africom related-newsclips 3 jan 2012

8/3/2019 AFRICOM Related-Newsclips 3 Jan 2012

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

United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office3 January 2012

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 January 3, 2012.

Of interest in todays clips:

-- Islamist militants in Nigeria warn Christians to leave north within three days (CNN)-- Somali militants gather, recruit outside town taken by Ethiopian forces; calm inside

town (Washington Post)-- Ethiopia makes gains against militants in Somalia (WSJ)--South Sudanese flee to escape deadly ethnic vendetta (BBC)-- Al-Qaeda leader shot dead in Algeria (Globe and Mail)

Provided in text format for remote reading. Links work more effectively when thismessage is viewed as in HTML format.

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

Islamist militants in Nigeria warn Christians to leave north within 3 days (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/02/world/africa/nigeria-sectarian-divisions/2 January 2012By Tim ListerThe militant Islamist group Boko Haram has issued an ultimatum giving Christians livingin northern Nigeria three days to leave the area amid a rising tide of violence there.

The African War on Terror: The latest Islamist front is in Nigeria (WSJ)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204720204577126701554253364.html3 January 2012In February 2007, President Bush launched a military command to help Africangovernments fight terror. AFRICOM offers military training, intelligence-sharing andspecial operations throughout the continent. It's also been a steady source of controversy.


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In Nigeria, Boko Haram Is Not the Problem (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/opinion/in-nigeria-boko-haram-is-not-the-problem.html2 January 2012

Governments and newspapers around the world attributed the horrific Christmas Daybombings of churches in Nigeria to Boko Haram a shadowy group that is routinelydescribed as an extremist Islamist organization based in the northeast corner of Nigeria.

After Deadly Church Attacks in Nigeria, What Do Boko Haram Extremists Want?

(PBS News Hour)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/july-dec11/nigeria2_12-26.htmlAir Date: 26 December 2011Transcript:Paul Lubeck, a sociology professor and director of the Center for Global, Internationaland Regional Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, discuss the bombings in

Nigera. He was in Northern Nigeria researching Islamist movements this past summer.

Somali militants gather, recruit outside town taken by Ethiopian forces; calm inside

town (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/somali-militants-gather-recruit-outside-town-taken-by-ethiopian-forces-calm-inside-town/2012/01/02/gIQAWqzsVP_story.html2 January 2012NAIROBI, Kenya Militants from the insurgent group al-Shabab appeared to begathering hundreds of fighters and attempting to recruit even more in villages outside aSomalia border town invaded by Ethiopian troops over the weekend, residents saidMonday.

Ethiopia Makes Gains Against Militants in Somalia (WSJ)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203462304577136612699687638.html?mod=googlenews_wsj2 January 2012By Solomon MooreNAIROBI, KenyaEthiopian government officials vowed Monday to hold a key Somalitown that Ethiopian troops wrested from al-Shabaab over the weekend, as the Islamistmilitant group was said to be massing its troops on the outskirts.

South Sudanese flee to escape deadly ethnic vendetta (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-163815792 January 2012Tens of thousands of South Sudanese are fleeing their homes after inter-ethnic clashesaround the town of Pibor. The UN is warning villagers to run for their lives as some6,000 fighters advance on their ethnic rivals.

South Sudan: Nine people killed in Bahr el Ghazal (Sudan Tribune)

http://www.sudantribune.com/South-Sudan-Nine-people-killed-in,41155


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2 January 2012At least nine civilians have been killed in two separate incidents in South Sudans north-western region of Bahr el Ghazal. Several others also sustained injuries in the incidentswhich took place in Aweil, the provincial capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and Warrapstate.

Al-Qaeda leader shot dead in Algeria (Globe and Mail)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/al-qaeda-leader-shot-dead-in-algeria/article2288980/2 January 2012Algerian police say a key militant leader has been shot dead by the army in an ambusheast of the capital.

Algeria sentences Qaeda leader to life (News 24)

http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Algeria-sentences-Qaeda-leader-to-life-201201022 January 2012

An Algerian court sentenced one of the most radical leaders of Al-Qaeda's north Africabranch in his absence Monday to life in prison for creating "an international terrorgroup", his lawyer said.

Algeria's moderate Islamist party pulls out of coalition government (AP)

http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/africa/algerias-moderate-islamist-party-pulls-out-of-coalition-government2 January 2012A moderate Islamist party pulled out of Algeria's governing coalition, saying that 2012 isthe year of competition - not alliances. The announcement by the Movement for aPeaceful Society, or MSP, to leave the so-called presidential alliance on Sunday comesahead of legislative elections in April.

Metastasis Of Al Qaeda?: Pan-African Terrorism Analysis (Eurasia Review)

http://www.eurasiareview.com/02012012-metastasis-of-al-qaeda-pan-african-terrorism-analysis/2 January 2012In a televised broadcast on December 31,2011, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathandeclared a state of emergency in parts of the country following anti-Christian violence bya jihadi group called Boko Haram.

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UN News Service Africa Briefs

http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA


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DR Congo: UN experts outline sources of funding for armed rebels

30 December Armed rebel groups active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) derive their funds from several sources, notably trade in natural resources, butalso ordinary commerce and illegal taxation, according to a report by a United Nationsgroup of experts unveiled today.

Egypt: UN rights office voices alarm at raids on offices on NGOs

30 December The United Nations human rights office voiced alarm today at reports thatthe Egyptian military has carried out raids against the offices of non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) in what would be the first documented incidents of their kind inthe countrys recent history.

South Sudan: UN blue helmets deploy to deter ethnic violence in key town

30 December The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) hasdeployed a battalion of troops in the town of Pibor in Jonglei state, which is underimminent attack by an estimated 6,000 armed men from one of two feuding communities

in the area, a UN official said today.

UN agency deplores killing of Somali community leader at refugee camp

30 December The head of the United Nations refugee agency voiced deep regret todayat the killing of a Somali refugee leader in the Dadaab complex in north-eastern Kenya,describing the slaying as senseless.(Full Articles on UN Website)

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Upcoming Events of Interest:

5 January 2012Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) Discussion with Former Libyan

National Transitional Council Finance Minister Ali Tarhouni and Marina Ottaway.

WHERE: CEIP, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NWCONTACT: 202-483-7600; web site: www.carnegieendowment.orgSOURCE: CEIP - event announcement at:http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2012/01/05/former-libyan-finance-minister-ali-tarhouni/8rh4

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FULL TEXT

Islamist militants in Nigeria warn Christians to leave north within 3 days (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/02/world/africa/nigeria-sectarian-divisions/2 January 2012By Tim Lister

The militant Islamist group Boko Haram has issued an ultimatum giving Christians livingin northern Nigeria three days to leave the area amid a rising tide of violence there.

A Boko Haram spokesman, Abul Qaqa, also said late Sunday that Boko Haram fightersare ready to confront soldiers sent to the area under a state of emergency declared in parts

of four states by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday.

"We will confront them squarely to protect our brothers," Abul Qaqa said during atelephone call with local media. He also called on Muslims living in southern Nigeria to"come back to the north because we have evidence they will be attacked."

Recent weeks have seen an escalation in clashes between Boko Haram and securityforces in the north-eastern states of Borno and Yobe, as well as attacks on churches andassassinations. Nearly 30 people were killed on Christmas Day at a Catholic church nearthe federal capital, Abuja -- a sign that Boko Haram is prepared to strike beyond itsheartland.

Human rights activist Shehu Sani told CNN that the latest Boko Haram threat is credible,but many Christians born and raised in the north have nowhere else to go.

"The killings will continue," he said, and Boko Haram may respond to the state ofemergency by taking its campaign of violence to areas not yet affected.

Sani said the state of emergency and an enhanced presence of the security forces wouldnot improve the situation, alleging that troops had already been involved in human rightsabuses and had done little to reduce violence.

Nigeria has almost equal numbers of Christian and Muslims, with the southpredominantly Christian. Boko Haram and other Islamic groups claim the north has beenstarved of resources and marginalized by the government of Jonathan, who is a Christian.Boko Haram (which according to the group means "Western civilization is forbidden") isdemanding the imposition of Islamic sharia law across Nigeria.

Christian leaders have demanded a stronger response to the attacks from the governmentand the Muslim community. Ayo Oritsejafor, head of the Christian Association of


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Nigeria, complained last week that the response of Islamic leaders had been"unacceptable and an abdication of their responsibilities."

"The Christian community is fast losing confidence in government's ability to protect ourrights," Oritsejafor said.

David Cook of Rice University, who has studied the rise of Boko Haram, said that "ifradical Muslim violence on a systematic level were to take hold in Nigeria ... it couldeventually drive the country into a civil war."

Corruption, poverty and a lack of government services have helped Boko Haram gainsupport, especially among young Muslims out of work. So has a perception that theMuslim north has been marginalized by a political establishment drawn largely from theChristian south.

Cook says the group has been responsible for at least 45 major attacks, which have

included assassinations -- frequently using gunmen on motorbikes -- and, more recently,suicide bombings beyond its northern heartland. Beyond the security forces and Christiantargets, it has assassinated Muslim clerics who oppose the group, and even killed aprominent Boko Haram member who had attended talks to explore a truce. Boko Haram'spresence in the city of Maiduguri has made it almost ungovernable, according to analysts.Its ability to inflict mass casualties has grown fast. In August, a suicide bomber struck theU.N. building in Abuja, killing 23 people. In November, some 150 people were killed ina series of bombings and shootings in Damaturu, capital of Yobe state.

The commander of U.S. Africa Command, Gen. Carter Ham, has suggested Boko Harammay have developed links with other Islamic jihadist groups in the region, especially alQaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Sani agrees, and says Boko Haram's leaders haveestablished sanctuaries across the desert borders in Niger and Chad, out of reach of theNigerian security forces.

The former U.S. ambassador in Nigeria, John Campbell, says that Boko Haram is able tofinance itself "through bank robberies and is arming itself by thefts from governmentarmories and purchases -- there is no shortage of weapons on the market."

Less than two months ago, President Jonathan described attacks by Boko Haram as atemporary setback, which would soon be a thing of the past. Now he appears to see thegroup as a lethal threat that demands the full attention of the security services. But sinceYusuf's death, Boko Haram has had no obvious leader or structure, and appears to act asloosely connected cells. And it is feeding on deep-seated grievances that the governmentseems unable to address.

Cook warns that "as more and more territories become ungovernable, such as Maiduguri,then Muslims more and more will want to join Boko Haram, if only because it representsthe one group that can actually project power and hold out the illusion of security to thepeople."


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The African War on Terror: The latest Islamist front is in Nigeria (WSJ)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204720204577126701554253364.html

3 January 2012

In February 2007, President Bush launched a military command to help Africangovernments fight terror. AfriCom offers military training, intelligence-sharing andspecial operations throughout the continent. It's also been a steady source of controversy.Some critics see American "imperialism" and a scramble for African resources. Otherssee armed social work and wonder why Americans have committed to more distantbasket-cases.

The Christmas attacks in Nigeria offer the latest reminder of why the U.S. is really inAfrica. Boko Haram, the Islamist group behind the coordinated church bombings that

killed 39 people, immediately claimed responsibility and restated its aims: the suspensionof the Nigerian constitution and the implementation of Shariah law throughout Africa'smost populous country, which is split between a Muslim north and a Christian south.

The groupwhose moniker translates to "Western education is sin"formed in 2002 asa mosque, school and recruiting hub. In 2004 it began attacking police outposts from abase with a flag bearing the word "Afghanistan," earning its other nickname: "NigerianTaliban." Over the years Boko's attacks have become increasingly sophisticated. Thisyear it has killed more than 400 Nigerians. Its August attack on the U.N.'s Nigerianheadquarters killed 23.

Bad enough if Boko were alone. But in February last year, Algeria-based al Qaeda in theIslamic Maghreb publicly pledged training and weapons support to its sub-Saharanbrethren. In June 2011, Boko declared that some of its members had returned fromtraining in Somalia, where al Shababanother al Qaeda-linked grouphas beenwreaking havoc for years.

In October AfriCom Commander General Carter Ham noted that while these groups are"each individually of concern," his biggest worry is their stated intent "to link andsynchronize their efforts." To put things in perspective, the three terror groups mentionedabove cover a land mass more than 10 times the size of Afghanistan.

These columns have noted the extent to which President Obama has continued hispredecessor's counterterror policies. Africa is another case in point, where the currentAdministration has sustained and even bolstered AfriCom's resources. Nigeria'sChristmas massacre demonstrates why that policy is as wise as it is necessary.

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In Nigeria, Boko Haram Is Not the Problem (NY Times)


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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/opinion/in-nigeria-boko-haram-is-not-the-problem.html2 January 2012

GOVERNMENTS and newspapers around the world attributed the horrific Christmas

Day bombings of churches in Nigeria to Boko Haram a shadowy group that isroutinely described as an extremist Islamist organization based in the northeast corner ofNigeria. Indeed, since the May inauguration of President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christianfrom the Niger Delta in the countrys south, Boko Haram has been blamed for virtuallyevery outbreak of violence in Nigeria.

But the news media and American policy makers are chasing an elusive and ill-definedthreat; there is no proof that a well-organized, ideologically coherent terrorist groupcalled Boko Haram even exists today. Evidence suggests instead that, while the originalcore of the group remains active, criminal gangs have adopted the name Boko Haram toclaim responsibility for attacks when it suits them.

The United States must not be drawn into a Nigerian war on terror rhetorical or real that would make us appear biased toward a Christian president. Getting involved in anescalating sectarian conflict that threatens the countrys unity could turn NigerianMuslims against America without addressing any of the underlying problems that arefueling instability and sectarian strife in Nigeria.

Since August, when Gen. Carter F. Ham, the commander of the United States AfricaCommand, warned that Boko Haram had links to Al Qaeda affiliates, the perceived threathas grown. Shortly after General Hams warning, the United Nations headquarters inAbuja was bombed, and simplistic explanations blaming Boko Haram for Nigeriasmounting security crisis became routine. Someone who claims to be a spokesman forBoko Haram with a name no one recognizes and whom no one has been able toidentify or meet with has issued threats and statements claiming responsibility forattacks. Remarkably, the Nigerian government and the international news media havesimply accepted what he says.

In late November, a subcommittee of the House Committee on Homeland Security issueda report with the provocative title: Boko Haram: Emerging Threat to the U.S.Homeland. The report makes no such case, but nevertheless proposes that theorganization be added to Americas list of foreign terrorist organizations. The StateDepartments Africa bureau disagrees, but pressure from Congress and severalgovernment agencies is mounting.

Boko Haram began in 2002 as a peaceful Islamic splinter group. Then politicians beganexploiting it for electoral purposes. But it was not until 2009 that Boko Haram turned toviolence, especially after its leader, a young Muslim cleric named Mohammed Yusuf,was killed while in police custody. Video footage of Mr. Yusufs interrogation soon wentviral, but no one was tried and punished for the crime. Seeking revenge, Boko Haramtargeted the police, the military and local politicians all of them Muslims.


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It was clear in 2009, as it is now, that the root cause of violence and anger in both thenorth and south of Nigeria is endemic poverty and hopelessness. Influential Nigeriansfrom Maiduguri, where Boko Haram is centered, pleaded with Mr. Jonathansgovernment in June and July not to respond to Boko Haram with force alone. Likewise,

the American ambassador, Terence P. McCulley, has emphasized, both privately andpublicly, that the government must address socio-economic deprivation, which is mostsevere in the north. No one seems to be listening.

Instead, approximately 25 percent of Nigerias budget for 2012 is allocaated for security,even though the military and police routinely respond to attacks with indiscriminate forceand killing. Indeed, according to many Nigerians Ive talked to from the northeast, thearmy is more feared than Boko Haram.

Meanwhile, Boko Haram has evolved into a franchise that includes criminal groupsclaiming its identity. Revealingly, Nigerias State Security Services issued a statement on

Nov. 30, identifying members of four criminal syndicates that send threatening textmessages in the name of Boko Haram. Southern Nigerians not northern Muslims ran three of these four syndicates, including the one that led the American Embassy andother foreign missions to issue warnings that emptied Abujas high-end hotels. And lastweek, the security services arrested a Christian southerner wearing northern Muslim garbas he set fire to a church in the Niger Delta. In Nigeria, religious terrorism is not alwayswhat it seems.

None of this excuses Boko Harams killing of innocents. But it does raise questions abouta rush to judgment that obscures Nigerias complex reality.

Many Nigerians already believe that the United States unconditionally supports Mr.Jonathans government, despite its failings. They believe this because Washingtonpraised the April elections that international observers found credible, but that manyNigerians, especially in the north, did not. Likewise, Washingtons financial support forNigerias security forces, despite their documented human rights abuses, further inflamesMuslim Nigerians in the north.

Mr. Jonathans recent actions have not helped matters. He told Nigerians last week, Theissue of bombing is one of the burdens we must live with. On New Years Eve, hedeclared a state of emergency in parts of four northern states, leading to increasedmilitary activity there. And on New Years Day, he removed a subsidy on petroleumproducts, more than doubling the price of fuel. In a country where 90 percent of thepopulation lives on $2 or less a day, anger is rising nationwide as the costs of transportand food increase dramatically.

Since Nigerias return to civilian rule in 1999, many politicians have used ethnic andregional differences and, most disastrously, religion for their own purposes. NorthernMuslims indeed, all Nigerians are desperate for a government that responds to theirmost basic needs: personal security and hope for improvement in their lives. They are


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outraged over government policies and expenditures that undermine both.

The United States should not allow itself to be drawn into this quicksand by focusing onBoko Haram alone. Washington is already seen by many northern Muslims includinga large number of longtime admirers of America as biased toward a Christian

president from the south. The United States must work to avoid a self-fulfilling prophecythat makes us into their enemy. Placing Boko Haram on the foreign terrorist list wouldcement such views and make more Nigerians fear and distrust America.

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After Deadly Church Attacks in Nigeria, What Do Boko Haram Extremists Want?

(PBS News Hour)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/july-dec11/nigeria2_12-26.htmlAir Date: 26 December 2011Transcript:

MARGARET WARNER: And for more on the bombings in Nigeria, we turn to PaulLubeck, a sociology professor and director of the Center for Global, International andRegional Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He was in Northern Nigeriaresearching Islamist movements this past summer.

And, Professor, thank you for being with us.

PAUL LUBECK, Center for Global, International and Regional Studies: Thank you.

MARGARET WARNER: Tell us about this group Boko Haram. What is it they'reseeking?

PAUL LUBECK: Thank you for inviting me.

Boko Haram is a nickname given to this movement by journalists because the leader,Mohammed Yusuf, advocates a strict interpretation of Sharia law and rejects anythingthat contradicts the Koran.

The movement is made up of a radical splinter group of a larger Salafist movement innorthern Nigeria influenced by Saudi Arabia. They had a conflict with the police in July2009, resulting in the extrajudicial murder of their leaders by the police and the army, abloodbath. After that, they have become an insurgency group demanding a return to trueSharia law, as they envision it, and a demand for release of their prisoners, a demand forthe end of democracy and Westernization in northern Nigeria.

MARGARET WARNER: So, do yesterday's coordinated bombings represent a step-up intheir capabilities?

PAUL LUBECK: It is a continuation of a campaign since 2010 marked by very


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sophisticated prison release -- prison breaks, robbing banks, attacking the police.

It went in several phases. Initially, they attacked the politicians who they held responsiblefor the bloodbath in 2009. Then they attacked symbolic targets, the national policeheadquarters and the U.N. headquarters Aug. 26.

MARGARET WARNER: Are they linked to al-Qaida? There's been some talk of that,but is there real evidence of that?

PAUL LUBECK: There's no evidence showing operational coordination between thetwo.

The general that's head of AFRICOM and others state that there is contact. Every securityperson I interviewed from the West believes there's contact between an al-Qaida groupcalled al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, AQIM, in Mali and Algeria.

What's important is that they are modeling themselves after al-Qaida. They're engaging inwhat can only be called terrorist acts. And they are attempting to mobilize unemployedyouth and impoverished children and school dropouts who cannot find employment inNigeria. It's clear by the ability to elude the national police, the national security and thearmy for over two years that they have support locally.

And in order to deal with them, there will have to be an economic and socialredevelopment issue initiative in northern Nigeria, or else we will have the same conflict,and, if it's not this group, it'll be another.

MARGARET WARNER: So, are you saying that, so far, the government's response hasbeen ineffective, one? Are you saying that? And, two, is it -- are you saying it's been toofocused on security measures, rather than going after -- you know, trying to bring thenorth up to some financial level more commensurate with the south?

PAUL LUBECK: Both are true.

The security effort has alienated members of the community. They have -- there'swidespread human rights reports of abuse by the police and the military. Everyone agreesthat the security forces have been ineffective. The newspapers are full of articles bothfrom Christians and Muslims denouncing and ridiculing the leadership and capacity ofthe security forces to actually deal with security.

Secondly, this is the most impoverished region of Nigeria. It is experiencing ademographic explosion. Every Muslim woman in this region has 7.4 children, onaverage. There's widespread poverty. The streets of the cities are filled with abandonedchildren, with unemployed youth demanding access to the vast petroleum wealth that's inNigeria and has been taken up by the political elite.

This is an attack on the political elite.


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MARGARET WARNER: Alright, and that brings me to the United States' stake here. Asyou pointed out, this is, one, the most populous country in Africa, but, two, has huge oilreserves.

What's the U.S. interest here?

PAUL LUBECK: The U.S. has an interest in maintaining the territorial integrity ofNigeria.

If these -- if this communal violence continues -- and it's also Christians attackingMuslims in Jos. And if this continues, it threatens the territorial integrity of Nigeria. Thisis the largest country in Nigeria -- in Africa, as you stated. And this is a major source ofpetroleum and natural gas for international markets, especially for the U.S., because it'soutside the Persian Gulf, it's close to American refining, and it's of a particular quality ofoil that many gallons of gasoline could be developed from every barrel of oil.

MARGARET WARNER: Now, Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, issued astatement late today saying in fact that the U.S. has been in touch with the Nigeriangovernment about what happened and is going to assist in trying to track down or bring tojustice whoever did yesterday's attacks.

Is there close security cooperation?

PAUL LUBECK: I've interviewed leaders in security cooperation.

The U.S. has trained special forces groups there, and the Nigerian army doesn't takeadvantage of them, according to my sources. There's a concern that the Nigerians fearlosing control over the territory if American trainers are given wide powers.

There's a fear that, if American trainers are prominent, it will just stimulate sympathy forthe insurgents. There must be a reconciliation, there must be resources to bring aboutsome degree of hope and opportunity for tens of millions of youth. The population isyoung and very poor.

MARGARET WARNER: Alright.

Alright, well, Professor Paul Lubeck of U.C. Santa Cruz, thank you very much.

PAUL LUBECK: Thank you for inviting me.

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Somali militants gather, recruit outside town taken by Ethiopian forces; calm inside

town (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/somali-militants-gather-recruit-outside-


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town-taken-by-ethiopian-forces-calm-inside-town/2012/01/02/gIQAWqzsVP_story.html2 January 2012NAIROBI, Kenya Militants from the insurgent group al-Shabab appeared to begathering hundreds of fighters and attempting to recruit even more in villages outside aSomalia border town invaded by Ethiopian troops over the weekend, residents said

Monday.

Hundreds of Ethiopian troops moved into the Somali town of Beledweyne on Saturday,opening a third front against al-Shabab militants, who also face Kenyan troops inSomalias south and African Union troops in the capital, Mogadishu.

Residents in Beledweyne said Monday that they welcome the presence of Ethiopiasmilitary because it has forced al-Shabab militants out of the town. But a resident in anearby village said that militants were amassing hundreds of fighters in forests outsideBeledweyne. Bearded, masked men also tried to persuade locals in the town of BuloBurte to join what they were calling holy jihad, the resident said.

We fear they will conscript our children because they are asking for more fighters, saidElmi Kheyre, a local elder. They also visited Quranic schools and asked teachers toconvince students to join al-Shabab. We fear rampant conscription of children and elderlypeople.

Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in 2006, spawning fierce resistance and the militantgroup that has become al-Shabab. But residents on Monday said that so far they welcomethe Ethiopians presence. Harsh punishments lashings, amputations and stonings and strict social rules enforced by al-Shabab has eroded the groups popularity.

We really feel like we are in a new world after al-Shabab left us, Ali Abdullahi, aresident in Beledweyne, said by phone. People are free. There is no longer anyoppression and fear. The oppressors have left.

Residents say cafes and other social sites are crowded with people talking about theirlives under al-Shababs rule.

Now people are feeling ... that al-Shabab are gone for good, said Sadiya Hussein, amother of three.

If Ethiopians joined the war, we felt its the final game for al-Shabab. We ask theEthiopians to avoid killing our people like they did before.

Control of Beledweyne has lurched back and forth between al-Shabab and Somaligovernment fighters and militias. In previous years when Ethiopian troops entered peoplefled and businesses, schools and mosques closed. Residents said Monday that Ethiopiantroops were mingling with locals in cafes and at businesses, showing some sort of senseof trust.


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Previously we feared we will be harmed by Islamists if we do business withEthiopians, said Nor Sheik, who has a small shop. But we can now do business withthem because the Islamists are no more and will never return, he said, perhaps overlyconfidently.

U.S.-backed Ethiopian troops moved into Somalia in 2006 at the invitation of the weak,U.N.-backed Somali government. But the incursion was seen by many Somalis as anunpopular invasion. Ethiopians pulled out in early 2009, and there are fears that a newpush by Somalia could be a propaganda coup for al-Shabab.

Ethiopia in November said it was considering whether to contribute troops to the AfricanUnion force in Somalia. Kenyas parliament recently voted for its forces to join the AUforce. That move is awaiting approval by the United Nations.

The central Somalia town of Beledweyne is about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from theborder with Ethiopia. A commercial hub, it lies on a key road that links Mogadishu with

northern Somalia.

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Ethiopia Makes Gains Against Militants in Somalia (WSJ)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203462304577136612699687638.html?mod=googlenews_wsj2 January 2012By Solomon Moore

NAIROBI, KenyaEthiopian government officials vowed Monday to hold a key Somalitown that Ethiopian troops wrested from al-Shabaab over the weekend, as the Islamistmilitant group was said to be massing its troops on the outskirts.

The Ethiopian troops' seizure of Beledweyne on Saturday was another blow to al-Shabaab, which recently ceded ground in Mogadishu to Ugandan and Burundian troopsfighting under the authority of the African Union mission in Somalia. Ethiopian troopsare working independently of the mission, known as Amisom.

Militants were gathering outside Beledweyne on Monday, the Associated Press reported,and were recruiting from neighboring towns.

Beledweyne, a trading hub on the Ethiopian-Somalian border, has been the site of severalbattles between al-Shabaab, Somali government-allied militias and Ethiopian troopsduring recent years.

Hundreds of Ethiopian troops crossed into neighboring Somalia last month at theinvitation of Somalia's Transitional Federal Governmentthe second invasion of thewar-torn country by Ethiopian since 2006. The earlier invasion lasted until 2009, whenEthiopia withdrew amid a lack of regional support for the military action and mounting


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public criticism in Somalia.

Sebsese Bade, a spokesman for Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said he expectsthis incursion to be more successful, both in fighting al-Shabaab and in helping stabilizethe Somali government enough to establish itself more firmly in Mogadishu.

"This time Ethiopia has taken precautionswe were asked to send our troops by the TFG[Somalia's government] and the African Unionso that there are no misunderstandingson the part of the people of Somalia," Mr. Bade said. The rout of al-Shabaab inMogadishu has also convinced Somalis that foreign intervention might have a positiveeffect, he said.

Mr. Bade insisted, as Kenyan officials have since their troops crossed Somalia's southernborder in October, that the operation will be relatively brief.

"We have a common enemy in al-Shabaab and the Somali government is willing and

appreciative of help from its neighboring countries," said Mohamed Ali Nur, Somalia'sambassador to Kenya. "They will help the Somali government defeat the enemy and theSomali people welcome this."

The recent famine in Somalia and al-Shabaab's refusal, in some instances, to allow foodshipments hardened the populace against the militant group, Mr. Nur added.

As Ethiopian troops battle militants in the west, Kenyan troops have been advancing onanother of al-Shabaab's important funding sources in the southeastthe port city ofKismayo. Kenyan officials also have said they hope to create a buffer zone betweenSomalia and Kenya to stave off kidnappings and terrorist attacks by al-Shabaab. SinceKenya's invasion, al-Shabaab militants have staged several attacks inside Kenya,including a New Year's Eve grenade attack that killed five people at a nightclub inGarissa, a northern town.

Kenya is currently awaiting approval from the United Nations Security Council so that itstroops can join the African Union command, a move that would allow the U.N. toprovide funding to Kenya's overstretched military.

Lindsey Kiptiness, deputy director of the Horn of Africa division of Kenya's Ministry ofForeign Affairs, said such a regionalization of Kenyan troops would allow them tocoordinate more closely with African Union forces in Mogadishu.

"We will combine forces to beat al-Shabaab," he said. The four main foreign forces inSomaliafrom Burundi, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopianow operate mostlyindependently, though the Burundian and Ugandan troops are under the AU's aegis.

Ugandan Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha, commander of Amisom troops in Somalia, said onMonday that his combined Ugandan and Burundian forces have largely securedMogadishu, despite sporadic attacks by al-Shabaab.


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Gen. Mugisha said the shooting deaths last week of two staff members of DoctorsWithout Borders at the organization's Mogadishu compound were the act of a disgruntledformer employee of the aid group of Somali descent and were unrelated to the currentcrackdown on al-Shabaab. The former employee has been detained, the general said.

Doctors Without Borders confirmed the deaths of the two doctors, a Belgian and anIndonesian, in a statement last week. It said it will relocate some staff for securityreasons, but remains committed to serving Somalia.

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South Sudanese flee to escape deadly ethnic vendetta (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-163815792 January 2012

Tens of thousands of South Sudanese are fleeing their homes after inter-ethnic clashesaround the town of Pibor.

The UN is warning villagers to run for their lives as some 6,000 fighters advance on theirethnic rivals.

Fighters from the Lou Nuer ethnic group are pursuing members of the Murle community,reports say, as a deadly vendetta over cattle raiding continues.

A UN official told the BBC that peacekeepers and government troops are heavilyoutnumbered.

The government is sending additional police and troops in a bid to quell the violence.

About 1,000 people have been killed in recent months as reprisal attacks over cattle raidshave escalated.

Tens of thousands of Murle fled Pibor after it came under attack from the Lou Nuer onSaturday.

BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says the Lou Nuer are attacking villages andburning homes and that it could take a week for the Murle to walk to an area of safety.

Deputy UN deputy humanitarian coordinator in South Sudan Lise Grande told the BBCthat several hundred UN peacekeepers and government troops were "far outnumbered" byabout 6,000 Lou Nuer fighters.

"Several flanks of the attackers have moved in a south-easterly direction [from Pibor],almost certainly looking for cattle," she said.


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She said the main part of Pibor had been held but that a clinic belonging to the charityMedecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) had been "overtaken".

Ms Grande said the UN was tracking the movement of the Lou Nuer and warning othersin their path to "disperse into the bush for their safety".

'Mother and sister missing'Our correspondent says many of the Lou Nuer fighters were now believed to be in pursuitof the Murle who had fled Pibor.

The BBC has learnt that some of the displaced - mainly women, children and the elderly -have been killed although it has not been possible to verify how many.

A resident of Pibor who fled to the capital Juba told the BBC that the Lou Nuer were stilloccupying parts of the town.

"The UN troops are there but they are not fighting the fighters who entered the town,"said Rev Orozu Lokine Daky of Pibor's Presbyterian Church.

"They are just trying to protect the city centre only, the rest of the town is now under [thecontrol of] the fighters.

"The situation is deteriorating. My own mother and my own sister are now missing. Idon't know where they are. I assume they are dead," he added.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has called on the Lou Nuer to stop their advance andreturn to their traditional areas.

The government said it was deploying more troops and an additional 2,000 police toPibor.

Military spokesman Col Philip Aguer said on Sunday: "The 2,000 police are being sentwithin the next 24 hours. Troops will be deployed as soon as possible."

MSF said it had lost contact with some 130 of its staff in Pibor and was "extremelyworried" about their safety.

The MSF workers were believed to have fled into the bush when Pibor came underattack.

The medical charity's head in the country, Parthesarathy Rajendran, told the BBC theyhad only been able to get in touch with 13 members of the MSF team in the town.

The Lou Nuer fighters have arrived in Pibor after marching through Jonglei state inrecent weeks, setting fire to homes and seizing livestock.


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The entire town of Lukangol was burnt to the ground last week. About 20,000 civiliansmanaged to flee before the attack, but dozens were killed on both sides.

The governor of Jonglei state and the vice-president of South Sudan have been trying tomediate between the rival ethnic groups.

South Sudan became independent on 9 July 2011 following decades of civil war with thenorth.

One legacy of the conflict is that the region is still flooded with weapons.

These are now being used in ethnic power-struggles, which often focus on cattle becauseof the central role they play in many South Sudanese communities.

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South Sudan: Nine people killed in Bahr el Ghazal (Sudan Tribune)http://www.sudantribune.com/South-Sudan-Nine-people-killed-in,411552 January 2012

January 1, 2012 (JUBA) - At least nine civilians have been killed in two separateincidents in South Sudans north-western region of Bahr el Ghazal.

Several others also sustained injuries in the incidents which took place in Aweil, theprovincial capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and Warrap state.

Authorities in Warrap state, where seven people died, attributed the killings to a disputebetween two local groups over the name of Mangar village in Gogrial West County.

The fighting erupted days after high level community leaders, including the minister ofHumanitarian Affairs Joseph Lual Acuil and the countrys police Inspector General AcuilTito Madut, held its annual meeting in the disputed area on 27 December.

Authorities have blamed the Aguok community for starting the fight against theneighboring Kuac community on 31 December. The Aguok deny this charge, claimingthat Kuac had intended to annex the area into their territory, without the Aguoks consent.

Aciec Kuot Kuot, commissioner of the Gogrial West said in an interview with SudanTribune on 1 January, that the county authorities in collaboration with state governmenthad been able to contain the clash and that the situation had returned to normal.

Yes there was a clash yesterday (31 December) but the security situation has nowreturned to normal. Police have been deployed and we are monitoring it closelycommissioner Kuot said, before confirming that three were killed from his ethniccommunity of Aguok, and four from the Kuac community.


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Meanwhile on 1 January, Kuac Deng Kuac, commissioner of Aweil East County,reported that two civilians has been killed, and three had sustained injuries on 31December, at Peth Market in Aweil East County, when a soldier who was allegedly amember of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA), opened fire into the market. Hewas then arrested.

Although the cause of the shooting is unknown, the authorities have suggested that theperpetrator may have mental problems, and was reported to have shot himself in 2008.The security situation in the area is said to have returned to normal.

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Al-Qaeda leader shot dead in Algeria (Globe and Mail)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/al-qaeda-leader-shot-dead-in-algeria/article2288980/2 January 2012

Algerian police say a key militant leader has been shot dead by the army in an ambusheast of the capital.

An army patrol had been informed of Si Mohammed Ouramdhanes movements andambushed him Monday afternoon south of the city of Tizi Ouzou in the mountainousKabylie region.

The militant leader, part of the Al-Qaeda in North Africa group, was responsible fornumerous attacks on security forces in the Kabylie region, added the officials, who spokeon condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

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Algeria sentences Qaeda leader to life (News 24)

http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Algeria-sentences-Qaeda-leader-to-life-201201022 January 2012

Algiers - An Algerian court sentenced one of the most radical leaders of Al-Qaeda's northAfrica branch in his absence Monday to life in prison for creating "an international terrorgroup", his lawyer said.

After a one-day trial, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid "was sentenced to life in prison while fivemembers of his family were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment each for forming anarmed international group", lawyer Omar Boukadouss told AFP.

In the first trial of its kind in Algeria, a prosecutor had sought a 20-year prison sentencefor the fugitive Abou Zeid for his role in kidnapping Westerners.

Four other co-accused were each sentenced to five years in jail, while two more were


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acquitted.

Abou Zeid, whose real identity - Mohamed Ghdir - was officially revealed in court, is anAlgerian in his 40s from a region close to the border with Libya.

He is believed to have been under direct orders from Amari Saif, also known asAbderrezak El Para, regarded as the mastermind of the kidnapping of 32 Europeanstrekking in Algeria's Sahara desert in 2003.

The group held responsible for the abductions later renamed itself Al-Qaeda in theIslamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Abou Zeid is believed responsible for a series of kidnappings, including that of BritonEdwin Dyer, who was killed in June 2009, and of five French nationals, a Madagascanand a Togolese in northern Niger in 2010.

Still missing

A French woman and the two Africans have since been freed but the other Frenchnationals are still missing.

He also allegedly carried out the abduction of 78-year-old French aid worker MichelGermaneau, who according to AQIM was killed on July 25 2010.

Former French AQIM hostage Pierre Camatte identified Abou Zeid in October 2010 in apicture published by the group.

AQIM had detained Camatte, who worked for non-governmental organisation, for nearlythree months in the Mali desert before he was freed in February 2010.

Abou Zeid heads the jihadist unit Tareq Ibn Ziyad of about 200 well-trained men, mostlyfrom Algeria, Mauritania and Mali, and mainly based in northern Mali.

Among Abou Zeid's co-accused is a cousin of AQIM leader Laid Ghdir. He told the courtthat his father, Omar Ghdir, is one of Abou Zeid's deputies.

The "international terror group" was headed by Abou Zeid and active in the AlgerianSahara and the Sahel region to the south "to kidnap foreign tourists and ask for ransom",according to the prosecution.

It said Abou Zeid's new strategy was to "recruit [drugs, fuel or arms] smugglers in theSahara and use them in their criminal plans".

Mastermind

Some of the accused admitted to giving Abou Zeid's group financial and logistical


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backing and providing fuel for which they paid with money from drug and cigarettesmuggling on the border between Algeria and Libya.

They also told the court they had seen a group of hostages held by Abou Zeid insoutheastern Algeria in 2003 and that they met Abderrezak El Para, real name Amari

Saifi, the supposed mastermind behind the kidnapping of the Europeans, in the same area.

Chadian rebels who captured Abderrezak El Para after Libyan mediation, handed himover to Algerian security forces in 2004. He is still being held.

Algerian security forces meanwhile said that they killed the local AQIM leader in the TiziOuzou region, 110km east of Algiers, on Monday.

El-Khechkhache, real name Mohand Ouramdane, and his deputy died in the village ofAzib Ahmed, about 3km from Tizi Ouzou.

His group is blamed for suicide attacks in the region in the last two years.

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Algeria's moderate Islamist party pulls out of coalition government (AP)

http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/africa/algerias-moderate-islamist-party-pulls-out-of-coalition-government2 January 2012

ALGIERS - A moderate Islamist party pulled out of Algeria's governing coalition, sayingthat 2012 is the year of competition - not alliances.

The announcement by the Movement for a Peaceful Society, or MSP, to leave the so-called presidential alliance on Sunday comes ahead of legislative elections in April.

The MSP's decision to enter the opposition should allow it to try to capitalise on the waveof Islamist victories in other Arab countries, although it is unclear how well the party canprosper after years inside the power structure.

The party had already reached out to Algeria's Islamist ranks ahead of the elections, anddifferences with its partners, the powerful National Liberation Front and the NationalDemocratic Rally, were well known.

The MSP leader, Abou Djara Soltani, put the accent on disagreement over how toimplement an array of reforms announced in April by Abdelaziz Bouteflika to placate therestless Algerian population.

The year 2012, Mr Soltani said, will be "the year of political competition ... and not thatof the alliance", synonymous with "political mediocrity which serves neither the countrynor its citizens".


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The MSP has four ministers in minor posts.

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Metastasis Of Al Qaeda?: Pan-African Terrorism Analysis (Eurasia Review)http://www.eurasiareview.com/02012012-metastasis-of-al-qaeda-pan-african-

terrorism-analysis/

2 January 2012

In a televised broadcast on December 31,2011, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathandeclared a state of emergency in parts of the country following anti-Christian violence bya jihadi group called Boko Haram. The State of Emergency will be in force in the Yobeand Borno states in the north-east. It authorises the Government to use the Armed Forcesfor counter-terrorism duties. Nigerias international borders with Niger, Chad andCameroon are reported to have been closed.

The Presidents action followed a series of bombings in the affected region on ChristmasDay in which 42 persons were reported to have been killed. The bombings were directedat churches and other targets.

Before his televised address, Jonathan spoke at a church in Abuja where 37 people werekilled. He said that Boko Haram, which had started as a harmless group, had nowgrown cancerous.

The full name of Boko Haram is jamaatu ahlis sunna liddaawati wal-jihad. It meansPeople Committed to the Propagation of the Prophets Teachings and Jihad. Theshortened version of its name as Boko Haram in the Housa dialect means WesternEducation Is Sin. It has been campaigning against Western and Christian education andfor the enforcement of Sharia in a country where Christians and animists are in a majorityin the South. It was responsible for more than 450 killings in Nigeria in 2011.

The organisation was formed in the town of Maiduguri , the capital of the Borno State, in2002 by a cleric called Mohammad Yousef. He was reported killed by the police in2009.The name of its present leader is not known. It was initially thought of as an Islamicfundamentalist organisation with no links to Al Qaeda and other international jihaditerrorist affiliates of Al Qaeda such as Al Qaeda units in Yemen, Somalia and Algeria orthe Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) in Pakistan or the Taliban in the Af-Pak region. Since itstepped up its acts of violence in 2009, there are growing concerns of such linkages.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the present head of Al Qaeda, believes that instead of over-focussingon spreading the jihad to the US homeland, Al Qaeda should concentrate on creating aprairie fire of jihadi intifada across countries that have a Muslim majority as well as landsthat, according to him, traditionally belonged to Muslims, but are now under the controlof non-Muslims. He has been saying that African countries such as Algeria should playan important role in this multi-front war for the triumph of Islam.


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The spreading and growing pan-African jihadi violence since 2009 has to be seen in thebeliefs and conviction of Zawahiri who is now in the driving seat of international jihaditerrorism. The death of Osama bin Laden during the US raid at Abbottabad on May2,2011, was a set-back to those in Al Qaeda who had in the past advocated a US

homeland-centric campaign. It has seen the coming to the fore of Zawahiri and hisfollowers who believe that instead of wasting human and material resources fororganising jihadi attacks in the US, Al Qaeda and its affiliates should concentrate onspreading the prairie fire of Intifada across the Islamic world.

In 2004, from Maiduguri, Boko Haram spread to Kanamma in the Yobe State where itreportedly set up a base called Afghanistan, giving the first indication of a possibleAfghan/Taliban inspiration for its ideology and activities. It spread its targets and startedattacking the police too. It then spread to the Bauchi area.

On August 26, 2011, the UN headquarters in Abuja was blown up by a suicide car

bomber, leaving at least 21 dead and dozens more injured. On November 5, 2011,a seriesof coordinated attacks in Borno and Yobe states, mainly around Damaturu, killed at least67 people, and practically destroyed a new police headquarters. Local government officeswere damaged. A Boko Haram spokesman claimed responsibility for the attacks.

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Carter F. Ham stated inSeptember 2011 that three African terrorist groups Shabab of Somalia, Al Qaeda in theIslamic Maghreb across the Sahel region, and Boko Haram have very explicitly andpublicly voiced an intent to target Westerners, and the U.S. specifically.

General Ham was quoted as stating after the Christmas Day bombings: I remain greatlyconcerned about their stated intent to connect with Al Qaeda senior leadership, mostlikely through Al Qaeda in the lands of the Islamic Maghreb.

A bipartisan U.S. congressional counterterrorism panel stated as follows in November2011:

a. Boko Haram poses an emerging threat to U.S. interests and the U.S. Homeland.

b. Boko Haram has the intent and may be developing the capability to coordinate on arhetorical and operational level with Al Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb(AQIM) and al Shabaab.

c. Boko Harams evolution in targeting and tactics closely follows that of other Al Qaedaaffiliates that have targeted the U.S. Homeland, most notably Al Qaeda in the ArabianPeninsula (AQAP) and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

There still seems to be a difference of opinion in the US as to whether Boko Haram is apurely regional organisation of concern to Nigeria and its neighbouring States only orwhether it has graduated into an international jihadi terrorist organisation capable of


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attacking targets in the US homeland.

Congressional experts seem to suspect a linkage between Boko Haram and the PakistaniTaliban called the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Since the US has a number ofMuslim migrants from Nigeria, they seem worried over the dangers of Boko Haram

developing sleeper cells in the US with the help of the TTP. Counter-terrorism experts ofthe US intelligence community share the concerns of the Congressional experts over theunchecked growth of the organisation in Nigeria, but do not feel it could pose a threat tothe US Homeland.

The US intelligence Community seems to be under-estimating the potential of BokoHaram just it had under-estimated the potential of the LET till the 26/11 terrorist strikesin Mumbai. The death of OBL might have weakened Al Qaedas senior leadership, but ithas not weakened the jihadi virus and its trans-national carriers.

It is important for Indian counter-terrorism agencies to start closely studying the activities

of Boko Haram.

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END REPORT

africom related-newsclips 3 jan 2012

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