AFRICOM Related News Clips 14 April 2011

8/7/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 14 April 2011

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office14 April 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Pentagon Says It Has Kept Up Some Strikes on Libya (NYT)(Libya) Pentagon officials disclosed Wednesday that American warplanes hadcontinued to strike targets in Libya even after the Obama administration said theUnited States was stepping back from offensive missions and letting NATO take the

lead.

Clinton cites atrocities by Gaddafi forces (AlJazeera)(Libya) Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, says the US is receiving disturbingreports of new atrocities by Muammar Gaddafi's forces in Libya. Gaddafi regimemilitias and mercenaries have fired mortar and artillery rounds into residential areas inMisurata, Clinton said in a statement on Wednesday.

More U.S. help may be crucial to Qaddafi's exit (CBS)(Libya) Libyan rebels have been begging NATO to step up its attacks on MuammarQaddafi's military. On Wednesday, it did, with new air strikes in four cities, including

Tripoli, where an ammunition bunker was hit.

NATO foreign ministers meet amid looming stalemate in Libya (Xinhua)(Libya) The Libyan crisis is set to dominate the agenda of NATO foreign ministers'gathering in Berlin on Thursday and Friday, amid rising fears that the alliance-ledmilitary campaign may face long stalemate.

Carrier officers say Gadhafi's troops hard to spot (AP)(Libya) As French navy Rafale and Super Etendard fighter-bombers carrying laser-guided bombs catapulted Wednesday off the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier into a

cloudless Mediterranean sky, officers onboard described the difficulties they face:Despite all the modern technology, troops loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi areharder than ever to identify from the air.

Strongman Out, Ivory Coast Is Reviving(NYT)(Cte dIvoire) Fresh produce appeared on market stalls. Women carried sacks of grainon their heads. Children skipped rope in the street. Men sipped coffee in outdoor cafes.Life began inching back to normal on Wednesday in this city battered by a week of


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combat, months of economic collapse and the grip of a defeated ruler who refused tostep down.

Ivory Coast Battles Looters as Ouattara Pledges Investigation (Bloomberg)(Cte dIvoire) Ivory Coasts new leaders struggled to stem a tide of looting in the

commercial capital, Abidjan, as President Alassane Ouattara pledged to investigatehuman-rights abuses committed by both sides during the civil war.

WFP Airlifts Life-Saving Food to Thousands in Ivory Coast (VOA)(Cte dIvoire) The World Food Program says it is airlifting life-saving food aid to tensof thousands of internally displaced people in Ivory Coast and Ivorian refugees inneighboring Liberia. The U.N. agency is also airlifting non-food items, such astelecommunications equipment and medicines supplied by other aid agencies.

800 Civilians Killed This Year In Southern Sudan, U.N. Says (NYT)

(Sudan) More than 800 civilians have died since January in fragmenting violence insouthern Sudan, the United Nations said Wednesday, less than three months before thevast, impoverished, battle-scarred region becomes its own nation.

Sudan arms buildup heightens oil war fears (UPI)(Sudan) The Khartoum government and former rebels in the newly independent southare beefing up their military forces along the still-to-be-defined border in Sudan,heightening fears of a new war over oil that could destabilize northeast Africa.

Darfur refugees take 12 Sudan aid workers hostage (Reuters)

(Sudan) Darfuri refugees have taken 12 Sudanese aid workers hostage in the volatileKalma camp, a spokesman for the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission UNAMIDsaid on Wednesday, raising tension in strife-ridden west Sudan.

U.S. brings first case against alleged Somali pirate leader (CNN)(Somalia) An alleged Somali pirate leader has been indicted for the takeover of theyacht Quest and the kidnapping of four Americans who subsequently were killedduring the incident.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Websitey Sudan: UN welcomes agreement on implementation of pact on Abyei disputey UN-backed forum identifies areas of common ground on ending Somalias

transition

y Cte dIvoire: Security Council calls for formation of an all-inclusiveGovernment

y Darfur: UN helps to secure release of Sudanese aid workers taken hostage atcamp


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

WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, April 14th at 2:30 p.m.; 419 Dirksen Senate Office BuildingWHAT: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on African Affairs

WHO: The Honorable Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs,DOS; Ms. Rajakumari Jandhyala, Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID; TheHonorable Eric P. Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, DOS; Mr. Patrick Fine, VicePresident for Compact Implementation, Millennium Challenge CorporationInfo: http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=203fcf99-5056-a032-523d-801b8943d4d8

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, April 15, 2011; 9:30 a.m.; Brookings Institution, 1775Massachusetts 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 GroupInfo: www.brookings.eduWHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, April 19th at 2:00 p.m.; U.S. Institute of PeaceWHAT: The Future of Two Sudans: A Conversation with former Presidents ThaboMbeki, Pierre Buyoya and Adulsalami Alhaji AbubakarWHO: President Thabo Mbeki, Former President of South Africa, Head of the AfricanUnion High Level Implementation Panel (Sudan); President Pierre Buyoya, FormerPresident of Burundi, Member, African Union High Level Implementation Panel(Sudan); President Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar, Former President of Nigeria,Member, African Union High Level Implementation Panel (Sudan)Info: http://www.usip.org/events/the-future-two-sudans-conversation-former-presidents-thabo-mbeki-pierre-buyoya-and-adulsalami

WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, April 20th at 2:00 p.m.; U.S. Institute of PeaceWHAT: H.E. Dr. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union CommissionWHO: H.E. Dr. Jean Ping, Speaker, AU CommissionInfo: http://www.usip.org/events/he-dr-jean-ping-chairperson-the-african-union-commission----------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL ARTICLE TEXT


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Pentagon Says It Has Kept Up Some Strikes on Libya (NYT)By THOM SHANKERApril 13, 2011WASHINGTON Pentagon officials disclosed Wednesday that American warplanes

had continued to strike targets in Libya even after the Obama administration said theUnited States was stepping back from offensive missions and letting NATO take thelead.

Although American officials had said that no aircraft would fly offensive strikemissions, unless officially approved in Washington, 11 warplanes have flown 97 sortiesintended to electronically jam or otherwise suppress Libyan air defenses since April 4,when command of the mission was handed over to NATO and the United Statespublicly said it was stepping back to a supporting role.

The number of actual missile strikes during those missions was only three; all wereagainst Libyan air defense systems, whether radars, command-and-control sites orsurface-to-air missiles. Two of them were to destroy hard-to-find and hard-to-strikemobile targets.

In explaining the gap between public statements and operational details, officials saidthe trio of strikes on Libyan targets since April 4 were classified as defensive, notoffensive.

The distinction was that these attacks were intended to incapacitate Libyan radars,

antiaircraft batteries or command centers in order to protect NATO strike aircraft, andwere not offensive actions against Libyan government forces threatening civilians.

Pentagon officials had to scramble Wednesday to explain the latest nuance about theAmerican mission in Libya.

The administration has expended enormous effort calibrating its explanation of theintervention there to a variety of audiences: the American public, Libyans still loyal tothe government or rebel sympathizers, and people in Europe and the Arab world.

At a minimum, the disclosure of strikes dating back several days on April 4, 6 and 7 revealed a tin ear for how the facts of daily combat operations would compare topublic statements that left the impression that the United States had ceased droppingbombs and missiles on Libya.

The continued operation of American warships and warplanes in both supporting andattacking roles is evidence that, while NATO is in command, the United States military


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remains the partner with specific capabilities that are required for the alliance to operateeffectively.

American officials had said that only support aircraft like refueling, reconnaissanceand command-and-control planes would be part of the daily operation. Any NATO

desire for American strike aircraft, in particular the A-10 tank-buster and the AC-130flying gunship would have to be requested formally and approved in Washington.

But the 11 American warplanes assigned to a mission called Suppression of Enemy AirDefense are flying as part of the NATO-led mission.

It is a purely defensive mission, the Pentagon said in an official statement. Later, thePentagon press secretary, Geoff Morrell, added, It is completely consistent with howwe have described our support role ever since the transition to NATO lead.

The American aircraft assigned to suppressing Libyan air defenses are six F-16CJaircraft and five E/A-18G warplanes, according to Pentagon officials. Working together,they can detect and jam adversary air defense systems and attack them with missiles,some specifically designed to home in on radar emissions.

The disclosure came one day after fissures opened among the allies over the scope andthe intensity of attacks against Libyan government forces. Britain and France, inparticular, called on NATO and its partners to intensify strikes.

The Pentagon on Wednesday released a full tally of all the American military ships and

aircraft participating in the Libyan mission: one guided-missile destroyer; one P-3COrion maritime patrol aircraft; one EP-3E signals reconnaissance aircraft; 22 KC-135tankers; six F-16CJ aircraft; five EA-18G attack aircraft; two E-3 command and controlaircraft; two EC-130 signals and communications aircraft; two RC-135 reconnaissanceaircraft; one U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft; one E-8 Joint Surveillance TargetAttack Radar System; two MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles; and one RQ-4Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle.----------------------Clinton cites atrocities by Gaddafi forces (AlJazeera)By Unattributed AuthorApril 14, 2011

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, says the US is receiving disturbing reports ofnew atrocities by Muammar Gaddafi's forces in Libya.

Gaddafi regime militias and mercenaries have fired mortar and artillery rounds intoresidential areas in Misurata, Clinton said in a statement on Wednesday.


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She said that Gaddafis forces destroyed food warehouses and cut off water and powerto the contested city in an apparent attempt to starve the people into submission.

Snipers targeted people seeking medical attention, she said, and thousands were beingforced from their homes by tanks.

Calling for the attacks on civilians to stop, Clinton reaffirmed that the US wasdocumenting atrocities committed by Gaddafi's forces so that those responsible couldbe held accountable.

Friction between allies

The US secretary of state arrived early on Thursday in Berlin for NATO talks within theWestern alliance over how they share the burden of the military campaign in Libya.

The meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Thursday and Friday is among a series ofinternational consultations on Libya. On Wednesday, world powers meeting in Qatarpledged financial assistance to the cash-strapped rebels.

Britain and France, which had led global calls for action to stop the Libyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi's attacks on his own people, have pressed NATO allies to deploymore combat jets.

Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, has said he would raise his concerns duringthe Berlin talks.

US President Barack Obama's administration, which has stepped up the war inAfghanistan and proclaimed an end to combat operations in Iraq, has been keen forWestern allies to bear the brunt of the Libya operations.

But the Pentagon said on Wednesday that US fighter jets were still carrying outbombing raids on Libya's air defences, despite earlier statements that the country hadhalted major operations.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, and David Cameron, the British prime minister,agreed at a separate meeting on Wednesday to step up military pressure on Gaddafi'sregime, a French presidency source told the AFP news agency on Wednesday.

During a working dinner in Paris, Sarkozy and Cameron agreed to increase "militarypressure" on Gaddafi who "stays determined to maintain his war effort against his ownpopulation," according to the source.


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Paris and London led international calls for action to prevent Gaddafi's regime fromcracking down on a revolt against his rule, and now complain that they have been leftwith too much of the burden of enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya and in bombingGaddafi's artillery and armoured vehicles on the ground.

"The reason for being here in Paris tonight is that Britain and France are at the heart ofthis coalition," Cameron told broadcaster Sky News in Paris before the meeting.

"With President Sarkozy, I'm going to be sitting down and making sure we leaveabsolutely no stone unturned in doing everything we can, militarily, diplomatically,politically to enforce the UN resolution," he said in the interview.

The two leaders did not make public statements after the meeting, which was alsoattended by their defence ministers, AFP reported.-----------------------

More U.S. help may be crucial to Qaddafi's exit (CBS)By Unattributed AuthorApril 13, 2011Libyan rebels have been begging NATO to step up its attacks on Muammar Qaddafi'smilitary.

On Wednesday, it did, with new air strikes in four cities, including Tripoli, where anammunition bunker was hit.

Also on Wednesday, representatives from 16 western and Middle Eastern countries met

in Qatar. All agreed to support the rebels and said Qaddafi must go.

"CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric spoke with national security correspondentDavid Martin and correspondent Elizabeth Palmer about America's military role inLibya.

Couric: The U.S. says it's operating only in support of NATO. What does that mean?

Martin: Well, it turns out it means more than we thought. The Pentagon revealed todaythat, despite previous assurances the U.S. was no longer striking targets on the ground,American jets have in fact attacked Libyan air defense sites three times in the last 10days. Add in aerial refueling, reconnaissance and electronic jamming missions and theU.S. is flying 35 percent of all the NATO missions.

Couric: So why are the Europeans and the rebels complaining that the U.S. isn't doingenough?


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Martin: They want the U.S. to attack not just Qaddafi's air defenses but his groundforces, and specifically they want to bring in AC-130 gunships. Here's the problem: In avideo, you can see a British jet dropping a bomb on a Libyan tank. It destroys the tank,but then look what happens - all the Libyan soldiers that were operating with that tankflee in pickup trucks. It's hard to bomb a pickup truck, but you can attack it with an AC-

130 gunship.

Couric: Is the U.S. likely to give into European demands and send in the AC-130s?

Martin: The AC-130s have been placed on a 12-hour alert, so the gunships are ready togo if and when NATO military commanders, as opposed to diplomats, ask for them.

Couric also spoke with correspondent Elizabeth Palmer, currently in Libya, about thepolitical situation.

Couric: What signs do you see in Tripoli that the NATO airstrikes and economicsanctions are weakening Qaddafi's government?

Palmer: The government is obviously weaker; for a start, it's lost two million foreignworkers. (Yet) things are remarkably stable. There are no food shortages yet.

There are gasoline shortages. Libya doesn't refine enough, so that every gasoline stationhas lineups a mile long outside and the government may be forced to considerrationing.

The bottom line is, how long before the Qaddafi government runs out of money? Ispoke to the finance minister just a few minutes ago and he said the government has awar chest of $40 billion. So they're going to be solvent, he said, for some months yet.

Couric: Is there any progress on the diplomatic front?

Palmer: Very little, in spite of high level talks today in the Gulf Kingdom of Qatar. Theproblem is that the rebels and their international backers have two conflictingobjectives. Call a ceasefire on the one hand, and on the other, force Colonel Qaddafi outof power.

A ceasefire now would leave Qaddafi in power, but most analysts say that to force himout would require just the opposite: a ramping up of the military effort.-----------------NATO foreign ministers meet amid looming stalemate in Libya (Xinhua)By Xinhua Writer Zhang WeiApril 14, 2011


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BERLIN - The Libyan crisis is set to dominate the agenda of NATO foreign ministers'gathering in Berlin on Thursday and Friday, amid rising fears that the alliance-ledmilitary campaign may face long stalemate.

Foreign ministers from 28 NATO countries, along with non-NATO contributors to the

operation of "Unified Protector", will try to find ways to end the Libyan conflictsThursday, some two weeks after the alliance assumed full control of the campaign fromthe United States following days of hard bargaining.

However, new rifts have emerged within the alliance as French Foreign Minister AlainJuppe and his British counterpart William Hague on Tuesday publicly pressed theirNATO allies to step up air raids in Libya and provide more ground attack aircraft.

In addition, the leaders of France and Britain will hold an unscheduled summit in Paristo discuss the Libyan crisis Wednesday, just on the eve of NATO's meeting, which is

seen as a sign of discord.

French officials have also called for the U.S., Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Swedento enhance their efforts in the campaign.

The U.S. has withdrawn its aircraft from conducting airstrikes against Libyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi's ground forces, leaving NATO short of ground attack aircraft.Several European countries also put restrictions on the use of their planes.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Wednesday defended the alliance's

performance in Libya while attending the Contact Group Meeting on Libya in theQatari capital of Doha.

"I don't agree with (the description of) NATO being slow, we have kept a very highoperational tempo...Our operations will end when there is no longer a threat to civilianson the ground." Rasmussen said.

The NATO chief have denied suggestions by some allies, including arming rebelfighters and deploying ground troops in Libya, saying the alliance had not considered"more robust measures."

Analysts said that despite the NATO-led aerial campaign, which do help the rebelfighters on the ground, Gaddafi has shown no signs of stepping down, leaving theendgame of the operation elusive.

During the Berlin talks, NATO foreign ministers will also discuss the ISAF mission inAfghanistan and NATO-Russia ties.


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Under mounting domestic pressure, NATO countries are eager to pull their troops outof Afghanistan and want to complete the transition process in Afghanistan by the endof 2014.

Though the Afghan government has announced the first batch of provinces and cities,

which are set to be taken over by Afghan forces, the transition process will not beproved easy as many hurdles exist, including lack of capacity of Afghan soldiers andpolice, resilient Taliban militants.

On Friday, NATO foreign ministers and their Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov willfocus on the cooperation on Afghanitan and the European missile defense.---------------------Carrier officers say Gadhafi's troops hard to spot (AP)By Unattributed AuthorApril 13, 2011

ABOARD THE CHARLES DE GAULLE As French navy Rafale and Super Etendardfighter-bombers carrying laser-guided bombs catapulted Wednesday off the Charles deGaulle aircraft carrier into a cloudless Mediterranean sky, officers onboard describedthe difficulties they face: Despite all the modern technology, troops loyal to Libyanleader Moammar Gadhafi are harder than ever to identify from the air.

Gadhafi's forces are now expertly camouflaging their units to conceal them fromdetection and attack from the air, the officers said.

"There is obviously a degree of savoir-faire on the part (of Gadhafi's forces) that we

haven't seen before," said the commander of the carrier's air wing, who identifiedhimself only as Herve.

He compared it to the performance of Serbian troops during NATO's airstrikes inKosovo in 1999. The Serbs weathered NATO attacks and minimized their losses oftanks, armored personnel carriers, surface-to-air missiles and other vehicles throughdeft use of camouflage.

The Charles de Gaulle, a nuclear-powered carrier known in the French navy by itsnickname "El Grande Charles," is cruising along the northern edge of the Gulf of Sirte,near Libyan territory. It leads a standard carrier task force of three frigates, a resupplyoiler and a nuclear hunter-killer submarine.

From its decks, at least 20 sorties over Libya are launched each day.

The twin-engine Dassault Rafales flown Wednesday carried a combination of Mica air-to-air missiles, GBU-12 250-kilogram laser-guided bombs, GBU-58 125 kilogram bombsand laser pods designed to pinpoint targets for the bombs.


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The Super Etandards, a modernized version of a single-engine strike jet originallyintroduced into the French navy's inventory in the 1960s, were armed with the laser-guided bombs.

The warplanes, divided into two five-jet flights, are charged with patrolling thebattlefields and looking for targets of opportunity.

From the decks of the carrier, it can be hard to gauge the results of the action overLibya. NATO reported from its headquarters in Brussels that 12 tanks were destroyednear Zintan, and an ammunition storage site was destroyed near Sukhan, south of Sirte.

NATO also said that 159 sorties had been flown Wednesday over Libya, 60 of themclassified as strike sorties. But as officers on this ship know only too well, the pilots onstrike sorties cannot always clearly identify targets; often they return without having

dropped their bombs.

To observers on the ground the fighting appears to have changed little. But the navaltask force's commander, Rear Adm. Philippe Coindreau, gave an optimistic reportWednesday. The back-and-forth stalemate of the first week of April had ended andopposition forces had seized the initiative, he said.

"There's been a reversal of that tendency; the oppositions forces have regainedterritory," he said in his headquarters on board the Charles de Gaulle. "Whether the airoperation is more effective or not, I don't know."

He said, though, that coordination between NATO and the opposition in Benghazi hasimproved recently.

"Initially there was no coordination between the rebels and NATO, but nowadaysNATO has more information through contacts with the opposition leadership inBenghazi," Coindreau said.

"I have a feeling that if the air campaign continues and if the political and diplomaticdialogue continues, then we can arrive at a cease-fire acceptable to all sides."

To journalists on the ground, the situation appears more nuanced. Weekend airstrikesaround the city of Ajdabiya blunted an advance by forces loyal to Gadhafi. But it doesnot appear that the rebels have taken a significant amount of territory: The main frontremains around the eastern city of Brega, and those rebel fighters who are in the westremain bottled up.


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Coindreau acknowledged that it was still difficult for NATO to ascertain the exactbalance of forces on the front lines between Brega and Ajdabiya, because Gadhafi'sforces have started breaking their units into smaller, more maneuverable contingentsand using civilian vehicles for transport and combat actions.

The Charles de Gaulle mounted the first reconnaissance flights over Libya on March 22.Attack missions followed almost immediately, and the ship has acted as the tip of thespear for the international aerial onslaught on Gadhafi's forces ever since.

Libya has two Soviet-built Foxtrot submarines that could threaten the Charles de Gaulleand the approximately 25 other NATO vessels patrolling the Libyan coastline.

"So far they have made no preparations to put to sea, so we have left them alone,"Cmdr. Marc Gander said. "But we make sure to monitor them regularly just in case."

The NATO fleet has been joined by a smaller Italian carrier, the Garibaldi, but no U.S.Navy carriers have joined in the assault. An amphibious assault ship, the USSKearsarge, which was in the region at the start of the U.S.-led operation on March 21,steamed away after Washington ended its combat role and turned the command of theoperation over to NATO.

The Charles de Gaulle is the flagship of the French fleet and the only nuclear-poweredcarrier outside the United States.

It is also the only one outside the U.S. Navy to use the so-called CATOBAR (Catapult

Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) system, whereby planes are launched bycatapults and recovered by arrestor wires.

This allows fighter-bombers to carry much heavier loads than the alternative shorttakeoff systems used by most of the navies operating aircraft carriers.----------------------Strongman Out, Ivory Coast Is Reviving(NYT)By ADAM NOSSITERApril 13, 2011ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast Fresh produce appeared on market stalls. Women carriedsacks of grain on their heads. Children skipped rope in the street. Men sipped coffee inoutdoor cafes.

Life began inching back to normal on Wednesday in this city battered by a week ofcombat, months of economic collapse and the grip of a defeated ruler who refused tostep down.


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Two days after opposition forces stormed the presidential residence and seized thenations strongman, Laurent Gbagbo, residents ventured through a landscape ofburned-out vehicles from last weeks combat, shattered glass from waves of looting,fields of uncollected garbage abandoned for months and occasional bursts of gunfire.The central business district, Plateau, continued to be largely empty, gripped by armed

looting, a resident said, and with snipers in the tall buildings.

Signs of renewal elsewhere in this sprawling port city were unmistakable. In places, thetension of previous months, when fear of Mr. Gbagbos security forces kept streetsemptied, was gone. The ubiquitous roadblocks operated by militant armed youthssupporting Mr. Gbagbo had disappeared, replaced by occasional gun-swingingdetachments from the irregular forces of Alassane Ouattara, the man who won theelection last year but is only now taking over as president. They let people through,though.

In some neighborhoods, residents expressed hope and relief that the five-month crisiswas now over, and Mr. Ouattara told reporters at his makeshift hotel-headquarters herethat he would get immediately to work restoring the country. Still, Mr. Ouattaraacknowledged the delicate security situation, the looting by gunmen and the need tohold all combatants accountable for human rights abuses, including his own men.

Mr. Gbagbo, captured on Monday after his defenses were severely weakened by aFrench and United Nations bombing campaign, was packed into a helicopter shortlyafter noon on Wednesday and sent to the north of the country, the United Nations officehere said. He will be kept in a villa under guard, Mr. Ouattara said, noting that his

justice minister was looking into possible prosecution. He said Mr. Gbagbo would betreated with consideration.

A commission would be established, Mr. Ouattara said, to establish the truth of whathas happened during the turbulent and murky 12 years of coup dtats, civil war, Mr.Gbagbos violent ascension to power and his brutal repression of dissent. We need toshed light on all this, Mr. Ouattara said. Ivorians need to know what has happened.He struck a conciliatory note, saying the strongmans officials would be totallyprotected from physical aggression.

Mr. Ouattara, a former prime minister and International Monetary Fund official, whosedegree in economics and ubiquitous dark suit is matched by the sobriety of his tone,offers a contrast to the populist, rabble-rousing Mr. Gbagbo, himself a former professor.Emphasizing the details of reconstruction, Mr. Ouattara said he would restoreelectricity and water, and get the banks which have been closed since West Africanleaders cut off Mr. Gbagbos government from the regional central bank workingagain. We are going to get to work, Mr. Ouattara said, and in a few months we willsee a rehabilitated Ivory Coast.


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Sitting outside at Le Petit Caf du Grand Nord, in a largely pro-Ouattara district of thesprawling Koumassi neighborhood, several customers said the process had alreadybegun. Merely to be sitting there at all was a good sign, they said. It had been toodangerous in the previous months because Mr. Gbagbos security forces would descend

without warning and begin shooting.

Life is picking up, slowly, slowly, said Laye Konat. People are going back to work.For the future, we have hope that there is going to be peace. Mohamed Diakit,watching a woman across the street shaving coconuts at a stall, said: Its over. Itsfinished. We have been terrorized and traumatized.

Despite the optimism, a grave humanitarian situation continued in the country, theUnited Nations humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, told the Security Council onWednesday. She noted that hospitals and schools remained closed, families were living

without food, while some neighborhoods were without electricity. She said there were800,000 internally displaced people. Despite the arrest of Laurent Gbagbo, thehumanitarian situation in Cte DIvoire remains deeply troubling," she said.

The supporters of the captured strongman were not as much in evidence onWednesday, and their outlook was less rosy. Next to the looted, burned-out Treichvilleheadquarters of Mr. Gbagbos Ivorian Popular Front Party, residents were in an angrymood.

Get back in your car and get out of here, a Gbagbo supporter shouted, in response to

inquiries.

Forces loyal to Mr. Ouattara have been accused of killing hundreds of civilians in thenations west, and going door to door in parts of Abidjan, searching for Gbagbosupporters. But in both Koumassi and Marcory, an adjoining neighborhood, theOuattara supporters argued that there had been no witch hunts aimed at Gbagbosupporters.

A carpenter with the same name as the president Alassane Ouattara said he hadjust emerged from months of hiding, because of his name. Were hoping the pro-Gbagbos have disappeared, he said. We have suffered too much.---------------------Ivory Coast Battles Looters as Ouattara Pledges Investigation (Bloomberg)By Pauline Bax and Olivier MonnierApr 13, 2011 7:01 PM ETIvory Coasts new leaders struggled to stem a tide of looting in the commercial capital,Abidjan, as President Alassane Ouattara pledged to investigate human-rights abusescommitted by both sides during the civil war.


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The Republican Forces that support Ouattara are patrolling the streets of Abidjanfollowing reports of looting by their own soldiers, thieves and militias loyal to previousleader Laurent Gbagbo.

We are currently trying to get some of our rogue elements under control, MeiteSindou, spokesman for Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, said by phone yesterday. Thelooting has to stop.

Many shops and homes were plundered during a 10-day battle for control of Abidjanthat ended with Gbagbos capture in a bunker below his home in the Cocodyneighborhood of the city on April 11. Sindou said the government was adding patrolsto that area amid reports that some fighters were robbing the homes of Gbagbossupporters.

Stability in the worlds largest cocoa producer would mean a return to exports of thechocolate ingredient. Moeller-Maersk A/S, the worlds largest container shipping line,says one of its vessels is likely to arrive in Abidjan next week.

Cocoa for May delivery rose $13, or 0.4 percent, to $3,066 per metric ton in New Yorkyesterday.

Ghost VillagesThe United Nations must protect the tens of thousands of displaced peoplethroughout the country, said Amnesty International in an e-mailed statement on April

12.

Villages have been burned and looted in the western part of the country where peopleare hiding in the bush in life- threatening conditions and without any proper food orsanitation, said Gaetan Mootoo, U.K.-based Amnestys Ivory Coast researcher. Wehave seen ghost villages with nearly no civilians.

Gbagbo will face charges on a national and international level, Ouattara said in atelevised speech yesterday. He also pledged to investigate killings committed duringthe conflict.

Ivory Coast requires $300 million in emergency aid, the UNs emergency reliefcoordinator, said yesterday in New York. We need to act now, she said. Thehumanitarian situation remains deeply troubling.

Residents ventured out of their homes yesterday to stock up on food for the first time indays. Looters ransacked shops on the main commercial street of Rue des Jardins in the


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Deux Plateaux neighborhood and were seen carrying the stolen goods, including sofasand a fake Christmas tree, on their heads and in wheelbarrows.

Theyve tried to enter into a building because a guy that supported Gbagbo is livingthere, said resident Moussa Traore. For them, its like a revenge.

In the Cocody area, three men were shot by a Republican Forces patrol at a bakery,according to Salif Attai, who witnessed the incident and said the trio stole a bag he wascarrying. The body of one of the men that was left by the roadside was wearing amilitary uniform.-------------------WFP Airlifts Life-Saving Food to Thousands in Ivory Coast (VOA)By Lisa SchleinApril 12, 2011The World Food Program says it is airlifting life-saving food aid to tens of thousands of

internally displaced people in Ivory Coast and Ivorian refugees in neighboring Liberia.The U.N. agency is also airlifting non-food items, such as telecommunicationsequipment and medicines supplied by other aid agencies.

WFP says airlifts are very costly. But, given the critical humanitarian situation in IvoryCoast, it is urgent that the food and other relief supplies be brought in as quickly aspossible.

The U.N. agency says once the emergency has lessened and the security situationimproves, it will bring in larger quantities of food by ship and by road.

Spokeswoman Emilia Casella says food this week is being airlifted from Niger and Maliinto the town of Man, in western Ivory Coast. She says two rotations on Tuesday willdeliver 30 metric tons of food and another 15 metric tons of food probably will beairlifted on Wednesday.

"We are particularly concerned and hopeful now that some people may be able toreturn and begin the planting," Casella said. "The planting season is beginning now andit really is vital that farmers can get to their land -- that they can start to plant. If theyare not able to plant their crops now, obviously the concern will be that once we cometo the harvest season, there will not be enough food for people."

Other United Nations aid agencies also are moving quickly to provide much neededhumanitarian assistance to the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by theconflict. This follows the surrender of Ivory Coast's former president, Laurent Gbagbo,to forces backing the country's elected president, Alassane Outtara.


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The U.N. Childrens Fund says its most urgent priorities include the restoration of safewater supplies and the resumption of immunization campaigns to prevent diseaseoutbreaks of cholera and measles.

UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado says the agency also aims to provide stronger

security, especially in areas where mass killings have taken place. She notes it isparticularly important to return children to school.

"Returning children back to school as quickly as possible is critical in helping childrenregain a sense of normalcy and in supporting their recovery process," Mercado said."UNICEF is preparing a distribution of school kits for over 600 schools across thecountry as soon as conditions permit.

Mercado says children who have witnessed mass killings and violence are in urgentneed of psychosocial support. She says UNICEF is providing such activities wherever

there are camps for the displaced. But, she adds, much more needs to be done.-----------------------800 Civilians Killed This Year In Southern Sudan, U.N. Says (NYT)By JOSH KRONApril 13, 2011KAMPALA, Uganda More than 800 civilians have died since January in fragmentingviolence in southern Sudan, the United Nations said Wednesday, less than threemonths before the vast, impoverished, battle-scarred region becomes its own nation.

Lise Grande, the humanitarian coordinator for the United Nations in southern Sudan,

said that the number did not take into account the many soldiers who had died inrecent fighting. It also does not reflect the continuing standoff around the contestedregion of Abyei, a conflict-ridden dividing line between north and south Sudan.

Southern Sudan held an independence referendum in early January that was morepeaceful and orderly than many experts had predicted. But in the violence that hasfollowed, 93,000 people have fled their homes, including more than 40,000 in the lastmonth, Ms. Grande said.

We have hot spots in Unity, hot spots in Jonglei, a number of problems in Lakes State;just a week ago there was an L.R.A. attack in Western Equatoria, Ms. Grande said,referring to the Lords Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group that has occupied partsof southern Sudan in the past.

The fighting has come at the hands of a patchwork of militias, renegade southernsoldiers and other armed groups. Some of the most volatile regions include Jonglei Stateand Upper Nile, where clashes among the southern army, a renegade general and


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militias have killed hundreds, including many soldiers. At one point in early March, arebel group occupied one of southern Sudans largest towns.

The Sudan Peoples Liberation Army, the southern army, acknowledges that manyhundreds have died, but says that the United Nations figure of 800 civilians is too high.

It also argues that the fighting has recently slowed.

The months of March and April have been better, said a southern militaryspokesperson, Col. Philip Aguer. To me, the insurgencies are down.

But the borders with the north, Colonel Aguer added, we cannot predict what thenorth may be planning.

Even so, Ms. Grande said, in the past month we have had a doubling in the numbers ofdisplaced. She added, When you see that kind of acceleration, we said, this is

serious.

On Tuesday, the United States said that economic sanctions would be lifted fromsouthern Sudan upon its independence, which is expected to be declared on July 9. Still,it is unclear if revenues from oil that has been piped from the south through the northwill be included.

The United States was such a player by kind of moving independence along, saidJordan Sekulow, an adviser for the southern Sudanese government in the United States.Its very important to get behind southern Sudan.

We want to say, Were open for business, Mr. Sekulow said.

Southern Sudan has some of the worlds worst roads and lowest literacy rates, and itsgovernment has struggled to keep all corners of the region and the multitude of ethnicgroups within it pacified. It is also wrestling with the continuing tensions with the northover Abyei.

Last week, the Satellite Sentinel Project, led by Google and the Enough Project,published satellite images depicting a significant northern army buildup around Abyei.The project says it also has images depicting the massing of southern-aligned forces.

Two parts of north Sudan that are traditionally more aligned toward the south havebeen awaiting special talks on their own destiny, which could further test the stabilityof the area.-----------------------Sudan arms buildup heightens oil war fears (UPI)By Unattributed Author


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April 13, 2011 at 2:28 PMJUBA, Sudan - The Khartoum government and former rebels in the newly independentsouth are beefing up their military forces along the still-to-be-defined border in Sudan,heightening fears of a new war over oil that could destabilize northeast Africa.

Imagery from civilian satellites show the buildups are most concentrated around theflashpoint Abyei region, the most disputed of the oil-producing zones and the scene ofconstant skirmishing in recent weeks.

Fighting has escalated between ethnic southern and northern tribes in the area, whichinternational observers say appears to have been fanned by the Khartoum regime in abid to seize the territory.

If serious fighting erupts, the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended morethan two decades of north-south civil war could be shattered, threatening the formal

independence of the south scheduled for July 9.

In a January referendum, the people of the Christian and animist south votedoverwhelmingly in favor of secession from the Arab dominated north.

But the vital issue of how Sudan's oil resources, essential to both sides, is to be dividedremains unresolved, with no indication that an agreement is likely any time soon. Thesouth stormed out of negotiations March 12.

Most of the oil producing zones lie in the south or in the border states of Unity, Upper

Nile and Jonglei.

The way things stand now, when July comes around, the south, governed by the SudanPeoples Liberation Movement, will take control of some three-quarters of Sudan'scurrent oil output of 500,000 barrels per day.

That will be a severe blow to the Khartoum regime of President Omar al-Bashir and hisruling National Congress Party, which depends on the oil revenue it has been making.

The oil is pumped mainly by the China National Petroleum Corp., Malaysia's PetroliamNasional and India's Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Sudan has proven reserves of 5 billionbarrels of oil.

Tension has been mounting steadily and relentlessly in recent weeks, amid deepdisagreement between Khartoum and the southern capital, Juba, and the failure of bothsides to resolve a plethora of key issues, such as revenue-sharing, border demarcationand the national debt.


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The SPLM claims the north is waging a systematic campaign of destabilization,allegations supported in large part by outside observers.

"Now that South Sudan's self-determination has been realized, long-suppressed andsimmering political disputes have resurfaced, threatening instability on the eve of

independence," the Brussels-based International Crisis Group observed April 4.

Both sides are also plagued by internal divisions, exacerbating the problems thatincreasingly appear to make a peaceful separation impossible.

Bashir is grappling with political rivals in the north who opposed partition, as well asthe prospect of an economic downturn following the south's independence.

The southern leader, Salva Kiir, is struggling with deep-rooted, long-running tribalrivalries that are becoming more pronounced now that secession has been achieved.

Northern support for renegade southern militias that are continually clashing withKiir's forces, particularly in the oil-producing zones, has complicated efforts to achievestability. This is a tactic Khartoum used during the civil war.

Paramount among these difficulties is the fate of Abyei. It had been scheduled to holdits own mini-referendum on its future status during the wider referendum on secessionin January.

But that was scrapped because north and south could not agree on who was eligible to

vote.

Observers say the Abyei crisis worsens daily. Tribes aligned with north and south are ateach other's throats over water rights or cattle rustling.

Thousands of people fled Abyei in March because of fighting that killed dozens ofcivilians.

The Satellite Sentinel Project set up by movie star George Clooney, a Sudan activist, hasprovided imagery that shows Khartoum has moved Soviet-built T-55 tanks, otherarmored vehicles and support vehicles for armored deployments at Muglad, close toAbyei's northern boundary.

Two Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunships have also been deployed. There have been reportsof overflights by Sudanese air force combat jets in recent weeks as well.

Southern forces have also been beefed up, but they lack Khartoum's firepower.


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"The introduction of heavy air and ground attack capacity by the Sudanese ArmedForces represents a significant buildup of firepower in a tense region," observed John C.Bradshaw of the satellite project.-----------------------Darfur refugees take 12 Sudan aid workers hostage (Reuters)

By Unattributed AuthorApr 13, 2011 7:00pm GMTKHARTOUM - Darfuri refugees have taken 12 Sudanese aid workers hostage in thevolatile Kalma camp, a spokesman for the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping missionUNAMID said on Wednesday, raising tension in strife-ridden west Sudan.Millions have been driven from their homes into camps and an estimated 300,000people have been killed in west Sudan's Darfur region as a result of a long-runningrevolt and government efforts to suppress it.

"The aid workers were taken on April 11 in retaliation for the arrest of an IDP

(internally displaced person) ... on April 9 by national security," said UNAMIDspokesman Chris Cycmanick.

The United Nations and leaders from Kalma Camp, in South Darfur, have mediatedand expect the aid workers to be released later on Wednesday, he said. During theincident other humanitarian groups suspended operations in the camp, he added.

Kalma Camp is one of the most politicised camps in the region, housing tens ofthousands of people who fled the fighting and refuse to go home until it is safe to do so.

The Darfur revolt broke out in 2003 when mostly non-Arab insurgents took up armsdemanding a bigger share of Sudan's wealth and power.

Khartoum unleashed a brutal counter-insurgency campaign, and tribal tensions anddeclining resources for farmers and cattle herders have complicated the conflict.

Law and order have collapsed in west Sudan where gangs of armed men rape, loot andkill with impunity. The United Nations estimates more than 2 million people have fledtheir homes and 300,000 have died.

The Darfur aid operation, the world's largest, has been hindered by governmentobstruction, expulsions, kidnappings and insecurity.

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for President OmarHassan al-Bashir for genocide and war crimes, but he denies the charges and Khartoumdoes not recognise the sovereignty of the ICC.


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In 2009 the government expelled 13 of the largest international aid agencies from Darfurand information on the aid operation has since been sparse, remaining aid workersbeing scared to speak out about conditions in the region.

Khartoum accuses the Western media of exaggeration in its reporting of the conflict.

Rebel disunity and continued military offensives have led to the failure of peace talks,and the government has been gradually reasserting control over much of the region.---------------------U.S. brings first case against alleged Somali pirate leader (CNN)By Carol CrattyApril 13, 2011 8:50 p.m. EDTWashington - An alleged Somali pirate leader has been indicted for the takeover of theyacht Quest and the kidnapping of four Americans who subsequently were killedduring the incident.

Mohammad Saaili Shibin, 50, appeared at a detention hearing in federal court inNorfolk, Virginia, on Wednesday afternoon after the indictment against him wasunsealed. He will remain in federal custody.

Pirates increasing violence to raise stakes

"Today marks the first time that the U.S. government has captured and charged analleged pirate in a leadership role -- a hostage negotiator who operated in Somalia," saidU.S. Attorney Neil MacBride in a written statement. MacBride went on to say the arrest

and charges against Shibin should "send a strong message to all pirates that they are notbeyond the reach of the FBI, whether they board the ships or remain on-shore inSomalia."

According to the indictment, one of the alleged pirates aboard the Quest identifiedShibin as the person who would negotiate the terms for the release of the fourAmericans. The document says Shibin did Internet research about the hostages on theQuest "to determine the amount of ransom to demand and the identity of familymembers of the hostages whom he could contact about the ransom."

An FBI official said Shibin was arrested in Somalia on April 4 by "host nation security."

Shibin and 14 co-conspirators are charged with piracy, conspiracy to commitkidnapping and possession and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. The menare scheduled to go on trial November 29 and they face a maximum penalty of life inprison if convicted.


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The U.S. military and an FBI negotiator had been trying to win the safe release of thehostages aboard the Quest. The February hijacking off the coast of Oman ended whensome of the pirates on the yacht allegedly shot and killed Americans Scott and JeanAdam, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle.------------------------

UN News Service Africa BriefsFull Articles on UN Website

Sudan: UN welcomes agreement on implementation of pact on Abyei dispute

13 April The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) today welcomed the decisionby both sides in the disputed area of Abyei to form a joint committee to oversee theimplementation of an earlier agreement on the withdrawal of unauthorized armedforces from the area.

UN-backed forum identifies areas of common ground on ending Somalias transition

13 April A United Nations-backed meeting on Somalia concluded today withparticipants agreeing on the need to strengthen security and redouble efforts to combatextremism in the Horn of Africa nation, as well as complete a number of tasks beforethe transitional period ends in August.

Cte dIvoire: Security Council calls for formation of an all-inclusive Government

13 April The Security Council today encouraged the President of Cte dIvoire,Alassane Ouattara, to form an all-inclusive, broad-based Government now that he isassuming his responsibilities as head of State following the surrender of hispredecessor, who had until this week refused to cede power after his defeat in lastyears presidential poll.

Darfur: UN helps to secure release of Sudanese aid workers taken hostage at camp

13 April United Nations officials have helped to secure the release of 12 Sudanese aidworkers who were taken hostage by a youth group at a camp for internally displacedpersons (IDPs) in the war-torn Darfur region.

AFRICOM Related News Clips 14 April 2011

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