United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

31 March 2010

USAFRICOM -related news stories

From and About Africa

Seychelles sink Somali pirates

A Seychelles coastguard vessel yesterday repelled an attack by Somali pirates,
destroying two of their boats hours after rescuing 27 fishermen in the Indian Ocean, the
coastguard said.

Seychelles hostages Rescued from Somali pirates

Nairobi - Fishermen rescued from Somali pirates were brought ashore on Wednesday,
after three days of high-seas drama which saw the Seychelles coastguard sink several
pirate boats. The Topaz coastguard vessel brought the fishermen back to safety in the
Indian Ocean state's capital of Victoria, an official from the Seychelles presidency and
witnesses said by phone.

CAR president postpones polls to May 16

President Francois Bozize postponed Tuesday the Central African Republic's
presidential and legislative elections scheduled for April 25 to May 16 amid delays in
preparations for the vote. "The Central African Republic's electoral body is convoked on
16 May 2010 for legislative and presidential elections," according to a presidential
decree read out on national radio.

Sudan SPLM will boycott elections if opposition do

JUBA - The junior partner in Sudan's coalition government may unite with opposition
parties to boycott April elections in the north to defend free and fair voting, a senior
party official said on Tuesday.

Sudan South Sudan referendum may not go ahead

Khartoum - The referendum on the independence of South Sudan may not go ahead
after President Omar al-Bashir threatened to scrap the poll. During an election
campaign rally, the president said there would be no referendum if the former rebels
from the south did not take part in the parliamentary elections.The parliamentary
elections are scheduled for 11 April. It is the first time in 24 years that democratic
elections are being held in Sudan. Part of the opposition, including the SPLM, the party
of the former rebels from the south, says they will boycott the elections as they will not
be free and fair.

Sudan elections 'rigged,' winner to be illegitimate: ICG

Khartoum - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has long been working to ensure next
month's elections are rigged, making the eventual winner illegitimate, the International
Crisis Group said on Tuesday.

Mozambique - Explosion damages South Africa Airways office

Maputo - An explosion damaged a building that houses SA Airways offices in Maputo,
Mozambique.

Nigeria Jonathan Asks Obama to Revisit Terror Blacklist

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has urged President Barack Obama to revisit the
classification of Nigeria by the United States as a "country of interest" on the terror list
following the botched Christmas day bombing of an American aircraft by a Nigerian,
Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab.

Nigeria forces on alert after text message threats

Maiduguri – Nigerian police and immigration services are on high alert after officials
said Monday they received text messages threatening new religious violence by a
radical Islamic sect.

Nigeria Nigerian Islamist say United States is number one target

Kano – Nigeria self-styled Taliban militant Islamist sect, whose short-lived uprising was
brutally put down by the security forces last year, has threatened to widen its activities
beyond the borders. "Islam doesn?t recognize international boundaries, we will carry
out our operations anywhere in the world if we can have the chance," said Musa Tanko,
spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, in a rare interview given to AFP on Sunday. "The
United States is the number one target for its oppression and aggression against Muslim
nations particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan and its blind support to Israel in its killings
of our Palestinian brethren," Tanko said, adjusting his starched bottle green kaftan.

Nigeria US embassy in Nigeria raises security alert status

Abuja - The United States embassy in Nigeria said on Wednesday it had raised its
security alert status because of "continuing worldwide terrorist threats against U.S.
citizens". Due to continuing worldwide terrorist threats against U.S. citizens, U.S.
government facilities, and U.S. interests, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria, which includes the
U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, has increased its alert
status," the notice said.

Nigeria U.S. Embassy Stops Abuja Road Project

The US Embassy in Nigeria has asked the Engineering Services Department of the
FCDA to discontinue work on the construction of a road in Area D in Asokoro District
of Abuja."The US Embassy asked the contractor handling the project to discontinue
work on the portion of the road passing by its rented properties or in the alternative
divert the road," Oricha said.

Nigeria Unidentified Nigerian Pirates Seize Ghanaian Captain

LAGOS – Unidentified Nigerian Pirates have demanded a one-and-half-million dollar
ransom for two sailors they seized at the weekend off the coast of Cameroon but close
to Nigeria, a Nigerian navy officer said on Tuesday. The yet-unidentified pirates "have
asked for a ransom of 1.5 million dollars (1.1 million euros)," said Nabaida, adding the
seamen are being held in Abana. Abana, a major town in oil-rich Bakassi peninsula, was
part of Nigeria before the territory was ceded to Cameroon. "MV Seagull was coming
from Cameroon when it was attacked very close to Bakassi peninsula in the
Cameroonian waters," he said.

East Africa Piracy Threat Rises as Tactics Improve

Nairobi — Maritime security is under a much bigger threat from the Somali pirates than
earlier thought, a spokesman for the French chief of staff said on Friday.

Somalia Pirates Seize 11 Somalia-Bound Ships

Somali pirates have reportedly hijacked at least 11 commercial boats bound for war-torn
Somalia over the last 2 days. Somali traders reported that the eleven Mogadishu and
Kismayo-bound commercial boats were seized in the last two days off Somali waters by
the pirates.

Somalia Pentagon eyeing drone shift to aid Somalia

The Pentagon is considering dispatching surveillance drones and other limited military
support for a Somali government offensive against al-Qaida-linked insurgents, U.S.
officials said, part of a cautious move to increase U.S. assistance to the anarchic African
nation. Determined to avoid a visible American footprint on the ground or fingerprints
on Somalia's shaky government, U.S. officials are struggling to find the right balance
between seizing the opportunity to take out al-Qaida insurgents there and avoiding the
appearance of a U.S. occupation.

Kenya Al-Shabab attack Kenya forces

Nairobi - Suspected Somali insurgents attacked a Kenyan paramilitary security unit
camp on Tuesday in a remote border area and injured an unknown number of officers,
a top Kenyan police official said. "There was an attack which occurred at about lunch
hour (09:00 GMT). A group of heavily armed men opened fire and injured officers," said
the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They are suspected to be Shebab
militants from Somalia. But they are being pursued," added the official. "We are yet to
receive more details on this incident but no deaths on our side have been reported. A
number of our officers are wounded." The attack was against the General Service Unit -
a paramilitary outfit - in Liboi, near the Kenya-Somalia border.

Somalia Kenya vetoes Somali wish for troops in Mogadishu

Mogadishu - Somalia's president wants thousands of troops trained in Kenya to be
deployed to Mogadishu for an upcoming offensive against Islamist militants, but Kenya
has denied the request. In a March 21 letter that The Associated Press obtained a copy
of, Somali President Sharif Sheik Ahmed asked Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki for
Kenya's support for a plan to transfer control of 2,500 Somali troops trained in Kenya
over the last several months to the current defense minister.
Somalia pirates holding dhows, Indian crew
Mogadishu - Somali pirates may be holding several dhows carrying an estimated 100
Indian sailors they have seized over the past five days, an Indian naval spokesman and
a diplomat said Tuesday. Indian navy spokesman P.V.S. Satish said Tuesday the navy
was checking reports that eight dhows with Indians aboard have been missing since
Sunday. The boats are believed to have been moving goods between Somalia and the
United Arab Emirates, said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

DRC Rebel group denies northeast Congo massacre

LRA official David Matsanga said Monday that there are no LRA rebels in Congo and
blamed the massacres reported by Human Rights Watch on Ugandan troops. A
Ugandan army spokesman denied that allegation.

CAR New LRA attacks leave 26 dead in Central Africa

BANGUI – New attacks by the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army in Central Africa have
killed 26 fighters and civilians, including a woman burnt alive, and at least 40 people
were abducted, officials said Tuesday.

Cameroon security post attacked

Yaoundé - An armed group attacked a security outpost in Cameroon's southwest
Bakassi peninsula and made off with weapons although no one was killed in the raid,
sources said. "All of the brigade's weapons were taken away" by the attackers as the
officers manning the outpost fled, the source said, specifying that 12 weapons had been
seized.

Algeria arrests Mossad Agent with Spanish passport

Algerian security authorities managed to capture a spy who works for the Israeli
Mossad. According to local press reports, the man identified just as "Alberto" was
carrying in his possession a forged Spanish passport. Security sources said that the
Israeli spy was arrested the city of Hassi Messaoud.

ECOWAS urged to strengthen its mechanisms on peace

Accra - Participants at a week's ECOWAS international conference have called for the
strengthening of mechanisms to ensure the enforcement of the Constitutional
Convergence Principles stipulated in the ECOWAS 2001 Supplementary Protocol on
Democracy and Good Governance.It said the move would help to deal with the
structural causes of conflicts and enhance the democratic culture in Member States. In a
document titled, "The Monrovia Declaration on Two Decades of Peace Processes in
West Africa" released at the close of the conference in Monrovia on Friday, March 26,
the participants stressed the need to build the capacity of electoral organisations,
political parties, Parliaments and the judiciary across the sub-region. They also called
for a review of the sanctions regime by ECOWAS, in collaboration with the African
Union (AU) and United Nations, in order to make it more effective.
Tanzania China Fuels East African Elephant Poaching
China’s influence in East Africa is fueling an upsurge in elephant poaching,
gunrunning, and corruption according to a report on U.K. television Friday. Filmed
secretly, sellers told the journalist from Unreported World that during a presidential
visit from Chinese Communist Party leader Hu Jintao in 2009, two hundred kilos of
ivory was bought by Chinese diplomats and taken out of Tanzania.

Chad and UN at odds over force

Ndjamena - Negotiations have stalled between Chad and a UN team on the future size
of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad
(Minurcat), a Chadian official said on Tuesday. "We proposed to the UN to reduce the
number of elements in Minurcat to 400, which is largely sufficient to guard installations
and civilian personnel, but the UN wants to keep 1 000 men," said a diplomatic source
who asked not to be named.

Niger arrests 600+ in crackdown

Niamey - Niger authorities arrested 618 suspects overnight in raids aimed at curbing a
crime wave in the capital, Niamey, state radio announced on Tuesday. "Operation
Punch" took place in neighbourhoods across the city, where residents say serious food
shortages, on top of already severe poverty, have led to a spike in crime.

Niger junta arrests ex-ministers in suspected plot

Niamey - Police in Niger have arrested three former ministers suspected of plotting
against the ruling military junta in the uranium-exporting country, interior minister
Cisse Ousmane said on Monday. They have been questioned about subversive activities
against the authorities," Ousmane told reporters, without giving details of those
activities.

Africa Deserves Better Leadership

Africa needs leadership that puts its people first and improves living standards in the
continent. Africa’s leaders ought to learn some lessons from Botswana. Africa needs
leadership that is committed to promoting the rule of law. This will enable decisions to
be made by institutions in a manner prescribed by law. There are many incidences
where some African leaders have interfered with decisions made by institutions
established by the act of parliament. In Uganda, president Museveni, personally,
interfered, in ruling out the proposals. Corruption in Africa is skyrocketing largely due
to the lack of political will on the part of the leadership to stamp it out. According to the
World Bank, Uganda has lost about $300 millions, Gabon, Nigeria, Kenya, DR Congo
and Angola, among others, lose more than that to corruption. Power should be gained
using legal established channels. Elections in Africa have always been characterized by
vote rigging, bribery, Intimidation, stuffing of ballot boxes among other electrical mal
practices. Peaceful co-Existence amidst our cultural, religious, political and ideological
difference is what we need. In Sudan, tribal and religious differences have often
resulted into violent conflict, destruction of property and death. In Nigeria, the same
problem recently led to the death of hundreds of people in the central Jos plateau.