AFRICOM Related Newsclips December 9 , 2010

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office9 December 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

American general visits Algeria (Magharebia)(Algiers) US Army Africa Commander Major General David R. Hogg praised the "leading" role

of Algeria in fighting terrorism in the Sahel region. Speaking at a December 6th press conferenceafter his two-day visit to the country, the US military official lauded the "impressive progress"

that has been made.

Senators make case for AFRICOM in Hampton Roads (WAVY)(Pan Africa) Virginia Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner made the case for movingthe headquarters of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) to Hampton Roads in a letterWednesday to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs ofStaff Admiral Michael Mullen.

South African Reserve leaders visit New York National Guard (US Army Africa)(South Africa) Maj. Gen. Roy Andersen, South African National Defence ForceReserves Chief, wanted to learn from a really professional organization, so he broughthis staff to visit the New York National Guard Dec. 4-6.

U.S. Army Africa attends World AIDS Day event in Namibia (US Army Africa)(Namibia) Two U.S. Army Africa chaplains recently traveled more than 4,000 miles toparticipate in the Ministry of Defence/Namibia Defence Force World AIDS Dayceremony in Windhoek, Namibia.

Obama Joins African Leaders in Pressing Gbagbo to Step Aside (AllAfrica.com)(Cote d·Ivoire) President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d'Ivoire rebuffed an offer by theUnited States to save face and become a respected elder statesman of Africa, choosinginstead a "path to isolation" by clinging to power, according to senior U.S. officials who

spoke by telephone to AllAfrica.

US diplomats end 3 day on spot assessment in Uganda (Uganda People News)(Uganda) A high level delegation of US diplomats and military officials havecompleted a three day on-spot assessment of the situation in Karamoja. The mission ofthe visit was to do an on-sport assessment of the various projects run by the US in



Karamoja region and the impact they have caused on the local communities and how tofurther assistance to Karamojongs.

Former ambassador warns about Nigeria (ABC News)(Nigeria) A former US ambassador to Nigeria says that a return to military rule in the

key west African nation could be the lesser of two evils if the coming elections sparkethnic and religious violence.

Pirates· Catch Exposed Route of Arms in Sudan Conflict (New York Times)(Sudan) A Ukrainian freighter commandeered by pirates in the Gulf of Aden waspacked with weapons, including 32 Soviet-era battle tanks, and the entire arsenal washeaded for the regional government in southern Sudan. According to several secretState Department cables made public by WikiLeaks, the tanks not only were headed tosouthern Sudan, but they were the latest installment of several underground armsshipments.

Sudan ends referendum voter registration (BBC News)(Sudan) Voter registration has ended in Sudan for January's referendum on possiblesouthern independence.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Websitey Fair elections key to stability in Central African Republic ² UN envoy

y Three UN air service crew members freed from captivity in Darfur

y Security Council endorses opposition leader·s victory in Ivorian polls

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

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, December 10, 10:00 a.m.; Center for Strategic andInternational StudiesWHAT: Preparing for Sudan·s ReferendumWHO: Traci Cook, Resident Director for Southern Sudan, National DemocraticInstitute; Linda Bishai, Senior Program Officer, Academy for International ConflictManagement and Peacebuilding, United States Institute of Peace; Atul Khare, AssistantSecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, United Nations; Richard Downie,Deputy Director and Fellow, CSIS Africa ProgramInfo: http://csis.org/event/preparing-sudans-referendum

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, December 14, 10:00 a.m.; US Institute of PeaceWHAT: Previewing Sudan·s January ReferendumWHO: Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, Head of Mission, Government of Southern Sudan Missionto the United States; Fatahelrahman Ali Mohamed, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassyof the Republic of Sudan; Zach Vertin, Sudan Analyst, International Crisis Group; Jon



Temin, Senior Program Officer, Center for Mediation & Conflict Resolution, U.S.Institute of Peace; David Smock, Moderator, Vice President, Center for Mediation &Conflict Resolution, U.S. Institute of PeaceInfo: http://www.usip.org/events/previewing-sudan-s-january-referenda

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

WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, December 16, 9:00 a.m.; Africa Center for Strategic Studiesand the Center for Complex OperationsWHAT: Sudan: Regional Implications of Post-Referendum ScenariosWHO: Special Envoy to Sudan, Maj. General Scott Gration (ret.), Keynote; See agendafor full speaker listInfo: http://ccoportal.org/event/sudan-regional-implications-post-referendum-scenarios ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Senators make case for AFRICOM in Hampton Roads (WAVY)

WASHINGTON - Virginia Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner made the case formoving the headquarters of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) to Hampton Roads in aletter Wednesday to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefsof Staff Admiral Michael Mullen.

"Relocating the command's headquarters to Hampton Roads would lessen the concernsoften expressed by multiple stakeholders surrounding the command's current missionand activities in Africa, enable significant cost savings in future years, and generatenumerous synergies given the presence of other major military commands in the local

area and 'plug-and-play' infrastructure already in place," wrote the senators.

Currently AFRICOM is temporarily based at Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany.

The idea of moving AFRICOM's headquarters to Hampton Roads was discussed in aNovember meeting between Virginia lawmakers and Secretary Gates in connection



with the Defense Department's desire to close the Norfolk-based Joint Forces Commandas part of a cost-saving initiative.

The Department of Defense agreed to include Virginia in the assessment of alternatelocations for the AFRICOM headquarters.

The proposal to bring AFRICOM to Hampton Roads was also made by Sen. Webb at arecent Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing.

AFRICOM was established in October 2007 and operated under U.S. EuropeanCommand during its first year. It became an independent command on October 1, 2008.

The full text of the Senators' letter is below:

Dear Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen:

We are writing to address the commitment that was expressed during our meeting ofNovember 23, 2010, to include Virginia in the assessment of alternate locations for thepermanent headquarters of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). In our view,relocating the command·s headquarters to Hampton Roads would lessen the concernsoften expressed by multiple stakeholders surrounding the command·s current missionand activities in Africa, enable significant cost savings in future years, and generatenumerous synergies given the presence of other major military commands in the localarea and ´plug-and-playµ infrastructure already in place.

The headquarters for the U.S. Central Command, the U.S. Pacific Command, and theU.S. Southern Command have been located in the United States for decades. The samemodel is even more appropriate for the U.S. Africa Command given the sensitivitiesmany African nations continue to manifest over the command·s mission and militarypresence on the continent.

Additionally, the Hampton Roads region warrants special consideration whenevaluating possible locations for the command in the United States. The adverseeconomic impacts associated with the proposed disestablishment of the U.S. JointForces Command (JFCOM) are extraordinary for a decision made outside of a formalmilitary base closure process. They should be weighed during the Department ofDefense's (DOD) assessment of the costs and benefits of potential alternative locationsto host AFRICOM.

A good economic case can also be made to reduce AFRICOM·s footprint in Europe. Inthe long term, the relocation to Hampton Roads of the nearly 1,500 military and civilianpersonnel now assigned at AFRICOM·s headquarters in Germany could save billions ofdollars. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted in its 2009 report (GAO-



09-181), ´In addition to renovation costs [of its interim headquarters in Germany], costprojections exceed $4 billion through 2015 to operate AFRICOM·s interim headquarters,expand DOD·s presence in 11 U.S. embassies in Africa, and improve existing facilitiesfor a combined joint task force in Djibouti.µ

Moreover, as the GAO reported, these projections do not include the costs to establishthe command·s permanent headquarters or other supporting offices in Africa, apotential joint operations fusion center to support the headquarters, or costs associatedwith its new component and theater special operations commands. These cost estimatesalso do not capture the higher permanent-change-of-station (PCS) personnel costsassociated with such overseas assignments.

We are confident that Hampton Roads will prove to be appealing as a cost-avoidancealternative. As you know, Norfolk and its adjoining communities already have first-class facilities to accommodate AFRICOM·s mission. DOD should consider, for

example, the $373 million in recent taxpayer investments in the Hampton Roads region,originally intended for JFCOM, as a down payment on AFRICOM. At JFCOM·s Suffolkinstallation, the department has already invested $270 million in its buildings andcommunications systems. In addition, the site·s non-cancelable lease obligationsbetween fiscal years 2011 and 2017 total more than $61 million.

Hampton Roads represents one of the largest concentrations of joint and service-uniquemilitary commands in the United States. It offers joint installations, command-and-control resources,

and training and education facilities that could support AFRICOM·s mission superbly.As a relatively new combatant command, AFRICOM will benefit from an unmatchedpool of joint manpower from surrounding Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Forcefacilities. Active-duty personnel and military veterans also provide a highly skilledworkforce with the necessary technical qualifications, security clearances, andknowledge of military operations.

Nearby joint and allied organizations and educational facilities, including the JointArmed Forces Staff College and NATO Allied Command-Transformation (NATO AC-T), will serve as much needed force multipliers for doctrinal and strategic growth.These commands could also enable a healthy dialogue between AFRICOM and ourNATO allies who are already engaged in stabilization efforts in Africa, particularly theHorn of Africa. Many African nations, including Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Moroccoand Tunisia, are members of NATO·s Mediterranean Dialogue and are comfortableworking with NATO and AC-T.

The Tidewater area also has a well-deserved reputation for being home to a wide rangeof high-technology resources. They include federal and private research facilities and



laboratories, modeling-and-simulating centers, a large base of information-technologydefense contractors, and universities and colleges recognized for their achievement inmany disciplines. With a Hampton Roads location, AFRICOM would be able to drawon the rich talent and professional expertise available on its doorstep.

In short, we believe that Hampton Roads is a first-rate candidate to host theheadquarters for the U.S. Africa Command.------------------South African Reserve leaders visit New York National Guard (US Army Africa)

LATHAM, N.Y. ³ Maj. Gen. Roy Andersen, South African National Defence ForceReserves Chief, wanted to learn from a really professional organization, so he broughthis staff to visit the New York National Guard Dec. 4-6.

The SANDF and the New York National Guard have had a mutual relationship through

the Guard's State Partnership Program since 2005. The program sets up exchangesbetween the South African military and the New York State National Guard to fosterbetter understanding through a series of bilateral events.

"We are looking to take away the lessons you have learned, so we do not have to relearnthem; so we can do things better, and maybe we can identify a few areas where wethink we do it better," he said.

The six-officer delegation, which visited sites in the Albany and New York City areas,was particularly interested in learning about the New York Guard's family support and

employer support programs.

"We know these are good and they work," Andersen said.

The South African team included Brig. Gen. Susan Debbie Molefe, Director of DefenceReserves; Rear Adm. Ernst Penzhorn, Director of Naval Reserves; Brig. Gen. TebogoSamuel Madumane, Director of the Air Force Reserves; Brig Gen. (Dr.) Abel Maminze,Acting Director of the South African Military Health Service Reserves; Chaplain (Col.)Masello Mothopeng, Senior Staff Officer Reserve Force Chaplains; and Col. BrianMolefe, Deputy Director of South African Army Reserves.

U.S. Army Africa was represented by Brig. Gen. Isaac G. Osborne Jr., USARAF DeputyCommander, who is also Assistant Adjutant General of the Tennessee Army NationalGuard.

The visitors were impressed by the proactive nature of the National Guard's healthassessment process. Visiting the Guard·s state headquarters while a Soldiers ReadinessCheck for the Joint Force Headquarters Detachment was under way, the South Africans



were impressed with the mobile dental clinic set up to fix Soldiers, problems on thespot, Andersen said.

´There is a lot of energy in the relationship between the New York National Guard andthe South African military,µ said Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, the Adjutant General of

New York. Guardsmen from the 106th Rescue Wing have been to South Africa asrecently as September to train with their South African counterparts, he said.

Bilateral visits are an important part of the relationship process, said Osborne.

´The SPP program is all about the sharing and teamwork of coming together for thesame cause. It gives both parties an opportunity to get to know each other better. Thisconference improved the relationships between South Africa and the United Statesmilitary,µ said Osborne.

The three-day visit started Dec. 4 with briefings on subjects such as family readinessprograms, efforts to keep employers supportive, New York National Guard missionsand reintegration programs.

The team visited Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, New York, Dec. 5. The baseis home to the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard, the only wing inthe U.S. military that flies C-130 transport aircraft equipped with skies that enablelandings on snow or ice.

Dec. 6 the South Africans visited the New York National Guard's standing security

force in New York City, Joint Task Force Empire Shield. The team inspected thequarters of the 24th Civil Support Team, a unit specially trained to identify chemical,biological and radiological weapons. They also had an opportunity to observepersonnel providing security at transportation hubs in Manhattan.

The South Africans were also brought up to speed on the capabilities of New York'sNaval Militia, which works with the United States Coast Guard in New York Harbor.

The New York National Guard and South African National Defence Force Reserves facesome similar challenges, said Andersen.

Just as New York deploys troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, South African reservists arepresently serving in peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,Sudan and Burundi. South African reservists also do border duty along their nation'sborder with Zimbabwe to control illegal immigration, similar to the way New YorkNational Guard forces have served along the Mexican border.

There are differences, though.



South African reservists must serve two years on active duty, including one completedeployment, before going into reserve status. This can make it tough to recruit, andmany of the South African Reserve members do not have jobs. Finding them civilianwork is an important mission for his force, said Andersen, who is chairman of several

corporate boards in civilian life.

Interestingly, the South African Air Force Reserve includes a special component ofmembers who bring their own aircraft with them when they serve, more like theAmerican Civil Air Patrol than the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserves.

While the New York Army and Air National Guard, with just over 16,000 members, areabout the same size as the South African Army, Air Force, and Naval Reserves, the levelof responsibility that Andersen and his team have is much greater, Murphy said.

He and his staff don't have to deal with the issues of national policy and politics thatAndersen must cope with, he explained.

´The New York National Guard did an outstanding job by providing requestedrelevant information to the current challenges of the South African military,µ Osbornesaid.------------------U.S. Army Africa attends World AIDS Day event in Namibia (US Army Africa)

VICENZA, Italy ² Strengthening relationships. Raising awareness. Learning through

partnership. Two U.S. Army Africa chaplains recently traveled more than 4,000 miles toparticipate in the Ministry of Defence/Namibia Defence Force World AIDS Dayceremony in Windhoek, Namibia.

Col. Jonathan McGraw, U.S. Army Africa·s command chaplain, and Lt. Col. Clyde Scott,deputy command chaplain, stood alongside their chaplain counterparts to gain a betterunderstanding of how the Namibia Defence Force commemorates World AIDS Day.More than 1,000 Namibian soldiers and civilians took part in the celebration.

´We appreciate the positive impact of our joint efforts in the Namibian military,µ saidAdrienne Fuentes, coordinator for the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief(PEPFAR), in remarks made during the ceremony on behalf of the U.S. Mission inNamibia.

´I applaud the leadership of the Namibian military for your robust leadership wherestigma and discrimination is strongly discouraged, and where people who are livingopenly with HIV are supported without any discrimination,µ Fuentes said.



McGraw said his Unit Ministry Team·s close relationship with the Namibian chaplainsis an essential part of sharing experiences and techniques to counsel soldiers andfamilies from a spiritual perspective.

´Facing the challenges of AIDS, the Namibian Defence Force has established an

impressive commander-led, community-based, chaplain-integrated program that isworking,µ McGraw said. ´I was very impressed with the number of Namibian soldierslined up to voluntarily test their HIV status during the World AIDS Day event. It wasthree to four times what was experienced in past years.µ

The U.S. chaplains World AIDS Day participation follows a previous visit to Namibia inwhich the ministry team led a seminar about counseling soldiers and family membersabout the impact of HIV/AIDS.

In addition to observing the World AIDS Day commemoration, the U.S. chaplains met

with several key U.S. Department of Defense partners to discuss possible areas ofcollaboration. A highlight of the event was an invitation to march in a two-mile AIDSDay Parade sponsored by the Namibian Defence Force. Led by the NDF Army Band,the chaplains marched with more than 800 NDF soldiers, as citizens cheered from thesidewalks.

´Despite the challenges of AIDS/HIV there is optimism about the future and love oftheir families and country,µ said McGraw. ´This was a great example of the NDF andUSARAF·s shared commitment to AIDS/HIV prevention in Namibia.µ------------------

Obama Joins African Leaders in Pressing Gbagbo to Step Aside (AllAfrica.com)

President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d'Ivoire rebuffed an offer by the United States to saveface and become a respected elder statesman of Africa, choosing instead a "path toisolation" by clinging to power, according to senior U.S. officials who spoke bytelephone to AllAfrica.

President Barack Obama wrote to Gbagbo on Friday night after attempts to reach himby phone were unsuccessful, prior to Gbagbo's ceremony to swear himself in aspresident. In the letter, Obama, who was on a plane returning from Afghanistan,reiterated that the United States considered Alassane Ouattara the legitimate winner ofCote d'Ivoire's presidential elections, based on the results of the national electoralcommission and certification by the United Nations.

"President Obama laid out a clear choice: respect the results of the election and you willhave a role to play, and you will have the personal support of President Obama inplaying that role," one senior U.S. administration official told allAfrica. "Ignore and



override the results of the election and you will be isolated and held accountable, andyou will not have the support of the United States."

In the letter, Obama invited Gbagbo to the White House "for discussions « on ways toadvance democracy and development in Cote d'Ivoire and West Africa" should Gbagbo

step aside.

Other than confirmation of its receipt by Ivorian officials, Gbagbo has not responded tothe letter.

Targeted Sanctions

The United States was encouraged by the action of the west African regional blocEcowas on Tuesday in calling for Gbagbo to step aside. The Economic Community ofWest African States also suspended Cote d'Ivoire from the grouping.

"This kind of leadership is extraordinarily laudable, and this is what the United Stateswants to be working to support," one administration official said . The United States hasbeen working in conjunction with Ecowas, the African Union, the United Nations,France and the European Union in trying to get Gbagbo to respect the electoraloutcome.

A number of further measures are being considered to pressure Gbagbo to step aside,and the United States is consulting with the U.N. Security Council. Among possibleactions are unilateral and multilateral targeted sanctions, the U.S. officials said,

following on the "powerful signal" of Ecowas.

"Certainly we have made clear, and others have made clear, that those who subvert thedemocratic process will be held accountable," one U.S. official said. "That points tolooking at targeted measures that seek to isolate individuals responsible for anundemocratic seizure of power and also, critically, for any kind of instigation ofviolence."

Worrisome Trend

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki visited Cote d'Ivoire earlier this week, asan envoy of the African Union, to try to mediate an end to the crisis. Critics of Mbeki,who in the past has been seen by some as close to Gbagbo, feared Mbeki would try tobroker a power-sharing deal.

In an apparent reference to post-election power sharing agreements following electionsin Kenya and Zimbabwe, where incumbents refused to accept defeat, one U.S.



administration official made it clear that the United States wanted Gbagbo to step asiderather than be accommodated.

"There have been some worrisome trends over time - this government of national unitytrend - where you « accommodate the interests of a political rival," the official said.

"But the interests of the people who expressed their voice democratically and areinterested in holding leaders accountable sort of get lost in the shuffle."

U.S. officials said they had no immediate knowledge of the content or outcome ofMbeki's talks in Cote d'Ivoire.

Rival Governments

On Tuesday, the United Nations, which has more than 9,000 peacekeepers in Coted'Ivoire, began evacuating non-essential staff from the nation for fear of unrest.

Sporadic violence has broken out in the main city, Abidjan, since the ConstitutionalCouncil overturned results announced by the electoral commission that said Ouattarawon the November 28 run-off poll with 54 percent of the vote.

Cote d'Ivoire is still largely divided between the north and the south despite a peacedeal in 2005 that ended a brief civil war. The nation now has two governments ² one ledby Gbagbo and the other by Ouattara, whose prime minister was the former leader ofthe northern-based New Forces rebels.

In his letter, Obama reminded Gbagbo that he was once an opposition figure who was

calling for free and fair democratic elections. He came to power following polls in 2000that were annulled by the nation's military ruler, Robert Guei. Guei was chased frompower in a popular uprising in Abidjan where Gbagbo draws much of his support.

Respectable Departure

In a statement on Tuesday, Democratic U.S. Congressman Donald Payne, chairman ofthe subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, commended Gbagbo for serving Coted'Ivoire over the past decade, including through a failed coup attempt in 2002.

"Despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges that have faced his country, and thecriticism he has often received from the West, he managed to prevent Côte d'Ivoirefrom plunging into a violent civil war," Payne said.

He encouraged Gbagbo "in the manner befitting of a statesman" to peacefully transferpower to Ouattara.



"The Ivorian people have seen their country descend from great heights ² from theeconomic engine of West Africa that it once was, to a nation torn in two," Payne said."Let the electoral expression of the Ivorian people's will be a clarion call for all parties tofinally put aside their differences and lay aside blame for the sake of Cote d'Ivoire'sfuture ² a future that all Ivorians will share. It is absolutely critical at this juncture that

the rule of law, suspension of violence, and the will of the people be upheld to prevent amajor crisis.------------------US diplomats end 3 day on spot assessment in Uganda (Uganda People News)

A high level delegation of US diplomats and military officials have completed a threeday on-spot assessment of the situation in Karamoja.

The team was led by the US deputy ambassador to Uganda Her Excellency MadamVirginia Blaser who was accompanied by the head of US military Civil Affairs Col Eric

Schoenbucher based at the US Africa Command in Jidbout, the Defence attache· at theUS embassy in Uganda Lt Col Louis Perozo and Mr Michael Ronning from USAID(United States Agency for International Development) among others.The mission of the visit was to do an on-sport assessment of the various projects run bythe US in Karamoja region and the impact they have caused on the local communitiesand how to further assistance to Karamojongs.

The US government through its international organizations like USAID and otherpartners like Mercycoups and IRC (International Rescue Committee) has been funding anumber of projects in Karamoja related to livelihood support.

The US army through its Civil Affairs Team in partnership with the UPDF has alsodone a lot of projects like the construction of Muruita Dam in Nakapiripirit which was jointly done by UPDF, US military engeneers, ministry of water with funding fromUNDP, the Kraals at Nadunget in Moroto where a veterinary Civial Affairs programwas affected and 40,000 animals vaccinated.

The Team visited the Human rights offices to update itself on the human rightssituation in Karamoja and appreciated the fact that generally the situation was better.State of the art Dam.

Among the projects to be implemented jointly by US military and UPDF is theconstruction of a state of the art Dam at Lupeei in Moroto district. The team visited thesite and promised to bring in the Seabees (US military Navy Engineers) to begin workimmediately elections are over around February and it will take only three monthsaccording to Ambassador Virginia.



Other projects will include; carrying out veterinary services in Kotido district, trainingof Capacity building of UPDF in civil affairs, fencing of Kotido senior secondary Schooltogether with UPDF Engineers and offering free medical services to all forces workingin Karamoja.

As UPDF we appreciate the role the US government has played in supporting thedisarmament exercise through infrastructure development and livelihood activities.

Indeed as the saying goes, ´A friend in need is a friend indeedµ We shall continue towork with all stakeholders to ensure Karamoja is totally secure and developed as perthe government wishes. Art 209 of the constitution demands that we be productive andwe are ready to join hands with Karamoja and all those in its development to realize thedesired goals------------------Former ambassador warns about Nigeria (ABC News)

A former US ambassador to Nigeria says that a return to military rule in the key westAfrican nation could be the lesser of two evils if the coming elections spark ethnic andreligious violence.

John Campbell was the US ambassador to Nigeria from 2004 until 2007 and he is callingon the international community to be vigilant about next year's elections, but hecautions against any personal intervention by the US President, Barack Obama.

Ambassador Campbell is now an Africa specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations

and he has just published the book on Nigeria called 'Dancing on the Brink'.

He spoke to me a short time ago from New York.

John Campbell, you write that the January elections pose a threat to Nigeria's stability.Nigeria has been holding elections regularly since the end of military rule in 1999. Whyare you so concerned about these ones?

JOHN CAMPBELL: What is new and different about 2011 is that the elections look likea contest between a northern Muslim politician, Atiku Abubakar, and a southernChristian politician, Goodluck Jonathan, who is in fact the incumbent President.

There has always been an effort to prevent that kind of regional and religiouspolarisation.

ELEANOR HALL: So what are your worst fears about the impact of this election?



JOHN CAMPBELL: My worst fears are the people around the principal candidates willrally political support by appeals to ethnicity and to religion. You combine that withelections which technically are not very good, then you can end up with a situationsuch as exists in Côte d'Ivoire, where the election results are not acceptable to the losers.

ELEANOR HALL: And indeed, we have two presidents in that country at the moment.

JOHN CAMPBELL: Well we do indeed. Now I don't think in Nigeria, a situation thatdire is likely to happen because I think the military would intervene before things got tothat point.

ELEANOR HALL: Would that be a positive?

JOHN CAMPBELL: Yes and no. No in that it would be a dramatic setback fordemocracy in a country which has had a civilian government since 1999, but before that

had virtually a generation of military dictatorship.

What military intervention might do though is it might stop widespread bloodshed if infact it was occurring along the lines of what happened in Kenya after the elections of2007.

ELEANOR HALL: Well there are Nigerians who are calling for the US President to playa role, do you think that the Barack Obama should intervene?

JOHN CAMPBELL: No I do not. The political situation in Nigeria, that has to be

resolved by Nigerians themselves. No outsider can do it.

ELEANOR HALL: So is there a role at all for international community more broadly?

JOHN CAMPBELL: Yes, the international community needs to be explicitly and vocallysupportive of free, fair and credible elections in 2011. It should, as it has in the past,send independent election monitors and it should also caution against appeals toethnicity and religion.

Nigerians care what outsiders think. Outsiders should not be shy about saying whatthey think.

ELEANOR HALL: It's interesting that you say that the electoral process hasdeteriorated over the last decade. I mean there are appeared to be a lot of optimism, andespecially when Olusegun Obasanjo was president, there was sort of an internationalconsensus that he'd left the military past behind and was fated as a regionalpeacemaker.



Did key international leaders get him wrong?

JOHN CAMPBELL: Well Obasanjo played a highly positive role. He promoted regionalorganisations like the African Union and the Economic Community of West AfricanStates. And then he blotted his copy book essentially by trying to amend the

constitution so that he could run for a third term.

In other words so he could remain in office virtually indefinitely. That effort wasthwarted but Obasanjo remained strong enough to impost on the ruling party his hand-picked presidential candidate and also Goodluck Jonathan.

ELEANOR HALL: How does oil money complicate the political and ethnic tensions?

JOHN CAMPBELL: Several ways. First of all, the state gets more than 90 per cent of theprofits. This means political office means individual power and wealth to a far greater

extent than in Western countries.

In the Delta where the oil is produced, there is an insurrection that is underway. Theinsurrection essentially revolves around people in the Delta thinking they should havea larger percentage of the oil revenue.

ELEANOR HALL: What do you make of the bribery charges that have just been filed inNigeria against the former US vice president, Dick Cheney, over a subsidiary of theHalliburton company?

JOHN CAMPBELL: There is certainly an element of political posturing involved in it.

ELEANOR HALL: When you say political posturing though, are you suspicious of thetiming?

JOHN CAMPBELL: I'm suspicious of the timing, it's also a case where charging aformer vice president is obviously something that's going to get a great deal ofattention.

ELEANOR HALL: And how does that help one side or the other?

JOHN CAMPBELL: Well right now, there are a certain number of rather nasty thingsgoing on in Nigeria. Kidnapping has increased in the Delta, so has bloodshed. Theethnic and religious conflict has increased. There was a fight just the other day betweena radical Islamic sect and soldiers in the north of the country that led to extensivebloodshed and then there are the upcoming elections.



ELEANOR HALL: Your book is subtitled 'Dancing on the Brink'. What could be theconsequences for the region if Nigeria falls over the brink?

JOHN CAMPBELL: Well when I finished the book a couple of months ago, I wouldhave included military rule as falling over the brink. Now some Nigerians don't. But it

were Nigeria to pull back from the world stage, either because of military of because ofvarious types of internal conflict, the region would lose an extremely importantstrategic partner, a country that has played an extraordinarily positive role in conflictresolution, in developing a consensus in Africa, that the era of military dictators is over.

It would be a very bad thing.

ELEANOR HALL: John Campbell thanks very much for joining us.

JOHN CAMPBELL: And thankyou very much.

ELEANOR HALL: That's former US ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, and youcan listen to a longer interview on our website that includes ambassador Campbell'sviews on the WikiLeaks revelations.------------------Pirates· Catch Exposed Route of Arms in Sudan Conflict (New York Times)

KHARTOUM, Sudan ³ It was September 2008 and a band of Somali pirates made astartling discovery.

The Ukrainian freighter they had just commandeered in the Gulf of Aden was packedwith weapons, including 32 Soviet-era battle tanks, and the entire arsenal was headedfor the regional government in southern Sudan. The Ukrainian and Kenyangovernments vigorously denied that, insisting that the tanks were intended for theKenyan military.

´This is a big loss for us,µ said Alfred Mutua, a spokesman for the Kenyan government,at the time.

But it turns out the pirates were telling the truth ³ and the Kenyans and Ukrainianswere not. According to several secret State Department cables made public byWikiLeaks, the tanks not only were headed to southern Sudan, but they were the latestinstallment of several underground arms shipments. By the time the freighter wasseized, 67 T-72 tanks had already been delivered to bolster southern Sudan·s armedforces against the government in Khartoum, an international pariah for its human rightsabuses in Darfur.



Bush administration officials knew of the earlier weapons transactions and chose not toshut them down, an official from southern Sudan asserted in an interview, and thecables acknowledge that Kenyan officials· assertions that they had kept Americanofficials informed about the deal. But once the pirates exposed the arms pipelinethrough Kenya, the Obama administration protested to the Ukrainian and Kenyan

governments, even threatening sanctions against them, the cables show.

Vann H. Van Diepen, a senior State Department official, presented the Ukrainians witha sales contract that showed southern Sudan as the recipient, according to a November2009 cable from the American Embassy in Kiev. When they dismissed it as a possibleforgery, Mr. Van Diepen ´showed the Ukrainians cleared satellite imagery of T-72 tanksunloaded in Kenya, transferred to railyards for onward shipment, and finally in SouthSudan,´ the cable said, referring to the early deliveries of the weapons. ´This led to acommotion on the Ukrainian side.µ

The United States· shifting stance, on policy and legal grounds, on arms for southernSudan is illuminated in the State Department cables, which were made available to TheNew York Times and several other news organizations.

The revelations about the tanks ³ now sitting in Kenya, their fate unclear ³ come atone of the most delicate times in Sudan·s history, with the nation, Africa·s largest, onthe verge of splitting into two. On Jan. 9, southern Sudanese are scheduled to vote in areferendum for their independence from northern Sudan, representing the end of a 50-year war. Huge quantities of weapons have been flowing to both sides, mainly to thenorth, turning the country into one of the most combustible on the continent. Secretary

of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently called it á ticking time bomb.µ

While Kenyan newspapers and other publications have written about the armsshipment since the pirate episode, confirmation that the government of southern Sudanwas the recipient has raised concerns among diplomats that the news could furtherinflame tensions.

Ghazi Salah al-Din al-Atabani, a top adviser to President Omar Hassan al-Bashir ofSudan, chuckled when told of the cables. ´We knew it, yeah, we knew it,µ he said in aninterview. He expressed no surprise that the United States appeared to condone someof the shipments, saying: Ófficially, we are enemies.µ Still, he said, the shipmentscould become á very hot political issue.µ

Southern Sudan, mostly Christian and animist, fought even before Sudan·sindependence in 1956 to split off from the Arab government in Khartoum. More thantwo million people were killed and government-sponsored militias, similar to those thatraped and pillaged in Darfur, swept across the region, razing villages and massacring



civilians. In 2005, the two sides signed a peace agreement, which granted the southautonomy and the right to vote on secession next year.

The agreement also allows southern Sudan to buy arms to transform its guerrilla armyinto a defense force, and the United States has also publicly said that it has provided

communications and other ´nonlethalµ equipment and training to the southern army,called the Sudan People·s Liberation Army, or S.P.L.A. The cables suggest that efforthas gone further than the United States has publicized.

´Over the past two years,µ says a December 2009 cable, from the embassy in Nairobi,Kenya, Kenyan officials ´have shared full details of their engagement with the SPLA aswe have shared details of our training program for the SPLA, including combat armssoldier training.µ

Several years ago, the southern Sudan government contracted to buy 100 tanks from

Ukraine using its own funds. The first shipment of Ukrainian tanks took place in 2007with little fanfare, and the second shipment was delivered a year later.

In September 2008, however, the Faina, a freighter, was seized by Somali pirates. It wascarrying 32 T-72 Soviet-era tanks, 150 grenade launchers, 6 antiaircraft guns andammunition. Initially, American officials were worried the pirates might offload theweapons in Somalia.

After months of haggling, a $3.2 million ransom was paid, the Somali pirates finallyreleased the ship, and the arms were unloaded in Kenya.

When Ukrainian officials were approached by American officials about the armsshipments in August 2008, they insisted that the weapons were intended for Kenya·smilitary. Even so, some American diplomats understood otherwise and did not appearvery concerned. In a cable from Oct. 19, 2008, Alberto M. Fernandez, who served as thechargé de affaires in Khartoum, told officials from southern Sudan that while thatUnited States would prefer not to see an arms buildup in the region, it understood thatthe government there ´feels compelled to do the sameµ as the north. He also cautionedthe officials to take care, if there were future shipments, to avoid a repeat hijacking bypirates and ´the attention it has drawn.µ

After the Obama administration took office, a new special envoy for Sudan wasappointed and the United States offered incentives for Khartoum to cooperate with thecoming referendum. Taking a stricter position than the Bush administration on thetanks, the State Department also insisted that the shipments were illegal, since Sudanwas on the United States· list of state sponsors of terrorism.



In a blunt exchange with the Ukrainians in November 2009, Mr. Van Diepen warnedthat the United States might impose sanctions unless the Ukrainian governmentacknowledged its role in the past transactions.

In similar conversations with Kenyan officials, the Obama administration again raised

the threat of ´sweeping sanctions,µ which it said might be waived if the officialscooperated in investigating the third shipment.

In a Nov. 27, 2009, cable outlining talking points for American diplomats in Nairobi topresent to the Kenyans, the State Department acknowledged ´the apparent disconnectµbetween provisions of the peace agreement that allowed southern Sudan to develop itsdefensive capability and the Americans· legal argument that arms should not be sentthere because of the Khartoum government·s place on the terrorism list.

´We also recognize that some members of your government informed some members of

the USG that this deal was being prepared,µ the cable, which was sent by SecretaryClinton, added. But the cable argued that southern Sudan did not need the tanks, theywould be difficult to maintain and they would ´increase the chance of an arms racewith Khartoum.µ

That did not appear to mollify the Kenyans. A cable on Dec. 16, 2009, recounted that thehead of Kenya·s general staff told American officials that he was ´very confusedµ by theUnited States position ´since the past transfers had been undertaken in consultationwith the United States.µ According to the cable, the Kenyans asked whether the Obamaadministration was reconsidering whether to move forward with a referendum under

the peace accord and whether it was ´shifting its support to Khartoum.µ

In recent months, the Obama administration quietly waived sanctions against Ukraineand Kenya for the 2007 and 2008 shipments, according to government officials.

It is not clear, however, whether the waiver also applies to the tanks that were aboardthe seized ship, or whether the administration has asked Kenya to hold off sending thetanks to southern Sudan, at least until after the referendum. A State Departmentspokesman declined to respond to those questions.

The Kenyans have told southern Sudan officials that the Americans are still asking themnot to ship the tanks, according to Gen. Oyay Deng Ajak, the former chief of staff of thesouthern Sudan military, who asserted that the Americans had been aware of thetransaction from the start.

Representative Donald M. Payne, the New Jersey Democrat who heads the HouseForeign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, has urged that the tanks be shipped. ´Ourgovernment knew those tanks were being purchased,µ he said in an interview. ´The fact



is the pirates· seizure of the tanks is what made them change their policy. I don·t thinkthe Obama administration has a clear policy on Sudan.µ------------------Sudan ends referendum voter registration (BBC News)

Voter registration has ended in Sudan for January's referendum on possible southernindependence.

The registration period, which had been delayed several times, is a key step towards thevote.

Southerners are widely expected to choose to form a new country, having fought twocivil wars with the north.

Exact figures will not be known for a few days, as statistics trickle in from remote areas

of Southern Sudan, one of the world's least developed places.

Nearly three million people had registered in the south by Tuesday.

However, the figure given for southerners living in the north was just over 105,000,fewer than had been anticipated.

Some people left Khartoum and other northern cities to go to the south to register.

Others said they were afraid the north would manipulate their vote, so they did not

register at all.

Tensions have been growing as the referendum draws nearer.

Former rebels in Southern Sudan have accused the north of bombing their territory onseveral occasions.

Northern armed forces have denied all the accusations.

Critical negotiations on post-referendum issues - and on Abyei, the border area due tohave its own referendum - are not making much progress.

An estimated two million people died in the last north-south civil war which ended in2005. But both sides insist a return to conflict is out of the question.

The referendum is scheduled for 9 January.



------------------American general visits Algeria (Magharebia)

US Army Africa Commander Major General David R. Hogg praised the "leading" roleof Algeria in fighting terrorism in the Sahel region. Speaking at a December 6th press

conference after his two-day visit to the country, the US military official lauded the"impressive progress" that has been made.

Hogg noted Algeria's role in setting up the Tamanrasset joint military command and joint Sahel-Saharan intelligence centre in Algiers but maintained that "there is still workto be done". He reiterated that the US will not be taking military intervening action"unless asked by countries of the region", adding that "some operations are taking placein the Sahel region, stemming from a regional approach in fighting terrorism".

"We have no military forces in Algeria and have no intention of intervening in any way

in the Sahel and Sahara regions," Hogg said, stressing that "combating terrorism and al-Qaeda in the Sahel is a regional affair".

"AFRICOM and the Algerian armed forces are co-operating, and that is the objective ofthe visit. We are here to discuss what we can learn from one another. You haveexperience in the field of combating extremism and terrorism. We have experience inseveral other areas. So, we need to exchange expertise," Hogg emphasised.

He described the US-Algeria military co-operation as "excellent," as it leans on theexchange of information and expertise. The official said his visit to Algeria aims at

"further boosting that co-operation, particularly in the area of training". Hogg pointedto the importance of enhancing bilateral relations and implementing previously agreedon programmes, which include dismantling explosive devices.

During his visit, Hogg met with Algerian presidential advisor on human rights KamelRezzag Bara, Land Forces Commander Ahsan Tafer, and Major General AhmedSanhadji, Secretary-General of the Defence Ministry.

"We are in the process of implementing a program that was previously agreed on byAFRICOM and the Algerian armed forces. We invited the Algerian land forcescommandership to visit the Africa Command headquarters in Italy," the official said,referring to "scheduled manoeuvres that will be taking place in 2013, which will includetraining in the Mediterranean as well as search and rescue operations".

When asked whether the US plans on transferring the AFRICOM headquarters to anAfrican country, Hogg said that the US has no intention of doing that.



"Our efforts are focused on means of making our mission a success and enhancing co-operation with the African states. Our biggest challenge is to find the best means to helpAfrican armies work professionally, should they request assistance," he said.

Analysts see Hogg's visit as an extension of previous security meetings between the two

countries. Last year in Algiers, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and AFRICOMCommander General William Ward discussed training opportunities and security co-operation between the ANP and US military.

"The declarations made by the US official emphasise the identical views of bothcountries on the necessity of combating al-Qaeda in the Sahel region using local militaryefforts, while still making use of international co-operation in terms of exchanginginformation, expertise and training," security affairs specialist Hocine Boulahia said.

Speaking to the press on December 1st, Kamel Rezzag Bara stressed that Sahel countries

are "fully capable" of countering the terrorist threat in the region.

"Our major partners, such as Britain and the US, are aware of that fact, just as much asour regional partners, such as the African Union," he stressed.

The presidential advisor also emphasised that Algeria's experience in the field offighting terrorism "is available to the entire international community", adding thatmany countries approach Algeria to exchange expertise and experience.

"Communications are under way, in light of mutual understanding. Because of the

efforts exerted by Algeria and the successes it achieved, the US now talks to us andseeks our advice," he said, adding that the official in charge of fighting terrorism in theUS will pay a visit to Algeria next February.

This content was commissioned for Magharebia.com.------------------UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website

Fair elections key to stability in Central African Republic ² UN envoy8 December ² General elections in the Central African Republic (CAR) next year will be

a crucial step towards restoring stability to the country through a democratic process,but the polls must be free, fair and transparent, the United Nations envoy to the Africannation told the Security Council today.

Three UN air service crew members freed from captivity in Darfur 8 December ² The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed thenews that three Latvian men working as helicopter aircrew for the agency·s



humanitarian air service in Sudan·s strife-torn Darfur region have been freed after morethan a month in captivity.

Security Council endorses opposition leader·s victory in Ivorian polls

8 December ² The Security Council today endorsed opposition leader Alassane

Ouattara·s victory in Côte d·Ivoire·s presidential elections despite outgoing presidentLaurent Gbagbo·s claim to have won, and warned of ¶targeted measures· againstanybody threatening the peace process in the divided country.

AFRICOM Related Newsclips December 9 , 2010

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