africom related news clips 3 october 2011

8/4/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 3 October 2011

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office3 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 3, 2011.

Of interest in today's clips is an AP story based on General Ham's interview with APreporter Lolita Baldor, articles from NPR, the Christian Science Monitor and Ghana Webdiscussing the development of democracy in Africa and reports from Al Jazeera andNairobis Daily Nation on the weekends kidnapping of a disabled French tourist from a

resort in Ras Kitau near Manda Beach.

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

AFRICOM commander sees end to Libya mission (AP)http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/1 October 2011By Lolita C. BaldorWASHINGTONThe military mission in Libya is largely complete and NATOsinvolvement could begin to wrap up as soon as this coming week after allied leaders meetin Brussels, according to the top U.S. commander for Africa.

Strike on Aulaqi demonstrates collaboration between CIA and military

(Washington Post)http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/strike-on-aulaqi-demonstrates-collaboration-between-cia-and-military/2011/09/30/gIQAD8xHBL_story.html1 October 2011By Greg MillerTraveling from secret bases on opposite sides of Yemen, armed drones from the CIA andthe militarys Joint Special Operations Command converged above Anwar al-Aulaqisposition in northern Yemen early Friday and unleashed a flurry of missiles.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/strike-on-aulaqi-demonstrates-collaboration-between-cia-and-military/2011/09/30/gIQAD8xHBL_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/strike-on-aulaqi-demonstrates-collaboration-between-cia-and-military/2011/09/30/gIQAD8xHBL_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/strike-on-aulaqi-demonstrates-collaboration-between-cia-and-military/2011/09/30/gIQAD8xHBL_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/strike-on-aulaqi-demonstrates-collaboration-between-cia-and-military/2011/09/30/gIQAD8xHBL_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/strike-on-aulaqi-demonstrates-collaboration-between-cia-and-military/2011/09/30/gIQAD8xHBL_story.htmlhttp://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/mailto:[email protected]


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Questions and answers about Yemen-based al-Qaida (AP)http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Questions-and-answers-about-Yemen-based-al-Qaida-2197081.php30 September 2011By Kimberly Dozier

WASHINGTON (AP)Based in the Yemeni tribal hinterlands but possessing globalambitions, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has become the most active and lethal of theaffiliates to emerge from the shadow of Osama bin Laden's old network. Now the deadlyU.S. attack on its leadership has complicated its prospects.

US drone attack warfare plan for East Africa risky (The East African)http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/US+drone+attack+warfare+plan+for+East+Africa+risky+/-/2558/1246484/-/7ppmrqz/-/2 October 2011By Kevin KelleyIn moving to expand its use of pilotless surveillance and attack aircraft in East Africa, the

Obama administration has calculated that the potential military benefits of intensifieddrone warfare outweigh the political risks of such a strategy.

Libya And Touareg: Balance Changes Along Desert RoutesAnalysis (Eurasia

Review)http://www.eurasiareview.com/02102011-libya-and-touareg-balance-changes-along-desert-routes-analysis/2 October 2011By MISNAThe conflict in Libya has had only negative consequences on the Touareg community ofthe Sahel-Saharan region. This is an area of the future, that will increasingly be the focusof attention, for both great powers of terrorist or criminal networks.said Touareg,Ahmed Akol, former political secretary of the former Nigerian rebel movement NigerMovement for Justice (MNJ), adding that Northern Niger is directly involved, where theTouareg have lost control of the territory, losing the economic support of the Libyanregime, and are now presented as mercenaries in the pocket of Muammar Gaddafi.Some definitions do not help our cause.

Gadhafi's hometown hit hard (AP)http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2656564/gadhafis-hometown-hit-hard.html2 October 2011By Hadeel al-Shalchi and Maggie MichaelTRIPOLI, Libya Two children and their parents were killed by machine-gun fireSaturday while trying to flee Moammar Gadhafi's hometown along with hundreds ofother residents, as forces loyal to the ousted regime engaged in heavy clashes withrevolutionary fighters surrounding the city.

Red Cross says situation 'dire' in besieged city of Sirte (AFP)
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Questions-and-answers-about-Yemen-based-al-Qaida-2197081.phphttp://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Questions-and-answers-about-Yemen-based-al-Qaida-2197081.phphttp://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Questions-and-answers-about-Yemen-based-al-Qaida-2197081.phphttp://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/US+drone+attack+warfare+plan+for+East+Africa+risky+/-/2558/1246484/-/7ppmrqz/-/http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/US+drone+attack+warfare+plan+for+East+Africa+risky+/-/2558/1246484/-/7ppmrqz/-/http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/US+drone+attack+warfare+plan+for+East+Africa+risky+/-/2558/1246484/-/7ppmrqz/-/http://www.eurasiareview.com/02102011-libya-and-touareg-balance-changes-along-desert-routes-analysis/http://www.eurasiareview.com/02102011-libya-and-touareg-balance-changes-along-desert-routes-analysis/http://www.eurasiareview.com/02102011-libya-and-touareg-balance-changes-along-desert-routes-analysis/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2656564/gadhafis-hometown-hit-hard.htmlhttp://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2656564/gadhafis-hometown-hit-hard.htmlhttp://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2656564/gadhafis-hometown-hit-hard.htmlhttp://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2656564/gadhafis-hometown-hit-hard.htmlhttp://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2656564/gadhafis-hometown-hit-hard.htmlhttp://www.eurasiareview.com/02102011-libya-and-touareg-balance-changes-along-desert-routes-analysis/http://www.eurasiareview.com/02102011-libya-and-touareg-balance-changes-along-desert-routes-analysis/http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/US+drone+attack+warfare+plan+for+East+Africa+risky+/-/2558/1246484/-/7ppmrqz/-/http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/US+drone+attack+warfare+plan+for+East+Africa+risky+/-/2558/1246484/-/7ppmrqz/-/http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Questions-and-answers-about-Yemen-based-al-Qaida-2197081.phphttp://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Questions-and-answers-about-Yemen-based-al-Qaida-2197081.php


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http://www.france24.com/en/20111001-libya-gaddafi-sirte-arab-spring-national-transitional-counciil-red-cross2 October 2011By News WiresThe International Committee of the Red Cross has warned of a medical emergency in

Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte, which is continuing to resist forces loyal toLibya's National Transitional Council.

Democracy Steadily Takes Root In Africa (NPR)http://m.npr.org/news/front/140919689?singlePage=true1 October 2011By Alan GreenblattThe international spotlight has been on North Africa this year, where Arab autocrats havebeen overthrown by government opponents seeking democracy in three separatecountriesLibya, Egypt and Tunisia.

Why dictators now face civilian revolt, from Syria to Swaziland (The ChristianScience Monitor)http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0930/Why-dictators-now-face-civilian-revolt-from-Syria-to-Swaziland30 September 2011By Scott BaldaufAuthoritarian regimes are crumbling across North Africa; street protests are rockingcapitals from Syria to Swaziland. Is the age of dictators finally over?

Democracy or Prosperity, Which Comes First (Ghana Web)http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=2204342 October 2011By Kofi Akosah-SarpongAs Africas democracy gradually evolves, the arguments are whether Africa shouldconcentrate on creating prosperity first and then grow its democracy later or build up itsdemocracy first and then use it to develop its prosperity. This thinking has come aboutbecause of the on-going democratic revolutions occurring in Africa, in places such asLibya, Tunisia and Egypt, and multi-party democratic elections after elections havebecome recurring rituals.

Kidnappers flee with French woman to Somalia (Al Jazeera)http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/20111019325983270.html1 October 2011By AgenciesTourism minister says men made off with their elderly hostage after gun battle onKenyan coast where she was kidnapped.

Kenya Coastguard Surrounds Kidnap Boat (Daily Nation, Nairobi)http://allafrica.com/stories/201110010120.html1 October 2011
http://www.france24.com/en/20111001-libya-gaddafi-sirte-arab-spring-national-transitional-counciil-red-crosshttp://www.france24.com/en/20111001-libya-gaddafi-sirte-arab-spring-national-transitional-counciil-red-crosshttp://www.france24.com/en/20111001-libya-gaddafi-sirte-arab-spring-national-transitional-counciil-red-crosshttp://m.npr.org/news/front/140919689?singlePage=truehttp://m.npr.org/news/front/140919689?singlePage=truehttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0930/Why-dictators-now-face-civilian-revolt-from-Syria-to-Swazilandhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0930/Why-dictators-now-face-civilian-revolt-from-Syria-to-Swazilandhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0930/Why-dictators-now-face-civilian-revolt-from-Syria-to-Swazilandhttp://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=220434http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=220434http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/20111019325983270.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/20111019325983270.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110010120.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110010120.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110010120.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/20111019325983270.htmlhttp://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=220434http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0930/Why-dictators-now-face-civilian-revolt-from-Syria-to-Swazilandhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0930/Why-dictators-now-face-civilian-revolt-from-Syria-to-Swazilandhttp://m.npr.org/news/front/140919689?singlePage=truehttp://www.france24.com/en/20111001-libya-gaddafi-sirte-arab-spring-national-transitional-counciil-red-crosshttp://www.france24.com/en/20111001-libya-gaddafi-sirte-arab-spring-national-transitional-counciil-red-cross


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By Galgalo BochaTwo Kenyan coastguard vessels have surrounded a boat carrying gunmen and an elderlyFrench woman kidnapped early Saturday.

AU forces in Somalia get 3,000-troop boost (The Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-story30 September 2011By Alex ThurstonSomalias Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is battling Al Shabab, a Muslim rebelmovement, for control of the southern part of the country. Assisting the TFG in thiscampaign is the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM), which has around 9,000soldiers drawn primarily from Uganda and Burundi. In August, Al Shabab completed atactical withdrawal from Somalias capital Mogadishu, allowing the TFG to extend itscontrol over much of the city. Conquering the rest of southern Somalia, however, willprove very difficult.

Nigeria marks independence amid bomb fears (Al Jazeera)http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/201110111284141407.html1 October 2011By AgenciesPresident vows to secure his country following deadly blasts that recently targeted a UNbuilding in the capital Abuja.

43 Killed in Insurgent Fighting in Lower Jubba, Gedo Regions (Garowe Online,Garowe Puntland)http://allafrica.com/stories/201110010103.html1 October 2011By Garowe OnlineMore than 43 people have been killed and 77 wounded in days of fighting in southernSomalia's Lower Jubba and Gedo regions this week, Radio Garowe reports.

South SudanGovt Says Khartoum 'Deliberately' Delaying Withdrawing FromAbyei (Sudan Tribune, Khartoum)http://allafrica.com/stories/201110020005.html1 October 2011By Sudan TribuneJubaSouth Sudan on Friday said Khartoum is deliberately delaying the withdrawal ofthe armed forces from the contested oil region of Abyei, after Khartoum failed towithdraw it troops by an agreed deadline.

South SudanGovt Says Khartoum 'Deliberately' Delaying Withdrawing FromAbyei (Sudan Tribune, Khartoum)http://allafrica.com/stories/201110020005.html30 September 2011By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-storyhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-storyhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-storyhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/201110111284141407.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/201110111284141407.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110010103.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110010103.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110020005.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110020005.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110020005.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110020005.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110020005.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110020005.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201110010103.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/10/201110111284141407.htmlhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-storyhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0928/With-support-Mali-could-provide-a-rare-democracy-success-story


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Addis AbabaSome 25,000 people have arrived in Ethiopia over the last three weeks toescape fighting between the Sudanese army and rebels in Blue Nile state, the UN refugeeagency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday.

Can Ghana Afford to Pay the Same Price As Pakistan? (Pambazuka News)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109300631.html29 September 2011By Cameron DuoduSouth Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and those with good memories can attest to thelesson of history, which is that if you want to remain friendly with the USA, keep itsmilitary at arm's length.' So why would Ghana risk souring its relationship with the US,as Pakistan has already done, by allowing it to use Ghanaian territory for militarypurposes?

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

(Full Articles on UN Website)

Security Council calls for increase in African peace force in Somalia to 12,00030 SeptemberThe Security Council today called on the African Union to urgentlyincrease the strength of its peacekeeping force in Somalia to its mandated level of 12,000to enable it to better carry out its UN-authorized mandate to stabilize the war-torncountry.

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Upcoming Events of Interest:

WHAT: House Armed Services Committees Panel on Defense Finbancial Managementand Auditability ReformTOPIC: Is the Financial Management Workforce Positioned to Achieve DODs FinancialImprovement Goals?WHEN: Thursday, October 6, 2011, at 8 a.m.BRIEFERS: Ms Sandra A. Gregory, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense(Comptroller) Office of Financial Workforce Management, U.S. Department of Defense;The Honorable Mary Sally Matiella, Assistant Secretary of the Army (FinancialManagement and Comptroller), Department of the Army; The Honorable Gladys J.Commons, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller),Department of the Navy; The Honorable Jamie M. Morin, Assistant Secretary of the AirForce (Financial Management and Comptroller), Department of the Air ForceWHERE: Rayburn House Office Building - 2118MORE INFORMATION:http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-
http://allafrica.com/stories/201109300631.htmlhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109300631.htmlhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201109300631.html


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cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011

WHAT: Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights

TOPIC: A Comprehensive Assessment of U.S. Policy Toward SudanWHEN: Thursday, October 4, 2011, at 2 p.m.BRIEFERS: The Honorable Princeton Lyman, Special Envoy for Sudan, U.S.Department of State; Mr. Ker Aleu Deng, Emancipated slave from the Republic of SouthSudan; Grard Prunier, Ph.D., Nonresident Senior Fellow, Michael S. Ansari AfricaCenter Atlantic Council; Mr. John Prendergast, Co-founder The Enough ProjectWHERE: Rayburn House Office Building - 2200MORE INFORMATION:http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1359###

New onwww.africom.mil

Togo Native Returns to Africa as Part of CJTF-HOA Civil Affairs Teamhttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7276&lang=030 September 2011By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn ofAfrica Public AffairsCAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti, Sep 30, 2011It was during a recent civil affairsmission through Djibouti that U.S. Army Reserve Corporal Kwami Koto was able totruly articulate his connection to the African continent and its people.

WINDHOEK, Namibia, Sep 29, 2011The first joint U.S. Africa Command, JointMultinational Training Command (JMTC) and U.S. Embassy Environmental Securityworkshop was conducted in Windhoek, Namibia, September 27-30, 2011.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FULLTEXT

AFRICOM commander sees end to Libya mission (AP)http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/1 October 2011By Lolita C. Baldor

WASHINGTONThe military mission in Libya is largely complete and NATOsinvolvement could begin to wrap up as soon as this coming week after allied leaders meetin Brussels, according to the top U.S. commander for Africa.

Army Gen. Carter Ham, head of U.S. Africa Command, told The Associated Press thatAmerican military leaders are expected to give NATO ministers their assessment of thesituation during meetings late in the week.
http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1359http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1359http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1359http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7276&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7276&lang=0http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/10/ap-africom-commander-sees-end-to-libya-mission-100111/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7276&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1359http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2c-cb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e-1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011


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NATO could decide to end the mission even though ousted leader Moammar Gadhafi isstill at large and his forces are still entrenched in strongholds such as Sirte and BaniWalid.

NATOs decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, agreed on Sept. 21 to extendthe mission over the oil-rich North African nation for another 90 days, but officials havesaid the decision would be reviewed periodically.

Ham said that the National Transitional Council and its forces should be in reasonablecontrol of population centers before the end of the NATO mission, dubbed UnifiedProtector. He said they are close to that now.

When NATO makes its decision, Ham said he believes there would be a seamlesstransition of control over the air and maritime operations to U.S. Africa Command. Atleast initially, some of the military surveillance coverage would remain in place.

We dont want to go from whats there now to zero overnight, Ham said. There willbe some missions that will need to be sustained for some period of time, if for no otherreason than to offer assurances to the interim government for things like border security,until such time that they are ready to do all that themselves.

U.S. intelligence and surveillance assets, such as drones, will likely stay in the region alsoto keep watch over weapons caches, to prevent the proliferation of weapons from Libyainto neighboring countries.

But Ham said air strikes would likely end, unless specifically requested by the Libyantransitional government.

NATO took over command of the mission in March, after it was initially led by the U.S.in the early days of the bombing campaign. The mission was designed to enforce a U.N.resolution allowing the imposition of a no-fly zone and military action to protect thecitizens.

The aggressive bombing runs that battered Gadhafi forces, weapons, air control, andother key targets, gave the revolutionary forces the time and breathing room to organizeand begin to push into Gadhafi strongholds. A key turning point came about a month agowhen the fighters were able to seize Tripoli, effectively ending Gadhafis rule.

The National Transitional Council has taken over the leadership of the nation and ispromising to set up its new interim government, even as it continues to fight forces stillloyal to the fugitive leader.

Ham said NATO need not wait until Gadhafi is found and forced out of the countrybefore ending the Libyan mission.


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The fact that he is still at large some place is really more a matter for the Libyans than itis for anybody else, said Ham, adding that President Barack Obama and other leadersmade it clear that the object of the mission was about protecting the people, not killingGadhafi.

The goal now, said Ham, is for the U.S. to eventually establish a normal, military-to-military relationship with Libya, including embassy staff and discussions about whatsecurity assistance the Libyans might want from America. He said he doesnt see a majorU.S. role in training or other military assistance, because other Arab nations are bettersuited for that.

He added that the U.S. may be able to help re-establish Libyas Coast Guard andmaritime domain.

Any U.S. military footprint in the country would remain smallprobably less than twodozen troops at the embassy to work as staff and perform security.

###

Strike on Aulaqi demonstrates collaboration between CIA and military

(Washington Post)http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/strike-on-aulaqi-demonstrates-collaboration-between-cia-and-military/2011/09/30/gIQAD8xHBL_story.html1 October 2011By Greg Miller

Traveling from secret bases on opposite sides of Yemen, armed drones from the CIA andthe militarys Joint Special Operations Command converged above Anwaral-Aulaqisposition in northern Yemen early Friday and unleashed a flurry of missiles.

US officials said the CIA was in control of all the aircraft, as well as the decisions to fire,and that the operation was so seamless that even hours later, it remained unclear whethera drone supplied by the CIA or the military fired the missile that ended the al-Qaedaleaders life.

Aulaqis death represents the latest, and perhaps most literal, illustration to date of theconvergence between the CIA and the nations elite military units in the counterterrorismfight.

President Obama described Aulaqis death as a tribute to our intelligence communityand gave credit to Yemeni security forces who, he said, had worked closely with theUnited States over the course of several years.
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But after a decade of often inconclusive efforts against al-Qaeda, the Obamaadministration has relied on new levels of collaboration between the CIA and JSOC topush the terrorist network closer to collapse.

In May, U.S. Navy SEALS who serve under JSOC killed Osama bin Laden during a raid

deep into Pakistan that relied on intelligence and covert action authority from the CIA.

At the same time, the administration has sought to put new pressure on al-Qaeda affiliatesin Yemen and Somalia by surrounding those countries with a constellation of dronebases. These include a new CIA facility in the Arabian peninsula that played a key role inFridays operation. U.S. drones also fly from military installations in Djibouti, Ethi-o-piaand the Seychelles.

Even leadership ranks have begun to blur: Former CIA director Leon E. Panetta is nowsecretary of defense; David H. Petraeus, previously the military commander in Iraq andAfghanistan, is just weeks into his new assignment as head of the CIA.

The attack on Aulaqi blended capabilities from both sides and was carried out under CIAauthority that allowed for greater latitude in conducting lethal operations outsideconventional war zones. The military aircraft came across the Gulf of Aden fromDjibouti, which has been the primary base for JSOC drones patrolling Yemen for muchof the past year.

U.S. officials said that CIA drones involved in the strike took off from an agency base inthe Arabian peninsula so new that it had become operational only in recent weeks.

The opening of that base was part of a two-pronged strategy by the administration toexploit JSOCs ability to work closely with Yemens counterterrorism units on theground while pushing the CIA to replicate aspects of its lethally efficient drone campaignin Pakistan.

The Post has agreed not to disclose the exact location of the new CIA drone base at therequest of the Obama administration. Even before that facility was completed, the agencywas escalating pressure on al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the groups Yemen-based offshoot is known.

Last year, the CIA created a new counterterrorism unit known as YSD, or the Yemen-Somalia Department, in which dozens of targeting specialists comb over raw intelligenceand other data searching for clues to the whereabouts of al-Qaeda figures.

A senior U.S. official briefed on Fridays operation said that the CIA and JSOC hadAulaqi under intermittent surveillance for roughly two weeks before the strike. It wasunclear what caused the delay in firing the missiles, but the officials cited concerns aboutcivilian casualties and collateral damage in Yemen.


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Aulaqi had survived previous strikes, including a near-hit in May in which the American-born operative, who was described Friday as al-Qaedas external operations chief inYemen, switched vehicles just in time to see the one he had abandoned be destroyed.

The recent strikes followed a long lull in U.S. attacks after an initial flurry of bombings in

Yemen in late 2009 and early 2010. Last year, senior Obama administration officials saidthat leading al-Qaeda figures, including Aulaqi, had gone deep into hiding after thosepreliminary attacks and that intelligence on their whereabouts was scant.

That picture began to change this year, driven by developments on several key fronts.

As AQAP began to eclipse the core al-Qaeda group in Pakistan as a national securitythreat, the CIA and JSOC significantly ramped up their presence in Yemen to bolster theintelligence hunt. The agency also expanded its liaison relationship with Saudi Arabia,which closely tracks Yemens neighboring clans.

At the same time, internal turmoil prompted Yemens beleaguered government to seeAQAP as a more potent internal threat. U.S. officials said that Yemens cooperationimproved in recent months even as the nations president, U.S. ally Ali Abdullah Saleh,was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment after being severely burned in abombing.

White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said earlier this month thatcounterterrorism cooperation with Yemen is better than its been during my wholetenure. Officials said that new cooperation has included better intelligence on AQAPand the locations of its operatives.

Aulaqi became a priority target for the CIA and JSOCand the first U.S. citizen toappear on the agencys secret kill list largely because of the reach of his fieryEnglish-language sermons online and his efforts to direct AQAP attacks on the UnitedStates.

The native of New Mexico had direct links to a series of plots. He had corresponded by e-mail with Nidal Hasan, the U.S. Army major accused of a deadly shooting rampage atFort Hood, Tex. U.S. officials said Aulaqi also directed a Nigerian student whosmuggled a bomb aboard a Detroit-bound airliner in 2009 to wait to detonate the deviceuntil the plane had entered U.S. airspace.

In addition to Aulaqi, a second U.S. citizen, Samir Khan, 25, a propagandist who helpedproduce al-Qaedas Inspire magazine, was killed in Fridays drone strike.

###

Questions and answers about Yemen-based al-Qaida (AP)http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Questions-and-answers-about-Yemen-based-al-Qaida-2197081.php
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30 September 2011By Kimberly Dozier

WASHINGTON (AP)Based in the Yemeni tribal hinterlands but possessing globalambitions, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has become the most active and lethal of the

affiliates to emerge from the shadow of Osama bin Laden's old network. Now the deadlyU.S. attack on its leadership has complicated its prospects.

Some questions and answers about the group, the attack that killed the radical U.S.-borncleric Anwar al-Awlaki along with three other operatives, and the latest on al-Qaida'sworld franchises:

Q: What is al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula?

A: Formed in 2006 after two dozen al-Qaida members escaped from a Yemeni prison, theorganization, then known as al-Qaida in Yemen, pulled off its biggest attack two years

later. Two vehicle bombs exploded outside the U.S. Embassy compound in the capital,killing 19 people including six terrorists. This followed a period of small-arms attacks ontourists and mortar attacks against the U.S. and Italian Embassies, the presidentialcompound and Yemeni military fortifications.

In 2009, the organization became al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, uniting Yemeni andSaudi operatives under the same umbrella and signaling its intention to serve as a hub forregional attacks against local, U.S. and other Western interests in both countries. U.S.officials say this is when the group began pursuing a global strategy.___Q: Why was the U.S. so intent on killing al-Awlaki, just one of the group's leaders?

A: They considered him the group's prime figure both in directing and inspiring plotswithin the U.S. They also saw him as a potent recruiter of Americans willing to carry outterrorism inside the country.

U.S. officials have said they believe al-Awlaki inspired Army psychiatrist Maj. NidalHasan, who is charged in the attack that killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas. The twoexchanged as many as 20 emails, U.S. officials say. In New York, the Pakistani-American who pleaded guilty to the attempted Times Square bombing last year said hewas inspired by al-Awlaki after making contact over the Internet.

They also say he assumed direct planning duties in the foiled bombing aboard a Detroit-bound airliner and in a failed attempt to crash two U.S. cargo aircraft by detonatingexplosives inside two packages mailed to the U.S.

"His sole purpose was to attack the U.S.," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman ofthe House Intelligence Committee. Rogers said al-Awlaki was "trying to devise waysaround U.S. security procedures at all levels."
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The death of the charismatic cleric was not the only blow to the organization's ability tospread its messageand in English. Samir Khan, editor of the polished Jihadi onlinemagazine and another U.S. citizen, also was killed in the assault.___Q: How did this attack differ from the raid that killed bin Laden inside his Pakistani

compound?

A: Once again, the U.S. counterterrorism unit known as the Joint Special OperationsCommand crossed into a sovereign nation's territory to kill a wanted man. But there thesimilarities end.

U.S. forces flew into Pakistan and placed themselves on the ground without theforeknowledge of the Pakistani government. The drone attack on al-Awlaki's convoyunfolded with crucial assistance from Yemeni intelligence, which pinpointed andcontinued to monitor his location. U.S. fighter jets were also part of the mission, ready tostrike quickly if the drones missed their mark, as they did the last time they targeted al-

Awlaki, on May 5, just days after the bin Laden raid in Pakistan.

Why were the Yemenis so helpful? Yemeni authorities have come under increasingattack from al-Qaida in their midst and in turn have expanded their cooperation with U.S.counterterrorism operations.

The attack's command structure also was unusual, with the counterterrorism unit and theCIA working side by side, sharing intelligence and tracking and ultimately firing on thetarget. Both fly armed drones. The CIA directed the bin Laden raid.___Q: How much is the U.S. attack likely to hurt the capabilities of al-Qaida in the ArabianPeninsula?

A: It's too soon to know. Some intelligence officials say it should immediately cripple theorganization's ability to carry out attacks on the United States, but it won't stop themovement's internal fight against the Yemeni government. Bruce Riedel, a former CIAofficial, called it a serious setback for the organization but not a fatal blow. "In fact al-Qaida is getting stronger every day in Yemen as the country descends into civil war andbreaks apart," he said.

At least for the short term, the attack is a striking propaganda defeat for the organization,and one that crimps its ability to communicate with those in the West and recruit them.Al-Awlaki was a galvanizing figure who could motivate Westerners to take action ontheir own, said Christopher Boucek, a Yemen expert at the Carnegie Endowment forInternational Peace. "I don't want to say he's irreplaceable, but I don't know who elsecould fill his shoes."___Q: What is the state of other terrorist organizations operating under the al-Qaida bannerand devoted to attacking Americans and the West?
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A: Yemen's al-Qaida branch may be the leading threat, but it's not the only one. Theoriginal group, now led by bin Laden successor Ayman al-Zawahiri, continues to plot andtrain would-be suicide attackers in Pakistan's tribal areasthough those efforts arehampered by a barrage of CIA drone strikes.

Other splinter groups such as Africa-based al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb, Somalia-based al-Shabaab and Boko Haram pose a "significant threat" in the African continent,but also to the United States, according to Army Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S.Africa Command. "Those three organizations have very explicitly and publicly voiced anintent to target Westerners and the U.S. specifically," Ham said. "I have questions abouttheir ability to do so; I have no question about their intent to do so, and that to me is veryworrying."

An even bigger concern, he said, is that the three are looking for ways to work togethermore closely. He said this is most apparent in efforts by al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb,which is focused mainly on North Africa, and Boko Haram, a radical Muslim sect that

wants strict Shariah law in Nigeria.

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US drone attack warfare plan for East Africa risky (The East African)http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/US+drone+attack+warfare+plan+for+East+Africa+risky+/-/2558/1246484/-/7ppmrqz/-/2 October 2011By Kevin Kelley

In moving to expand its use of pilotless surveillance and attack aircraft in East Africa, theObama administration has calculated that the potential military benefits of intensifieddrone warfare outweigh the political risks of such a strategy.

The Washington Post reported that the US is building bases for drones in Ethiopia and onthe Arabian Peninsula while arming Somalia-focused drones launched from theSeychelles.

The US is also continuing to fly drones from its long-established base in Djibouti.

In addition, the Pentagon has supplied Ugandan and Burundian troops in Somalia with atleast four hand-launched reconnaissance drones.

These moves reflect the Obama administrations decision to escalate its war on militantsin Somalia and Yemen who it identifies as terrorists. Increasing reliance on drones alsoenables the US to fight this war at a distance that will ensure its own forces do not sustaincasualties that would cause political problems at home.
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The US will likely be criticised in global forums on the grounds that it is undermininginternational human rights law by carrying out remote-control killings in countries withwhich it is not formally at war.

PlayStation mentality to killing

Philip Alston, an international law expert employed by the UN to investigate extra-judicial killings, warned earlier this year that because drones make it easier to killwithout risk to a states forces, policymakers and commanders will be tempted tointerpret the legal limitations on who can be killed, and under what circumstances, tooexpansively.

Alston further cited the risk of developing a PlayStation mentality to killing. He notedthat drones are controlled by technicians thousands of miles away who rely on computer

programs and video feeds in carrying out push-button missile launches.

There is also the danger that drone strikes will turn civilian populations in East Africaagainst the US, as has occurred in Pakistan.Revulsion over this type of warfare stems in part from the collateral destruction that thedrones are said to have caused in Pakistan villages.

The Pentagon claims that its drone attacks on targets in Pakistan have killed hundreds ofAl Qaeda fighters while sparing civilians.

That assertion of 100 per cent accuracy has been met with scepticism on the part of someinvestigators.

The British Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports, for example, that the number ofPakistani civilians killed by drone-fired weapons is somewhere between 385 and 775 outof as many as 2863 deaths due to drone attacks.

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Libya And Touareg: Balance Changes Along Desert RoutesAnalysis (Eurasia

Review)http://www.eurasiareview.com/02102011-libya-and-touareg-balance-changes-along-desert-routes-analysis/2 October 2011By MISNA

The conflict in Libya has had only negative consequences on the Touareg community ofthe Sahel-Saharan region. This is an area of the future, that will increasingly be the focusof attention, for both great powers of terrorist or criminal networks.said Touareg,Ahmed Akol, former political secretary of the former Nigerian rebel movement Niger
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Movement for Justice (MNJ), adding that Northern Niger is directly involved, where theTouareg have lost control of the territory, losing the economic support of the Libyanregime, and are now presented as mercenaries in the pocket of Muammar Gaddafi.Some definitions do not help our cause.

The media, especially the French, have so far concentrated on speculation that MuammarQadhafi is near the Libyan border protected by the Touareg. Some sources also reportthat the Touareg have recently received a lot of weapons from Libya.

LibyaQaddafis support for the Touareg movement in fact is no secret. In the past some of theirmovements fighting against their governments, especially in Niger and Mali, passedthrough Libya.

In the mid 90s, the Colonel was a mediator in the peace process between governmentsand their rebellions.

According to Akola, The area ofAgadez, which has always been disparaged andignored by the central government in Niamey, (which) has received investment fromTripoli. The local market is supplied primarily on products that come from Libya. Thefirst conflict was a direct result of higher prices and greater economic hardship for thepopulation.

Akola said that Its not just for this reason that the fate of the Touareg is at risk despite changes in power and representation in institutions, those who really hold powerin Niger, or the army, remains in the hands of Zarma. And there will be some time beforewe see the benefits of small improvements made in local development.

In this context, many young people without prospects, eventually taking up arms. Thebiggest fear is that they should do this while exploited by criminal groups that are nativeto our area, I am referring for example to the Salafists, groups linked to al-Qaida, whichhave nothing to do with the Touareg movements, Akola said.

The borders of the desert are very lucrative for smugglers and criminals. The biggestbusiness, says the leader of the MNJ, is that of drugs. We are on a route that carries thedrugs coming from Latin America to Europe. The area is of strategic importance.

It is also important for the great powers, from Paris to Beijing, for the control of naturalresources. The Sahara desert contains uranium, oil and gas.

Energy resources that prompt Tchangari Moussa, Secretary General of the networkAlternative Espace Citoyen to say that the true purpose of the destabilization of Libyawas to gain control over the entire range Saharan Africa, from the north of Chad andMauritania.

According to Moussa, The area could also be of interest to Washington, looking for a


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solid foundation for Africom, the U.S. military command that should serve Africa,officially, for counter terrorism.

Before the decolonization France wanted to found a state of the Sahel, which would cutoff the countries of those regions where the resources are, added Moussa.

For this reason and others, the nomadic Touareg rebellions, once masters of the desert,were once considered legitimate by the same forces that today are accusing (them).Apparently now the Touareg have lost any support in this country, according to Moussa,who does not belong to the Touareg community and is the chief editor of AlternativeHebdo.

The new game that is emerging on the Sahelian chessboard does not portend to a futureof peace and stability.

Both Moussa and Akol said that the first beneficiaries of the conflict will be

organizations such as Al Qaeda, who will findthanks to western occupationreason tospread insecurity and a motivation to enter the territory.

That said, so far, few voices are being raised in the local Touareg community, a proudcommunity, but also one that is volatile.

Reports or complaints that come up in the international media often come from thediaspora and are difficult to verify.

Additionally, some people talk about the massacre of Touareg in Libya by theinsurgency. However, it is not easy to distinguish who among the sub-Saharan groups,was in Libya serivng in Qadhafis armed forces and who was there to work and seek alife of dignity, having unfairly suffered abuse and discrimination.

In this story the media have a great responsibility here too, in Niger, we see the samerehashed news, untested, without weighing the consequences, Moussa said.

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Gadhafi's hometown hit hard (AP)http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/02/2656564/gadhafis-hometown-hit-hard.html2 October 2011By Hadeel al-Shalchi and Maggie Michael

TRIPOLI, Libya Two children and their parents were killed by machine-gun fireSaturday while trying to flee Moammar Gadhafi's hometown along with hundreds ofother residents, as forces loyal to the ousted regime engaged in heavy clashes withrevolutionary fighters surrounding the city.
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Their bodies were brought to a makeshift hospital outside Sirte, said a doctor there, NuriNaari. They were hit by machine-gun fire as they drove toward the positions ofrevolutionary forces on the edges of the city, he said. It was unclear who killed them.

Sirte is one of the last cities to remain in loyalist hands. After months of stalemate in

Libya's civil war, anti-Gadhafi forces swept into the capital in August and their leadersset up a transitional government. But the continued fighting in holdout cities and thefailure to find and capture Gadhafi has kept Libya's new leaders from being able todeclare victory.

Revolutionary forces had given families inside Sirte two days to leave the city startingFriday, said Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, head of the National Transitional Council that now runsthe country. They tried to keep a safe corridor open for civilians fleeing the coastal city.

Hundreds of cars carrying Sirte residents formed long lines at revolutionary forces'checkpoints leading out of the city, calmly waiting to be checked by the fighters as

explosions echoed in the distance.

Also Saturday, the International Committee of the Red Cross sent a team including adoctor into Sirte to deliver medical supplies to a hospital.

In a press statement, the ICRC said there were 200 wounded people at the Ibn Sinahospital, which had shortages of fuel for its generator, as well as body bags and dressingkits. Because of security conditions the ICRC said the team had to leave before assessingthe humanitarian needs of civilians, but was able to speak to Sirte representatives whoreported water and food shortages.

After weeks of fighting Gadhafi's loyalists inside Sirte, the fighters now hold positionsabout three miles from the city center, said commander Mustafa al-Rubaie.

Last week, the Libyan Defense Ministry announced that Sirte's port, airport and militarybase were all under their control.

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Red Cross says situation 'dire' in besieged city of Sirte (AFP)http://www.france24.com/en/20111001-libya-gaddafi-sirte-arab-spring-national-transitional-counciil-red-cross2 October 2011By News Wires

AFP - People are dying due to lack of basic medical care in Sirte, the Red Cross saidSaturday after it visited Moamer Kadhafi's besieged hometown and saw the hospital therehit by rockets.
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"It's a dire situation," Hichem Khadhraoui of the International Committee of the RedCross told AFP, adding that a team he led had delivered 300 "war wounded kits" andabout 150 body bags.

Medical personnel at the city's Ibn Sima hospital told the Red Cross that "because of lack

of oxygen and fuel for the generator people are dying," he said from his base in thenearby city of Misrata.

Other wounded or ill people cannot get to the hospital because of the fighting and NATOairstrikes, Khadhraoui said.

"Several rockets landed within the hopsital buildings while we were there," he said. "Wesaw a lot of indiscriminate fire. I don't know where it was coming from."

After the ICRC team went in, National Transitional Council fighters launched a ferocious

attack with rockets, anti-tank cannons and machine gun fire from a position less than akilometre from the hospital.

Kadhafi loyalists responded with mortar and sniper fire.

"We were surprised" that the attack took place while the Red Crosss team was visiting,Khadhraoui said, adding that they had "contacted all parties to say we were going in."

The hospital's water tower has been hit and they have to bring in water from outside, hesaid.

The war wounded kits delivered include drips, drugs, gauze and other medicalequipment, Khadhraoui said.

The Red Cross has been has been trying for weeks to enter Sirte. It sought to bringmedical supplies in by boat but abandoned that idea because of security concerns.

Khadhraoui's team on Saturday included a doctor, a first aid medic and a logistician, hesaid.

"Oxygen is the main thing they asked for," he said. The ICRC did not carry out a fullassessment of the hospital's medical needs and not visit the wards. They hope to returnsoon to bring in more aid.

Sirte, one of the last two hold-outs of Kadhafi loyalists, has been besieged by NTCfighters since mid-September. Thousands of residents have fled the city.###

Democracy Steadily Takes Root In Africa (NPR)http://m.npr.org/news/front/140919689?singlePage=true
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1 October 2011By Alan Greenblatt

The international spotlight has been on North Africa this year, where Arab autocrats havebeen overthrown by government opponents seeking democracy in three separate

countriesLibya, Egypt and Tunisia.

But farther south on the continent, a less dramatic democratic trend has been playing outfor years.

Seventeen of the 49 nations in sub-Saharan Africa are holding national elections thisyear. That's partly an accident of timing. But it's also a sign that holding power in Africathese days increasingly requires a leader to hold regular elections.

To cite just one recent example, longtime opposition leader Michael Sata won thepresidency in the Sept. 20 election in Zambia.

"Once you have an opposition winning elections and assuming power, then that's aquantum leap toward democracy and the rule of law," says John Campbell, a seniorfellow in Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Not All Elections Are EqualMany African countries lack independent media and election commissions or competitiveopposition parties. Several countries have been ruled by the same autocrat for decades orhave a leader who succeeded his own father.

Even when open elections are held, things don't always go smoothly. In countries whereethnic, religious or geographical differences have political resonance, elections canexacerbate those tensions.

That was the case in Ivory Coast last year. The November election was seen as fair, andthe opposition candidate, Alassane Ouattara, defeated the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo.But Gbagbo refused to give up power, triggering months of fighting that left some 3,000people dead before he was ousted.

Ouattara, who is now president, was in Washington a week ago at the Center for Strategicand International Studies, a think tank. He said the 2010 crisis could be traced back to2000, when the country failed to settle political differences with a vote.

"This led to rebellion and agreements that were never fully implemented until we finallygot to a national election" last year, he said.

Elections Become More Common
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Before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, only five countries in Africa held competitiveelections on a regular basis, according to Staffan Lindberg, a political scientist at theUniversity of Gothenburg in Sweden.

But the arrival of democracy in Eastern Europe and elsewhere also had an impact on

Africa. "Something like 40 of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa now have regular,multiparty elections," says Nicolas van de Walle, a government professor at CornellUniversity.

In some cases, elections are held mainly for show, van de Walle says, something thatboth domestic constituencies and the international community demand. "Even the worstdictators have accommodated themselves to the new expectation that you're supposed tobe democratic," he says.

Where Democracy Succeeds

Some countries, such as Zimbabwe and Djibouti, hold elections that are essentiallymeaningless, according to analysts. Many others have taken only halting steps towardelections that can be considered free or fair.

But elections can also be part of a process that trains citizens of a nation to resolve theirconflicts peacefully, says Lindberg. Countries such as Liberia and Sudan have usedelections as a bridge out of periods of civil war toward reconciliation.

In Zambia, building up the institutions that support and succor a democracy has been aslow process. But the baby steps Zambia took may have led not only to a "changeelection," but also to something more enduring than the cycle of elections followed byconflict or coups seen in many African nations.

North Africa Catching Up

Democracy is difficult. It can sometimes take a generation or longer for a country tomove from dictatorship to a stable democracy that is upheld by new leaders and strongerinstitutions.

"North Africa and the Middle East are only embracing democracy now," says DenisKadima, director of the Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa,based in Johannesburg. "The revolution has taken place, but democratization is still tocome."

What protesters in places such as Egypt and Tunisia have been clamoring for this yearchanges in leadership and real electionsare already becoming more the norm in sub-Saharan Africa.
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It's good to think of Tahrir Squarethe heart of the protest movement in Cairo"ascatching up, rather than leading," says John Stremlau, vice president for peace programsat the Carter Center.

Elections might be faulty and often unfair, but each time one is held, it opens up the

opportunity for citizens to demand better processes the next time around, says Lindberg,the Swedish professor, who also teaches at the University of Florida.

"The Arab Spring is wonderful," he says, "but history seems to suggest that this slowprocess of democratization is better than a fast, revolutionary one." [Copyright 2011National Public Radio]

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Why dictators now face civilian revolt, from Syria to Swaziland (The ChristianScience Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2011/0930/Why-dictators-now-face-civilian-revolt-from-Syria-to-Swaziland30 September 2011By Scott Baldauf

Authoritarian regimes are crumbling across North Africa; street protests are rockingcapitals from Syria to Swaziland. Is the age of dictators finally over?

Certainly dictators have been around for thousands of years, and for every strongmanturned out of office in the past few months, there are dozens still holding onto power.

And yet, what protests in a growing number of countries show is that citizens have agreater sense of courageous solidarity and more tools at their disposal to throw theirdictators off balance, if not out of power.

"I think the statement, 'The age of dictators is over,' is a bit dramatic and too simplistic,but we have certainly reached a key point in our history," says Gene Sharp, author of aninfluential book for nonviolent protest, "From Dictatorship to Democracy."

"The knowledge of how to get rid of dictators is spreading," Mr. Sharp says, noting thatnonviolent techniques are now being used in Africa, the Middle East, and even military-run Burma (Myanmar). "Nonviolent struggle is not intuitive. It's not spontaneous. It'slearning how to think about the problem of authoritarianism, and what to do about theproblem. And that knowledge is spreading."

Ousting dictators: It takes more than a smartphone

It takes more than a smart phone to take on an authoritarian regime, of course.
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In addition to courage, it requires organization and discipline, coordination andcommunication, and clever techniques to keep a regime guessing about what will comenext. For this reason, protests have worked best in North Africa, where citizen networkshad prepared their civil disobedience campaigns well in advance, and then adapted theirmethods to stay one step ahead of the security forces.

They have not worked as well in sub-Saharan Africa, where citizen groups are lessorganized and often associated directly with political parties rather than the citizensthemselves.

In the early days after the Tunisian regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fell,many eyes turned to Zimbabwe because of the similar factors of strong civil society onone side and the long-ruling reign of President Robert Mugabe on the other. Mr.Mugabe's own security forces were looking for signs of this revolt, going so far asarresting college students for the simple act of watching a video about the Egyptian andTunisian revolts. The detainees were later released, although some of the charges are still

pending.

Citizen revolts in surprising places

But citizen revolts have arisen in some surprising places. A prime example today isSwaziland's: Protests against Africa's last monarch began well before the Arab Springerupted, and have proved more enduring than many expectedthanks in part tointernational support.

In September, Swazi citizens groups and South African labor union organizers conducteda week-long campaign of protests against the Swazi regime and against South Africa's2.4 million rand loan to Swaziland's King Mswati III, whose government has run out ofmoney. In the provincial town of Siteki, nearly 3,000 protesters were reported on thestreets on Sept. 8, a remarkable feat in a country with just under 2 million people. And inthe nation's commercial capital, another 5,000 marchers brought the city to a halt.

Their anger is aimed primarily at King Mswati, who spends lavishly on himself and hisfamilyincluding at least a dozen wivesand loads up Africa's most bloatedbureaucracy with personal supporters and friends.

His country is currently in arrears of about $180 million (roughly the same amount as theking's personal fortune), has failed to pay teacher and other civil servant salaries formonths, and has been urged by the International Monetary Fund to get its finances inorder through massive cuts in public spending.

Swazi citizens simply demand a government that functions.

"In the past, in the late 1990s, we would just hold demonstrations and sit-ins, but then werealized we weren't getting much progress in terms of the government making changes,so we took it to the second level, with border blockades to try to frustrate the economic


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relations between Swaziland and South Africa, and we did that in coordination with tradeunions in South Africa," says Sikhumbuzo Phakathi, secretary-general of the bannedPeople's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

The movement has steadily gathered force. At first it was citizens groups protesting, Mr.

Phakathi adds. Now civil servants and teachers are joining in, along with churches.

In mid-September senior members of South Africa's top labor movement, which supportsSouth Africa's ruling government, were arrested and deported after appearing at a protestrally in Manzini.

Their eyewitness report of police using rubber bullets, tear gas, and live bullets todisperse protesters has helped to amplify the accusations of groups like PUDEMO.

"What this has done is it brought the attention of the world to Swaziland," says Phakathi."When we say that there is corruption and brutality by the regime, and people don't see it,

then people won't do anything. But these protests show the world that the regimeresponds with violence."

Malawi, too, has seen a well-coordinated series of protest marches in cities and townsacross that impoverished country challenge the authority of President Bingu waMutharika.

The protests seemed to take Mr. Mutharika by surprise, and he responded by firing hissecurity chief for failing to shut down the protests and by reshuffling his cabinet.

Overcoming fear is only a first step

For Sharp, who has become a mentor for liberation movements as far away as Burma,Lithuania, Serbia, and, more recently, Syria, the beginning of the end for a dictatorship iswhen citizens stop fearing the regime. But that's not enough.

"It all depends on what you are going to do when you are not afraid," he says.

"Dictators depend on our cooperation and obedience. All you have to do is cut the sourceof their power, and the dictatorship starves; and you do that by peeling away the civilservants, the police, and the military. Without the obedience of these people, the regimehas no control, and it will crumble."

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Democracy or Prosperity, Which Comes First (Ghana Web)http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=2204342 October 2011By Kofi Akosah-Sarpong
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=220434http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=220434http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=220434


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As Africas democracy gradually evolves, the arguments are whether Africa shouldconcentrate on creating prosperity first and then grow its democracy later or build up itsdemocracy first and then use it to develop its prosperity. This thinking has come aboutbecause of the on-going democratic revolutions occurring in Africa, in places such asLibya, Tunisia and Egypt, and multi-party democratic elections after elections have

become recurring rituals.

Despite its global hypothesis, in the African context, the democracy-or-prosperityarguments wheel around Africas largely enviably untapped wealth and the continentspainful dark political history where totalitarianism of all brands had been the order of theday. So whether prosperity first, democracy second, or the other way around will bedetermined by Africas political history in the past 50 years.

In most parts of Africa independence from colonial rule saw authoritarian one-party-systems and military juntas dominating the political scene. The erroneous thinking, asKofi Abrefa Busia, a former Prime Minister of Ghana, explained, was that democracy

was thought to be alien to Africans thought and way of life, and that the onlylanguage Africans understands is despotism that emanates from the African culture. AsGhana under Kwame Nkrumah witnessed, the argument was that authoritarian one-partysystem will bring rapid prosperity by controlling all dissent and freedoms.

Still, as military juntas in Southeast Asia such as South Korea or South America such asBrazil had done, the thinking was that Africas then mushrooming military juntas such asUganda under Gen. Idi Amin will either be able to use their military discipline for eitherspeedy advancement or laid the foundation for swift progress. In all this, the so-calledrapid prosperity didnt happen Africa became more backward materially than beforedespite its immensely endowed human and natural wealth. Rather, the military juntasand the one-party systems left in its wake muddled thinking, oppression, deaths,confusion, state paralysis and state collapse, civil wars, endemic corruptions, tribalism,and constant fear and threats.

In Libya, a key face of Africas current democratic revolution, despite is immense oilwealth with a population of only 6.6 million; its problem is that for 42 years it has beendespotically rule by Muarmmar Gaddafi. Despite having per capita income of aboutUS$13,000, average life expectancy of 77 years, UN Human Development Index at 53thposition out of 170 countries graded (high at 2010 rankings) and literacy rate of about 90percent, the schisms between democracy and prosperity saw a civil war for democracyand freedoms break out in the face of dictatorial practices where freedoms were brutallysuppressed.

On the other hand, Botswana, Africas longest democracy star, has about a third ofLibyas population, and a little better than Libyas per capita income (at US$15,489).Botswanas UN Human Development Index is at the 98th position (medium at 2010rankings). But Botswana has been able to balance democracy and prosperity ever since itgot independence from Britain in 1966 and its people enjoy greater peace, freedoms anddemocratic tenets for the past 44 years under the long-ruling Botswana Democratic Party.


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Unlike Libya, Botswanas democracy has come with it sound accountability andtransparency. Transparency International reports that Botswana is the least corruptcountry in Africa. In the course of the Libyan democratic revolution, an anti-corruptionworker who spoke to Transparency Internationals Arab branch said, It wasnt safe tofight corruption. If you opposed the government, you would disappear. We were careful.

But now we are ready to work.

The lesson from the Libyan and other African states perturbations is that when a countryis prosperous its people want more freedoms. Libya had been undemocratic for the past42 years. Till the democratic revolution, Libya had put economic development first forprosperity but missed out in opening the democratic field (as South Korea, Chile andTaiwan did) and saw Gaddafi blew its authoritarian regime into pieces. Most Africansstates, after gaining independence from European colonial rule had put democracy aheadof economic development but didnt prosper and went back to despotism that sent mostinto turbulence.

Botswana and Mauritius experiences teach that there have to be skillful grafting ofprosperity and democracy if holistic

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