AFRICOM Related News Clips 2 NOV 2011

8/3/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 2 NOV 2011

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

United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office2 November 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command andAfrica, along with upcoming events of interest for November 2, 2011.

Of interest in todays clips:

In Somalia, the FBI is looking into the possibility that a recent suicide bomber may havebeen a Somali-American man from Minneapolis, according to the BBC.

In Sudan, Al Jazeera reports that hundreds have been killed in border violence, and theUN News Service shares how the UN and the new South Sudan Government are workingto reduce child mortality rates.

NATO's mission in Libya officially came to an end Monday night, according to AlJazeera, which also reports that Libya's National Transitional Council has named aninterim prime minister to replace Mahmoud Jibril.

According to Reuters, Mozambique may have much more natural gas reserves thanpreviously thought; Britain's Cove Energy believes the offshore Rovuma block it isexploring has an upside potential of 40 trillion cubic feet of gas, almost triple the 11 tcf that has already been proven to exist.

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

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

FBI Seeks Evidence American Man Was Behind Suicide Attack in Somalia(Associated Press)http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/ 31 October 2011
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/mailto:[email protected]


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The FBI is working to obtain the remains of a suicide bomber in Somalia, to try todetermine whether he was one of at least 21 young Somali-American men believed tohave left Minneapolis in recent years to join the terrorist group al-Shabab.

UN Security Council concern over Libya arms stockpile (BBC News)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15531816 1 November 2011The United Nations Security Council has expressed "concern" over the fate of themassive weapons stockpile built up in Libya under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.The council called on Libya and its neighbours to stamp out the proliferation of lootedarms.

'Hundreds' killed in Sudan clashes (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011103123262662976.html 1 November 2011Hundreds of SPLM-North fighters were killed in clashes with the Sudanese army in

South Kordofan state, local governor Ahmed Haroun said.Uganda criticised for opposition crackdown (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/201111143727860381.html 1 November 2011Amnesty International has criticised Ugandan authorities for placing ever-tighter"illegitimate restrictions" on freedom of assembly and peaceful assembly.

Libya's NTC names interim prime minister (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011103118460574109.html 1 November 2011Libyas Transitional National Council (NTC) has chosen Abdurrahim El Keib as thecountrys new interim prime minister to replace Mahmoud Jibril.

NATO officially ends Libya mission (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111031145037573585.html 31 October 2011NATO has formally announced the end of its military campaign in Libya, seven monthsafter launching an air and sea operation under a UN Security Council mandate to protectcivilians there.

Nigerian court rejects challenge to Jonathan win (Reuters) http://www.fox4kc.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-nigeria-election-challengetre7a02ti-20111101,0,4352674.story 1 November 2011By Camillus EbohA Nigerian court rejected a challenge to President Goodluck Jonathan's victory in anApril election and rejected demands by the main opposition party for a recount in severalareas of the country.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15531816http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15531816http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011103123262662976.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011103123262662976.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/201111143727860381.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/201111143727860381.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011103118460574109.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011103118460574109.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111031145037573585.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111031145037573585.htmlhttp://www.fox4kc.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-nigeria-election-challengetre7a02ti-20111101,0,4352674.storyhttp://www.fox4kc.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-nigeria-election-challengetre7a02ti-20111101,0,4352674.storyhttp://www.fox4kc.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-nigeria-election-challengetre7a02ti-20111101,0,4352674.storyhttp://www.fox4kc.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-nigeria-election-challengetre7a02ti-20111101,0,4352674.storyhttp://www.fox4kc.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-nigeria-election-challengetre7a02ti-20111101,0,4352674.storyhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111031145037573585.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011103118460574109.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/201111143727860381.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011103123262662976.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15531816


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Cove Energy says Mozambique block may have 40 TFC of gas (Reuters)http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/01/africa-oil-cove-idUSL5E7M10VU20111101 1 November 2011Britain's Cove Energy PLC believes its offshore Mozambique Rovuma block it isexploring has an upside potential of 40 trillion cubic feet of gas, almost triple the 11 tcf it

has proven, the company's chairman said on Tuesday.

Nigeria military seizes ship with 5,000 tonnes of stolen oil (Codewit News) http://www.codewit.com/africa/3694-nigeria-military-seizes-ship-with-5000-tonnes-of-stolen-oil 1 November 2011Nigeria's military said Monday it has seized a ship laden with 5,000 tonnes of stolen oiland 30 barges amid rising cases of crude theft in one of the world's main oil producingregions.

The African population disaster (Cyprus Mail)

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/un/african-population-disaster/20111101 1 November 2011According to the United Nations, the worlds population passed the seven billion mark atthe end of October, and there was much tutting and shaking of heads over its predictionthat we will be ten billion by the end of the century

Should Human Rights Groups Support an Army? (Huffington Post)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-healey/human-rights-military-intervention_b_1068269.html 31 October 2011By Jack HealeyAs a 50-year veteran of the human rights movement, I was surprised to hear human rightsgroups' responses to President Obama's recent announcement that the U.S. would send100 military advisers to central Africa to aid the fight against the Lord's ResistanceArmy.

South Sudan: UN and Govt in Joint Effort to Reduce Maternal Mortality (UN NewsService)http://allafrica.com/stories/201111010060.html 31 October 2011A joint initiative of the United Nations and South Sudan is aiming to reduce maternalmortality by deploying midwives throughout the country, providing locals with thenecessary skills to safely deliver babies, and improving the health facilities available tothe wider population.

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UN News Service Africa Briefs
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/01/africa-oil-cove-idUSL5E7M10VU20111101http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/01/africa-oil-cove-idUSL5E7M10VU20111101http://www.codewit.com/africa/3694-nigeria-military-seizes-ship-with-5000-tonnes-of-stolen-oilhttp://www.codewit.com/africa/3694-nigeria-military-seizes-ship-with-5000-tonnes-of-stolen-oilhttp://www.codewit.com/africa/3694-nigeria-military-seizes-ship-with-5000-tonnes-of-stolen-oilhttp://www.cyprus-mail.com/un/african-population-disaster/20111101http://www.cyprus-mail.com/un/african-population-disaster/20111101http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-healey/human-rights-military-intervention_b_1068269.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-healey/human-rights-military-intervention_b_1068269.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-healey/human-rights-military-intervention_b_1068269.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201111010060.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201111010060.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201111010060.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-healey/human-rights-military-intervention_b_1068269.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-healey/human-rights-military-intervention_b_1068269.htmlhttp://www.cyprus-mail.com/un/african-population-disaster/20111101http://www.codewit.com/africa/3694-nigeria-military-seizes-ship-with-5000-tonnes-of-stolen-oilhttp://www.codewit.com/africa/3694-nigeria-military-seizes-ship-with-5000-tonnes-of-stolen-oilhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/01/africa-oil-cove-idUSL5E7M10VU20111101


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

South Sudan: Ban welcomes Japans contribution of engineers to UN mission 1 November Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon today welcomed Japans decision tocontribute an engineering company to the United Nations peacekeeping force in South

Sudan, saying the unit will boost the missions capacity to assist the Government to buildbasic infrastructure and extend State authority.

South Sudan: UN mission voices deep concern after deadly attack by rebels1 November The United Nations has dispatched peacekeepers and medical staff to thenorth of South Sudan after members of a rebel group attacked a town at the weekend,killing nearly a dozen people and burning a number of homes.

Libya: UN official urges quick international assistance for mine action1 November The United Nations official coordinating efforts to ensure that Libya isfree from the threat of landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) following

the recent conflict today urged the international community to quickly provide therequired assistance for the work to start.

Somalia: UN envoy calls for African peacekeeping force to reach full strength1 November The United Nations envoy for Somalia has stressed the need to bring thestrength of the African Union peacekeeping force in the Horn of Africa country to the12,000 troops mandated by the Security Council, adding that the force also needs thecapacity to deal with unconventional tactics of war.

Security Council calls on Libyan authorities to stem proliferation of arms1 November The Security Council has called on interim authorities in Libya to takeaction to prevent the proliferation of arms, missiles and related materiel, warning of thedanger they pose to the newly liberated North African country and the wider region

(Full Articles on UN Website)

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Upcoming Events of Interest:

2 NOV 2011

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. 2 NOV 2011WHAT: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on "Women and the Arab Spring."WHO: Witnesses: Panel I: Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at- Large for Global WomensIssues United States Department of State; Dr. Tamara Wittes, Deputy Assistant Secretaryfor Near Eastern Affairs and Deputy Special Coordinator for Middle East TransitionsUnited States Department of State; Panel II: Ms. Manal Omar, Director of Iraq, Iran, and
http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA


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North Africa Programs, United States Institute of Peace; Ms. Mahnaz Afkhami,President, Womens Learning Partnership (WLP); and Professor Sandra Bunn -Livingstone, Esq., President and CEO Freedom.WHERE: Room 419 Senate Dirksen Building, Washington, D.C.CONTACT: 202-224-4651; web site: http://foreign.senate.gov

SOURCE: http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473a

WHEN: 3:00 p.m. 2 NOV 2011WHAT: House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on " U.S. Policy Toward Zimbabwe."WHO: Witnesses: Panel I: Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State; and Ms. Sharon Cromer, Senior DeputyAssistant Administrator, Bureau for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development;Panel II: Mr. Mark Schneider, Senior Vice President, International Crisis Group; Mr.Paul Fagan, Regional Director for Africa, International Republican Institute; and Mr.Dewa Mavhinga, Regional Coordinator, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition

WHERE: Room 2200 Rayburn House Building, Washington, D.C.CONTACT: 202-225-5021; web site: http://foreignaffairs.house.govSOURCE: http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1374

3 NOV 2011

WHEN: Thursday, November 3, 2011, 6:00 p.m.WHAT: Panel discussion on We the People: Islam and U.S. Politics WHO: Camille Alick, Muslims on Screen & TV; Joel Brinkley, Stanford U., MichaelWolfe, Unity Productions Foundation and Vincent Barletta, Stanford UniversityWHERE: Cubberley Auditorium School of Education, 485 Lasuen Mall, StanfordUniversityCONTACT: 650-736-8169 or e-mail: [email protected] contact: http://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/

4 NOV 2011

WHEN: 9:00 10:30 a.m. 4 NOV 2011WHAT: Brookings Institution Discussion on Human Rights and the Arab Awakening:Assessing the United Nations Response."WHO: Speakers: Introduction and Moderator Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow and DeputyDirector, Foreign Policy; Keynote Speakers Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, U.S.Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council, U.S. Department of State; and Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the HighCommissioner for Human Rights, United Nations.WHERE: Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW,Washington, D.C.CONTACT: [email protected] or 202-797-6105; web site: www.brookings.eduSOURCE: Brookings Institution event announcement at:http://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspx
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1374http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1374http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1374http://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/http://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/http://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/http://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1374http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473ahttp://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=bcfd5605-5056-a032-5280-ac3b5f24473a


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New on www.africom.mil

Kenyan Soldiers Train, Prepare for Civil Affairs Missionhttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7381&lang=0 1 November 2011By U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Marc I. Lane, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Public Affairs OfficeEMBAKASI, Kenya, Nov 1, 2011 Nineteen Kenyan Army engineers from multipleunits finished a five-day civil affairs field training exercise at the Amani PeaceOperations Training Village in Embakasi, Kenya, October 21, 2011.

Wounded Libyan Rebel Fighters to Receive U.S. Medical Carehttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7375&lang=0 1 November 2011By Lauren Monsen, U.S. Department of StateWASHINGTON, D.C., Nov 1, 2011 The United States brought 24 wounded Libyanrebel fighters to a medical treatment center in Boston for advanced critical care that theycould not receive in Libya.Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panettaannounced the humanitarian assistance October 27, a week after Libyans ended the 42-year regime of dictator Moammar Qadhafi.

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FBI Seeks Evidence American Man Was Behind Suicide Attack in Somalia(Associated Press)http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/ 31 October 2011

The FBI is working to obtain the remains of a suicide bomber in Somalia, to try todetermine whether he was one of at least 21 young Somali-American men believed tohave left Minneapolis in recent years to join the terrorist group al-Shabab.

If the remains are confirmed to belong to Abdisalan Hussein Ali, it will mark the thirdtime someone from Minnesota has been involved in a suicide attack in Somalia.
http://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.brookings.edu/events/2011/1104_un_arab_awakening.aspxhttp://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7381&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7381&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7375&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7375&lang=0http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/31/fbi-seeks-evidence-american-man-was-behind-suicide-attack-in-somalia/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7375&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7381&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/


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"I don't understand," said Nimco Ahmed, a Somali community activist in Minnesota,home to the nation's largest Somali population. "It's really, really painful to actually seeone of the kids who has a bright future ahead of them do this. ... It's a loss for our wholesociety."

Al-Shabab said over the weekend that Abdisalan Taqabalahullaah, whom they identifiedas a Somali-American, carried out the suicide attack Saturday against an African Unionbase in Mogadishu. The attack killed 10 people, including the two suicide bombers, aMogadishu-based security official said.

The militia group posted online a recording purported to be Taqabalahullaah, calling onothers to carry out a jihad. Omar Jamal, first secretary of the Somali mission to theUnited Nations, said friends of Abdisalan Hussein Ali listened to the recording andidentified the voice as Ali's.

But other friends told Minnesota Public Radio News the voice is not Ali's, saying his

English doesn't match the man's on the recording.E.K. Wilson, the supervisory special agent who oversees the FBI's investigation inMinneapolis, said the agency is in the process of trying to obtain DNA samples fortesting.

Ali, a U.S. citizen known by friends in Minneapolis as "Bullethead," was 19 when he leftMinnesota in November 2008. He had graduated from Edison High School inMinneapolis the year before. At the time of his disappearance, his family told reporters hewas studying health care at the University of Minnesota.

At the Ali family's apartment building in Minneapolis on Monday, a woman whoidentified herself as Ali's older sister but declined to give her name said the family knewonly what it had seen in the news. They hadn't heard from Abdisalan or anyone else inSomalia, she said.

According to a missing persons report filed in his case, Ali's mother and a cousin toldpolice he left his home on the morning of Nov. 4, 2008, to pray and go to school -- as washis normal routine -- but never returned. Ali's car was left at his house, and his cell phonehad been turned off, the report said. Police reported that "for an unknown reason" thefamily thought Ali might have left Minnesota by plane.

Authorities said Ali and five other young men left Minneapolis in early November 2008.Ali went to Somalia, according to a July 2010 indictment that charges him with fivecounts, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

Over the past three years, Minnesota has been the center of a federal investigation intothe recruitment of people from the U.S. to train or fight with al-Shabab in Somalia, whichhasn't had a functioning government since 1991.


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Shirwa Ahmed, 26, of Minneapolis, became the first known American suicide bomber inSomalia when he blew himself up in October 2008 in the northern breakaway republic of Somaliland, as part of a series of coordinated explosions that killed 21 people. On May30 of this year, Farah Mohamed Beledi, 27, of St. Paul, was one of two suicide bomberswho carried out an attack in Mogadishu. Beledi was shot before he could detonate his

suicide vest.

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UN Security Council concern over Libya arms stockpile (BBC News)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15531816 1 November 2011

The United Nations Security Council has expressed "concern" over the fate of themassive weapons stockpile built up in Libya under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

The council called on Libya and its neighbours to stamp out the proliferation of lootedarms.

It was worried they could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda and other militant groups.

Many weapons were destroyed in Nato operations, which ended at midnight on Monday.

However, officials said it was not clear how many were still in circulation.

The resolution, drafted by Russia and adopted unanimously, said that a huge stockpile of shoulder-fired missiles, which had been accumulated by Col Gaddafi, could still pose athreat to passenger aircraft.

It emphasised that the "proliferation of all arms... in particular, man-portable surface-to-air missiles, in the region, could fuel terrorist activities, including those of al-Qaida in theIslamic Maghreb".

The resolution also called on the new Libyan government to destroy chemical weapons inco-ordination with international authorities.

The vote came as Nato formally ended its seven-month air campaign. The missionformally came to an end at one minute to midnight Libyan time (21:59 GMT) onMonday.

Operations began under a UN Security Council mandate to protect civilians on theevening of 19 March, as Col Gaddafi's forces moved to crush the uprising in the easternrebel-held city of Benghazi.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15531816http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15531816http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15531816


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

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen - in Tripoli to mark the end of the mission - said

Nato's military forces had prevented a massacre and saved countless lives.

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

Mr Rasmussen had talks with National Transitional Council (NTC) leaders about Libya'sfuture and the roadmap for transition to democracy.

"You've acted to change your history and your destiny; we acted to protect you. Togetherwe succeeded," he said at a news conference.

"The future of free Libya is finally firmly in your hands."NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil expressed Libya's gratitude for the help receivedfrom Nato forces and other foreign forces, as well as the Libyan rebel forces.

'Pose a threat'

The UN resolution on preventing the proliferation of looted arms was drafted by Russiaamid mounting fears they could fall into the hands of militants, including groupsconnected to al-Qaeda.

It expresses particular concern about Col Gaddafi's vast stockpile of shoulder-firedsurface-to-air missiles.

Many are old Soviet-style rockets, but they could still pose a threat to passenger aircraft.The resolution calls on Libya's government to take all necessary steps to stop theproliferation of arms, and says neighbouring states should draw up measures to preventsmuggling.

Many - but not all - of Col Gaddafi's weapons and storage facilities were destroyed byNato air strikes, and there is no clear idea of how many may be now be in circulation, ourcorrespondent adds.

Last week, the Security Council heard that international inspectors were working toidentify storage areas, but that hundreds of suspected sites still needed to be visited.

Fifteen US explosives experts are on the ground, with numbers expected to rise to 100.

Rivalries


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Coinciding with the official end of the Nato air campaign, the transitional authoritiesnamed a new prime minister - Tripoli academic Abdurrahim al-Keib.

This comes days after the NTC declared Libya "liberated" following Col Gaddafi's death.

The NTC wants a national congress to be elected within eight months, and for multi-partyelections to be held in 2013.

Mr Keib, an academic specialising in electrical engineering and based in Tripoli, beateight other candidates to receive 26 of the 51 votes from members of the NTC.

The BBC's Katya Adler in Tripoli say Mr Keib is seen as a consensus candidate andLibyans will be hoping he can help smooth out regional and other rivalries within theNTC.

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'Hundreds' killed in Sudan clashes (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011103123262662976.html 1 November 2011

Hundreds of SPLM-North fighters were killed in clashes with the Sudanese army inSouth Kordofan state, local governor Ahmed Haroun said.

"Several hundred members of the movement were killed this day in an assault on the cityof Teludi that was repelled by the armed forces," the governor of South Kordofan, an oil-producing state and scene of frequent clashes, said on Monday.

An army spokesman, Sawarmi Khaled Saad, said "this morning more than 700 rebelfighters together with 12 officers tried to attack Teludi (east of the provincial capitalKadugli) to occupy it."

"The armed forces waited for the invaders to arrive on three fronts with equipment and onseveral vehicles, but in an hour the armed forces and popular defence forces beat back theattack, causing heavy losses," he said.

South Kordofan remained under Khartoum's northern administration when South Sudanbecame independent in July, but violent clashes since June have pitted Nuba rebels onceallied to southern rebels against the Sudanese army.

It is located on the border between Sudan and the new state of South Sudan, run by theSudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The clashes first erupted when the Khartoum government tried to disarm militiamen inthe ethnically divided state, saying it would not tolerate the existence of two armieswithin its borders after the south separated.
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Uganda criticised for opposition crackdown (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/201111143727860381.html

1 November 2011

Amnesty International has criticised Ugandan authorities for placing ever-tighter"illegitimate restrictions" on freedom of assembly and peaceful assembly.

The UK-based rights organisation, in a report on Monday, said that the authorities' lack of tolerance towards their critics is leading to repressive policies towards oppositionpoliticians, along with restrictions on media and rights activists.

This came as Ugandan police released opposition leader Kizza Besigye, hours afterdetaining him for the second time in a month, but warned they would keep detaining him

if he continued to take part in protests against surging prices.Besigye was mobbed by supporters after he walked free from the Kasangati police stationon the outskirts of the capital, Kampala, and drove off in his car, a witness said. A policespokesperson confirmed Besigye's release.

"The Ugandan authorities are creating a climate where it is becoming increasinglydifficult for people to freely criticise government officials, their policies or practices,"Godfrey Odongo, Amnesty International's Uganda researcher, said in a statement.

The government has banned public protest, is introducing further restrictive legislation onpublic meetings and media, and has threatened to scrap pre-trial bail for involvement inpeaceful protest.

Serious threat

Opposition activists have sought in past weeks to revive street demonstrations against thesurging rate of inflation in east Africa's third biggest economy after a wave of deadlyprotests in April and May were crushed by President Yoweri Museveni.

The protest movement, led by the Activists 4 Change (A4C) group, has struggled to rallylarge numbers since then, mainly because Besigye has largely stayed away fromdemonstrations or been prevented from participating.

Political analysts say the latest bout of civil action is unlikely to grow into a serious threatto the government given the international community's muted response to the previouscrackdown.

But some backers of Besigye, defeated by Museveni at the ballot box for the third time inFebruary, vowed not to cave in to government pressure.


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"The police have shown they are determined to violate (Besigye's) rights and we aresaying we will be with him every time he walks," said 29-year-old Martin Lutalo.

Uganda's police force said last week it would keep Besigye under house arrest until he

promised to stop participating in the anti-government protests. A Ugandan court said thatwould be illegal.

"Definitely, we will arrest him if he attempts to walk again," Kaweesi said on Monday.

In power for 25 years, Museveni was initially credited with restoring the rule of law andfixing a broken economy but analysts and opposition politicians have since accused himof becoming increasingly autocratic and seeking to be president for life.

Museveni blames the high consumer prices on outside pressures.

###Libya's NTC names interim prime minister (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/2011103118460574109.html 1 November 2011

Libyas Transitional National Council (NTC) has chosen Abdurrahim El Keib as thecountrys new interim prime minister to replace Mahmoud Jibril.

"This transition period has its own challenges. One thing we will be doing is workingvery closely with the NTC and listening to the Libyan people," El Keib said on Mondayafter his appointment was determined by members of the transitional council.

"We salute and remember the revolutionaries who we will never forget. We will notforget their families. I say to them that the NTC did not and will not forget them and alsothe coming government will do the same," he added.

El Keib, an electrical engineer and professor at the university of Tripoli, garnered 26votes out of the total of 51 votes, and said that he expected to choose his cabinet ministerswithin two weeks.

"We said we would (elect a cabinet) a month from the liberation. We have two weeks leftand we intend to meet that deadline," he said.

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the NTC chairman, did not run, while former interim PM Jibrilfulfilled a promise to resign after Libya was declared officially "liberated" after the fall of Gaddafi's hometown Sirte.

The NTC has promised to hold elections after eight months for a national assembly thatwill spend a year drawing up a new constitution before a parliamentary poll.


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Big challenges ahead

Jalal el-Gallal, an NTC spokesman, said the NTC wanted to form a new interimgovernment after the fall of Gaddafi because its initial members started out as an

impromptu group.

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting Tripoli, said that El Keib;s appointment was asignificant boost for Jalil.

"El Keib, an electrical engineer and also an NTC representative from Tripoli, enjoysstrong support from within the members of NTC," he said.

"It is expected, this man with so much support will be able to overcome some of majorobstacles, particularly in the appointment and choosing of members for key ministrieslike oil, defence, finance and interior."

Our correspondent said: "You are talking about somebody who has potential toimplement tough decisions particularly in convincing NTC fighters to join the army andpolice force, and implement law and order in the capital and across the country."

"Libya has to draft a constitution, elect a national assembly and it has to decide whatgovernance system it wants, and for all these it needs a person like El Keib who has alarge support base."

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NATO officially ends Libya mission (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111031145037573585.html 31 October 2011

NATO has formally announced the end of its military campaign in Libya, seven monthsafter launching an air and sea operation under a UN Security Council mandate to protectcivilians there.

"It's great to be in Libya, free Libya," Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the NATO secretarygeneral, told a media conference in the capital Tripoli.

"At midnight tonight a successful chapter in NATO history will come to an end. Youhave already started writing a new chapter in Libya's history," he said.

Secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Al Jazeera that NATO's mission hadbeen a great success

"We acted to protect you. Together we succeeded. Libya is finally free, from Benghazi toBrega, from Misrata to the Western Mountains and to Tripoli.


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"We discussed the successful mission that NATO and partners conducted over last sevenmonths to save people of Libya." Rasmussen said he was proud of the part NATO hadplayed in the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year old rule.

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the NTC chairman, thanked Rasmussen for the successful operationon the behalf of the Libyan people.

"Today, we have achieved victory by the grace of God and a resolution has been handedto put an end to NATO operation by midnight," Jalil said.

Rasmussen told Al Jazeera that members of the alliance were free to give further securityaid to Libya individually.

Costly venture

The secretary general had announced last week that mission would end on Monday,calling it "one of the most successful" operations in the history of the 62-year-oldalliance.

NATO stuck to its decision to end the operation despite NTC requests for it to stayengaged longer and some analysts have said it could have assisted in the transition todemocracy by helping with security sector reform.

NATO took over the mission on March 31, based on a UN mandate [Resolution 1973]that set a no-fly zone over Libya and permitted foreign military forces, including NATO,to use "all necessary measures" to protect Libyan civilians.

The alliance's members have been keen to see a conclusion to a costly effort that hasinvolved more than 26,000 air sorties and round-the-clock naval patrols at a time whenbudgets are under severe strain due to the global economic crisis.

Fourteen NATO members and four other states provided naval and air forces, but onlyeight NATO nations took part in combat missions. Some large NATO states, notablyGermany, had opposed the intervention.

Non-NATO member Qatar played a major role in the entire mission and helpedextensively in humanitarian operations.

###

Nigerian court rejects challenge to Jonathan win (Reuters) http://www.fox4kc.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-nigeria-election-challengetre7a02ti-20111101,0,4352674.story 1 November 2011By Camillus Eboh
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ABUJA - A Nigerian court rejected a challenge to President Goodluck Jonathan's victoryin an April election and rejected demands by the main opposition party for a recount inseveral areas of the country.

Jonathan was declared winner of the April 16 election with 59 percent of the vote. But hisnearest rival, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, who polled 32 percent, refusedto accept the outcome.

Buhari's Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) party filed a petition to challenge theresult in May, arguing that the vote was marred by irregularities.

"The petition fails in its entirety and is hereby dismissed," Justice Kumai Akaahs told thecourt Tuesday, reading out a unanimous decision by five judges.

The CPC said electoral commission computers were rigged to sway the count against

Buhari, a northern Muslim, in parts of the north, and that the ruling People's DemocraticParty (PDP) vote was inflated in some of its southern strongholds.

"The result of the election was not successfully challenged," Akaahs said. "The thirdrespondent (Jonathan) scored the majority lawful votes cast at the election."

"It is clear that the burden of proof of the allegations contained in the petition, be itcriminal or for substantial non-compliance, rests with the petitioner. The petitioner didnot discharge this burden."

The CPC's national chairman Tony Momoh said it would appeal the decision.

Election observers and most Nigerians say the vote was the most credible for decades inAfrica's most populous nation, which had experienced virtually nothing but military ruleand rigged elections for the past half-century.

It also highlighted rifts between the predominantly Muslim north and the largelyChristian south.

Rioting erupted in largely Muslim opposition strongholds in the north after the victory of Jonathan, a Christian from the south, was announced. Churches, mosques, homes andshops were set ablaze and at least 500 people were killed.

Although Buhari was ahead in almost all of the states in northern Nigeria, Jonathan alsopicked up millions of votes in the region, giving him a credible national mandate.

Yet the PDP's parliamentary majority has been reduced and it also lost control of severalstates in governorship races held 10 days after the presidential vote.

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Cove Energy says Mozambique block may have 40 TFC of gas (Reuters)http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/01/africa-oil-cove-idUSL5E7M10VU20111101 1 November 2011

CAPE TOWN- Britain's Cove Energy PLC believes its offshore Mozambique Rovumablock it is exploring has an upside potential of 40 trillion cubic feet of gas, almost triplethe 11 tcf it has proven, the company's chairman said on Tuesday.

"We believe to date that we have already proven up more than 11 tcf, however Coveestimates the overall potential of the (Rovuma offshore Mozambique) block only to bemore 40 tcf . and the total potential for East Africa is easily 100 tcf," Michael Blaha,executive chairman of Cove Energy, told an African oil and gas conference on Tuesday.

Oil and gas companies, including U.S. firm Anadarko , are flocking to the southernAfrican nation following huge gas finds.

Blaha said the first gas from Mozambique was eyed for 2018, with the first LNG gastrains likely to supply the growing Asian market.

"The Mozambique LNG project alone could be a game-changer for the LNG industry,"he said.

###

Nigeria military seizes ship with 5,000 tonnes of stolen oil (Codewit News) http://www.codewit.com/africa/3694-nigeria-military-seizes-ship-with-5000-tonnes-of-stolen-oil 1 November 2011

YENAGOA, Nigeria Nigeria's military said Monday it has seized a ship laden with5,000 tonnes of stolen oil and 30 barges amid rising cases of crude theft in one of theworld's main oil producing regions.

The spokesman of the Joint Task Force deployed in the Niger Delta, Lieutenant ColonelTimothy Antigha, said in a statement they impounded a "vessel engaged in the lifting of illegally refined petroleum products" in Bayelsa state on Friday.

He said they arrested the two-member crew on the Nigerian-flagged ship.

In a separate raid conducted at the weekend along Imo River which lies on the border of nearby Rivers and Abia states, the military reported seizing 30 barges with unspecifiedquantities of crude and illegally refined oil.
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"The JTF have discovered that there is a booming trade in the stolen crude oil andillegally refined petroleum products along Imo River, which recently caused a multi-national oil company to suspend production in the area," said Antigha.

Stolen crude and illegally refined petroleum products are regularly exported and sold on

the lucrative black market.

Thieves often sabotage pipelines in order to gain access to crude, resulting in oil spills.

The military said it has arrested dozens of suspected oil thieves in recent months anddestroyed some 2,000 illegal make-shift refineries.

Seven Nigerians and two Ghanaians were this month sentenced to 10 years on each of nine charges filed against them by Nigeria's anti-graft agency for illegal dealing inpetroleum products.

###The African population disaster (Cyprus Mail)http://www.cyprus-mail.com/un/african-population-disaster/20111101 1 November 2011

ACCORDING to the United Nations, the worlds po pulation passed the seven billionmark at the end of October, and there was much tutting and shaking of heads over itsprediction that we will be ten billion by the end of the century. But almost nobody willhave the temerity to point out that this is almost entirely an African problem.

The United Nations Population Funds own numbers tell the story. Africa currently hasone- seventh of the worlds people: just over one billion. But during the rest of thecentury, the UN agency predicts, this single continent will add an extra 2.6 billion people,more than tripling in population, while all the rest of the world adds just half a billion.

If it werent for the African population boom, the worlds population would never exceed7.5 billion. That is still probab ly twice as many people as the planets resources couldsupport comfortably for more than a couple of generations but birth rates are falling tobelow replacement level in most places. If that were happening in Africa too, the globalpopulation could be headed back down well before 2100.

It isnt happening in Africa, or at least not nearly fast enough. Nor is the UN naivelyprojecting current birth rates into the indefinite future. It assumes that the current averagefertility rate for the African continent of 4.6 children per woman will fall to only threechildren per woman by 2045, though some countries Niger, Mali and Uganda, forexample will continue to have higher birth rates.

The problem is that replacement level is 2.2 children per woman. Africa may well reachthat level by late in the century, but the population growth will continue for a further 30-
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40 years, until the last generation from the baby-boom days has grown up and had itsown 2.2 children per family. So a total African population of 3.6 billion by the end of thecentury a third of the human race is probably as good as it is going to get.

If African birth-rates do not decline steeply, it could be a great deal worse. If the current

rate of African population growth persisted, we would have a global total of fifteenbillion people by the end of the century, with about half of them crammed into that singlecontinent. But lets go with the optimistic assumption that there will be only ten billionof us.

What will the African population boom mean for the rest of the world, and for Africaitself? It may be a surprisingly self-contained disaster.

An Africa that more than triples its population during the rest of this century willcertainly still be the worlds poorest continent at the end of it. Even the currentimprovement in economic growth rates in many African countries is largely cancelled out

by population growth: few countries are seeing significant rises in per capita income.If Africans stay poor, then their impact on the rest of the world will be slight. They willnot become major consumers of resources imported from elsewhere, because they cannotafford them. Even their impact on the global environment, while not negligible, will bequite limited. It is high-income consumers of energy, manufactured goods and processedfoods who really count when it comes to global issues like climate change.

Three hundred million Americans have more effect on the global environment thanwould three billion Africans living more or less in their present style. Subsistence farmersmostly affect the local environment, even when there are a lot of them. If they degradetheir land, pollute their rivers and destroy their forests, the damage they do is mostly tothemselves. Urban slum dwellers do even less damage to the global environment.

If no miracle intervenes, the African continent is going to have a very hard time in thiscentury. It is already the only continent to experience recurrent famines, and they willprobably get much worse. Civil wars and massacres are already more frequent in Africathan anywhere else, and that too will get worse, because people under great pressurerarely behave well.

What, if anything, can be done about this? Even a big push to make contraceptionavailable to the hundred million African women who do not now have easy access to itwould not substantially change the outcome at this point. Only a brutally enforced one-child policy like Chinas could do that, and it is simply impossible to believe that thiscould be done in any African state.

Africans have done nothing wrong, nor indeed is their birth-rate higher than those onother continents at various past times. But there is only a limited time available to get thebirth-rate down once modern medicine and sanitation have brought the death-rate down.


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Grow fast enough economically, and your people will have smaller families as they getmore prosperous. Stay poor for too long, and population growth will overwhelm you. Forvarious reasons, none of them their own fault, Africans have stayed poor for too long.Individual countries can still save themselves, and some will, but the continent as a wholeprobably cannot.

Few Africans will say that because its too painful to contemplate, and few outsiders willsay it because it is politically incorrect. But a lot of people know it.

Gwynne Dyer is a London-based independent journalist whose articles are published in45 countries.

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Should Human Rights Groups Support an Army? (Huffington Post)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-healey/human-rights-military-

intervention_b_1068269.html 31 October 2011By Jack Healey

As a 50-year veteran of the human rights movement, I was surprised to hear human rightsgroups' responses to President Obama's recent announcement that the U.S. would send100 military advisers to central Africa to aid the fight against the Lord's Resistance Army(LRA).

Extreme pro-interventionist groups, such as the ENOUGH Project, unequivocallycheered the decision as an "important step towards a more effective approach" and calledfor the U.S. to provide an additional "surge of military, intelligence, logistical, anddiplomatic support." Tom Malinowski from the more moderate Human Rights Watchcommented in the New York Times that Human Rights Watch had "been advocating forsuch a deployment."

This endorsement of military action illustrates a lot about how the human rightsmovement has changed. During the Cold War, when I was the executive director of Amnesty International U.S.A., special caution was made to ensure that we were a neutralvoice in conflict. In fact, in the early days of Amnesty International, members would sendan equal number of letters supporting political prisoners in the communist, capitalist andthird world blocs.

When the Cold War ended, political distinctions were less clear and the human rightsmovement began to strategize around how to leverage power to hold human rightsabusers accountable. This turn presented new challenges for those who advocateuniversal human rights. Who would be the enforcer of global accountability? For thoseskeptical of any one country having the power of enforcement the International CriminalCourt seemed to be a good solution. However, others were comfortable leveraging
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unilateral U.S. action. The conversation around Obama's recent deployment illustrates thechallenges of this new approach.

There is no question as to the wickedness of the Lords Resistance Army. However, themilitaries of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African

Republic, and South Sudan themselves have very spotty human rights records. Aftersupporting U.S. military advisers to these countries, the human rights community nowhas a vested interest in portraying their mission as a success. What does it mean when thegroups that are supposed to be referees now have a horse in the race? Who will make thecondemning declarations if the well-intentioned training that the U.S. is providing is usedagainst the innocent? The problem of vested interests goes deeper.

For the United States, this mission is not strictly humanitarian. As Jendayi Frazer, theformer Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, recently noted on Public RadioInternational, the U.S. military advisers are partly a reward to the Ugandan military forbeing a good ally to the United States in its global war on terror. There is a danger when

human rights groups ally themselves too closely with U.S. security interests that theymay lose their legitimacy as neutral actors.

The United States' position in this effort becomes increasingly muddied when understoodin the context of renewed focus by the U.S. military on the continent of Africa. In 2008,for the first time in history, the United States set up a military command solely to monitorits operations in Africa. AFRICOM was created to help facilitate the U.S. war on terror inAfrica but also to secure access to natural resources. (The United States now gets more of its oil from Africa than it does from the Middle East while many of Africa's most oil richregions suffer great political instability.) Surely, the United States has the right to pursueits strategic interests around the globe. When these interests seem to align with killingvery bad people it is understandable that human rights organizations may be excited toback them.

My recommendation is that human rights groups stick to what they were good at, callingall sides out for their abuse and advocating sound policy that promotes human rights forall. Their policy recommendations however, should stop sort of advocating unilateralmilitary programs. Doing so compromises the very mission of these organizations, whosevalue lies in their capacity to be a neutral and universal advocate of all victims of humanrights abuses.

Jack Healey was executive director of Amnesty International U.S.A. from 1980-1993. Hecurrently heads the Human Rights Action Network.

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South Sudan: UN and Govt in Joint Effort to Reduce Maternal Mortality (UN NewsService)http://allafrica.com/stories/201111010060.html 31 October 2011
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A joint initiative of the United Nations and South Sudan is aiming to reduce maternalmortality by deploying midwives throughout the country, providing locals with thenecessary skills to safely deliver babies, and improving the health facilities available tothe wider population.

One out of seven pregnant women dies due to pregnancy-related causes in South Sudan.With less than 100 midwives for the entire country, there is an urgent need for anincrease in health workers to attend to the population's needs.

To tackle this issue, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and South Sudan's healthministry organized a workshop last week to review their joint midwives project, seekingto provide immediate solutions and discuss ways to address the problem in the long-term.

UNFPA's head of office in South Sudan, Deji Popoola, said that a lack of midwiferyskills and ill-equipped health centres pose a huge risk to mothers and their unborn babies.

"A strong midwifery force with adequate competences could contribute greatly inreducing maternal deaths," Mr. Popoola said during the opening ceremony of theworkshop in the national capital of Juba.

"Ensuring access to midwifery at every birth, at all levels, is vital at this moment of time," he said, reaffirming UNFPA's commitment to support efforts to help midwives andimprove midwifery services.

So far, the Capacity Placement of International United Nations Volunteer MidwivesProject has deployed 18 volunteer midwives across South Sudan.

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END REPORT

AFRICOM Related News Clips 2 NOV 2011

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Transcript of AFRICOM Related News Clips 2 NOV 2011