africom related news clips 31 oct 2011

8/3/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 31 Oct 2011

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U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 [email protected]

United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office31 October 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command andAfrica, along with upcoming events of interest for October 31, 2011.

Of interest in todays clips:

The New York Times reports on the urgency of international businesses to rush to theshores of Tripoli for what they hope to be profitable ventures in the newly freed state. At

the same time The Financial Post is taking a different approach, making the case that civilwar and other such challenges might be on the nearer horizon.

The Associated Press covers the arrival of 22 injured Libyan fighters to Boston andKenyas ongoing military operation into southern Somalia still runs strongly in the newswith Al Jazeera reporting that there is no end date to this mission and the BBC

discussing cross border air raids conducted by the Kenyan Air Force.

Al Jazeera reports on skirmishes between Sudan and their recently ceded formercountrymen in South Sudan.

From Johannesburg: U.S. AFRICOM's civilian deputy, Ambassador J. Anthony Holmes,addressed the AFRICOM basing issue and shared how the suspicion that once existedwith AFRICOM is dissipating.

Wrapping up this mornings report is an NYT Op-ed co-authored by IVO H. Daalder andJames G. Stavridis in which they discuss NATOs role in the Libya campaign as thatoperation comes to an end today.

U.S. Africa Command Public AffairsPlease send questions or comments to:[email protected] (+49-711-729-2687)

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Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa

West Sees Libya as Opportunity for Businesses (New York Times)
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/world/africa/western-companies-see-libya-as-ripe-at-last-for-business.html28 October 2011By Scott ShaneThe guns in Libya have barely quieted, and NATOs military assistance to the rebellion

that toppled Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi will not end officially until Monday. But a newinvasion force is already plotting its own landing on the shores of Tripoli.

Divide Libya into its tribal parts (Financial Post)http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/Divide+Libya+into+tribal+parts/5626534/story.html29 October 2011By Lawrence SolomonWho should get Libya's fabulous oil and gas wealth, an amount that could be equivalentto several million dollars per Libyan? With NATO leaving Libya Monday, the Westshould prepare for the aftermath.

Navy chief warns of pirates (News24.com -- South Africa)http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Navy-chief-warns-of-pirates-2011102727 October 2011African nations need to pool efforts to fight maritime security threats and to preventpirates from other parts of the continent from heading south, South Africa's navy chiefsaid on Thursday.

22 wounded Libyan rebel fighters arrive in Mass (Associated Press)http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/10/29/22_wounded_libyan_rebel_fighters_arrive_in_mass/29 October 2011Nearly two dozen former Libyan rebel fighters were carried in stretchers or limped andhobbled out of a U.S. Air Force medical evacuation jet in Massachusetts on Saturday atthe end of a 13-hour flight for treatment of wounds sustained in the war that ousted slainlongtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Tracking Down The Terror Of Central Africa (The Strategy Page)http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htun/articles/20111030.aspxOctober 30, 2011The recent announcement that the United States would send about a hundred specialoperations troops to Uganda is the result of several years of lobbying by American andAfrican politicians.

On to Kampala... Americas new war in Africa Eric S. Margolis (Khaleej Times)http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2011/October/opinion_October144.xml30 October 2011Wasted $1 trillion in the futile Iraq war? Being defeated by medieval Afghan tribesmen?Cant pay your bills at home or abroad? Government paralysed? Worried about China?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/world/africa/western-companies-see-libya-as-ripe-at-last-for-business.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/world/africa/western-companies-see-libya-as-ripe-at-last-for-business.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/world/africa/western-companies-see-libya-as-ripe-at-last-for-business.htmlhttp://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/Divide+Libya+into+tribal+parts/5626534/story.htmlhttp://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/Divide+Libya+into+tribal+parts/5626534/story.htmlhttp://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/Divide+Libya+into+tribal+parts/5626534/story.htmlhttp://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Navy-chief-warns-of-pirates-20111027http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Navy-chief-warns-of-pirates-20111027http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/10/29/22_wounded_libyan_rebel_fighters_arrive_in_mass/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/10/29/22_wounded_libyan_rebel_fighters_arrive_in_mass/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/10/29/22_wounded_libyan_rebel_fighters_arrive_in_mass/http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htun/articles/20111030.aspxhttp://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htun/articles/20111030.aspxhttp://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2011/October/opinion_October144.xmlhttp://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2011/October/opinion_October144.xmlhttp://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2011/October/opinion_October144.xmlhttp://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2011/October/opinion_October144.xmlhttp://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2011/October/opinion_October144.xmlhttp://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htun/articles/20111030.aspxhttp://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/10/29/22_wounded_libyan_rebel_fighters_arrive_in_mass/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/10/29/22_wounded_libyan_rebel_fighters_arrive_in_mass/http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Navy-chief-warns-of-pirates-20111027http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/Divide+Libya+into+tribal+parts/5626534/story.htmlhttp://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/Divide+Libya+into+tribal+parts/5626534/story.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/world/africa/western-companies-see-libya-as-ripe-at-last-for-business.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/world/africa/western-companies-see-libya-as-ripe-at-last-for-business.html


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Whats the answer? Simple: A new little war in Africa.

No exit date for Kenyan mission in Somalia (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111029163441395507.html29 October 2011

The Kenyan military has no firm date for a withdrawal from Somalia, where it is battlingal-Shabab fighters, the country's military chief has said. General Julius Karanga wasspeaking to a news briefing in Nairobi on Saturday, as at least 10 people were killed in anattack on an African Union base in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

US court dismisses lawsuit against Kagame (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/10/20111029145039353562.html29 October 2011A federal court in the state of Oklahoma has dismissed a lawsuit against RwandanPresident Paul Kagame, brought by the widows of two assassinated African presidents,ruling that he had immunity in the US.

Rights groups fear DR Congo poll violence (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110295055865324.html29 October 2011Human rights groups have accused presidential candidates of creating a "climate of fear"in the Democratic Republic of Congo as campaigning got underway for presidential andlegislative elections.

Kenya air raid targets al-Shabab militants in Somalia (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1551343030 October 2011At least nine people have been killed and 50 wounded in a Kenyan air raid targeting al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia.A Kenyan military spokesman told the BBC the planes had targeted the outskirts of thetown of Jilib.

Libya: Gaddafi son Saif al-Islam says he is innocent (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1550363829 October 2011Saif al-Islam - the son of slain ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi - says he is innocentof crimes against humanity, an international prosecutor has said.The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said talks withSaif al-Islam had been held through intermediaries.

The SSLA has warned United Nations staff and aid workers to leave Unity State

(BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1550713829 October 2011Rebels from the South Sudan Liberation Army have attacked a town in the oil-rich UnityState and at least 75 people have died, the national army has said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111029163441395507.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111029163441395507.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/10/20111029145039353562.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/10/20111029145039353562.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110295055865324.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110295055865324.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15513430http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15513430http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15503638http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15503638http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15507138http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15507138http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15507138http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15503638http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15513430http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110295055865324.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/10/20111029145039353562.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111029163441395507.html


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Among the dead, nine were soldiers, 15 were civilians and at least 50 were rebels, anarmy spokesman told the BBC.

South Sudan rebels launch deadly attack near border (Al Jazeera)http://www.france24.com/en/20111029-south-sudan-rebels-deadly-attack-border-mayom-

unity-state-jang29 October 2011Rebels in South Sudan attacked a town in an oil-producing state on Saturday, killing 15people, including nine soldiers, and wounding 18, officials said, in the latest violence inAfrica's newest nation.

Africa warming up to Africom after initial resistance (The Sunday independent)No link available. Transcribed from hard copy.

30 October 2011By Peter FabriciusThe US feels it has now largely overcome the suspicions of African governments about

the creation of U.S.Africa Command (AFRICOM) for its military forces three years ago.Anthony Holmes, Africoms deputy commander, acknowledged in Pretoria on Friday thatthe US government had "stupidly" proposed originally to establish the AFRICOMheadquarters in Africa.

NATO's Success in Libya (New York Times)http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/opinion/31iht-eddaalder31.html31 October 2011By Ivo H. Daalder and James G. StavridisMonday, Oct. 31st, seven months after it started, NATOs operation in Libya will cometo an end. It is the first time NATO has ended an operation it started. And it comes on theheels of an historic victory for the people of Libya who, with NATOs help, transformed

their country from an international pariah into a nation with the potential to become aproductive partner with the West.

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UN News Service Africa Briefshttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA

South Sudan joins UNESCO, major challenges in education lie ahead29 OctoberThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) today welcomed the recently independent country of South Sudan -- whichhas some of the worst indicators for education levels in the world -- as its newest MemberState.

Niger: UN agency boosts aid as a million people face urgent food crisis28 OctoberThe United Nations food aid agency announced plans today to scale up its
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operations inside the poor West African country of Niger, where a poor harvest andinsect attacks against cereals have left a million people in need of immediate support.

Guinea-Bissau: UN official calls for multilateral cooperation to combat organizedcrime

28 OctoberRegional and global partnerships are urgently needed to combat organizedcrime in Guinea-Bissau and other countries in West Africa affected by the illegal drugtrade, a United Nations official has said, calling for a more integrated approach in theregion.

DR Congo: UN envoy concerned over fatal shooting as poll campaign begins28 OctoberThe head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo (DRC) today voiced deep concern over reports that one personwas shot dead and three others wounded during a demonstration in the south-centralprovince of Kasai Oriental to mark the beginning of campaigning for next months

general elections.

ICC Prosecutor in contact with Qadhafis son on possible surrender28 OctoberThe Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said today hisoffice is in indirect contact with Saif al-Islam Qadhafi, son of the former Libyan leader,on his possible surrender to face charges for crimes against humanity.

(Full Articles on UN Website)

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Upcoming Events of Interest:

Washington DC

31 OCT 2011

WHEN: 12:00 p.m.WHAT:Cato Institute Book Discussion on " The Relationship between Intelligence andPolicy." Speakers: Paul R. Pillar, Director of Graduate Studies, Center for Peace andSecurity Studies, Georgetown University, Author, Intelligence and U.S. Foreign Policy(Columbia, 2011); and Joshua Rovner, Associate Professor, Strategy and Policy, U.S.Naval War College, Author, Fixing the Facts: National Security and the Politics ofIntelligence (Cornell, 2011); with comments by Mark Lowenthal, President and CEO,The Intelligence and Security Academy, Former Assistant Director of CentralIntelligence for Analysis and Production; moderated by Christopher Preble, VicePresident, Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute.WHERE: Mount Vernon Place, Undercroft Auditorium, 900 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.


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CONTACT: 202-842-0200; web site: www.cat.orgSOURCE: Cato Institute - event announcement at:http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=8423

1 NOV 2011

WHEN: 2:15 p.m.WHAT: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on "China's Role in Africa.Implications." Witnesses: David Shinn, Adjunct Professor George WashingtonUniversity; Dr. Deborah Brautigam, Senior Research Fellow, International Food PolicyResearch Institute; and Mr. Stephen Hayes, President and CEO, The Corporate Councilon AfricaWHERE: Room 419 Senate Dirksen BuildingCONTACT: 202-224-4651; web site: http://foreign.senate.gov

SOURCE: http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=8651beb7-5056-a032-52db-ffb33c635619

WHEN: 4:30 p.m.WHAT: Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)Discussion on How to End the Stalemate in Somalia. Speakers: J. Peter Pham, Directorof the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center at the Atlantic Council, and Bronwyn Bruton,Deputy Director of the Ansari Africa Center.WHERE: SAIS, Room 500, Bernstein-Offit Building, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NWCONTACT: Felisa Neuringer Klubes at 202-663-5626 or [email protected]; web site:www.sais-jhu.eduSOURCE: SAISevent announcement at www.sais-jhu.eduNew YorkNSTR

3 NOV 2011

WHEN: Thursday, November 3, 2011, 6:00 p.m.WHAT: Panel discussion on We the People: Islam and U.S. PoliticsWHO: Camille Alick, Muslims on Screen & TV; Joel Brinkley, Stanford U., MichaelWolfe, Unity Productions Foundation and Vincent Barletta, Stanford UniversityWHERE: Cubberley Auditorium School of Education, 485 Lasuen Mall, StanfordUniversityCONTACT: 650-736-8169 or e-mail: [email protected] contact: http://events.stanford.edu/events/293/29351/

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http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=8423http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=8423http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=8423


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New onwww.africom.mil

Joint Task Force-Odyssey Guard provides aeromedical evacuation of wounded

Libyan freedom fightershttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7370&lang=028 October 2011By Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public AffairsRAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany, Oct 28, 2011An eight-member team from theU.S. Air Forces 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and a 10-member team from10th Air Force is preparing to evacuate 26 seriously wounded fighters to SpauldingRehabilitation Hospital in Boston and an additional four critical cases to Germany forimmediate care.

U.S. military transports wounded Libyans to hospitals in U.S. and Germany

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7367&lang=028 October 2011U.S. Army Africa Public AffairsCASERMA EDERLE, Vicenza, Italy, Oct 28, 2011The U.S. military is assisting theLibyan Transitional National Council (TNC) by transporting approximately 30 Libyansinjured during recent fighting from Tripoli to hospitals in Europe and the United States.

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West Sees Libya as Opportunity for Businesses (New York Times)http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/world/africa/western-companies-see-libya-as-ripe-at-last-for-business.html28 October 2011By Scott Shane

WASHINGTONThe guns in Libya have barely quieted, and NATOs militaryassistance to the rebellion that toppled Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi will not end officiallyuntil Monday. But a new invasion force is already plotting its own landing on the shoresof Tripoli.

Western security, construction and infrastructure companies that see profit-makingopportunities receding in Iraq and Afghanistan have turned their sights on Libya, nowfree of four decades of dictatorship. Entrepreneurs are abuzz about the business potentialof a country with huge needs and the oil to pay for them, plus the competitive advantageof Libyan gratitude toward the United States and its NATO partners.
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A week before Colonel Qaddafis death on Oct. 20, a delegation from 80 Frenchcompanies arrived in Tripoli to meet officials of the Transitional National Council, theinterim government. Last week, the new British defense minister, Philip Hammond,urged British companies to pack their suitcases and head to Tripoli.

When Colonel Qaddafis body was still on public display, a British venture, TrangoSpecial Projects, pitched its support services to companies looking to cash in. Whilstspeculation continues regarding Qaddafis killing, Trango said on its Web site, are you

and your business ready to return to Libya?

The company offered rooms at its Tripoli villa and transport by our discreet mixed

British and Libyan security team. Its discretion does not come cheaply. The price for a

10-minute ride from the airport, for which the ordinary cab fare is about $5, is listed at500 British pounds, or about $800.

There is a gold rush of sorts taking place right now, said David Hamod, president and

chief executive officer of the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce. And theEuropeans and Asians are way ahead of us. Im getting calls daily from members of thebusiness community in Libya. They say, Come back, we dont want the Americans to

lose out.

Yet there is hesitancy on both sides, and so far the talk greatly exceeds the action. TheTransitional National Council, hoping to avoid any echo of the rank corruption of theQaddafi era, has said no long-term contracts will be signed until an elected government isin place. And with cities still bristling with arms and jobless young men, Libya does notoffer anything like a safe business environmenthence the pitches from securityproviders.

Like France and Britain, the United States may benefit from the Libyan authorities

appreciation of NATOs critical air support for the revolution. Whatever the rigor of newrules governing contracts, Western companies hope to have some advantage over, say,China, which was offering to sell arms to Colonel Qaddafi as recently as July.

Revenge may be too strong a word, said Phil Dwyer, director of SCN ResourcesGroup, a Virginia contracting company that opened an office in Tripoli two weeks ago tooffer risk management advice and services to a company he would not name. But my

feeling is those who are in favor with the transitional council are going to get the nod

from a business point of view.

The Security Contracting Network, a job service run by Mr. Dwyers company, posted on

its blog two days after Colonel Qaddafis death that there would be plenty of work

opening up in Libya.

There will be an uptick of activity as foreign oil companies scramble to get back toLibya, the company said, along with a need for logistics and security personnel as the


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State Department and nonprofit organizations expand operations. Keep an eye on whowins related contracts, follow the money, and find your next job, the post advised.

In Tripoli, there is a wait-and-see atmosphere. At breakfast on Friday in a downtownhotel, a British security contractor pointed out the tables of burly menhired guns like

himself. Look at it, he said. Full of em.

Many are still protecting foreign journalists, but others are hoping to get trainingcontracts with a fledgling government trying to tame its unruly armed forces. Securityindustry officials say the work here may never match the colossal scale of spending inIraq and Afghanistan, but with a squeeze coming on European and American governmentspending, it is a prize nonetheless.

Business opportunities for Western companies began opening in Libya in 2004, whenColonel Qaddafis decision to give up his nuclear weapons program ended his countrys

pariah status. Mr. Hamod led four American business delegations to Libya between 2004

and 2010 and watched a gradual thawing of commercial relations, he said.

Total foreign direct investment in Libya had grown to $3.8 billion in 2010, from anestimated at $145 million in 2002, according to the World Bank. But many deals wereskewed by brazen demands from Colonel Qaddafis children for a share of the proceeds,and the state of the country was grim after many years of economic sanctions and neglect.

Libya needed everything, Mr. Hamod said: banking and financial services, hospitals

and medical clinics, roads and bridges, and infrastructure for energy and for the oilindustry.

Now, after months of fighting, and with the security situation still fragile, there are hugenew requirements, like rebuilding apartment complexes reduced to rubble by shelling,guarding oil installations as they restore or expand production, and training andequipping new armed forces.

Mr. Hamod said American companies are often more hesitant than Chinese or someEuropean companies about operating in a tumultuous environment like that of post-Qaddafi Libya. Theres reluctance to charge headlong back into Libya, he said.

Historically, U.S. companies are interested in the rule of law on the ground and what it

might mean for a multimillion-dollar investment.

At a Group of 8 meeting in Marseille, France, in September, finance ministers pledged$38 billion in new financing, largely loans, to Arab countries between 2011 and 2013.Though Libya is now pumping less than one-third of its prewar oil production of 1.7million barrels a day, it has Africas largest oil reserves, which eventually should mean asteady supply of cash.


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The simultaneous excitement and confusion for people exploring opportunities in Libyaare evident in proliferating Libya-themed groups on LinkedIn, the online business-oriented social network.

Can anyone in the group tell me if there are flights into Tripoli, wrote Peter Murphy, an

Irish surveyor now working on an offshore wind project, on a LinkedIn discussion pagecalled Anglo Libya Business Group. Also, what is the situation for business visas forbusiness travelers?

One answer came from Mabruk Swayah, who identified himself on LinkedIn as a Libyanworking in business development. Hi friends you are all welcome to Libya, Mr.

Swayah wrote. Just make sure you go through the proper channels for your workcontracts and dont get involved in bribes, inducements or sweeteners to officials.

He added, Remember we have free media now.

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Divide Libya into its tribal parts (Financial Post)http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/Divide+Libya+into+tribal+parts/5626534/story.html29 October 2011By Lawrence Solomon

Who should get Libya's fabulous oil and gas wealth, an amount that could be equivalentto several million dollars per Libyan? With NATO leaving Libya Monday, the Westshould prepare for the aftermath. The coming chaotic months will see infighting, andperhaps a renewal of civil war, among the many rival tribal and ideological groups. TheWest should now consider whether to influence - or impose - a just resolution.

If the West takes a hands-off approach, Libya is likely to fall into the hands of anotherstrongman, as all Arab countries have in the Middle East. Does the West want anotherGaddafi to control these riches? Or should the riches be divvied up among Libya's manytribes? Should Libya - a new country conjured up by Western powers 60 years ago - evenexist in its present form? Or should some other borders be created, to better reflect thetraditional lands and cultural differences of its indigenous populations?

This immense country - the fourth largest in Africa, in area equivalent to 25 Irelands -had but one million people on its independence day in 1951, when the United Nationsmerged together one French and two British-administered territories to create Libya. Fewamong those one million had any notion of nationhood - they largely hailed fromnomadic and semi-nomadic tribes, some 20 tribes among them of various racial stock,typically with fierce allegiances to their own clans and little else.

The three territories that became Libya had few economic prospects at the time - theywere believed to have no commercial supplies of oil or water - making them a cost to
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their British and French masters. To rid themselves of these costs, these Western powers,with UN approval, installed a local dignitary as king and walked away.

Prior to the Second World War, the territories had been colonized by Italy's Fascists.Prior to the First World War, they had been colonies of the Ottoman Turks, who had

taken them from the Arabs, who had taken them from the Romans, who had taken themfrom the Greeks. "Libyans" had never ruled themselves.

Today, Libyans still have little notion of nationhood. Shortly after Libya's creation, Esso(now known as Exxon) discovered oil, making Libya a prize worth seizing. Gaddafi thenoverthrew the monarchy that the UN had created and dismantled parliament, politicalparties and all other institutions that might challenge him. Over his 42-year rule, he usedLibya's wealth, as Arab dictators often do, to buy off some tribes and oppress the rest.Today no tradition of democracy exists in Libya, except as vestiges of tribal governance,which Gaddafi also attempted to destroy.

Libyans, by any credible measure, are ill-prepared to govern themselves, and someminorities may prefer to live apart from the dominant Libyan tribes. The Tuareg in thecountry's remote southwest, for example, call themselves "the free people" and live up totheir name: These dark-skinned people from the Saharan interior are famed for havingfought the French Foreign Legion and other colonizers in the past; today they oppose theinterim leaders that NATO and the West have empowered in Libya.

Fortunately, the United Nations has a mechanism to deal with people such as the Tuareg,and immature states such as Libya - the United Nations Trusteeship System. After theSecond World War, this system oversaw the transition of 11 territories to self-determination. Each transition was unique, because the local circumstances were unique,but they all had as their goals the promotion of domestic development, along withinternational peace and security. In some cases, self-determination took the form ofoutright independence, as with the Cameroons; in others, it involved a merger, as withTogoland, which joined the Gold Coast to become Ghana; in still others, it involvedseparation, as with Ruanda-Urundi, which voted to divide into the two sovereign states ofRwanda and Burundi.

In the case of Libya, a UN trusteeship that gave its peoples a say over their own destinycould well see a split-up of the country. The country might divide into the three parts thatexisted prior to independence, or into a larger number of sovereign states, as the varioustribal groups considered their cultural and economic self-interest.

Decentralization is likely to be positive in financial terms because under the highlycentralized Gaddafi dictatorship, as with most dictatorships, the economy stagnated. Hisdecision to expropriate the foreign-owned oil industry in favour of an inefficient andcorrupt state oil company all but halted development of one of the world's largest,cleanest, and lowest-cost reservoirs of energy - most of Libya's vast energy potential as aresult remains unexplored and untapped.


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The UN trusteeship could also dispense reparations by using part of Libya's oil wealth tocompensate Gaddafi's victims. These exist in good number domestically, in the tribes andpolitical prisoners that he ruthlessly subdued, and externally too, in the neighbouringcountries he attacked. The trusteeship could also compensate the Libyans forced to fleethe country, both the political refugees and Libya's once sizeable Jewish community,

which was forced to leave en masse, its property expropriated.

Finally, reparations could also include the US$1-billion to US$2-billion that NATO spentto liberate the country from its tyrant. If compensated, NATO countries would morereadily intervene in other tyrannies, and the tyrants, knowing this, would less readily sendtheir tanks in against their own people.

The alternative to giving Libya's people the right to determine their future is bleak. Theinterim leaders - chiefly a trio associated with the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda -have strongly held views, as do those NATO defeated on their behalf. But NATO leavesat 11: 59 p.m., Oct. 31.

Lawrence Solomon is executive director of Energy Probe, ep.probeinternational.org.

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Navy chief warns of pirates (News24.com -- South Africa)http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Navy-chief-warns-of-pirates-2011102727 October 2011

Cape Town - African nations need to pool efforts to fight maritime security threats and toprevent pirates from other parts of the continent from heading south, South Africa's navychief said on Thursday.

"The requirement for all stakeholders within our maritime zones to work together isfundamental," Vice Admiral Johannes Mudimu told a conference on African coastalsecurity.

"Without high-level political commitment and resource allocation as well as interventionwithin the economic, social and security domains, little will be achieved," he added.

Southern African countries recently adopted a maritime safety strategy that "came aboutbecause of the real threat" of piracy emerging in southern waters, he told AFP.

South Africa sent anti-piracy patrols off of neighbouring Mozambique after a ship wasattacked in December 2010.

"We constantly have the presence in the Mozambican channel," said Mudimu.

Pressure
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"We have with our presence there managed to repel this piracy perhaps to other areaswhere they serve as a safe haven for them for survive."

A threat of pirates, who have largely focused on the east coast and Gulf of Aden with a

surge in west Africa, moving into South African waters and its busy shipping routescannot be ruled out, he said.

"That's why what's important with us is that we have the ships at sea and our ships mustbe able to patrol the territorial waters," he said. "Because if you are not there at sea,somebody will occupy that space."

"If you weaken Mozambique, you weaken South Africa. If you weaken Angola, SouthAfrica gets weaker and vice-versa," said Mudimu.

"So that's why I think we have a very strong region that shares a lot of commonality and

the common strategy in terms of what it is that needs to be done to fight the menace thatwe are beginning to see in our waters."

The International Maritime Bureau said recently that piracy has reached record levelswith 352 attacks reported worldwide so far this year.

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22 wounded Libyan rebel fighters arrive in Mass (Associated Press)http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/10/29/22_wounded_libyan_rebel_fighters_arrive_in_mass/29 October 2011

BOSTONNearly two dozen former Libyan rebel fighters were carried in stretchers orlimped and hobbled out of a U.S. Air Force medical evacuation jet in Massachusetts onSaturday at the end of a 13-hour flight for treatment of wounds sustained in the war thatousted slain longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.

The envoy of Libya's National Transitional Council said the 22 fighters are the first of anestimated 200 combatants who will be flown to the United States for treatment. But MarkWard, senior adviser on Arab transitions for the U.S. Department of State, later saidseveral European nations have offered to treat some fighters, and the number of thosewho could come to this country has not been determined.

The fighters were brought to the country following a request to Secretary of State HillaryClinton during her trip to the Libyan capital of Tripoli last week, Ward said shortlybefore their flight landed at Boston's Logan International Airport in the midst of a wintrystorm.
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"The United States was very proud to help the Libyan people in eight months of struggleagainst Gadhafi and his regime," Ward said. "We know the struggle will now continue asthey rebuild their country and, in particular, we wanted to help with some of the warwounded, some of those brave, young men that fought the regime's forces and brought itto its knees."

"Libya's new freedom has come at a price in human life and suffering. Just as the UnitedStates and the international community stood with the Libyan people during therevolution, we continue to work with them now to address urgent needs," Ward said.

The wounded fighters will be treated at the Spaulding Hospital for Continuing MedicalCare North Shore in Salem, Mass., a long-term care facility.

An internationally established fund used by Libya's transitional government says it willpay the fighters' hospital bills.

The fighters were met at the airport by Ward and Ali Aujali, Libya's ambassador to theU.S. The combatants did not speak to reporters. Firefighters stationed at the airport,Massachusetts state troopers and Emergency Medical Services technicians immediatelyhelped them get into ambulances that were waiting on the tarmac in the freezing rain.

Still, Ward said the former rebel fighters had mixed reaction on arrival in the UnitedStates.

"We were just on the plane with them ... they look very excited, but also a little bitapprehensive," Ward said. "Many of them have never been on an airplane before, this is anew country, it's very cold for them. ... Tripoli was warm when they left 13 hours ago, sothis is going to be quite an experience for them, but also for the wonderful staff atSpaulding Hospital."

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Tracking Down The Terror Of Central Africa (The Strategy Page)http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htun/articles/20111030.aspxOctober 30, 2011

The recent announcement that the United States would send about a hundred specialoperations troops to Uganda, is the result of several years of lobbying by American andAfrican politicians. The American troops are being sent to help catch or kill a man whohas terrified millions of people in Central Africa over the last two decades. The target isthe elusive Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) of Uganda.

Although pursued by thousands of soldiers, police and tribal militiamen all these years,Kony and Company (a few hundred gunmen) have killed or enslaved several hundredthousand people. Millions have fled their homes just because it was rumored Kony washeaded their way.
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In the beginning, Kony and his henchmen tore apart northern Uganda, by turningteenagers into deadly gunmen, and enslaving children and adults as a support force. Histactics have killed over 100,000 people, and turned northern Uganda into a mess. TheUgandans eventually drove him out of Uganda. But now Kony and his followers areravaging adjacent areas, especially eastern Congo. No one seems able to catch him, and

his having been declared an international war criminal has made peace talks with himimpossible. Kony won't accept any amnesty if it means being tried as a war criminal, andthe international court that indicted him, is not authorized to negotiate any deal thatwould let Kony walk free. Justice must be served, even if it can't stop the mayhem.

The first step in getting American help to catch Kony occurred when U.S. AFRICOM(Africa Command), which is similar in organization to other American regionalcommands (Central, for the Middle East, and South, for Latin America, etc), wasestablished four years ago. AFRICOM coordinates all American military operations inAfrica. Before that, those operations were coordinated between two commands (the onecovering Europe and the one covering the Middle East, with some help from the one

handling Latin America). The establishment of AFRICOM meant more money forcounter-terror operations in Africa, and more long range projects. Many members ofCongress are under pressure from constituents to do something about all the suffering inAfrica and AFRICOM is seen as part of the solution, especially when it comes tostopping mass murderers like Kony.

AFRICOM sees its mission as aiding African armed forces with training, advice andsmall grants of weapons and equipment. But Congress is aware that, in the past, smallnumbers of professional troops have gone in and quickly eliminated outfits like LRA. Forexample, in 2005, Britain sent in a few hundred commandos to shut down some holdoutrebel groups in Sierra Leone. That worked. But the U.S. Army is reluctant to divert anyof its counter-terrorism forces for an African pacification mission. Such an operationwould require a lot of aircraft support, and other troops to establish bases. Instead, thehunt for Kony will be assisted, not carried out, by AFRICOM.

The LRA was one of several religious movements to emerge from the Acholi tribe ofnorthern Uganda three decades ago. One was founded by a cousin of Kony, but the LRAwas much more violent than the other Acholi religious movements. The use of childsoldiers (using kids kidnapped or taken by killing the parents), enslaving people (to bepack animals, cooks and sexual prey for the gunmen) and looting their way acrossCentral Africa, provided the means to keep Kony going. The charismatic and cleverKony is at the heart of the LRA. It is believed that the advice, training and coordinationprovided by a hundred American Special Forces, plus American air transport and aerialreconnaissance, might be the key to bringing Kony down, and ending the LRAnightmare.

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On to Kampala... Americas new war in Africa Eric S. Margolis (Khaleej Times)


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http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2011/October/opinion_October144.xml30 October 2011

Wasted $1 trillion in the futile Iraq war? Being defeated by medieval Afghan tribesmen?

Cant pay your bills at home or abroad? Government paralysed? Worried about China?

Whats the answer? Simple: A new little war in Africa.

Having finished off former ally Muammar Gadaffi, the US Pentagon, CIA, and the newUS Africa Command are now focusing on East Africa. In recent weeks, the longsimmering conflict in the Horn of Africa burst into flames as the US and Franceintensified military operations against Somalias rag-tag nationalist/Islamist militia,Shahab. Western politicians and media warn Shahab is a dire international threat thatmust be stamped out, though most could not find Somalia on a world map.

Though CIA chief Leon Panetta recently admitted only 25 to 50 Al Qaeda members wereactive in Afghanistan, it seems new Al Qaeda threats are popping up all over Africa andthe Mideast.

Just in time for Halloween, the ghost of Osama bin Laden is haunting us.

The US will send 100 special hunter-killer troops to Uganda, an undemocratic US ally.This new US force will also operate in Congo (ex-Zaire), Central African Republic,Kenya, and South Sudanwhose independence from Sudan was recently engineered byWashington.

The ostensible reason Americas new involvement in darkest Africa is a deeply obscurebunch of Ugandan bush rebels, the Lords Resistance Army, that has been kidnapping

villagers and stealing chickens for decades.

At the same time, Washington is bankrolling a Kenyan invasion of southern Somalia, andFrance is providing naval support and arms. Kenya says it is reacting to attacks fromSomalia by Shahab. But the real attackers were more likely traditional local Somalibandits known as shiftas.

CIA teams, US-financed mercenaries, Predator drones and Ethiopian forces are currentlyattacking Shahab.

All this should have been unnecessary. In 2005, a moderate Muslim movement, theIslamic Courts Union, had established control over most of chaotic southern and centralSomalia. This was its first stable government since 1991. But the Bush administration,still reeling from 9/11, went ballistic over the name Islamic and ordered the Courts

Union overthrown. In early 2006, Washington financed Ethiopia, a close US ally, toinvade Somalia. The Courts Union government was duly ousted, but the Ethiopians,
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ancient blood foes of the Somalis, had to eventually withdraw, leaving more chaos intheir wake.

Enter Shahab, an Islamic youth organisation dedicated to liberating Somalia from foreigncontrol. Its fiery leaders took 19th Century Somali resistance to British colonialism as

their model, and imposed Shariah law.

Doesnt Washington have enough on its hands without sending troops to Uganda and

Somalia, or South Sudan?

The US is moving into southern Africa for two main reasons. First, to secure SouthSudans important oil deposits and possible energy finds in Uganda. Second, to block the

spread of further Chinese economic influence in the region. Frances neoconservativegovernment is greatly alarmed by Chinas involvement in its African sphere of influence.

However, there are manifest dangers for the US. Washington may get sucked into a

complex, turbulent region in which it has no real strategic interests other than the lust forenergy and a knee-jerk reaction to anything Islamic.

The White House is supposed to be cutting expenses at a time when budgets are out ofcontrol and 44 million Americans subsist on food stamps.

Let Washingtons squabbling politicians deal with budget headaches says the mighty USnational security establishment. Were in charge. Onward to Kampala and Juba!

Eric Margolis is a veteran US journalist

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No exit date for Kenyan mission in Somalia (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111029163441395507.html29 October 2011

The Kenyan military has no firm date for a withdrawal from Somalia, where it is battlingal-Shabab fighters, the country's military chief has said.

General Julius Karanga was speaking to a news briefing in Nairobi on Saturday, as atleast 10 people were killed in an attack on an African Union base in Mogadishu, theSomali capital.

"When the Kenya government and the people of this country feel that they are safeenough from the al-Shabab menace, we shall pull back," Karangi said.

"Key success factors or indicators will be in the form of a highly degraded al-Shababcapacity."
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Earlier this month, Kenya sent its own troops into Somalia following a string of cross-border attacks and kidnappings blamed on Somali gunmen and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group.

Both the UN and Ethiopia have earlier sent in forces into Somalia at different times in

order to stablise the country during its 20-year civil war, but both were forced towithdraw without ending the conflict.

Karangi said that Kenya did not wish to permanently occupy Somalia, and that his forceswere working alongside the UN-backed Somali government.

"We acted as a country on the spur of the moment," he said. "At no point did we plan toenter Somalia and annex territory there."

The Somali president has criticised the intervention, but Kenyan officials said theyexpected "clarification" from a high-level Somali delegation on Monday.

So far, Kenya has suffered one fatality due to al-Shabab fire, Karangi said. Fivepersonnel were also killed when a helicopter crashed.

He said that hundreds of al-Shabab fighters had been killed in Kenyan operations, thoughhe was not able to confirm that, or provide an exact figure.

'No allied involvement'

Responding to a question regarding any other countries operating in Somalia through theKenyan intervention, General Karangi said that while Kenya had bilateral militaryagreements with several countries, they were not involved in Nairobi's Somaliaoperations.

"There has been a lot of talk about other friends of ours participating militarily in whatwe are engaged in, and the answer is no," he said.

"I think the American ambassador yesterday made it very clear ... that they are notmilitarily involved in the campaign with us."

Officials present at the briefing dismissed any speculation that the Kenyan governmentwas ready to negotiate with al-Shabab.

"We will not negotiate with criminal terrorist groups," Francis Kimemia, permanentsecretary at the internal security ministry said.

Yusuf Haji, the Kenyan defence minister, said that international forces in Somalia aresoon to be strengthened by a boost in AMISOM, which consists at the moment of 9,000Ugandan and Burundian troops.


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Attack in Mogadishu

At least 10 people were killed in the attack on the AU base in Mogadishu, a Somalimilitary official said.

The attackers were attempting to infiltrate a based manned by AMISOM, the AU'smission in Somalia, on Saturday.

"They were dressed in Somali military uniform and disguised as ordinary soldiers," saidColonel Nor Abdi.

"Then they tried to enter the base and AMISOM soldiers fired at them.

"Then heavy gunfire started and all of them were killed.

"I don't know how many they were but they were more than 10 men."

Mohammed Abdi, a local resident, said that he heard several large explosions take placenear the base. The gunfight lasted for several hours and the final number of casualtieswas unclear.

Al-Shabab fighters claimed in a statement to have "stormed the AMISOM compoundkilling 80 Ugandan soldiers" in a battle that lasted over two hours, the AFP news agencyreported.

AU troops have been deployed in Somalia since 2007, and now control almost all of thecapital. They continue, however, to suffer frequent attacks.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew the SomaliRevolutionary Socialist Party in 1991.More than 600,000 Somali refugees have fled the fighting and famine in their homelandand now live in Kenya.

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US court dismisses lawsuit against Kagame (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/10/20111029145039353562.html29 October 2011

A federal court in the state of Oklahoma has dismissed a lawsuit against RwandanPresident Paul Kagame, brought by the widows of two assassinated African presidents,ruling that he had immunity in the US.

District Judge Lee West ruled on Friday that as a head of state recognised by the USgovernment, Kagame was immune from the wrongful death civil suit. The Obamaadministration had urged the court to recognise Kagame's immunity.
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Juvenal Habyarimana, then president of Rwanda, and Cyprien Ntaryamira, president ofneighbouring Burundi, were killed in a rocket attack on their plane at Kigali airport in1994.

The attack triggered the Rwandan genocide, in which Hutu armed groups and soldierskilled 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

The widows had sought $350m in damages, arguing that Kagame, leader of the Tutsirebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, had ordered the assassination of their Hutuhusbands.

The lawsuit was filed in Oklahoma in April 2010 during a visit by Kagame to speak atthe graduation of 10 Rwandan students at Oklahoma Christian University.

The plaintiffs had argued the lawsuit against Kagame should go ahead, citing the US

Supreme Court's 1997 ruling in Clinton v Jones that the sexual harassment suit againstPresident Bill Clinton could proceed while he was still in office.

"We are pleased that we were able to win this matter on the long-standing doctrine ofhead of state immunity," said defence attorney Pierre-Richard Prosper, who served as awar crimes prosecutor for the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda from 1996to 1998.

"We are confident, however, that had we been forced to address this matter on the meritswe would have prevailed," Prosper said in a statement by his law firm, Arent Fox.

The Rwandan genocide ended after 100 days when Kagame's group seized control of thecountry.

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Rights groups fear DR Congo poll violence (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/201110295055865324.html29 October 2011

Human rights groups have accused presidential candidates of creating a "climate of fear"in the Democratic Republic of Congo as campaigning got underway for presidential andlegislative elections.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement on Friday calling on candidates torefrain from inciting violence a day after 73 local and international rights groups signedan open letter to presidential candidates calling for calm and an end to "hate speech"ahead of the November 28 vote.
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"Candidates who incite violence could provoke a bloody election campaign, and judicialauthorities need to step in to stop it, Anneke van Woudenber, senior Africa researcher atHRW, said.

"Anyone aspiring to government office should also recognise the grave dangers of using

hate speech."

HRW said that since March, local human rights organisations had documented "dozens ofinstances across the country of apparent ethnic hate speech, ethnic slurs and incitement toviolence by political candidates".

"In some cases, we have documented candidates or their supporters inciting gangs, youth,the unemployed or members of armed groups to use violence and intimidation againsttheir opponents."

Prone to violence

Ida Sawyer, HRW's DRC Researcher and Advocate, told Al Jazeera that the capitalKinshasa had already seen some violence and that "there are fears that the violence mayget worse as the campaign period continues, as well as after the results are announced".

"The use of hate speech and incitement to violence by candidates and their supportersonly intensifies the tensions that already exist, and makes the possibility of a bloodycampaign period and aftermath more likely"

"The use of hate speech and incitement to violence by candidates and their supportersonly intensifies the tensions that already exist, and makes the possibility of a bloodycampaign period and aftermath more likely," Sawyer said.

"I would consider Kinshasa to be the most volatile in the lead-up to elections and afterresults are announced. Bas Congo, Kasai Orientale, Katanga, and South Kivu are otherplaces to look out for".

Joseph Kabila, the country's president, who has ruled the country since the assassinationof his father Laurent in 2001, has been forceful about his chances of returning to power incomments to journalists.

His aides say he will tour all 11 of the provinces making up the vast country four timesthe size of France, where 32 million people are eligible to vote.

But Kabila also promised he would stand aside in the event of defeat.

His main rival, veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, will early next week starthis campaign in the troubled east of the country, still prone to violence after wars thatdevastated the DR Congo between 1996 and 2003.


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There are 11 candidates for the presidency and nearly 19,000 candidates are in therunning for the 500 parliamentary seats.

The electoral commission, helped by MONUSCO, the UN stabilisation mission in thecountry, will have the task of distributing 186,000 voting boxes and 64 million voting

cards to 62,000 voting stations. In early September, MONUSCO released a statementcalling for constructive dialogue to promote peaceful elections" and "deplored the waveof violent incidents" that occurred in August and early September.

Logistical constraints

In a huge country that has few good roads and relies on river and air transport, while alsostill seeing regular attacks from armed groups in the east, that will be a massive logisticalchallenge.

Violent clashes between opposition activists and the police have also been frequent ahead

of the official launch of campaigning.

Police have regularly broken up rallies by the Union for Democracy and Social Progress(UDPS) and their supporters who have called for a free and fair electoral process. Oneactivist has been shot dead, others injured and many others arrested.

The signatories to the letter addressed to the presidential candidates, including ActionAidand the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), have documented cases of candidates andsupporters using ethnic slurs against opponents.

"We are deeply concerned by such tactics," the letter said.

Last week, Congolese police fired tear gas to disperse opposition supporters. The sameday, the US think-tank The Carter Center said Kinshasa had to take action to ensure thecredibility of the polls.

The group, founded by former US President Jimmy Carter, urged the Congolesegovernment to "take rapid and convincing steps to ensure the transparency and credibilityof the voter register."

The group "also noted that serious incidents of intimidation and violence have occurredduring campaigning" and said political players must be aware of the potentialconsequences of a flawed election.

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Kenya air raid targets al-Shabab militants in Somalia (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1551343030 October 2011
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At least nine people have been killed and 50 wounded in a Kenyan air raid targeting al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia.

A Kenyan military spokesman told the BBC the planes had targeted the outskirts of thetown of Jilib.

He said 10 fighters of the al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group had been killed and dismissedreports of civilian deaths as "al-Shabab propaganda".

Kenyan forces have moved across the Somalia border to target the group.

The country blames al-Shabab for frequent assaults on its security forces in the borderprovince of North Eastern as well as a spate of kidnappings.

"We received intelligence that a top al-Shabab leader was to visit a camp in Jilib so weconducted an air raid," Kenya army spokesman Maj Emmanuel Chirchir told the BBC.

"Confirmation from the human intelligence is that 10 al-Shabab fighters were killed and47 others wounded," he added.

He said that no civilian camp had been attacked. Earlier reports said that displacedcivilians had been killed in the raid.

"This is all al-Shabab propaganda," he said.

The hardline al-Shabab group, which controls much of southern Somalia, denies carryingout kidnappings and has warned Kenya to withdraw its troops from Somalia or facebloody battles.

The Islamist group is locked in a battle with the transitional government for control ofparts of the country currently outside of is power, particularly in the capital Mogadishu.

The government controls very little territory, but does have several militant groupsaround the country it regards as allies, and it is backed by the international community.

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Libya: Gaddafi son Saif al-Islam says he is innocent (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1550363829 October 2011

Saif al-Islam - the son of slain ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi - says he is innocentof crimes against humanity, an international prosecutor has said.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said talks withSaif al-Islam had been held through intermediaries.


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The ICC says Gaddafi's son, accused of crimes during the recent conflict in Libya, wouldget a fair trial.

Saif al-Islam, aged 39, has been in hiding for months.

Recent reports claimed the man, who had once been the presumed successor to his father,was in a convoy heading toward Libya's desert border with Niger, where other Gaddafiallies have fled.

But those reports have not been confirmed, and the ICC says it does not know where heis.

Prosecutor's fears

Mr Moreno-Ocampo told Reuters that the contacts with Saif al-Islam were through

intermediaries, without revealing their identity.

"There are some people connected with him that in touch with people connected with us,so we have no direct relation," the prosecutor said.

He added: "But we trust very much the person who is in touch for our side. He says he(Saif al-Islam) is innocent, he will prove he is innocent, and then he is interested in theconsequence after that."

Mr Moreno-Ocampo earlier expressed fears that Saif al-Islam might decide againstsurrendering to the ICC and try to escape to a friendly country with the help ofmercenaries.

The ICC denies that any kind of deal is being arranged with Saif al-Islam, stressing thatthe goal of the talks is to ensure an arrest warrant is carried out.

An ICC arrest warrant issued for Saif al-Islam in June accuses him of murder andpersecution.

The document claims that he played an essential part in systematic attacks on civilians invarious Libyan cities carried out by Gaddafi's security forces in February.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo said the ICC had learnt "through informal channels" thatmercenaries were offering to move Saif al-Islam to a country that has not signed up to theICC's Rome statute.

Reports say Zimbabwe is a likely final destination for Saif al-Islam if he chooses to fleefrom the ICC.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was a long-time ally of Muammar Gaddafi.


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ICC difficulties

The ICC has no police force of its own, but member countries are legally bound toenforce its warrants.

AdvertisementSir Geoffrey Nice QC: "What happens to Saif al-Islam shouldn't really be subject tobehind-the-scenes deals"

However, the credibility of the court has been called into question in recent years inAfrica.

Many of the continent's governments have argued that the ICC disproportionately focuseson crimes in their countries.

Those claims have led the African Union to advise its members that they should nolonger feel bound by the ICC's rules.

Member countries including Malawi, Chad and Kenya have all defied the court by failingto arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who has a long-standing arrest warrantagainst him.

The warrant issued against Saif al-Islam came alongside warrants for intelligence chiefAbdullah al-Sanussi, who is still believed to be on the run, and Muammar Gaddafi.

The former Libyan leader, who was deposed in August after six months of civil conflict,died from gunshot wounds last week after fierce fighting in the city of Sirte.

The National Transitional Council (NTC) is now overseeing political reform intended tolead to national elections within eight months.

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The SSLA has warned United Nations staff and aid workers to leave Unity State

(BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1550713829 October 2011

Rebels from the South Sudan Liberation Army have attacked a town in the oil-rich UnityState and at least 75 people have died, the national army has said.

Among the dead, nine were soldiers, 15 were civilians and at least 50 were rebels, anarmy spokesman told the BBC.


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South Sudan became independent in July after a peace deal with Khartoum that endeddecades of civil war.

Afterwards, some of the region's rebel movements struck deals with the government butseveral remain defiant.

'Corruption'

Both sides produced widely differing accounts of the number of casualties after the attackin Unity State, which happened in the early hours of the morning.

The SSLA say that they killed more than 700 soldiers in the attack. Rebels' claims thatthey are now in control of town of Mayom have been dismissed by locals and officials.

On Friday, rebels from the South Sudan Liberation Army (SSLA) warned United Nationsstaff and aid workers to leave the state. This warning has now been extended to the

nearby Warrup state.

South Sudan's enemy within

The rebels say they are fighting against corruption, underdevelopment and thedomination of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, the former rebels who now runSouth Sudan.

They are also angered by what they believe is the domination of the Dinka ethnic group.Most of the SSLA are from the Nuer ethnic group, the second biggest in South Sudan.

The BBC's James Copnall, in Khartoum, says that the SSLA's rebellion is particularlysensitive because of its location as most of South Sudan's oilfields - which account for98% of the new country's revenue - are in Unity State.

South Sudan's independence from Sudan was the outcome of a 2005 peace deal thatended decades of conflict between north and south in which some 1.5 million peopledied.

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South Sudan rebels launch deadly attack near border (Al Jazeera)http://www.france24.com/en/20111029-south-sudan-rebels-deadly-attack-border-mayom-unity-state-jang29 October 2011

REUTERS - Rebels in South Sudan attacked a town in an oil-producing state onSaturday, killing 15 people, including nine soldiers, and wounding 18, officials said, inthe latest violence in Africa's newest nation.
http://www.france24.com/en/20111029-south-sudan-rebels-deadly-attack-border-mayom-unity-state-janghttp://www.france24.com/en/20111029-south-sudan-rebels-deadly-attack-border-mayom-unity-state-janghttp://www.france24.com/en/20111029-south-sudan-rebels-deadly-attack-border-mayom-unity-state-janghttp://www.france24.com/en/20111029-south-sudan-rebels-deadly-attack-border-mayom-unity-state-janghttp://www.france24.com/en/20111029-south-sudan-rebels-deadly-attack-border-mayom-unity-state-jang


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South Sudan became independent in July after a 2005 peace deal with Khartoum thatended decades of civil war, but the new nation has been struggling to end tribal and rebelviolence that has killed around 3,000 people this year.

Rebels loyal to Matthew Pul Jang and other militia leaders attacked Mayom in the west

of the oil-producing Unity State, Unity Information Minister Gideon Gatpan Thoar toldReuters.

"We got attacked in Mayom town today by the militias from 6 to 7 a.m. The militiaattacked the town, killed 15 and wounded 18," Thoar said. "More than 60 militiamenwere killed."

Army spokesman Philip Aguer said: "It was indiscriminate, they didn't differentiatebetween civilians and the army. The killing included a doctor."

The rebels could not immediately be reached for comment.

Violence threatens to turn South Sudan into a failed state, undermining the stability of itseast African neighbours. Several rebel militias are fighting government forces in remoteparts of the country, which is roughly the size of France.

South Sudan has accused Khartoum of supporting militias but the north denies this, andmany rebels say they are fighting against what they see as corruption and ethnicdiscrimination in the south's government, charges Juba denies.

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Africa warming up to Africom after initial resistance (The Sunday independent)No link available. Transcribed from hard copy.

30 October 2011

By Peter Fabricius

The US feels it has now largely overcome the suspicions of African governments aboutthe creation of an Africa Command (Africom) for its military forces three years ago.

Anthony Holmes, Africoms deputy commander, acknowledged in Pretoria on Friday that

the US government had "stupidly" proposed originally to establish the Africomheadquarters in Africa.

But after hitting a "firestorm" of resistance from African governments, the US hadquickly withdrawn this idea and decided instead to headquarter Africom with itsEuropean Command in Stuttgart, Germany.

Holmes said in an interview that the US had no plans whatsoever to move Africom fromStuttgart.


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The idea of creating an Africom came partly from criticism by African governments thatthe US military had dedicated commands for other regions but that Africa was splitamong three separate other commands, he said.

An even greater factor was the realization, after the al-Qaeda bombings of the USembassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in August 1998, that it needed to pay greaterattention to Africa because of the growing threats to its own national security emanatingfrom the continent.

Though he acknowledged the mistake Americas "big strategists" had made in believingit was logical to locate this new Africa Command in Africa, Holmes said there were alsohuge misunderstandings on the African side about what the US intended with Africom.This included wide perception that it was trying to use it to get combat troops on theground in Africa where it has no troops on the ground, only strategists and planners andcivilians. He himself is a civilian diplomat.

However, perceptions had now largely changed. African countries, including SouthAfrica which had been one of the most vocal critics, had looked hard at what Africomhad been doing and had found no hidden agenda, he believed.

"I think what they see is very reassuring, that we are what we say we are and that weoperate as we say we operate ... that everything we do in these exercises and engagementreflects common interests. The bottom line is that the US has concluded that its ownnational security interests in Africa are best served by the development of the human andinstitutional capacity of Africa to provide for its own security."

Holmes noted too that all the through South Africas criticism of Africom three years

ago, the US and South Africa had continued with military-to-military cooperation.

Africom has been mostly active north of the equator since then, though its latestoperation is the deployment of special forces to help the Ugandan and neighboringmilitaries hunt down the Lord's Resistance Army which is terrorizing civilians.

Holmes said another big concern was the growing ties between al-Qaeda in the Maghreb(AQIM) and the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram. He noted that since October 2010there had been several bombings by Boko Haram "that reflect what we know to begrowing ties, training, and affiliation between Boko Haram and the AQIM as AQIMseeks to spread jihad and Boko Haram seeks to acquire additional means to fight theNigerian government."

Holmes had described in a recent speech how the US has a political programme in WestAfrica called the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Programme, with a military part calledOperation Enduring Freedom Trans-Sahara run by Africom.


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"Through that we try to assist the militaries of the member states to increase their abilityover time to deal with these threats themselves."

Likewise off the African shore, Holmes said the US was helping African countries tohelp themselves. One programme was called African Partnership Station through which

the US has sent frigates on training missions to both the east and west coasts of Africa.

These engaged in joint exercises and training with 26 African nations, 10 Europeannations and Brazil, helping the African countries to work together to tackle problemssuch as illegal fishing and drug trafficking.

The main object of these missions was "maritime domain awareness", Holmes said,"because until just a few years ago the vast majority of African countries did not have aclue what was happening in their own territorial waters, much less their economicexclusion zones.

"Nor do most of them yet have in place the requisite legal and law enforcementinfrastructure to deal, in a formal, legal sense, with illegal fishing for narcotictrafficking."

These programmes were "snowballing", because co-operating with the US militaryoffshore was less threatening and because the African governments recognized theweakness in their own maritime capacities.

"And virtually every African country with a coastline is either producing or exploring forhydrocarbons and so they understand the stakes," Holmes said.

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NATO's Success in Libya (New York Times)http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/opinion/31iht-eddaalder31.html31 October 2011By IVO H. DAALDER AND JAMES G. STAVRIDIS

Monday, Oct. 31st, seven months after it started, NATOs operation in Libya will come

to an end. It is the first time NATO has ended an operation it started. And it comes on theheels of an historic victory for the people of Libya who, with NATOs help, transformedtheir country from an international pariah into a nation with the potential to become aproductive partner with the West.

Seven months ago, the Libyan people were under threat and attack by the armed gangscommanded by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the strongmanwho had brutally ruled Libya for 42 years. Within 10 days of the U.N.Security Council voting a resolution mandating the protection of Libyas civilians,

policing of a no-flight zone, and prevention of illicit arms transfers by air and sea, NATOtook command of a significant force of dozens of ships and hundreds of airplanes and
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commenced military operations. NATOs success was swift saving tens of thousandsof Libyan lives, grounding Qaddhafis air force,and watching Libyas coast.

This was a true alliance effort. The United States played a leading role, first by taking outLibyas integrated air defense system, then by providing the critical enablers that allowed

other NATO countries and partners to shoulder their significant share of the burden.Meanwhile the U.S. provided the vast majority of the intelligence, surveillance, andreconnaissance assets to monitor Qaddafis forces and equipment threatening civilians,

the targeters that turned this information into targets for NATO forces to strike, and theaerial refueling that enabled our partners to stay up long enough to locate and destroythose targets.

The crucial and irreplaceable U.S. contribution to the overall effort was to enable otherallies and partners to fully participate in the operation. In all, 14 NATO members and 4partner countries provided naval and air forces for NATOs three missions.

Together, these 18 countries bore the heaviest brunt of the alliance effort. While U.S.planes flew a quarter of all sorties over Libya, France and Britain flew one third of allmissionsmost of them strikesand the remaining participants flew roughly 40percent. The non-U.S. NATO and coalition partners flew 75 percent of the sorties overall.

Ten years earlier, in NATOs war in Kosovo, the United States was responsible fordropping 90 percent of all precision-guided munitions, with other allies responsible forthe remaining 10 percent. In this operation, the percentages were reversed: Allies struck90 percent of the more than 6,000 targets destroyed in Libya. And they did so with aprecision that is historically unprecedented.

Importantly, this was a collective effort. France and Britain played an extraordinary partin the operation, leading the pack in providing air and naval assets and striking over 40percent of all targets. Italy, too, made an outstanding contribution. Not only was it thefourth largest contributor to the strike mission, it was an indispensable host to hundredsof aircraft at seven airbases.

Smaller allies also punched above their weight. Denmark and Norway together destroyedas many targets as Britain; Denmark, Norway, and Belgium dropped as many bombs asFrance. Canada, too, was part of the strikers coalition. And Spain, the Netherlands,Turkey, Greece and Romania played useful parts, enforcing the no-flight zone and armsembargo at sea. Those NATO members that didnt contribute forces still supported the

operation by staffing the command structure; not one of the 28 members balked at thechallenge. Even Sweden, not a NATO member, was a crucial partner, contributing itsown naval and air forces.

This wasnt just a NATO success, let alone a Western intervention. NATO acted only

after it was clear that it had broad-based regional support, including from the TransitionalNational Council and the Arab League, which requested the intervention. Four key Arabpartnersthe United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Moroccoparticipated in the


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effort. And it acted on the basis of a clear U.N. mandate, which authorized taking thenecessary measures to protect Libyan civilians.

As Operation Unified Protector comes to a close, the alliance and its partners can lookback at an extraordinary job, well done. Most of all, they can see in the gratitude of the

Libyan people that the use of limited forceprecisely appliedcan affect real,positive political change. And as the alliance ends its operations, NATO remainscommitted to Libyas future, ready to help as needed and requested.

Every operation offers lessons to be learned. The Libya operation exposed someshortfalls in allied capabilities, and highlighted the importance of allied commitments toaddressing these shortfalls. It also made clear the need for like-minded partners aroundthe world. Moreover, the operations success rested on a set of unique circumstances. Abrutal dictator who had decided to inflict murder and mayhem rather than step asideprovided a demonstrable need for outside intervention. Strong regional support, from theopposition and the Arab League, ensured that any intervention would be welcomed. And

the U.N. mandate provided a sound legal basis for action.

Demonstrable need. Regional support. A sound legal basis. These are what madeintervention necessary. NATO is what made successful intervention possible.

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END REPORT

africom related news clips 31 oct 2011

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