Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2015 Part 23-6-Africa-14

While we all are looking somewhere else; By Capt (Ret) C de Waart, feel free to share: in Confidence.

Previous, 23-6-Africa-13 Kenia, There is report that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has decided to postpone the February 14 presidential and legislative elections by six weeks. Tunisia has arrested 32 would-be attackers, some of whom were returning from fighting in Syria, who planned "spectacular" attacks, officials have said. Mindful of the Islamic State, Boko Haram Broadens Reach into Lake Chad Region.

Nigeria's National Security Advisor has said the date of the country's general election, which has been postponed until March 28, will not be moved again and that all known camps belonging to the armed group Boko Haram will be destroyed in the next six weeks.  "All known Boko Haram camps will be taken out. They won't be there. They will be dismantled," Sambo Dasuki told the AFP news agency on Monday, Feb 9

Abubakr Shekau took aim at the leadership of regional countries who are coordinating efforts against the group Nigeria’s presidential election on March 28 will not take place peacefully;

"Allah will not leave you to proceed with these elections even after us, because you are saying that authority is from people to people, which means that people should rule each other, but Allah says that the authority is only to him, only his rule is the one which applies on this land," he said.

"And finally we say that these elections that you are planning to do, will not happen in peace, even if that costs us our lives.

Boko Haram has fought a five-year insurgency, has recently begun stepping up its attacks against neighbouring countries after Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin agreed to contribute troops toward a regional military effort.

Iyad Ag Ghaly, the leader of the Malian jihadist group Ansar Dine, is reportedly in the Kidal region of Mali, according to Der Spiegel.

"Two years after the military intervention of the French, Ag Ghaly walks freely in Kidal and feels safe," Mben reports.

Ansar Dine was formed in 2011 and throughout 2012 the group worked with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), and Tuareg separatist groups to take over Mali's north.

Ansar Dine acts as the local wing of AQIM. A confidential letter written by AQIM's emir Abdelmalek Droukdel was found stating that the group's fighters in Mali should hide their activities under the banner of Ansar Dine.

C: South Africa: if we allow ourselves to look back: Since the late 1990s, al-Qaeda has used South Africa as both a physical safe haven and conduit of support. In 2004, a leaked U.S. Central Intelligence Agency report stated, “A new tier of al-Qaeda leaders is using South Africa as one of its bases,” with as many as 30 leaders “thought to be in and around Cape Town, Durban and the Eastern Cape.”  It is unclear if those numbers are the same today

US President Barack Obama says the US is "not at war with Islam - we are at war with the people who have perverted Islam". Mr Obama said the world had to confront the ideologies that radicalise people. He said those heading groups like Islamic State and al-Qaeda were not religious leaders but terrorists

18 Feb, Libya's foreign minister has asked the United Nations to end an embargo on weapon sales to the country's internationally recognised government and help support its army as it confronts the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. Mohammed al-Dairi told the UN Security Council in New York on Wednesday that the UN "shouldered a legal responsibility" to help in the rebuilding of Libya's army. "Libya needs a decisive stance from the international community to help us build our national army's capacity and this would come through a lifting of the embargo on weapons so our army can receive materiel and weapons so as to deal with this rampant terrorism," Dairi told the council.

ISIS opens new front in North Africa

FEB 18, 2015  

Men in orange jumpsuits purported to be Egyptian Christians held captive by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) kneel in front of armed men along a beach said to be near Tripoli, in this still image from an undated video made available on social media on Feb 15, 2015, just before they were executed. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

(REUTERS) - The influence of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is gradually expanding from its stronghold in the Middle East to extremist groups in North Africa. Militants in several countries in North Africa, including Libya, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia, have pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. ISIS-affiliated militant groups have divided Libya into three regions and have a presence in the capital of Tripoli and coastal cities Darnah and Benghazi. The radical Oqba ibn Nafaa brigade in Tunisia has also spoken out in support of ISIS, and many Tunisian ISIS recruits pass through Libya for training. And in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, the Al-Qaeda-inspired group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, has declared

itself the Sinai Province of the Islamic State. Algerian islamic group Jund al-Khilafah also declared its allegiance to al-Baghdadi. However, the Algerian government has captured or killed most of its

members during a massive operation against the group. European states closest to Libya are watching in growing alarm as militants affiliated with ISIS have risen to prominence across North Africa. Italian Premier Matteo Renzi has asked for the United Nations’ assistance to combat the growing reach of ISIS-affiliated extremist groups in Libya, which is just 800km away from Italy.

Boko Haram threatens to disrupt Nigeria poll, New video shows leader of armed group saying March 28 presidential election will not take place peacefully.

18 Feb 2015 05:55 GMT | Abubakr Shekau also took aim at the leadership of regional countries who are coordinating efforts against the group

Nigeria's presidential election on March 28 will not take place peacefully, AbuBakr Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, has said in a new video purportedly released by the group. In the video, released on social media on Tuesday and obtained by US based SITE intelligence group, Shekau issued a warning to the Goodluck Jonathan's government that next month's elections would be disrupted with violence."Allah will not leave you to proceed with these elections even after us, because you are saying that authority is from people to people, which means that people should rule each other, but Allah says that the authority is only to him, only his rule is the one which applies on this land," he said."And finally we say that these elections that you are planning to do, will not happen in peace, even if that costs us our lives. In the video message, titled "A message to the leaders of the disbelievers", the contents of which Al Jazeera has not been able to independently verify, Shekau also takes aim at the leadership of regional countries who are co-ordinating efforts against the group. "You are claiming that we don't know how to fight, but we forced your forces to flee from their bases and we freed our imprisoned brothers from the prisons that you oppressed them in, only praise be to Allah."Nigeria's presidential election was to be originally held on February 14, but was postponed due to security concerns. Speaking before Shekau's threat, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou vowed that his country would herald the end for the rebels, whose six-year insurgency has cost more than 13,000 lives.Renewed attacks "Niger will be the death of Boko Haram," he told a cheering crowd after a protest against the insurgents in the capital Niamey. But Boko Haram has proved resilient and experts question whether the group can be overpowered in the short-term. On Tuesday, two suicide attacks ripped through northeast Nigeria, killing at least 38 people and injuring 20 others. In a separate development, the United States military said on Tuesday they would be providing communications equipment and intelligence to help African nations in the fight against Boko Haram. Major General James Linder said that, as part of the annual US-backed 'Flintlock' counter-terrorism exercises this year in Chad, the United States would provide technology allowing African partners to communicate between cellphones, radios and computers.The renewed attacks on Tuesday came as heads of states from Central African countries were ending a meeting in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, to plan the creation of a joint military response to the growing regional threat posed by Boko Haram. The 10 member states announced that they had contributed more than 50 percent of the $100m needed to fight Boko Haram. They also called on Nigeria to cooperate by allowing the multinational joint task force to attack Boko Haram in its strongholds in Nigeria. Boko Haram has fought a five-year

insurgency, has recently begun stepping up its attacks against neighbouring countries after Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin agreed to contribute troops toward a regional military effort. The violence has forced some 157,000 people to seek refuge in Niger, while 40,000 others have gone to Cameroon and 17,000 are in Chad, the UN said.Almost one million Nigerians are internally displaced, according to the country's own statistics.

Remember: 2015 Elections: Al-Qaeda Doles Out $500 Million To Boko HaramAl-Qaeda, the dreaded International Islamist terrorist group, recently doled out a whooping $500 Million, an equivalent of N80 Billion to Boko Haram for the purchase of arms and high caliber weapons to begin an orchestrated attack ahead of the 2015 general elections,pointblanknews.com has been reliably informed. The $500 Million (N80 Billion), is specifically meant to remove “infidels” in Government and ensure that Muslim candidates from the North emerge in 2015 as part of the Sect’s plan to Islamize Nigeria.Boko Haram had said part of its demands is for Nigeria to be ruled under the Sharia Law and for President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the Minority south to convert to Islam.The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, (retd.) recently confirmed that the international terror organization, Al Qaeda, has made inroads into Nigeria’s security system.Although Dasuki did not give details of the inroads made by Al-Qaeda but sources said the NSA was merely confirming security reports that Boko Haram has been bolstered by financial supports it received from the international terrorist organization.“What the NSA said was just a tip into the current situation. Boko Haram is now very rich. They just received about $500 Million from Al-Qaeda and that has greatly energized them,” the source told pointblanknews.com. Fighters from Boko Haram had marched into Maiduguri city recently in pick-up trucks and on motorcycles, before opening fire with rockets andsmall arms on a military base, signaling the launch of its new tactics and weaponry.Security sources told pointblanknews.com that Boko Haram had told Al-Qaeda that it needed $1 Billion to remove “infidels” ruling Nigeria and install Muslims who will help to Islamize Nigeria. The Security sources said Boko Haram leaders told the leadership of Al-Qaeda that the Islamization of Nigeria, the most populous black nation is key in the quest to Islamize West Africa.After considering the request, sources said Al-Qaeda released an initial $500 Million calculated to be N80 Billion at the exchange rate of N160 per dollar. The International terror group plans to release additional funds upon review of Boko Haram success Pointblanknews.com gathered that some politicians from the Northern extractions who are bent on having political power returned to the North aided the receipt of the funds to Boko Haram.A source confirmed that some top Northern leaders are currently under scrutiny for helping Boko Haram receive the cash donation from Al-Qaeda. The Northern leaders under investigation are also accused of giving cover to members of the Sect. “Al-Qaeda did not send the funds through Banks or any conventional method, they used some people and we are currently investigating and as soon as we are through, those found guilty will be prosecuted according to the law,” a source hinted. A security source knowledgeable with the current trend of Boko Haram who preferred to be anonymous confirmed that the sect has only recently received the sums and has started purchase of weapons. “They have the money now and they are getting weapons as we speak.” According to the source, “we are also tracking down the source of the weapons they are buying and we are almost done with that.”Pointblanknews.com gathered that the current weapons being purchased by Boko Haram are of more sophistication than those used by the Soldiers stationed in the North East region.

A source who want to remain anonymous said Boko Haram currently outnumbers the current Military strength on ground in the North East region of Nigeria.“We have it on good authority that from the funding they recently received, they have recruited more people and paying them well too.” According to him, “they have a new plan now to destabilize the country ahead of the 2015 general elections because they had told Al-Qaeda that the country is currently being ruled by infidels and that they have whatit takes to Islamize Nigeria.”

Iyad Ag Ghaly reportedly in the Kidal region of Mali

By CALEB WEISS, LWJ February 10, 2015

Iyad Ag Ghaly situated before the flag of al Qaeda.Iyad Ag Ghaly, the leader of the Malian jihadist

group Ansar Dine, is reportedly in the Kidal region of Mali, according to Der Spiegel. Paul Hyacinthe Mben, a journalist for the German magazine, reportedly traveled to the Kidal region of Mali and met with the jihadist leader. "Two years after the military intervention of the French, Ag Ghaly walks freely in Kidal and feels safe," Mben reports. While it is likely that Ag Ghaly is indeed in northern Mali, the events told in the Der Spiegel report cannot be independently verified. Mben says that Ag Ghaly met him at a tent camp "65km from the town of Kidal." Mben goes on to say that the jihadist leader showed him a Sharia school run by the group for young boys. "Two days later," Malian media has reported, "the leader of Ansar Dine presents the reporter one of his lieutenants, Rhissa ag Bounounou." Ag Bounounou is reportedly one of Ag Ghaly's men tasked with smuggling weapons from the chaos in Libya into northern Mali. Mben purportedly then visited one of the group's weapon caches, where he saw "rifles, grenades, explosives, mines, and rocket launchers." Ag Bounounou then allegedly taunted the French-led counterterrorism mission by saying, "Europeans can send as many drones they want. They will not find us."Ansar Dine was formed in 2011 and throughout 2012 the group worked with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), and Tuareg separatist groups to take over Mali's north. Ansar Dine acts as the local wing of AQIM. A confidential letter written by AQIM's emir Abdelmalek Droukdel was found stating that the group's fighters in Mali should hide their activities under the banner of Ansar Dine. By doing so, AQIM was considered less likely draw unwanted attention from the international community and thus avoid a military intervention. However, after the various jihadist groups implemented their strict form of Sharia, France launched an intervention in Mali to help regain control of the north in January 2013. In February of 2013, Ag Ghaly was designated a terrorist by the US State Department. In their designation, State noted that Ag Ghaly "cooperates closely with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb." [For more on Ag Ghaly's designation, see LWJ report Emir of Ansar Dine added to US, UN's terrorist lists] Ag Ghaly went off the radar shortly thereafter, only to periodically resurface. Despite the French intervention, which has now become a region-wide counterterrorism mission, jihadists in northern Mali continue to pose a serious threat.

Ansar al Sharia Libya leader met with Osama bin Laden, followed his ‘methodology’BY THOMAS JOSCELYN | February 11th, 2015 | tjoscelyn@gmail.com | @thomasjoscelyn

Harith al Nadhari recorded an audio eulogy for Mohammed al Zahawi, the leader of Ansar al Sharia Libya, shortly before his own death.Shortly before his own death in a US airstrike on Jan. 31, Harith al Nadhari, a senior sharia official in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), recorded an audio eulogy for another slain jihadist, Mohammed al

Zahawi. Ansar al Sharia Libya confirmed earlier in the month that Zahawi, the group’s leader, had died of wounds he suffered while fighting in Benghazi. And Nadhari wanted to make it clear that al Qaeda considered Zahawi to be a “martyr.”Nadhari’s audio recording, which was released via Twitter on Feb. 6, has been translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. Like other Ansar al Sharia leaders in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, Zahawi had an al Qaeda pedigree. In Yemen, Ansar al Sharia is merely a front for AQAP.“Sheikh al Zahawi, may Allah have mercy on him, began his march in [the] mid-nineties,” Nadhari explained, according to SITE. “Allah guided him [to] meet the reviving Imam Osama bin Laden when Osama was in Sudan. Zahawi took from his determination and learned from his methodology, then he was captured quickly by the Saud government, the traitor to Allah and His Messenger.” Zahawi’s meeting with bin Laden in the 1990s is a strong indication that he had long operated within al Qaeda’s network. His dossier since then buttresses the point.Nadhari did not explain why Zahawi was detained by the Saudi government, but the implication is that Zahawi was involved in jihadist activities inside the kingdom. Nadhari said that Zahawi was delivered to Muammar al Qaddafi’s regime, which “harmed” him during his “years of imprisonment,” but “did not weaken his strength nor lessen his determination nor destabilized his faith.”Nadhari also offered a call for jihadist unity in Libya, saying that the mission was not completed when Qaddafi fell. Some of Nadhari’s audio message appears to implicitly address the infighting between the Islamic State’s supporters in Libya and the jihadists in Ansar al Sharia and other groups who refuse to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.In his eulogy of Zahawi, the deceased AQAP official called on the “mujahideen in all your different groups, factions, and brigades” to come together to fight General Khalifa Haftar’s forces and the West, which supposedly seeks to prohibit the implementation of sharia law in Libya. “Align the rank and unite the purpose,” Nadhari said, adding that the jihadists should “overcome” their “passing disputes…despite the differences in affiliations and individual opinions.” AQAP is not the only official branch of al Qaeda to mourn Zahawi. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) issued its own eulogy for the deceased Ansar al Sharia Libya leader online.

Ansar al Sharia Libya part of al Qaeda’s international networkIn the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, a popular meme held that Ansar al Sharia was just a “local” jihadist group and was not part of al Qaeda’s international network. Abundant evidence at the time indicated that this was false.For instance, a report published in August 2012 by the Library of Congress and the Defense Department’s Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO), “Al Qaeda in Libya: A Profile,” connected Ansar al Sharia to al Qaeda’s clandestine network inside Libya. The report’s authors pointed out that one prominent Ansar al Sharia leader in Derna, Sufian Ben Qumu, is an ex-Guantanamo detainee who served as an al Qaeda operative before his detention by US forces. Other facts demonstrated Ansar al Sharia’s ties to al Qaeda as well.Ironically enough, the participation of Ansar al Sharia fighters in the 9/11/12 Benghazi attack was itself an indication that the group was, at a minimum, colluding with various al Qaeda

branches. At least three other al Qaeda groups took part in the raid on the US Mission and Annex that night. Jihadists from both AQAP and AQIM were involved in the assault, as were members of the so-called Muhammad Jamal Network (MJN). AQAP and AQIM are formal branches of al Qaeda, while the MJN was led by an Egyptian who was first trained by al Qaeda in the late 1980s and had long been a subordinate to Ayman al Zawahiri.Ansar al Sharia’s role in al Qaeda’s global network was eventually recognized by the United Nations’s Security Council, which added the group to its al Qaeda sanctions list in November 2014. The UN did not directly sanction Zahawi, but did identify him as Ansar al Sharia’s leader in Benghazi. The UN also noted that Ansar al Sharia in Benghazi works closely with AQIM and Al Mourabitoun, an AQIM offshoot that remains loyal to Ayman al Zawahiri.

Female suicide bomber kills ten in Nigeria's DamaturuAt least ten killed in attack on crowded market in northeastern city of Damaturu, capital of Yobe state.15 Feb 2015 A female suicide bomber has killed at least ten people at Damaturu Central Motor Park, a bus station in the northeast Nigerian city. "There has been an attack on the Damaturu Central Motor Park by a female suicide bomber," Marcos Danladi, the police commissioner of Yobe State, said on Sunday.Danladi said that 32 people had been injured. Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris reporting from Abuja, the capital, said that while the area had come under attack numerous times in the past, this attack had targeted a large amount of people as Sunday was market day. Witnesses said the assailant entered the station in a vehicle, got out and walked towards a small grocery store at the end of the terminal. She then positioned herself amid the crowd outside the store and blew herself up, said one shopowner at the station, who requested anonymity. Another shop owner in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, told the AFP news agency that an angry mob prevented emergency workers from evacuating the remains of the bomber.

"They gathered the pieces [body parts] and set them on fire," he said.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility but the armed group Boko Haram have been accused of similar attacks in the area. Several dozen people suspected of having links to Boko Haram have been arrested in southern Niger since the start of cross-border attacks by the armed group a week ago, a local governor said late on Saturday. "In the region of Zinder, we have a few dozen people whom we arrested for checking. They are suspects," Kalla Moutari told AFP, adding that they were citizens of Niger. "The [Nigerian] military has been engaging Boko Haram. They claim to have captured hundreds of Boko Haram fighters from Niger," Idris said.

Italy closes Libyan embassy amid mounting 'instability'Staff evacuated from offices in Tripoli as Rome steps up call for UN mission to help tackle country's growing crisis.15 Feb 2015 17:31 GMT Italy has closed its embassy in Libya and repatriated its staff, citing "growing instability," as it stepped up its call for a UN mission to enter the country.The Italian foreign ministry said on Sunday that about 100 of its nationals were being evacuated by the Italian navy. "The deteriorating situation in Libya made it necessary to close [the embassy]," Foreign Minister Paolo Gentilon said in a statement. Intensifying violence in Libya, where the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is also active, is particularly alarming to Italy because the two countries are separated by only a relatively narrow stretch of sea. On Friday, Rome warned its nationals against travelling to the former colony and urged those already there to leave. Hundreds of Italians work in the oil and gas sector. The move

came as Italy reiterated its willingness to lead a multinational force to tackle the situation in the country. "We have told Europe and the international community that we have to stop sleeping," Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told Italian state TV. "We need a stronger UN mission. Italy is ready, as part of a UN mission to fulfill its role to defend an idea of freedom in the Mediterranean region."Powerful militias have been battling for control of key cities and the country's oil riches since long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in a NATO-backed 2011 uprising.Taking advantage of the chaos, fighters linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have claimed a string of deadly attacks. The latest targeted a luxury hotel in Tripoli on January 27, when nine people were killed, five of them foreigners. On Sunday, it was reported that 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians kidnapped in Libya by ISIL had been beheaded by the armed group.

11 February 2015 DR Congo conflict: UN pulls out of planned assault on FDLR The UN has one of its biggest peacekeeping operations in DR CongoThe UN has withdrawn its backing for a planned offensive against rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after the government refused to sack two generals, a spokesman has said.UN troops could not join the offensive because the generals were accused of human rights abuses, he added. The planned offensive was aimed at disarming the FDLR rebels who are seen as a threat to regional stability. DR Congo's government has not yet commented on the UN's decision. It has previously said that it chose its best soldiers to fight the FDLR, and it will not take instructions from the UN. 'Credible evidence' One of the men chosen to lead the operation, Gen Bruno Mandevu, is on a UN "red list" over 121 alleged human rights violations, including summary executions and rapes, according to Reuters news agency. The government says he is innocent until proven otherwise. The FDLR is seen as a threat to neighbouring Rwanda UN spokesman Nick Birnback told BBC Newsday that there was "credible evidence" against the generals and "until such time as that has been cleared, we won't work directly with them". The UN has more than 20,000 troops in DR Congo to help the government restore order in the mostly lawless east. The FDLR was formed by Rwandans who fled to DR Congo after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Rwanda sees the FDLR as a threat to its stability and, along with the UN, has repeatedly demanded its disarmament. It has twice invaded DR Congo, saying it is trying to hunt down the militiamen who took part in the genocide. Rwanda's critics say many FDLR fighters are too young to have taken part in

the genocide. The FDLR has been accused of recruiting child soldiers, rape and systematic looting.

13 Feb, Suspected Nigerian Boko Haram militants have carried out an attack on Chad overnight, the first such assault on Chadian soil, security sources say.Officials said the fighters crossed Lake Chad by

motorboat and attacked a village on the shores of the lake. The militants were pushed back by Chadian troops after killing several people, residents said. Chad recently joined Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon in a military coalition against Boko Haram. Residents said around 30 militants attacked the village of Ngouboua, torching two-thirds of its homes. "They came on board three canoes and succeeded in killing about 10 people before being pushed back by the army," one resident told Reuters. The number of casualties was unconfirmed but Chadian officials told the BBC that a local chief had been killed during the attack. Chadian military aircraft carried out airstrikes against the militants, destroying their vessels, officials told AFP.

10 Feb, The government is not prepared to fight Boko Haram.... The government has failed to do its principle duty of protecting life or property of all beings inside its territory, in Nigeria.... The government is not serious about curbing the insurgency in the northeast. -- General Muhammadu Buhari, All Progressives Congress As millions of Nigerians were getting ready to cast their vote in presidential elections, the country's electoral commission announced a six-week postponement of the vote on Saturday. Officially, the government says it needs more time to ensure security in Africa's most populous nation - particularly in areas dominated by the armed group Boko Haram. Members of the opposition, however, see it as an attempt by President Goodluck Jonathan to buy time against his leading opponent, former General Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari, who attended the US Army War College in the United States, is 72 years old and has a long involvement in the country's military and political establishment. Along his military career, his political home is Nigeria's Northeastern state where he first served as governor in the 1970s - the area now dominated by Boko Haram. After staging a military coup against a democratically-elected government in 1984, he ran Nigeria for almost two years. He subsequently ran in the elections in 2003, 2007 and 2011, but lost all of the campaigns. During his rule, there were allegations of secret tribunals, curtailment of civil liberties, and executions for crimes not punishable by death. Many in Nigeria are now wavering. They are attracted by the promise of a military man as Boko Haram is gaining strength. But others are concerned about Buhari's own record and his agenda. So, how will the six-week delay affect Buhari's election campaign? What is behind the delay? How big a threat is Boko Haram? And what is the security situation ahead of Nigeria's elections? As the democratic process is being delayed, General Buhari of Nigeria's opposition All Progressives Congress talks to Al Jazeera.

Parliament unanimously approves deployment of Niger troops as part of a regional offensive against armed group.

10 Feb 2015 Niger's parliament has voted unanimously to send troops to Nigeria to join a regional fight against the armed Boko Haram group. The announcement late on Monday night came a day after a senior Nigerian official said Abuja's government would "take out" all of the group's camps by March 28 - the new date for the country's elections which have been delayed by six weeks. Niger, while housing thousands of refugees who fled from the conflict, had been mainly spared the violence until last week, with a number of attacks carried out on its territory in recent days. "The pooling of the efforts and resources of concerned countries will contribute without doubt to crushing this group which shows scorn, through its barbaric acts, for the Muslim religion," Niger National Assembly President Adamou Salifou said after the vote, according to the AFP news agency. Another member of parliament said the resolution authorised the country to send some 750 troops to Nigeria. On Monday, Nigeria's National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuk, said the country's general election will not be moved again and that all known camps belonging Boko Haram will be destroyed in the next six weeks. "All known Boko Haram camps will be taken out. They won't be there. They will be dismantled," Dasuki said.

Nigeria's National Security Advisor has said the date of the country's general election, which has been postponed until March 28, will not be moved again and that all known camps belonging to the armed group Boko Haram will be destroyed in the next six weeks.  "All known Boko Haram camps will be taken out. They won't be there. They will be dismantled," Sambo Dasuki told the AFP news agency on Monday, Feb 9. "Those dates will not be shifted again," Dasuki said when asked if the polls, initially scheduled for February 14, could be

pushed back further. Dasuki said he believed the new military co-operation agreed two weeks ago between Nigeria and its neighbours - Cameroon, Chad and Niger - will prove decisive against Boko Haram.  APC leader, former General Muhammadu Buhari, "If the same military can not secure 14 local governorates out of 774 in six years, how can they be sure they can secure those 14 in six weeks?" Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau released a video on Monday vowing to defeat the planned 8,700 strong African military force. Shekau said: "We can seize them one by one."

It has now become fashionable 1, each time a terrorist attack occurs in Europe or America, for Africans to make comparative analyses between European and African responses, often accusing the former of indifference. We may blame Europe and the United States for not supporting Africa, but the problem lies with Africans. African leaders have not demonstrated enough commitment to the business of combating terrorism. Nigeria president Jonathan’s attitude reflects the nonchalant approach to terrorism in Africa and the ambivalence with which our leaders treat the issue. This, among other reasons, contributes to how outsiders treat us and why terrorism continues to devour our communities. Terrorism has never been given serious consideration by our leaders and complacent populace. When the US called for a global war against terrorism at the dawn of the new millennium, our leaders resented and rejected it as a Western-imposed agenda to distract us from our core objective of development. By turning our backs on terrorism, under the false pretext of development, we invited terrorists and gave them refuge in our backyards. There is also the problem of the failure to act in solidarity in the fight against terror on the continent. How many African countries have provided moral and political support – not to mention military and other material – to Nigeria and Cameroon or to other African countries such as Kenya, Sudan, Algeria, Libya and Egypt, which are all facing terrorism in one form or another. The Paris terrorist attacks have exposed huge gaps in Africa’s efforts to fight terrorism.

The response of the global media and the international community at large to incidents of terror is often dependent on the response of the nation under attack. After the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2013, which killed at least 67 people, the nation, led by President Uhuru Kenyatta, rose united to condemn the killings. This also resulted in extensive coverage of the attack by the global media. When Nigerians took to the streets en masse to protest against the kidnapping of young Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram in April 2014, the international community came out in full support of Nigeria’s efforts. The global media also accorded priority to the issue for nearly a month. These examples seriously undermine the claim of double standards. What this tells us is that we as Africans must first play our part before expecting others to play theirs.

The Spanish government is to open negotiations with the US military about converting a base in the south of the country into a permanent centre to tackle the Islamist threat. There are already about 850 US marines at Morón de la Frontera in Andalusia, but it is expected that, if the plan goes ahead, as many as 3,000 American military personnel could be stationed at the site. The government in Madrid has agreed to open discussions after receiving a request from the outgoing US Defence Secretary, Chuck Hagel, whose team has identified the base as being in an ideal location. Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Saenz de Santamaría, said Spain’s military relationship with Washington was one of the country’s most important. “Together with our membership of Nato and the EU, [relations with the US] are part of the three basic pillars of our strategic international relations for national defence,” she said.

1 http://mg.co.za/article/2015-01-16-africa-lacks-vision-in-fight-against-terror

Are African lives worth less than the lives of people elsewhere in the world 2? As the media spotlight was shone elsewhere, Boko Haram continued to make major territorial gains killing thousands in the process. Today, as reported by RT, the group now controls an area of 52,000 square kilometers, the size of Slovakia. But while Islamic State and their territorial advances became front page news in 2014, the gains made by Boko Haram have, like the group’s victims, been ignored. Instead the focus is on the very small ‘threat’ terrorists pose to Europe, a threat which as explained our governments are doing their best to ‘big up’ You’ve probably got more chance of being killed by a lightning strike than by terrorists in Europe but the odds are greater in Africa. It’s certainly more dangerous going to church there than it is in Europe.

Boko Haram’s campaign of abduction and terror has spread beyond Nigeria to become a regional threat which African armies lack the strength to defeat, experts warned Fierce battles between Boko Haram and a growing coalition of Nigeria's neighboring states has left hundreds dead the first week of Feb 2015. Swarms of the group's jihadists launched a series of attacks inside Niger on February 6, marking the first time that Boko Haram has penetrated into that country. The attacks, which reportedly left over 100 Boko Haram fighters dead, also injured a senior Chadian army general. “Cameroon’s forces have been quite proactive in tackling Boko Haram and the Cameroon government has been critical of the Nigerian government for not doing enough,” said Virginia Comolli, the author of Boko Haram: Nigeria's Islamist Insurgency. “The fact that already the Chadians have become involved indicates that a regional approach is needed. One country alone is not going to be able to handle this issue,” said Ms Comolli. Britain and France have helped to negotiate the creation of a multi-national task force to fight Boko Haram, comprised of soldiers from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. So far, this new unit has made no difference. All four countries stand in the path of Boko Haram’s advance and play host to thousands of refugees, but they have not yet mounted a coordinated military operation against the insurgents. Despite facing a common threat, the governments concerned appear too mistrustful to join forces against Boko Haram. From this secure base, they appear to have decided to conquer northern Cameroon. Most of Boko Haram’s leaders – including Abubakar Shekau, the self-styled “emir” – are from the Kanuri ethnic group, whose homeland spans the border between Nigeria and Cameroon. Ben Barry, a specialist on land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that “corruption” and “nepotism” had prevented Nigeria’s army from using its superior firepower to contain Boko Haram. “Meanwhile, Boko Haram have fighting forces that are better led, highly motivated and – by virtue of years of fighting – highly experienced and effective,” he added. With only five ground attack aircraft, Cameroon’s air force has bombed Boko Haram positions. Nigeria possesses 54 combat-capable aircraft, but its air force has not yet done the same.

Niger, Africa is 98% Islamic, but up until now has always maintained a respect between majority and minority religious groups. The violence has been fueled by anger over the french magazine that posted another picture of Mohammed and is now targeting Christians in the country. Director of Public Relations for Christian Aid, Amie Cotton, described BCN the attacks. "[The violence] was very shocking to the people there... the different religions [normally] get along. They have relationships with one another, so there is a respect for the other even though there is not an agreement on the type of religion, Cotton told BCN, "But the Charlie Hebdo situation seemed to rile up some folks." Cotton and Christian Aid supports two indigenous ministries in Niger and received word on Jan 17 th to pray because houses and churches were being targeted. Soon after they got word that the churches had be burned. "45

2 http://rt.com/op-edge/222983-terrorism-africa-threat-nigeria/

churches were burned, four Christians were killed, 17 families lost homes completely-that report was from just one ministry," she said, "'Then we received [similar] word from the other ministry and came to the cumulative number of 72 churches burned and at least 10 killed. [Boko Haram] was pretty much going around torching churches and known Christian homes, and they were marking other Christians' homes for further attack."

4 Feb 2015, 3 New agencies report that South Africa an attractive destination for terrorism funding networks Lawlessness, government corruption and a range of financing methods make SA ideal for terrorism financing networks, and likely protect it from attack. “It is believed that an al-Shabaab terrorist attack within South Africa may actually do more harm than good,” Hotz told journalists on Wednesday. “If evidence is true, al-Shabaab [is using South Africa] to fund and possibly organise high-value attacks within Somalia and the wider East African region.” Jack Salomon, head of national litigation and forensic practice at Capstone, an insurance claims and dispute advisory service, on the question of why international terrorists would find Southern Africa so attractive.  Salomon said: “With lawlessness, government corruption and a wide range of preferred terrorist financing methods available, al-Qaeda could indeed partake in elicit and unregulated trade in Southern Africa to sustain itself.”

C: However if we allow ourselves to look back: Since the late 1990s, al-Qaeda has used South Africa as both a physical safe haven and conduit of support. In 2004, a leaked U.S. Central Intelligence Agency report stated, “A new tier of al-Qaeda leaders is using South Africa as one of its bases,” with as many as 30 leaders “thought to be in and around Cape Town, Durban and the Eastern Cape.”  It is unclear if those numbers are the same today 4

Bin Laden is dead but SA offers much as al-Qaeda lairBy De Wet Potgieter on September 6, 2014. THE United States tasted sweet revenge when Navy Seals swooped on Osama bin Laden’s secret compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in May 2011, killing the world’s most wanted terrorist and the supreme commander of al-Qaeda.

BIN LADENAs the special operations force swept through the compound, combing

every room, they gathered documents and other vital evidence regarding al-Qaeda’s grand plan for its future global war of terror.According to a document compiled by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), these documents indicated al-Qaeda’s long-term plans for future targets. From some of the documents seized, a picture emerged that illustrated South Africa as a safe haven where international terrorism could be fomented.Among the treasure trove of intelligence documents seized during the raid were documents indicating that Bin Laden thought of South Africa as an “open territory” from where al-Qaeda operatives could target Americans, the ICSR report stated. Although it was never confirmed if al-Qaeda or groups allied to Bin Laden were behind it, the total security lockdown of the US Embassy in Pretoria and all its consulates as well as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in South Africa in September 2009 was widely reported in the media as a “credible threat”. This was during the run-up to the 2010 Fifa World Cup.In the months after Bin Laden’s demise, the Combating Terrorism Crime Centre of the US Military Academy released details of Bin Laden’s operational plans. John Solomon, the

3 http://mg.co.za/article/2015-02-04-sa-an-attractive-destination-for-terrorism-funding-networks4 http://almanac.afpc.org/South-Africa

global head of terrorism research for World-Check, released a report based on the CTCC details that said the fact that Bin Laden thought of South Africa as an “open territory” and one from which his operatives could work relatively freely to strike at US targets should come as no surprise to those who have been following developments in the country.He pointed out the problem areas in South Africa that make the country a safe haven for international terrorists. This sounds all too familiar for millions of South Africans. Porous borders, corruption in Home Affairs that allows the fraudulent issuing of South African identity documents and passports to terror suspects, “as well as a highly politicised intelligence services focused more on sectarian political battles within the ruling party, all contribute to South Africa being seen as this ‘open territory’”, Solomon pointed out.He added that as early as 1997, al-Qaeda had established a presence in South Africa.In October 1999, Khalfan Khamis Mohammed, part of the al-Qaeda cell that attacked the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam in 1998, was arrested in Cape Town. Not only was al-Qaeda using South Africa as a safe house, but South Africa was also central in the organisation’s fundraising efforts.The case of Yassin al-Qadi, a US-designated terrorist financier who invested US$3-million (R30-million) for a 12% interest in Global Diamond Resources that mined diamonds in South Africa, is but one example, according to Solomon. The issue of South Africa as an operational base and conduit for international terrorists to their target country also emerged in the case of a Tunisian al-Qaeda suspect, Ihsan Garnaoui, in 2004. Garnaoui was an explosives expert who trained in Afghanistan and was “promoted” to being an al-Qaeda trainer.He held several South African passports in different names (including Abram Shoman and Mallick Shoman) and travelled via South Africa to Europe, where he was accused of planning to bomb American and Jewish targets. According to Dutch counter-terrorism expert Ronald Sandee, most of Garnaoui’s preparation for these planned attacks took place in South Africa, where he purchased sophisticated military-grade binoculars with an integrated digital camera, diagrams and instructions for the assembly of detonators. Garnaoui was setting up networks in Berlin while still in South Africa.A well-known expert on Islam and senior professor in political studies at the University of the Free State, Hussein Solomon, said the South African government’s preoccupation with a Boeremag-like coup from “white racists” has left the country wide open for real terrorist attacks from groups such as Islamic radicals. “When I interact with our counter-intelligence people, they are more concerned about the Boeremag than al-Qaeda … But they are acting from an ideological perspective which is fundamentally out of sync with reality,” Hussein Solomon said. “More worrisome is the existence of terrorist training camps on isolated farms – with the knowledge of certain people in the government,” he stated in a research paper, Terrorism in South Africa: More Questions than Answers, published in February 2013.“Clearly these government officials believe that South Africa will not be targeted by these elements. Unfortunately, the available evidence does not support such wishful thinking. There is nothing preventing South Africa’s own citizens from becoming ‘collateral’ in the pursuit of other targets,” he said. He warned that this belief that South Africa will not be targeted could also account for the fact that, despite monitoring these camps for a number of years, no action has been taken. “Like any cancer left alone, these camps started to spread, and by May 2010 there were reports that operational training camps were established in several provinces and that these had links with other camps outside the country.”He added that South African journalists had knowledge of these camps as early as June 2010.“If journalists knew about it, why would the South African government have been clueless about it, and if policy-makers do have such information, why do they not shut it down? Is it once again the belief that South Africa is immune from such attacks?”

He warned that the political correctness had to stop, and greater clarity in policy and greater effort in implementation were needed.“The terrorists we are confronting share none of our ambivalence on their destructive goals. We cannot hope to defeat them and protect our citizens if we continue to play ostrich.”Bin Laden is dead, but South Africa is still at risk. In May 2012 the Mail & Guardian’s Phillip de Wet 5 published an article on the seized documents from Abbottabad and came to the conclusion that “even though the al-Qaeda boss is dead, South Africa could still be targeted for attacks”.“The so-called Abbottabad documents paint a fascinating picture of internal al-Qaeda discourse and politics – and also show that South Africa could still be under threat from terrorist attacks,” he wrote. “Newly released documents seized … show the al-Qaeda leader might have been keen to see terrorist attacks on targets associated with the United States on South African soil.” Bin Laden told his followers in one of the documents confiscated in his compound to be wary that only one group of mujahidin operates in a country. “Each mujahidin group must ascertain that it is the only al-Qaeda group operating in a country where it intends to target Americans,” he instructed his followers. De Wet also wrote that South Africa was also apparently high on the list of open territories, and quoted from documents translated from Arabic by the Combating Terrorism Centre of the United States Military Academy. “You may find it suitable to target Americans in South Africa, because it is located outside the Islamic Maghreb. Also, South Africa is not covered by the brothers who are located outside that region. The same can be said about other African countries,” the documents read. The slain al-Qaeda leader was no stranger to South Africa. Soon after the 9/11 attacks in the United States, the South African media carried several stories revealing Osama bin Laden’s history of connections with people and some Muslim organisations in the country. As far back as September 13 2001 the Independent newspaper group carried a story from one of their Kwazulu-Natal-based publications under the heading “Bin Laden has Durban connection”.“Considered the top suspect in Tuesday’s horrifying attacks in New York and Washington, wealthy Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden is no stranger to Durban, where his name is held in high esteem among some sectors of the Islamic community.” In its report, IOL added “the al-Qaeda leader’s riches, some of which had been channelled to his Durban supporters, have also been used to propagate Islam and for the printing of the Koran in Zulu”. The Mercury in Durban revealed in 2011 how the Bin Laden family spent millions of dollars buying up property in the city. What has happened to those millions since Bin Laden was killed?

Terrorist Financing in South Africa, John Solomon 6 March 2011, makes clear why international terrorists find South Africa so attractive, ‘With lawlessness, government corruption and a wide range of preferred terrorists financing methods available – al-Qaeda could indeed partake in illicit and unregulated trade in southern Africa to sustain itself’. The

5 When in 2013 he first published a report on the active presence of Al-Qaeda in South Africa, all hell broke loose for investigative reporter De Wet Potgieter. He was forced to retract before two more substantiating articles could be published. Then the massacre at Westgate Mall hit Nairobi, which made the involvement of the so-called White Widow – operating on an illegally acquired South African passport – front-page news. Suddenly the world’s media was beating a path to Potgieter’s door. Based on investigations spanning two years, his book Black Widow White Widow paints a frightening picture of the all too real possibility of future attacks from, or on, South African soil.

6 http://icsr.info/2011/03/terrorist-financing-in-south-africa/

point made by Solomon can be illustrated by numerous examples. The case of Yassin al-Qadi, a US-designated terrorist financier who invested US $3 million for a 12 percent interest in Global Diamond Resources that mined diamonds in South Africa is but one such example. He also controlled New Diamond Corporation, an offshore company that had mining interests in South Africa. The case of Abd al-Muhsin al-Libi, also known as Ibrahim Tantouche, also points to how terrorists secure financing in South Africa. He set up two Al Qaeda financing fronts – the Afghan Support Committee and the Revival of Islamic Society. Both operated as charities that raised money for orphans; however, in reality the orphans were either dead or non-existent.Other funding fronts were also established. Hezbollah established the Karbala Liberation Front in Johannesburg, which sent money to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Other so-called charitable foundations have also been established to fund terror organisations. In 1992, the same year in which Hamas became active in South Africa, the Al Aqsa International Foundation (AIF) was established in the country. According to Dutch security expert Ronald Sandee, Hamas’ political wing is in control of its office in Fordsburg, Johannesburg. By 2010, the Al Aqsa International Foundation found its way on the list of US designated terror organisations and fronts. Whilst AIF’s main mission was to collect funds in South Africa and send it to Hamas in the Palestinian Territories, it is also vital to note that staff of AIF was also actively involved in paramilitary training to South Africans. The first such training took place in July 1997 on a farm in Mpumulanga, South Africa. The dual nature of such structures is by no means confined to AIF. In South Africa, a seafood business called AOXI is alleged to act as an Al Qaeda coordinating unit for jihadis who have been trained in Mozambique and who subsequently illegally enter into South Africa.The issue of terrorist financing in South Africa emerged again in January 2007, when the Sunday Times reported that two South African cousins – Farhad Ahmed Dockrat, the principal of the Darus Salaam Islamic College in Laudium, Pretoria and Dr. Junaid Ismail Dockrat – were proposed for consideration on the UN Security Council’s list of terror suspects, whilst already having been placed on the US Treasury Department’s list of Al Qaeda supporters. According to papers submitted to the UN Security Council, Farhad is alleged to be an Al Qaeda ‘facilitator and terrorist financier’ who gave R400,000 to the Taliban ambassador in Pakistan. Farhad Dockrat, who was previously detained in Gambia for suspected terrorist activities in 2005 was also alleged to have provided US $63,000 to the Al Akhtar Trust. This was a ‘charity’ that was designated as having provided support to Al Qaeda. Junaid, it is claimed, is also an Al Qaeda ‘financier, recruiter and facilitator’ who assisted in coordinating the travel of South Africans to Pakistan to train with Al Qaeda. Junaid Dockrat, it is alleged, raised US $120,000 for Hazma Rabia, the former Al Qaeda chief of operations who was killed in 2005 by the US in Pakistan.Partly in response to these issues of terrorist financing, the South African government has tightened legislation through the Financial Intelligence Control Act, or FICA. However, the case of Mohamed Suleman Vaid, who on 25 April 2001 was arrested along with his wife while attempting to smuggle US $130,000 in local currency across the border with Swaziland, points to the weaknesses of FICA which is primarily aimed at formal banking transactions. The ensuing police investigation indicated ties to Al Qaeda via a Lebanese businessman. As Kurt Shillinger noted, it was established that in the 18 months prior to his arrest, Vaid had made this trip 150 times! It is also clear that with the formal banking transactions, there are problems. In 2009, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) completed a review of South Africa’s compliance with FATF standards for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism. Here it noted that the country needs to pay closer attention at regulating trusts, monitoring financial institutions’ compliance with anti-money laundering legislation, and enhancing the disclosure of trans-border transfers of cash.

However, the FICA legislation cannot be implemented effectively through corrupt officials. In May 2010, for instance, a forensic investigation commissioned by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) uncovered another terrorist finance vehicle in South Africa, which involved Pakistani criminals taking advantage of the corruption occurring with the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office or CIPRO. The case involved tax fraud, money laundering, racketeering, organised crime, fraud and siphoning off millions of rands to fund international terrorism. One Pakistani suspect who is now in custody, Aliraza Siyed Naqvi, specialised in cloning legitimate companies through the registration with CIPRO of a fake company with the same name as a legitimate company and its own bank account. Monies meant for the legitimate business are then diverted to the fake one. Naqvi’s brother, Asad Abbas Naqvi, was listed as a dangerous terrorist by Pakistani authorities. Asad Abbas Naqvi was murdered in South Africa in December 2008. The private forensic audit estimates that up to 285,000 fake or dubious companies were created in this way through the abuse of the CIPRO system. This scheme would never have occurred had it not been for corruption within CIPRO itself and the report identified 60 CIPRO officials as being involved in such suspicious activities. South African security agencies are also investigating the probable help these criminals and terrorists have received from corrupt officials within the South African Revenue Services (SARS). As organised crime syndicates’ tentacles increasingly penetrate the apparatus of state, it is highly likely that terrorist financing would become a bigger problem for South Africa and the world