AFRICOM Related-Newsclips 6 Jan 2012

8/3/2019 AFRICOM Related-Newsclips 6 Jan 2012

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

United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office6 January 2012

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 January 6, 2012.

Of interest in todays clips:

-- New York Times reports on President Obamas announcement yesterday of a broadnew military strategy for the United States and AOL Defense analyses how this new

strategy will affect U.S. military activities in Africa.-- BBC and Al Jazeera cover renewed violence in Nigeria a church shooting in Gombethat killed six and bomb blasts in Maiduguri and Damaturu.-- The Christian Science Monitor writes that Al-Shabaab is on the run but that Somaliofficials are unable to govern because of internal strife.

Provided in text format for remote reading. Links work more effectively when thismessage is viewed as in HTML format.

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

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

Obama Describes Refocused Strategy for Leaner Military (New York Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/us/obama-at-pentagon-to-outline-cuts-and-strategic-shifts.html5 January 2012By Elizabeth Brumiller and Thom ShankerPresident Obama outlined a broad new military strategy for the United States onThursday, one that refocuses the armed forces on threats in Asia and the Pacific region,continues a strong presence in the Middle East but makes clear that American groundforces will no longer be large enough to conduct prolonged, large-scalecounterinsurgency campaigns like those in Iraq and Afghanistan.


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New DoD Strategy Quietly Targets Africa, South America (AOL Defense)

http://defense.aol.com/2012/01/05/new-dod-strategy-quietly-targets-africa-south-america/5 January 2012By Carlo Munoz

WASHINGTON: The White House's newly-minted national security strategy is full ofbig ideas. But among all these big ideas is a much smaller one that could draw thePentagon much deeper into the small wars that have defined America's globalcounterterrorism campaign.

Combating A Common Terrorist Threat (Washington Times)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/4/combating-a-common-terrorist-threat/5 January 2012By Owoye Andrew AzaziTerrorists from Nigeria have again turned the joyful celebrations of Christmas into a D-Day for premeditated mass murder. This year, extremists slaughtered worshippers in a

church during Christmas services near the Nigerian capital and elsewhere in the country.

Nigeria church hit by deadly gun attack (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-164361125 January 2012Gunmen have attacked a church in north-east Nigeria killing at least six people, thechurch's pastor says.

Boko Haram blasts continue in Nigeria (Al Jazeea)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/2012157461837587.html5 January 2012Boko Haram claims responsibility for three blasts in Maiduguri and Damaturu, citiesunder a state of emergency.

Somalia's Al Shabab Islamists are on the run (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2012/0105/Somalia-s-Al-Shabab-Islamists-are-on-the-run5 January 2012By Scott BaldaufWith more and more African Union countries sending peacekeeping troops to Somalia,and with the militant group Al Shabab clearly on the retreat, it might appear thatSomalias future is finally starting to look bright but the Somali officials, backed byinternational forces, are too busy fighting among themselves to govern.

U.S. turns to drones to counter China (Japan Times)

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120105mr.html5 January 2012By Michael RichardsonSINGAPORE A recent offer by the Seychelles to refuel and replenish Chinese navalships on anti-piracy patrols in the northwest Indian Ocean was seen as the latest sign of


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China's expanding naval power.

Clarify 'lethal force' piracy defence rules, say MPs (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-164106715 January 2012

Guidelines on when British ships can use "lethal force" against Somali pirates must beclarified, MPs say.

Failure to prosecute pirates beggars belief, say MPs as it's revealed 90% of all

suspects are freed without trial (Daily Mail )

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082450/Failure-prosecute-pirates-beggars-belief-say-MPs-revealed-90-suspects-freed-trial.html?ito=feeds-newsxml5 January 2012By Ian DruryBritain's failure to prosecute Somali pirates who attack ships, seize hostages and demandhuge ransoms beggars belief, a withering Parliamentary report said today.

Jonglei clashes: South Sudan declares a disaster (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-164277325 January 2012South Sudan has declared a disaster in Jonglei state, where some 100,000 people havefled recent clashes between rival ethnic groups.

Libya's top soldier weighs challenges (Al Jazeea)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/20121541918156905.html5 January 2012By Imran KahnNew armed forces head says he is prepared to address issue of fighters, but hisappointment is already facing rejection.

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UN News Service Africa Briefs

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

Libya: UN official impressed by pace of returns to cities emerging from conflict

5 January A senior United Nations official who has visited the Libyan cities of BaniWalid, Sirte and Misrata, which saw some of the most intense fighting during last yearsmilitary campaign to oust Muammar al-Qadhafis regime, said today he was impressedby the rate of return of displaced residents to their homes.

(Full Articles on UN Website)

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Upcoming Events of Interest

NSTR.

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Whats new on www.africom.mil

U.S. Army Africa Chaplains Lead Training in Burundi

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7523&lang=0U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs4 January 2012BUJUMBURA, Burundi Two U.S. Army Africa chaplains traveled to Bujumbura,Burundi in December 2011 to lead a five-day training symposium in partnership withBurundi Ministry of Defense medical providers and chaplains to develop strategies to

reduce adverse responses to combat-related stressors.

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FULL TEXT

Obama Describes Refocused Strategy for Leaner Military (New York Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/us/obama-at-pentagon-to-outline-cuts-and-strategic-shifts.html5 January 2012By Elizabeth Brumiller and Thom Shanker

WASHINGTON President Obama outlined a broad new military strategy for theUnited States on Thursday, one that refocuses the armed forces on threats in Asia and thePacific region, continues a strong presence in the Middle East but makes clear thatAmerican ground forces will no longer be large enough to conduct prolonged, large-scalecounterinsurgency campaigns like those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In an unusual appearance in the Pentagon briefing room, Mr. Obama put his mark on amilitary strategy that moves away from the grinding wars he inherited from the Bushadministration and relies more on naval and air power in the Pacific and the Strait ofHormuz as a counterbalance to China and Iran.

Were turning the page on a decade of war, Mr. Obama said. He called it a moment oftransition that allowed him to look ahead and determine the kind of force a smallerone, he said -- that the nation needs in the future.

Mr. Obamas strategy embraces hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to the military,making it an awkward codicil to the uneasy relationship he has shared with the militarysince his first days in office.


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In a letter accompanying the new strategy, the president wrote, We must put our fiscalhouse in order here at home and renew our long-term economic strength.

But in an election year when he has been under assault from Republican presidential

candidates for cutting the military budget and for what they say is his weak response toIranian threats, Mr. Obama also said that the United States would avoid repeating themistakes of the past when our military was left ill-prepared for the future.

To that end, the president wrote, his administration will continue to invest incounterterrorism, intelligence gathering, cyberwarfare and countering the proliferation ofnuclear weapons.

Mr. Obama arrived at the Pentagon early Thursday to describe the new strategy with hisdefense secretary, Leon E. Panetta, and with Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman ofthe Joint Chiefs of Staff. Officials said it was the first time in history that a president had

held a news conference at the Pentagon.

Mr. Obama said the country needed to remain prepared. We cannot afford to repeat themistakes of the past after World War II, after Vietnam when our military was leftill-prepared for the future, he said. So, yes, our military will be leaner, but the worldmust knowthe United States is going to maintain our military superiority.

Mr. Panetta has concluded that the Army has to shrink even below current targets,dropping to 490,000 soldiers over the next decade, but that the United States should notcut any of its 11 aircraft carriers, according to Pentagon officials and military analystsbriefed on the secretarys budget proposals.

The new military strategy is driven by at least $450 billion in Pentagon budget cuts overthe next decade. An additional $500 billion in cuts could be ordered if Congress followsthrough on plans for deeper reductions.

As part of the new reality, Mr. Panetta is expected to propose cuts in coming weeks tonext-generation weapons, including delays in purchases of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighterjet, one of the most expensive weapons programs in history. Delaying the F-35 wouldleave its factories open, giving the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, a chance to work outcontinuing problems in developing the plane while freeing up money that otherwisewould be devoted to buying it in the next year or two.

In the past few days, senior aides to both Mr. Panetta and General Dempsey said fewspecific details on Pentagon budget cuts would be released before the final budgetproposal is finished later this month. But a number of Pentagon officials, military officersand military budget specialists briefed on Mr. Panettas plans discussed specific programson the chopping block on the condition of anonymity.

The defense secretary has made clear that troop reductions should be carried out


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carefully, and over several years, so that combat veterans are not flooding into a toughemployment market and military families do not feel that the government is breakingtrust after a decade of sacrifice, officials said.

A smaller Army would be a clear sign that the Pentagon does not anticipate conducting

another expensive, troop-intensive counterinsurgency campaign, like those waged inAfghanistan and Iraq. Nor would the military be able to carry out two sustained groundwars at one time, as was required under past national military strategies.

Instead, the military would be required to fight and win one war, spoil the militaryaspirations of another adversary in a different region of the world, and all the while beable to conduct humanitarian relief operations and other contingencies, like continuingcounterterrorism missions and enforcing a no-fly zone.

The size of the Marine Corps is also expected to be reduced, although it would beexpected to benefit from a renewed focus on the Asia-Pacific region, with Marines

deployed aboard ships as well as at bases west of Hawaii.

Mr. Panetta is also examining personnel costs, with cuts to future retirement benefits andfees for health care offered to Defense Department retirees on the table.

Some areas of Pentagon spending will be protected. The defense secretary will notadvocate cuts in financing for defense and offense in cyberspace, for Special Operationsforces or for the broad area of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

In general, the new Defense Strategic Review outlined Thursday will try to defineAmerican national security interests in what officials said would be more realistic,narrow terms to allow the acquisition of required military capabilities with a reducedbudget.

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New DoD Strategy Quietly Targets Africa, South America (Aol Defense)

http://defense.aol.com/2012/01/05/new-dod-strategy-quietly-targets-africa-south-america/5 January 2012By Carlo Munoz

WASHINGTON: The White House's newly-minted national security strategy is full ofbig ideas. But among all these big ideas is a much smaller one that could draw thePentagon much deeper into the small wars that have defined America's globalcounterterrorism campaign.

U.S. special operations forces and counterinsurgency specialists returning from Iraq andAfghanistan are poised to ramp up operations across the globe, focusing on Africa andSouth America, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said today. These small bands of specialforces and COIN experts will lean upon "innovative methods" learned in Southwest Asia


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to support local counterterrorism forces and expand American influence in those twocontinents, Panetta said. The plan is part of the new strategy unveiled by PresidentObama today.

These "innovative methods" include increasing rotations of small special operations units

into those regions for longer periods, bolstering military-to-military training withindigenous forces and supporting those troops with more U.S. weapons and equipment,Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. James Winnefeld said during the samepress conference. The American military units heading to Africa and South America werethe same ones that spearheaded the "high end [counterinsurgency] fight" in Iraq andAfghanistan, Winnefeld said. With the U.S. withdrawal from Southwest Asia already inmotion, Pentagon leaders now have the flexibility to move more troops into places likeAfrica and South America, the four-star Admiral explained.

U.S. special forces were sent to Uganda last October to help those forces in their waragainst the Lord's Resistance Army. The Army is also in the midst of creating a number

of "regionally aligned brigades" whose sole mission will be to train and advise foreignmilitaries. The first of these brigades is set to deploy to Africa Command next year.

Small U.S. units schooling foreign troops on the finer points of counterterrorism andcounterinsurgency operations is much different from the intensive, "long-term" COINmissions American troops carried out in Southwest Asia, Deputy Defense SecretaryAshton Carter pointed out today. The Pentagon's new strategy moves the military awayfrom building up security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan in favor of the smaller, less-intesive training missions envisioned for Africa and South America, Carter said. "Its allabout the force we need," he added. That said, DoD isn't abandoning that kind of COINmission entirely.

Completely walking away from the nation building-style of counterinsurgency would bea clear example of "departmental hubris," Winnefeld pointed out. To avoid that DoDplanners have built in "reversability" clauses into its new COIN strategy, Carteradded.When enacted, these clauses will allow the Pentagon to build its counterinsurgencyoperations back up to Iraq and Afghanistan levels. To make sure DoD retains that COINknow-how, the department will continue to invest in "specialized capabilities" and "keepthe tradecraft" in house.

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Combating A Common Terrorist Threat (Washington Times)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/4/combating-a-common-terrorist-threat/5 January 2012By Owoye Andrew Azazi

Terrorists from Nigeria have again turned the joyful celebrations of Christmas into a D-Day for premeditated mass murder. This year, extremists slaughtered worshippers in achurch during Christmas services near the Nigerian capital and elsewhere in the country.


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America is at risk for this type of violence. Two Christmases ago, a militant from mycountry - the infamous Underwear Bomber - tried to blow up an American jetliner overDetroit.

Nigeria welcomes the White House's rapid Christmas Day declaration of support againstthe perpetrators of that day's attacks, but we must stress that the threat emerging in ourcountry is far larger and may be headed America's way.

It's time for a strategic security relationship between Nigeria and the United States.Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation. We are blessed with more people than Russia orJapan and are America's fourth-largest foreign supplier of oil.

In the past two years, a group called Boko Haram has wounded and murdered hundredsof innocent Nigerians. Many observers in the United States and Nigeria dismissed Boko

Haram as a tiny, weak, even incompetent terrorist group that, at best, was aimed only atdestabilizing our democratically elected president.

They were mistaken. In August, Boko Haram escalated its attacks by sending a suicidebomber to blow up the United Nations building in Abuja. The terrorist group issued astatement to taunt not the president of Nigeria, but the president of the United States.

We can destroy Boko Haram in its early stages, before it goes truly international. Wedon't want or need American troops. But we would benefit greatly from American know-how and other forms of support as we develop our new counterterrorism strategy. Wehave much to offer through our own expertise, human resources and experience.Well before the Christmas bombings, a subcommittee of the House Committee onHomeland Security held a hearing on Boko Haram and issued a landmark report thatcontained some excellent proposals.

"Historically, Boko Haram has been focused on Nigerian government targets. Untilrecently, Western intelligence services did not widely view Boko Haram as a potentialthreat," said Rep. Patrick Meehan, Pennsylvania Republican and chairman of thesubcommittee on counterintelligence and terrorism, and Rep. Jackie Speier, CaliforniaDemocrat, in an unusual joint statement at the Nov. 30 hearing.

The lawmakers made a bipartisan call for the State Department and intelligencecommunity to take greater note of Nigeria, and to work with us against terrorism andideological extremism.

The subcommittee report is a fine first step. It observes that small extremist groups canquickly endanger the American homeland before Washington even recognizes the threat.Like other Islamist extremists, Boko Haram sees itself as fulfilling part of a globalmission. Churches are not the group's only religious targets. Boko Haram claims to beIslamic, but targets the Muslim faithful. Boko Haram is an enemy of all decent people. It


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is striving to spark a religious war the way racist extremists in the past have tried toprovoke race wars. Those who fail to understand the enemy threat doctrine will fail to seethe danger until it is too late.

The subcommittee leaders appear to agree: "In the recent past, the U.S. intelligence

community has underestimated the intent and capability of other terrorist groups tolaunch attacks against the U.S. homeland," and did not foresee those groups attempting tostrike the U.S. at home. "These assessments and general assumptions," Mr. Meehan andMs. Speier said, "nearly proved fatal" in America.

The report's conclusions mean that each country requires the assistance from the other.So far, however, the bipartisan congressional recommendations have yet to become U.S.policy, even as the U.S. Africa Command has made clear its similar concerns. The StateDepartment, however, has yet to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist organization.

Nigeria's president intends to create a climate where no supporter of terrorism will be

safe. In November, Nigerian authorities made the unusual move of arresting a federalsenator from the president's own party, based on intelligence that he was facilitatingBoko Haram.

Such an arrest and prosecution of a sitting lawmaker is rare in any democracy. The severeaction indicates both the profound nature of the threat as well as Nigeria's sense ofpurpose in wiping it out.

The congressional homeland security panel called for the administration to "increase itssupport for programs that enhance the ability of Nigerian security forces to moreeffectively target Boko Haram and counter its evolution."

Such support will certainly assist Nigeria and West Africa as a whole, but it will also be alow-cost, high-impact way of eradicating Boko Haram - and others like it - as a threat tothe United States as well.

With recent developments reverberating across Africa, Nigeria is working out strategicpartnerships with key players to track and neutralize extremists wherever they may be -before they become violent. We should not be seen merely as a tactical ally ofconvenience. The United States has been helpful on a small-scale basis, but is far behindother countries in forging a meaningful, strategic counterterrorism relationship withNigeria.

Nigeria can defend its interests without U.S. support. But the United States cannot welldefend its homeland from Boko Haram and other threats without Nigeria. We welcome amutually beneficial partnership with the U.S. against terrorists like Boko Haram whilethere is still time.

Owoye Andrew Azazi is national security adviser to Nigerian President GoodluckJonathan.


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Nigeria church hit by deadly gun attack (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16436112

5 January 2012

Gunmen have attacked a church in north-east Nigeria killing at least six people, thechurch's pastor says.

Johnson Jauro said the killings took place when gunmen burst into his Deeper LifeChurch in Gombe, capital of Gombe state.

He said his wife was among those killed. Ten other people were injured.

Nigeria has recently experienced a surge in ethnic and sectarian violence. The

government declared a state of emergency in parts of the country.

"The attackers started shooting sporadically. They shot through the window of thechurch, and many people were killed including my wife," Mr Jauro told Reuters newsagency.

"Many members who attended the church service were also injured."

No group said it carried out the attack, but the Islamist group Boko Haram recentlycarried out a string of bombings on Christmas Day, including against a church in thecapital Abuja which killed dozens of people.

Earlier on Thursday, two suspected members of Boko Haram were arrested after a fatherand son were killed in Maiduguri in neighbouring Borno state.

Escalating violenceAttacks by Boko Haram have become increasingly frequent and are a major problem forthe Nigerian authorities.

President Goodluck Jonathan has vowed to "crush" the group.

Several northern states surrounding Gombe have had their borders sealed off under thestate of emergency declared by Mr Jonathan following the Christmas bombings.

Boko Haram is fighting to create an Islamic state and wants to impose Sharia law acrossNigeria.

Followers of Boko Haram believe any political or social activity associated with Westernvalues should be banned.


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This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers and receiving a seculareducation.

Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers and this was thecase even when the country had a Muslim president.

In unrelated violence on Sunday, at least 50 people died in the eastern state of Ebony inclashes between two ethnic groups over a land dispute.

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Boko Haram blasts continue in Nigeria (Al Jazeea)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/2012157461837587.html5 January 2012

Boko Haram claims responsibility for three blasts in Maiduguri and Damaturu, cities

under a state of emergency.

Three bomb blasts have hit the northern Nigerian cities of Maiduguri and Damaturu, justdays after the areas were placed under a state of emergency, the military and witnessessay.

No casualties were immediately reported after the attacks on Wednesday, claimed by thearmed Islamist group Boko Haram following an alleged ultimatum it had set.

Abul Qaqa, who claims to be a spokesman for Boko Haram, said the group was behindthe Damaturu and Maiduguri bomb attacks. His claims could not, however, beindependently verified.

"We are responsible for the bomb blasts in Damaturu and Maiduguri this evening," hesaid in a phone call made to the AFP news agency.

"This is a response to the expiration of the ultimatum we gave to southerners to leave."

The purported spokesman on Sunday gave southerners living in the north three days toleave the region in the wake of Jonathan's state-of-emergency decree.

He warned that the group would confront soldiers and threatened Christians living in thecountry's north.

State of emergency

The attacks were the first incidents in the area since President Goodluck Jonathandeclared a state of emergency last weekend in parts of the country hard hit by BokoHaram.


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Fears have risen that Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden",and whose movement is styled on the Taliban, is trying to ignite sectarian strife inNigeria, Africa's top oil producer.

Lieutenant-Colonel Hassan Mohammed, the spokesman for a special military taskforce in

Maiduguri, told AFP on Wednesday: "There were two explosions in the Mairi area... thisevening. The explosives were planted in a ditch and detonated when nobody wasaround."

In Damaturu a bomb went off at a popular open-air drinking spot where a locally-brewedgin is normally served in Kandahar, according to a regular patron.

"There was a loud bang ... which raised dust all over the place. This was followed bypandemonium as everybody took to their heels," Henry Samuel said by phone fromDamaturu.

In a first attack since the state of emergency was declared, but outside the areas coveredby the decree, gunmen attacked a police station in northern Nigeria's Jigawa state, killinga teenage girl and wounding an officer lateTuesday.

"The gunmen shot indiscriminately into the police station and engaged our men in ashootout, killing a teenage girl trying to flee and wounding a policeman," HashimuArgungu, the Jigawa state police commissioner, said.

He said an explosive thrown into the police station failed to detonate.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Boko Haram is suspected to be behindit.

A Damaturu hospital source said bodies of two civilians shot in a separate incident alsowere brought in from an area on the outskirts of the city. It was not clear who shot themor why.

Sectarian violence

Jonathan's weekend declaration of a state of emergency in parts of four northern stateshard hit by attacks blamed on Boko Haram, was in response to a wave of attacksattributed to the group.

While Boko Haram has been staging increasingly deadly attacks for months, including anAugust suicide bombing of UN headquarters in Abuja that left 25 dead, the Christmasbombings that killed 49 people as services ended at aCatholic church sparked intense fear and outrage.

Nigerian authorities said they did not believe militants would follow through on the


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ultimatum, but added that they were taking no chances.

Muslims have frequently been victims of Boko Haram attacks, most of which haveoccurred in northeastern Nigeria.

However, the Christmas Day bombings particularly targeting churches set off fears ofretaliation from Christians.

On Friday, three seemingly counter-attacks took place in Maiduguri shortly after MuslimFriday prayers.

Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer and most populous nation with 160 million people,is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.

Followers of the two faiths however co-exist with millions of Muslims based in the southand millions of Christians in the north.

Also in Nigeria, strikes and demonstrations taking place across the country and leadingup to mass action planned by trade unions for Monday, January 9, in response to agovernment decision to scrap a fuel subsidy at the start of the week, has claimed one lifeand injured many more.

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Somalia's Al Shabab Islamists are on the run (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2012/0105/Somalia-s-Al-Shabab-Islamists-are-on-the-run5 January 2012By Scott Baldauf

With more and more African Union countries sending peacekeeping troops to Somalia,and with the militant group Al Shabab clearly on the retreat, it might appear thatSomalias future is finally starting to look bright.

Yet after years of neglect, Somalia is finally getting international attention, and the flurryof diplomatic and military activities does provide some hope that Somalia may finallypull itself out of a 20-year period of civil war, anarchy, and dysfunction.The greatest activity appears to be on the military front.

In the east, Ethiopian troops have taken the central Somali town of Beledweyne, a keytransport hub on the road to Mogadishu. Residents in the villages outside of Beledweynesay that Al-Shabab fighters have been trying to recruit young men to join them and haltthe Ethiopian advance, but with one of the strongest armies on the continent, Ethiopia isunlikely to face much of a challenge if it intends to carry on toward Mogadishu.

Ethiopia has been this way before, occupying Somalia briefly, from July 2006 to August


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2008, after overthrowing the Islamic Courts Union, a coalition of religious parties intenton imposing shariah law in Somalia.

In the south, the Kenyan Army seems to be on the move once more they launched theirincursion into Somalia in mid-October but have been slowed down by heavy rains and

appear to be moving in on the Shabab-held town of Afmadow. Afmadow is the largesttown between the Kenyan Army and the Shabab headquarters in Kismayo, a largesouthern trading port where Shabab derives much of its income by controlling thesmuggling trade.

How to find a solution in the middle of a fist fight?

But in Mogadishu itself, as AU peacekeepers continue to arrive the latest being 200troops from tiny Djibouti the fragile Transitional Federal Government that the AUintends to support is busy fighting itself over who is in charge.

On Wednesday, a fistfight broke out between parliamentarians supporting and opposingthe parliament speaker, Sharif Hassan. Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed supportsSharif Hassan, but his supporters are in the minority and were forced to flee parliamentby the opposition, who apparently were using tables and chairs as weapons. Fourparliamentarians were reportedly hospitalized, according to Garowe news agency. It wasthe fourth brawl in parliament since December.

A government divided against itself at war time is never a good thing. Yet Somaliasneighbors seem determined to create an overall African Union Mission in Somalia(AMISOM) peacekeeping force of up to 17,700 fighters within the next few months, bothto support the Somali government, and to expel what they see as a common terroristthreat of Al Shabab.

At present, more than 1.85 million Somalis have received food assistance from the UNsWorld Food Program, and at least an equal number of Somalis are thought to be in needduring what is the worst famine in more than 20 years.

An additional 500,000 Somalis receive food assistance in Kenyas Dadaab refugeecamps. War prevents many of these people from remaining at home, planting crops,raising livestock, and breaking themselves from dependence on foreign aid.

Adding to the burden

The taint of terrorism Al Shabab claims to have links with Al Qaeda has added aneven bigger burden.

US-based banks have been forced to halt the practice of sending remittances fromdiaspora Somalis back home to their relatives in Somalia, out of fear that some of thatmoney may end up in the hands of Al Shabab. The problem, US law enforcementagencies say, is that the method for sending money a traditional money transfer system


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called hawala is difficult to monitor, and is often used by terror groups. Aid groupsargue that stopping the flow of remittances money donations sent by expatriate Somalisto their relatives during a humanitarian crisis will hit civilians the hardest.

Oxfam Americas Shannon Scribner said in a statement that the US government should

allow remittances to continue.

"It is estimated that $100m in remittances goes to Somalia from the US every year. Thisis the worst time for this service to stop. Any gaps with remittance flows in the middle ofthe famine could be disastrous," said Scribner.

Ken Menkhaus, a Somalia expert and associate professor at Davidson College, says thefamine in Somalia would have been much worse if Somali families living abroad didnthave the ability to send home money to keep relatives alive.

The 2011 famine in Somalia would have been far worse had it not been for the

extraordinary mobilization of remittances sent by the Somali Diaspora to both theirextended families and to local charities -- and all those remittances were sent through thehawala system, Mr. Menkhaus said in the joint statement with Oxfam.

It's a complicated mess, to be sure, but 20 years of civil war in Somalia should be enoughevidence that ignoring the problem doesn't make it go away.

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U.S. turns to drones to counter China (Japan Times)

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120105mr.html5 January 2012By Michael Richardson

SINGAPORE A recent offer by the Seychelles to refuel and replenish Chinese navalships on anti-piracy patrols in the northwest Indian Ocean was seen as the latest sign ofChina's expanding naval power.

But it obscured an even more significant development: U.S. deployment of a mini-airforce of long-range, remotely-piloted aircraft from a network of airfields in theSeychelles, the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to track and if necessary attacksuspected terrorists on land and pirates at sea.

Victoria, capital of the Seychelle islands, is 1,480 km east of the southern tip of lawlessSomalia. There and in Yemen, on the north side of the Gulf of Aden, local al-Qaidaaffiliates have sprung to prominence, potentially posing a wider terrorist threat.

At the same time, Somali pirates have been disrupting international shipping in thenorthwest Indian Ocean.


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Use of the civilian airport in Victoria by several U.S. Reaper drones underscores adevelopment that is changing the nature of military and intelligence operations in manyAsia-Pacific countries as well as the West. Reapers can fly nearly 1,850 km from base,conduct their mission and return home. If armed, they can unleash Hellfire missiles aswell as guided 227-kg bombs, although endurance is shortened if the weapons load is

heavy.

Increasing reliance on drones indicates that the future of airpower is likely to be largelyunmanned, as governments seek to reduce combat casualties and remove as many of theirexpensive manned warships and aircraft as possible from hostile range.

In the Pacific, China is honing a strategy involving high-speed missiles, stealthysubmarines, and anti-satellite and cyber attacks to prevent opposing aircraft carriers andtheir naval escorts from operating in a crisis anywhere near the Chinese mainland oroffshore islands claimed by Beijing.

The U.S. military has become so concerned at China's rapidly growing arsenal of anti-access and area-denial weapons that just over two years ago it authorized the navy and airforce to collaborate on ways to off-set the Chinese challenge to America's capacity toproject power and sustain its alliances and military partnerships in Asia.

In a 2010 report, Dr. Andrew Krepinevich, president of the Center for Strategic andBudgetary Assessments in Washington, wrote that with the spread of advancedtechnologies and their exploitation by other countries, especially China and to a lesserextent Iran, U.S. ability to "preserve military access to two key areas of vital interest, theWestern Pacific and the Persian Gulf, is being increasingly challenged."

To move out of harm's way, the United States aims to deploy sea-based drones on itsaircraft carriers in the Pacific by 2018. "They will play an integral part in our futureoperations in this region," according to Vice Admiral Scott Van Buskirk, commander ofthe U.S. 7th Fleet in the Pacific and Indian oceans. "Carrier-based unmanned aircraftsystems have tremendous potential, especially in increasing the range and persistence ofour intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, as well as our ability tostrike targets quickly."

At present, jet fighters and bombers on U.S. carriers must take off within 800 km of theirtarget, leaving the carriers within range of land-based missiles and combat aircraft.However, the new generation of sea-based drones bring developed by the U.S. couldoperate as far as 2,500 km from the carrier, putting the ships out of range.

U.S. deployment of land-based drones has expanded rapidly in the past few years. Widelyused in Iraq and Afghanistan, they have also been flown extensively over Pakistan in thehunt for militants, despite periodic protests from the government.

In fact the U.S. is now training more pilots to operate drones than to fly conventionalfighters and bombers. Most of these pilots will work from bases in the continental U.S.,


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often half a world away from the places where their planes are active.

America currently has a big lead in the number and sophistication of drones, and thesensors and weapons they carry. An estimated 7,000 drones are in service. Most areunarmed.

Although the biggest, such as Global Hawk, can easily fly across the Pacific and remainaloft for days, many are small and can be hand-launched to provide troops with instantvideo imagery of the battlefield, day or night. The U.S. Army is already buying 1,300radio-controlled Raven planes each year. They are the size of a large model aircraft.

The California company that makes them has also started mass production of a new tube-launched, man-portable drone for the U.S. Army. In addition to surveillance, it will alsowork as an explosive-packed kamikaze missile that can be armed and locked on target bythe controller to attack dug-in or fortified infantry positions, enemy missile teams andmortar emplacements.

As electronic systems for small drones are miniaturized and improved, production costsare falling and capabilities increasing. Ravens currently cost around $56,000 each. Bycontrast, the U.S. Predator drone, widely used for surveillance and attack in Afghanistanand Pakistan, costs at least $5 million, and another $5,000 an hour to fly. The Predator isabout the size of a piloted light aircraft.

So far, as many as 50 countries have bought or built drones, mainly for surveillance. TheAustralian government plans to buy up to seven high-altitude, long-endurance GlobalHawks from the U.S. at an estimated cost of up to AU$2 billion. The opposition wants toincrease the number to 15. Japan and South Korea are also talking to the Pentagon aboutpossible bulk buys of Global Hawks.

Israel and China are actively developing and marketing drones, while Russia, Iran, Indiaand Pakistan have similar plans.

Critics contend that drone proliferation may lead to unauthorized operation in foreignairspace, mounting civilian casualties and collateral damage, strained inter-state relations,and eventually result in the technology falling into the hands of terrorists. But despitepossible risks, drones seem set to play an expanding military and intelligence role.

One firm that tracks defense and aerospace markets says global spending on research andprocurement of drones over the next decade is expected to amount of more than $94billion, including $9 billion on remotely piloted combat planes.

Michael Richardson is a visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of South EastAsian Studies in Singapore.

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Clarify 'lethal force' piracy defence rules, say MPs (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-164106715 January 2012

Guidelines on when British ships can use "lethal force" against Somali pirates must be

clarified, MPs say.

Vessels sailing under UK flags have been authorised to protect themselves by employingarmed guards after a spate of attacks on international ships and kidnappings in the IndianOcean.

But the foreign affairs select committee said ministers must spell out "what is permissibleand what is not".

It has also urged the government to review its kidnap response procedures.

This followed criticism from Paul and Rachel Chandler, held hostage by Somali piratesfor 13 months, about the Foreign Office's support for their family during their ordeal.

The Security Association for the Maritime Industry (Sami) - which represents 100 firmswho provide armed guards for shipping - also called for clear guidance about when forcecan be used.

Following the committee's report, Sami founder Peter Cook said: "The bold decision toallow vessels to use armed guards was just the start. Now the authorities must set aboutthe task of ensuring the systems and rules for the use of force which they employ areappropriate and adequate."

However, Peter Hinchcliffe, the Secretary General of the International Chamber ofShipping, said the priority should be tackling piracy itself.

He said a "robust international effort" was needed to "take the fight to the pirates, preventthem deploying from the Somali coast" and to make sure that every pirate who is arrestedis taken to court.

Dangerous watersThe Foreign Office said it would respond to the committee's views when it had studiedthem in depth.

But Foreign Secretary William Hague said a UK-chaired conference on Somalia nextmonth would try to "chart a way forward" for the country's political direction,humanitarian efforts and dealing with piracy.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced in October that ships sailing under a Britishflag would be able to carry armed guards to protect them from pirates - under licencefrom the Home Office - but only while passing through dangerous waters, such as the


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Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

This marked a change in policy for the UK which had previously discouraged such amove.

The committee welcomed the government's new approach, arguing it was "unacceptable"that a large section of the Indian Ocean had become too dangerous for commercialshipping companies and a virtual "no-go" area for smaller vessels.

"There is a clear need to take decisive action," committee chairman, Conservative MPRichard Ottaway, said.

"Naval forces have had some success but they cannot hope to police such a large area.Ship owners must take responsibility for their own protection and the government mustlet them do so."

'Stain on world'But Mr Ottaway added: "The government's guidance on the use of force, particularlylethal force, is very limited and there is little to help a ship's master make a judgement onwhere force can be used.

"The question anyone would ask is that if a private armed guard on board a UK-flaggedvessel sees an armed skiff approaching at high speed, can the guard open fire? Thegovernment must provide clearer direction on what is permissible and what is not."

Paul and Rachel Chandler were freed after more than a year in captivityIn guidance published last month, ministers stipulated that armed guards would only bepermitted if shipping firms followed best practice guidelines on security - includingcompleting a risk assessment and "counter-piracy plan" - and if their presence wasdeemed likely to "reduce the risk" to the lives of those on board.

More than 90% of global hijackings in 2010 took place off the coast of Somalia, asituation which the prime minister has described as a "stain on the world".

Under United Nations conventions, every ship is subject to the jurisdiction of the countrywhose flag it carries.

It is thought many British-registered ships already carry armed guards because they feelthey have no alternative and, according to the government, no ship carrying armedsecurity has yet been hijacked.

Foreign Office officials believe about half of the 200 vessels flying the red ensign - theBritish merchant navy flag - which regularly sail close to Somalia were likely apply forthe authority to have armed guards.

In their report, the MPs also said the government must reconsider how it communicated


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with relatives of kidnap victims in light of the Chandlers' criticism.

The couple, freed last September after being taken hostage while sailing from theSeychelles towards Tanzania, said the assistance offered to their relatives had been"distressingly inadequate".

They were released after a ransom of up to 620,000 was reportedly paid.

'Clear support'The committee said it was concerned that "so little was known" what happened to ransommoney paid in Somali piracy cases, which totalled 190m over the last four years.

The UK government had been "disappointingly slow" to take action on the trail of moneystemming from ransom payments, given the information available from Britishcompanies.

The committee stressed the solution to the problem lay in stabilising Somali society -blighted by years of civil war and famine - providing alternative sources of income andending impunity for piracy crimes.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "Britain will continue to work with the UN,African Union, regional partners and the Somali people to build a stable Somalia andthrough our work with the Department For International Development to buildsustainable alternative livelihoods for coastal communities in Somalia."

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Failure to prosecute pirates beggars belief, say MPs as it's revealed 90% of all

suspects are freed without trial (Daily Mail )

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082450/Failure-prosecute-pirates-beggars-belief-say-MPs-revealed-90-suspects-freed-trial.html?ito=feeds-newsxml5 January 2012By Ian Drury

Britain's failure to prosecute Somali pirates who attack ships, seize hostages and demandhuge ransoms beggars belief, a withering Parliamentary report said today.

Britain's failure to prosecute Somali pirates who attack ships, seize hostages and demandhuge ransoms beggars belief, a withering Parliamentary report said today.

Nine out of ten piracy suspects detained by the Royal Navy and other maritime forces inthe Gulf of Aden or Indian Ocean are released without trial, according to the ForeignAffairs Select Committee.

Not one pirate has been brought to the UK for prosecution, even though 20 othercountries - including the U.S., France, Germany and Belgium - had placed nearly 1,000


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suspects on trial.

Most of the time armed bandits who prey on merchant ships off the volatile Horn ofAfrica are returned to their boats and freed.

Ministers claim it is difficult to gather suitable evidence because pirates often threwweapons and other equipment into the sea when spotted by anti-piracy patrols.

But the committee said the Navy should use photographs or video recordings to build acase against armed pirates.

The report, published today said: Gathering evidence to secure a successful prosecutionfor piracy is challenging.

However, not all claims made by the Government about the difficulty in securingevidence were wholly convincing: when pirates are observed in boats with guns, ladders

and even hostages, it beggars belief that they cannot be prosecuted.

Simply returning suspected pirates to their boats or to land, while it may temporarilydisrupt their activities, provides little long term deterrence and has demonstrably failed toprevent an annual increases in both the number of pirates going to sea and in the numberof attacks.

MPs on the cross-party committee launched their probe into piracy off the coast of Africaafter a British couple were kidnapped by Somali pirates.

Paul and Rachel Chandler, originally from Kent but now living in Devon, were seizedfrom their yacht Lynn Rival near the Seychelles in 2009 and held in Somalia for a year,and released only after a ransom of up to 620,000 was reportedly paid.

Seven of the pirates who allegedly held them hostage are currently being tried in Kenyafor an attack on a French ship, and could then be extradited for trial in the UK.But despite the Metropolitan Police possessing ample evidence the British Governmentis still negotiating jurisdiction, the report says.

The failure to prosecute pirates drew stinging criticism from seafaring organisations.The London-based Chamber of Shipping trade association told the committee: Therepeated images of pirates being released without trial by naval forces, including theRoyal Navy, causes understandable derision.

And the Baltic Exchange, another maritime association based in London, said: The UKhas gained a degree of notoriety within the international shipping community for itsfailure to prosecute those caught red-handed in the act of piracy.

Once captured, pirates caught by UK forces are widely perceived simply to receivesustenance and medical assistance before being returned to the mainland unmolested.


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'There is a clear need to take decisive action.

The committee also called on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to review itsprocedures for dealing with British captives families after the Chandlers criticised thedepartments support during their 13-month ordeal as being limited to tea and

sympathy.

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Jonglei clashes: South Sudan declares a disaster (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-164277325 January 2012

South Sudan has declared a disaster in Jonglei state, where some 100,000 people havefled recent clashes between rival ethnic groups.

his would enable aid agencies to move in urgently, as food, medicine and shelter wasbadly needed, the information minister told the BBC.

Following days of fighting, he said the areas was now under government control.

Some 6,000 ethnic Lou Nuer fighters attacked the area around Pibor town, outnumberingarmy and UN forces.

This is the latest round in a cycle of violence which has lasted several months - in oneincident last year some 600 Lou Nuer were killed by attackers from the Murlecommunity, the group which fled from Pibor.

The clashes began as cattle raids but have spiralled out of control.

There have been some reports that more than 150 people had been killed but InformationMinister Mariel Benjamin Barnaba told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that hecould confirm the deaths of between 20 and 30 people.

He said he could guarantee the security of any aid workers who went to the area.

"This area is under the complete control of the government," he said.

On Wednesday, UN humanitarian co-ordinator in South Sudan Lise Grande said that"hundreds, if not thousands" of people had started to return to Pibor.

But she said the humanitarian situation was "pretty grim".

"They've been without food, they've been without water, without shelter."

Peace forum


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She rejected criticism of the UN and the South Sudan army - the SPLA - of not havingdone enough to help civilians, many of whom reportedly faced attack when they fled thetown.

"What the United Nations mission has been doing is helping the government to defend

the town, we've been rescuing civilians, we've been evacuating civilians and we've beenhelping to deter violence. The UN has done its job," she said.

An attack on the town's southern flank had been repulsed after the SPLA, backed by UNarmoured personnel carriers, had fired at the Lou Nuer, she said.

Besides the looting of a Medecins Sans Frontieres clinic, the town had not suffered muchdamage and the government was beginning to deploy 3,000 extra soldiers and 800 policeofficers to the area, Ms Grande said.

Earlier, John Boloch of South Sudan's Peace and Reconciliation Commission and a

member of the Murle community, said people who had fled Pibor had since been hunteddown and killed near the River Kengen, south-east of the town.

"Children and women were massacred in that area on the 2nd [of January], up to the3rd," he told Sudan Catholic Radio News.

He accused local politicians of exacerbating the long-standing rivalries for their own endsand also asked why UN peacekeepers and the army were protecting governmentbuildings in Pibor, rather than people.

There are also reports that many people may have drowned in a river as they fled theattacks.

Mr Barnaba said that leaders of the two communities would be invited to a "peace forum"to discuss how they can put an end to the cycle of violence.

Cattle vendettas are common in South Sudan, as are other clashes between rival groups:The UN says some 350,000 people were displaced because of intercommunal violencelast year.

This presents a major challenge to the government of the newly independent state, whichalso faces cross-border tensions with its northern neighbour Sudan.

South Sudan is one of the world's poorest regions - it gained independence from Sudan inJuly 2011 and has hardly any roads, railways, schools or clinics following two decades ofconflict, which have left it awash with weapons.

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Libya's top soldier weighs challenges (Al Jazeea)


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http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/20121541918156905.html5 January 2012By Imran Kahn

New armed forces head says he is prepared to address issue of fighters, but his

appointment is already facing rejection.

Two of Libya's former armed groups have rejected the government's choice of a newhead of the armed forces, Yousef al-Mangoush, which has raised fresh concerns over thesecurity in the country.

In his first international interview, Mangoush told Al Jazeera he understands thechallenges he faces in his new role.

The appointment was announced on Tuesday as four fighters were killed in a gun battlebetween rival armed groups in Tripoli, underlining the interim government's difficulties

in controlling the increasingly fractious groups who toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

More than two months after he was captured and killed, real power remains in the handsof the armed groups, who have carved up Libya and its capital into competing fiefdoms,each holding out for the share of power they say they are owed.

Some armed chiefs say they will only cede command of their fighters once an organisedmilitary and security apparatus is in place.

Not everyone is convinced with Mangoush's credentials, and convincing the rank and filethat he is the man to lead them may be hard. Already brigades from the east of thecountry have rejected his appointment, preferring someone from their own city torepresent them.

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U.S. Army Africa Chaplains Lead Training in Burundi

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7523&lang=0U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs4 January 2012

BUJUMBURA, Burundi Two U.S. Army Africa chaplains traveled to Bujumbura,Burundi in December 2011 to lead a five-day training symposium in partnership withBurundi Ministry of Defense medical providers and chaplains to develop strategies toreduce adverse responses to combat-related stressors.

Soldiers worldwide are familiar with the rigors of conflict and the devastating effects ithas on them and their families. Spending months, even years, away from families indangerous environments can wreak havoc on the morale and readiness of units.


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During the first such USARAF-led seminar of its kind conducted in Africa, U.S. ArmyAfrica Command Chaplain (Colonel) Jonathon McGraw said the seminar showedBurundi chaplains and medical personnel how to help their leaders identify signs andsymptoms associated with combat stress.

"We walked the participants through Combat and Operational Stress methods used in theU.S. military so that they would have the ability to train the trainers, as well as pullsoldiers off the line if they show signs of combat stress," McGraw said. "The chaplainsand physicians are excited to work together for a purpose, and for their commanders."

Eight of Burundi's ten Army chaplains along with six of the eight military psychiatristsand 16 army nurses and officials attended the seminar and shared their combat andoperational stress experiences with McGraw and U.S. Army Chaplain (Major) AllenStaley.

U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Miller, U.S. Embassy Burundi's senior

official and defense attache, said the chaplain symposium helped representatives from thefive Burundi military regions learn how to identify issues before and after deployment sothey could manage stress issues more effectively. "Pulling together this small group ofindividuals has a huge impact for the (Burundi) military," Miller said. "Those whoattended the training now have the capability to take that training and teach military unitsthroughout the country."

By the conclusion of the course, the chaplains and medical professionals were able torecognize and explain signs and symptoms of combat stress and apply this knowledge tohelp soldiers who are deployed. They also certified and practiced how to train otherswithin their units.

Burundi supports peacekeeping efforts in Somalia as part of the African Union Missionto Somalia (AMISOM) with five battalions of peacekeepers who rotate annually fromMogadishu, Somalia.

"It is important to assist with the soldiers and their families, [and] to prepare them and toreintegrate them when they return," said Brigadier General Adelin Gacukuzi, chaplaingeneral of Burundi Army. "It will be helpful to share the experience and benefit from theexperience of those who have done this job [for] a long time."

Gacukuzi also said a key take away from the symposium is sharing their new-foundcombat stress education with other partner nations in the region that do not have achaplaincy core. He said it is part of their duty to share their knowledge with othercountries to help with regional peace, security and stability, and help them through theramifications of decades of war.

McGraw said other militaries have expressed interest in learning how to manage stresswithin their military ranks. Now that the course is validated in Burundi, USARAF


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U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 AFRICOM-PAO@africom mil

chaplains will use input from this interaction to better the course material for use withother partner militaries.

"This is our first module we can use across Africa wherever the need arises as a low-techway to train leaders to identify symptoms, regardless of whether or not they are

chaplains," McGraw said. "We demonstrated a process that African militaries can adaptto their culture and needs."

Headquartered in Vicenza, Italy, U.S. Army Africa is the Army Service ComponentCommand for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). Dedicated to positive change inAfrica, U.S. Army Africa enables full spectrum operations while conducting sustainedsecurity engagement with African land forces to promote security, stability, and peace.

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END REPORT

AFRICOM Related-Newsclips 6 Jan 2012

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