AFRICOM Related-Newsclips 9 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 Office9 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 9, 2012.

Of interest in today¶s clips:

-- AP reports that President Obama has declared South Sudan eligible to receive weaponsand defense assistance from the U.S. and Sudan Vision covers the reaction in Khartoum.-- Africa Review writes on the U.S. training the Liberian defense Forces

-- Xinhua reports on Kenyan claims that airstrikes have killed 60 Al-Shabaab fighters andAl-Jazeera carries Al-Shabaab¶s denial of the claim.-- Africa Review covers renewed violence between Nigerian security forces and Islamicmilitants and Al-Jazeera reports that President Johnson believes the current violence isµ"even worse" than the country's 1960s civil war and that he fears there are officialswithin the Nigerian government and military who support Boko Haram.

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] 421-2687 (+49-711-729-2687)

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

Obama gives US ability to send weapons to S. Sudan (AP)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gcl6RLha9Nn8B4g0HsU4WNiwM8rQ?docId=959146a8e5724bb187fcfef4c1733d0a 7 January 2012WASHINGTON (AP) ² The White House has declared the government of South Sudaneligible to receive weapons and defense assistance from the U.S.

US Lifting of Restriction on Arms Sales to South Sudan Unfortunate, Official

(Sudan Vision)

http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=204588 9 January 2012




By Zuleikha Abdul RaziqKhartoum ± Ruling National Congress Party (NCP) described Sunday the USAdministration decision to lift US restrictions on defense sales to the newly-born state inSouth Sudan as unfortunate and improper.

South Sudan appeals for humanitarian aid amid fighting (CNN)http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/06/world/africa/south-sudan-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 6 January 2012South Sudan appealed for international aid for a remote region that has been under attack by roaming fighters, as thousands of residents fled into the bush to avoid the violence.

US soldiers to train new-look Liberian force (Africa Review)

http://www.africareview.com/News/US+soldiers+to+rain+Liberian+army/-/979180/1301428/-/lmm8sn/-/ 7 January 2012

By Kemo ChampAs the US military pulls out of restive Iraq, it is turning its attention to a new direction of engagement, though on a much smaller scale.

Kenya airstrikes kill over 60 Al-Shabaab fighters (Xinhua)

http://www.africareview.com/News/Kenya+airstrikes+kill+Somali+militants/-/979180/1301460/-/wv9eslz/-/index.html 7 January 2012More than 60 Al-Shabaab militants have been killed in the latest airstrikes by Kenyanforces that targeted the Somali militia's camp near Garbahare in southern Somalia.

Al-Shabab dismisses Kenya air raid toll claim (Al Jazeera)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/201218144744674800.html 8 January 2012Somali group confirms attack took place in Garbaharey but denies 60 of its fighters werekilled.

Somalia: Ethiopian troops 'to hand over to AU force' (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16441240 6 January 2012Ethiopia is to withdraw from areas it has recently captured in neighbouring Somalia withits troops to be replaced by African Union (AU) soldiers.

Boko Haram intensify attacks in Nigeria's north (All Africa)

http://www.africareview.com/News/Nigerian+troops+clash+with+Islamists/-/979180/1301552/-/qk9dmkz/-/index.html 7 January 2012By AMINU ABUBAKAR Hundreds of people fled their homes in northeast Nigeria on Saturday after deadly all-night gun battles between Islamists and security forces amid an escalation in violence.




Nigeria unrest µworse than 1960s civil war¶ (Al Jazeera )

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/20121713141469360.html 9 January 2012President Goodluck Jonathan says there are Boko Haram sympathisers in government,

judiciary and armed forces.

Revolution has failed to deliver for Tunisia's blighted south (France 24)

http://www.africareview.com/News/Sudan+s+Bashir+in+visit+to+Libya/-/979180/1301522/-/l1e8fn/-/index.html 8 January 2012By Marc DaouThe Ben Ali regime has been gone for almost a year, but many Tunisians have yet to reapthe benefits of "their" revolution. In Gafsa, one of the country¶s poorest regions, somesay mounting discontent could soon lead to a second upheaval.

Danes capture pirate mothership, free 14 (AP)http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/120163/ 8 January 2012The Danish navy says it has captured a suspect pirate mothership off the Horn of Africaand rescued 14 people who were being held hostage on it.

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UN News Service Africa Briefs

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

UN refugee agency concludes work among displaced in northern Uganda

6 January ± The United Nations refugee agency said today it has concluded relief work among nearly two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Uganda, the majority of whom have returned to their villages, after years in camps as an insurrection raged in thecountry¶s north.

South Sudan: UN launches major aid effort after clashes in troubled region

6 January ± A massive humanitarian operation to bring succour to people affected byinter-ethnic violence in South Sudan¶s state of Jonglei is under way with United Nationshaving carried out relief needs assessments in most of the affected areas over the past 72hours, a UN official said today.

Somalia: UN envoy voices concern about parliamentary infighting

6 January ± The United Nations envoy for Somalia today expressed deep concern over the country¶s ongoing political disputes warning that, if not resolved, the country couldmiss a rare window of opportunity to end its 21 years of conflict.




M ore than a million children set to return to school in Libya ± UNICEF

6 January ± At least 1.2 million Libyan pupils are set to return to school tomorrow,almost a year after they evacuated their classrooms during the country¶s popular uprisingagainst the regime of Muammar al-Qadhafi, the United Nations Children¶s Fund(UNICEF) reported today.

(Full Articles on UN Website)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming Event of Interest:

12 January 2012 Symposium on ³Emerging Land Issues in African Agriculture: Impacts on Poverty

Reduction and Food Policy´

WHO: Thom Jayne, Professor of International Development at Michigan StateUniversity; and Derek Byerlee (commentator), Independent Scholar and Director, World

Development Report, 2009WHERE: Stanford University Bechtel Conference Center, Encina Hall, 616 Serra StreetCONTACT: Kate Johnston, 650-724-3723 or e-mail: [email protected]

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What¶s new on www.africom.mil

AFRICOM-Funded Projects Assisting African Partners Develop Capacity to

Counter Drug Trafficking

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7532&lang=0 6 January 2012By Nicole Dalrymple, U.S. AFRICOM Public AffairsU.S. Africa Command's Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Assistance Division

(CN) provides about $20 million in annual assistance to African partner nations to helpimprove their capacity to combat transnational narcotics trafficking.

Children in Djibouti Learn English through "Soldier in the Classroom" Program

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7530&lang=0 6 January 2012By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton, CJTF-HOA Public AffairsU.S. Army Specialist Tiffany Larriba held her hands in front of her, fingers closed, aschildren from Karabti San, Djibouti, waited in eager anticipation, January 3, 2012.Suddenly, Larriba smiled and raised six fingers. "Six," the children exclaimed in unison.

Karabti San, Djibouti Citizens, CJTF-HOA Personnel Continue Building Eco-Dome

http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA 6 January 2012By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton, CJTF-HOA Public AffairsAs the early morning sun rose above the rocky mountain peaks, 3 January 2012, its bright




rays reflected off the white eco-dome being constructed in the remote village of KarabtiSan, Djibouti.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FULL TEXT

Obama gives US ability to send weapons to S. Sudan (AP)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gcl6RLha9Nn8B4g0HsU4WNiwM8rQ?docId=959146a8e5724bb187fcfef4c1733d0a 7 January 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ² The White House has declared the government of South Sudaneligible to receive weapons and defense assistance from the U.S.

President Barack Obama issued a memorandum Friday clearing the way. A White Houseofficial said the decision could potentially promote peace and regional stability in East

Africa.

The announcement came amid an outbreak of violence between two South Sudanesetribes that may have left thousands dead and some 50,000 people needing aid.

While the U.S. now has the ability to send weapons to South Sudan, the White Housesaid no decision on doing so has been made.

South Sudan gained its independent in July, becoming the world's newest nation.

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US Lifting of Restriction on Arms Sales to South Sudan Unfortunate, Official

(Sudan Vision)

http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=204588 9 January 2012By Zuleikha Abdul Raziq

Khartoum ± Ruling National Congress Party (NCP) described Sunday the USAdministration decision to lift US restrictions on defense sales to the newly-born state inSouth Sudan as unfortunate and improper.

NCP Political Sector Chairman, Dr. Qutbi Al-Mahdi said in press statements that the steprevealed the US Administration doesn¶t support peace in the area, preferring instead tosell lethal arms.

"America knows that peace is the most important thing in the area, and that the armstrade might benefit the Americans in their existing financial crisis, but unfortunately itwill be against the peace in the new-born state which needs diplomatic support toovercome its problems instead of flooding it with weapons and to find a foothold for the




US military in the area," said Al-Mahdi.

For his part, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Ambassador Al-Obeid Ahmed Morawahexpressed to Sudan Vision his fear that the weapons may fall in the hands of terroristgroups and cause trouble in the region.

Morawah urged the US Administration to ensure that the weapons do not reach theinsurgents supported by the Republic of South Sudan (ROSS), adding that the logic of theWhite House to declare South Sudan eligible to receive weapons is inconvincible becausearms cannot be used for preserving peace in the region and ROSS neighbours.

It is worth noting that the White House has declared the government of South Sudaneligible to receive weapons and defense assistance from the United States.

Obama issued a memorandum Friday saying that the ability to provide defense materialsand services to the government of South Sudan is in the national interest of the United

States and could promote peace in East Africa.

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South Sudan appeals for humanitarian aid amid fighting (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/06/world/africa/south-sudan-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 6 January 2012South Sudan appealed for international aid for a remote region that has been under attack by roaming fighters, as thousands of residents fled into the bush to avoid the violence.

The government declared Jonglei state a "humanitarian disaster area" and called oninternational aid agencies to help provide urgently needed assistance.

It is not yet clear how many people have been killed or injured in the violence.

The United Nations said Thursday it was mounting a "massive emergency support programme" to help those displaced by fighting.

The organization sent a battalion of peacekeepers to the area last week amid reports thatmembers of the Lou Nuer tribe were marching toward two towns which are home to therival Murle tribe.

The Lou Nuer fighters, who numbered 6,000 to 8,000, have now agreed to leave the areafollowing "intensive negotiations," a United Nations statement released Thursday said.

But as many as 50,000 people who fled their advance on the towns of Likuangole andPibor now need food, water and shelter.

"The situation in humanitarian terms is grim," U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Lise




Grande is quoted as saying.

"They haven't had food; they haven't had access to clean water. In a number of cases,some of the people are wounded. They haven't had shelter. As the day progresses, youcan see hundreds of people coming back into town and there is no question they are in

trouble."

The U.N. World Food Programme has already delivered food supplies for some of themost vulnerable, including children, the statement said.

Grande said the United Nations had helped evacuate citizens from the area and avert agreater crisis.

Ethnic tensions in Jonglei state have flared as tribes fight over grazing lands and water rights, leading to cattle raids and abduction of women and children.

Government officials have urged the two ethnic groups to return women and childrenabducted in the spate of violence.

More forces will be deployed and a committee established to push for reconciliation between the two groups, according to government spokesman Barnaba Marial Benjamin.

Kouider Zerrouk, a spokesman for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), saidThursday that the United Nations was "beefing up" its presence across Jonglei state insupport of government efforts.

Zerrouk said the situation was now calm but UNMISS was operating daily land and air patrols to deter further violence and ensure the Lou Nuer fighters did leave the area.

The mission would also help the South Sudan authorities transport about 800 additional police to the area, he said in a statement.

Jennifer Christian, Sudan policy analyst with the Enough Project, said that while it'simportant to get emergency food and medical aid to those affected, a longer-term strategyis needed to avoid future violence.

"The underlying, largely economic, causes of this cycle of inter-communal violence must be addressed to ensure permanent peace and stability in Jonglei state," Christian said.

"In Jonglei, cattle is currency. For instance, young men need cattle to pay dowry pricesand marry. A lack of access to basic services and economic opportunities compounds thereliance of Jonglei's communities on this cattle economy, which, in turn, fuels conflictassociated with cattle raiding," she said.

The international community should work to support the South Sudan government indeveloping its security forces and judicial system, she added.




As residents fled the fighting last weekend, the United Nations said peacekeepers werehaving trouble accessing the rugged and isolated region, which is surrounded by thick forests.

"The problem we faced in this particular region of Jonglei state was one of access, because there are no roads, because of insufficient helicopters," said Herve Ladsous, theU.N. peacekeeping chief. "So we did reinforce our available staff there. The governmentof South Sudan itself is trying to do the same, but facing the same constraints."

The violence in Jonglei state is the latest to rock South Sudan, which officially gained itsstatehood in July after separating from neighboring Sudan to the north.

Decades of civil war between the north and south, costing as many as 2 million lives,ended with a U.S.-brokered peace treaty in 2005.

But before South Sudan gained independence in July, human rights monitors expressedconcerns that long-standing grievances could end in violence consuming the region again.

The United Nations estimates that more than 1,100 people died and 63,000 weredisplaced last year by inter-communal violence in Jonglei state, not taking into accountthe latest clashes.

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US soldiers to train new-look Liberian force (Africa Review)

http://www.africareview.com/News/US+soldiers+to+rain+Liberian+army/-/979180/1301428/-/lmm8sn/-/ 7 January 2012By Kemo Champ

As the US military pulls out of restive Iraq, it is turning its attention to a new direction of engagement, though on a much smaller scale.

This time it is Liberia, and the mission, unlike in Iraq, is to train a military that has gonethrough over a decade of brutal civil.

A detachment of US soldiers from the Michigan Army National Guard is heading for theWest African country on a 1-year mission to "train Liberian forces on how to be anarmy," according to Michigan National Guard Colonel Pablo Estrada, who heads the unit.

"It's exciting to be in this position where we get a chance to train an army. It's not acakewalk and we know it's not a cakewalk," the delegation commander said at thedeployment ceremony on Thursday.

The soldiers, who also include some who had served in Iraq, are said to be volunteering




KDF/TFG soldier was injured in the attack which was conducted by air. All troops aresafe and in high spirits, " Maj. Chirchir told Xinhua by telephone.

Al-Shabaab has also blocked most international aid workers from accessing parts of Somalia affected by drought and famine.

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Al-Shabab dismisses Kenya air raid toll claim (Al Jazeera)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/201218144744674800.html 8 January 2012

Somali group confirms attack took place in Garbaharey but denies 60 of its fighters werekilled.

Somalia's Islamist al-Shabab group has denied claims the Kenyan military killed at least

60 fighters in an airstrike, the German news agency dpa reported.

Senior al-Shabab commander, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali, known as Abu Mansour, onSunday confirmed an attack had taken place in Garbaharey town in southern Somalia'sGedo region, but accused Kenya of lying about the number of dead.

"There were not 60 al-Shabab troops killed," he told dpa by telephone from anundisclosed location, without revealing how many deaths were caused.

"The infidels of Kenya circulated false information to cover up the casualties of their ownground forces, who are facing heavy resistance from our fighters."

This came after Colonel Cyrus Oguna, a Kenyan military spokesman, said dozens of al-Shabab fighters were killed after bombing raids hit rebel positions in Garbaharey onFriday.

"Levels of casualties were very high in air strikes ... Provisional casualties are that al-Shabab lost 60 or more fighters, and more than 50 were injured," Oguna said onSaturday.

An elder in the town of Garbaharey, who did not wish to be named, told dpa that air strikes definitely took place on Friday, but was unable to give any casualty figures.

It is difficult to independently verify claims. Both sides issue wildly varying casualtyfigures for the same battles, and the Kenyans do not reveal how they come to their totalsdespite having no troops on the ground at the location of air strikes.

For its part al-Shabab rebels have repeatedly dismissed Kenyan casualty reports as lies.

Defections




Al Jazeera¶s Peter Greste, reporting from Kenyan capital Nairobi on Saturday, said: "Wedon¶t have independent confirmation and we certainly don¶t know what is going onwithin the ranks of al-Shabab."

"But Kenyans are insisting that al-Shabab is crumbling. They say in the last few weeksthere have been close to 30 defections, and most recently a senior intelligence officer defected from the group. We don't know who the officer is, as we don¶t have independentconfirmation.

"Kenyans believe the organisation is finding it difficult to maintain discipline among itstroops."

Our correspondent said: "Kenyans are also saying they have been able to disrupt al-Shabab¶s sources of income, specifically the charcoal trade that runs through the porttown of Kismayo, and al-Shabab seems to have lost control of that."

Kenya sent troops into Somalia to fight al-Shabab in October, after a spate of kidnappings on Kenyan territory which Nairobi accuses the Islamist group of carryingout.

The kidnappings threatened Kenya's tourism industry, a key source of revenue for thecountry.

The October offensive initially stalled due to bad weather, but Kenya has used its air power to harass al-Shabab, targeting bases across southern Somalia, and is now beginning to press harder on the ground.

Al-Shabab began its insurgency in early 2007 following Ethiopia's invasion to oust anIslamist regime, but has been on the back foot this year as it faces pressure from Kenya, pro-government forces and African Union peacekeepers.

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Somalia: Ethiopian troops 'to hand over to AU force' (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16441240 6 January 2012

Ethiopia is to withdraw from areas it has recently captured in neighbouring Somalia withits troops to be replaced by African Union (AU) soldiers.

The decision was made by the AU's Peace and Security Council, which met to finalise boosting its Somali force.

It wants the UN to approve a new figure of 17,731, which would include the absorptionof Kenyan troops.




They entered the country in October in pursuit of al-Shabab militants, who control muchof southern Somalia.

The al-Qaeda-linked group is now battling on several fronts, with forces from Kenya and

Ethiopia, as well as local militias, taking ground recently.

The UN-backed interim government only controls the capital thanks to the AU force(Amisom) in Mogadishu.

Ethiopia originally sent troops to Somalia in 2006 to oust Islamist forces but withdrew in2009 after suffering heavy casualties.

Their presence was particularly controversial in Somalia because the two countriesfought a border war in the 1970s.

Somalia has not had a functioning central government for more than 20 years and has been wracked by fighting between various militias.

'Strengthen gains'

Ethiopia took the strategically important central town of Beledweyne from al-Shabab inDecember, nine months after wresting the border town of Bulo Hawo from the group.

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali is in Beledweyne on Friday - a rare visitoutside the capital, which correspondents say shows the government's growingconfidence in its fight with al-Shabab.

The AU said its plans for strengthening Amisom would boost "gains made on theground".

Amisom troops would occupy "areas liberated with the support of Ethiopia, in view of the urgency of the stated intent of Ethiopia to withdraw from those areas", a statementsaid.

A total of 5,700 extra soldiers are to join Amisom - to be made up of Djiboutians and theKenya troops already in Somalia, as well as a small police contingent, the AU said.Djibouti had originally agreed to send 1,500 troops - of which 200 are already inMogadishu.

No mention was made in the comminque of a 1,500-strong contingent promised earlier by Sierra Leone.

A UN-brokered peace conference at the time of Ethiopia's withdrawal from Somalia in2009 saw the election by MPs of moderate Islamist president Sheikh Sharif SheikhAhmed.




But it has been dogged with factional infighting - and the UN Security Council has said itwill withdraw its funding for it unless there are serious effort to meet an August 2012deadline to draw up a political roadmap, which should lead to elections for a new president and parliament.

Al-Shabab, which has imposed strict Sharia law in areas it controls, announced a "tacticalwithdrawal" from Mogadishu in August after fierce fighting with AU forces.

It has denied allegations that it was behind a spate of kidnappings from Kenya soil andsaid it regarded Kenya's incursion as an invasion.

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Boko Haram intensify attacks in Nigeria's north (Africa Review)

http://www.africareview.com/News/Nigerian+troops+clash+with+Islamists/-

/979180/1301552/-/qk9dmkz/-/index.html 7 January 2012By AMINU ABUBAKAR

Hundreds of people fled their homes in northeast Nigeria on Saturday after deadly all-night gun battles between Islamists and security forces amid an escalation in violence.

The latest clashes with the Islamist sect Boko Haram came amid growing fears of widespread religious violence in Africa's most populous nation, roughly divided betweena mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.

On Friday night, 10 people were gunned down in a church in Yola - the latest such attack in an escalating wave of violence since Christmas Day bombings of churches and other targets killed scores of people.

The streets of Potiskum town elsewhere in the northeast emptied Saturday after fierceshootouts between the Boko Haram gunmen and police.

A policeman and a civilian were killed when the gunmen robbed three banks, accordingto residents.

About 30 people have been killed in attacks targeting Christians in two days in northern Nigeria.

Police said after the overnight fighting in Potiskum, where the Islamists attacked itsheadquarters and robbed and burnt three banks, that a death toll had not yet beendetermined.

"Our men engaged Boko Haram gunmen in shootouts for most of the night, which led tosome deaths and injuries," Yobe state police commissioner Lawan Tanko told the media.




"It is too early to give figures because we are still investigating the incident."

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Nigeria unrest µworse than 1960s civil war¶ (Al Jazeera )http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/20121713141469360.html 9 January 2012

President Goodluck Jonathan says there are Boko Haram sympathisers in government, judiciary and armed forces.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said that spiralling violence blamed on theradical Islamist group Boko Haram is "even worse" than the country's 1960s civil war.

"The situation we have in our hands is even worse than the civil war that we fought,"

Jonathan said at a church service on Sunday, referring to Nigeria's 1967-70 civil war thatkilled more than a million people.

The death toll linked to violence blamed on the Islamist group has not reached anywherenear that level, but Jonathan cited the unpredictability and pervasiveness of the threat.

"During the civil war, we knew and we could even predict where the enemy was comingfrom ... But the challenge we have today is more complicated."

He said there are Boko Haram sympathisers in government.

"Some of them are in the executive arm of government, some of them are in the parliamentary/legislative arm of government, while some of them are even in the judiciary," Jonathan told a church service for armed forces remembrance day.

"Some are also in the armed forces, the police and other security agencies."

The president's remarks come on a day Ayo Oritsejafor, head of the Christian Associationof Nigeria, told his followers that they should do what they have to in order to defendthemselves from "ethnic and religious cleansing" at the hands of the radical Islamistgroup.

"We have the legitimate right to defend ourselves. We're also saying today that we willdo whatever it takes. We are working things out between ourselves," Oritsejafor said.

More attacks

Nigeria's government put into effect a 24-hour curfew on Saturday in the northeasternAdamawa state. Residents were ordered to stay indoors, and military personnel weredeployed on the streets to enforce the curfew.




Last week the government declared a state of emergency in four of the areas worst hit bythe violence, including Maiduguri and Damaturu.

Nigerian authorities said gunmen attacked a military vehicle in Maiduguri on Sunday

afternoon.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Ifijeh Mohammed said the attack killedthree civilians and wounded six civilians and one soldier, the Associated Press reported.

Local police commissioner Simeon Midenda said another attack on a tea shop onSaturday night in Biu, also in Borno state, killed three people, AP reported.

Earlier on Sunday, Christians on their way to religious services faced extra precautionarymeasures. "Churches have become very security conscious," said Al Jazeera's HaruMutasa, reporting from the capital Abuja.

Worshippers were physically searched for weapons and explosives upon entering the places of worship.

"People are leaving [some areas]. We have been told that some families are heading tomilitary barracks and police stations, Mutasa said on Saturday.

"There is a sense that people are scared in northern Nigeria, especially if they are non-Muslims."

Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris, also in Abuja, said: "In Damaturu, it is virtually almost anempty part of town because people have really left those areas affected by the violence.

"In Potiskum it's the same situation."

The government meanwhile said it had engaged alleged Boko Haram fighters inPotiskum, a northeastern town in Yobe state, in clashes that continued through Fridaynight.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for at least two of the four separate attacks over the last few days.

The group, whose name loosely translates to "Western education is forbidden", is believed to favour implementation of Islamic law across Nigeria, a multi-ethnic nation of more than 160 million people.

Ultimatum

Last Sunday, a spokesman for the group issued an ultimatum for Christians living in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north to leave the region or they would be killed.




The ultimatum came after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in parts of four states hit hard by violence blamed on Boko Haram, particulary Christmas bombings that killed at least 40 people.

Attacks on Friday left tens of people dead, eight of them killed after gunmen opened fireon worshippers in a church in Yola, a hospital source said.

Earlier on Friday, at a town hall in Mubi, also in Adamawa state, at least another 12 people were killed after armed men opened fire on a group of people from the ChristianIgbo community who were gathered there.

Idris said that residents told him the incident occurred at a meeting to discuss the deathsof four others from the Igbo community who were killed in an attack in the town onThursday.

Boko Haram claimed responsibility for Friday's attack in Mubi, local media reported.

The group, via a purported spokesman who goes by the name Abul Qaqa, also claimedresponsibility for a separate church shooting attack in the town of Gombe on Thursdaynight, which left nine people dead.

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Revolution has failed to deliver for Tunisia's blighted south (France 24)

http://www.africareview.com/News/Sudan+s+Bashir+in+visit+to+Libya/-/979180/1301522/-/l1e8fn/-/index.html 8 January 2012By Marc Daou

The Ben Ali regime has been gone for almost a year, but many Tunisians have yet to reapthe benefits of "their" revolution. In Gafsa, one of the country¶s poorest regions, somesay mounting discontent could soon lead to a second upheaval.

Tunisia is preparing to mark one year since the fall of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali onJanuary 14. But the looming anniversary carries a bitter taste for the people of Gafsa, aresource-rich yet impoverished region in the country¶s southwest.

On Thursday, January 5, a man doused his clothes in petrol and set himself alight in frontof the Gafsa government building, where he and scores of other job seekers had been protesting for several days against rising unemployment and government inaction.

Ammar Gharsalla, a 48-year-old father of three, had asked to meet a ministerialdelegation that was visiting the mining region, which has been rocked by widespreadsocial unrest in recent months.




A barren spring

Gharsalla was rushed to a hospital near Tunis in a critical state. Soon after his desperateact, scuffles broke out between security forces and hundreds of Gafsa youths. While the

unrest had died down by Friday, Ammar Amroussia, a local human rights activist and aspokesperson for the Workers¶ Communist Party of Tunisia (PCOT), told FRANCE 24that ³things could get out of hand if Ammar Gharsalla dies´.

The events in Gafsa were eerily reminiscent of a similar incident just over a year ago inthe small town of Sidi Bouzid, where the self-immolation of a fruit vendor namedMohamed Bouazizi kicked off the spectacular chain of events that led to the successivefalls of three Arab dictators.

For the people of Gafsa, long a stronghold of trade unionism, the Arab world¶s celebratedspring has failed to bear fruit. ³The people here say the revolution was merely a slogan,

because nothing has been done to change things, despite the many campaign promises,´said Amroussia.

In fact matters have got worse, with the recent political instability and the globaleconomic slowdown combining to heighten Gafsa¶s woes. ³Since the fall of Ben Ali, nota single step has been taken to stem the sharp rise in prices, particularly for bread andmedicine, nor to reduce regional inequalities and promote jobs,´ said the left-wingactivist.

µThere will be a second revolution¶

Such is the resentment in Gafsa that the protest movement ³could soon escalate if thegovernment fails to act decisively´, said a local lawyer who wished to remainanonymous.

The recent visit by the ministers for industry, for employment and for social affairshardly allayed the concern about government inaction.

³Expectation is immense and people are on edge," Social Affairs Minister Khalil Zaouiatold AFP at the end of the visit, hours after Gharsalla set himself alight. "This was a firstcontact, we are sorry it had to end in such a dramatic fashion.´

Zaouia pleaded for the establishment of a special task force, with representatives fromfive different ministries, who will be tasked with addressing local demands.

³The ministers¶ visit was a good thing, but they came only to listen to the people,whereas the people were looking for concrete solutions to their problems ± hence thefiasco,´ said Amroussia, before warning: ³Ben Ali may have fallen, but his system is stillin place; and if things carry on this way, there will be a second revolution.´




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Danes capture pirate mothership, free 14 (AP)

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/120163/ 8 January 2012

The Danish navy says it has captured a suspect pirate mothership off the Horn of Africaand rescued 14 people who were being held hostage on it.

The navy says its warship HDMS Absalon, which participates in NATO's Ocean Shieldanti-piracy force, encountered the ship Saturday and the crew boarded it.

They arrested 25 suspected pirates and freed 14 people from Iran and Pakistan.

Navy spokesman Mikael Bill says the hostages are most likely fishermen who had beenheld for around two months and the pirates were using their fishing vessel.

The hostages were transferred onto the HDMS Absalon, where they were able to calltheir families.

The Danish Navy said Sunday further investigations are needed to determine what willhappen to the suspected pirates.

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Counter Drug Trafficking

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7532&lang=0

6 January 2012By Nicole Dalrymple, U.S. AFRICOM Public Affairs

STUTTGART, Germany, Jan 6, 2012 ² U.S. Africa Command's Counternarcotics andLaw Enforcement Assistance Division (CN) provides about $20 million in annualassistance to African partner nations to help improve their capacity to combattransnational narcotics trafficking. Ordinarily the U.S. Department of Defense isrestricted to military-to-military engagements, but special legislation allows the U.S.military to partner with civilian law enforcement agencies in counternarcotics initiatives.

The command's counternarcotics efforts are inherently interagency, working with Africanministries of commerce, customs, defense, interior, and justice; and U.S. agenciesincluding the Drug Enforcement Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigrationsand Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Because other U.S. governmentagencies are involved in Africa, CN carefully coordinates its efforts to ensure there is noduplication of effort and initiatives are complementary.

During a recent trip to Central Africa, U.S. Ambassador J. Anthony Holmes,AFRICOM's deputy to the commander for civil-military activities, was able to visit CN-




funded projects in Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe.

"Drug trafficking is a destabilizing factor that threatens global security and a multilateralapproach is necessary to counter its harmful effects," Holmes said. "AFRICOM'sCounternarcotics and Law Enforcement Assistance Division allows us to engage and

assist our African partners in ways that are not always military related but contribute tooverall stability and security."

During his stop in Gabon, Holmes was able to see a portable hangar installed for theGabonese Navy in 2010. The hangar, commonly referred to as a "clam-shell," houses thenavy's ultralight aircraft used in coastal patrols and in counternarcotics surveillanceoperations. Holmes learned about the program from Commander Jean Blaise Nzamba Ngouangui, deputy chief of naval operations in charge of operations; Commander Christian Remanda, chief of maritime region, and pilots from the Gabonese Navy.

The second project Holmes toured was the newly-renovated Customs House in Sao Tome

and Principe (STP). In partnership with STP's Treasury Department and the MillenniumChallenge Corporation, AFRICOM provided funds to assist in the modernization andcapacity development of STP's customs service, including physical infrastructure andsystems that enhance the country's border security capabilities, such as counternarcoticsoperations.

The CN-funded project in STP was under the umbrella of a larger Millennium ChallengeCorporation Threshold Country Program agreement designed to assist STP to improve itstax and customs administration and enforcement and to streamline its businessregistration procedures. Since February 2011, STP's customs revenues have steadilyincreased providing a revenue stream for future investment and projects, such as plannedexpansion and improvements at the STP port.

Pedro Nobre de Carvalho, the U.S. Embassy's Security Cooperation Office's securityassistant, explained that a small amount of money goes a long way in STP. "The customshouse offers one central location that has reduced a process that used to take multipledays at multiple locations, down to one day at one central location," Nobre de Carvalhoexplained. "Before there were lots of ways to cut corners and the process was veryconfusing."

Holmes said he was pleased to see the tangible results of projects AFRICOM has helpedfinance in the region.

"In my meetings, Gabonese and Sao Tomean officials expressed interest in strengtheningmaritime and land border security to guard against piracy, illegal fishing, illegalimmigration, drug trafficking and other illicit activities," Holmes said. "Our partners,who understand the connection between stability and security and economicdevelopment, are making good use of our past and current security cooperation andinvestments. AFRICOM will continue its partnership with countries in the region as theywork to strengthen their capabilities to secure their lands and waters, which benefit us




all."

The Gabonese Navy's hangar and the Sao Tome Customs House are examples of thewide-ranging projects funded by CN. Other initiatives include counter-drug training;seminars; equipment for detection interception and monitoring activities; the

establishment of C4 (command, control, communications and computers) networks for improved integration of law enforcement and military; as well as establishment andoperation of bases of operations or training facilities, which can include minor construction.

G.W. Burnside, CN's West/Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea regional officer, said that because of funding constraints, partners have expressed interest in conducting programsas efficiently as possible, using a whole of government concept and "establishinglinkages between all the players," whether it is airport security, customs enforcement,immigration and police.

Dave Burgess, a CN strategy and plans officer, said that AFRICOM works withindividual nations on structures and processes to encourage interagency interaction butalso encourages regional cooperation and communication among neighboring countries.

"We help create networks," Burgess said. "We facilitate and build cooperation within aspecific country and across borders. Drug trafficking is a global problem and all countrieshave a responsibility to contribute."

In the 2011 World Drug Report issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) the executive director Yury Fedotov wrote in the preface that, "Drugtrafficking, the critical link between supply and demand, is fuelling a global criminalenterprise valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars that poses a growing challenge tostability and security."

Fedotov also wrote that, "It is increasingly clear that drug control must become anessential element of our joint efforts to achieve peace, security and development."

Drugs are transported by air, sea, and land, and drug traffickers are creative and veryadaptable, always finding new ways to transport drugs, explained Burgess.

"Drug trafficking is a destabilizing factor that must be addressed," Burnside added. "Thecorruption and violence associated with the drug trade can rapidly undermine progress.We always need to improve our capabilities to combat drug traffickers because they willcontinue to develop new ways to do business."The U.S. Embassy in Libreville, Gabon, is the United States representative to both Gabonand the island nation Sao Tome and Principe. The majority of bi-lateral assistance between the United States and these two countries is military engagement and partnership.

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Children in Djibouti Learn English through "Soldier in the Classroom" Program

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7530&lang=0 6 January 2012By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton, CJTF-HOA Public Affairs

KARABTI SAN, Djibouti, Jan 6, 2012 ² U.S. Army Specialist Tiffany Larriba held her hands in front of her, fingers closed, as children from Karabti San, Djibouti, waited ineager anticipation, January 3, 2012.

Suddenly, Larriba smiled and raised six fingers.

"Six," the children exclaimed in unison.

This was the children's second exposure to learning the English language through a program Larriba, a team member with the U.S. Army Civil Affairs Team 4902, 490th

Civil Affairs Battalion, calls "Soldier in the Classroom." The program broadens thehorizons of the children, while giving them a long-lasting memory of their relationshipwith U.S. soldiers. Karabti San is the first village to experience the program, which wasintroduced November 29. Larriba said she hopes to see Soldier in the Classroomintroduced in other villages throughout Djibouti.

"We wanted the kids to remember us for something good," she said. "So we came up withthis project where we go to schools or villages and teach some lesson they can't learnanywhere else. It's simple enough that the students understand, but yet it helps open their mind and leaves a standing memory."

Just as Karabti San is the first Djiboutian village to receive eco-dome materials andconstruction training from the Combined Joint Task Force ± Horn of Africa, it is also thefirst place to experience Soldier in the Classroom. Larriba hopes the participation shesees here will extend to other villages.

"They are all involved in it," she said. "Every kid [in the village], young or old, all came.They wanted to come. They made some pretty good progress."

According to Larriba, who is affectionately referred to by the children as "Lorouba,"which means "cowgirl" in Somali, the progress will provide these children withopportunities previously unavailable.

"[We want to] help them see there is a big world out there and a lot of opportunities," shesaid. "That's our goal."

The children are not the only ones learning from this program. Larriba said her outlook on life has changed dramatically since coming to Africa and interacting with the local population. She hopes her friends and family back home will see the change in her andembrace it themselves.




"You can be happy with the smallest things, she said. "This village, for example--they'rehappy. You can live without a lot of things and still be happy."

Larriba said the happiness she shared with the children of Karabti San is compounded

and reinforced with each new lesson, with every new number learned.

"It was good. I liked it all," said Mohamed Bourito, a student with Soldier in theClassroom. "We practice what Lorouba has taught us. After I learn the English language,I want to go to the school. I want to continue my education."

Bourito smiled broadly after sharing his dream for the future. He held up his hands andrepeated what he had learned only minutes ago, from Larriba. Slowly, but surely, hecounted to ten -- in English.

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Karabti San, Djibouti Citizens, CJTF-HOA Personnel Continue Building Eco-Dome

http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA 6 January 2012By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton, CJTF-HOA Public Affairs

Karabti San, Djibouti, Jan 6, 2012 ² As the early morning sun rose above the rockymountain peaks, 3 January 2012, its bright rays reflected off the white eco-dome beingconstructed in the remote village of Karabti San, Djibouti.

Once completed, the eco-dome is projected to stand 21-feet tall and serve as either acommunity health clinic or school.

³This action is a great job," said Hamdou Mohamed, Karabti San local and constructionforeman. ³We are still in the middle of the work. We are doing a good job, but the domewill tell when it is finished."

Mohamed said the eco-dome, which is roughly 50 percent complete, has served as a beacon for the community to rally around and work on together.

³The mission in Karabti San is really about bringing the community together," said U.S.Army Captain Justin Lev, team chief of Civil Affairs Team 4902, 490th Civil AffairsBattalion. ³The eco-dome has really done that."

Lev said his team is very passionate about the project. They spoke with communityleaders and came to the agreement that this structural form is the best for this area.³The problem here is the wind," he said. ³The wind gusts can get really high. When wefirst started building this dome we positioned the door with the regular direction of thewind. One of the villagers came up to us and said 'are you sure you want to do that? Thismay blow down your dome.'"




The level of dedication shown by the Afar people, living in the village has been inspiring,Lev said. Initially, they looked at the eco-dome as a U.S. project, located in their village.However, now, the villagers have begun to see the structure as their own.

³We're just enablers," Lev said. ³We're teaching them, but the villagers are building thedome themselves."

Lev said the team traveled to Karabti San and taught the villagers a new step and built alayer as an example before returning to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. When the teamreturned, the village added an additional four layers to the construction. Lev said this isno easy task, since the villagers have to travel more than a mile to shovel and hand-carrythe dirt required in the construction. During construction, U.S. soldiers from CAT 4902and the 257th Army Engineer Team worked side-by-side with the Afar people living inthe village to make significant progress on the eco-dome. Cement and dirt were mixedwith water, and then shoveled into buckets which were dumped into long white bags.

Those bags were stacked on top of one another, forming the walls of the eco-dome. Whenfinished, this structure will have a primary and secondary dome, as well as a loft areainside ± with a price tag of about $3,000, paid for by various civilian organizations.

³Everybody in the area is really excited about the dome," Lev said. ³This style of building for areas like Karabti San is very well suited."

The strong winds and harsh terrain of Karabti San support the construction of the eco-dome. Once construction is completed, the tools and materials used will be left for thevillagers to build a second dome. They will take the lessons learned during the first eco-dome project and apply them to future construction in the village, Lev said. The villagewas thankful for the knowledge shared by the United States, which enabled them tocomplete this project and will enable them to complete future projects themselves.

³Teaching you something is better than giving you money," said Kasim Ali, Karabti Sanvillage chief. ³This [the eco dome] is good and will last long. It is something good for thevillage. Thank you."

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END REPORT

AFRICOM Related-Newsclips 9 Jan 2012

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