Please note: The following news items are presented here for informational purposes. The views expressed within them are those of the authors and/or individuals quoted, not those of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, the National Defense University, or the Department of Defense.
Today’s News
French hostage ‘executed’ in Mali
A French hostage has been executed in Mali, a man claiming to be a spokesman for al-Qaeda in North Africa has told Mauritania’s ANI news agency. A French foreign office spokesman said on Tuesday that Paris was trying to verify the report of the killing of Philippe Verdon, who was kidnapped in November 2011, adding that “we don’t know at the moment” whether it was reliable. Al jazeera
No more ransoms paid for French hostages, Hollande tells families
The wife of one of the French citizens being held captive in the Sahel, says French president François Hollande told families of hostages that France would not pay any ransom for their release. RFI
U.S. Steps Up Support for French in Mali
The U.S. has been stressing the avoidance of “mission creep” in Mali even as American support increases for the French-led effort to oust Al Qaeda affiliates from the vast West African desert state. Through last week, Air Force C17 Globemasters had flown 47 missions to Mali, ferrying 975 French troops and more than 1,200 tons of equipment and supplies to the fight against Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb rebels for control of northern Mali, according to Defense Department figures. Military.com
Desperate AQIM breaks silence on Mali
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) issued a new statement on Sunday (March 17th), urging North African youths to fight secularists at home and wage jihad in Mali. The message from the terror network was the first since the international military intervention in northern Mali dislodged the terror network from major cities and reportedly killed several senior leaders, including Abdelhamid Abou Zeid. Magharebia
Mali’s Bad Trip: Field notes from the West African drug trade
“If he returns to Gao, people will make kebabs out of him,” a friend told me with a laugh over lunch in his home. He was referring to a prominent businessman who left the northern Malian city of Gao late last year for unknown reasons. My lunch partner’s comment was indicative. Many Malians in the north and south are deeply angry at notables or other local figures believed to be involved in the reportedly lucrative local drug trade whom they suspect of working with jihadi groups — the very same jihadi groups that tried to turn the north of the country into a haven for their Islamist ideas before the French-led intervention in Mali in January. African Argument
Mali crisis: France host talks on post-war development
France is hosting talks on Mali’s post-war development, two months after sending troops to battle Islamist militants in the north of the country. Malian and French officials in Lyon are discussing how to ensure militants do not launch fresh attacks on civilians. As France prepares to pull out its troops from Mali, it says improving living conditions are also a priority. France intervened after saying the al-Qaeda-linked militants threatened to march on the capital, Bamako. BBC
The Jihadi from the Block
In the war for the heart of northern Mali, the real fear isn’t al Qaeda, it’s the criminals and fundamentalists lurking just around the corner. Foreign Policy
The Great Potential of a U.S.-Moroccan Relationship
[...] The reason for Western concerns about French withdrawal is that the coalition of African armies with whom they are now allied lack the capacity to hold the territory on their own. “No amount of exercise or training in the next couple weeks or months can, in itself, prepare African forces for their new role in Mali,” U.S. counterterrorism specialist Benjamin P. Nickels told the Times. And so at precisely the time when most Western governments wish to reduce their military commitments abroad in light of trying economic circumstances, they face pressure to do the opposite. [...] In order to scale back military commitments, strengthen indigenous military capabilities, and benefit from the business opportunities Africa poses, the United States would do well to find a local partner that can facilitate all three. A strong candidate to play this role is a staunch US ally, the Kingdom of Morocco. National Interest
Arab nations to monitor jihadist websites
Arab interior ministers want to keep a closer watch on extremist websites. The new agreement emerged from the 30th session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council, which ended Thursday (March 14th) in Riyadh. Twenty-one Arab ministers approved recommendations to monitor extremist websites used for recruiting young people, as well as online communications between terrorist groups. [...] “The Arab interior ministers’ plan is very ambitious and important because many young people start their journey towards terrorism by learning about these groups via the internet,” Omar Ould Dahmed, an expert in youth issues, told Magharebia. “The content, especially related to combat and training, as well as songs glorifying jihad, attract many people,” he added. Magharebia
US trying to get Ntaganda to the Hague safely
The warlord from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) surprised US embassy staff in Kigali on Monday when he walked in off the street and asked for help in reaching the ICC in the Hague where he is wanted on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The 10 charges committed in the DRC include using child soldiers, murder, rape and sexual slavery. “We did not have any prior notice or any consultations with him to indicate that he would do that. He was a walk-in in the truest sense of the word,” said US state department spokesperson Victoria Nuland. Mail and Guardian
Will Congolese Warlord’s Weirdly Civil Surrender Get Fellow Rebels A Free Pass?
[...] While officials puzzle out the surprisingly tricky diplomatic details of transporting the accused war criminal to his new detention cell in The Hague, others are wondering why someone so powerful would turn himself in to the international court he has openly flouted for seven years. (Ntaganda was known to arrive for sets of tennis in fancy Congolese hotels while U.N. officials stood impotently by.) The simplest, but by no means only, explanation floating around for his change of heart is that he may have preferred a European jail cell to an African coffin. For the past few weeks, there has been infighting within Ntaganda’s rebel group, the so-called M23, and this Saturday his faction suffered a crushing defeat. He was a marked man. NPR
UN names peace envoy for Great Lakes
The UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Monday named former Irish president Mary Robinson the UN special envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes region as it tries to end conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. “Mrs Robinson will play a key role in supporting the implementation of the Peace, Security and Co-operation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region of Africa” which was signed by 11 countries last month, said the UN deputy spokesperson Eduardo del Buey. News 24
Rwanda refuses visas for two U.N. Congo sanctions experts
Rwanda has refused to issue entry visas to two members of a U.N. expert panel that accused Kigali last year of arming rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, describing them as biased, Rwandan and other diplomats said on Tuesday. Reuters
US advocacy group attempts to ward off Sudan envoy pick
As the Obama administration prepares to nominate a new special envoy to Sudan, a major Sudan advocacy organisation has urged secretary of state John Kerry not to nominate former US ambassador to Sudan Tim Carney, who is reportedly being considered for the post, according to US foreign policy blog site The Cable. Sudan Tribune
How Kenya delivered its peaceful general elections
The Supreme Court of Kenya has been asked to rule on the validity of the outcome of Kenya’s 4 March 2013 general elections, but the fact remains that the elections were held successfully in a free and peaceful atmosphere. How did Kenya deliver these widely acclaimed peaceful elections, defying observers’ warning of a possible recurrence of the 2007–08 violence? The reforms undertaken within the framework of the 2010 Constitution played a major part. These reforms put in place the institutions and legal frameworks to ensure clean elections. Chief among these is an independent judiciary with a leadership determined to defend the Constitution and meet the expectations of the public. ISS
Kenya: How Technology Transformed Kenyans Into a Nation of Election Monitors
[...] Some have pointed to the public calls for peace by candidates themselves; some credit the International Criminal Court’s indictment of high-level figures implicated in the 2007/8 violence; some see the new constitution in 2010 which reformed electoral laws and reformed the judiciary as crucial; some thank Kenya’s self-censoring media; and some see the ethnic coalition of presidential victor Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto as key. The truth is no doubt that all those factors combined, alongside some other issues, contributed to the relative lack of violence. But one other crucial issue should also be credited: the use of technology. Think Africa Press on allAfrica
Scarcity and Security in Africa (live streaming)
Speakers: Jendayi Frazer, Distinguished Service Professor, Carnegie Mellon University; Adjunct Senior Fellow for Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations Juergen Voegele, Director, Agriculture and Environmental Services, World Bank. Gary Weir, Chief Historian, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Presider: Harry Broadman, Chief Economist; Leader, Emerging Markets Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers. March 20, 2013. Council on Foreign Relations
Treason Case May Fuel Unrest in Malawi
Malawi’s first-ever tripartite elections in May 2014 will be a litmus test for President Joyce Banda, who is faced with an opposition majority in parliament, soaring food prices, and a potential treason trial. The charging of 12 top Malawian government officials with treason may be a catalyst for more unrest and a recipe for disaster for Banda as soaring food prices are set to impact over 65 percent of Malawians this year. IPS
Zimbabwe votes in support of new constitution
Almost 95 percent of Zimbabweans have voted in favour of a new draft constitution which is supported by both President Robert Mugabe and his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai, which paves the way for new elections. Tallies, released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commisison after Tuesday’s results, showed that an overwhelming 3,079,966 voters were in favour of the new constitution and 179,489 were against it. Al Jazeera
A high-tech hunt for pirates off Horn of Africa
On board the HDMS Iver Huitfeldt, the captain has just had them execute what on land would be considered a three point turn. The huge frigate churns up the ocean as it neatly swings back around to its starting point ship and to an abrupt — and complete — stop. This is not what you’d expect from a gigantic naval warship, but this is no ordinary boat. The Iver Huitfeldt is one of the most advanced ships in the world. The average ship cruises along at roughly 9 miles an hour. The Iver does 30. With a 46,000 horsepower engine it can get to top speeds from a standing start, outrunning and surrounding its targets in a manner designed to make those on board think twice about putting up too much of a fight. CNN
Al-Shabab Retakes Somali Town After Ethiopian Pullout
Militant group al-Shabab has retaken a town in central Somalia after Ethiopian troops unexpectedly pulled out. Witnesses say al-Shabab occupied the town of Huddur, the capital of Somalia’s Bakool region, immediately after the Ethiopian withdrawal on Sunday morning. The commander of Somali troops in the region, Colonel Hassan Isaaq Omar, told VOA’s Somali Service that Ethiopian troops remain in other parts of the area. VOA
At least 45 dead as boat carrying 166 sinks off Nigeria
At least 45 people died when a wooden boat carrying 166 people from southeastern Nigeria capsized off the coast, a doctor said on Tuesday. The boat left on Friday from the remote town of Oron, in Cross Rivers state, and was heading across the Gulf of Guinea to Gabon, in central Africa, when it capsized 40 nautical miles offshore, emergency services and traders said. Reuters
86 elephants killed in Chad poaching massacre
Poachers in south-west Chad have killed at least 86 elephants including 33 pregnant females in less than a week, in a potentially devastating blow to one of central Africa’s last remaining elephant populations. Groups of elephants follow traditional migration routes during the dry season from Central African Republic, through Chad to Cameroon. Thirty years ago there were estimates of 150,000 animals across the region, but today that figure could be as low as 2,000. The Guardian
FOR THE RECORD – AFRICA – U.S. Government Events, Statements, and Articles.
A weekly compilation by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS)
Economic Statecraft at Work: Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility in Zimbabwe
U.S. Department of State DipNote Blog
“Shortly after arriving in Zimbabwe, I became involved in the world of corporate social responsibility (CSR). U.S. Embassy Harare’s Public Affairs Section partnered with the Regional Center for Social Responsibility (RCSR) to launch a comprehensive CSR outreach campaign supported by the State Department’s Fund for Economic Innovation in Public Diplomacy. As a Political and Economic Officer, I was grateful to have the opportunity to engage on a critical business issue and participate in this ground-breaking Zimbabwean initiative.” – Jean Phillipson,Political and Economic Officer at the U.S Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe