United States Africa Command Public Affairs Office 19 September 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa, along with upcoming events of interest for September 19, 2011. Of interest in today's clips, Al Jazeera reports that Muammar Qadhafi's fighters in Bani Walid have launched artillery strikes and tried to ambush encroaching revolutionary forces; at least 15 people have been killed in an attack on the Ivory Coast's armed forces in the country's southwest; and the United Nations has given strong backing to Libya's former rebels. BBC reports that a video message has emerged in Nigeria purportedly featuring a suicide bomber alleged to have carried out the attack on the UN headquarters last month; political leaders in Madagascar have signed an agreement paving the way for elections to be held within a year to re-establish democracy on the island; and Sudan has ordered 17 political parties to stop their activities, saying most of their leaders and members come from newly independent South Sudan and so are now foreigners. In other news, The Daily Nation reports that South Sudan may not be joining the East African Community (EAC) anytime soon, it has now emerged; A Yemeni terror suspect arrested by the Anti Terrorism Police Unit in May has revealed how a Kenyan is recruiting both locals and foreigners to fight for Al Shabaab, says Nairobi Star; and Reuters reports that Somalia has banned foreign aid workers and journalists from entering areas controlled by Al Shabaab. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Please send questions or comments to: africom-pao@africom.mil 421-2687 (+49-711-729-2687) -------------------------------------------Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa Joint EAC, US military exercises start in Isles (The Citizen) http://thecitizen.co.tz/sunday-citizen/40-sunday-citizen-news/14860-joint-eac-us-military -exercises-start-inisles.html By Uattributed Reporter 17 September 2011 - A joint military training exercise involving officers from defence forces of EAC partner states and the United States Africa Command (Usafricom) started at

the Chukwani Military Centre in Zanzibar yesterday. Suspects charged in Nigeria bombing (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/201191741850730889.html By Unattributed Author 17 September 2011 - Prosecutors in Nigeria have accused four men of organising the August 26 suicide bombing at the United Nations headquarters in the West African nation that killed 23 people, bringing charges that carry the death penalty. Police: Relative of slain Nigeria sect leader shot dead after talks with former president (AP) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/police-family-member-of-slain-sect-leaderkilled-by-gunman-after-talks-with-former-president/2011/09/17/gIQAhAgsZK_print.htm l By Jon Gambrell 17 September 2011 - A relative of the slain leader of a radical Muslim sect in Nigeria was shot dead Saturday, only two days after taking part in peace talks led by a former president, police said. AFRICOM will destroy Africa (Mayihlome) http://mayihlome.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/africom-will-destroy-africa/ By Dr. Motsoko Pheko 17 September 2011 - The USA Africa Command which they call Africom is a military structure of the Defence Department of America. It is the American political deception for establishing military bases on the African Continent. It conceals its real intentions in Africa. It was formed in February 2OO7 during George Bushs term of office. This was two months after America had bombed a small African country, Somalia, destabilizing it to the ashes it is today. Gaddafi forces strike back in Bani Walid (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/201191855814162883.html By Unattributed Author 18 September 2011 - Muammar Gaddafi's fighters in Bani Walid have launched artillery strikes and tried to ambush encroaching revolutionary forces at the northern gate of the loyalist stronghold. Violence erupts on Liberia-Ivory Coast border (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/201191835737102623.html By Unattributed Author 18 September 2011 - At least 15 people have been killed in an attack on the Ivory Coast's armed forces in the country's southwest, according to state television. Gaddafi forces offer stiff Libya resistance (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011917154358332235.html By Unattributed Author 17 September 2011 - Forces loyal to Libya's Muammar Gaddafi have launched a fierce

counter-attack in the fugitive leader's stronghold of Bani Walid while putting up fierce resistance in his hometown of Sirte. UN Approves Libya Seat for NTC (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/201191623155222805.html By Unattributed Author 17 September 2011 - The United Nations has given strong backing to Libya's former rebels, handing their National Transitional Council (NTC) the country's UN seat and then lifting and modifying some sanctions imposed on Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Nigeria UN bomb: Video of 'Boko Haram bomber' released (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14964554 By Unattributed Author 18 September 2011 - A video message has emerged in Nigeria purportedly featuring a suicide bomber alleged to have carried out the attack on the UN headquarters last month. Libya conflict: Rebels claim advances in Sirte battle (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/africa-14962623news/worldBy Alastair Leithead 18 September 2011 - Libya's interim government forces say they have made progress in their advance on Sirte, a stronghold of forces loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi. Madagascan leaders sign deal for elections (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14960572 By Unattributed Author 17 September 2011 - Political leaders in Madagascar have signed an agreement paving the way for elections to be held within a year to re-establish democracy on the island. Mozambique holds 'pirate hunters' (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14952999 By Unattributed Author 16 September 2011 - Four Americans and one Briton, who say they were trying to free a boat seized by pirates, have been arrested in Mozambique and accused of possessing illegal weapons. Sudan bars SPLM-North and other 'southern parties' (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14949818 By Unattributed Author 16 September 2011 - Sudan has ordered 17 political parties to stop their activities, saying most of their leaders and members come from newly independent South Sudan and so are now foreigners.

Gbagbo accuses France of attempted assassination (AP) http://www.france24.com/en/20110916-ivory-coast-ousted-president-gbagbo-accuses-fra nce-army-attempted-assassination By Unattributed Author 16 September 2011 - Ex-Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo has filed a legal case accusing the French army of his attempted assassination following the April operation to oust him, legal sources said Thursday. Sudan: Blue Nile Falls Over the Edge (The Independent) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109170171.html By Matthew Stein and Agencies 17 September 2011 - It was only a matter of time until Sudan's growing internal rebellion spilled over into Blue Nile state--the third border area to fall victim to intense conflict since South Sudan's July 9 independence. South Africa: Kasrils Lashes Leaders On Info Bill (SAPA) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109170201.html By Richard Davies 17 September 2011 - The Protection of Information Bill is aimed at shielding South Africa's "silly leaders" from embarrassment, not protecting the country's real official secrets, former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils said on Saturday. East Africa: South Sudan Delays Membership in Regional Bloc (Daily Nation) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109170205.html By Machel Amos 17 September 2011 - South Sudan may not be joining the East African Community (EAC) anytime soon, it has now emerged. Kenya: Shabaab Recruits Train in Mombasa (Nairobi Star) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109170183.html By Dominic Wabala 17 September 2011 - A Yemeni terror suspect arrested by the Anti Terrorism Police Unit in May has revealed how a Kenyan is recruiting both locals and foreigners to fight for Al Shabaab. Somalia bans foreign aid workers from rebel areas (Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78G05120110917?sp=true By Abdi Sheikh and Mohamed Ahmed 17 September 2011 - Somalia has banned foreign aid workers and journalists from entering areas controlled by al Shabaab insurgents after members of a Turkish charity took food to famine victims in an area under the Islamist group. Ivorian refugees despair 'home is not safe' (Reuters) http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/ivorian-refugees-despair-home-is-not-safe/ By Clair MacDougall 16 September 2011 - Monayu Moutine's village in Ivory Coast was leveled and most of her

family killed during this year's bloody post-election conflict, and she hopes never to return. As Congo subdues some armed groups, new ones emerge (The Christian Science Monitor) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0916/As-Congo-subduessome-armed-groups-new-ones-emerge By Jason Stearns 16 September 2011 - Yesterday, in a speech to the nation, President Joseph Kabila announced, "There is no more fire in the East, just some embers." While it is true that fighting has ebbed this year largely due to a decrease in operations by the Congolese army new armed groups have been popping up in South Kivu. ### UN News Service Africa Briefs http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA (Full Articles on UN Website) Thousands flee to South Sudan to escape Southern Kordofan violence UN 16 September More than 8,000 civilians have fled to South Sudan to escape fighting in the state of Southern Kordofan in neighbouring Sudan, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Conditions worsen for famine-wracked Somalis in Mogadishu, but improve in Ethiopia 16 September Health and nutrition rates have deteriorated for famine-wracked Somalis displaced within their own country but improved for those who have fled to Ethiopia, the United Nations refugee agency reported today. UN independent expert urges Morocco to promote cultural rights and diversity 16 September The United Nations independent expert on cultural rights today urged Morocco to further promote cultural rights and diversity in the country by expanding current initiatives to all communities, including minorities. Liberia: Stressing importance of elections, Security Council extends life of UN force 16 September The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia (UNMIL) by another year, stressing the supporting role it will play when the West African country holds presidential and legislative elections next month only the second such polls since the end of a brutal civil war almost a decade ago. South Sudan: UN team investigates after fresh round of deadly cattle rustling raids 16 September The United Nations peacekeeping operation in South Sudan (UNMISS) has dispatched a verification team to the site of a fresh round of deadly clashes and cattle rustling attacks in the new country.
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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST: 20 SEPT 2011 WHEN: September 20, 2011, at noon WHAT: Pakistan, the U.S. and Public Diplomacy with Consul General Riffat Masood CPD Conversations in Public Diplomacy WHO: Riffat Masood, the Consul General of Pakistan WHERE: USC; SOS B40 CONTACT: cpdevent@usc.edu
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULLTEXT Joint EAC, US military exercises start in Isles (The Citizen) http://thecitizen.co.tz/sunday-citizen/40-sunday-citizen-news/14860-joint-eac-us-military -exercises-start-inisles.html By Uattributed Reporter 17 September 2011 Arusha. A joint military training exercise involving officers from defence forces of EAC partner states and the United States Africa Command (Usafricom) started at the Chukwani Military Centre in Zanzibar yesterday. The Tanzanian minister for Defence and National Service, Dr Hussein Mwinyi, flagged off the command post exercise, hailing the partner states continued cooperation in defence. He called for the speedy creation of a framework for cooperating with partners, such as Usafricom, saying: Peace, security and stability are the lynchpin for accelerating socio-economic development. It is in this context that the EAC partner states recognised that collective defence enhances regional peace and security. The minister praised the US Government for the assistance that made the exercise, codenamed Natural Fire 11, possible, describing it as a good friend and strategic partner. He stressed, however, that any assistance should complement EAC efforts, and advised that defence cooperation with the blocs partners needed to be clearly structured. I urge the East African Community secretariat to expedite the formulation and signing of the framework for working together with these cooperation partners as we directed. Future exercises should be conducted within this framework, Dr Mwinyi said in a speech made available to The Citizen on Sunday in Arusha.

The exercise, whose theme is to ensure security and foster regional stability, aims to develop the capacity of EAC defence forces to respond quickly and efficiently to complex security challenges. It also aims to harmonise the working relationship among them and foster cooperation between their forces and the US. Natural Fire 11 further seeks to enhance cooperation between the defence forces, civil authorities and international organisations as well as improve operations between them. The EAC deputy secretary general (Planning and Infrastructure), Dr Enos Bukuku, noted that with the various threats the body faces, partner states have a collective responsibility to ensure the region is secure. Speaking on behalf of the EAC secretary general, he said: The EAC may have a fundamentally developmental mission. It is a fact, however, that peace and security are the prerequisites for social and economic development. On behalf of the US contingent, Brigadier General James Owens described the collaboration between the EAC defence forces and his country as another positive step towards a more stable and secure region. He further said: Lets ensure that what is gained here will have a lasting impact on the ability of our armies to respond to the complex challenges we face today and in future. The Zanzibar exercise, which will end next Tuesday, focuses on peace support operations, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, counter terrorism and counter piracy. Natural Fire 11 follows similar exercises held in the past in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (Mainland). A total of 35 officers from Uganda, 36 from Burundi, 37 from Rwanda, 40 from Kenya and 80 from Tanzania take part in the exercises. These joint exercises were first held in 1998 by the US and Kenya. They were reconfigured in 1999 as multilateral exercises of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Rwanda and Burundi were subsequently coopted upon joining the EAC in 2007. Exercises such as Natural Fire 11 are part of EAC efforts to strengthen cooperation in defence by the EAC partner states. They are guided by a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in defence. This lays down four areas of cooperation, namely: Military training, joint operations, technical assistance and visits (including sporting exchanges and range competitions as well as visits by the chiefs of defence forces) apart from exchange of information. The MoU was signed in 1998 and revised in 2001. ### Suspects charged in Nigeria bombing (Al Jazeera)

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/201191741850730889.html By Unattributed Author 17 September 2011 Prosecutors in Nigeria have accused four men of organising the August 26 suicide bombing at the United Nations headquarters in the West African nation that killed 23 people, bringing charges that carry the death penalty. The four men charged came in a group of 19 brought before a magistrate court in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, on Friday. All are accused of belonging to the Muslim sect, Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for the attack that also wounded 116 others. In charging documents, prosecutors said Abdusalami Adamu, Danzumi Haruna, Salisu Mohammed and Musa Mukailu of Kano ordered a suicide bomber driving a Honda 4WD vehicle to attack the world body's headquarters. The men did not make pleas as Azubuike Okegu, the magistrate judge, said the case should be transferred to Nigeria's Federal High Court system. He ordered the suspects held until a court appearance on November 3. It was not immediately clear if the men had lawyers. Prosecutors also said 25 people died in the car bomb attack, up from an estimate of 23 offered by the UN. Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, claimed responsibility for the attack. The sect has assassinated local officials and bombed locations around Nigeria in the last year as it continues its campaign for the strict implementation of sharia [Muslim law] across the country. The attack launched far from the group's base in the country's northeast represented a major escalation in violence. Officials also fear the group now has ties to terror organisations linked to al-Qaeda elsewhere in Africa. Obasanjo meeting In a related development, Olusegun Obasanjo, one of Nigeria's best known elder statesman, met family members of the slain former leader of Boko Haram as part of a peace initiative. Obasanjo, who served as president between 1999 and 2007 and still wields influence in Africa's most populous nation, went to the northeastern city of Maiduguri on Thursday for the meeting, according to those in attendance. Obasanjo spoke with the family of Mohammed Yusuf for two hours, Shehu Sani, a civil rights activist, said on Friday.

The meeting represented the first visit of a Nigerian leader to the family since Yusuf was killed while in police custody following a 2009 sectarian riot and security crackdown that left 700 people dead. "It was an open, heart-to-heart discussion during which he inquired about what happened two years ago and how to end the violence that the 2009 killings precipitated," Babakura Fugu, Yusuf's brother-in-law, said by phone. During Thursday's meeting, Sani said Obasanjo asked the family why Boko Haram continued to attack security agents, religious leaders and government officials. Relatives said the attacks represented revenge against the government for Yusuf's death and the killing of two other leaders during the 2009 uprising, Sani said. Yusuf's relatives also provided rare details about the group, saying they have representatives in Chad, Niger and Cameroon. "They said the Nigerian security forces and the army cannot crush them because they have the capacity to reach out to anywhere if they want to,'' Sani said. Confidence raised Fugu said the meeting with Obasanjo raised their "confidence by 100 per cent" and that Obasanjo promised to brief Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's current president, about the talks. Family members asked Obasanjo to have their destroyed homes rebuilt, to receive a promised court settlement of $6,600 from the government, Fugu said. They also asked that officials compensate other sect members who lost relatives in the 2009 security crackdown. It remains unclear who is actually leading Boko Haram since Yusuf's death. Analysts and diplomats have said they believe the sect is split into at least three sub-groups, each with its own command structure. Complex bank robberies appear to be aimed at funding the group, but Yusuf's family said about 40 per cent of the sect's funding now comes from outside of Nigeria. ###

Police: Relative of slain Nigeria sect leader shot dead after talks with former president (AP) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/police-family-member-of-slain-sect-leaderkilled-by-gunman-after-talks-with-former-president/2011/09/17/gIQAhAgsZK_print.htm l By Jon Gambrell 17 September 2011 MAIDUGURI, Nigeria A relative of the slain leader of a radical Muslim sect in Nigeria was shot dead Saturday, only two days after taking part in peace talks led by a former president, police said. Babakura Fugus killing comes as Nigerias weak central government struggles to stop attacks carried out by the feared Boko Haram sect. The group claimed responsibility for the Aug. 26 car bombing of the United Nations headquarters that killed 23 people. His death also raises concerns about who controls the sect, which has reported links to two other al-Qaida-affiliated terror groups in Africa, and whether its fighters want to negotiate an end to their increasingly bloody sectarian attacks. Boko Haram later claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message to the BBCs Hausa language radio service, a trusted source of news throughout Nigerias Muslim north. The claim could not immediately be independently verified. A lone gunman approached Fugu near his home Saturday close to the site of Boko Harams former main mosque in Maiduguri, a city in the far reaches of northeast Nigeria approaching the Sahara Desert. The gunman pulled a Kalashnikov rifle from inside the folds of his traditional robes and shot Fugu to death, Borno state police commissioner Simeone Midenda said. No one else was wounded in the attack and the gunman apparently walked away, Midenda said. The commissioner said no arrests have been made in the attack. Fugu is a relative of the late Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf, who died in police custody following a 2009 sect riot and security crackdown that left 700 people dead. Fugu and other family members had spoken with former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday in a fledgling peace effort to stop the sects attacks. Speaking Friday to the AP in Maiduguri, Fugu said the meeting with Obasanjo raised their confidence by 100 percent. Fugu said the former president promised to brief current President Goodluck Jonathan about the talks. Family members asked Obasanjo to have their destroyed homes rebuilt, to receive a promised court settlement of $6,600 from the government, Fugu said. They also asked that officials compensate other sect members who lost relatives in the 2009 security crackdown.

It remains unclear who is actually leading Boko Haram since Yusufs death. Analysts and diplomats have said they believe the sect is split into at least three subgroups, each with its own loose command-and-control structure. Fugus killing Saturday and the quick claim of responsibility by Boko Haram appears to indicate that either Yusufs family had no direct control of the group or that they upset sect commanders by negotiating. The killing also suggests Nigerias government wont be able to find a political solution to end Boko Harams violence, which has included targeted assassinations and bombings. The groups U.N. suicide bombing that wounded 116 people also shows it expanded its targets to include foreigners. Last month, the commander for U.S. military operations in Africa told the AP that Boko Haram may be trying to coordinate attacks with al-Shabab of Somalia and north African group al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. The sects members scattered after the 2009 crackdown, with some now reportedly living in neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Nigeria, a nation of 150 million people, is split largely between a Christian south and a Muslim north. Unemployment and unceasing poverty, coming despite the nation making billions a year from oil production, have increased resentment in recent years in the north. Boko Haram, which wants the strict implementation of Shariah law in the country, tapped into that unrest. ### AFRICOM will destroy Africa (Mayihlome) http://mayihlome.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/africom-will-destroy-africa/ By Dr. Motsoko Pheko 17 September 2011 The USA Africa Command which they call Africom is a military structure of the Defence Department of America. It is the American political deception for establishing military bases on the African Continent. It conceals its real intentions in Africa. It was formed in February 2OO7 during George Bushs term of office. This was two months after America had bombed a small African country, Somalia, destabilizing it to the ashes it is today. At that time the American President said Africom will enhance our efforts to bring peace and security to the people of Africa and promote our common goals of development, health, education, democracy and economic growth of Africa. Where in Africa has the USA done this? With the same breath Bush revealed, Africom will co-ordinate all U.S. security interests throughout Africa. Africa does not need Africom. What Africa needs is a mechanism to respond to peace missions in Africa to stabilize this continent politically for rapid economic development, control of her resources and speedy technological advancement of her people. The solution

to Africas problems lies in strengthening the African Union not working against its objectives. It would be naive and suicidal to believe that the US African Command can look after African interests. America does not look even after its puppet governments once they have served American interests. Hawks have never looked after the interests of chickens. America and NATO have the worst records in their dealings with African people. Patrice Lumumba was assassinated with the connivance of the US government. Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown with the assistance of America CIA. In recent years the American government and its British cousin have plotted a regime change in Zimbabwe to look after its own American interests. In Libya it is America and NATO that are bombing this country into a desert in order to access its oil wealth. Africom has been established to recolonise Africa to serve American interests. Recent events in Libya have exposed the real intentions of imperialists. Not long ago, they said they do not negotiate with terrorists, but now to advance their imperialist interests, they have not only violated the United Nations Resolution over No-Fly Zone in Libya, they have supplied the rebels with sophisticated weapons and money to kill their own people. American and NATO soldiers are fighting side by side with these rebels. Their ill-intentions in Africa are shown by their complete disregard of the African Union in its attempts to resolve the Libyan problem. America and NATO have treated Leaders of the African Union with contempt and disdain. They have literally sabotaged the AU efforts to bring peace to Libya as well as in the Ivory Coast. There must be a collective defence of Africa against imperialism. All African States have a national and continental responsibility to refuse the presence of Africom on the African soil. African leaders who play the Africom game with America are digging the grave for Africa. They are endangering the security of all Africans in Africa. ### Gaddafi forces strike back in Bani Walid (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/201191855814162883.html By Unattributed Author 18 September 2011 Muammar Gaddafi's fighters in Bani Walid have launched artillery strikes and tried to ambush encroaching revolutionary forces at the northern gate of the loyalist stronghold. Sunday's counter-attack came after the two sides clashed through the night inside the town as Libya's new rulers faced fierce resistance to their efforts to crush the dug-in fighters loyal to the fugitive Gaddafi.

Mortar fire targeted a building where forces aligned with the National Transitional Council (NTC) were taking cover as well as the town's north entrance, kicking up sand and filling the sky with black smoke. Anti-Gaddafi fighters returned fire with machine guns and rockets. Despite the heavy fighting, Ahmed Bani, the interim government's military spokesman, said on Saturday that it was only a "matter of days" before the two towns are captured.

He also gave army personnel still loyal to Gaddafi a last chance to join the ranks of former rebel fighters. "The soldiers and officers who will not heed this last call will be accused of high treason," Bani said in Tripoli. The integration of former government soldiers will be part of efforts to rebuild the national army in a post-Gaddafi Libya, he added. On Sunday, two Libyan fighter jet pilots who had defected to Malta in February returned home. The men told reporters they were ordered to bomb protesters in Beghazi, but diverted their planes to Malta at the last minute. Seven months later, they have returned home to a hero's welcome. Interim government The NTC on Sunday debated the make-up of the new government and 36 interim cabinet members are expected to be announced at a meeting later on Sunday. NTC number two Mahmud Jibril, a former Gaddafi regime official, stands accused by some of his colleagues of failing to consult enough with long-standing grassroots opposition groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, an NTC official said. Jibril was still expected to retain his post as interim prime minister, while Ali Tarhuni was touted to be named vice president in charge of economic affairs. The defence portfolio was expected to go to Osama al-Juwili and oil to Abdel Rahman bin Yezza. "What we know for sure is that it will be 36 people representing different parts of Libya," Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Tripoli, said. "They would like to ensure a representation that takes into account all different ethnic

groups and all different cities. "They do understand that the stakes ahead and the challenges facing this post-Gaddafi Libya are going to be incredibly high, and for this they want people who have no affiliations with the Gaddafi time." Fighters regroup In Sirte, NTC forces swept further into the city on Saturday before retreating under heavy artillery fire after two hours of clashes. "The situation at the roundabout is pitiful," Saleb Abu Shaala, the Al-Dhahira brigade commander, said. "There is no central command, we are retreating to regroup and re-enter again from three fronts." Abu Shaala said the clashes erupted in mid-morning and that Gaddafi's forces used heavy artillery and rockets against them. Doctors at a field hospital reported at least 10 killed and 40 wounded in the fighting in Sirte. Front-line fighters and commanders gave contrasting reports of progress in Sirte, with men on the ground acknowledging they were facing a tough enemy and those in charge downplaying the pockets of resistance. Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Ras Lanuf near Sirte, said it had been very difficult for some NTC fighters to get inside the town. "In the east, they have not been able to even get close to town. The fighters here have heavy weaponry - tanks, heavy artillery - but they are still not able to advance," she said. ### Violence erupts on Liberia-Ivory Coast border (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/201191835737102623.html By Unattributed Author 18 September 2011 At least 15 people have been killed in an attack on the Ivory Coast's armed forces in the country's southwest, according to state television. The state-run RTI network said on Saturday the attack happened overnight on Thursday and it appeared the assailants had come across the Liberian border into the Tai region of Ivory Coast. The attack caught the soldiers by surprise, RTI reported.

"Members of the FRCI [Republican Forces of Ivory Coast] were attacked by surprise. The toll from the attack was 15 dead," RTI said, adding that reinforcements were being sent to the porous and densely forested border region. Ivorian forces attacked on Liberia-Ivory Coast border Leon Alla Kouakou, the Ivorian military spokesman, confirmed there had been an attack in Tai, but did not provide details. In July, West African leaders urged the United Nations and ECOWAS, the regional bloc, to step up monitoring of the Liberia-Ivory Coast border after signs that mercenaries had been operating there since April. The leaders of Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone said at the time that insecurity on the Liberia-Ivory Coast border represented a threat to the entire West African region. The government has said Liberian mercenaries were hired by supporters of Laurent Gbagbo, a former president, during the four-month post-election conflict which ended with his capture and arrest in April. The FRCI was the name given to forces that battled to remove Gbagbo and allow Alassane Ouattara, the current president of the Ivory Coast, to assume power after winning last November's presidential election. Gbagbo disputed the election result, sparking the conflict. ### Gaddafi forces offer stiff Libya resistance (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011917154358332235.html By Unattributed Author 17 September 2011 Forces loyal to Libya's Muammar Gaddafi have launched a fierce counter-attack in the fugitive leader's stronghold of Bani Walid while putting up fierce resistance in his hometown of Sirte. Despite the heavy fighting, Ahmed Bani, the interim government's military spokesman, said on Saturday that it was only a "matter of days" before the two towns are captured. He also gave army personnel still loyal to Gaddafi a last chance to join the ranks of former rebel fighters. "The soldiers and officers who will not heed this last call will be accused of high treason," Bani said in Tripoli. Their integration was part of efforts to rebuild the national army in a post-Gaddafi Libya, he said.

Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught, reporting from Wishtata about 50km from the centre of Bani Walid, said there had been no fighting planned for Saturday on that front. "But forces loyal to Gaddafi attacked from within and took potshots at the [NTC fighters] ... Their artillery aim is pretty good these days," our correspondent said, after receiving reports of numerous casualties. "Today was for consolidation and lessons learned from yesterday, which ultimately achieved little more than getting people killed and demonstrating the strength of pro-Gaddafi forces." In Bani Walid, medical and NTC sources said six NTC fighters were killed on Friday and 20 wounded. The NTC said its fighters had entered the oasis town, 180km southeast of the capital Tripoli, but they made a "tactical withdrawal" on Friday evening due to sniper fire. "It is useless to hold on to positions overnight in a hostile environment," a commander said. Fighters regrouping In Sirte, NTC forces swept further into the city before retreating under heavy artillery fire after two hours of clashes. At least 6,000 fighters battled in and around one of Gaddafi's final strongholds. "The situation at the roundabout is pitiful," Saleb Abu Shaala, the Al-Dhahira brigade commander, said. "There is no central command, we are retreating to regroup and re-enter again from three fronts." Abu Shaala said the clashes erupted in mid-morning and that Gaddafi's forces used heavy artillery and rockets against them. Doctors at a field hospital reported at least 10 killed and 40 wounded in the fighting in Sirte. Front-line fighters and commanders gave contrasting reports of progress in Sirte, with men on the ground acknowledging they were facing a tough enemy and those in charge downplaying the pockets of resistance. Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Ras Lanuf near Sirte, said it had been very difficult for some NTC fighters to get inside the town. "In the east, they have not been able to even get close to town. The fighters here have heavy weaponry - tanks, heavy artillery - but they are still not able to advance," she said. "We don't even have five per cent of Sirte because we just go in and out," Abdul Rauf al-Mansuri, an NTC fighter, said.

Deaths in NATO air raids Moussa Ibrahim, Gaddafi's spokesman, claimed NATO had carried out extensive air strikes on Sirte, killing 354 people overnight. He said Gaddafi was personally leading "all aspects of the struggle". In a call to the Reuters news agency on Saturday, Ibrahim said: "NATO attacked the city of Sirte last night with more than 30 rockets directed at the city's main hotel and the Tamin building, which consists of more than 90 residential flats. "In the last 17 days, more than 2,000 residents of the city of Sirte were killed in NATO air strikes." The claims could not be verified independently, as Sirte has been largely cut off from communication since the fall of Tripoli last month. "We are aware of these allegations," Colonel Roland Lavoie, spokesman for the Western military alliance, said in Brussels."It is not the first time such allegations have been made. Most often, they are revealed to be unfounded or inconclusive." Fighters backing the NTC on Saturday seized Hirawa, a small town 60km from Sirte. They danced in the streets singing "Gaddafi, we will burn you" and ripped down posters of the fugitive former strongman, stamping on his face in the dirt. The anti-Gaddafi fighters, who had hurtled into Hirawa on scores of machine gun-mounted pickup trucks and tanks, said they had taken power with very little difficulty. "We advanced into Hirawa after about five days of heavy fighting and NATO bombing," fighter Nouri al-Fanoussi said. "We managed to save the town very smoothly this morning without any resistance." The armed forces of the new Libyan leadership are also consolidating their control over southern desert towns near the pro-Gaddafi stronghold of Sabha, the main southern urban centre about 650km south of Tripoli. Upon reaching Mahruqa about 100km from Sabha on Friday, former rebel forces encountered resistance from pro-Gaddafi holdouts after being invited into the town by elders. ### UN Approves Libya Seat for NTC (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/201191623155222805.html By Unattributed Author 17 September 2011

The United Nations has given strong backing to Libya's former rebels, handing their National Transitional Council (NTC) the country's UN seat and then lifting and modifying some sanctions imposed on Muammar Gaddafi's regime. The 15-member Security Council on Friday also unanimously passed a resolution to ease an assets freeze and arms embargo against Libyan companies and the government. The General Assembly's vote of 114 countries to 17, with 15 abstentions to accept the credentials of the National Transitional Council, gave its representative the right to speak at the United Nations. The Security Council did, however, expressed concern at the "proliferation of arms in Libya and its potential impact on regional peace and security." The measure eases sanctions against major enterprises such as Libyan National Oil Corporation, the central bank and the Libyan Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund in a bid to get the economy moving again. The resolution also allows arms supplies and technical assistance to the transitional government soley for the security of the authorities and for the protection of UN personnel, media and aid workers in the country. Political headway The Security Council previously passed resolutions in February and March allowing for sanctions and measures to protect civilians, which NATO has used to justify its military strikes in Libya over the past six months. Security Council Resolution 2009 also set up a UN mission to go to Libya to help the interim government to arrange elections and write a new constitution. While agreeing to keep the no-fly zone in place, Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin demanded that it be quickly reviewed; renewing accusations that NATO has acted outside the UN resolutions. The UN Support Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, would be set up for an initial three months to help in what diplomats insist is essentially a political operation. It would give advice on restoring security but would concentrate on efforts to "undertake inclusive political dialogue, promote national reconciliation and embark upon the constitution-making and electoral process." About 90 countries now recognise the NTC, whose leaders moved to Tripoli this week. Libya has had no official UN representative since March, when Gaddafi withdrew the credentials of the ambassador, Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham, who went over to the rebels.

The ballot allows interim government leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil to attend next week's UN gathering of world leaders in New York. Jalil is to meet US President Barack Obama and other key figures on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Ibrahim Dabbashi, who was deputy ambassador under Gaddafi but went over to the rebels after the strongman's crackdown on protests and is now representing the interim government, told the Security Council it had been a"historic" day for Libya. ### Nigeria UN bomb: Video of 'Boko Haram bomber' released (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14964554 By Unattributed Author 18 September 2011 A video message has emerged in Nigeria purportedly featuring a suicide bomber alleged to have carried out the attack on the UN headquarters last month. Islamist sect Boko Haram claimed the attack, in which 23 people were killed and more than 80 injured. The authenticity of the video, obtained by AFP news agency, cannot be verified. It shows the alleged bomber asking his family to understand his action, which he said was meant to send a message to the US president "and other infidels". In the 26 August attack, the bomber drove his vehicle through the Abuja headquarters' two security barriers, then crashed into the reception area before detonating the explosives. The blast was powerful enough to bring down parts of the structure, where about 400 UN personnel work, and blow out the windows of nearby buildings. 'International' AFP said it had obtained two videos which included 25 minutes of speeches by the alleged UN bomber. He is seen holding an AK-47 automatic rifle, with two other people leaning against the wall. A man claiming to be a spokesman for the sect told AFP the alleged bomber was called Mohammed Abul Barra, a 27-year-old married man from the north-eastern city of Maiduguri. The softly-spoken man wears a striped shirt, a turban and what looks to be a suicide vest,

Other passages in the videos refer to the UN headquarters as a "forum of all the global evil", and offer praise for Osama Bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader killed by US special forces in Pakistan. Nigerian officials have previously stated that a Boko Haram militant with alleged links to al-Qaeda was suspected of being behind the bombing. Boko Haram is fighting for the establishment of Sharia law in Nigeria. The group is alleged to have had contacts with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in North Africa, and al-Shabab in Somalia. Loosely translated from the local Hausa language, Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden". For two years, the Islamist group has been targeting government and mounting a campaign of killings. ### Libya conflict: Rebels claim advances in Sirte battle (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/africa-14962623news/worldBy Alastair Leithead 18 September 2011 Libya's interim government forces say they have made progress in their advance on Sirte, a stronghold of forces loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi. A spokesman for the anti-Gaddafi forces said the city's airport and a nearby military base had been captured. There are also reports of heavy fighting in another Gaddafi stronghold, the town of Bani Walid. Col Gaddafi has been in hiding since opposition forces captured the capital Tripoli in August. His remaining forces are holding out in Sirte, Bani Walid and several other towns while forces of the new interim leadership, the National Transitional Council (NTC), try to assert full control over the country. A spokesman for the military council in the city of Misrata, on the coast between Sirte and Tripoli, said some fighters had advanced to within 7km (4.3 miles) of the centre of Sirte. Misrata was the scene of a long siege as Col Gaddafi's forces tried to stamp out the uprising against him there. There is a strong contingent of fighters from Misrata among the

anti-Gaddafi forces attacking Sirte. The spokesman said another eight fighters were killed on Saturday, bringing the total to almost 30, with many more injured, reports the BBC's Richard Galpin in Misrata. There are reports of heavy street fighting, as the anti-Gaddafi forces are met with fierce machine gun, rocket and mortar fire. The BBC's Alastair Leithead, with the anti-Gaddafi forces near Sirte, describes a process of slow advances as defensive positions are bombarded, worn down and then taken. Our correspondent says the anti-Gaddafi forces are still some distance from the town's eastern gates, although they appear to be closer on the western and southern approaches. There are unconfirmed reports that they have now taken full control of Harawa, 80km east of Sirte, after negotiating a surrender deal. There were conflicting claims over a Nato bombing in the city. The Misrata military council spokesman told the BBC a Nato aircraft hit a building in the city on Friday, killing a large number of Col Gaddafi's fighters. Col Gaddafi's spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, told Reuters news agency that the strike had killed more than 300 civilians. Neither claim could be verified and Nato said similar reports from Col Gaddafi's side in the past had often been "unfounded or inconclusive". At Bani Walid, an oasis town about 250km west of Sirte, anti-Gaddafi forces were reported to be renewing their attack late on Saturday after earlier advances had been repelled. "Gaddafi forces attacked the checkpoint so our troops went in. There is a lot of fighting inside the city right now," Reuters quoted regional NTC official Abdullah Kenshil as saying. ### Madagascan leaders sign deal for elections (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14960572 By Unattributed Author 17 September 2011 Political leaders in Madagascar have signed an agreement paving the way for elections to be held within a year to re-establish democracy on the island. The deal allows the return of exiled leader Marc Ravalomanana, who was overthrown in 2009 by current president Andre Rajoelina in an army-backed coup.

The South African Development Community, which suspended Madagascar after the coup, helped broker the deal. The Indian Ocean island has been beset by instability for several years. It was isolated by the international community after the coup - European Union donors froze aid and it was also suspended from the African Union. But South Africa's deputy Foreign Minister, Marius Franzman, presided over the signing ceremony in Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo. The plan, which was agreed by a group of eight political parties, leaves Mr Rajoelina in charge of a transitional authority until elections scheduled for March next year. Marc Ravalomanana, currently in exile in South Africa, will be allowed to return to participate in the transition. His representatives say he is willing to compromise. ### Mozambique holds 'pirate hunters' (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14952999 By Unattributed Author 16 September 2011 Four Americans and one Briton, who say they were trying to free a boat seized by pirates, have been arrested in Mozambique and accused of possessing illegal weapons. They were detained at the airport in the country's third city, Nampula, police say. The men reportedly say they work for the US security firm GreySide. The US embassy says the group has no connection to the US government. Nampula provincial police spokesperson Inacio Dina told the BBC that the weapons include an FN 5.5mm rifle, as well as ammunition and communications equipment. The police have named the leader of the group as 42-year-old US citizen Michael Ferguson. He has not commented to the press. The group had reportedly flown from the United States via Ethiopia and Kenya, where they picked up the weapons. Mr Ferguson reportedly said their plan was to catch small boats in the northern Mozambican coastal city of Pemba before joining a larger vessel and trying to free the boat from pirates - it is not clear which ship they were allegedly trying to rescue. They expected further weapons to reach them in Pemba, which they had not been able to

load on the plane, police say. Somalia-based pirates have attacked ships across the Indian Ocean, earning millions of dollars from ransom payments. Four Britons, who say they were trying to provide protection from pirates, were released by Eritrea in June after six months in captivity. ### Sudan bars SPLM-North and other 'southern parties' (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14949818 By Unattributed Author 16 September 2011 Sudan has ordered 17 political parties to stop their activities, saying most of their leaders and members come from newly independent South Sudan and so are now foreigners. Those targeted includes the SPLM-North, which was outlawed last week. The party has strong ties to former SPLM rebels - now the ruling party in the south which seceded in July. This crackdown follows fighting in some border states between soldiers loyal to SPLM-North and government troops. South Sudan voted to split from Sudan in a referendum last January, following the 2005 peace deal ending decades of north-south civil war in which an estimated 1.5 million died. 'Lost citizenship' A statement from the Political Parties Affairs Council said the 17 political groups were now considered "foreign parties". "Their leadership and most members have lost the Sudanese citizenship," Reuters news agency quotes the statement as saying. The parties have the right to establish new parties that comply with legal requirements, the state-owned Suna news agency reports. SPLM-North has said its offices have been closed down and many of its party members arrested since violence broke out earlier this month in Blue Nile state, where a state of emergency has been declared. Conflict erupted in South Kordofan state ahead of the south's independence in July. Both Khartoum and the South Sudan government have strong support in these areas, which were key battlegrounds during the civil war.

Government forces have been accused of ethnic cleansing in South Kordofan, while Khartoum says the rebels are trying to start a new civil war in Sudan. It also accuses South Sudan of supporting the SPLM-North fighters, a charge the country denies. ### Gbagbo accuses France of attempted assassination (AP) http://www.france24.com/en/20110916-ivory-coast-ousted-president-gbagbo-accuses-fra nce-army-attempted-assassination By Unattributed Author 16 September 2011 Ex-Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo has filed a legal case accusing the French army of his attempted assassination following the April operation to oust him, legal sources said Thursday. France and the United Nations backed the forces of Gbagbo rival and new ruler Alassane Ouattara in the offensive which saw him and his wife Simone placed under house arrest. The country had by then endured four months of clashes after Gbagbo refused to accept defeat in a November poll. An investigating magistrate has been appointed since the complaint was lodged at a Paris military court on July 5 by Gbagbo's lawyers, the source said. France has defended its part in the April 11 raid, stating that its troops and those of the United Nations Operation in Cote D'Ivoire (Onuci) only had a supporting role. "At no time did French forces enter the presidential gardens or residence" where Gbagbo had taken refuge, general staff spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard has said. Gbagbo and his wife have been charged with "economic crimes" and President Ouattara wants to see them tried before the International Criminal Court. ### Sudan: Blue Nile Falls Over the Edge (The Independent) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109170171.html By Matthew Stein and Agencies 17 September 2011 It was only a matter of time until Sudan's growing internal rebellion spilled over into Blue Nile state--the third border area to fall victim to intense conflict since South Sudan's July 9

independence. For months mistrust and suspicions have plagued the relationship between Blue Nile's elected Governor Malik Agar and the Sudanese government in Khartoum, culminating in Sudan President Omar al-Bashir's decision to declare a state of emergency and dismiss Agar from his post on September 2 and replace him with Yahia Mohammed Kheir, a local military ruler three days later. Tensions in Blue Nile have also been exacerbated by the failure to hold "popular consultations" in the state over its future, as stipulated in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), and on account of its former governor also serving as the Chairman of the Sudan People Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a Blue Nile and South Kordofan--based political party that was outlawed by Sudan's government on September 4. The fact that Blue Nile borders South Sudan, Khartoum's traditional enemy, and South Kordofan, the scene of a current rebellion, must have also played prominent roles in propelling the northern army into action. Although some SPLM soldiers from the south have been involved in the most recent escalation, the government in South Sudan's capital Juba maintains that they are not supporting rebels north of the border. Instead, it argues, that the rebellions have been engendered by Khartoum's provocative marginalisation policies. However, Sana Hamad al-Awad, the Sudanese minister of information recently stated that northern authorities had seized documents proving that the salaries of 20,000 SPLA fighters in Blue Nile are being paid by the Juba government. Since September 2, there have been repeated clashes between the northern army and forces loyal to Agar, principally in Damazin, the state capital. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that fighting, including air strikes has been present in eight locations, however Kheir has claimed that the situation has been "very calm" since Agar's forces were reportedly driven from the area. The UN says fighting in Blue Nile has prompted at least 50,000 civilians, "and possibly many more," to flee their homes, including 20,000 people who crossed into Ethiopia from Kurmuk, Geissan and Menza. The commissioner of Bau locality in Blue Nile, Babikir Mohammed Osman, has also said that more than half of the 175,000 people living in his area were on the move because of the fighting, many of them SPLM supporters who feared retaliation. "This is the most disastrous thing the state has witnessed, even during the civil war," he said. "During the civil war, no displacement took place in Damazin town. Now almost all the people of Damazin have left." The events in Blue Nile have been strongly criticised by top officials such as Princeton Lyman, the US envoy to Sudan, and EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, who has

warned about its potential to further destabilise the region. "These clashes represent a dangerous escalation of the conflict in Southern Kordofan," said Ashton, "amidst reports of serious human rights violations and continuing lack of humanitarian access." Aid agencies have also been complaining that gaining access to Blue Nile has proved problematic on account of Khartoum's actions: "[We] have requested permission from the government to travel to Sennar (the neighbouring state) and to secure parts of northern Blue Nile state to assess the situation and assist in addressing humanitarian needs," said OCHA in a recent report. "But they have so far been denied access to do so," it said, adding that, as in nearby South Kordofan, where a similar three-month-old conflict is still raging, the government has insisted that aid be provided through national partners such as the Sudanese Red Crescent. As of now, both sides have been taking turns claiming that they are in control of the situation. On September 8, Agar told reporters from Kurmuk, located near South Sudan's border, that his group controls 80 percent of the Blue Nile, except al-Damazin and al-Roseris in the northern part of the state. However, Kheir dismissed Agar's statements saying it is Sudan's military that controls 80 percent of the state. ### South Africa: Kasrils Lashes Leaders On Info Bill (SAPA) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109170201.html By Richard Davies 17 September 2011 Cape Town The Protection of Information Bill is aimed at shielding South Africa's "silly leaders" from embarrassment, not protecting the country's real official secrets, former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils said on Saturday. Speaking to hundreds of protesters who had earlier marched to Parliament to protest against the so-called secrecy bill -- set to go before the National Assembly next week -- he told them the legislation was wrong. Standing on the flatbed of a truck parked outside Parliament's main gates, Kasrils, who wore a pink shirt and a straw hat for the occasion, said it was essential people raised their voice against the bill. "I have been asked by journalists why I, as a former minister, and a member of the African National Congress and the SA Communist Party, am at this march.

"The answer... is very simple. When your mother or father, brother or sister, your family, are doing the wrong thing...you raise your voice and say: 'That is wrong, it must not be done!'" Kasrils said his love for his country "transcends the love of my party". On media freedom, he suggested government was pushing through the information bill to spare itself embarrassment. "This all-embracing secrecy bill... we smell and suspect is not about the real secrets that must be defended, but it's to prevent those silly leaders who have egg on their face, who have been exposed by the media for doing foolish and embarrassing things." Among such things, he said, were "misusing and abusing" tenders and contracts, as well as taxpayers' money. Saturday's march -- which proceeded from Keizersgracht along Darling, Buitenkant and Roeland streets to Parliament -- was organised by Right2Know (R2K), a grouping of 400 civil society organisations that began fighting the controversial bill a year ago. About 2000 people took part, including provincial premier Helen Zille; cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, better know as Zapiro; and Treatment Action Campaign head Zackie Achmat. The marchers were preceded by a group carrying a long white banner proclaiming "We have the right to know" and the image of a vuvuzela with a knot tied in the stem. "Jou Ma se Secrecy Bill" read one poster. "The Truth will keep us Free," read another. The final draft of the bill is set to go before the National Assembly on Tuesday. It will then have to go to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence, before being signed into law by President Jacob Zuma. Those opposed to the measure say it seriously erodes the public's right to know, and poses a threat to the freedom of the country's press. According to an editorial in the Cape Times on Friday, the bill "fails the media freedom test" because -- in its current form -- anyone who had documents that had been classified state secret would be liable for criminal prosecution. "And it fails because even if you have a compelling argument for publishing the contents of such documents, you will not have the right to argue that it was in the public interest." In a statement issued on Friday evening, after its annual general meeting in Cape Town, the SA National Editors' Forum (Sanef) said the information bill was of "grave" concern. "[Its] lack of any public interest defence, draconian sentencing regime, broadness of application, and excessive shielding from scrutiny of the intelligence services are of grave

concern." Sanef said it would continue to oppose the bill being enacted "and will take legal action if necessary". Speaking to Sapa on Saturday, Kasrils said the passing of the bill would be a sad day for the country. "It will be a very sad day to see the rights of the people stifled." Addressing the crowd, Achmat said if the bill was passed without a public interest defence clause, "we will be making a mistake". Speaking at the start of the march, Shapiro told protesters the R2K campaign would oppose the bill's passage. "We will not let the bill go through the way it is now," he vowed. Among the posters held aloft outside Parliament was one showing three chimpanzees, using their hands to cover, each in turn, their mouth, eyes and ears. It read: "We're taxpaying citizens -- not your dumb pets." On the back of the speakers' truck, a woman in a red T-shirt and wearing a white doek on her head, held up a poster advising government: "Keep the bill in your pants". ### East Africa: South Sudan Delays Membership in Regional Bloc (Daily Nation) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109170205.html By Machel Amos 17 September 2011 Juba South Sudan may not be joining the East African Community (EAC) anytime soon, it has now emerged. The EAC leadership has been waiting for Africa's newest country to re-apply to join the regional bloc after becoming independent on July 9 and even went an extra mile to put on hold Khartoum's application pending Juba's acceptance. Even though Juba is eager to sign on, a string of challenges associated with the country's infancy have overshadowed the process. The country is struggling to improve its fledgling economy that relies heavily on imports from Uganda and Kenya, raising fears that it could turn into a dumping ground for products from the two countries once it joins the regional bloc.

"Our economy is still weak, and for the time being we don't have products for export," Mr Lual, the chairperson of the country's parliamentary Foreign Affairs and International Relations committee, said. "But countries like Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are ahead of us. Their products will flood our market," he said. But the new government, challenged by institutionalised corruption and ethnic rivalries, is struggling to provide basic services to a people who have waited for so long for them and whose expectations exceed the ability of the government to deliver. "As people of Africa -- and we consider the people of EAC as our brothers in Africa -- I believe any decision our government is going to take will put the priority on our people getting benefits," he said. ### Kenya: Shabaab Recruits Train in Mombasa (Nairobi Star) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109170183.html By Dominic Wabala 17 September 2011 A Yemeni terror suspect arrested by the Anti Terrorism Police Unit in May has revealed how a Kenyan is recruiting both locals and foreigners to fight for Al Shabaab. Fifteen Yemenis, Somalis and a Pakistani were recruited into Al Shabaab and smuggled into Kenya for training and indoctrination earlier this year. In May Yemeni national Ally Abdulrasoul, 29 years, was arrested by ATPU with four other suspects at a roadblock at the Sabaki bridge on their way to Somalia via the Lamu Kiunga border. Recruits are assembled by a Yemeni named as Sheikh Al Bashir of Sheher in Hadramout province before being transported by boat to Kenya to undergo intensive training at the coast before going to Somalia. Ally told police that he received training for guns, grenades and first aid from a Kenyan man in Mombasa mainland. They were also taught self-defence and how to immobilize an enemy by hitting them on the back of the neck or head. Ally said the 15 recruits including six Yemenis and four Somalis embarked on the treacherous two day voyage from the Yemeni port of Quisayer on March 1. "We were six Yemenis namely Abdul, Hassan, Abubakar Turbo, Abdulatif, Takque, Zargah, Salim Abdulrazak and one I cannot remember. Faud Ajlan escorted us to the boat and our journey started. The boat was wooden and had Arabic writing Al Barak. The captain was Ismail and had a crew of five," Abdulrasoul told ATPU detectives in his statement on May 11. The boat first stopped in the deep ocean to deliver ten 200 litre diesel tanks to armed militia before sailing to Kenyan waters. "When we arrived in Kenya territory, the captain said that we stop in the deep sea to avoid the Kenyan Navy patrol as we wait for smaller boat to ferry

us to Kiunga. Some small boat came with people who looked like fishermen and took us to the shores and there was someone waiting with flash lights. We went with him to a house thatched with grass and were told to relax. That was between 10pm and 11pm," the suspect said in his statement. Abdulrasoul said that later a lanky bearded man introduced himself as Abdul and told them he would be taking them on a two day journey to Mombasa. To evade police roadblock checks, the suspects disguised themselves as a wedding convoy. "Abdul gave us khat and chewing gum and instructed us to start chewing in order to avoid being noticed by police. We all boarded a Nissan with heavy music and some locals with drums pretending to be coming from a wedding. The road was rough and we passed two check points which we passed through without being detected although the driver gave out some cash to facilitate smooth movement," the suspect told police. The group stopped in Malindi for a meal before proceeding to Mombasa and boarding a ferry to Likoni. The recruits were blindfolded but remember being driven on a tarmac road for about thirty minutes before turning left and entering a gate and herded into a big house with many rooms. The recruits were then allegedly received by Sheikh Samir Hussein aka Shamir Hashimu Khan who has been charged for training terrorists and organising criminal activities for Al Shabaab. Some of the arrested recruits have identified him as the man who received and trained them in preparation for jihad in Somalia. "This training went on for about a week and I do recall that one day Sheikh Hussein came with six AK 47 rifles of different designs. He taught us how to use them and each rifles was assigned to two of us. One of them had a bayonet or knife. After training, the Somali took away the weapons. After three or four days he again came with three grenades which they taught us on its usage and dangers and thereafter, the Somali took them away," the suspect told police. The first batch of three Yemenis and a Somali travelled to Somalia in mid April followed by another group of three followed two days later. The last batch of five which was intercepted at the Sabaki bridge in May left Likoni and crossed into Mombasa before boarding a white Toyota Prado. They were joined by two young Kenyan boys and an adult man. Sheikh Samir has two pending cases in Nairobi after he was arrested in Ukunda for the illegal training of youths and possessing offensive weapons like knives. All the cases commenced last year. According to the Council of Imams and Preachers organising Secretary Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa, Samir is a Kenyan of Indian decent but was raised up in Ukunda and speaks Digo. He does not have a mosque in Likoni or Ukunda but goes round preaching in mosques in South Coast. Shamir is not easy to trace as he does not move around with his phones for fear of being tracked by security, according to the CIPK. He is however connected to the controversial Msikiti Musa mosque in Majengo area, Mombasa. Sheikh Khalifa says Samir resembles Sheikh Aboud Rogo who is also facing security cases in court. The Kenya Muslims Advisory Council National Chairman Sheikh

Juma Ngao said Sheikh Samir's origins are controversial and people rarely want to talk about it. ### Somalia bans foreign aid workers from rebel areas (Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78G05120110917?sp=true By Abdi Sheikh and Mohamed Ahmed 17 September 2011 MOGADISHU - Somalia has banned foreign aid workers and journalists from entering areas controlled by al Shabaab insurgents after members of a Turkish charity took food to famine victims in an area under the Islamist group. Nearly all aid agencies have already barred their expatriate workers from operating in Somalia as famine grips the country, due to the risk of kidnapping as the hard-line militants linked to al Qaeda control most of the southern part of the country after retreating from the capital. However, Somali security forces briefly detained two Turks on Tuesday who went to an al Shabaab area to deliver food to famine victims, and prevented others along with a group of journalists from doing so later in the week. "We want the starving Somalis in al Shabaab areas to be fed but we do not want the foreign workers to meet al Shabaab," Mogadishu's mayor and governor Mohamud Ahmed Nur told Reuters. "Let the foreign aid workers hand over the relief food to the local NGOs, which can deliver to the drought victims in al Shabaab areas. The government is responsible for the security of foreign aid workers. We do not want them to be harmed. Why risk their lives?" he said late on Friday. A large part of Somalia is experiencing famine, which the United Nations says has put 750,000 people at risk of starvation, with hundreds of Somalis dying each day. Al Shabaab, which is hostile to any Western intervention, itself banned food aid last year in the areas it controls in southern Somalia and kicked many groups out, saying aid creates dependency. Aid agencies say they have been unable to reach more than 2 million Somalis facing starvation in rebel-held territories. Some local aid agencies are allowed to deliver aid to these areas, but this is not enough for all those who need it. The government blames the famine on al Shabaab, which it says has looted grain stores, extorted food and taxes from farmers and prevented starving people from reaching help. On Thursday and Friday, police stopped aid workers and a group of journalists from

visiting al Shabaab-controlled areas. "Government police stopped four Turkish aid workers and five foreign journalists on Thursday and Friday," Mohamud Dahir Farah, government's coordinator for humanitarian affairs, told Reuters on Friday. "The government is concerned about their security. Foreigners will not be allowed to go to al Shabaab areas till the top government officials give a go head signal," he added. Kidnapping for ransom has become a major money-spinner in lawless Somalia, notably for pirates who plague the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes linking Europe to Africa and Asia. But the capture of foreigners inside Somalia has become relatively rare since aid agencies pulled out their expatriate workers ### Ivorian refugees despair 'home is not safe' (Reuters) http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/ivorian-refugees-despair-home-is-not-safe/ By Clair MacDougall 16 September 2011 EGYEI KROM, Ghana - Monayu Moutine's village in Ivory Coast was leveled and most of her family killed during this year's bloody post-election conflict, and she hopes never to return. "I have lost hope and cannot go back," the 56-year-old grandmother said, sitting in the U.N.-funded Egyei Krom refugee camp in central Ghana. "My village does not exist anymore, my husband, brothers and other relatives were killed." Moutine is one of 18,000 Ivorians still in Ghanaian refugee camps since the conflict earlier this year, and like most of the others she refuses to go back to a country that has seen two civil wars in a decade and where ethnic tensions remain deadly. The United Nations said Ivorian refugees across the region -- including in Liberia which took in some 173,000 refugees -- are reluctant to head home five months after the conflict amid reports of continued violence, and said it is now facing a $70 million shortfall to support them. "The total number of Ivorian refugees and asylum seekers in the region is declining, but extremely gradually," said Ewurabena Hutchful, a spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR. "In some countries, like Ghana, (the number of refugees is) plateauing." Funding could dry up entirely within months, the U.N. warned, putting the future of the refugees at risk.

"If the problem persists, the government will have to intervene," said Kenneth Dzirasah, the chairman of the Ghana refugee board. "The state of Ghana cannot cope with 18,000 refugees and the potential impact on the budget is a matter of concern." ROTTING RICE A crowd of mostly women and children danced and sang on the dusty paths dividing a sprawl of white UNHCR refugee tents at the Egyei Krom camp as a U.N. delegation arrived. Several of the women placed bowls of dirty-looking rice and grain on the earth, shouting angrily at the visitors. "We are badly treated ... We are fed up with rotten rice and oil," said 22-year-old Glokpai Ariyelle Paule. She, like others in this camp, is an ethnic Guere from Ivory Coast's Duekoue region -- an area with a bloody history of ethnic strife and where some of the worst fighting took place. Several hundred people were shot and hacked to death in March in the Duekoue region as fighters seeking to oust incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo moved through, according to reports from the U.N. and human rights groups. The Guere are widely seen as supporters of Gbagbo, who was arrested in mid-April after fierce fighting in the economic capital Abidjan, paving the way for Alassane Ouattara, winner of a November 2010 election, to take power. Ethnic violence continues in the countryside, extending decades of deep-rooted animosity between the Guere and other groups over land rights in the cocoa growing region. The United Nations mission in Ivory Coast said in August pro-Ouattara gunmen had executed 26 people over the past month, and had also raped and illegally detained others. Amnesty International has also said pro-Ouattara forces, many of them in the country's new military, were behind a spate of rights abuses. The violence highlights the enormous task facing Ouattara in uniting the country, which was the region's most vibrant economy before its 2002-03 civil war. For Paule, the options are limited. "I cannot return to Ivory Coast because I have lost everything over there. And here, equally, we are maltreated and there is no security here," she said. ###

As Congo subdues some armed groups, new ones emerge (The Christian Science Monitor) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0916/As-Congo-subduessome-armed-groups-new-ones-emerge By Jason Stearns 16 September 2011 Yesterday, in a speech to the nation, President Joseph Kabila announced, "There is no more fire in the East, just some embers." While it is true that fighting has ebbed this year largely due to a decrease in operations by the Congolese army new armed groups have been popping up in South Kivu. In the run-up to elections, we reported on efforts by the Congolese army to co-opt and repress various remaining armed groups in the eastern Congo groups that are commonly euphemized as "residuals" by the government. The government struck deals with the FRF (Fizi/Uvira), Mai-Mai Kapopo (Mwenga), Mai-Mai Kifuafua (Kalehe) and has launched an offensive against the Mai-Mai Yakutumba (Fizi). (The army said it would no longer broker deals with groups after last June) These efforts had been built on relatively shaky grounds most of the deals involved cash buyouts and promises of positions in the new regiments. At the same time, the Congolese army had to reassure the previously integrated armed groups especially PARECO and CNDP and the national army that their power would not be diluted. Over the past few weeks, we have seen these efforts crumble. First, some existing deals have fallen apart, while at the same time new groups have emerged. One MONUSCO official in South Kivu spoke of "the mushrooming of new groups" there, in particular in the highlands of Uvira territory. One new group called Mai-Mai Kashorogosi belongs to a deserter from the police, Col. Nyerere Bunana, who defected in June and has rallied around 30 soldiers around him. His defection was prompted by allegations from the Congolese army that he was involved in a criminal network. Two other defectors have reportedly also established new groups in the same general area: Col. Bede Rusagara and Lt Col Baleke Sumahili, both of whom deserted from the Congolese army. Neither of them probably has more than several combatants under his command. The Fuliro community, which lives in the mountains to the west of Uvira, has apparently become a hotbed for such armed group activity. All of the three above groups come from this community. In addition to those, there is the Mai-Mai Aochi, which has been active for several months now in the high plateau around Minembwe. There is also the Mai-Mai Mulumba group, also from the Fuliro community, active in the same area. Finally, a splinter group of the FRF, with its roots in the Banyamulenge community, has also re-emerged under the command of Col. Richard Tawimbi, also in the same broad area. What is the reason behind the proliferation of these groups this year? No one really seems

to know for sure. In part, this is probably due to conflicts emerging around the integration of armed groups and the regimentation process, which has launched a competition for positions in the new army structure. In particular, the prominence of Hutu and Tutsi in these new structures has angered other communities, and the Fuliro have also been very outspoken in their opposition to the CNDP and PARECO. Others have suggested that the new armed groups are being manipulated by politicians, although I have not seen concrete proof of this yet. The main problems, however, are still structural: a weak army and a large country. The army is not yet strong and professional enough to deter new groups from emerging, and by buying them off the army is providing incentives for other groups to form. Once rebels join the army, they soon despair at poor pay and living conditions. It is also difficult for commanders who are often illiterate and used to an easy life in their local community to rub shoulders with educated officers who have formal training, and to move far away from home. Finally, the area where these groups are located is notoriously mountainous, rich in natural resources, and difficult to control, making it easy for guerrilla fighters to persist. These groups do not pose a serious threat to state power, but they do form a symbolic threat at a time when the government is trying to show that they have re-established peace in the East. ### END OF REPORT