AFRICOM Related News Clips 12 April 2011

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office12 April 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

TOP NEWS RELATED TO U.S. AFRICA COMMAND AND AFRICA

Ivory Coast's Gbagbo Captured at Presidential Compound (VOA)(Côte d·Ivoire) Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo has been captured byfighters backing the country's internationally recognized president.

Ivory Coast·s Ouattara to Start Proceedings Against Gbagbo (Bloomberg)(Côte d·Ivoire) Ivory Coast President-elect Alassane Ouattara, plans to start judicialproceedings against rival Laurent Gbagbo, who was captured today after French andUN forces laid siege to the presidential residence.

Detained Gbagbo Calls for End to Ivory Coast Fighting (VOA)(Côte d·Ivoire) Ivory Coast's former president is calling for an end to fighting after hewas captured on Monday by forces backing the country's president-elect.

Libyan rebels reject cease-fire plan (LA Times)(Libya) Libyan rebels delivered an emphatic "no" to an African Union proposal for anend to fighting in their country, insisting that Moammar Kadafi must step down frompower as part of any diplomatic solution.

Koussa says Libya could become "new Somalia": BBC (Reuters)(Libya) The most prominent Libyan defector said on Monday his country could become"a new Somalia" unless all sides involved in the conflict stopped it from descending intocivil war.

Gaddafi hunkers down under sanctions; rebel economy struggles (Washington Post)(Libya) Forced on the defensive on the battlefield, Libya·s rebels are also struggling in

the economic war of attrition with Moammar Gaddafi, despite the backing of the West.

Africa·s defective Libyan peace plan (Financial Times)(Libya) The most desirable outcome of the Libyan conflict would be a negotiatedsettlement that halted the fighting, removed Muammer Gaddafi from power and fromthe country, and permitted the Libyan people to make a free choice about their political



future. By this yardstick, the prospects for the African Union·s ´roadmapµ for animmediate ceasefire and a peace deal look distinctly bleak.

SUDAN: North-South on the brink of all out war (Somalilandpress)(Sudan) Reports have revealed that tensions are running at an all time high in the

disputed region of South Kordofan as locals gear up for the much delayed legislativeand executive elections to choose a governor and council of ministers for the fertile oil-producing state.

Sudan sending delegation to Washington for talks on debt relief (Sudan Tribune)(Sudan) The Sudanese government is dispatching a delegation to Washington in mid-April for talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World bank onways to obtain relief from the country·s crippling debt.

UN Council backs new courts and prisons for pirates (AFP)

(Somalia) The UN Security Council on Monday called for the establishment ofspecialized international courts and prisons and new laws to combat Somali pirates.

Progress in Africa? (Chicago Tribune)(Pan Africa) After a dispute over the outcome of the 2000 presidential election, Al Goreand George W. Bush spent five weeks battling in court over the vote count in Florida,which was the balance of victory. The outcome of Ivory Coast's presidential election lastNovember was also disputed, but in this case, it produced a bloody shooting warbetween the two candidates and their supporters.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Websitey Security Council to consider plans for specialized Somali courts to try pirates

y Ex-leader of Côte d'Ivoire surrenders as UN pledges to help restore rule of law

-------------------------------------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, April 12, 2011; 10:00 a.m.; MCC, 875 15th Street NW,Washington, DC.WHAT: Investment Opportunities in Southern Africa: Previewing AGOA and Zambia'sProposed MCC CompactWHO: Discussion between the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the CorporateCouncil on AfricaInfo: https://www.mcc.gov/pages/press/event/outreach-041211-agoa_zambia

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, April 13, 2011; 9:00 a.m.; Room 2172 Rayburn BuildingWHAT: House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on Cote D·Ivoire.



WHO: Witness: William Fitzgerald, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau ofAfrican Affairs.Info: http://foreignaffairs.house.gov

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, April 15, 2011; 9:30 a.m.; Brookings Institution, 1775

Massachusetts Avenue NWWHAT: The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA): Opening Doors for U.S.-Africa Economic RelationsWHO: Mwangi Kimenyi, Director of the Africa Growth Initiative; Stephen Hayes,President of the Corporate Council on Africa; Florizelle Liser, assistant U.S. traderepresentative for Africa; Zambian Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister FelixMutati; John Page, senior fellow of Global Economy and Development at Brookings;Katrin Kuhlman, senior fellow and director of TransFarm Africa Policy at the AspenInstitute; Witney Schneidman, president of Schneidman and Associates International;and Rosa Whitaker, president and CEO of the Whitaker Group

Info: www.brookings.edu ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Ivory Coast's Gbagbo Captured at Presidential Compound (VOA)By Scott StearnsApril 11, 2011Abidjan - Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo has been captured by fightersbacking the country's internationally recognized president.

He was captured at the presidential residence after U.N. and French attack helicoptersfired rockets into the compound Monday morning.

"Mr. Gbagbo and his wife have been arrested and they are in custody," said HamadounToure," said Hamadoun Toure, the spokesman for the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast.

Toure says no U.N. troops were involved in Mr. Gbagbo's capture which he says wascarried out by fighters supporting internationally-recognized president AlassaneOuattara.

Those fighters were backed by French special forces who used a convoy of more than 30

tanks and armored personnel carriers to advance on the compound, where Mr. Gbagbowas holding out in an underground complex, refusing to recognize that he lostNovember's presidential vote.

Mr. Gbagbo's capture ends the four-month political standoff between the presidentialrivals. Gbagbo troops slowly deserted their leader as French, U.N. and Ouattara forces



increased the pressure on the incumbent president. More than 300 members of hisRepublican Guard surrendered Monday less than two hours before he was captured.

Still at large are many members of the youth wing of Mr. Gbagbo's political party, whohuman rights groups say have been attacking Ouattara supporters. With Mr. Gbagbo's

capture, Toure says restoring law and order in Abidjan is now the top priority.

"During the fighting we witnessed an increase in banditry activities," said Toure."Young armed people were roaming around breaking into houses, carjacking, snatchingpeople's mobile phones and valuables. That has to stop of course. It is a challenge."

Ouattara forces swept across Ivory Coast when international mediators failed toconvince Mr. Gbagbo to give up power. They reached Abidjan 12 days ago but wereunable to capture the presidential compound where hundreds of Gbagbo loyalists heldthem off with heavy weapons.

U.N. and French helicopters attacked the compound one week ago, but still Ouattaraforces could not fight their way in. U.S. and U.N. officials say Gbagbo troops used abrief ceasefire to regroup and rearm and late last week were regaining ground inAbidjan.

That momentum appears to have collapsed when U.N. and French attack helicoptersagain bombed the presidential compound Sunday. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the attacks were carried out because Gbagbo forces were using heavyartillery and mortars to attack the U.N. base in Abidjan as well as Mr. Ouattara's

headquarters.

Mr. Gbagbo and his wife Simone are now being detained at Mr. Ouattara's hotelheadquarters where Ouattara officials say the former leader will be brought to justicefor crimes against the Ivorian people.----------------------------------Ivory Coast·s Ouattara to Start Proceedings Against Gbagbo (Bloomberg)By Olivier Monnier and Pauline BaxApril 11, 2011; 6:26 PM EDTIvory Coast President-elect Alassane Ouattara, plans to start judicial proceedingsagainst rival Laurent Gbagbo, who was captured today after French and UN forces laidsiege to the presidential residence.

In a televised speech, Ouattara said Gbagbo and his wife ´will be treated with dignityand their rights will be respected.µ A truth and reconciliation commission to investigatehuman rights violations may be established, he said.



Ouattara·s Republican Forces are guarding Gbagbo and his wife at the Golf Hotel,which Ouattara used as a base after the disputed Nov. 28 elections. The capture maysignal an end to the violent four month impasse that left Ouattara, the internationallyrecognized winner of the election, unable to take office.

Ouattara also called on pro-Gbagbo youth militias to lay down weapons and urgedIvorians to refrain from vengeance.

´To the youth turned into militias, they must understand that their struggle no longerhas sense,µ he said. ´In these historical moments for our country, I invite you to exercisecalm and restraint. I ask all my fellow citizens to do everything so as peace resumes forgood in our country.µ-------------------Detained Gbagbo Calls for End to Ivory Coast Fighting (VOA)By Scott Stearns

April 11, 2011Abidjan - Ivory Coast's former president is calling for an end to fighting after he wascaptured on Monday by forces backing the country's president-elect.

Former president Laurent Gbagbo is calling on his supporters to lay down theirweapons so the country's political crisis can come to a swift end and life can return tonormal.

Mr. Gbagbo says "the fighting is over," so that is why he asked his chief of staff to "goout with a white handkerchief." Mr. Gbagbo spoke on a television station run by

President-elect Alasssane Ouattara, hours after he was arrested by Mr. Ouattara'sfighters.

French forces surrounded Mr. Gbagbo's compound, but they say they did not enter theunderground bunker where Mr. Ouattara's fighters captured the former president, gavehim a bullet-proof jacket and helmet, and then took him, his wife, and his son intocustody.

Mr. Gbagbo is being held at Mr. Ouattara's hotel headquarters from where Mr. Ouattaraaddressed the nation on what he called "a historic day."

Mr. Ouattara said that "a white page opened before the people of Ivory Coast, white likethe white in the national flag that symbolizes hope and peace." "Together," he said,"Ivorians can write a story of reconciliation and forgiveness."

Mr. Ouattara guaranteed Mr. Gbagbo's safety and assured the people of Ivory Coastthat the former president will stand trial.



Human Rights Watch says Mr. Gbagbo should not be allowed exile in a country thatwould shield him from prosecution. At the same time, the group says Mr. Ouattara'sforces have an obligation to treat him and others in their custody humanely, inaccordance with international law.

Mr. Gbagbo's capture ends a four-month political standoff between the presidentialrivals as Gbagbo troops slowly deserted their leader. Hundreds of members of hisRepublican Guard surrendered to U.N. peacekeepers on Monday. Mr. Ouattara metlate in the day with several former generals from the Gbagbo army.

With Mr. Gbago's capture, the spokesman for the U.N. mission here, Hamadoun Toure,said that restoring law and order in Abidjan is now the top priority, especially as manymembers of Mr. Gbagbo's militant youth wing are still at large.

"During the fighting we witnessed an increase in banditry activities," said Toure.

"Young armed people were roaming around breaking into houses, carjacking, snatchingpeople's mobile phones and valuables. That has to stop of course. It is a challenge."

Ouattara officials say that they are searching for key Gbagbo supporters, includingmilitant youth leader Charles Ble Goude.

Ouattara forces swept across Ivory Coast when international mediators failed toconvince Mr. Gbagbo to give up power. They reached Abidjan 12 days ago, but theywere unable to capture the presidential compound where hundreds of Gbagbo loyalistsheld them off with heavy weapons.

U.N. and French helicopters attacked the compound one week ago, but Ouattara forcescould not fight their way in. U.S. and U.N. officials say Gbagbo troops used a briefceasefire to regroup and rearm, and late last week they were regaining ground inAbidjan.

That momentum appears to have collapsed when U.N. and French attack helicoptersagain bombed the presidential compound on Sunday because U.N. Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon said Gbagbo forces were using heavy artillery and mortars to attack theU.N. base in Abidjan as well as Mr. Ouattara's headquarters.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Mr. Gbagbo's arrest "sends a strong signal todictators" in West Africa and beyond, and that they cannot disregard the voice of theirown people in free and fair elections.---------------------------Libyan rebels reject cease-fire plan (LA Times)By Ned Parker and Borzou DaragahiApril 11, 2011, 3:46 p.m.



Benghazi, Libya, and Houmt Souk³ Libyan rebels delivered an emphatic "no" to anAfrican Union proposal for an end to fighting in their country, insisting that MoammarKadafi must step down from power as part of any diplomatic solution.

The opposition council's announcement after closed-door talks with an African Union

delegation in Benghazi quashed hopes for an early end to the nearly 2-month-oldconflict between Kadafi's forces and opposition fighters based in eastern Libya.

South African President Jacob Zuma said late Sunday after meeting with Kadafi inTripoli, the capital, that the Libyan leader had endorsed the African Union's road mapfor peace. The proposal includes a cease-fire, the establishment of safe corridors fordelivering humanitarian aid, and a dialogue on reforming Libya's political system, overwhich Kadafi has ruled for more than four decades.

Zuma's comments hinted at a possible diplomatic opening for ending Libya's stalemate,

but the head of the opposition's political council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, summarilydismissed the proposal after the talks.

"The African Union initiative does not include the departure of Kadafi and his sonsfrom the Libyan political scene, therefore it is outdated," Abdul Jalil said in Benghazi,the rebels' de facto capital. "We will not negotiate on the blood of our martyrs. We willdie with them or be victorious."

Abdul Jalil said the proposal had been around for more than a month. Rebels also saidit was unacceptable because it did not call for Kadafi to withdraw his forces from

besieged cities and did not allow protests, which is a key opposition demand.

Kadafi lost control of eastern Libya in February when anti-government demonstrations,inspired by the ouster of the presidents of Egypt and Tunisia, sparked a full-fledgedrevolt against the autocratic leader.

The eastern rebels were skeptical of the African Union even before the delegationarrived Monday morning. A crowd of more than 2,000 demonstrators greeted the partyas it pulled up to the Tibesty Hotel, a dark, pyramid-shaped building in centralBenghazi.

Members of the crowd waving rebel flags shouted slogans against Kadafi and madeclear their distrust of the delegation, which included the leaders of Mali, Mauritaniaand the republic of Congo, along with representatives from South Africa, Uganda andAlgeria.

Kadafi has long wooed neighboring African states with public-works projects and hashired Africans for his militias, which are now fighting the rebels.



The North Atlantic Treaty Organization also greeted news of Kadafi's openness to acease-fire with suspicion. Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said at a Brusselsnews briefing that Kadafi's forces had demonstrated that they "did not keep theirpromises," Reuters news service reported.

A key Western ally agreed with the rebels. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini toldFrench radio Monday that no deal to end the crisis in Libya could include a futurepolitical role for Kadafi or his sons. "Kadafi's children, family cannot take part in thepolitical future of Libya," Frattini said.

As Libya's former colonial ruler, Italy maintains strong economic connections to thecountry.

Zuma did not travel to Benghazi with the African Union negotiators. As the meeting

ended, members of the delegation walked through the hotel hallways with grim faces.Rebel spokesman Abdelhafed Ghoga said the opposition had told the African Unionrepresentative that they had evidence of Arab and African fighters working for Kadafi,including some Algerian nationals.

Despite three weeks of Western airstrikes against Kadafi's forces, carried out with thestated goal of protecting civilians, there is no sign that the Libyan leader might fold anytime soon. The bombing campaign has stopped his troops from marching on Benghazibut has not helped the opposition advance into western Libya.

Meanwhile, Kadafi's fighters continued to attack the rebel-held western coastal city ofMisurata. On Monday, a doctor in the enclave said government fighters had beenshelling the city continuously since the early morning.

Among the seven people killed in fighting Monday was a 3-year-old girl, SakinaMostafa, whose parents brought her body to one of the makeshift field hospitals in thecity. Many more were wounded, said the doctor, who asked that his name not bepublished for security reasons.

"Nobody is supporting civilians but everybody is saying they are supporting civilians,"said the doctor. "We don't know how the people promising to help us are helping us."--------------------Koussa says Libya could become "new Somalia": BBC (Reuters)by Karolina Tagaris and Maria GolovninaApril 11, 2011 8:14pm EDTLONDON - The most prominent Libyan defector said on Monday his country couldbecome "a new Somalia" unless all sides involved in the conflict stopped it fromdescending into civil war.



"The unity of Libya is essential to any solution and settlement in Libya," former foreignminister Moussa Koussa Koussa said in a prepared statement to the BBC, whichbroadcast his comments with an English translation.

"I ask everybody, all the parties to work to avoid taking Libya into a civil war," Koussasaid. "This will lead to bloodshed and make Libya a new Somalia."

Koussa, speaking publicly for the first time since defecting to Britain last month, said hewas no longer in contact with the Libyan government of Muammar Gaddafi.

Libyan Social Affairs Minister Ibrahim Zarouk al-Sharif told reporters in Tripoli hewould not comment on the interview.

"I will not comment on anything he says while he is captured and (being held) hostage

in a hostile country."

"How do you know he went there (to Britain)? Maybe he was kidnapped."

Scottish police interviewed Koussa last week over the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, hoping he would provide intelligence over the attack.

A former spy chief, Koussa was a close adviser to Gaddafi since the 1970s and isbelieved to have played a key role in the release of the only person convicted for thebombing.

He told the BBC he decided to resign "when the Libyans started to lose security andstability."

Koussa is the highest profile of a number of Libyan ministers and ambassadors whohave resigned, some of them joining the opposition to Gaddafi.

"The solution in Libya will come from the Libyans themselves, through discussion anddemocratic dialogue," he said.------------------Gaddafi hunkers down under sanctions; rebel economy struggles (Washington Post)By Simon DenyerApril 11, 7:01 PMTRIPOLI, Libya ³ Forced on the defensive on the battlefield, Libya·s rebels are alsostruggling in the economic war of attrition with Moammar Gaddafi, despite the backingof the West.



Global efforts to isolate Gaddafi and cut off his economic lifeline have put significantpressure on his government. But President Obama and other NATO leaders may findthat sanctions do not bring Gaddafi to his knees as quickly as they would hope, if at all.

The panic that gripped the Libyan economy at the height of the crisis has substantially

abated, and the government has implemented a series of measures to cope with thesanctions and the loss of hundreds of thousands of foreign workers.

The economic situation appears more chaotic in the rebel-held east, with the collapse ofmuch of the public sector and the shuttering of oil production.

Ín the long run, sanctions will be quite devastating,µ said Mustafa Fetouri, MBAprogram director at the Academy of Graduate Studies in Tripoli. ´But we have had thissituation before, and we have the experience to deal with it.µ

Keeping the economy afloat amid tight international sanctions is costly, and FinanceMinister Abdulhafid Zlitni said in an interview that the government·s money might runout ín a few months.µ

Nevertheless, the British-educated economist was optimistic that this would buyGaddafi·s government enough time ³ to probe for gaps in the internationalcommunity·s resolve, to find a compromise that keeps Gaddafi in power or just topersuade old friends to help.

´Just go back to history,µ Zlitni said. ´When sanctions were imposed in the 1990s,

Africans just broke them. They came over here with their planes and their presents.µ

The current sanctions are considerably tougher than those imposed by the UnitedNations in 1992 and 1993 because of Libya·s alleged role in the bombing of a Pan Amairliner over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Nevertheless, cracks are appearing in the global coalition to isolate Gaddafi, after theAfrican Union proposed a peace plan this week that called for a cease-fire and dialoguebut would seem to leave Gaddafi firmly in power. Gaddafi backed the plan, but therebels rejected it.

Ín the international arena, we are seeing a lot of interventions to find an end to this,and this is what makes me optimistic this is going to end soon,µ Zlitni said.

The bite of sanctions

In the meantime, sanctions are clearly having an effect in the areas under Gaddafi·scontrol, though his government appears to have found a way to manage.



In Tripoli, fuel is being rationed to a tank a week, while cash withdrawals from bankshave been capped at the equivalent of $400 a month. Interest rates will be doubled thisweek to attract money, much of which is traditionally kept at home, back into thebanking system.

The government has increased public-sector salaries by 50 percent to encourage Libyansback to work to fill the gaps left by the exodus of a substantial proportion of theworkforce.

That exodus left fuel pumps unmanned and bakeries, normally run by Egyptians,shuttered. But Libyans are gradually stepping in. The huge lines of a week ago at gasstations have all but disappeared, and bread shortages have eased after young womenwere enlisted to help. On the black market, the Libyan dinar shot up to 3 against thedollar, from 1.3 before the crisis, before pulling back to less than 2.

Hospitals are functioning, but many factories and shops remain closed, constructionwork has stalled, and imported foods are beginning to disappear from the shelves. Theprice of cooking oil has risen more than fourfold, as has the cost of a packet of spaghetti.

But Libya has more than a decade of experience living with, and subverting, sanctions.And the harder they bite ordinary people, the easier it will be for Gaddafi to blame theWest, as he is doing with some success, Fetouri said.

Growing concern in east

In the east, the fighting and the temporary partition of the country have all butdestroyed the economy. Most of the country·s oil comes from the east, but Gaddafi·sforces have worked hard to disrupt production, which has halted. Rebels shipped out atanker of crude last week, with Qatar acting as middleman, but just two tankers worthof oil remain in stock.

The vast majority of Libyans in the east work in the public sector and were paid out ofTripoli before the fighting began. Rebels have managed to keep salaries coming, butmoney is running out. Electricity is cut off for two hours a day, and unless oilproduction resumes, the diesel needed to power the generators will run out within twoto three months, officials say.

Across the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, city engineers, doctors, lawyers andbusinessmen sit at home and wait for the violence to end. Lines for bread and gas arelengthening.



Gaddafi loyalists retain control of Ras Lanuf, home to the country·s largest refinery, andthere is continued fighting over the oil town of Brega. Rebels still believe they have thestronger hand economically as long as they control the border with Egypt and receiveinternational support.

But for now, securing the oil fields ís our biggest source of concern,µ said Ali Tarhouni,finance minister in the Transitional National Council, the self-appointed rebelgovernment.

In Tripoli, Zlitni is trying to make a virtue out of a necessity, arguing that western Libyawill just have to live without oil.

Óil is not always a good thing. It is a depleting asset; one day it will stop,µ he said. Ífpeople don·t realize this and pull up their socks, there is going to be a disaster.µ

Oil revenue has made many Libyans lazy, he said. Íf you have children, sometimesyou have to smack them to make them behave themselves. You don·t like to do it, butyou have to.µ------------------------Africa·s defective Libyan peace plan (Financial Times)By Unattributed AuthorApril 11 2011 21:40The most desirable outcome of the Libyan conflict would be a negotiated settlementthat halted the fighting, removed Muammer Gaddafi from power and from the country,and permitted the Libyan people to make a free choice about their political future. By

this yardstick, the prospects for the African Union·s ´roadmapµ for an immediateceasefire and a peace deal look distinctly bleak.

Hours after the African Union·s announcement that Colonel Gaddafi had accepted theplan ² a statement not publicly confirmed by the dictator himself ² his forces wereshelling the rebel-held town of Misrata in western Libya. The Nato-led coalition that isoperating under a UN mandate to protect civilians is fully within its rights to continueair strikes on Col Gaddafi·s tanks and artillery.

Equally important is the failure of the African Union·s plan even to mention thepossibility that Col Gaddafi should step down and go into exile. This is the opposition·scentral demand, and one that is entirely understandable, given Col Gaddafi·s blood-soaked treatment of his political opponents during his 42 years in power.

Of course, certain African leaders are privately considering how to persuade ColGaddafi to give up the fight and go quietly. But others, such as Teodoro ObiangNguema, Equatorial Guinea·s vicious autocrat and the African Union·s presentchairman, regard Libya·s unrest as an internal affair and have condemned foreign



intervention in the civil war. The African Union maintained a deafening silence in theearly phase of Col Gaddafi·s ruthless campaign to crush the Libyan opposition. Overall,the union has shown much less courage than the Arab League and the Organisation ofthe Islamic Conference in confronting the truth about Col Gaddafi.

There are other, more unsavoury reasons to doubt that the African Union can act as auseful arbiter in the conflict. Since its creation in 2002, Col Gaddafi has used Libya·s oilriches to bankroll the union. He has bought the support of corrupt and weaklygoverned states, especially in west Africa. When he chaired the union in 2009-2010, hepromoted a characteristically eccentric vision of Africa as a single political unit withhimself as its ´king of kingsµ. Too many African leaders tolerated his antics because ofLibya·s willingness to underwrite the union·s budget.

None of this is to say that western and Arab governments should not be on the look-outfor opportunities to negotiate an end to the conflict. On the contrary, it has become

increasingly clear since Nato began enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya on March 19that air strikes alone will not topple Col Gaddafi. International diplomatic pressure, andbehind-the-scenes efforts to detach key supporters of the Gaddafi regime from thedictator, are more likely to bring results. If this process were to require a transitionperiod, clearly defined, for Col Gaddafi·s departure, it would be a price worth paying.But for the moment it would be foolish to raise hopes of an imminent solution.-------------------------SUDAN: North-South on the brink of all out war (Somalilandpress)By Unattributed AuthorApril 11, 2011

ADDIS ABABA ² Reports have revealed that tensions are running at an all time high inthe disputed region of South Kordofan as locals gear up for the much delayedlegislative and executive elections to choose a governor and council of ministers for thefertile oil-producing state.

The May gubernatorial election was originally scheduled to be held April 2010 duringthe presidential and parliamentary elections but was delayed due to disagreementsover 2008 census conducted by the government of Omar al-Bashir. The results wererejected by Sudan People·s Liberation Movement (SPLM), South Sudan·s main party.They accused the Khartoum government of gerrymandering, claiming that al-Bashirwas endeavouring to load the dice in his own favor. The SPLM immediately called forrecount of population and housing census with more say for the south.

In late February, the National Election Commission (NEC) completed the voterregistration after a month process using 110 mobile voter registration teams at over 1400centres. It said more than 640,000 have registered to vote for either Ahmad Harun, thecandidate for northern-based National Congress Party (NCP) or his sole opponentSPLM·s Abdul·Aziz Adam Al-Hilu. The new census recorded 1,101,864 more people



than the initial results according to the Khartoum-based NEC. Mr Harun, a trainedlawyer, was appointed to the governorship position of the oil-rich state in 2009 by al-Bashir however his appointment came under international scrutiny after he wasaccused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur by the theInternational Criminal Court (ICC). He is one of three Sudanese wanted over Darfur

crimes.

The SPLM candidate was also installed as the Deputy Governor of South Kordofan inthe same year in an unlikely SPLM-NCP partnership. His appointment was seen bymany as a strategic yet cynical move to win over marginalised groups including hisown and local Nuba tribe. The Nuba people consider Lieutenant-General Al-Hilu astrong and capable man.

On 2nd May the battlelines will be drawn in the strategic, but volatile state of SouthKordofan when the people go to the polls to elect their governor. Analysts fear that if

the result is inconclusive or fall short of expectations, this will further increase tensionsand could bring northern and southern Sudan to the very brink of all out war. There arealready reports of massive military build-up in the region which falls within the faultlines that also includes the disputed border region of Abyei.

Princeton Lyman, the U.S. special envoy for Sudan, told the Associated Press (AP) thatthe situation is ´very tenseµ and that both northern and southern have violated a recentsecurity deal. He called on both sides to reduce tension by withdrawing their forcesfrom the region immediately and return to dialogue in resolving the matters, chiefamongst them being the region of Abyei. The region is inhabited by the Ngok Dinka

tribe ( traditional farmers and southern Sudan supporters) and the Misseriya (cattleherders who support the north and have a deep mistrust of those in Juba).

As the north and south prepare to officially seperate, more and more armed groups areemerging in the south and targeting SPLM positions which could further complicate thesituation. The south accuses the north of aiding militants while the north claims thesouth is arming Darfur rebels. Regional experts believe that there is a very real dangerthat this could spread to South Kordofan and destabilize the entire region.--------------------Sudan sending delegation to Washington for talks on debt relief (Sudan Tribune)By Unattributed AuthorApril 10, 2011KHARTOUM ² The Sudanese government is dispatching a delegation to Washington inmid-April for talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World bank onways to obtain relief from the country·s crippling debt.



State media reported that the delegation will include members from the federalgovernment, National Congress Party (NCP) in control of the North and the Sudanpeople Liberation Movement (SPLM) which rules the South.

The African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) led by Thabo Mbeki will

also travel with the delegation, according to these reports.

Mbeki is mediating between the NCP and SPLM to help settle a wide range of post-referendum issues such as splitting up the national debt between the North and South,citizenship, wealth sharing, water, border demarcation and the status of Abyei.

South Sudan chose to secede in the plebiscite that took place last January and yielded anear unanimous vote by Southerners in favor of independence. The South will officiallybecome the world·s newest state by the end of the interim period on July 9th.

However, the outstanding issues between the North and South cast doubts overwhether the divorce would be a smooth one.

The North insists that South Sudan should bear a portion of the $37.8 billion saying thatpart of the money was used for development project in the semi-autonomous region.

But the South says that the money was borrowed to finance the northern army to fightsoutherners in the civil war.

Western countries along with Arab states such as Kuwait have promised to try and help

Sudan cancel come of the debt but some officials warned this would be a lengthyprocess.

The former U.S. special envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios told Sudan Tribune last yearthat many Western nations struggling with their economic crises at home may bereluctant to forgive Sudan·s debt due to domestic policy concerns.-------------------UN Council backs new courts and prisons for pirates (AFP)By Unattributed AuthorApril 11, 2011UNITED NATIONS ³ The UN Security Council on Monday called for theestablishment of specialized international courts and prisons and new laws to combatSomali pirates.

The council voted unanimously for a Russian drafted resolution to step up theinternational battle against the growing threat from piracy off the Somali coast.



The pirates are currently holding dozens of vessels and hundreds of hostages. Aninternational navy is trying to battle the scourge in the Indian Ocean. One of the keyelements of the new resolution calls for courts to try pirates in a third country outside ofSomalia.

The resolution said the council "decides to urgently consider the establishment ofspecialized Somali courts to try suspected pirates both in Somalia and in the region,including an extra-territorial Somali specialized anti-piracy court."

Russia's UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, called the courts "the first practical step in thedirection of setting up an effective judicial mechanism, one capable of a credible reliablesolution to the problem of bringing pirates to justice."

France's envoy Gerard Araud called resolution 1976 "a considerable and concrete" stepforward in the battle against piracy off the Somali coast.

The council called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to prepare recommendationson setting up the courts within two months.

Many of the measures in the resolution are based on ideas proposed by Jack Lang, theformer French minister who carried out a special study for Ban on new legal means tocombat piracy.

Lang had suggested using the international court in Arusha, Tanzania where cases fromthe 1994 genocide in Rwanda have been heard. He also said there should be special

courts in the northern Somali enclaves of Somaliland and Puntland.

Authorities in Somaliland last month inaugurated a UN-funded prison to hold piratesbut warned it would not yet accept those detained by foreign powers.

Somali pirates have infested the waters of the Gulf of Aden, southwest of the ArabianSea, making it one of the world's most dangerous waterways.

According to Ecoterra International, a group which monitors maritime activity in theregion, Somali pirates currently hold more than 40 vessels and about 700 seafarers. Itsays several others vessels, mainly small fishing boats, are missing and believed to havebeen captured.--------------------Progress in Africa? (Chicago Tribune)By Unattributed AuthorApril 11, 2011After a dispute over the outcome of the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore and GeorgeW. Bush spent five weeks battling in court over the vote count in Florida, which was the



balance of victory. The outcome of Ivory Coast's presidential election last Novemberwas also disputed, but in this case, it produced a bloody shooting war between the twocandidates and their supporters.

On Monday, strongman Laurent Gbagbo was arrested at his presidential palace, where

he had been besieged by opposition fighters and French military units. That does notguarantee the civil war will end, but it should signify at least the beginning of the end.

Incumbent Gbagbo lost the election to Alassane Ouattara, according to the country'selectoral commission, a verdict certified by the United Nations. So his capture is avictory of sorts for democracy.

But as is often the case in Africa, democracy is a mixed achievement. To secure thatvictory, opposition forces resorted to methods that don't bode well. According toHuman Rights Watch, they "killed hundreds of civilians, raped more than 20 alleged

supporters of his rival, Laurent Gbagbo, and burned at least 10 villages." Theorganization found evidence that Gbagbo's forces also committed atrocities.

So the president-elect has a challenging agenda ahead: securing peace, establishing agovernment that can start to overcome the violent divisions in the country, andenforcing accountability on those on either side who committed horrific abuses.

Ivory Coast's experience, unfortunately, has many parallels in the continent of Africa asa whole. Once a sea of corruption and repression, it saw notable progress towarddemocracy during the 1990s, according to surveys by the human rights group Freedom

House. But in the following decade, it didn't live up to all the hopes that had beenraised.

While some countries became democracies in fact, others are only in name. Someelected governments proved to be no more tolerant of opposition than the regimes theyreplaced. Much of the continent, from Niger to Zimbabwe, remains under autocraticrule.

There have been some conspicuous success stories, though, such as South Africa, Ghanaand Botswana. Says Arch Puddington, research director at Freedom House, "In general,things have been improving."

For the Middle East, which is currently experiencing a burst of democratic change,Africa holds a lesson: Worthwhile political change does not always move in a straightline. Often it retreats and detours before resuming its forward journey. It requiresconstant tending to succeed.



But in the right hands and the right public climate, it can flourish. Ivory Coast has beenstalled for the past five months. It's up to President-elect Ouattara to put his countryback on the path last year's election was intended to create.------------------------ UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website

Security Council to consider plans for specialized Somali courts to try pirates

11 April ² Recognizing the need for further steps to boost anti-piracy efforts, theSecurity Council today decided to urgently consider the establishment of specializedSomali courts to try suspected pirates both in the Somalia and in the region.

Ex-leader of Côte d'Ivoire surrenders as UN pledges to help restore rule of law11 April ² The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte d'Ivoire today confirmedthe surrender of the country's former president Laurent Gbagbo to forces loyal to

President Alassane Ouattara, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pledged that the UNwill help the West African country restore the rule of law after weeks of fighting andhuman rights abuses.

AFRICOM Related News Clips 12 April 2011

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