Please note: The following news items are presented here for informational purposes. The views expressed within them are those of the authors and/or individuals quoted, not those of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, the National Defense University, or the Department of Defense.
US senator to block sending foreign aid to Egyptian military over ’sham trial’
Political Executions in Egypt
Egypt’s Relations With U.S.: ‘It’s Like A Marriage. It’s Not A Fling’
Gunmen storm Libyan parliament and stop lawmakers’ vote on next prime minister
Cyrenaica leader grants first interview
The Massive Amount of Weapons Meant for Libyan Rebels That Actually Ended Up in Terrorists’ Hands
The Secret Weapon in the War on Poaching…and Terrorism
Conflict, Crime, and Corruption: The Illicit Brutality of the Ivory Trade
South Sudan sides ‘recruit 9,000 children to fight’
Keeping Al Qaeda’s West African Unit on the Run
First Impressions Count: An Agenda for Secretary Kerry’s Trip to Africa
Multinationals’ tax scams rob Africa of money
Humanitarian Assistance in Review East and Central Africa | Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 – 2013
As Muslims flee Central African Republic fury, fears of radicalization
Tsvangirai battles to retain control of MDC
Two aides to Guinea-Bissau ex-navy chief plead guilty in U.S.
Republic of Congo Deports Thousands Lacking Papers
Kenya’s Nationwide Clampdown on Islamic Extremism ‘Counterproductive’
Kenyan president signs polygamy law
Nigeria’s new plans to stop Boko Haram
Inside Nigeria’s Sambisa forest, the Boko Haram hideout where kidnapped school girls are believed to be held
UN Eases Diamond, Arms Restrictions on Ivory Coast
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US senator to block sending foreign aid to Egyptian military over ’sham trial’
US senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees foreign aid, said on Tuesday he would not approve sending funds to the Egyptian military, denouncing a “sham trial” in which a court sentenced 683 people to death. “I’m not prepared to sign off on the delivery of additional aid for the Egyptian military,” the Vermont Democrat said in a speech on the Senate floor, explaining why he would hold up the $650m. “I’m not prepared to do that until we see convincing evidence the government is committed to the rule of law.” The Obama administration has been grappling for months with how to deal with Egypt, one of its most important allies in the Middle East. The Pentagon said last week it would deliver 10 Apache attack helicopters and $650m to Egypt’s military, relaxing a partial suspension of aid imposed after Egypt’s military ousted President Mohamed Morsi on 3 July and violently suppressed protesters. The Guardian
Political Executions in Egypt
An out-of-control government in Egypt has now more than 680 people to death in a mass trial that lasted a few minutes and is part of an organized effort not just to crush its political opponents but to eliminate them. Last month, a court delivered a similar sentence on 529 others. The sentences further demonstrate that the military-led government’s ruthless disregard for the law and its contrary political views go far beyond anything that former President Mohamed Morsi was accused of doing when he was deposed by the army in July. And what did the Obama administration have to say about this travesty, which will further fuel hostility and division in one of the Arab world’s most important countries? “The United States is deeply troubled,” the office of the press secretary said in a shockingly weak statement. There was no indication that the administration would reconsider last week’s decision to provide the Egyptians with 10 Apache helicopters and more than $650 million in aid. The New York Times
Egypt’s Relations With U.S.: ‘It’s Like A Marriage. It’s Not A Fling’
Egypt’s leadership has faced a steady stream of criticism since the military ousted an elected government last summer and began cracking down on its opponents. In the latest development, an Egyptian judge on Monday sentenced to death, many of them members or supporters of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt’s foreign minister, Nabil Fahmy, is touring the U.S. and defending his government, which he says is committed to restoring democracy. He also insists the country’s courts are independent and are not being used as a tool against opposition. NPR
Gunmen storm Libyan parliament and stop lawmakers’ vote on next prime minister
Gunmen stormed Libya’s parliament on Tuesday and started shooting, forcing lawmakers to abandon a vote on the country’s next prime minister, a parliamentary spokesman said. Spokesman Omar Hmeidan told Reuters that several people had been wounded by the shooting started by gunmen linked to one of the defeated candidates for prime minister. He gave no name. Lawmakers were running away from the building, witnesses said. The government of the oil-producing North African state has been unable to control heavily-armed militias who helped oust Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but refuse to disarm and have carved out regional fiefs. Globalpost
Cyrenaica leader grants first interview
Cyrenaica tribal leaders met this month in Tobruk to elect a Council of Elders. Abdel Jawad al-Badeen, the man named as the leader of the new body, led the Malik Brigade during the revolution. Speaking with Magharebia for his first interview since taking the position, al-Badeen defends the federalism initiative and calls on fellow Libyans to help the country achieve stability. Magharebia: What are the goals of the council? Magharebia
The Massive Amount of Weapons Meant for Libyan Rebels That Actually Ended Up in Terrorists’ Hands
Up to $500 million worth of weapons intended for Libyan rebel fighters ended up in the hands of terrorists since the country’s uprising began in 2011, former senior military officials and current members of the intelligence community told TheBlaze. Those weapons, provided to rebels with tacit approval from the United States during the 2011 Libyan civil war, ended up in the hands of Al Qaeda-linked militants and ultimately may have played a role in the deadly Benghazi attacks. The Blaze
The Secret Weapon in the War on Poaching…and Terrorism
“Drones Fight Poachers” has an undeniable sexiness to it as a news narrative. Who doesn’t want to read about flying killer robots battling machete-wielding criminals chasing innocent animals on the wild African plains? The instant appeal of a high-tech solution to a pervasive low-tech problem is also why Silicon Valley giant Google has given the World Wildlife Fund, or WWF, $5 million for drones to stop poaching. But to actually stop poachers, WWF should focus less on drones and more on math — and some lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan. University of Maryland computer scientist Thomas Snitch is applying a mathematical forecasting model he developed for use by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan to Africa. Snitch is trying to overcome poaching networks’ advantages in money, opportunity, and manpower using his military model to put park rangers in the right places to intercept rhinoceros killers. Defenseone.com
Conflict, Crime, and Corruption: The Illicit Brutality of the Ivory Trade
[...] Released this month the report, “Ivory’s Curse: The Militarization and Professionalization of Poaching in Africa,” reveals an illicit, complex network of organized crime, government corruption, and links to violent militias. This deeply interconnected global system, extending to the ivory trade in Asia, resembles the networks that move drugs, weapons and humans. It is a system that not only kills elephants and the humans charged with their protection, but also one that operates with relative impunity. “Ivory’s Curse” explores the trade in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Sudan and Kenya, where poachers move across borders, slaughter elephants with complete disregard, and use the ivory to fund violent operations across the continent – or to simply line their pockets. One Green Planet
South Sudan sides ‘recruit 9,000 children to fight’
More than 9,000 child soldiers have been fighting in South Sudan’s brutal civil war, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay has said. Both the army and rebel forces had recruited the children, she said. Ms Pillay said South Sudan faced the threat of a famine, but there was an “apparent lack of concern” on the part of its leaders. She was speaking at the end of a visit to South Sudan, where the conflict has displaced about a million people. BBC
Keeping Al Qaeda’s West African Unit on the Run
Is Al Qaeda’s regional affiliate in West Africa dead, at least for now? Since the beginning of March, French forces have killed more than 40 jihadists in Mali belonging to the affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or its associates. They have killed at least three important leaders, including the father-in-law of the most wanted of all African jihadists, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, as well as the successor to Mr. Belmokhtar’s mentor, Abu Zeid. Several top chiefs in a Qaeda spinoff that ruled northern Mali during the 2012 reign of terror also have been captured. At the same time, jihadists have not pulled off any significant attacks in nearly a year, since twin suicide bombings in Niger last May. Many of their arms caches have been destroyed. If jihadist groups exist at all, it is as a small band — a few hundred at most — constantly on the run, closely watched by American and French drones, and pushed into the forbidding and lawless deserts of southern Libya, according to Western diplomatic and defense officials in the region. The New York Times
First Impressions Count: An Agenda for Secretary Kerry’s Trip to Africa
Secretary of State Kerry embarks today on a trip to Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. The trip offers a key opportunity to refocus U.S. leadership on the deteriorating respect for human rights by the ruling governments in Addis Ababa and Luanda and on the need for more leadership on good governance by the government of President Kabila in Kinshasa. In Ethiopia, the government of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has continued an assault on civil society and the independent media initiated by the late Meles Zenawi. On April 25, six members of an independent blogger and activist group and a freelance journalist were arrested. There is concern that an additional two may have also been detained. Amnesty International
Multinationals’ tax scams rob Africa of money
African leaders, experts and stakeholders are meeting to discuss African-led solutions to the impact of illicit financial flows in the continent, estimated at more than $50bn. Faced with lax laws and poor enforcement, multinational companies doing business in Africa – from oil to service industries -are cutting corners, denying countries such as Nigeria substantial revenue. Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris report from Abuja. Al Jazeera
Humanitarian Assistance in Review East and Central Africa | Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 – 2013
Chronic conflict, cyclical drought, floods, disease outbreaks, environmental degradation, rapid population growth, and limited government capacity present significant challenges to vulnerable populations in the ECA region. Between FY 2004 and FY 2013, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) provided humanitarian assistance in response to a diverse range of natural disasters and complex emergencies, including flooding across the region, drought and food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, Lord’s Resistance Army-related conflict and displacement in the Great Lakes, and post-election violence in Kenya, as well as crises in DRC, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. ReliefWeb
As Muslims flee Central African Republic fury, fears of radicalization
After months of atrocities blamed on a Muslim-dominated former government that Ms. Nado says forced her into a displaced persons’ camp, she sees the mosque’s sacking as a moment of comeuppance and liberation. “We are getting our freedom,” she says. The evacuation of Bangui’s PK12 neighborhood last Sunday, organized by aid groups, is symbolic of what is playing out across the CAR, where, since January, Muslims have been targeted by Christian-dominated militias. Once-diverse Bangui has grown closer to being completely “cleansed” of Muslims, and thousands are leaving their homes for safer spots in the country or heading to neighboring Chad or Cameroon. But their flight is bringing worries that the mass displacement could only further destabilize the CAR, and perhaps play into the hands of jihadi groups looking for new recruits. CS Monitor
Tsvangirai battles to retain control of MDC
Loyalists of long-time Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai voted to oust members of a rival faction from their party on Tuesday, as a split in the forces battling President Robert Mugabe deepened. Former prime minister Tsvangirai moved to regain control of the party he has led since its birth 15 years ago, and which appears set for an irrevocable fissure. The Movement for Democratic Change’s national council voted to expel ex-finance minister and party stalwart Tendai Biti and all members of a group who on Saturday voted to suspended Tsvangirai as leader. News 24
Two aides to Guinea-Bissau ex-navy chief plead guilty in U.S.
In one of the most high-profile international drug cases in the United States, two aides to Guinea Bissau’s former navy chief, Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto, have pleaded guilty in New York to their roles in a major cocaine trafficking enterprise. Tchamy Yala and Papis Djeme entered their pleas in Manhattan federal court on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, telling a U.S. judge they conspired to import cocaine to Guinea Bissau in West Africa for eventual distribution to Europe and the United States. Reuters
Republic of Congo Deports Thousands Lacking Papers
Officials say nearly 40,000 Congolese citizens have been deported from neighboring Republic of Congo because they did not have immigration papers. Kinshasa Governor Andre Kimbuta said Tuesday that the biggest wave of deportees had arrived the day before, when 6,000 people crossed the Congo River separating the two countries. AP
Kenya’s Nationwide Clampdown on Islamic Extremism ‘Counterproductive’
Kenya’s government was warned by Muslim clerics about the radicalisation and recruitment of youths by Al-Shabaab six years ago but did not take action, says Sheikh Ahmed, a management committee member of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya. The state, he told IPS, dismissed the reports as a rift between Muslim clerics and failed to arrest senior preachers who openly give sermons calling on youths to fight believers of other religions and attack places of worship. “At the beginning it was our problem but not now. This group [of extremists] has taken over the management of mosques. In Mombasa, the police are helping us repossess two mosques seized by the radical agents of violence,” said Ahmed. IPS
Kenyan president signs polygamy law
A statement from the presidency confirmed that the bill, which it said “consolidates various laws relating to marriage”, had been signed into law. The bill, which amended existing legislation, was passed by parliament last month to formalise traditional practice regarding marrying more than one person. “Marriage is the voluntary union of a man and a woman, whether in a monogamous or polygamous union,” the presidential statement added. Times Live
Nigeria’s new plans to stop Boko Haram
Nigeria plans to increase spending and deploy more troops in an effort to stop the scourge of the extreme Islamist group, accused of terrorism and abductions in the northern parts of the country. Finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Monday revealed new plans to combat the sect, which include recruiting more soldiers, increased spending, cut off its financiers from other militant Islamic groups in the Sahel, and a Marshall Plan for the northeast aimed at lifting the area out of poverty and underdevelopment. The Africa Report
Inside Nigeria’s Sambisa forest, the Boko Haram hideout where kidnapped school girls are believed to be held
A few months ago, the name Sambisa Forest meant nothing to many Nigerians. Not anymore. It has come to signify terror and home to the terrorist group Boko Haram. The forest is now almost mythical for so many people within the Lake Chad basin who have come to align the complex north-eastern vegetation with Boko Haram, instead of the game reserve the colonialists meant it for. The colonial government had marked the forest out as a game reserve. Today, Sambisa has become one of the strongest bases of the Boko Haram insurgents who run back into its dark recesses anytime they have finished their slaughter of harmless citizens. The Guardian
UN Eases Diamond, Arms Restrictions on Ivory Coast
The U.N. Security Council has lifted a ban on diamond exports from Ivory Coast and also moved to ease an arms embargo on the West African nation. The council on Tuesday adopted a resolution lifting the diamond embargo that was put in place in 2005, during the country’s civil war. The arms embargo was lifted so Ivorian security forces can acquire small-caliber weapons. Ivory Coast U.N. Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba hailed the vote. He said the U.N. recognizes his country has “fully satisfied” minimum conditions of the Kimberley Process, the system to ensure so-called conflict diamonds do not enter world markets. VOA
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