AFRICOM Related-News Clips 1 November 2011

8/3/2019 AFRICOM Related-News Clips 1 November 2011

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U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 [email protected]

United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office1 November 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 November 1, 2011.

Of interest in todays clips:

The San Antonio Express News reports on a move by retiring Senator Kay BaileyHutchinson to block Pentagon spending on a permanent overseas headquarters for U.S.

Africa Command which, according to the paper, is "temporarily" housed inStuttgart, Germany.

BBC reports that NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen is in Tripoli on Monday; theirmission to help protect the Libyan people from the former regime came to an end at21:59 GMT last night.

Kenya's continued push into Somalia is under heavier scrutiny as both the BBC and AlJazeera report on air raids which reportedly killed civilians, perhaps even children.

Liberia is still sorting out their recent election and upcoming run-off. Al Jazeera reportsthat their election commission chief, James Fromayan, has resigned his post to ensurethat the Congress for Democratic Change front runner Winston Tubman would "not havean excuse not to participate in the run-off."

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

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

Bases in Texas may see more GIs, Senator pushing changes overseas (San Antonio

Express-News)http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.php31 October 2011By Stewart Powel
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.phphttp://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.phphttp://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.phphttp://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.phphttp://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.phpmailto:[email protected]


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WASHINGTONShe hardly looks like a pool shark, but retiring Sen. Kay BaileyHutchison is working to execute a three-rail bank shot on Capitol Hill to protect thefuture of Texas military bases.

The Arab Autumn (Newsweek)http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.html30 October 2011By Stephen L. CarterIt is autumn now in the Arab Spring. The protests that began last December when aTunisian street vendor set himself afire have toppled three of the Arab worlds seemingly

eternal strongmen and show few signs of abating.

Wary Niger braces for arrival of fugitive Gaddafi son (Reuters)http://www.france24.com/en/20111031-niger-braced-arrival-fugitive-gaddafi-son-saif-al-islam-tuareg-tribe-icc31 October 2011The likely flight of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi from Libya to neighbouring Niger leaves theWest African nation trying to balance its commitment to the International Criminal Courtwith avoiding another rebellion by heavily armed Tuareg tribesmen.

Nato chief Rasmussen in Libya as alliance mission ends (BBC News)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1551679531 October 2011Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has arrived in Tripoli ahead of the official end of thealliance's mission in Libya.He said Nato could help Libya's new rulers with security and the transition to democracyif requested, AFP news agency said.

Kenya air raid targets al-Shabab militants in Somalia (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1551343030 October 2011At least nine people have been killed and 50 wounded in a Kenyan air raid targeting al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia.A Kenyan military spokesman told the BBC the planes had targeted the outskirts of thetown of Jilib.

Somali 'civilians killed' in Kenyan air raids (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110311954819445.html

31 October 2011Kenya disputes claim by MSF aid agency that refugees in Somali camp died during airstrikes against al-Shabab.An air raid on a camp packed with displaced women and children has killed at least fivepeople and wounded 45, mostly children and women, according to the aid agencyMedecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

Kenya air raid in Somalia Jilib town 'kills civilians' (BBC News)
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.htmlhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.htmlhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.htmlhttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-niger-braced-arrival-fugitive-gaddafi-son-saif-al-islam-tuareg-tribe-icchttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-niger-braced-arrival-fugitive-gaddafi-son-saif-al-islam-tuareg-tribe-icchttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-niger-braced-arrival-fugitive-gaddafi-son-saif-al-islam-tuareg-tribe-icchttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15516795http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15516795http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15513430http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15513430http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110311954819445.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110311954819445.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110311954819445.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15513430http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15516795http://www.france24.com/en/20111031-niger-braced-arrival-fugitive-gaddafi-son-saif-al-islam-tuareg-tribe-icchttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-niger-braced-arrival-fugitive-gaddafi-son-saif-al-islam-tuareg-tribe-icchttp://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.htmlhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.html


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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1551343031 October 2011At least five people, including three children, have died after a refugee camp in southernSomalia was bombed, the MSF charity says.Kenya's army denied bombing the camp, saying it had been attacked by the militant

Islamist group, al-Shabab.

Kenya, Somalia Request International Help to Fight Al-Shabab (VOA News)http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Kenya-Somalia-Request-International-Help-to-Fight-Al-Shabab-132941308.html31 October 2011By Gabe JoselowMore than two weeks after Kenyan troops first crossed the border into Somalia in pursuitof al-Shabab militants, the leaders of the two nations are calling for backup. The primeministers of Kenya and Somalia have signed a joint statement in Nairobi requestinginternational assistance to fight what they called a common enemy.

Liberia election commission chief resigns (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011103154225367913.html31 October 2011James Fromayan says he does not want to give incumbent president's main rival excusenot to take part in run-off.Liberia's election commission chief has resigned after accusations of bias in the recentpresidential elections and just days before a planned presidential runoff.

Tunisia issues arrest warrant for Arafat widow (FRANCE21)http://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-

arafat-widow-yasser-corruption31 October 2011AFPA Tunisian court has issued an international arrest warrant against the widow ofthe late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat over alleged corruption, an official said Monday.Justice ministry spokesman Kadhem Zine el Abidine told AFP that a Tunis court hadissued the warrant against 48-year-old Suha Arafat, who was stripped of her Tunisiancitizenship in 2007 and currently lives in Malta.

A guide to the brave new Libya (Maltatoday)http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/2011/1031/a-guide-to-the-brave-new-libya

31 October 2011By James DebonoThe gruesome execution of Muammar Gaddafi and NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalils

proclamation of Libya as an Islamic state on liberation day sent shivers down the spinesof western liberals. Are we all in for a surprise?

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15513430http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15513430http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Kenya-Somalia-Request-International-Help-to-Fight-Al-Shabab-132941308.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Kenya-Somalia-Request-International-Help-to-Fight-Al-Shabab-132941308.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Kenya-Somalia-Request-International-Help-to-Fight-Al-Shabab-132941308.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011103154225367913.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011103154225367913.htmlhttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruptionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruptionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruptionhttp://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/2011/1031/a-guide-to-the-brave-new-libyahttp://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/2011/1031/a-guide-to-the-brave-new-libyahttp://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/2011/1031/a-guide-to-the-brave-new-libyahttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruptionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruptionhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011103154225367913.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Kenya-Somalia-Request-International-Help-to-Fight-Al-Shabab-132941308.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Kenya-Somalia-Request-International-Help-to-Fight-Al-Shabab-132941308.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15513430


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UN News Service Africa Briefshttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA

Current efforts to stem piracy off Somali coast must be strengthened

UN official31 OctoberIt is vital that Member States strengthen efforts to tackle piracy off theSomali coast, a senior United Nations official stressed today, adding that currentinitiatives, while laudable, are insufficient.

Security Council welcomes planned regional anti-piracy strategy in Gulf of Guinea31 OctoberThe Security Council today condemned all acts of maritime piracy andarmed robbery at sea in West Africas Gulf of Guinea and welcomed the intention by

States in the region to convene a summit to consider a comprehensive response to themenace.

UN and South Sudan in joint effort to reduce maternal mortality31 OctoberA joint initiative of the United Nations and South Sudan is aiming to reducematernal mortality by deploying midwives throughout the country, providing locals withthe necessary skills to safely deliver babies, and improving the health facilities availableto the wider population.

(Full Articles on UN Website)

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Upcoming Events of Interest:

1NOV 2011

WHEN: 2:15 p.m. 1 NOV 2011WHAT: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on "China's Role in Africa.Implications."WHO: Witnesses: David Shinn, Adjunct Professor George Washington University; Dr.Deborah Brautigam, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy ResearchInstitute; and Mr. Stephen Hayes, President and CEO, The Corporate Council on AfricaWHERE: Room 419 Senate Dirksen Building, Washington, D.C.CONTACT: 202-224-4651; web site: http://foreign.senate.govSOURCE:http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=8651beb7-5056-a032-52db-ffb33c635619

WHEN: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 1 NOV 2011
http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=8651beb7-5056-a032-52db-ffb33c635619http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=8651beb7-5056-a032-52db-ffb33c635619http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=8651beb7-5056-a032-52db-ffb33c635619http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=8651beb7-5056-a032-52db-ffb33c635619http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=8651beb7-5056-a032-52db-ffb33c635619http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=8651beb7-5056-a032-52db-ffb33c635619http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA


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WHAT: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Discussion on " Seizing theOpportunity in Public Private Partnerships: Strengthening Capacity at the StateDepartment, USAID, and MCC.WHO: Speakers: Introduction by: Henrietta H. Fore Chairman and CEO, HolsmanInternational and CSIS Trustee; Conversation with: E. Neville Isdell, Former Chairman

and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company and CSIS Trustee; Framing Remarks by: HollyWise, Former Director, USAID Global Development Alliance Initiative and CSIS SeniorAssociate; Moderated by: Daniel Runde, Co-Director, CSIS Project on U.S. Leadershipin Development and William A. Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis; Panel Discussionincluding: Jeri Jensen, Senior Director for Policy, Initiative for Global Development;Drew Luten, Senior Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton; Jane Nelson, Director, CorporateSocial Responsibility Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School; Dennis Whittle, Co-Founder,GlobalGiving.WHERE: CSIS, 1800 K Street, NW, Washington, D.C.CONTACT: CSIS, 202-887-0200; web site: www.csis.orgSOURCE: CSIS - event announcement at:http://csis.org/event/seizing-opportunity-

public-private-partnerships-0

WHEN: 4:30 p.m. 1 NOV 2011WHAT: Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)Discussion on How to End the Stalemate in Somalia. WHO: Speakers: J. Peter Pham, Director of the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center at theAtlantic Council, and Bronwyn Bruton, Deputy Director of the Ansari Africa Center.WHERE: SAIS, Room 500, Bernstein-Offit Building, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,Washington, D.C.CONTACT: Felisa Neuringer Klubes at 202-663-5626 or [email protected]; web site:www.sais-jhu.edu

2 NOV 2011

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. 2 NOV 2011WHAT: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on "Women and the Arab Spring."WHO: Witnesses: Panel I: Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global WomensIssues United States Department of State; Dr. Tamara Wittes, Deputy Assistant Secretaryfor Near Eastern Affairs and Deputy Special Coordinator for Middle East TransitionsUnited States Department of State; Panel II: Ms. Manal Omar, Director of Iraq, Iran, andNorth Africa Programs, United States Institute of Peace; Ms. Mahnaz Afkhami,President, Womens Learning Partnership (WLP); and Professor Sandra Bunn-Livingstone, Esq., President and CEO Freedom.WHERE: Room 419 Senate Dirksen Building, Washington, D.C.CONTACT: 202-224-4651; web site: http://foreign.senate.govSOURCE:http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473a

WHEN: 3:00 p.m. 2 NOV 2011
http://csis.org/event/seizing-opportunity-public-private-partnerships-0http://csis.org/event/seizing-opportunity-public-private-partnerships-0http://csis.org/event/seizing-opportunity-public-private-partnerships-0http://csis.org/event/seizing-opportunity-public-private-partnerships-0http://www.sais-jhu.edu/http://www.sais-jhu.edu/http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://www.sais-jhu.edu/http://csis.org/event/seizing-opportunity-public-private-partnerships-0http://csis.org/event/seizing-opportunity-public-private-partnerships-0


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WHAT: House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on " U.S. Policy Toward Zimbabwe."WHO: Witnesses: Panel I: Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau ofAfrican Affairs, U.S. Department of State; and Ms. Sharon Cromer, Senior DeputyAssistant Administrator, Bureau for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development;Panel II: Mr. Mark Schneider, Senior Vice President, International Crisis Group; Mr.

Paul Fagan, Regional Director for Africa, International Republican Institute; and Mr.Dewa Mavhinga, Regional Coordinator, Crisis in Zimbabwe CoalitionWHERE: Room 2200 Rayburn House Building, Washington, D.C.CONTACT: 202-225-5021; web site: http://foreignaffairs.house.govSOURCE:http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1374

3 NOV 2011

WHEN: Thursday, November 3, 2011, 6:00 p.m.WHAT: Panel discussion on We the People: Islam and U.S. PoliticsWHO: Camille Alick, Muslims on Screen & TV; Joel Brinkley, Stanford U., Michael

Wolfe, Unity Productions Foundation and Vincent Barletta, Stanford UniversityWHERE: Cubberley Auditorium School of Education, 485 Lasuen Mall, StanfordUniversityCONTACT: 650-736-8169 or e-mail: [email protected] contact:http://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/

4 NOV 2011

WHEN: 9:0010:30 a.m. 4 NOV 2011WHAT: Brookings Institution Discussion on Human Rights and the Arab Awakening:

Assessing the United Nations Response."WHO: Speakers: Introduction and Moderator Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow and DeputyDirector, Foreign Policy; Keynote Speakers Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, U.S.Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council, U.S. Department of State; and Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the HighCommissioner for Human Rights, United Nations.WHERE: Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW,Washington, D.C.CONTACT: [email protected] or 202-797-6105; web site: www.brookings.eduSOURCE: Brookings Institutionevent announcement at:http://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspx

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New onwww.africom.mil

Samuel B. Roberts Completes at Sea Exercise Cutlass Express
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1374http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1374http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1374http://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/http://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/http://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/http://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1374


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http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7371&lang=031 October 2011By Lieutenant Commander Suzanna Brugler, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Public AffairsINDIAN OCEAN, Oct 31, 2011USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) completed the

inaugural at-sea portion of exercise Cutlass Express, in the Somali Basin region, October25-28, 2011.

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FULL TEXT

Bases in Texas may see more GIs, Senator pushing changes overseas (San Antonio

Express-News)http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-

2244261.php31 October 2011By Stewart Powel

WASHINGTONShe hardly looks like a pool shark, but retiring Sen. Kay BaileyHutchison is working to execute a three-rail bank shot on Capitol Hill to protect thefuture of Texas military bases.

In what might be her last chance to wield such clout over military money, the TexasRepublican is trying to transform demands for national budget cuts into opportunity forthe Lone Star State.

First, Hutchison is pressing the joint House-Senate committee on deficit reduction to cutspending for expensive overseas military bases as part of a $1.5 trillion package expectednext month.

Second, she wants an eight-member commission of national security experts to evaluateoverseas operations base by base, taking into account heightened fiscal constraints back

home.

Finally, the veteran lawmaker has harnessed her powerful post on the SenateAppropriations Committee to quietly insert language benefiting Texas into legislation formilitary construction and veterans affairs.

Sixty-six words slipped into a $142 billion bill would block Pentagon spending on apermanent overseas headquarters for the 3-year-old U.S. Africa Command, temporarilyhoused in Stuttgart, Germany.
http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7371&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7371&lang=0http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.phphttp://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.phphttp://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.phphttp://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.phphttp://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Bases-in-Texas-may-see-more-GIs-2244261.phphttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7371&lang=0


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Hutchison's legislative maneuver could scuttle other overseas locations for a commandresponsible for 54 African countries. That potentially bolsters Houston's chances ofwinning the operation for Ellington Field.

The defense appropriations game is one of the most cutthroat in D.C., because there are

very clear winners and losers, Rice University political scientist Mark Jones said.

While KBH has been criticized for being a Washington insider,' her skills have

benefited Texas in general, and a host of communities ranging from Killeen to Del Rio toEl Paso in particular.

With many of the 268 installations in Germany and the 124 in Japan facing potentialshutdowns, Hutchison is angling to transfer military units and functions to the 17 majorfacilities in Texas.

A prime target: transferring the 170th Infantry Brigade from Baumholder, Germany, back

to Fort Bliss.

As Hutchison puts it: Texas military installations would be a logical first choice forlower-cost and superior facilities for any overseas units being redeployed stateside.

Of course the efforts are not always successful.

Five waves of Base Realignment and Closure Commissions, including two duringHutchisons tenure, have shut down at least 29 military installations in Texas since 1988,including Bergstrom Air Force base near Austin in 1993 and Carswell Air Force Basenear Fort Worth in 1994. Ground combat units have been transferred into and out of largeArmy bases in Texas, including the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment that left Fort Bliss forFort Carson, Colo., in 1995, only to return to Fort Hood.

In what may be a career classicand hard to replicate in the waning months of hercareer as a powerful appropriatorHutchison used her position as chair of the SenateAppropriations Committees panel on military construction in 2004 to quarterback a

three-way deal in Houston.

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center bought adjacent land used bymilitary reservists in order to expand the 125-acre research park. The 2,300 militaryreservists moved to Ellington Field to a new facility built with congressional funding wonby Hutchison. And Ellington Field became a defense facility used by all five branches ofthe armed forces, bolstering its chances for survival in subsequent base cuts.

It was three dimensional chess, recalls a senior Hutchison staffer involved in the

transfer. It was win, win, win.

Her legacy efforts could boost Ellingtons future bid for the U.S. Africa Command.


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Ellington Field has a very strong case, she says, citing Texas-based units shouldering asignificant percentage of military missions in Africa, energy industry ties with thecontinent and daily flights to African capitals. Ieventually selected best supports the mission.

Senate staffers trace Hutchison's approach to a watershed meeting in 1994, when anArmy vice chief of staff visited the newly elected senator to solicit backing for an Armydecision to transfer the legendary 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment from Fort Bliss to FortCarson, Colo. Hutchison was then a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

I need your support,' the general said at the end, recalled a staffer present at themeeting.

If you can tell me the troops can train better in Colorado and have better access to firingranges and can deploy quicker, then I would say that's a good decision and I'll supportyou, Hutchison told the general, the staffer recounted. Can you say that?

The officer confided that there were other considerations behind the decision.

What other considerations could there possibly be? Hutchison asked.

The exchange illustrates the cornerstone of Hutchison's approach: diving into the detailsthat shape the decision-making process beyond public view to achieve results that can beevery bit as important to Texas as leading a victorious bloc of colleagues on the Senatefloor.

Hutchison has since tried to make every Texas installation indispensable to the armedforces in anticipation of the next round of base closings.

She knows what buttons to push and what levers to pull, said Norman Ornstein, a

congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

Not surprisingly, she's hitting every one in anticipation of looming defense cuts andtroop withdrawals from overseas.

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The Arab Autumn (Newsweek)http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.html30 October 2011By Stephen L. Carter

It is autumn now in the Arab Spring. The protests that began last December when aTunisian street vendor set himself afire have toppled three of the Arab worlds seeminglyeternal strongmen and show few signs of abating.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.htmlhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.htmlhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.htmlhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.htmlhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/stephen-l-carter-will-america-stand-for-arab-freedom.html


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In Western hearts, the Arab Spring has excited admiration but also envy. Commentatorshave drawn labored and myopic comparisons with Occupy Wall Street, or the Tea Party.Only in America could we imagine a link between the passing spasms of our electoralpolitics and the greatest cultural upheaval of the young century, the demand for freedom

and democracy by an entire people of whom experts said for decades thatauthoritarianism was a natural way of life.

Others choose as metaphor the collapse of the Communist bloc in 1989, another world-shaking political event that took the West by surprise. But the governing parties of theArab world, although they claim to rule in the name of Islam, are not united by a centralideology. If the strongmen who have fallen and those who yet reign share a commonbelief, it is in the importance of their own powerand the ability to enrich their innercircles.

Should the passions of the Arab Spring continue unabated, America will face a

conundrum. The Obama administration seemed ill at ease in the early days of theprotests, undecided, for example, whether it was for Mubarak or against him. The UnitedStates seemed to be chasing the news, even though President Obama had declared inCairo just two years earlier that government of the people and by the people sets a singlestandard for all who hold power.

The president found his footing with the decision to go to war against Gaddafi. Acrossthe region, other dictators, and other people yearning for freedom, are wondering whetherAmerica has the stomach to do it again, or whether our effort to help the Arab Springalong was one final gesture by a superpower pressed by more urgent matters at home.

The Libya intervention, contrary to the fears of its critics, may actually have enhancedAmericas reputation around the Mediterranean. In Syria, antiregime demonstrators are

carrying signs lauding the death of Gaddafi and promising Assad that he is next.Dissenters in both Syria and Yemen are inviting the American military to take up theircause.

Ironically, the people spilling into the streets of Hama and Sanaa have seen clearly whatthe administration, for no good reason, continues to obscure. Libya was an American warin which NATO assistednot the other way around. We provided the drones, therefueling planes, and the cruise missiles, to say nothing of surveillance and command-and-control facilities. Without the United States, Gaddafi would still be running thecountry. All the Arab world knows this, although the affection in which those demandingfreedom now hold the United States may fade as the American presence wanes,especially if our withdrawal from Iraq leaves that struggling young democracy to devolveinto a vassal of Iran.

What the Arab Spring has made clear is that slaughter is yesterdays tool of control.

Heartened by the success of the revolutions in North Africa, the protesters in Syria seem


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less cowed than emboldened by the regimes violence. Even Assad by now must realizethat the Baath Partys reign may be nearing its end.

In the nations where the mighty have already fallen, we do not know how matters willplay out. Tunisia just held free elections. Libyas new leaders have frightened Westerners

with talk of Sharia, but until we know the details, there is no reason for panic: in theabstract, at least, government based on principles of Sharia is analogous to governmentbased on the Ten Commandments. Egypt is a more troubling case: the military remains incharge, and appears increasingly to view internecine violence not as a problem but as atool.

Still, it is far too early for hand-wringing and second thoughts. Will Rogers once said thatfreedom works better in speeches than in practice. The Arab world is new to the practiceof freedom and, like the rest of us, will make errors along the way. That is no reason notto cheer them on.

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Wary Niger braces for arrival of fugitive Gaddafi son (Reuters)http://www.france24.com/en/20111031-niger-braced-arrival-fugitive-gaddafi-son-saif-al-islam-tuareg-tribe-icc31 October 2011

The likely flight of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi from Libya to neighbouring Niger leaves theWest African nation trying to balance its commitment to the International Criminal Courtwith avoiding another rebellion by heavily armed Tuareg tribesmen.

After the killing of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya itself risks tribal violence, insurgency andchaos unless Tripoli's new government disarms regional militias and eases the grievancesbottled up during 42 years of one-man rule.

Thought to be on the run somewhere in the mountains on Libya's southern borders withAlgeria and Niger, Saif al-Islam, 39, is desperately seeking to avoid the fate of his father,who was beaten, abused and shot as forces of Libya's National Transitional Council(NTC) captured him on Oct. 20 after the fall of his home town Sirte.

Saif al-Islam's surrender to the ICC would help restore the image of the NATO-backedcampaign to overthrow Gaddafi which was tarnished in the eyes of some in the West byfilm of the former strongman humiliated, killed and put on public display.

The ICC wants to try Saif al-Islam for crimes against humanity and its prosecutor said onSunday he had "substantial evidence" that Saif al-Islam had helped hire mercenaries toattack Libyan civilians protesting against his father's rule.

"We have a witness who explained how Saif was involved with the planning of theattacks against civilians, including in particular the hiring of core mercenaries from
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different countries and the transport of them, and also the financial aspects he wascovering," ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told Reuters during a visit to Beijing.

"So we have substantial evidence to prove the case, but of course Saif is still (presumed)innocent, and (will) have to go to court and the judge will decide," he said.

Moreno-Ocampo said he would brief the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday about thecourt's work in Libya.

A senior member of Niger's coalition government told Reuters Saif al-Islam'swhereabouts remained unknown, but that surrender was his best option. Niger wouldcooperate with the ICC to ensure he was handed over as safely as possible.

"It's perhaps best that he goes of his own accord rather than to be hunted and caught byLibyans who will end up lynching him as they did to his father," said Habi MahamadouSalissou, vice-president of the Nigerien Democratic Movement.

But Tuareg nomads straddling the border region, many of them returning home with theirweapons after fighting for Gaddafi in Libya, still feel a sense of loyalty to the late dictatorwho bankrolled their revolts in Niger.

"Gaddafi backed virtually all the rebellions in Niger and then managed to find a solutionto them," said Salissou, a former foreign minister.

'No negotiations'

Now Niger risks sparking a new Tuareg revolt if it mishandles any entry by Saif al-Islamonto its soil, a leading human rights official there said.

"Niger has the same border, is part of the same family as Libya and has lots of ties withLibya and the Libyans of Gaddafi," said Moustapha Kadi, national coordinator of Niger'shuman rights and democracy groups.

"Even if the government takes the decision (to hand al-Islam over) national opinion mustbe consulted to make sure that this does not create further tensions -- that is the last thingwe need right now," he said in an interview.

Thanks in part to talks hosted by Gaddafi, Niger and neighbouring Mali managed in 2009to seal a shaky peace with Tuareg rebels after a two-year insurgency that was just thelatest bout of unrest in the north going back decades.

"If he decides to seek asylum, the government is free to study that - without ruling out theICC's request. We should put Niger's interests first," said Kadi. "We have just got shot ofa rebellion. We don't want any more conflict in the north."


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The NTC may try Saif al-Islam itself, but the fugitive Libyan has been in indirect contactwith the ICC over a possible surrender, though he may also harbour hopes thatmercenaries can spirit him to a friendly African country.

Algeria, which took in Saif al-Islam's mother, sister, brother Hannibal and half-brother

Mohammed, is not a signatory to the treaty that set up the ICC. Nor is Sudan orZimbabwe.

The Hague-based ICC has warned Saif al-Islam that it could order a mid-air interceptionif he tried to flee by plane from his unidentified Sahara desert hideout for a safe haven.

"We received through an informal intermediary some questions from Saif apparentlyabout the legal system -- what happens to him if he appears before the judges, can he besent to Libya, what happens if he's convicted, what happens if he's acquitted," saidMoreno-Ocampo.

"We are not in any negotiations with Saif," he said, adding that the ICC would not laterforce him to return to Libya provided another country is willing to receive him after he iseither acquitted or is convicted and has served his sentence.

The NTC's interim information minister, Mahmoud Shammam, said the council had notdiscussed the indirect contacts between Saif al-Islam and the ICC. "We don't have aformal position on the reports," he told Reuters in Tripoli.

Before a popular uprising imperiled his father's grip on Libya, Saif al-Islam had casthimself as an enlightened supporter of reform at home and across the Arab world. Butthen he swore to crush opponents of his father's 42-year rule.

Asked about Saif al-Islam's metamorphosis, Moreno-Ocampo said: "After all these years,nothing surprises me."

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Nato chief Rasmussen in Libya as alliance mission ends (BBC News)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1551679531 October 2011

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has arrived in Tripoli ahead of the official end of thealliance's mission in Libya.

He said Nato could help Libya's new rulers with security and the transition to democracyif requested, AFP news agency said.

Nato forces began operations in March against Col Muammar Gaddafi's forces as theymoved to crush an uprising.
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They were acting under a UN Security Council mandate to protect civilians.

The Nato mission formally comes to an end at one minute to midnight Libyan time(21:59 GMT) on Monday.

Mr Rasmussen said he would be holding talks with National Transitional Council (NTC)leaders, including its chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil, "about their expectations as regardsLibya's future and in particular their roadmap for transition to democracy".

He would also raise "their expectations as regards possible Nato assistance in the future,"AFP said.

Nato says it is a matter for member states and partners to provide the costs for itsoperation.

The only figures Nato has released are for the use of its own surveillance planes - 5.8m

euros a month (5m: $8.1) - and the cost of running the mission's Naples headquarters -another 800m euros a month.

Nor is Nato providing any estimates or even admission of any civilian casualties that mayhave been caused by the bombing campaign.

Nato says it had no way of investigating such claims on the ground and is not involved inany investigations now that the operation has concluded.

The only admission of potential civilian casualties from Nato came after an air strike inTripoli on 19 June. A Nato spokesman at the time said a potential weapons system failurecaused the weapon to miss its intended target which reportedly resulted in a number ofcivilian casualties.

The alliance, and member states who took part in the mission, have always said thatevery precaution was taken to avoid civilian casualties.

Nato could help with "defence and security reform", he said, but it was time for theUnited Nations to take the lead in international assistance for Libya.

Earlier, he said Operation Unified Protector was "one of the most successful in Natohistory''.

The first missions were flown on the evening of 19 March, as Col Gaddafi's forcesapproached the rebel-held city of Benghazi.

With the help of America's massive military machine, Nato managed to sustain the Libyaoperation.


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Overall, its warplanes flew more than 26,000 sorties, including nearly 10,000 strikemissions. More than 1,000 tanks, vehicles and guns were destroyed, along with ColGaddafi's command and control network.

Mr Rasmussen said Nato's military forces had prevented a massacre and saved countless

lives.

"We created the conditions for the people of Libya to determine their own future," hesaid.

Despite the expected formal announcement that Nato's mission is over, Western powersare likely to be involved in Libya for some considerable time, says the BBC's JonathanBeale.

The Security Council decided to end its role, despite a call by the NTC for Nato tocontinue its military action.

The Libyan envoy to the UN had said the NTC needed more time to assess its securityneeds. But diplomats said that the mandate to protect civilians had been accomplished,and any further security assistance would have to be negotiated separately.

A small team of military advisers remains on the ground to aid the NTC. US and Britishexperts are also trying to ensure that the surfeit of weapons in the country do not end upin the wrong hands.

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Kenya air raid targets al-Shabab militants in Somalia (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1551343030 October 2011

At least nine people have been killed and 50 wounded in a Kenyan air raid targeting al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia.

A Kenyan military spokesman told the BBC the planes had targeted the outskirts of thetown of Jilib.

He said 10 fighters of the al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group had been killed and dismissedreports of civilian deaths as "al-Shabab propaganda".

Kenyan forces have moved across the Somalia border to target the group.

The country blames al-Shabab for frequent assaults on its security forces in the borderprovince of North Eastern as well as a spate of kidnappings.


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"We received intelligence that a top al-Shabab leader was to visit a camp in Jilib so weconducted an air raid," Kenya army spokesman Maj Emmanuel Chirchir told the BBC.

"Confirmation from the human intelligence is that 10 al-Shabab fighters were killed and47 others wounded," he added.

He said that no civilian camp had been attacked. Earlier reports said that displacedcivilians had been killed in the raid.

"This is all al-Shabab propaganda," he said.

The hardline al-Shabab group, which controls much of southern Somalia, denies carryingout kidnappings and has warned Kenya to withdraw its troops from Somalia or facebloody battles.

The Islamist group is locked in a battle with the transitional government for control of

parts of the country currently outside of is power, particularly in the capital Mogadishu.

The government controls very little territory, but does have several militant groupsaround the country it regards as allies, and it is backed by the international community.

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Somali 'civilians killed' in Kenyan air raids (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110311954819445.html31 October 2011

Kenya disputes claim by MSF aid agency that refugees in Somali camp died during airstrikes against al-Shabab.

An air raid on a camp packed with displaced women and children has killed at least fivepeople and wounded 45, mostly children and women, according to the aid agencyMedecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

The Kenyan military admitted carrying out Sunday's attack on the town of Jilib, wherethe IDP camp is located, but said the raid targeted al-Shabab fighters who are linked toal-Qaeda and blamed for a string of kidnappings of aid workers and tourists on Kenya'scoast.

"I can confirm five dead and 45 wounded," Gautam Chatterjee, head of mission for MSFHolland in Somalia, told the Reuters news agency on Monday.

Chatterjee later told Al Jazeera that his medical team has "admitted 31 children, ninewomen and four men for treatment", explaining that most had "shrapnel wounds".
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Kenyan troops entered Somalia two weeks ago to hunt down al-Shabab fighters, whohave lately crossed into Kenya and kidnapped people. Al-Shabab is also fighting theWestern-backed transitional federal government in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

Al Jazeera's Peter Greste, reporting from the Kenyan capital Nairobi, said that MSF had

not blamed the deaths on Kenya.

"They are not saying who was responsible for the air strike. But they are saying most ofthe wounded were civilians who are staying at a camp for displaced people; people whowere seeking refugee from the ongoing drought," he said.

"It does look likely, given the MSF report, that there were significant numbers of civilianpeople who were killed and wounded in that strike."

Somalia's reaction

Abdiwelli Mohammed Ali, the Somali prime minister, said he did not believe theKenyans were behind the attack.

"I doubt the Kenyans did this. Even if that's the case, I doubt that they have done this onpurpose," he told Al Jazeera in Nairobi.

"The Kenyans wouldn't target IDPs. But if that happened, then it's an unfortunateincident. But the fight is not towards this IDPs; the fight was towards the al-Shabab whoare a common enemy for both of us.

"They are an enemy for the Somalis and Kenyans. So that's where our focus is and that'swhere our target is."

A Kenyan army spokesman could not confirm the incident but had said earlier thatKenyan forces had killed around 10 al-Shabab fighters in the same area.

Emmanuel Chirchir said: "We bombed an al-Shabab camp, killed 10 and wounded 47.We are sure about this assessment, no collateral damage, no women, no children."

Abu Omar, a spokesman for al-Shabab, said Kenya should pull troops out of Somalia anddenied responsibility for a string of grenade attacks in Nairobi blamed on the group thathave left one person dead and injured several.

Kenya's decision to send troops into Somalia initially appeared to have the backing of theSomali government, but Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the Somali president, has sincecomplained that Kenya had no mandate to send its forces.

The Kenyan military has no firm date for a withdrawal from Somalia, the country'smilitary chief, General Julius Karanga, told a news briefing in Nairobi on Saturday.


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"When the Kenya government and the people of this country feel that they are safeenough from the al-Shabab menace, we shall pull back," Karangi said.

"Key success factors or indicators will be in the form of a highly degraded al-Shabab

capacity."

Both the UN and Ethiopia have earlier sent in forces into Somalia at different times inorder to stablise the country during its 20-year civil war, but both were forced towithdraw without ending the conflict.

Karangi said that Kenya did not wish to permanently occupy Somalia, and that his forceswere working alongside the UN-backed Somali government.

"We acted as a country on the spur of the moment," he said. "At no point did we plan toenter Somalia and annex territory there."

So far, Kenya has suffered one fatality due to al-Shabab fire, Karangi said. Fivepersonnel were also killed when a helicopter crashed.

He said that hundreds of al-Shabab fighters had been killed in Kenyan operations, thoughhe was not able to confirm that, or provide an exact figure.

'No allied involvement'

Responding to a question regarding any other countries operating in Somalia through theKenyan intervention, Karangi said that while Kenya had bilateral military agreementswith several countries, they were not involved in Nairobi's Somalia operations.

"There has been a lot of talk about other friends of ours participating militarily in whatwe are engaged in, and the answer is no," he said.

"I think the American ambassador yesterday made it very clear ... that they are notmilitarily involved in the campaign with us."

Officials present at the briefing dismissed any speculation that the Kenyan governmentwas ready to negotiate with al-Shabab.

"We will not negotiate with criminal terrorist groups," Francis Kimemia, permanentsecretary at the internal security ministry said.

Yusuf Haji, the Kenyan defence minister, said that international forces in Somalia wouldsoon be strengthened by a boost in AMISOM, the African Union's mission in Somalia,which consists at the moment of 9,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops.

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Kenya air raid in Somalia Jilib town 'kills civilians' (BBC News)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1551343031 October 2011

At least five people, including three children, have died after a refugee camp in southernSomalia was bombed, the MSF charity says.

Kenya's army denied bombing the camp, saying it had been attacked by the militantIslamist group, al-Shabab.

A Kenya fighter jet only hit al-Shabab positions in Jilib, killing 10 of its fighters, an armyspokesman said.

Kenya sent troops into Somalia on 16 October to pursue al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda.

In a statement, MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres) said aerial bombardments in Jilib - astronghold of al-Shabab - had hit a camp for displaced people on Sunday.

Three children, a woman and a man were killed in the attack and another 45 people weretreated for shrapnel wounds, MSF-Holland Somalia mission head Gautam Chatterjeesaid.

In a BBC interview, Kenyan military spokesman Maj Emmanuel Chirchir denied thatKenya's air force had bombed the camp.

'Attack at sea'

"MSF is being used by al-Shabab [for propaganda purposes]," he told the BBC's Focuson Africa programme.

He said an al-Shabab militant had driven a truck laden with explosives into the camp,causing the casualties.

A Kenyan fighter jet had attacked an al-Shabab base near the refugee camp, Maj Chirchirsaid.

"We received intelligence that a top al-Shabab leader was to visit a camp in Jilib so weconducted an air raid," he said.

Maj Chirchir said "human intelligence" showed that 10 al-Shabab fighters had been killedand 47 wounded.

Mr Chatterjee said MSF had evacuated its staff from Jilib, the AFP news agency reports.


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"So today the nutrition clinic and cholera centre are closed. We will re-open as soon asthings are a bit safer for our staff there," he is quoted as saying.

Maj Chirchir said al-Shabab had also been attacked at sea, with the Kenyan navycapsizing three of its boats along the Somali coast.

Kenya says it is pursuing al-Shabab in Somalia because it poses a threat to its stability.

It accuses the group of a spate of kidnappings in Kenya - including that of a Frenchwoman who died in Somalia earlier this month.

Al-Shabab denies involvement in the abductions.

It has vowed to retaliate against Kenya for sending troops into Somalia.

Somalia has been without an effective for more than 20 years.

The UN declared a famine earlier this year in six areas under al-Shabab's control.

Somalia's Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohammed visited Kenya on Monday and said al-Shabab was the common enemy of Somalia and Kenya and the best way to deal with theeffects of the famine was to defeat the group.

He said Somali government troops were taking the lead in the offensive against al-Shabab and that the Kenyan military was playing a supportive role.

Last week, Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said he was opposed toKenya's intervention.

Some humanitarian agencies are worried that the operation threatens to make it harder toget aid to the victims of the famine in southern Somalia, correspondents say.

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Kenya, Somalia Request International Help to Fight Al-Shabab (VOA News)http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Kenya-Somalia-Request-International-Help-to-Fight-Al-Shabab-132941308.html31 October 2011By Gabe Joselow

More than two weeks after Kenyan troops first crossed the border into Somalia in pursuitof al-Shabab militants, the leaders of the two nations are calling for backup. The primeministers of Kenya and Somalia have signed a joint statement in Nairobi requestinginternational assistance to fight what they called a common enemy.
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Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his Somali counterpart, Abdiwelli MohammedAli, have vowed their countries will work together to defeat al-Shabab. They say,however, they need more help from the international community to get the job done.

Odinga said, Al-Shabab is a common enemy to all of us, and we would like to see that

this menace is completely put behind us. We need international support in doing thisbecause we would like to see that normal life return back to the Republic of Somalia.

In terms of support, a joint statement from the two leaders called for additional troopsfrom the African Union peacekeeping mission AMISOM.

Currently, the force has about 9,500 troops based in and around Mogadishu, providingsecurity in the capital for Somalias Transitional Federal Government, or TFG. Djibouti

recently pledged to contribute another 3,000 or so troops to the mission.

The statement also called for logistical and financial support for a planned blockade of

the Somali port city of Kismayo, a major al-Shabab stronghold and supply center.

Ali said liberating areas of southern Somalia is the first step to getting assistance to thepeople living there.

And then after that, to deliver humanitarian services to the people who were denied

relief aid by this terrorist organization and also, as the prime minister said, to deliverother basic services such as education, health, recovery, reconstruction and development,because they deserve it. They were denied this for the last 20 years, said Ali.

Last week, Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed indicated that he did notwelcome the ongoing Kenyan incursion into Somalia to fight al-Shabab. But Ali insistedMonday that there is no discord in his government about the military operation, and

said the TFG has taken the leading role.

Odinga also dismissed suggestions that this operation had been planned months or yearsin advance.

We have not gone into this as a tea party. We have gone into this because of necessity.

This is the first time in our history that Kenyan forces have gone outside our borders. Thepurpose is really to secure our own country. The cost to our economy has been great andrising, said Odinga.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders says at least five civilians were killed and morethan 40 wounded during an airstrike Sunday in southern Somalia.

The head of mission for Somalia, Gautam Chatterjee, told VOA that most of those killedand wounded were children, some of whom were being treated for cholera andmalnutrition at clinics in the region.


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Kenyan officials have confirmed attacking an al-Shabab target Sunday, but deniedresponsibility for civilian deaths.

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Liberia election commission chief resigns (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011103154225367913.html31 October 2011

James Fromayan says he does not want to give incumbent president's main rival excusenot to take part in run-off.

Liberia's election commission chief has resigned after accusations of bias in the recentpresidential elections and just days before a planned presidential runoff.

"I chose to step down for the sake of Liberia and so that (challenger Winston Tubman's)

CDC [Congress for Democratic Change] would not have an excuse not to participate inthe run-off," James Fromayan told the Reuters news agency on Sunday.

Tubman last week threatened to withdraw from the November 8 run-off, the country'ssecond post-war vote, unless there was a change of leadership at the election commission.

Fromayan, who has denied any wrong doing, said he would be replaced by ElizabethNelson, his deputy, but he said he did not know it would be a permanent arrangement.

There was no immediate reaction from Tubman's camp.

The first round of voting on October 11 saw incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleafwin 43.9 per cent of the vote while Tubman, her closest rival, won 32.7 per cent.

Sirleaf, who won this year's Nobel Peace Prize along with her compatriot LeymahGbowee and Tawakul Karman of Yemen, is a strong favourite for the run-off, havingsecured the backing of a former rebel leader, Prince Johnson.

He came third in the poll with about 11.6 per cent.

Last week, there was confusion over whether the CDC would take part in the secondround of voting. Party officials issued contradictory messages and Tubman accused theelection body of not taking his complaints seriously.

Ballots 'pre-marked'

George Solo, the CDC campaign manager, said one of the party's complaints was thatballot papers had been pre-marked.
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"We presented photos of ballot boxes which had been tampered with by NECemployees," he told the AFP news agency.

"We also have the issue of tally sheets scratched out and their numbers changed. Oldpeople wanted to vote for certain people but NEC workers were not ... assisting them.

"The ink which was used was not an instant dry which made lots of votes invalid. Theseare all things that should have been done differently and properly."

The fraud accusations raised tensions in the country which was devastated by a 14-yearcivil war, which ended in 2003, leaving about 250,000 people dead.

The election was marred by violence with the office of Unity Party and that of a radiostation seen as pro-opposition torched after preliminary results showed Sirleaf wasleading.

The UN Security Council stressed on Wednesday council "the importance of peaceful,credible and transparent elections" and encouraged Liberian and international groups todeploy as many observers as possible to monitor the second round of voting.

About 800 foreign monitors and 4,000 local observers were on the ground for the firstround, largely praising the smooth and peaceful conduct of the poll.

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Tunisia issues arrest warrant for Arafat widow (FRANCE21)http://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruption31 October 2011

AFPA Tunisian court has issued an international arrest warrant against the widow ofthe late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat over alleged corruption, an official said Monday.

Justice ministry spokesman Kadhem Zine el Abidine told AFP that a Tunis court hadissued the warrant against 48-year-old Suha Arafat, who was stripped of her Tunisiancitizenship in 2007 and currently lives in Malta.

According to Tunisian papers, Suha Arafat is wanted over alleged corruption dating backto 2006, when she founded the Carthage International School in Tunis with the country'smuch-vilified former first lady Leila Trabelsi.

The two women then fell out, purportedly over Suha Arafat's criticism of an allegedmove by Trabelsi to close down another private school that would have been directcompetition for their joint venture.
http://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruptionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruptionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruptionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruptionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20111031-tunisia-issues-international-arrest-warrant-suha-arafat-widow-yasser-corruption


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According to a US diplomatic cable revealed by the Wikileaks, Mrs Arafat met the thenUS ambassador after the dispute and lashed out at the ruling family.

She said that now ousted dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali would spend all day in hisresidence running after his young son and "simply does what his wife asks him to do".

Suha Arafat was subsequently declared persona non grata, stripped of her Tunisiannationality and expelled.

She settled in Malta, where her brother served as Palestinian ambassador.

Suha Arafat, who married the historic Palestinian leader in 1990, was secretary general ofthe Palestine Liberation Organisation, which was based in Tunisia between 1982 and1994.

While her husband shepherded the Palestinian cause in Gaza and Ramallah, Suha was

often accused of siphoning the aspiring state's meagre public funds to bankroll her lavishlifestyle in Paris.

After her husband's death in November 2004, Suha Arafat returned to Tunisia, where shewas eventually granted Tunisian citizenship.

Zine el Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in January following a popular uprising and thecountry's interim rulers have since initiated hundreds of corruption trials against theexiled dictator and his entourage.

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A guide to the brave new Libya (Maltatoday)http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/2011/1031/a-guide-to-the-brave-new-libya31 October 2011By James Debono

The gruesome execution of Muammar Gaddafi and NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalils

proclamation of Libya as an Islamic state on liberation day sent shivers down the spinesof western liberals. Are we all in for a surprise?

It is rare in history for a country to start with a clean slate. Unlike Egypt and Tunisia, theother two protagonists of the Arab spring, Libya lacks a national army and a tradition ofpolitical parties. With the green flag and all the mythology associated with it gone, Libyais back to year zero. Libyans will have to build a new sense of identity. Not surprisinglyIslam has emerged as a unifying factor. But will this emphasis on Islam conflict with therevolutions promise of creating democratic institutions?

Death of a tyrant
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The execution of Gaddafi gave Libya one important certainty; there is no turning back tothe past. But it also stained the human rights record of the new regime.

Surely the summary execution of a dictator following a popular uprising is not peculiar toLibya, and a number of western democracies owe their foundation to such bloody events.

In fact Gaddafis infamous end is strikingly similar to that of Benito Mussolini, whosebody was hanged for public display in Piazza Loreto in Milan, and Nikolai Ceausescuwho was shot with his wife in 1989.

But neither episode prevented the two countries from becoming democratic. And whilethe blood of its former dictator has stained the new Libya, this does not necessarilypreclude a more humane order in future.

The only difference is that while the Ceausescu and Mussolini were actually condemnedto death by kangaroo courts, Gaddafi appears to have been lynched in a confusingsituation after being captured alive.

In fact the official version remains that Gaddafi was killed in crossfire even if mostjournalistic reconstructions point toward a summary execution.

Risk of disintegration

What is even more significant in Gaddafis death is that it once again exposed the lack of

a chain of command, with the National Transitional Council insisting that it wanted himalive for a trial but unable to control the situation on the ground.

In fact the greatest risk facing Libya is not an insurgency by the remnants of a regime-whose popularity seems to have been restricted to a few enclaves like Sirte, but conflictbetween rival armed bands eager to settle old scores before a central authority comes inplace.

What seems evident is that fighters like those from Misurata who have borne the brunt ofa long bloody siege, will not be easily swayed by calls for reconciliation.

] Libya is relatively homogenous and is not split on sectarian or ethnic lines, and thismilitates against the risk of a breakdown similar to what happened in Iraq. But anyprospect of disorder or breakdown of law and order aggravated, by the widespreadavailability of arms would be bad news for western investors in Libya.

The situation will be aggravated if these companies bring in foreign contractors for theirsecurity needs. Surely their reputation precedes them. Their presence in Iraq contributedto the resentment of locals against foreigners in their country.

The human rights test


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A greater test for the NTC will be how it will treat an estimated 7,000 Gaddafi loyalists,including alleged mercenaries from African countries, still languishing in make shiftprisons.

Human Rights Watch has also called the NTC to investigate the apparent execution of 53

loyalists in a hotel in Sirte last week.

The NTC cannot indefinitely blame reports of abuses on its inability to rein in the variousarmed bands of rebels.

After having backed the rebels, any silence by the west on abuses committed by the newleadership would be interpreted as complicity.

On his part Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has sent a clear signal when he saidhe would have would have preferred to see Gaddafi face a judicial process before anindependent tribunal and that national reconciliation cannot start with an act of

violence.

International pressure has had some impact, as the NTC has accepted a probe in toGaddafis death.

An Islamic Libya?

The second shock for western liberals came on liberation day, last Sunday when NTCchairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil proclaimed Libya as an Islamic state with sharia as its law,promising that any law contradicting sharia will be nullified.

The first law to be nullified was the ban on polygamy, a practice which is legal but inrapid decline in neighbouring Egypt and Algeria but is banned in more secular Tunisia.

The other casualty of the Libyan revolution is the banking system which is set to be re-organised along Islamic lines.

Interpretation of Sharia law varies across the Muslim world.

Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Sudan, Morocco and Malaysia all have legal systems stronglyinfluenced by sharia, but all these countries nominally cede ultimate authority to theirconstitutions and the rule of law.

But others like Saudi Arabia adopt a far stricter version of sharia, which is the only law.

It is unclear which direction Libya will take. Probably it will be influenced by thedirection taken by Islamic parties which are expected to win elections in neighbouringTunisia and Egypt.


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In a country bereft of institutions, parties and national symbols, Islam is likely to emergeas a source of unity.

Since its inception, the commitment to make Libya an Islamic state has co-existed withliberal commitments like freedom of the press, respect for religious minorities and gender

equality in the NTCs statutes.

Jalil has often qualified the references to Islam by defining the Libyan brand of Islamismas moderate. It is the same tagline used by budding Islamic parties in Egypt and

Tunisia, as well as by the ruling party in secular Turkey.

In fact some may argue that the emergence of moderate Islamic parties in North Africawould well be the final blow for the Al Qaeda brand, which found fertile recruitmentground in the dungeons of secular dictators.

On the other hand secular dictatorships like that of Bashir Assad in Syria, Ben Ali in

Tunisia, and to some extent Gaddafi himself (who also governed through his own versionof sharia law),are ample proof that secularism in itself is no guarantee of democracy.

The fact that a new generation of Islamic parties now champions democracy amplifiestheir differences from Al Qaeda and Salaphist groups who reject democracy and proposethe reinstatement of the caliphate.

The NTC itself includes western educated liberals, former exponents of the Gaddafiregime like Jalil himself, Prime Minister Jibril and former members of the IslamicFighting Group.

It was the latter who suffered most under the Gaddafi regime for being the first to resistGaddafis rule and to suffer the consequences. This could increase their appeal in anyforthcoming election.

The absence of organised secular parties could well turn any election into a choicebetween moderate Islamists and more radical elements.

Yet one should not underestimate the plurality of Libyan society, which despite theeccentricities of its leader was never completely cut off from the rest of the world, to theextent that many Libyans lived and worked abroad.

Still it is difficult to imagine a new Libya without a political role for the Islamists.

One likely candidate to lead a new Libya is Abdelhakim Belhadj, who was jailed andtortured for seven years after being handed over to Gaddafi by the CIA. British and USagents also interrogated him during this time.


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In August he led the Tripoli brigade in to Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound,after fighters from his Brigade broke through the defences of the ousted leader's fortressin the heart of the city.

Belhadj has asked an apology from Britain and the US but insisted that this should be no

obstacle for relations with the west.

But persons like him could play a key role as they are the least likely to be seen aslackeys of ravenous westerners hungry for Libyas resources.

Whats in store for western investors?

The establishment of some form of democracy in Libya might create hurdles for westerncompanies, as the new leaders might be reluctant to be seen as foreign stooges.

Moreover the decision made by NTC members not to contest a future election means that

western governments and businesses may well face an entirely different set ofinterlocutors in eight months time

Added to this the creation of institutions could well work against foreign companies(including Maltese ones) who secured contracts through direct access to the Gaddafiinner circle.

On the other hand any legal standardisation of property and contractual rights couldbenefit the entry of new players in the field even if corruption will remain an enduringproblem.

Moreover the decision made by NTC members not to contest a future election means thatwestern governments and businesses may well face an entirely different set ofinterlocutors in eight months time.

Those who might have intervened in Libya with the aim of gaining more contracts mightwell be in for a surprise.

But it will be difficult for Libya to unleash its potential without foreign investments.

Libyas greatest advantage in all this is its vast oil wealth. One of the grievances of

Libyans under Gaddafi was that despite the countrys vast oil wealth, most Libyansearned less than three dollars a day.

The promise of wealth gives the Libyan revolution an advantage over others in the Arabworld.

Ultimately the promise of prosperity could be the glue that will hold Libyans together intheir quest for a normal life.


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Whenconsidering that Libyas output and oil reserves per head come close to Saudi

Arabias, Gaddafis Libya dismally failed to improve the livelihood of its six million

people as much as it should have.

Under Gaddafi most people relied on free public services to compensate for low salaries.

In itself this encouraged sloth. The country failed to develop its infrastructure and todevelop its tourism infrastructure. This could be a bonanza for Maltese companies in thecoming years if Libya is stabilised.

One thing, which the new Libya must come in terms, will be a legacy of racism towardsblack Africans aggravated by the use of some of them as mercenaries in the final days ofthe Gaddafi regime. Reports of abuses against hundreds of black Africans accused ofbeing mercenaries but probably guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time donot augur well for the growth and prosperity of the new Libya. Without them it will bedifficult to imagine Libya developing its vast potential. Whether migrants will beaccepted in Libyas new social fabric could also have a direct impact on Malta, which has

often been on the receiving end of African migrants fleeing Libya.

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END REPORT

AFRICOM Related-News Clips 1 November 2011

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