehicle had also been attacked. "I have never in my life seen the police treat civilians like the enemy," said Lavla Washington, a 36-year-old unemployed CDC supporter. "The Nobel peace laureate is killing us," she said, referring to Johnson-Sirleaf, who was recently co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Refering to the chaotic scene, our correspondent said: "If today is anything to go by, I have real fear about tomorrow's elections going on peacefully. "The question is: Will there be adequate violence and chaos to instill, one has to say, a sense of fear in the electoral body about going ahead tomorrow?" UN 'ensuring peace' AFP earlier said that thousands of boisterous CDC supporters were gathered outside the party headquarters, chanting slogans such as "We want justice, we want freedom", faced by riot police backed by UNMIL troops. Protesters had attempted to block advancing UN water cannon, while two UN helicopters circled overhead, AFP reported. You will see UNMIL staff, police and military on the streets and in the air all around the country," said Ellen Margrethe Loej, the UN special representative in Liberia, on UNMIL radio. "We are here to ensure everything is peaceful and we are here to deter anyone who intends to destroy the peace."

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Tubman cried foul after placing second in a first round of voting, which he charged were riddled with irregularities in favour of Sirleaf. The election is Liberia's first locally-organised presidential poll since the end of the 19892003 conflict that killed nearly a quarter of a million people. Sirleaf became Africa's first freely elected female head of state in a 2005 election that was organised by the United Nations. ### Somali pirates capture Seychelles fishermen (Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A607I20111107 7 November 2011 VICTORIA (Reuters) - Somali pirates are holding two Seychelles sailors aboard a fishing boat that was captured 65 miles west of Mahe last week, a government minister said. Home Affairs, Environment, Transport and Energy Minister Joel Morgan said on Saturday no demand had been made by the Somali captors, whose possession of the boat, the Aride, was confirmed through pictures sent to Mahe from a Spanish surveillance plane. The boat was seen anchored at the Somali port of Hobyo, surprising officials in Victoria because the pirates have been hitherto targeting bigger vessels. A Seychelles negotiating team was ready to begin talks with the captors, who were yet to make contact with Seychelles by Sunday night, Morgan said. Morgan, who heads the High Level Committee on Piracy, said it was too early to release names of the Seychellois hostages "as the government and the family members have not yet agreed to do so yet". He added that a crew of a Taiwanese boat that had been seized by pirates on Thursday was expected in Victoria on Tuesday after they overcame the pirates. Seychelles sent an armed vessel to help the Taiwanese ship's crew after the incident. ### Weathering Africa's Storms (Wall Street Journal) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203716204577017753918580794.html 7 November 2011 By William Lyons

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It's been a tumultuous year for Ahmed Heikal. When a tide of civil unrest gripped Egypt in February, eventually overthrowing President Hosni Mubarak, Mr. Heikal, chairman of private-equity firm Citadel Capital and one of Egypt's best-known financiers, was caught in the aftermath. Ordered not to travel, he found himself under investigation amid wider corruption allegations levied against several business and government figures. That was six months ago. Today, with the episode resolved and the charges dropped, he seems remarkably sanguine about the whole affair. "I was in an environment where you have a revolution," he says, sitting in a central London hotel, where he is attending a private-equity conference on investing in Africa. "It is important to understand that some mistakes will happen and that the best thing was that it was cleared up fairly fast." For the record, he explains that Citadel Capital was accused of irregularities in the acquisition of a cement company during the wave of privatizations that took place under President Mubarak. The reality, he says, was that, at the time the cement company was privatized, Citadel Capital didn't even exist; in fact it only started building up a stake four years later, in 2005. "There were plenty of allegations," he says, but they "were subsequently cleared and the travel ban was lifted. It was a small price to pay," he adds with a smile. Mr. Heikal is an optimist; running one of Africa's largest investment groups he probably needs to be. The Cairo-listed investment firm, which has $8.7 billion in investments under its control, has seen its shares fall by more than 60% this yearcompared with a drop of about 40% in Egypt's EGX 30 share indexwhile its second-quarter results showed a net loss of $4.2 million. But Mr. Heikal doesn't appear concerned. His company's investment strategy, turning round loss-making companies, requires a longterm approach, he says. Certainly a glum performance this year hasn't prevented the company from raising money; in October it completed a successful $175.6 million rights issue. This comes since raising $319.3 million in equity and debt since January, while it is looking to raise a further $200 million by the end of the year. Indeed, the upheaval across the Middle East has provided "compelling opportunities," Mr. Heikal says. While stressing the long-term positives of Egypt, he talks at length about the potential of Africa as an investment proposition, emphasizing its abundance of natural resources, favorable demographics and untapped growth. "Africa is outside the comfort zone of most private-equity investors," he says. "When I did my Ph.D. at Stanford in 1987, Egypt was very little known. I remember getting a question on whether there were cars in Egypt or did people travel by camel. My answer was: I have a three-camel garage underneath my tent," he laughs.

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Africa is, he argues, the next great frontier where, "you can still do things on a massive scale, own major arteries of infrastructure, major arteries of electricity grids, major arteries of water, transportation and agriculture. "Think of Africa as the way China was 30 years ago," he says. "You have a huge population that requires everything. The only thing that is needed is the discipline of work and, of course, a stable government." He points to Algeria, South Sudan and Uganda as examples of compelling investment opportunities that range from mininggold and precious metalsengineering, construction, oil and gas exploration, to agriculture, logistics and financial services. "In Africa, and the Middle East in general, you are talking about a billion people with a lot of natural resources which are extremely underdeveloped," he says. "So the amount of growth that exists over the next 20 or 30 years is sustainable as it is driven by the longterm needs of people who are starting with very little." Grabbing a piece of paper, he sketches out a rough map of the century-old railway line from the Kenyan port city of Mombasa to Ugandan capital Kampala which, through a subsidiary company, Rift Valley Railways, Citadel Capital has a 25-year concession to operate. "The single largest impediment to growth in Africa is the availability and cost of transportation," he says. In September, Citadel Capital, with a consortium of financial institutions, raised $70 million to invest in improving the 2,352-kilometer line. He believes that, by running an efficient rail network, he can reduce the costs of transportation in East Africa by as much as 35%. "This is massive," he stresses. "It's as if you own a railway that runs from East to West in the U.S." In the long term, he says, it will open up the possibility of transporting manufactured goods along the line. Although Citadel Capital's management team has been careful not to be overtly political, with parliamentary elections in Egypt later this month, followed by the possibility of presidential elections shortly after, it is difficult to avoid the seismic shifts occurring in Cairo. As the revolution has evolved into a standoff between Islamists, liberal factions and the army, this month's elections will prove pivotal in the shaping of a new Egyptian politics. Mr. Heikal is confident that, in the long term, the country will become a full democracy. "In the short term, the next year-and-a-half is going to be very difficult," he says. "There will be very low growth rates, high unemployment and that is not a good recipe.

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"But with time, you will start to see a 'managed democracy'-type system emerge, which, over a number of years, will evolve into a fully democratic system. But it will take some time. In a country where you have 50% illiteracy, it will take some time." The son of Mohammed Hassanein Heikalone of Egypt's most senior journalists and a former editor of Al Ahram, a major government-owned newspaper, under Gamal Abdel NasserMr. Heikal is a scion of one of Egypt's most prominent families. He and his brother Hassan, who is chief executive of Egyptian investment bank EFGHermes, have embraced the country's growing financial sector and both are credited with turning it into a major force. "At the end of the day, people want to have a better Egypt," says Mr. Heikal. "They want an Egypt that is growing, an Egypt that is influencing the countries in the area next to it." He says that, in recent months, the pendulum has swung very far to the left and there is now widespread condemnation of everything that happened under President Mubarak. "That is not correct," he says. "I wanted to see him [Mubarak] go. But to have a wholesale condemnation of everything that happened is the wrong policy. Egypt needs to devise a middle-of-the-road view." His father has been an outspoken opponent of the privatization deals that occurred under President Mubarak, but Mr. Heikal doesn't feel an intellectual conflict. "I don't have an ideological view on privatization that others talk about. If there are state companies that are doing well, let them keep on running efficiently. We make our money by taking over private companies and making them better." He says that any differences between him and his father are overplayed; besides, he stresses, he gets his sense of social justice from his father. "The investments I have in the Arab world and Africa are probably influenced by the ideas that my father has," he admits. It's just, he says, the means to the end that are different. Matthew Bradley contributed to this article. ### Africa: Continent Must Shun Western Aid (The Herald <published by govt. of Zimbabwe>) http://allafrica.com/stories/201111070159.html 6 November 2011 By Tendai Moyo

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It seems some world leaders, though misguided, are clearly driven by archaic and racist theories propagated by discredited individuals like Charles Darwin, who centuries ago proclaimed that the white people are a superior race with the inherent responsibility to enlighten and subjugate other dark-coloured races. This could succinctly explain recent condescending threats by British Prime Minister David Cameron to cut aid on countries that are not supportive of the indecorous homosexual rights. Surely if this is not the highest exhibition of the so-called superiority complex then what could it be? Mr Cameron in an interview with BBC was quoted saying that, "Britain is now one of the premier aid givers in the world. We want to see countries that receive our aid adhering to proper human rights, and that includes how people treat gay and lesbian people." He went on to say that, "British aid should have more strings attached, in terms of do you persecute people for their faith or their Christianity, or do you persecute people for their sexuality? We don't think that's acceptable." What the British premier dismally failed to realise was that his empty threats were actually a form of persecution against those whose faith do not condone the disgusting and uncivilised practice of homosexuality. In a way, though blurred by failed racist theories, his statements betrayed his blatant hypocrisy and disdain for other peoples' religions and beliefs. This kind of distorted thinking inordinately reveals a bigoted failure to appreciate that there are a plethora of other cultures in the world that view homosexuality as anathema. To most Africans, the issue of homosexuality is an affront to their moral and cultural values and thus is inadmissible in their social or political discourse. It is an abomination by all standards and remains so despite the hollow threats from Cameron. Mr Cameron should also appreciate that Africa, in its plurality; also has 19 countries that have Islam as the dominant religion. Islam strictly forbids homosexuality. A simple statement from Prophet Muhammad reinforces this belief. It says, "When a man mounts another man, the throne of God shakes". This graphically explains why homosexuality is not tolerated in Islamic countries. It does not matter whether Cameron withdraws his aid or not, Islamic countries will not condone his pro-homosexual mantra due to their undiluted religious faith. This is the brute reality that Mr Cameron should simply swallow. This world is constituted by a people with diverse cultural orientations and as such it is purely unfathomable for him to believe that his culture should be superimposed upon other world races.

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Notwithstanding being an affront to the Africans' moral and cultural norms, the attempt to foist homosexuality on Africa evidently undermines the inviolable principle of sovereignty which categorically upholds a nation's right to determine its own policy of governance. Where is our sovereignty now if the "big brothers" of this world would like to coerce us into adopting their despicable cultural practices that are clearly averse to our cultural beliefs? Although Cameron rightly acknowledges that we have divergent cultural backgrounds when he said, "They are in a different place from us on this issue . . ." he went on to disdainfully proclaim that, "I think these countries are all on a journey and its up to us to try and help them along on that journey." What an insult! The British premier feels that we should get a lot of handholding for us to be delivered from our culturally informed anti-gay position. Like children, he feels westerners have the moral obligation to guide us into supporting the unnatural act of homosexuality. As usual, the imperialists think that they have been God-sent to alienate us from our culture and beliefs. This is a brazen continuation of their previous forays during slavery and colonialism to ideologically and physically subjugate Africans for their own benefit. The British premier's opaque thinking also opens the issue of "aid" to another trajectory of debate. The question is who benefits from this "aid"? In other words, who does the "aid" aid, the donor or the dependent? Clearly, from Cameron's line of thinking, the "aid" is a tool created to conveniently aid the perpetuation of the supposed superiority of the Caucasians over other races. Like sanctions, it is a congenial instrument designed to cow other races into pandering to the depraved whims of the Caucasian ego. We could put it in another way: when Cameron advocates for gay rights in Africa, in the belief that such a dispensation is superior, he gains votes because he is doing the age-old phenomenon of civilisation. In their racist mentalities, whites believe that they are duty-bound to "civilise" lesser people. And what do we get from it? Just like the "civilising" mission of colonialism raped and underdeveloped the continent, "democratisation" and "human rights" will ultimately spell ill for Africa. The most important point to make here is that nothing good will come out of a selfserving and Godforsaken West. So what is there for Africa to learn? The inescapable lesson for Africans is for them to gradually wean themselves from being overly dependent on Western aid. Countries in the continent should come up with selfU.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 AFRICOM-PAO@africom.mil

empowering policies that should disentangle them from the parasitic hands of Western donors. In this vein, programmes like the land reform and the indigenisation and empowerment programme should be viewed as appropriate measures to protect African identity and dignity. The people of Zimbabwe must now rethink the ideas about foreign direct investment and jobs that are being propounded by some sections of the country. Nothing comes free: Britain and the West will tie conditions such as homosexuality for them to invest and create jobs in the country. The myopic and ultimately unhelpful ideas about jobs and investment must be rejected by all self-respecting Zimbabweans for it opens the door for destructive western influence. However, Zimbabwe is now practically immune from Cameron's threats because it is not currently receiving any meaningful aid from the British. In fact, it is trying to diligently harness its natural resources for the benefit of its people without any assistance from these foreigners. More importantly, recent developments have shown that these international bullies can surely be tamed. At the Commonwealth leaders' summit in Australia, the African caucus managed to put asunder Western efforts to force the group to adopt a recommendation that calls for an end to laws against homosexuality in 41 member nations. Similarly, a caucus of African diamond producers at the recently held Kimberly Process plenary session in Kinshasa DRC also successfully stood up against spirited attempts by Western countries and their allies to block Zimbabwe from selling its diamonds from Marange without any hindrances. It is clear that if African countries stand together, they can defeat imperialism and its self arrogated superiority complex. ### UN peacekeeper killed in Sudan's Darfur (AllAfrica.com) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/201111742522450242.html 7 November 2011 A UN peacekeeper in Sudan's violence-plagued Darfur region has been killed and two others injured, according to a UN statement. It did not identify the peacekeeper, who died on Sunday, but Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, extended "heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the government of Sierra Leone", indicating the peacekeeper was Sierra Leonean. The soldiers came under attack while on patrol in south Darfur. Ban condemned the attack near Nyala and said he expected the government in Khartoum to "swiftly bring those responsible for this reprehensible act to justice," his spokesperson said.
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The attack, which happened on the same day Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir was visiting a newly captured city in the country's south, was not immediately confirmed by Sudanese officials. The UN-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said last month that 33 peacekeepers had been killed in Darfur since the force was deployed in 2007 in a bid to halt fighting between rebels and the Khartoum government. The world body says at least 300,000 people have died since the uprising started in 2003, when non-Arab groups took up arms against the Khartoum government, citing marginalisation. The government puts the death toll at 10,000. Al-Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, but he denies the charges and efforts to arrest him have been futile. He visited Kurmuk in Blue Nile state on Sunday to perform his prayers for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, the country's official SUNA agency reported. Government troops seized the town from a branch of the Sudan People's Liberation Army North (SPLA-N) on Thursday. "The rebellion was nothing but a mosquito, which you have now crushed," al-Bashir said, calling on forces to free the whole state from rebels. South Sudan accused In another development, South Sudan rejected allegations on Sunday it was arming fighters in Sudan's conflict-stricken border regions of Blue Nile and South Kordofan after Khartoum brought the charges to the UN Security Council. South Sudan, which became the world's newest country in July after a referendum agreed under a 2005 peace deal with Sudan, has had uneasy relations with its northern neighbour. Clashes between troops of both countries and militias backed by both sides have led to fears of a wider escalation. The two countries - which have yet to agree on issues such as how to manage the formerly integrated oil industry - have accused each other of supporting rebellions in their territory. Khartoum submitted its second complaint to the Security Council this week, accusing South Sudan of supplying anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, ammunition, landmines and mortars to the SPLA-N.
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"This accusation is false. [We] are not supplying anybody. The north are supporting rebels in the south and they want to cover it up," Philip Aguer, South Sudan's army spokesman, told the Reuters news agency by telephone. "It should be the other way round. We should be complaining to the Security Council. We don't even have anti-aircraft missiles ourselves." The SPLA-N forces in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states served as the 9th and 10th divisions of the southern rebel forces called SPLA during the civil war, but the peace agreement placed the areas they fought for in the north. Many SPLA-N fighters' uniforms still show the flag of the former rebel group that now governs South Sudan. ### END REPORT

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