United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

16 April 2010

USAFRICOM -related news stories

From and About Africa

Somalia TFG Welcomes US Embargo against Militants

Somali government treasury minister Engineer Abdurahman Omar Osman said in an interview
with the state-run radio Thursday, that the Somali government was happy with the big
announcement from US President Barak Obama, who ordered the freezing of assets of some key
figures within the Alqaeda-linked Militants in Somalia. "Somali government is welcoming every
step which decreases the danger from the Alqaeda-proxy in Somalia and we can say that the US
government has taken a good decision" the Somali minister stated.

Somalia Beheaded Man's Body Found in Capital

Mogadishu - the body of beheaded young man has been found at the intersection of Bakaro, the
biggest market in Somali capital Mogadishu, eyewitnesses told Shabelle radio on Wednesday.
People have expressed shock and fear of such murdering action in the capital and it is not the
first time that the bodies of beheaded people seen in some parts of the capital.

Kenya Warships fill up with pirates after Kenya balks

Among the more than two dozen captured pirates being held on international warships are 11
suspected pirates who attacked two American warships this month. They haven't yet been
transferred anywhere. Lt. Matt Allen of the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet says the American
government is "reviewing its options for disposition." Kenyan officials say pirates are putting an
undue strain on the country's congested justice system. But diplomats say only 118 of Kenya's
53,000 prisoners are convicted or suspected pirates.

Kenya Al-Shabaab Once Again Attack Kenyan

Forces
Liboi post - A group of heavily armed Al-Shabaab
fighters opened fire and threw grenades on the
officers at the Liboi post after crossing the border,
leading to exchange of fire. According to James
Ole-Serian, the northeastern provincial
commissioner; "Al-Shabaab was behind the attack,
we have credible information that the attackers
crossed the border. This left the resident with tense
moments," he was quoted as saying.
Somalia Pirates strategy to acquire operational vessels
Nairobi — Pirates operating off Somalia's coast have started targeting vessels operated by
Somali businessmen and carrying food - something which is leading to higher food prices in
Mogadishu, according to traders. "Up until a few weeks ago, they [pirates] avoided hijacking
ships carrying cargo for Somali businesses but now it is different," Abdinasir Aw Kombe, a
businessman whose boat was hijacked, told IRIN on 12 April. He said pirates had hijacked nine
vessels mostly carrying food in the last few weeks. He suspected the pirates would use the
vessels to hijack other ships.

US Security group shuns Somali ransoms

Washington - Funding used to pay ransoms to Somali pirates operating in key transit waterways
should be instead used for security details, contractors said. U.S. President Barack Obama issued
an executive order Tuesday that could prevent ship owners from paying ransoms to Somali
pirates. Obama, in the executive order, declared a national emergency to deal with the threat
posed by those who have "directly or indirectly" supported Somali pirates.

US U.S. NORTHCOM Vice Adm. James Winnefeld Smaller-scale terror plots a big
concern
Small, hard-to-detect terror plots are an increasing concern for the military command responsible
for protecting the homeland, according to the top Navy officer tapped to take over U.S. Northern
Command. Vice Adm. James Winnefeld Jr. did not refer directly to the Christmas attempt to take
down a Detroit-bound airliner, but he told senators in a congressional document that the evolving
move by extremists to wage smaller-scale attacks is a key worry.

US to fight pirate scourge, follow the money says Admiral Mark Fitzgerald
Pentagon - International efforts against pirates off the Horn of Africa need to target the money
extorted from commercial ships, a senior US Navy officer said on Thursday."We have to go after
the money," Admiral Mark Fitzgerald told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. "So it's not a surprise
where this money is going," he said. The costs of skiffs, outboard motors and fuel have "gone up
exponentially in countries like Yemen," where the pirates get much of their supplies, he said.
"We could put fleets of ships out there, we could put a World War II fleet of ships out there and
we still wouldn't be able to cover the whole ocean," he said. "So this problem is not going to go
away until we go after the root causes."

AQN Two killed in Yemen blasts

A retired colonel and a police officer were killed in separate explosions on Thursday in east
Yemen's Shabwa province, considered to be an Al-Qaeda stronghold, officials said. A local
official told AFP the first attack was caused by a bomb placed in the car of Ahmed al-Makdhara,
an officer in the judiciary police. He was wounded and his bodyguard was killed. The official
added that the attack "is probably the work of Al-Qaeda, whose members are being hunted in this
part" of Shabwa.

AQN AQAP denies members moved to Somalia, claims Mogali release

Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula has denied press reports that some of its associates have crossed
from Yemen to Somalia. In a statement to Al-Wasat independent weekly, issued Wednesday, a
source close to al-Qaeda said that AQAP would shortly issue a response to such "baseless"
information.
Security Council adds Yemeni weapons dealer to weapons smugglers into Somalia
The Security Council Committee on Somalia and Eritrea has recently added Yemeni weapons
dealer Fares Mohammad Mana'a to a list of individuals pursuant to pursuant to paragraph 8 of
resolution 1844 (2008). In a press release issued on April 12, the Committee said Fares
Mohammad Mana'a has directly or indirectly supplied, sold or transferred to Somalia arms or
related material in violation of the UN arms embargo against Somalia.

US Pentagon to adopt uniform rules on guns

SECDEF - the Pentagon will adopt a broad policy governing how privately owned guns can be
carried or stored at military installations following the shooting deaths of 13 people last year at
Fort Hood, Texas. Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered this week that a new comprehensive
policy be developed to cover all branches of the military and its bases and offices. The
standardized policy would replace or buttress a patchwork of regulations adopted by each service
or individual military installation. The weapons policy is among recommendations for security
and administrative upgrades released by the Pentagon on Thursday. Gates ordered that an interim
weapons policy be in force by June, and a permanent one is due early next year.

US sanctions 'high-profile' Al-Qaeda, Taliban financiers

The US Treasury said Thursday it had imposed sanctions on two "high-profile" Pakistani trust
fund chiefs allegedly linked to terrorism. They were identified as Mohammed Mazhar, director
of Al-Akhtar Trust, and Mufti Abdul Rahim, leader of Al-Rashid Trust, both Pakistani charities
whose assets under US jurisdiction were frozen, the Treasury said in a statement. Americans
have also been prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them.

DRC ATO event to draw attention to the use of children as soldiers in DRC
Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) of Massachusetts is today hosting Sean Carasso, founder and chief
executive officer of Falling Whistles, a non−governmental organization raising awareness about
the use of children as soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Carasso stumbled on
the story of the ―whistle boys‖ while in the DRC, where he met five children who were escaped
child soldiers. ―We‘re working to end the war in Congo and taking small steps to end it,‖
Benedict said. ―We‘re rehabilitating children through a program right now … We sell these
whistles, and the proceeds go to the rehabilitation program. The whistles are a symbol of our
protest, and we‘re asking people to be whistleblowers for peace in the Congo and call out for
peace in its absence.‖

DRC Oxfam halts operations in DRC

Kinshasa – The British charity Oxfam International yesterday said it had suspended operations at
Mbandaka, a key town in the northwest Democratic Republic of Congo, because of insecurity.
―Because of the insecurity that prevailed at Mbandaka we have suspended our activities until the
situation stabilises in the region,‖ Oxfam‘s director in the DR Congo Roland Van Hauwermeiren
told AFP. He said Oxfam staff ―stayed lying on the ground for two days‖ during clashes early
this month between Enyele tribal insurgents, who tried to seize Mbandaka airport, and the DR
Congo army and UN troops.
DRC ICRC staffers to be freed?? (supposed to be yesterday)
Kinshasa - Eight Red Cross workers seized last week by an armed group in the Democratic
Republic of Congo would be released "without condition" on Thursday (yesterday), UN-
sponsored Radio Okapi said, quoting one of their captors.

DRC Release of Red Cross employees 'upset' by fighting: militia

The planned release Thursday of eight Red Cross hostages by a Mai-Mai militia in eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo has been "upset" by fighting, the Mai-Mai chief Aluri
Yakutumba said. "We were going to free them today, only that was upset because the FARDC
(DR Congo army) came to attack us at the moment we were ready to receive the (Red Cross)
delegation that had come from Bukavu," the capital of Sud-Kivu province, self-styled General
Yakutumba told AFP by telephone.

Madagascar Rajoelina to disband govt

Antananarivo - Madagascar's leader has vowed to disband his internationally rejected
government and form an interim body with an ousted opposition leader following an ultimatum
from the army to solve a festering crisis.

Ethiopia New camp for Eritrean refugees

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia announced on Thursday it has opened a new camp in the north of the
country to accommodate the growing number of Eritrean refugees arriving each month. The first
batch of 356 people arrived on Thursday at the camp in Adi-Harush in Tigray, the fourth to be
established in the region since 2004, the Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs said in
a statement.

Senegal Call to end Senegal Islamic schools abuse

Dakar - A leading international rights group called on Senegal's government Thursday to clamp
down on Islamic schools whose leaders are subjecting tens of thousands of children to forced
begging and daily beatings in conditions it says are "akin to slavery". Powerful religious leaders
known as "marabouts" hold enormous political influence in this mostly Muslim West African
nation. Parents often send their children to traditional Quranic schools run by marabouts, both
because they hope their children will receive a religious education and because they are free.

Gabon oil strike paralyses streets

Libreville - A strike by Gabon's main oil industry trade union has brought public transport in the
capital Libreville to a standstill as fuel stations began running dry on Thursday, a Reuters witness
said. The strike in Gabon, Africa's seventh-largest oil producer, with an output of some 250 000
barrels of crude oil per day, is one the biggest tests for President Ali Bongo since he replaced his
father as president last year.

Nigeria still open to oil law changes: state firm boss

Lagos - Nigerian authorities are still open to suggestions from international majors on a proposed
law to reform the oil sector, the new boss of the state oil firm said on Thursday. Nigeria is
proposing a new law -- the PIB -- to provide for sweeping reforms in the 50-year-old oil and gas
sector. Oil majors have slammed the bill saying it is fraught with mistakes which, if passed into
law, will take years to correct and see a capital flight of around 50 billion dollars (37 billion
euros) in potential deepwater projects investment.
 Sudan Ban applauds Sudan elections
"If we are declared winners in the elections ... we would
extend the invitation to all parties, even those who have
not participated in the elections, to join the government
because we believe this is a critical moment in our
history," the Tribune quoted Sudanese presidential adviser
Ghazi Salah Al-Deen al-Attabani as saying.
"The secretary-general encourages all political actors in
Sudan to tackle issues in a spirit of dialogue, towards a
peaceful electoral outcome and ongoing implementation of
the [the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the north-south civil war]," a
statement issued by Ban's representative said.

Sudan Bishop Voices Concerns over Election

A Catholic bishop in Khartoum has warned that allegations of foul play in Sudan‘s elections may
trigger a major political dispute amid growing concerns that the vote could block the country‘s
path to democracy. Bishop Adwok stressed increasing alarm over unconfirmed reports from
many parts of the country of poor organization of electoral registers and polling stations, as well
as intimidation of voters and other irregularities, including vote-rigging by the National Congress
Party, the ruling party of the national government in Khartoum. Speaking from Sudan‘s national
capital in an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Auxiliary
Bishop of Khartoum said, ―The reports of irregularities make one wonder whether in the end
these elections will qualify to be called ‗free and fair.‘‖

Sudan official says rivals are plotting chaos

Khartoum/Juba - A senior member of Sudan's ruling party on Thursday accused opposition
groups of plotting to reject election results and sow chaos in order to overthrow the government
through a "popular revolution". The accusation from presidential assistant Nafie Ali Nafie, one
of the most powerful men in Sudan, stoked tensions as the oil-producing state ended a five-day
voting period in presidential and legislative polls.

Darfur Kidnapped South African peacekeepers are alive in Darfur, Sudan

Cape Town - The South African Defence Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, responding to a question
from Digital Journal during a press conference on board a navy frigate in Cape Town that: Four
South African nationals were reported missing in Darfur. This is a matter that we are keeping our
tabs on at the moment. I am unfortunately not able to give you any more information than the
information that we have confirmation that they are alive. We are dealing with the matter and we
will report to the South African public as soon as we have all the information available to us. The
members of the police were assisting the Sudanese police to establish themselves (…in the
region.)

Ivory Coast ex-rebels reportedly export "lead products" to neighboring states

The lead products on which depends the economy of Cote d'Ivoire are abusively exploited in the
zones under ex-rebel control and conveyed each day to Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Togo, and
Ghana. The tragedy is that while the Ivorian state is bleeding itself white to respond to the
financial demands of Ivorians, and in particular the former rebels, to get the country out of the
crisis, these latter engage in the wild looting of what brings money to the country.
Algeria has recruited the cooperation of regional militaries against AQIM
On April 13, Algeria convened the militaries of six other nations in the North African and Sahel
region to discuss counter-insurgency cooperation. Officials said the focus of the one-day parley
was the battle against the Al Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, with a presence in
several regional states.