AFRICOM Related News Clips 27 September 2011

8/4/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 27 September 2011

1/27

United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office27 September 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 September 27, 2011.

Of interest in today's clips, Libyan fighters have breached Qadhafis hometown of Sirte,while European oil companies ENI and Total have resumed production. The first Africanwoman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, diedin Nairobi Sunday. A White House blog draws attention to the USAID program to raise

awareness of the famine in East Africa, and in West Africa, officials continue the call forgreater efforts to curb piracy.

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

--------------------------------------------

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

Libyan NTC fighters breach Gaddafi city Sirte from east (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1506546326 September 2011By The BBCAnti-Gaddafi fighters have breached the former Libya leader's hometown of Sirte from theeast for the first time, as their three-day long assault continues. Soldiers traded rocket firewith Gaddafi loyalists as they edged from the eastern suburbs into the city.

European oil giants resume production in Libya (France 24)

http://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-production26 September 2011By AFPItalian oil giant ENI has resumed oil production in Libya more than six months after civilunrest brought oil and gas output in the country to a near standstill, the company saidMonday.

Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dies at 71 (NY Times)
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15065463http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15065463http://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-productionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-productionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-productionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-productionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-productionhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15065463mailto:[email protected]


2/27

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.html26 September 2011By Jeffrey GettlemanNAIROBI, KenyaWangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who began a

movement to reforest her country by paying poor women a few shillings to plant trees andwho went on to become the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, died here onSunday. She was 71.

The White House Blog: Famine in the Horn of Africa: Be a Part of the Solution (The

White House)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/26/famine-horn-africa-be-part-solution26 September 2011By Courtney ODonnellLast Monday, the U.S. Agency for International Development, in partnership with the AdCouncil, launched a public awareness campaign called FWD standing for Famine,

War, Droughtto draw the attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa.

Yemens descent into chaos fuels piracy fears (Financial Times)

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC026 September 2011By Peter Shaw-SmithAs the Indian Ocean monsoons wane, international shipping companies are bracingthemselves for a new season of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, fearing fresh involvement fromactors beyond Somalia.

West African officials call for greater UN involvement in fight against piracy (UN)

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39784&Cr=piracy&Cr1=26 September 2011By UN News CentreUNITED NATIONS -- op West African officials are calling for greater United Nations andinternational support to prevent the regions coasts from becoming a haven forpirates andto fight growing drug and arms trafficking.

Joint Action Against Piracy (IPS)

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=10524126 September 2011By Nol Kokou TadgnonCongolese sailors participate in a boarding team operations course hosted by High Speed

Vessel Swift in July.

LOME, Togo - There have already been more than thirty pirate attacks on ships along theWest African coast so far this year. Regional governments will meet in Cotonou, Benin inOctober to discuss coordinating efforts to stem piracy.

U.S. spy drone crashes in south Somalia: rebel, residents (Reuters)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.htmlhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/26/famine-horn-africa-be-part-solutionhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/26/famine-horn-africa-be-part-solutionhttp://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC0http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC0http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC0http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39784&Cr=piracy&Cr1http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105241http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105241http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105241http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39784&Cr=piracy&Cr1http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC0http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC0http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/26/famine-horn-africa-be-part-solutionhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.html


3/27

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-somalia-drone-idUSTRE78P3402011092626 September 2011By Sahra Abdi and Yara BayoumyMOGADISHU (Reuters) - An unmanned U.S. spy drone has crashed in Somalia's southernport city of Kismayu, a bastion of the al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab Islamist group, a rebel

official and residents said.

US Reaper drones in Seychelles 'unarmed' says minister (Channel 4)

http://www.channel4.com/news/us-reaper-drones-in-seychelles-unarmed-says-minister26 September 2011By Channel 4 staffJean-Paul Adam, minister for foreign affairs in the Seychelles, has denied claims the US isflying armed drones from the Seychelles to Somalia and Yemen in order to targetsuspected terrorists.

In The Hunt For Al-Qaida, Drone Program Expands (NPR)

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expands26 September 2011By Dina Temple-RastonThe Obama administration is expanding its controversial drone program to the Horn ofAfrica and the Arabian Peninsula.

We Won't Bow to West - President Mugabe (The Herald)http://allafrica.com/stories/201109260623.html26 September 2011By Morris MkwateZimbabwe remains committed to the principles of Africa's founding fathers and will notbetray the struggle against colonialism by bowing to the West, President Mugabe has said.

Ahmadinejad in Sudan to boost ties (Al-Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926131459753271.html26 September 2011By News AgenciesMahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has met his Sudanese counterpart inKhartoum after arriving on a two-day visit.

Burundian troops in Somalia killed Malaysian journalist, investigation finds (AP)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.html26 September 2011By Associated PressNAIROBI, KenyaThe African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia says itsinvestigation has found that four Burundian soldiers were responsible for the killing of aMalaysian journalist in Mogadishu earlier this month.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-somalia-drone-idUSTRE78P34020110926http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-somalia-drone-idUSTRE78P34020110926http://www.channel4.com/news/us-reaper-drones-in-seychelles-unarmed-says-ministerhttp://www.channel4.com/news/us-reaper-drones-in-seychelles-unarmed-says-ministerhttp://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expandshttp://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expandshttp://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expandshttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109260623.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109260623.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926131459753271.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926131459753271.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926131459753271.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109260623.htmlhttp://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expandshttp://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expandshttp://www.channel4.com/news/us-reaper-drones-in-seychelles-unarmed-says-ministerhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-somalia-drone-idUSTRE78P34020110926


4/27

###

UN News Service Africa Briefs

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

(Full Articles on UN Website)

Sudan vows at UN to settle remaining disputes with South Sudan26 SeptemberSudan is committed to resolving all the remaining disputes related to itspeace accord with South Sudan, including border demarcation issues and the division of oilrevenues, the countrys Foreign Minister told the General Assembly today.

Ethiopia, at UN, calls for long view on sustainable development in Horn of Africa26 SeptemberEthiopia called today from the General Assembly not only for immediateaid to help the 13.3 million victims of drought and famine in Somalia and elsewhere in the

Horn of Africa but also for the even more crucial means to achieve sustainabledevelopment in the region.

Intervention in Libya an excuse to plunder resources, Cuba tells UN26 SeptemberA preventive war is taking place in Libya using the protection ofcivilians as a pretext to plunder the countrys resources, Cubas Foreign Minister told the

General Assemblys annual general debate today, calling for Libyans to be left alone to

decide their destiny.

Zidane and Ronaldo target hunger in annual all-star UN charity soccer match26 SeptemberThe soccer stars and United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors Ronaldo andZindine Zidane announced today that proceeds from the next UN all-star charity gamewill go to the world bodys continuing efforts to fight the food crisis in the Horn of Africa.

Central African Republic calls for aid after withdrawal of UN mission26 SeptemberThe Central African Republic (CAR) today appealed to the internationalcommunity to take urgent action to help consolidate peace and prevent fighting followingthe withdrawal of a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

###

Upcoming Events of Interest:

WHEN: Tuesday, September 27th, 9:15 a.m.WHAT: Washington DC Foreign Press Center On-The-Record BriefingTOPIC: "Asia-Pacific U.S. Military Overview"BRIEFER: Admiral Robert Willard, Commander, U.S. Pacific CommandBIO:http://www.pacom.mil/web/site_pages/Staff%20Directory/J0/J00%20Biography.shtmlWHERE: Washington Foreign Press Center, 529 14th St NW # 800, Washington, DC
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


5/27

20045

RSVP: To RSVP for this event please contact Andy Strike at [email protected]: ADM Willard will discuss U.S. Pacific Command's strategy ofpartnership, presence, and military readiness and the current state of security in the

Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. Pacific Command is the oldest U.S. combatant command,and continues to be a force committed to ensuring peace and stability in the Asia-Pacificregion. The Asia-Pacific region is home to more than 3.5 billion people and encompassesover half of the earth's surface. Through extensive cooperative engagement programs andinitiatives, and the commitment of numerous regional partner nations and allies, theAsia-Pacific region continues to remain secure and prosperous. For additional informationabout U.S. Pacific Command and its strategy, please visit the command website athttp://www.pacom.mil/

---------

WHAT: The Department of State and USAID are seeking to more effectively integratehumanitarian action with the diplomatic and the other operational elements of civilianresponse to complex crises. The Department of State and USAID are seeking to moreeffectively integrate humanitarian action with the diplomatic and the other operationalelements of civilian response to complex crises. The importance of policy and programintegration is graphically illustrated by conflict, drought and famine in the Horn of Africa.TOPIC: Saving Lives, Securing Interests: Reflections on Humanitarian Response and U.S.Foreign PolicyWHEN: Wednesday, September 28, 2011, 2-3:30 p.m.BRIEFER: Eric P. Schwartz, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees,and MigrationWHERE: U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DCMORE INFORMATION:http://www.usip.org/events/saving-lives-securing-interests-reflections-humanitarian-response-and-us-foreign-policyRSVP: Please contact Amanda Mayoral at [email protected] with any questions aboutthis event.

---------

WHAT: Former ambassador to address U.S. policy in Horn of AfricaTOPIC: "U.S. Policy Toward the Horn of Africa."WHEN: Friday, September 30, 2011, at 3 p.m.BRIEFER: Dr. David H. Shinn, an adjunct professor in the Elliott School of InternationalAffairs at George Washington University since 2001 and a 37-year veteran of the U.S.Department of State.WHERE: Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan.MORE INFORMATION: http://www.wmich.edu/wmu/news/2011/09/071.htmlRSVP: For more information, contact Dr. Sisay Asefa at [email protected] or (269)387-5556.
http://www.pacom.mil/http://www.pacom.mil/http://www.pacom.mil/


6/27

###

New onwww.africom.mil

Students in Southern Djibouti Receive School Furniturehttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7248&lang=026 September 2011By Staff Sergeant Stephen LinchDIKHIL, DjiboutiOmar Ladieh Ismael, the Dikhil Regional Director of Education,gathered with approximately 20 local community members outside the Dikhil RegionalSchool Resource Center August 25, 2011 to unload a delivery of school furniture."This will help all the children in Dikhil," he said.

AFRICOM Supports U.S. Embassy to Promote Rural Development in Central

Tunisia

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7241&lang=023 September 2011TUNIS, TunisiaU.S. Africa Command and U.S. Air Forces Africa staff visited Tunis,Tunisia, September 12-17, 2011, in support of U.S. Embassy humanitarian assistanceprojects and initiatives to promote rural development in central Tunisia.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FULLTEXT

Libyan NTC fighters breach Gaddafi city Sirte from east (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1506546326 September 2011By The BBC

Anti-Gaddafi fighters have breached the former Libya leader's hometown of Sirte from theeast for the first time, as their three-day long assault continues.

Soldiers traded rocket fire with Gaddafi loyalists as they edged from the eastern suburbsinto the city.

The advance comes two days after the soldiers, loyal to the National Transitional Council,attacked from the west before retreating again.

Sirte is one of the last remaining strongholds of Gaddafi loyalists.

The BBC's Alastair Leithead, in Sirte, says civilians have been streaming out of the city -some of them were not aware that Tripoli had fallen.
http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7248&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7248&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7241&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7241&lang=0http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15065463http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15065463http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15065463http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7241&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7248&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/


7/27

Many of them were terrified, he says, having been told that rebel fighters would slit theirthroats if they ventured out of the city.

Our correspondent says the remaining civilians are in increasing danger, caught in themiddle of intensifying fighting.

Gaddafi loyalists have been fiercely protecting the city from NTC advances in recentweeks.

The NTC troops were forced to retreat on Saturday after getting very close to the centrefrom the west.

Sirte is a sprawling city and much of the fighting has been conducted over a long distance,with artillery and tank shells and Nato air strikes.

Sirte and Bani Walid, about 250km (155 miles) further west, are the only two major cities

still holding out against the NTC.

Fighting is continuing around Bani Walid, with one rebel commander telling the AFP newsagency he expected the final battle for control to be within the next two days.

"Since this morning we have been hitting Gaddafi's forces non-stop with heavy artillery,tanks and anti-aircraft guns," Commander Mohamed al-Seddiq told the agency.

"We are facing heavy resistance, that's why we are using the heavy artillery and notsending in any infantry for now."

The NTC still has not found Col Gaddafi, who ruled the country for more than 40 years.

But several of his children and members of his inner circle have fled abroad.

His daughter Aisha fled to Algeria, and told journalists last week that her father was ingood spirits and fighting alongside his supporters.

The Algerian newspaper El-Khabar reported on Monday that a group of Gaddafisupporters, possibly including Aisha, had now left the country for Egypt.

Egyptian officials have since denied the report.

Meanwhile, UN officials are warning that more care needs to be taken to secure stockpilesof weapons and other materials in Libya.

Lynn Pascoe, the UN's top political official, told the Security Council that control must beestablished over sophisticated arms including ground-to-air missiles and chemicalweapons.


8/27

He said destruction of chemical-weapons stockpiles stopped in February wheninternational inspectors left the country.

Last week NTC forces uncovered a stockpile of yellowcake - a powdered form of uranium

ore that can be used for nuclear weapons.

###

European oil giants resume production in Libya (France 24)http://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-production26 September 2011By AFP

Italian oil giant ENI has resumed oil production in Libya more than six months after civil

unrest brought oil and gas output in the country to a near standstill, the company saidMonday.

A statement said that ENI had restarted production at the Abu Attifel oil field. Before theconflict that ousted leader Moamer Kadhafi, ENI was the top foreign oil producer in Libya,a former Italian colony.

ENI, working in partnership with Libya's state-run oil company NOC, opened 15 wells atAbu Attifel bringing production to 31,900 barrels.

Other wells will be reactivated in the coming days with the goal of creating enough volumeto allow production to be transported by oil duct to the Zueitina terminal, the company said.

ENI, which has worked in Libya since 1959, signed an agreement in August with the newrulers in Tripoli so that the company could resume output as soon as possible.

Excepting a gas field whose output went towards local electric power, ENI's total activityin Libya during the conflict fell to 50,00 barrels a day from an estimated 280,000 barrels aday before war broke out.

On Friday, French oil giant Total said it had restarted production from an offshore oilplatform off Libya, making it the first major to return to work since the fall of Kadhafi.

Before the war Libya produced around 1.6 million barrels of crude per day. One local firm,Arabian Gulf Oil from the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi, restarted productionearlier this month.

###

Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dies at 71 (NY Times)
http://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-productionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-productionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-productionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-productionhttp://www.france24.com/en/20110926-frances-total-italys-eni-resume-libya-oil-production


9/27

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.html26 September 2011By Jeffrey Gettleman

NAIROBI, KenyaWangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who began amovement to reforest her country by paying poor women a few shillings to plant trees andwho went on to become the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, died here onSunday. She was 71.

The cause was cancer, said her organization, the Green Belt Movement. Kenyan newsoutlets said that she had been treated for ovarian cancer in the past year and that she hadbeen in a hospital for at least a week when she died.

Dr. Maathai, one of the most widely respected women on the continent, played many rolesenvironmentalist, feminist, politician, professor, rabble-rouser, human rights advocate

and head of the Green Belt Movement, which she founded in 1977.

Its mission was to plant trees across Kenya to fight erosion and to create firewood for fueland jobs for women. Dr. Maathai was as comfortable in the gritty streets of Nairobis slums

or the muddy hillsides of central Kenya as she was hobnobbing with heads of state. Shewon the Peace Prize in 2004 for what the Nobel committee called her contribution tosustainable development, democracy and peace. It was a moment of immense pride in

Kenya and across Africa.

Her Green Belt Movement has planted more than 30 million trees in Africa and has helpednearly 900,000 women, according to the United Nations, while inspiring similar efforts inother African countries.

Wangari Maathai was a force of nature, said Achim Steiner, the executive director of theUnited Nations environmental program. He likened her to Africas ubiquitous acaciatrees, strong in character and able to survive sometimes the harshest of conditions.

Dr. Maathai toured the world, speaking out against environmental degradation andpoverty, which she said early on were intimately connected. But she never lost focus on hernative Kenya. She was a thorn in the side of Kenyas previous president, Daniel arap Moi,whose government labeled the Green Belt Movement subversive during the 1980s.

Mr. Moi was particularly scornful of her leading the charge against a government plan tobuild a huge skyscraper in one ofcentral Nairobis only parks. The proposal was eventuallyscrapped, though not long afterward, during another protest, Dr. Maathai was beatenunconscious by the police.

When Mr. Moi finally stepped down after 24 years in power, she served as a member ofParliament and as an assistant minister on environmental issues until falling out of favorwith Kenyas new leaders and losing her seat a few years later.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/world/africa/wangari-maathai-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-dies-at-71.html


10/27

In 2008, after being pushed out of government, she was tear-gassed by the police during aprotest against the excesses ofKenyas well-entrenched political class.

Home life was not easy, either. Her husband, Mwangi, divorced her, saying she was too

strong-minded for a woman, by her account. When she lost her divorce case and criticizedthe judge, she was thrown in jail.

Wangari Maathai was known to speak truth to power, said John Githongo, an

anticorruption campaigner in Kenya, who was forced into exile for years for his ownoutspoken views. She blazed a trail in whatever she did, whether it was in theenvironment, politics, whatever.

Wangari Muta Maathai was born on April 1, 1940, in Nyeri, Kenya, in the foothills ofMount Kenya. A star student, she won a scholarship to study biology at Mount St.Scholastica College in Atchison, Kan., receiving a degree in 1964. She earned a master of

science degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

She went on to obtain a doctorate in veterinary anatomy at the University of Nairobi,becoming the first woman in East or Central Africa to hold such a degree, according to theNobel Prize Web site. She also taught at the university as an associate professor and waschairwoman of its veterinary anatomy department in the 1970s.

A day before she was scheduled to receive the Nobel, Dr. Maathai was forced to respond toa report in The East African Standard, a daily newspaper in Nairobi, that she had likenedAIDS to a biological weapon, telling participants in an AIDS workshop in Nyeri that thedisease was a tool to control Africans designed by some evil-minded scientists.

She said her comments had been taken out of context. It is therefore critical for me to statethat I neither say nor believe that the virus was developed by white people or white powersin order to destroy the African people, she said in a statement released by the NobelCommittee. Such views are wicked and destructive.

In presenting her with the Peace Prize, the Nobel committee hailed her for taking aholistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights andwomens rights in particular and serving as inspiration for many in the fight fordemocratic rights.

Dr. Maathai received many honorary degrees, including an honorary doctorate from theUniversity of Pittsburgh in 2006, as well as awards, including the French Legion of Honorand Japans Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

She is survived by three children, Waweru, Wanjira and Muta, and a granddaughter,according to the Green Belt Movement.


11/27

Former Vice President Al Gore, a fellow Peace Prize recipient for his environmental work,said in a statement, Wangari overcame incredible obstacles to devote her life to serviceservice to her children, to her constituents, to the women, and indeed all the people ofKenyaand to the world as a whole.

In her Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Dr. Maathai said the inspiration for her work camefrom growing up in rural Kenya.

She reminisced about a stream running next to her homea stream that has since dried upand drinking fresh, clear water.

In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level

of consciousness, she said, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed

our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now.

###

The White House Blog: Famine in the Horn of Africa: Be a Part of the Solution (The

White House)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/26/famine-horn-africa-be-part-solution26 September 2011By Courtney ODonnell

Last Monday, the U.S. Agency for International Development, in partnership with the AdCouncil, launched a public awareness campaign called FWD standing for Famine,War, Droughtto draw the attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa.

The campaign is calling on Americans to FWD the Facts. FWD them to your friends,FWD them to your neighbors, FWD them to everyone you know.

A few of the facts:

More than 13 million people are in crisismaking this the largest humanitariancrisis in the world.

More than 700,000 people have fled from their homes in Somalia to Ethiopia andKenyacreating the worlds largest refugee camps.

1 child is dying every 6 minutes in Somalia.

More than 750,000 people are projected to perish from starvation in Somalia withinthe next four months if humanitarians are not allowed access in to southernSomalia.

In addition to FWD the Facts, the campaign will feature TV and radio public serviceannouncements (PSAs), a text to donate campaign, and a new website
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/26/famine-horn-africa-be-part-solutionhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/26/famine-horn-africa-be-part-solutionhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/26/famine-horn-africa-be-part-solution


12/27

www.usaid.gov/FWD. The FWD campaign is all about getting people engaged in thecrisisto Do More Than Donate and to learn about the solutions to the problem.

We know that it doesnt have to be this wayfamine does not have to exist. Through thePresidents Feed the Future initiative the government is working to prevent future food

crisis from occurring in the first place by investing in Africas agriculture development.

Dr. Biden visited the Horn of Africa region in early August to draw attention to the crisis,and met mothers who walked more than 100 miles seeking medical attention and food fortheir children. Last week, Dr. Biden spoke to David Letterman about her trip andencouraged Americans to get involved.

You can be a part of the solution. Small donations can make a difference between life anddeath for a child. But you can also Do More Than Donate visit usaid.gov/FWD to learnmore about how you can get involved.

(Courtney ODonnell is Communications Director to Dr. Jill Biden.)

###

Yemens descent into chaos fuels piracy fears (Financial Times)

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC026 September 2011By Peter Shaw-Smith

As the Indian Ocean monsoons wane, international shipping companies are bracingthemselves for a new season of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, fearing fresh involvement fromactors beyond Somalia.

The rains and rough seas of the monsoon season which runs from June to September havetraditionally seen a lull in activity. But last month two chemical tankers were seized inOmani territorial waters, one at anchorage two miles off Salalah, the sultanates mainsouthern port.

Worldwide, pirate attacks have been increasing. According to the International MaritimeBureaus Piracy Reporting Centre, attacks on the worlds seas totalled 266 in the first six

months of this year, up from 196 incidents in the same period last year.

Data published earlier this month showed the worldwide figure had risen to 335 events.Somali involvement stood at 188 incidents, with 24 hijackings, 400 crew members heldhostage and eight killed.

Now the deteriorating domestic security situation in Yemen is adding to concerns. Sanaa,the capital, has seen days of bloody street battles following the unexpected return of Ali
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC0http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC0http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC0http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC0http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3f3fcb86-e747-11e0-9da3-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1Z7lm3UC0


13/27

Abdullah Saleh, the president. Even in more peaceful times, Mr Salehs authority outside

the Yemeni capital was tenuous.

Yemen is spinning apart and people there are wondering where their next paycheck or

meal is coming from, says Michael Frodl, head of C-Level Maritime Risks, a US

consultancy.

Some Yemenis are looking back to piracy themselves, or even just facilitating the

piracy of others, be they Yemeni or Somali or even others.

Riad Kahwaji, chief executive of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis(Inegma), agrees there is collusion from Yemeni coastal actors with the pirates.

Pirates have learnt to discern vessels owned by companies who have paid large ransoms,and are ignoring tonnage belonging to bad payers.

Ships being intercepted so precisely should indicate that there is a sophisticatedintelligence network for the pirates, providing them with information on the whereaboutsand heading of ships, says Mr. Kahwaji. You can only gain this information [through]

ports overlooking the Gulf of Aden.

The scourge of piracy and the sustained unrest of the past months has hit Yemen hard. In2008, throughput at Aden, Yemens biggest port, was 40,000 twenty-foot-equivalent-units(TEU) a month, a common industry measurement. That number fell to 27,000 in 2009 butrecovered to 30,000 in 2010.

Abhishek Tandon of UK-based Drewry Shipping Consultants says that year-to-date datasuggest that the average has plummeted to an all-time low of 14,000 TEU per month thisyear.

Aden is Yemens primary port for container handling. It also has four tanker berths.

Other historic Yemeni ports such as Mukalla and Mokha have only limited cargo handlingequipment and infrastructure.

The combined effect of piracy at its peak, the extremely volatile situation in the country

and development of other transshipment hubs in its vicinity like Dholera (on Indias westcoast), Jeddah and Salalah have reduced its chances, says Mr Tandon.

Aden was hit when Pacific International Line, a main-line operator, shifted itstransshipment hub from Aden to Djibouti and no replacement has been found.

Dubais DP World obtained concessions in Aden and Mukalla in 2008. Asked about the

future of those concessions, a DP World spokesperson says:


14/27

As we have said previously, unrest in the Middle East earlier this year impacted

throughput at some of our terminals in the region but ours is a long-term business and wehave no intention of pulling out of Aden.

Nigel Chevriot of PIL Yemen says that there are difficulties in moving cargo from

Yemens ports to the main markets of Sanaa and Taiz.

Yemeni merchants are nervous over a possible worsening of the crisis. They have beenreducing stocks and are finding it hard to obtain credit, he says.

Mr Frodl says that Yemenis, Kenyans, Ethiopians, Omanis, and even Iranians are going outto sea and do not need Somalis to lead them. Nationals from all these countries have beenpicked up already by the navies operating in the Indian Ocean.

The international shipping community has not been passive in the face of the piracy threat.In 2009 it created the International Recommended Transit Corridor under which ships

approaching the Gulf of Aden form convoys under warship escort drawn from theEuropean Union, the US and China.

Moreover, few observers believe that the pirates will be able to extend their activitiesinside the Straits of Hormuz due to the heavy US navy presence among others.

But risk analysts say that piracy in the Indian Ocean remains a relatively low-riskoccupation and that Somalis are inspiring others in the region to think of piracy as a careeror industry given how well it pays and how little risk it entails.

There will likely be a resurgence in piracy in the western Indian Ocean (including up tothe Straits of Hormuz) as the weather becomes more favourable for small boat operation,

says the head of a Europe-based umbrella shipping organisation.

It is likely that, inter alia, disaffected groups from Yemen will see this as a good businessopportunity and either join Somalis or conduct copycat activity, he says.

###

West African officials call for greater UN involvement in fight against piracy (UN)

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39784&Cr=piracy&Cr1=26 September 2011By UN News Centre

UNITED NATIONS -- West African officials are calling for greater United Nations andinternational support to prevent the regions coasts from becoming a haven for pirates andto fight growing drug and arms trafficking.

The evils of drug trafficking, piracy, trafficking of illicit goods and arms trafficking havereared their ugly heads across the sub-region, Gambian Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39784&Cr=piracy&Cr1http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39784&Cr=piracy&Cr1


15/27

told the General Assembly at the start of the fifth day ofits annual general debate. Thenature and extent of these crimes call for swift international action to nip them in the budbefore it is too late.

As these crimes feed on each other and sow the seeds of terror, economic sabotage and the

collapse of social order, we must pool our resources together in the areas of detection,surveillance, law enforcement and prosecution in order to deny the culprits safe havens.

In order to do this, we must come together and agree on a framework for cooperation with

the support of the international community. We look forward to greater United Nationsengagement with regional and subregional leaders and organizations in stamping out thesemenaces.

Togolese Prime Minister Gilbert Fossoun-Houngbo referred to recent acts of piracy off thecoasts of Togo and Benin. At a time when the West African region is witnessing aresurgence of violence due to drugs and terrorism, our coasts cannot be

allowed to be taken hostage by pirates, he told the Assembly on Saturday, calling for

closer cooperation between all countries to confront the new phenomenon.

The crises and conflicts, the threats to international peace and security, such as piracy,cyber-crime and drug trafficking, which undermine efforts to consolidate peace in theworld, must impel the international community to rethink the UN role in the context ofsecurity and economic and social development.

At the end of last month the Security Council voiced concern over increasing piracy, armedrobbery and reported hostage-taking in the Gulf of Guinea, saying the crimes were havingan adverse impact on security, trade and other economic activities in the sub-region.

Mr. Fossoun-Houngbo also called for urgent UN and international steps to confront thedrought and famine in the Horn of Africa where tens of thousands of people have alreadystarved to death and 13.3 million people are threatened.

Both officials called for reform of the 15-member Security Council, expanding it andmaking it more representative of the regions of the world and correct what Mr.Fossoun-Houngbo called flagrant and unacceptable injustices, and Ms. Njie-Saidytermed the glaring under-representation of Africa.

Africa needs to be adequately and properly represented and we will not give up on what is

a very legitimate demand. What is even more appalling is that negotiations are progressingat snails pace, she said, stressing that reform is long overdue, and the lack of it isundermining the credibility of the organ and the legitimacy of its decisions.

Other African leaders also highlighted the vital role the UN has to play in settling conflictsand promoting development.


16/27

Ugandan Vice-President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi called on the UN and internationalcommunity to strengthen support to Somalia in terms of capacity building for theTransitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) and in providing funding and logistical assistancefor the deployment of 3,000 additional troops for the African Union peacekeeping missionthere.

Noting that peace initiatives should be led by the region with strong support from regionalorganizations, the UN and other relevant actors, he stressed that preventive mediation is aworthwhile investment, costing much less compared to other undertakings such aspeacekeeping or peace enforcement and averting unnecessary wars with their loss of lifeand property.

Foreign Minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi of Cameroon cited the UN intervention in Sudanwhich helped forge the peaceful secession of South Sudan as an illustration of theirreplaceable and decisive role that we desire to see the UN play in direct correlation withthe fundamental aims and objectives of its founding Charter.

It is within this framework that the role of mediation in settling conflicts, the theme of thisyears general debate, assumes its full importance, he added.

Vice President Mompati S. Merafhe of Botswana voiced appreciation to the UN and theinternational community for their response to recent disasters such as the tsunami andnuclear crisis in Japan and the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa, calling it generousand timely.

He also highlighted the growing collaboration between the UN and regional organizationsin dealing with conflicts and the institutionalization of conflict prevention and resolutionmechanisms around the world.

###

Joint Action Against Piracy (IPS)

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=10524126 September 2011By Nol Kokou Tadgnon

Congolese sailors participate in a boarding team operations course hosted by High SpeedVessel Swift in July.

LOME, Togo - There have already been more than thirty pirate attacks on ships along theWest African coast so far this year. Regional governments will meet in Cotonou, Benin inOctober to discuss coordinating efforts to stem piracy.

The figures for attacks come from incidents reported by ships' masters to the InternationalMaritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre and underline the growing threat to shipping inthis oil-rich region.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105241http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105241http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105241


17/27

Among the most recent attacks was the Sep. 15 seizure of the oil tanker Mattheos I and its23-person crew off the coast of Togo. Ten days later, the ship's Spanish owners told mediathat tanker and crew had been released; no ransom was paid, but the company said thepirates stole some of the vessel's cargo of diesel fuel.

Governments along the length of the West African coastline have expressed concern abouta surge in the number of attacks on cargo ships, and are seeking to combine limitedresources to take concerted actions, such as recent joint patrols in the Gulf of Guinea.

"But we don't want to limit ourselves to joint patrols between Benin and Nigeria; we willvery shortly extend this to include the Togolese and Ghanaian navies," CommandantMaxime Ahoyo, Benin's Naval Chief of Staff, told IPS.

"If we take care of problems with piracy in Benin's territorial waters but, for example, Togodoesn't take necessary security precautions, and we don't collaborate with Togo and other

countries, this phenomenon - which has such long tentacles - will only spread."

Economic consequences

The president of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, JamesVictor Gbeho, has called for action against piracy to be widened to include all the statesalong the coast.

"The navies of all our coastal states should permanently combine their operations," Gbehotold IPS, underlining his belief that the problem of piracy must be addressedcomprehensively. "The phenomenon is becoming worrying and could have seriouseconomic consequences for our countries. That is why we will act firmly against it."

Piracy has already led maritime insurers in London to put Benin on a list of high-risk zonesfor shipping. Maritime insurers represented by the Lloyd's Market Association aredemanding higher fees to cover ships which pass through the region.

According to Bnetti Gagalo, Assistant Secretary General of the Togolese Association ofConsumers, the situation will certainly have repercussions on income in regional ports aswell as on the cost of consumer goods.

External assistance

The urgency of the situation has pushed regional governments to ask for support fromFrance and the United States, who have both deployed naval vessels to the area.

A French frigate, the Germinal, is already carrying out surveillance along the coasts ofBenin, Togo and Ghana to try and neutralise the pirates, as well as training naval personnelfrom all three countries.


18/27

"We have hosted these sailors, and they've taken part in all the security exercises andpatrols that we have carried out to prevent acts of piracy. And they have helped us withtheir intimate knowledge of the area of operations," Sbastien Chatelin, captain of theFrench vessel, told IPS.

A U.S. Navy vessel, the HSV Swift, is also in the Gulf of Guinea, supporting the fightagainst piracy with training for Beninois, Togolese and Ghanaian sailors as part of U.S.military cooperation programme called Africa Partnership Station.

"Our mission is to try and train African partners on safety and security," said the captain ofthe U.S. vessel, Rhett S. Mann.

"The APS programme will allow us to work together to face the problems which affect ourcoastal waters," added Sam Nkruma, a Ghanaian naval officer.

His Beninois colleague, Christian Oussa, welcomed the training received on board the two

naval ships. "This will allow us to face pirates and various traffickers on the sea. We havelearned how to board suspect vessels to inspect them; the training was really appropriate,"he told IPS.

###

U.S. spy drone crashes in south Somalia: rebel, residents (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-somalia-drone-idUSTRE78P3402011092626 September 2011By Sahra Abdi and Yara Bayoumy

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - An unmanned U.S. spy drone has crashed in Somalia's southernport city of Kismayu, a bastion of the al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab Islamist group, a rebelofficial and residents said.

The incident over the weekend came as residents cited an increase in the frequency ofdrones flying over Kismayu in the past few weeks.

The U.S. embassy in Nairobi declined to comment immediately.

"This plane was a spy for the American government and by the will of Allah, it crashednear the airport," al Shabaab official Sheikh Ibrahim Guled told Reuters on Monday.

"We did not target it but it fell down," he said, although the group's radio station inKismayu said the drone was shot down by its militants as it patrolled above the airport.

A Kismayu resident, who gave his name as Ali Gab, also confirmed he saw the crasheddrone.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-somalia-drone-idUSTRE78P34020110926http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-somalia-drone-idUSTRE78P34020110926http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-somalia-drone-idUSTRE78P34020110926


19/27

"I saw the plane at the police station ... We did not see any damage on it," he said,suggesting a technical fault may have caused the crash.

The United States has authorized covert operations in the Horn of Africa nation in the past.U.S. special forces killed one of east Africa's top al Qaeda militants, Kenyan-born Saleh

Ali Nabhan, in southern Somalia in September 2009.

U.S. officials have said they have a list of suspects they believe are in Somalia andconstantly monitor the country with a view to striking if any are spotted.

Last week The Washington Post reported the United States was building a ring of secretdrone bases in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula as part of an aggressivecampaign against al Qaeda affiliates in the anarchic Somali state and crisis-hit Yemen.

The article said Washington had flown drones over Somalia and Yemen from bases in theAfrican nation of Djibouti. Classified U.S. diplomatic cables show that unmanned aircraft

have also conducted missions over Somalia from the Seychelles.

Al Shabaab launched an insurgency against Somalia's Western-backed government fouryears ago, in the latest cycle of violence to grip the country since the 1991 toppling ofdictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Fighting has killed more than 21,000 people since alShabaab launched its insurgency in 2007.

###

US Reaper drones in Seychelles 'unarmed' says minister (Channel 4)

http://www.channel4.com/news/us-reaper-drones-in-seychelles-unarmed-says-minister26 September 2011By Channel 4 staff

Jean-Paul Adam, minister for foreign affairs in the Seychelles, has denied claims the US isflying armed drones from the Seychelles to Somalia and Yemen in order to targetsuspected terrorists.

In a statement released to Channel 4 News, he said the reports are "purely speculationsbased on uncited and unidentified sources" and that the agreement between America andthe Seychelles is based on the drones being unarmed.

Mr Adam insisted that the unmanned Reaper aircraft based in the Seychelles are usedsolely for "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance purposes in the fight againstpiracy."

Reaper MQ-9 drones have the capacity to carry laser-guided bombs, air-to-ground andheat-seeking missiles.
http://www.channel4.com/news/us-reaper-drones-in-seychelles-unarmed-says-ministerhttp://www.channel4.com/news/us-reaper-drones-in-seychelles-unarmed-says-ministerhttp://www.channel4.com/news/us-reaper-drones-in-seychelles-unarmed-says-minister


20/27

The minister's response follows claims the US is assembling new bases for its drone fleet inAfrica and the Arabian Peninsula.

The Washington Post, which cited US officials as its source, described a "constellation ofsecret drone bases" and added that the CIA is building an airstrip somewhere in the

Arabian Peninsula "so it can deploy armed drones over Yemen."

Mr Adam said the US government has never requested that the Seychelles drones carryweapons, but "any possible future request would be given serious considerations beforebeing approved through the appropriate channels."

He said: "In 2009 there was a real need to address the shortcomings in our fight againstpiracy and one of those deficiencies was in the area of surveillance and intelligence.

"There are currently two drones operating from Seychelles which are part of ongoingcoordinated efforts to combat piracy and other illegal activities in the Indian Ocean

region."

###

In The Hunt For Al-Qaida, Drone Program Expands (NPR)

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expands26 September 2011By Dina Temple-Raston

The Obama administration is expanding its controversial drone program to the Horn ofAfrica and the Arabian Peninsula.

The Washington Post first reported last week that the administration was setting up secretbases for the unmanned aircraft all over the region. U.S. officials say the drone surveillancewill allow them to keep watch on terrorists in Yemen and Somalia. The question is whetherthe program will eventually go a step further and include armed drones to kill terroristsbefore they strike.

The decision to expand the drone program is the clearest sign yet that the Obamaadministration is shifting its focus from al-Qaida's core group to the affiliates it hasspawned over the past 10 years.

From The Core To The Periphery

Until now, drones have largely been used in Iraq and Afghanistan and the tribal regions ofPakistan. The military basically ran the drone program in Iraq and Afghanistan and the CIAtook aim at terrorists in Pakistan and occasionally in Yemen.
http://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expandshttp://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expandshttp://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expandshttp://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expandshttp://www.npr.org/2011/09/26/140807753/in-the-hunt-for-al-qaida-drone-program-expands


21/27

In some respects in the United States we're a victim of our own counter-terrorism success.We've been so effective at weakening al-Qaida core that the threat has now migrated to theperiphery.

- Bruce Hoffman, counter-terrorism expert

The CIA has run operations in Yemen in trying to hunt down leaders of al-Qaida's armthere, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

That was the group that allegedly sent a young Nigerian named Omar FaroukAbdulmutallab onto a U.S. airliner with explosives in his underwear. The bomb failed toignite properly and Abdulmuttalab will be tried next month. AQAP has also takenresponsibility for a bomb plot that was supposed to blow up cargo planes over the U.S. lastThanksgiving. That plot was foiled too.

"In some respects in the United States we're a victim of our own counter-terrorismsuccess," says Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert and professor at Georgetown University.

"We've been so effective at weakening al-Qaida's core that the threat has now migrated tothe peripheryand it isn't surprising that as it has migrated to the periphery we wouldadopt the same tactics that we used in South Asia to address that threat."

In other words, the drone attacks in Pakistan have been so effective in attacking al-Qaida'score leadership, the U.S. is going to try the same tactic elsewherewhere the threat fromal-Qaida is growing, specifically in Yemen and Somalia.

Concerns About Blowback

That's what worries Brian Fishman, a counter-terrorism research fellow at the NewAmerica Foundation. Expanding the drone program, he says, could have some blowbackand play into al-Qaida's hands by providing more fodder for their recruitment efforts.

"I worry that the expansion of drone strikes outside the South Asian context is going tohave unintended repercussions," he says. "We've reduced the ability of al-Qaida to domajor attacks, but I think we've increased their ability to inspire folks in the west to take uparms on their behalf."

Georgetown's Hoffman agrees. "This, I think, is one of the problems of just having akinetic outlook in countering terrorism," he says. "You are solving the supply problem, inother words, the supply of terrorist leaders, but you are doing nothing to interdict thedemand side. In other words, the flow of recruits and supporters into the movement thatconstantly enables the movement to regroup, reorganize and regenerate itself."

Over the past two years, drones have been responsible for the death of most of al-Qaida'stop leaders and nearly all of its mid-level operatives.

Even before the death of Osama bin Laden last May, officials were trumpeting theeffectiveness of the drone program against al-Qaida's core leadership. Now, the U.S. and


22/27

Pakistan have a short list of members in al-Qaida's core operation that they say, if capturedor killed, could lead to the collapse of the core group.

Evolving Threats

The concern is that the U.S. could increasingly see a different type of attacklike thefailed Times Square car bombing in May 2010.

That terror plot was essentially the work of one man, a Pakistani-American named FaisalShahzad. He traveled to Pakistan to learn how to make a bomb. He spent a week at aPakistani Taliban training camp and then returned to the U.S. But there is one detail fromthe case that often is overlooked: he told investigators that the drone attacks in Pakistanwere a huge motivation in his decision to lash out at the U.S.

The question now is whether expanding the drone attacks will inspire others like FaisalShahzad. Not just young men from Pakistan, but now young men and women from Yemen

and Somalia and other places the drones are flying.

"You cannot defeat al-Qaida's ideology while we are directly engaged in military action inmany places around the world because that is going to feed al-Qaida's ability to recruit inother locations," says Fishman. "You can't defeat ideology with a missile in Pakistan. Youcan't defeat ideology with a missile in Yemen or Somalia either."

###

We Won't Bow to West - President Mugabe (The Herald)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109260623.html26 September 2011By Morris Mkwate

ZIMBABWE remains committed to the principles of Africa's founding fathers and will notbetray the struggle against colonialism by bowing to the West, President Mugabe has said.

Speaking to journalists in Harare yesterday soon after arriving back home from New Yorkwhere he attended the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, PresidentMugabe said some African countries were "selling out" because they were receivingassistance from Westerners.

He said divergent opinion over the Libyan conflict gave ample evidence of expediency.

"The period in which we are is a period in which there appears to be a reversal of what thefounding fathers did and the principles of the founding fathers," said President Mugabe.

"Principles are being sacrificed on the altar of expediency as (the late Ghanaian leaderKwame) Nkrumah would have said.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201109260623.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109260623.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109260623.html


23/27

Because you are being assisted by the West, you, therefore, must bow to the West.

"It is a terrible period and it is selling out of the principles of the founding fathers, andZimbabwe can not stand for that."

Cde Mugabe said the African Union (AU) determined that Libya's National TransitionalCouncil (NTC) will only be accorded a seat on the continental body after the AU Summitaccedes.

He said African leaders were backing negotiations between the NTC and ColonelMuammar Gadaffi's loyalists as well as the withdrawal of Nato forces from Libya.

"As far as we are concerned, the African position is that the NTC can only have a seat in theAU if the Summit of the AU recognises that," said President Mugabe.

"In fact, now that they are in control, they are the de-facto authority of Libya.

"We will not go as far as the Europeans, Nato countries, to recognise them de jure to saythey are the absolute government.

No, of course, because we still want negotiations, inclusive negotiations between the NTCand the Gadaffi loyalists.

"So, that to us remains the issue. Will there be negotiations? Will there be an inclusivegovernment? Will there also be the withdrawal of those who intervened illegally usingChapter VII of the (United Nations) Charter and interpreting it in a broader sense, whichsense was an illegal one, in order to enable them to do the things they have been doing:pounding, battering and harassing the population of Libya."

Last week, President Mugabe arrived in New York with a busy schedule on his hands.

He attended the High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases where he imploredthe international community to help developing countries prevent and treat the conditionsby increasing assistance.

Member states eventually adopted a political declaration that identifies prevention as theforemost global strategy to combat the diseases.

President Mugabe also addressed the High-Level Meeting on Desertification, LandDegradation and Drought in the Context of

Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication.

He told delegates to embrace zero net land degradation and adopt effective landreclamation programmes.


24/27

He said it was critical to deal with drought and land degradation expeditiously, as theycompromise the social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainable development.

On Wednesday, he attended the official opening of the 66th Session of the UN GeneralAssembly.

He later met AU Commission chairman Dr Jean Ping who declared his re-election bid andalso clarified the AU position on Libya.

President Mugabe discussed investment opportunities in Zimbabwe with an Americanbusiness delegation led by civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Addressing the main plenary on Thursday, President Mugabe castigated Nato fordeliberately misinterpreting provisions of the UN Charter in order to steal Libya's oil andimpose leadership on its people.

He said the AU should not be undermined and also called for the reform of the UN SecurityCouncil to, among other issues, include two permanent seats for Africa.

He also urged member states to recognise Palestine's bid for nationhood and full UNmembership.

Regarding the Western-imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, the President said: "When we inZimbabwe sought to redress the ills of colonialism and racism, by fully acquiring ournatural resources, mainly our land and minerals, we were and still are subjected tounparalleled vilification and pernicious economic sanctions, the false reasons allegedbeing violations of the rule of law, human rights, and democracy.

"My people have condemned these illegal sanctions and recently, over two millionsignatures of protesters have demonstrated their antipathy to them. We thank Sadc and theAfrican Union for supporting us and demanding the immediate removal of the illegalsanctions."

###

Ahmadinejad in Sudan to boost ties (Al-Jazeera)

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926131459753271.html26 September 2011By News Agencies

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has met his Sudanese counterpart inKhartoum after arriving on a two-day visit.

Ahmadinejad's visit is aimed at boosting political and economic ties between the two allies,Sudanese officials said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926131459753271.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926131459753271.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011926131459753271.html


25/27

Ahmadinejad received a warm welcome from Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir atKhartoum airport.

Iran, along with China, is one of the biggest supporters of al-Bashir, who faces indictmentfrom the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in the long-running

Darfur conflict.

Shunned by the West, Sudan, which is facing an economic crisis after losing much of its oilwealth to newly-independent South Sudan, is keen to expand trade ties with Iran.

Most Western firms avoid Sudan due to a tough US trade embargo.

Sudan and Iran have also strong military ties after signing a co-operation agreement in2008.

Al-Bashir has supported the Iranian nuclear programme which Washington says is to build

nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

###

Burundian troops in Somalia killed Malaysian journalist, investigation finds (AP)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.html26 September 2011By Associated Press

NAIROBI, KenyaThe African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia says itsinvestigation has found that four Burundian soldiers were responsible for the killing of aMalaysian journalist in Mogadishu earlier this month.

The force said in a statement Monday that the four peacekeepers involved in the killing ofcameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor were discharged from the force and will be tried inBurundi.Nor was killed Sept. 2 while covering a Malaysian aid agencys humanitarian

mission in famine-struck Somalia.

Human rights groups and residents have accused the African Union force of indiscriminateshelling against civilian targets. Rights groups say the force has improved its record ofindiscriminate shelling, killing fewer civilians than in the past.

###

Students in Southern Djibouti Receive School Furniture

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7248&lang=026 September 2011By Staff Sergeant Stephen Linch
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.htmlhttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7248&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7248&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7248&lang=0http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/burundian-troops-in-somalia-killed-malaysian-journalist-investigation-finds/2011/09/26/gIQAlu93yK_story.html


26/27

DIKHIL, DjiboutiOmar Ladieh Ismael, the Dikhil Regional Director of Education,gathered with approximately 20 local community members outside the Dikhil RegionalSchool Resource Center August 25, 2011 to unload a delivery of school furniture."This will help all the children in Dikhil," he said.

The furniture, which will be distributed to schools throughout the region, is meant toenhance the learning environment for the children of southern Djibouti.

"Through a partnership with the Djibouti Ministry of Education, we are delivering excessproperty from the U.S. Department of State to the Dikhil Regional School ResourceCenter," said U.S. Army Captain Jennifer L. Newhouse, 490th Civil Affairs Battalionprojects officer.

The delivery consisted of three semi-truck trailers filled with desks, chairs and tables.Community members unloaded the furniture while soldiers from the 490th CA BN,assigned to Combined Joint Task ForceHorn of Africa, inventoried the items.

According to Ismael, the furniture will be distributed to 18 schools in the area.

"I know in every school, we don't have enough tables; we don't have enough desks; wedon't have enough chairs," he said. "[This delivery] is going to help a lot."

The delivery will provide students with classroom furniture and tables for their cafeterias,as well as give teachers and directors new workstations, Ismael said.

"By providing a quality facility that is conducive to a learning environment, it will allowthe Djibouti Ministry of Education to enhance the educational experience of hundreds ofstudents in Dikhil," Newhouse said. "This isn't just about desks and chairs. This is about abrighter future for the children of southern Djibouti."

###

AFRICOM Supports U.S. Embassy to Promote Rural Development in Central

Tunisia

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7241&lang=023 September 2011

TUNIS, TunisiaU.S. Africa Command and U.S. Air Forces Africa staff visited Tunis,Tunisia, September 12-17, 2011, in support of U.S. Embassy humanitarian assistanceprojects and initiatives to promote rural development in central Tunisia.

Lieutenant Colonel Wade Carmichael, AFRICOM humanitarian assistance and healthactivities program officer, joined members of the contracting office for U.S. Air ForcesAfrica, engineers, medical officers, and U.S. Embassy personnel to assess future andongoing projects in Carthage, Kesra, Makthar, Saliana, Sfax, and Tunis.
http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7241&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7241&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7241&lang=0


27/27

Among the trip highlights, Carmichael said, was the contract signing for the TrainingCenter for Rural Women in Makthar, which will provide basic hygiene, child and familyhealthcare, and vocational training to local women. The $500,000 training center will bemanaged by the Fondation pour le Dvelopement Communautaire (FTDC), a civil societyorganization that encourages regional development through local citizen participation. The

project supports the Tunisian national strategy for development, job opportunities, andtraining in rural towns in central Tunisia.

The team also traveled to Sfax to conduct a proposal opening session for a $450,000 drugrehabilitation center extension, the objective of which is to continue to support initiativesto counter drug abuse and drug traffic related activities in Tunisia. The extension aims toincrease the center's accommodation capabilities to handle more patients now that it is theonly operating rehabilitation center in the country. According to the center's director,Tunisia has faced a significant increase of drug use after the revolution. Due to thereduction in size of Tunisia's police force, the nation has less capability to addressdrug-related issues and make as many arrests. The extension will allow the center to

accommodate nearly double the number of patients seeking treatment.

During a visit to the Center for the Blind in Sidi Thabet, the team met with residents therewho are receiving training geared to help them better assimilate into their communities.Training focuses on areas such as telephone operating, physical therapy, precision metalrod making, and how to use telephonic and internet devices.

At an HA site visit to an AIDS Prevention Center in El Menzah, the team toured thefacilities and spoke with Doctor Ridah Kammoun, president of the AIDS PreventionAssociation in Tunis.

Prior to the contract signing ceremony on September 15, Carmichael and AmbassadorGordon Gray met with the governor of Siliana and discussed regional and localdevelopment, including the need for additional DOD/AFRICOM HumanitarianAssistance-funded programs and partnerships.

During the Ambassador's visit to Makthar, the 17th Air Force contracting officer and thebuilder signed the contract for the Makthar training center. Gray and the U.S. delegationtraveled to the construction site to review construction plans for the new FTDC TrainingCenter with Tunisian architect, Mohamed Remy Bouaziz, and the construction contractorFathi Ncib, a resident from Makthar. Gray also toured the archeological sites and richforest surroundings of the area and commented on the development potential that exists inCentral Tunisia.

###

END REPORT

AFRICOM Related News Clips 27 September 2011

Documents

Transcript of AFRICOM Related News Clips 27 September 2011