AFRICOM Related News Clips November 17, 2010

8/8/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips November 17, 2010

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office17 November 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Interview reveals U.S. presence may increase security in central Africa (EnerPub)(Central Africa) Kisangani has an important role for peace in the DRC and the GreatLakes Region of Africa, because it was there that a training center for the Congolese

Army was created with the help of the U.S. military (the training materials teachcompliance with the laws of war and human rights) and it was where the firstconference of religious leaders of the four countries affected by the violence of theLord's Resistance Army (LRA) was held. Archbishop Utempi Tapa expressed someconsiderations on the security situation in the region.

Obama Hails the Commencement of Voter Registration (Sudan Tribune)(Sudan) The United States on Monday lauded the kickoff of the voter registrationprocess for citizens of South Sudan who will decide next January whether they want toestablish their own state separate from the North.

US Issues Travel Ban on Senior Kenyan Government Officials (Voice of America)(Kenya) The United States has issued travel bans on four senior members of theKenyan government and one prominent businessman for alleged involvement innarcotics trafficking.

Angola and 16 Other African Missions Facing U.S. Bank Account Closures (AllAfrica.com)(Pan Africa) At least 16 African missions in the United States and a similar numberfrom other regions are said to be facing service restrictions imposed by several largeU.S. banks, according to U.S. government officials and private sector sources, whodeclined to be identified due to diplomatic complications the actions are causing.

California woman charged with terrorist aid (Associated Press)(Somalia) A California woman has been charged with conspiring to provide moneyand people to a Somali terrorist group to help carry out killings in the African nation,according to a federal indictment unsealed Monday.


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South African Mines Minister Postpones U.S. Roadshow (Bloomberg)(South Africa) South African Mines Minister Susan Shabangu, who yesterday said herdepartment uncovered many irregularities in awarding mining rights, delayed aninvestor roadshow to New York and Boston days before she was due to fly.

Chinese vice president arrives in South Africa for visit (Xinhua)(South Africa) Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrived here on Tuesday, kicking offhis official visit to South Africa.

UN wants extra peacekeepers for conflict risk in Sudan (AFP)(Sudan) UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday raised fears of "wider conflict" in Sudanand said the United Nations wants to send in more peacekeepers ahead of a key self-determination vote.

U.N. asked to investigate violence in Western Sahara (Washington Post)

(Western Sahara/Morocco) Western Sahara's national liberation movement demandedMonday that the U.N. Security Council launch a probe into clashes last week betweenMoroccan authorities and Western Saharan protesters, arguing that it is essential to"establish an authoritative account" of the most violent episode in years in the disputedterritory.

Guinea election rivals both declare victory, setting stage for tense showdown (Christian Science Monitor)(Guinea) Euphoria over the announcement that Alpha Conde is Guineas firstdemocratically elected president melted into apprehension as rival candidate Cellou

Dalein Diallo also proclaimed himself winner setting the stage for a tense showdownin the days ahead.

Oil Attacks In Nigeria Show New Militancy (Wall Street Journal)(Nigeria) An armed attack and kidnapping on a Nigerian oil facility owned by ExxonMobil Corp. disrupted production Monday, providing the latest sign of how a frayinggovernment amnesty deal with militants has posed fresh risks for energy companiesoperating in the oil-rich nation.

UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website

y Africas youth can do great things for the continent, says Bany S udan: S ecurity Council calls for urgent action for peaceful, credible referenday UN moves S udanese refugees away from volatile Central African Republic

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


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WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, November 18, 9:30 a.m.; U.S. Senate Committee on ArmedServicesWHAT: SASC Nomination HearingWHO: General Carter F. Ham, U.S. Army, for reappointment to the grade of generaland to be Commander, U.S. Africa Command; and General Claude R. Kehler, U.S. AirForce, for reappointment to the grade of general and to be Commander, U.S. StrategicCommandInfo: http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=4847

WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, November 18, 1:30 p.m.; Center for Strategic andInternational StudiesWHAT: Foreign Policy and Development Structure, Process, and PolicyWHO: Jerry Hyman, President, Hills Program on Governance, CSIS; Jim Kolbe, SeniorTransatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund; Former Chair, House of RepresentativesCommittee on Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related

Programs; Larry Garber, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa; DanRunde, Director, Project on Prosperity and Development, CSISInfo: http://csis.org/event/foreign-policy-and-development-structure-process-policy

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, November 23, 2:00 p.m.; Brookings InstitutionWHAT: The Role of Africas Regional Organizations in Conflict Prevention andResolutionWHO: Ruhakana Rugunda, Ugandas Permanent Representative to the United NationsInfo: http://www.brookings.edu/events/2010/1123_africa_conflict_resolution.aspx

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday and Thursday, December 15-16; National DefenseIndustrial AssociationWHAT: Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction OperationsWHO: Amb Robert Loftis, Acting Coordinator, Reconstruction and Stability,Department of State (S/CRS); Susan Reichle, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureaufor Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, USAID; Dr. James Schear,Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Stability Operations; GEN CarterHam, Commander, US Army, Europe; and others (see agenda)Info: http://www.ndia.org/meetings/1450/Pages/default.aspx ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Interview reveals U.S. presence may increase security in central Africa (EnerPub)

"I'm ready to take up the pilgrim's stick as defender and herald of peace," ArchbishopMarcel Utempi Tapa, Archbishop of Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)said when interviewed.


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Kisangani has an important role for peace in the DRC and the Great Lakes Region ofAfrica, because it was there that a training center for the Congolese Army was createdwith the help of the U.S. military (the training materials teach compliance with the lawsof war and human rights) and it was where the first conference of religious leaders ofthe four countries affected by the violence of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) washeld. Archbishop Utempi Tapa expressed some considerations on the security situationin the region.

What is the role of Kisangani in the search for peace in the Great Lakes Region?

From the geographical and strategic viewpoint, Kisangani is situated in the heart ofAfrica. It is a position that allows our city to host institutions and leaders who canensure the promotion of peace, not only for the DRC, but for the entire Great LakesRegion, and of course, for all of Africa. The war that devastated the DRC in recent yearshas caused untold damage to Kisangani, where two foreign armies (Rwanda and

Uganda) have fought for control of the region's resources. Because of this conflict, wehave suffered enormous loss on a human and psychological level, as well on thematerial and economic level.

The presence of a U.S. military training mission on the Congolese Army base inKisangani could help improve security in the region, creating a form of persuasion anddissuasion. This base is well established in the area and there are plans to expand itsfacilities, to allow formation of a greater number of Congolese soldiers.

Could you describe the "problem" of the LRA?

The presence of the LRA in the Eastern Province has been reported with certainty sinceDecember 2005. In particular, the rebels of Ugandan origin have settled in GarambaNational Park, which is located within the ecclesiastical boundaries of the Diocese ofDungu, and within the administrative district of Haut-Ul. Over the last three years,the members of the LRA have started to commit violence on local communities: thelooting of villages, kidnappings, especially of children, rapes, murders, especially of theelderly. This group now has a regional configuration that works in the DRC, southernSudan, and the Central African Republic. Among its ranks are not only Ugandans, butalso those of Congolese and South Sudanese origin, conscripted by force.

The joint military operation conducted two years ago by the Ugandan Army and theCongolese Army against the LRA has not only neutralized the LRA, but has made itsmembers scatter into small groups in Haut- Ul, as well as in Bas-Ul and the CentralAfrican Republic. The decision of the governments of Uganda and the DRC to seek apurely military solution to the problem has not achieved the expected results but, incontrast, has added to the fury of the guerrillas who have increased violence againstcivilians.


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Thus, even those of Central African have been forcibly recruited by the LRA. Faced withthis tragic humanitarian and security situation, we have stated that the Church cannotremain indifferent. For this reason, I took the initiative to convene in Kisangani,February 2 to 4, 2010 (see Fides 02/05/2010), an International conference of religiousleaders - not only Catholics but also Anglicans, Protestants and Muslims of the areasaffected by the violence of LRA: the Eastern Province of the DRC, Uganda (GuluProvince), South Sudan (Juba and Yambio). Representatives of Central Africa were alsoinvited, but were unable to intervene.

What were the aims of the Conference you convened?

The conference allowed us to fully understand the problem of the LRA and, inparticular, the damage that its members have caused in our countries. We realized thatthe humanitarian and social needs are immense, as are the needs for safety. The

displaced people are without food (because the crops were looted by the rebels), healthcare, and education.

In the concluding document of the conference, we proposed some recommendations.Among these, I remember the call to the international community to assist the displacedpopulations, providing them with food and essential services (health and education), aswell as safe places for the collection. In terms of security, we have asked thegovernments involved to do everything possible to ensure the protection of civilians.Finally, to definitively resolve this issue, we launched an appeal to the four countriesinvolved asking that they develop a common security policy.

Is there any hope for the future?

The conference in Kisangani is having results. We are pleased that the representatives ofthe DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, and Central Africa recently met in Bangui, to take acommon position on the problem of the LRA (see Fides 10/15/2010). We hope thatthese meetings with the government multiply. As religious leaders, we have a dynamicthat has already been developed, because after the meeting in Kisangani we heldanother conference in July in Dungu (DRC) and a third in September in Yambio, insouthern Sudan (see Fides 14/09/2010). In February 2011, we will hold a fourthconference, probably in Central Africa. A preparatory meeting was held in Entebbe(Uganda), where they discussed ways to do lobbying and advocacy work. In ourresolutions, we have decided to create a regional committee with the task of bringingthe message of the religious leaders to the governments of our 4 countries. But we willnot stop here, because we want to involve the European Union and the African Unionto make them aware of this problem. We are ready to take up the pilgrim's stick asdefender and herald of peace.--------------------


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Obama Hails the Commencement of Voter Registration (Sudan Tribune)

Washington The United States on Monday lauded the kickoff of the voterregistration process for citizens of South Sudan who will decide next January whetherthey want to establish their own state separate from the North.

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the North and Southstipulates that two simultaneous self-determination referendum should be held inSouth Sudan and Abyei so that its residents should decide their fate. While SouthernSudan will have the option to establish their own state, the people of Abyei are to voteon whether they want to stay with the North or join an independent South.

The Abyei referendum will most certainly be delayed as a commission to organize thevote has not been formed because of disagreements between the ruling NationalCongress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) on who is

eligible to take part in the polls.

The turnout for the registration was mostly in the South for fear that that the NCPwould seek to intimidate Southern voters residing in the North.

U.S. President Barack Obama described the voter registration as a "critical milestone."

"The president is extremely pleased that voter registration has begun in Southern Sudanin preparation for the January 9th, 2011 referendum on self-determination," a WhiteHouse statement said.

"Voter registration is a critical milestone in that process, and we hope that it willcontinue unabated We call on northern and southern leaders to finish the work startedwith the voter registration process to ensure the referendum is peaceful and occurs ontime, and that the will of the people of South Sudan is respected regardless of theoutcome"

Obama also urged both sides to look for a quick settlement on the issue of Abyei.

"Both parties also must urgently work to find an agreed-upon way forward for Abyei inthe interest of lasting peace, and we call on the government of Sudan to fully fund theSouthern Sudan referendum commission."

Yesterday the head of the African Union (AU) high-level panel on Sudan Thabo Mbekisaid that the Abyei deadlock will be referred to the presidency for consideration andthat he will meet with president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir after the latter returns fromSaudi Arabia after performing pilgrimage.--------------------


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US Issues Travel Ban on Senior Kenyan Government Officials (Voice of America)

The United States has issued travel bans on four senior members of the Kenyangovernment and one prominent businessman for alleged involvement in narcoticstrafficking.

Speaking in Mombasa, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger declared waron narcotics trafficking in Kenya. The U.S. envoy called for Kenya's citizens andpoliticians to help fight the illicit trade that has been booming in recent years.

Mombasa is Kenya's largest port city and a notorious center of drug trafficking in theregion, particularly heroin and cocaine. Ranneberger said the trade was a dangerousand growing problem for Mombasa and all Kenya.

"Kenya has a very serious problem with narcotics trafficking," he said. "It has been a

problem that has been growing for years. When you go down to the coast, in particular,all the communities talk about that. They all talk about the impact on families, on risingcrime. It has been a problem for quite some time. I think it has been a steadily - as I callit - a serious growing threat."

As part of U.S. efforts to curb crime in the region, Ranneberger said the U.S. DrugEnforcement Administration would set up a regional office in Kenya within the nextfew months. According to Ranneberger, Kenya's drug problem has been on the U.S.radar for a while, and opening a DEA office is the result of years of planning.

While Kenya is involved in significant drug flows to the rest of Africa and Europe.Relatively little of the country's drugs make it to the United States. But Ranneberger,who frequently rails against corruption in Kenya, says the fight against drugs is part ofthe fight against corruption.

"This is part and parcel of the culture of impunity," he said. "This sort of thing cannotgo on without corruption and money being paid to people. So it is all part of an effortto fight the culture of impunity."

The ambassador announced in Mombasa that the United States had issued travel banson "four senior government officials and one prominent businessman" who areallegedly involved in the illicit trade. While Ranneberger would not confirm any ofthose included, he said the identities of drug kingpins in Kenya were among the "coast'sworst kept secrets."

The 2010 World Drugs Report issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimelists Kenya, along with Egypt and Mauritius, as having the highest percentage of opiate


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users in Africa. The report also found that in 2008 two percent of those arrested fortrafficking in Afghanistan were Kenyan nationals.--------------------Angola and 16 Other African Missions Facing U.S. Bank Account Closures (AllAfrica.com)

Washington, DC The Angolan Embassy here canceled tonight's celebration plannedto mark the country's 35th independence anniversary, following a decision by Bank ofAmerica to close the embassy's checking accounts.

At least 16 other African missions in the United States and a similar number from otherregions are said to be facing service restrictions imposed by several large U.S. banks,according to U.S. government officials and private sector sources, who declined to beidentified due to diplomatic complications the actions are causing.

"The Department of State seriously regrets the inconveniences - in some cases, veryserious inconveniences - that African embassies and others have been subjected to as aresult of actions by a number of American commercial banks," Assistant Secretary ofState Johnnie Carson said when asked about the problem in an interview Monday.

Senior officials have reached out to banking institutions to help find a solution, he said.At the same time, officials are stressing that the U.S. government "does not control thebanks in this country and cannot dictate to them who they shall have as theircustomers."

But African diplomats are looking to the administration of President Barack Obama forforceful intervention. The Angolan ambassador, Josefina Pitra Diakit, who has servedin Washington since 2001, has appealed to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton forassistance. American businesses with interests in Angola have voiced concern toofficials in government and the banks.

The Angolan Embassy in Washington, DC, is among missions who have been subjectedto restrictions on their bank accounts.Ambassador Roble Olhaye from Djibouti, who - as the longest serving envoy inWashington - is dean of the diplomatic corps, said in an interview that he has askedsenior State Department officials "to find an interim solution so these countries cancarry on their diplomatic activities in this country." While some of the affectedembassies have not yet had their accounts closed, Angola and several others are nowunable to access any of the funds they have on deposit in the United States.

Angola, which has twice the land area of Texas, last year overtook Nigeria as Africa'slargest crude oil producer and has become the sixth largest supplier of imported oil tothe United States. Bilateral relations with the United States, which have been generally


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cordial in the post-Cold War era, moved a step higher following Clinton's visit toLuanda last year. Since that time, U.S. government efforts aimed at combatingHIV/Aids and improving health have increased and working groups to promotecooperation on energy and security cooperation have been established.

As the country's oil output has risen, so have been allegations of widespread corruptioninvolving both the Angolan government and the rapidly expanding oil and bankingsectors. A U.S. Senate investigation subcommittee, chaired by Michigan Democrat CarlLevin, in a February report cited Angola "for an ongoing corruption problem, weakanti-money laundering (AML) controls, and a cash-intensive banking system."

The Angolan embassy began doing business with Bank of America three months agoafter HSBC Bank USA closed all embassy accounts, apparently as part of a broadermove to reduce or cut ties with the oil-rich African nation.

In a letter dated October 25, 2010, Bank of America advised the embassy to stop writingchecks and stated that all embassy accounts would be closed by November 9. But theletter gave no reason for the action, and no additional information has been provided.Embassy funds on deposit with the bank remain frozen, leaving mission staff inWashington without operating funds, according to sources familiar with the situation.

A statement from the bank issued in response to an inquiry from AllAfrica said: "Due toconfidentiality, we can't comment on specific client relationships. In general, Bank ofAmerica Merrill Lynch is actively committed to providing banking services for thediplomatic community. This includes countries in Africa, where we have a number of

clients and are pursuing other opportunities."In June, Reuters reported that Senate pressure may have prompted HSBC to halt allbusiness dealings with an unspecified number of private Angolan banks. HSBCdeclined comment, according to the news agency, which cited "a source with directknowledge of the matter" for its report. The Senate investigation criticized HSBC forclose ties to Banco Africano Investimentos, a U.S.$7 billion private Angolan bank,"despite troubling information about its ownership and failure to provide a copy of itsanti-money laundering policies and procedures." In August, the Federal Reserve Systemcensored HSBC for shortcomings in enforcing anti-money laundering requirements.

On Sunday, the Financial Times reported that the consulting firm Deloite is carrying outan "independent examination" of anti-money laundering procedures at HSBC, which isfacing investigations by several federal government agencies.

Banks are facing increasing scrutiny from anti-corruption groups for their activities inmany countries. A March 2009 report on international banking, issued by GlobalWitness, charges that "dozens of British, European and Chinese banks have provided


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Angola's opaque national oil company, Sonangol, with billions of dollars of oil backedloans, though there is no transparency or democratic oversight about how theseadvances on the country's oil revenues are used."

The 328-page Senate investigation report issued in February included four detailed casestudies to illustrate how politically connected foreign officials "have used U.S. lawyers,real estate and escrow agents, lobbyists, bankers, and even university officials, tocircumvent U.S. anti-money laundering and anticorruption safeguards." Along withAngola, the case studies focused on Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Nigeria.

Heightened attention to bank involvement in questionable practices is believed to be atleast the partial impetus for increased restrictions that a number of African embassiesand diplomatic missions in the United States are now facing in their dealings withAmerican banking institutions. Increased scrutiny from many governments, led by theUnited States, designed to stop money laundering and combat financing of terrorism,

has raised the cost for banks of doing business with smaller countries and reducedincentives for handling the once-lucrative accounts.

While no comprehensive list of countries affected by newly imposed limits from U.S.banks seems to exist, African nations feeling the effects are said to include Burkina Faso,Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo,Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi,Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Swaziland. As many as 20countries outside Africa are believed to be facing similar difficulties.

With so many governments involved, diplomatic efforts to find a resolution haveintensified. Ohaye, whose small nation has not had its banking services curtailed, said acrisis comparable to what is happening in Washington is now brewing in New York,where he also serves as his country's representative. United Nations missions frommany countries have been notified by a bank, which he would not name, that theiraccounts will be closed in March, he said. According to one knowledgeable source, thebank involved is JP Morgan Chase.

The bank crisis is threatening to strain U.S. Angola relations. Late Monday, 24 hoursbefore Ambassador Diakit had been expecting to host Angola's independencecelebration, she departed Washington to return to Luanda for consultations with hergovernment on how to handle the situation. Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who heads theruling MPLA, has been president since 1979, and a revised constitution abolishingdirect elections for the presidency assures him of remaining in office until 2012. Thecountry's economy has been one of the fastest growing in Africa since the civil war thatbegan at independence in 1975 ended in 2002.


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Christopher J. McMullen, who was confirmed last month by the Senate as the new U.S.ambassador to Luanda, may not be able to take up his post if the government theregrows increasingly unhappy with the actions affecting its embassy in Washington.Assistant Secretary Carson said that, in a telephone call last week, he assured AngolanForeign Minister Assuno dos Anjos that the administration wants to see a solution.Top officials, including Under Secretary of State Robert Hormats and Under Secretaryof Treasury Stuart Levey, have gotten involved as well.

"Concern about this problem has percolated to the highest levels around here," oneofficial said Monday, speaking on background. "But nobody can figure out what we ingovernment can really do - and the Africans find that hard to believe."--------------------California woman charged with terrorist aid (Associated Press)

SAN DIEGO A California woman has been charged with conspiring to provide

money and people to a Somali terrorist group to help carry out killings in the Africannation, according to a federal indictment unsealed Monday.

Nima Ali Yusuf, a 24-year-old permanent resident of the U.S., conspired in SouthernCalifornia and elsewhere to aid al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked militia trying to create anIslamic state in Somalia, the indictment states.

Federal prosecutors did not provide further details on the allegations.

Since 2007, roughly 20 men have left Minnesota to fight with al-Shabab. Authorities said

one became the first known U.S. citizen to do a suicide bombing when he launched anattack in Somalia.

The FBI said he might have been "radicalized" in Minneapolis.

It wasn't immediately clear from the indictment whether Yusuf was connected to thosemen.

Yusuf was the fourth person charged in the past month in San Diego with helping al-Shabab. The others were accused of helping raise money and route funds to the radicalIslamist group.

The indictments come as the U.S. government cracks down on those suspected ofhelping al-Shabab.

Earlier this month, the U.S. banned all cargo from Somalia in response to a plot byterrorists in Yemen who hid two powerful bombs inside printers shipped to Chicago.


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A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasnot authorized to speak publicly, said there was no intelligence linking Somalia to asimilar plot, but he said al-Shabab has said it intends to attack the U.S., just as al-Qaidain the Arabian Peninsula has stated and tried to do.

Yusuf was arrested Friday in San Diego and appeared in federal court Monday, federalprosecutor Sabrina Feve said.

Yusuf was charged in the indictment with conspiracy to provide material support toterrorists; conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization; andmaking a false statement to an FBI agent and Customs and Border Protection officerwhen she allegedly denied sending money to anyone in Somalia in the past year.

Yusuf was being held without bail pending a Nov. 18 hearing. The federal defendersoffice said they did not have an attorney listed for her yet.

Bashir Hassan of HARO, a San Diego-based African relief organization, said Yusuf usedto volunteer in the office, answering phones and making calls. The group collectsmostly clothes to send to the poor in Somalia.

He said he was not aware of her involvement in helping al-Shabab.

"I don't know what to say," he said. "When the government makes allegations, I thinkit's the government's job to bring evidence. But I didn't see anything, as far as thathappening."

During the past two years, Minneapolis has been the center of a federal investigationinto al-Shabab recruitment.

E.K. Wilson, a counterterrorism supervisor with the FBI in Minneapolis, said his officeis coordinating closely with colleagues in San Diego, but added he could not commenton whether Yusuf is directly connected to the Minnesota men who went overseas tofight.

He referred questions to the FBI or U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego, where officialsdeclined to comment further.

A total of 19 people have been charged in the case in Minnesota with a variety of countsranging from providing material support to terrorists to perjury. Three men who wentto Somalia and returned to the U.S. after spending time in al-Shabab training campshave pleaded guilty to material support charges in federal court in Minnesota and areawaiting sentencing.


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Most of the other men who went to fight in Somalia are still at large. Some are dead orfeared dead.

The defendants include two women accused of being part of a pipeline that routedmoney and fighters from the U.S. to al-Shabab by going door to door in Rochester,Minn., Minneapolis and other cities in the U.S. and Canada to fraudulently raise moneyfor al-Shabab's operations in Somalia.

They falsely claimed the donations would go to the needy and allegedly heldteleconferences to make direct appeals for support for al-Shabab, according to theindictment.

The men who left Minnesota initially appeared to have been motivated not by anger atAmerica but instead at turmoil in their Somali homeland. The country has not had afunctioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a socialist dictator then

turned on each other, plunging the African nation of 7 million into chaos.--------------------South African Mines Minister Postpones U.S. Roadshow (Bloomberg)

South African Mines Minister Susan Shabangu, who yesterday said her departmentuncovered many irregularities in awarding mining rights, delayed an investorroadshow to New York and Boston days before she was due to fly.

A spokesman for the minister, who has also opposed calls by the youth wing of theruling African National Congress for mines to be nationalized, said today the

government would postpone the visit to avoid a clash with Thanksgiving holidays inthe U.S.

It makes more sense for the roadshow to coincide with the Prospectors andDevelopers Association of Canada conference around March, Musa Zondi, thespokesman, said in an interview by telephone, adding a new date hasnt been decidedfor the trip.

Investors were set to question Shabangu on mining policy in her country, which has theworlds largest mineral wealth. While she says mines will be nationalized over mydead body, the ANC yesterday appointed researchers to study the matter. A probeinto rights awards, especially to black investors, also found rules to promote blackpeople in the economy were being misused.

The roadshow was scheduled for Nov. 18 through Nov. 22.

Shabangu ordered the investigation and imposed a six-month moratorium onprospecting-license awards in September after she found maladministration in her


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department. Anglo American Plcs Kumba Iron Ore Ltd., Lonmin Plc and ImpalaPlatinum Holdings Ltd. have challenged the award of licenses to other parties for areasin which the companies say they already hold rights.

Forced to Sell

Mine operators have to sell 26 percent of their operations in South Africa, which has thelargest reserves of platinum, manganese and chrome, to black investors by 2014.

Anglo, in control of the worlds largest platinum producer, may be wise to split off itsbusinesses outside of South Africa to prevent their value being hurt by local issues,BofA Merrill Lynch said in July. Large South African exposure could hamper relativeperformance given the countrys challenging business environment, Ambrian PartnersLtd. said in a note in November.

South Africa, estimated by Citibank NA in April to hold about $2.5 trillion of mineralreserves, has raised targets for participation by black people in the mining industry.

More black people, disadvantaged under apartheid, should join management of miningcompanies, which should also buy more goods from black-controlled suppliers,Shabangu said in August.

Black empowerment policy has impaired South Africa as a mining investmentdestination, Leon Esterhuizen, an analyst at RBC Capital, said on Oct. 29. Its longer-term lingering impact on the industry of effectively blocking corporate activity serves as

a massive drag on getting the job done.--------------------Chinese vice president arrives in South Africa for visit (Xinhua)

CAPE TOWN - Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrived here on Tuesday, kicking offhis official visit to South Africa.

In a speech upon his arrival at the airport, Xi said he was glad to come to the beautifulrainbow nation. He said though far from each other, China and South Africa boastprofound friendship.

The vice president hailed the comprehensive development of the bilateral ties of thetwo countries, saying that the two sides have been steadily promoting the bilateralcooperation and exchanges since they established diplomatic ties 12 years ago.

During South African President Jacob Zuma's first state visit to China in August, thetwo countries announced the establishment of the "comprehensive strategicpartnership."


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"I believe the visit will push forward the comprehensive strategic partnership betweenChina and South Africa," Xi said.

He said that he expected to exchange views with South African leaders on bilateral linksand major regional and international issues of common concern, and to co-chair thefourth meeting of the China-South Africa Bi-National Commission.

Xi made the visit as a guest of South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.During his stay in South Africa, Xi will meet Zuma and leaders of the country'sparliament. He will also deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of a seminar on the10th anniversary of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, to fully introduce China'sAfrican policy.

Xi flew from Singapore after an official visit to South Africa, the second leg of his four-

nation trip to Asia and Africa. He will also visit Angola and Botswana.

China and South Africa established the diplomatic ties in 1998. From 1998 to 2009, thebilateral trade volume has expanded from 1. 5 billion U.S. dollars to 16 billion U.S.dollars in 2009. China became South Africa's biggest trade partner and South Africa isChina's second biggest trade partner in Africa.--------------------UN wants extra peacekeepers for conflict risk in Sudan (AFP)

UNITED NATIONS UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday raised fears of "wider

conflict" in Sudan and said the United Nations wants to send in more peacekeepersahead of a key self-determination vote.

Amid statements by the rival north and south governments that they did not want war,the UN Security Council demanded new efforts by both sides to ensure the January 9referendum is held on time in South Sudan and oil-rich Abyei.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered Sudan "dramatically" better relations withWashington if Khartoum sticks to its side of the 2005 peace accord with the south thatended a civil war in which two million people died.

Tensions between the north and south have risen again as troubled preparations for thevote move slowly ahead.

Ban highlighted "hostile public statements and accusations of ceasefire violations whichrisk heightening anxiety and provoking isolated security incidents that can escalate in awider conflict."


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He said the United Nations was talking with the north and south "on options for apossible augmentation of additional UN troops to increase referendum and post-referendum security."

The UN force, UNAMID, currently has about 10,000 troops in Sudan.

"However, the presence of UN troops will not be enough to prevent the return to warshould widespread hostilities erupt," Ban stressed.

"The potential for unintentional conflict is especially high" in oil-rich Abyei, where thereare the strongest fears that the referendum will not be held on time, the UN leader said.

The UN leader said aid agencies have contingency plans to provide assistance in case of"referendum-related violence."

He appealed for donations for the 63 million dollars needed "to pre-positionhumanitarian assistance near potential hotspots."

Many governments now doubt whether the January 9 vote will be on time, even thoughthey have seen some positive events in Sudan.

Voter registration started on schedule on Monday and the north and south have agreedto make a new push to agree on borders, the sharing of oil revenues and otherdeadlocked issues.

International envoy Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president, said talksinvolving Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and South Sudan's leader Salva Kiir wouldstart November 22.

Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali Karti said many "positive developments" had emergedand said the two sides would "cooperate on solving issues and will not go back to war."

Pagan Amum, secretary general of the south's Sudan People's Liberation Movement(SPLM), highlighted that the south is likely to choose secession but told the council: "Weshall always remain neighbors and we have no choice but to remain good neighbors."

Clinton said the January 9 vote "is critical to peace and stability not just for Sudan butalso for the neighbors."

She pressed the two sides to speed up their negotiations and said they "must avoidinflammatory rhetoric, quell rumors and dampen animosities."


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But she said if Khartoum holds the referendum on time, recognizes the result andsettles the future of Abyei then the US government would move to take Sudan off theUS list of terrorist backers.

If Sudan "commits to a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Darfur and takes other stepstoward peace and accountability" the US administration is ready to offer an end to USsanctions, help with international debt relief, increased trade and "forging a mutuallybeneficial relationship."

A Security Council statement on Sudan read by British Foreign Secretary WilliamHague expressed "deep concern" about the growing violence in Darfur and deadlockedpeace talks between rebel groups and the Khartoum government.

The United Nations estimates that at least 300,000 people have died in Darfur since2003.

It called on the Sudan government to give greater cooperation to the UN mission inDarfur and "to give full, unhindered access and freedom of movement" to UNpeacekeepers and aid workers.--------------------U.N. asked to investigate violence in Western Sahara (Washington Post)

UNITED NATIONS - Western Sahara's national liberation movement demandedMonday that the U.N. Security Council launch a probe into clashes last week betweenMoroccan authorities and Western Saharan protesters, arguing that it is essential to

"establish an authoritative account" of the most violent episode in years in the disputedterritory.

The move comes one week after Moroccan authorities bulldozed a temporaryencampment that housed 12,000 to 20,000 Saharawi protesters on the outskirts ofLaayoune. The authorities blasted the compound with water canons and severely beatprotesters, triggering anti-Moroccan riots and reprisal attacks by Moroccan securityofficials against civilians.

The bloody incident outside the Moroccan-controlled city of Laayoune in WesternSahara drew international attention to a remote conflict that generates scant presscoverage in the United States. U.N. special envoy Christopher Ross, who is overseeingpolitical talks between the two sides in New York this week, is scheduled to brief theSecurity Council Tuesday in a special session on the latest spasm of violence. He is to be joined by a senior U.N. peacekeeping official.

Shortly after Spain ended its colonial rule of Western Sahara in 1975, Morocco annexedthe territory, thwarting the locals' aspiration to join scores of other African countries


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declaring independence. The Frente Polisario, which is backed by Algeria, has led theterritory's struggle for self-rule. But Morocco - with backing from France - haseffectively fended off efforts for the group's recognition on the world stage.

Determining what happened in and around Laayoune has been thwarted by Morocco'srefusal to provide access to the area to most U.N. peacekeepers, journalists, diplomatsand human rights experts, said U.N.-based officials and diplomats.

Ahmed Boukari, the Frente Polisario's U.N. representative, characterized the crackdownas a "massacre," citing reports from locals that at least 36 civilians have been killed inthe melee. Morocco maintains that 12 died, including 10 security officials killed byprotesters and rioters.

Peter Bouckaert, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, largely supported thegovernment's estimates on the death toll, suggesting that Polisario's numbers might be

inflated.

"As far as we know, there is one confirmed death of a civilian, and possibly a secondwho died in a hospital," Bouckaert said in a telephone interview from Laayoune.

Boukaert said there were rumors that dozens of bodies were being held in militarymorgues but that interviews with local residents did not support such allegations. "Ourevidence gathered suggest a much lower civilian death toll, but it is precisely for thisreason that journalists and investigators should have unimpeded access to Laayoune."

He also said confusion over the events highlights the need for the U.N. peacekeepingmission to establish a unit to monitor human rights violations in Western Sahara.Several countries, including Austria and Mexico, pressed the council last year to set upa human rights monitoring unit in the peacekeeping mission to track such abuses. Themeasure was blocked by France, Morocco's closest ally in the council.

The Saharawis set up the tent city in Gdemi Izik outside Laayoune several months agoto protest the dire social conditions in Western Sahara, including high unemployment,lack of subsidies for the elderly or access to jobs for college graduates. Talks betweenMoroccan authorities and the protesters broke down.

On Nov. 8, several hundred Moroccan security forces surrounded the camp andadvanced in armored cars to dismantle it. Rioting quickly spread from the camp, whereone police officer and a fireman were killed, along the road to Laayoune, where twomore police were stabbed to death at police station, according to Bouckaert.

The violence escalated in Laayoune amid rumors, apparently untrue, that Moroccanforces had opened fire on civilians in the camps, killing scores. Inside Laayoune,


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another six Moroccan security forces were killed, including one who had his throat cut,as angry protesters and their supporters rampaged, burning government buildings, hesaid.

By late Monday afternoon, Moroccan police and military sought revenge, ransackinghomes in Saharawi neighborhoods, beating residents and detaining more than 100,many of whom were severely beaten, Bouckaert said.

Bouckaert expressed concern about the treatment of the detained, including six whowere charged with crimes by a military court in Rabat, Morocco.

"We saw the bruises of some of the men and women who have been released," he said."Many people were injured in the camp and in the city, but most of them were tooafraid to go to the hospital to seek treatment. On Monday, the police blocked theentrance to the main hospital and beat up Saharawi wounded who arrived, and even

the taxi drivers who brought them."--------------------Guinea election rivals both declare victory, setting stage for tense showdown (Christian Science Monitor)

Euphoria over the announcement that Alpha Conde is Guineas first democraticallyelected president melted into apprehension as rival candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo alsoproclaimed himself winner setting the stage for a tense showdown in the days ahead.

Mr. Conde won the Nov. 7 runoff election with 52.52 percent of the vote to Mr. Diallo's

47.48 percent, according to final results released late Monday night by the IndependentNational Electoral Commission (CENI). Pre-election violence saw numerous car andstore windows smashed with rocks, resulting in clashes with the military that claimedthe lives of at least three residents, in addition to another civilian reportedly killedMonday night.

Immediately following the announcement, the massive conference hall Palais du Peupleerupted into applause. People of all ages took to the capital's streets singing anddancing in celebration for Condes party, the Rally of Guinean People (RPG). Speakingfrom his private residence in Conakry, Conde vowed to be the president for all andextended his hand toward his brother Diallo for the reconciliation of the country.

But hours before the announcement was even made, former Prime Minister Diallo hadalready proclaimed himself winner. On Sunday, he suspended his participation in theCENI verification process and promised to not accept any results until complaints ofvoter fraud had been fully examined and addressed.

Fraud allegations


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Diallo's party, the ethnic-Peul-led Union for the Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG),have alleged voter fraud at several polling stations where voting totals were greaterthan registered voters. Diallo specifically vowed to contest the inclusion of any resultsfrom Siguiri, where hundreds of ethnic Peuls were chased from their homes in thelead-up to elections.

Although the displaced Peuls eventually were granted the right to vote in a protocolagreed upon by both parties, Diallo claims his party observers were denied accessduring voting and could not therefore certify its transparency.

His refusal to recognize the region of Siguiri is of critical importance: either partysvictory hinges on it.

The United Nations on Monday urged all parties to accept the election results. CENIPresident Siaka Toumani Sangare expressed disbelief that UFDG complaints have not

been taken seriously. We have worked hard to verify these sources, he responded. Idont understand how [Diallo] can say we have refused to treat them. The matter isnow headed for the Supreme Court sometime next week, when the final decisionelection outcome will be confirmed.

Monday's results came five days later than expected, with apprehensions rising andaccusations swirling as each deadline passed.

Tumultuous two yearsStorefronts have been closed across the country since last week, with the capitals main

shopping center resembling a ghost town. Some UFDG supporters have alreadycongregated across the capital to protest what they view as a stolen election. Severalbuildings were set ablaze in the neighborhood of Amadac on Monday, and nearly allcirculation has been cut off in the district of Bambeto, where the unrest is most palpable.

Despite the sporadic outbreaks of violence, Guineans appear optimistic and eager tostart building a stable government after more than 50 years of little to no tangibleeconomic development.

The election follows a tumultuous two years in which President Lansana Conte, whoheld power for 24 years, died in December 2008, Army Captain Moussa Dadis Camaraseized power and was then shot in December 2009, and General Sekouba Konatebecame interim president and began plans for a democratic election with a first roundvote in June.

The violence Guinea has suffered, even up to this point, is not stronger than thecourage of the people," said local journalist Kouyate Abdoulaye. "It took unity of


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purpose to get to this point with many giving their very lives. It will take the sameattitude to make this important transition to a stronger, democratic Guinea.--------------------Oil Attacks In Nigeria Show New Militancy (Wall Street Journal)

An armed attack and kidnapping on a Nigerian oil facility owned by Exxon MobilCorp. disrupted production Monday, providing the latest sign of how a frayinggovernment amnesty deal with militants has posed fresh risks for energy companiesoperating in the oil-rich nation.

Gunmen in five skiffs with powerful motors attacked Exxon Mobil's Oso platform lateSunday, according to a security executive who works in the same area and had seen aninternal report on the incident. They boarded the platform and "conducted a room-to-room search. Crew and staff were beaten and robbed, the power supply was cut andcommunications were damaged," according to the security executive.

Eight Nigerian crew members were kidnapped from the platform, according to a seniorindustry executive familiar with the situation. It wasn't clear if there were other crewmembers who weren't kidnapped.

Exxon declined to say how the attack would affect output at one of Nigeria's biggest oilfields. It suspended Oso's production as a "precautionary measure," the company saidin a statement Monday. The field can produce the equivalent of 100,000 barrels of oil adayas much as 5% of the country's daily output.

Sunday's attacks occurred in the Niger Delta, an area in Nigeria's south that is doggedby poverty and instabilityand also accounts for most of the oil output that makes thecountry Africa's biggest oil producer and a major supplier to the U.S. For years in theregion, militants claiming to seek a larger share of revenue for locals have sabotagedpipelines and kidnapped oil workers. But violence appeared to diminish after manyaccepted a presidential amnesty last year.

Recent events, however, show some gunmen on the attack again, in a turn of eventsobservers say marks the unraveling of a program that provided housing and money toformer militant commanders who laid down arms and renounced violence. Newattacks suggest a growing divide between ex-leaders, many of whom are seen to bereaping the rewards of the Nigerian government's largess, and mid- to lower-levelmilitants who have felt slighted in the deal, according to the military, militants andrights groups.

Sunday's incident was the fourth major attack on foreign installations in the Niger Deltain the past three months. In September, three crew members of the French oil-servicecompany Bourbon SA were kidnapped while working on an oil field operated by


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Addax Petroleum, which is owned by China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., or Sinopec.Last month, two pipelines belonging to Italian oil company Eni SpA were attacked. Lastweek, an offshore rig owned by London-listed Afren PLC was boarded, seven crewmembers were kidnapped and one was shot in the leg.

"There has been a big spike in offshore attacks recently, and some of it is not actuallyrecorded or disseminated," said another security executive tracking militant activity inNigeria's oil industry. "So this is just the tip of the iceberg."

.In the past, militants often claimed to seek increased access to oil revenue and betterliving standards for people in the region, even though military and watchdog groupssay they were little more than loosely organized criminal gangs. But there have been nosuch claims in any of the recent attacks.

The Nigerian military has pledged a crackdown. A spokesman for the military's Joint

Task Force, Lt. Col. Timothy Antigha, said the force had already raided a suspectedmilitant camp in Bayelsa State this month but it wasn't part of a planned offensive. Aroutine military patrol came across a group of gunmen and chased them to their campwhere they found light weapons and equipment meant for sabotaging or tapping oilfrom pipelines, the military spokesman said.

The group is part of the new wave of previously unknown gunmen who ex-militantsand the army say have no political agenda. The army spokesman said what they foundat the camp showed "pure criminality, no indication of politics."

Kennedy West, a mediator who negotiated peace with some of the armed groups lastyear, said it wouldn't be possible for top militant commanders to fight the new gunmenbecause they have pledged to lay down their weapons.

Many of these militant commanders were paid with cash or incentives like free housingby government officials to accept last year's amnesty, according to militants, themilitary and senior government officials. Two ex-militants who publicly accepted thedealEbikabowei Victor Ben, who goes by the name Boyloaf, and another leaderknown as General Africa were until recently residing in government housing inBayelsa state, according to a housing document viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Neither Boyloaf nor General Africa responded to requests for comment.--------------------UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website

Africas youth can do great things for the continent, says Ban


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16 November Africas young population can drive the continents futuredevelopment, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon told an international symposium takingplace in Benin.

S udan: S ecurity Council calls for urgent action for peaceful, credible referenda16 November The Security Council today urged parties to the 2005 peace pact thatended the countrys long-running civil war to take urgent action to ensure the holdingof peaceful and credible referenda on self-determination in less than two months time.

UN moves S udanese refugees away from volatile Central African Republic border 16 November Insecurity and logistical difficulties have prompted the United Nationsrefugee agency to relocate some 3,500 Sudanese refugees from a camp in north-easternCentral African Republic (CAR) to safer areas in the south-central part of the country.

AFRICOM Related News Clips November 17, 2010

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