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.
African Union Takes Stock of 51 Years as Terrorism Spreads Across Continent
Egypt’s election: The new man’s daunting challenge
Egypt’s anointing of Sisi will lay bare west’s battle between interest and values
Joyce Banda: Saviour, sinner or something in between?
U.S. Trains African Commandos to Fight Terrorism
For a new approach in US-Africa relations
French Fight Muslim Rebels in C. African Republic
Djibouti attack involved Somali suicide bombers
6-Al-Shabab attacks Somali parliament, at least 10 dead
Nigeria’s Boko Haram kills 28 in three village attacks
Nigeria’s opposition seizing on uproar over kidnapped schoolgirls
Cameroon, Chad Deploy Troops to Fight Boko Haram
Areva signs uranium deal with Niger, delays new mine
In Libya, fears of all-out war as Islamist militias allied with parliament deploy in capital
Tuareg rebels, Malian government sign ceasefire, agree peace talks
The crisis in South Sudan: a game of regional chess
Cote d’Ivoire must strengthen electoral institutions to avoid democratic back-slide in 2015
Swaziland’s AGOA Status Revoked: Madagascar All Over Again?
Did Robert Mugabe fake a flood in Zimbabwe this February? (+video)
Rio Tinto and Chinalco sign $20bn Guinea iron ore deal
Twitter users imagine #TheAfricaWeWant
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African Union Takes Stock of 51 Years as Terrorism Spreads Across Continent
As the African Union is set to celebrate its 51st birthday on May 25, it does so as the continent remains caught up in a tide of terrorist conflicts, which many analysts feel the AU has done little to resolve. “With unsolved conflicts dotted across our continent, really the efficiency of the AU is at stake and highly questionable. We don’t need a rocket scientist to tell us that the AU is wanting, considering the terror attacks in East and West Africa,” independent political analyst Evelyn Moyo tells IPS. The Somali extremist group, Al-Shabaab, has waged a terror campaign in the Horn of Africa nation and across East Africa, with attacks spreading to neighbouring Kenya. The Sept. 21, 2013 attack on Kenya’s Westgate Shopping Mall claimed over 67 lives and left more than 175 people wounded. The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. IP News
Egypt’s election: The new man’s daunting challenge
[...] Acting presidentially during the campaign, Mr Sisi avoided public debate with his rival, shunned public appearances citing security fears, and issued only vague bullet points in lieu of an electoral programme. Aside from his military circle, it remains unclear who his advisers are. But in a series of extended, albeit carefully edited, television interviews, the soft-spoken former field-marshal revealed a mix of stark realism about the economy’s weakness, misty-eyed reverence for Egyptian womanhood, Egypt’s state and its army, and a prickly impatience with reporters. Asked at one point to provide specifics about his plans for alternative energy, Mr Sisi, who headed military intelligence before becoming defence minister, responded that it might be “dangerous” to reveal details, implying that national security was at stake. Prodded by a fawning reporter to reveal the extent of American plotting in support of the Muslim Brotherhood, a theory much harped on by Egypt’s xenophobic post-coup media, Mr Sisi disarmingly confessed that the only interference he could recall was when the American ambassador requested that last year’s coup should be delayed for a day. The Economist
Egypt’s anointing of Sisi will lay bare west’s battle between interest and values
Western governments will have to come up with some tortuous language when Abdel Fatah al-Sisi becomes Egypt’s president. No one doubts that the former field marshal will win this week’s election by a handsome margin, thanks to a combination of genuine support, boycotts by Islamists who have been banned and persecuted, and the absence of credible rivals. Victory is no less assured than it is for Bashar al-Assad, facing his date with Syria’s destiny next month – though that exercise has been widely condemned as a parody of democracy. Washington, London and Brussels are already finalising carefully-crafted statements about the will of the Egyptian people and pressing forward with the promised “democratic transition”. There will be euphemistic calls for “inclusiveness” and widening the country’s “political space”. There may even be some critical words about justice and human rights. But there will be congratulations for Egypt’s new strongman. The Guardian
Joyce Banda: Saviour, sinner or something in between?
[...] So far, so stereotypical. It just so happened that Banda, with 30% of the vote counted, was trailing behind both Peter Mutharika (the late Bingu’s unexpectedly popular brother) and liberation party candidate Lazarus Chakwera. With her political future collapsing before her eyes, is anyone surprised that she would demand another chance? This was far from a normal power grab, however. In fact, it was the opposite: Banda promised at the same time that she would not run in the new elections. “I have done this to allow that Malawians are given an opportunity to freely and fairly express their will in choosing their leaders in a free, fair, transparent and credible manner,” she said. It’s hard to know what to make of this. Is Banda a greedy politician trying to stay in power, consequences be damned? Or is she a noble leader sacrificing her ambition for the sake of her people? The answer, as far as we can make out, is somewhere in the middle. Daily Maverick
U.S. Trains African Commandos to Fight Terrorism
United States Special Operations troops are forming elite counterterrorism units in four countries in North and West Africa that American officials say are pivotal in the widening war against Al Qaeda’s affiliates and associates on the continent, even as they acknowledge the difficulties of working with weak allies. The secretive program, financed in part with millions of dollars in classified Pentagon spending and carried out by trainers, including members of the Army’s Green Berets and Delta Force, was begun last year to instruct and equip hundreds of handpicked commandos in Libya, Niger, Mauritania and Mali. The goal over the next few years is to build homegrown African counterterrorism teams capable of combating fighters like those in Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist group that abducted nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls last month. American military specialists are helping Nigerian officers in their efforts to rescue the girls. The New York Times
For a new approach in US-Africa relations
US President Barack Obama is fully engaged in building his legacy, as he enters the final two years of his second term in office. And as his recent speeches indicate all 10 of his fingers are busy at work, with one pointing directly at the African continent. In January, the White House announced that an African heads of state summit would take place in August in Washington DC. This long overdue summit is a first in America-Africa trade relations and has the potential to mark the beginning of new US-Africa economic relations based on mutual respect. The Africa Report
French Fight Muslim Rebels in C. African Republic
French forces in Central African Republic fired mortars and exchanged sustained gunfire Saturday with Muslim rebels who controlled the country until earlier this year. The substantial engagement by the French in the central town of Bambari included targeting and destroying a rebel vehicle by firing on it from a Gazelle helicopter. French forces fired warning shots and mortars as two rebel vehicles approached a bridge in the town, said a French military officer on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. AP
Djibouti attack involved Somali suicide bombers
The European Union Naval Force and the African Union on Sunday both condemned an attack the government said involved two Somali suicide bombers in the tiny East African nation of Djibouti that is reported to have killed three people. The attack occurred Saturday night when a blast detonated in a busy restaurant frequented by international soldiers. The port city of Djibouti is used as a base by several militaries including the U.S., which has its only African permanent base there. Spanish officials earlier said this was a grenade attack. German officials said there was a blast but did not say what caused it. Djibouti’s Interior Ministry said “early indications of the investigations show that the attackers were two suicide bombers of Somali origin; a man and a veiled woman.” New York Daily News
6-Al-Shabab attacks Somali parliament, at least 10 dead
Al-Shabab militants stormed Somalia’s parliament Saturday, according to officials, killing at least 10 security officers in a bomb-and-gun assault that the United States condemned as a “heinous act of terrorism.” The attack started with a car bombing at a gate to the heavily fortified parliament compound, followed by a suicide bombing and then a gun battle that continued for hours. Al-Shabab is an al-Qaeda-linked group that killed 67 people at a Kenyan shopping mall last year. “Ten government forces died and 14 others were injured in the attack today. Four lawmakers were also injured. Seven of the fighters who attacked the house were also killed, as you see their bodies,” Kasim Ahmed Roble, a police spokesman, told reporters at the scene. The Washington Post
Nigeria’s Boko Haram kills 28 in three village attacks
uspected Islamist Boko Haram gunmen rampaged through three villages in northern Nigeria, killing 28 people and burning houses to the ground in a pattern of violence that has become almost a daily occurrence, according to police and witnesses. All three attacks happened on Thursday in remote parts of Borno state, the epicenter of Boko Haram’s increasingly bloody struggle for an Islamic kingdom in religiously mixed Nigeria. One took place right next to Chibok, by the Cameroon border, from where more than 200 school girls were abducted last month. The most deadly was in the town of Kerenua, near the Niger border. Scores of militants opened fire on residents, killing 20 of them, and burned houses, a police source said. Reuters
Nigeria’s opposition seizing on uproar over kidnapped schoolgirls
With his lopsided grin and penchant for political gaffes, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has provided ample fodder for critics who question whether he has the mettle to lead a government at war with a terrorist sect. While Jonathan and his government are confronting the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, their more worrisome adversary may be a political opposition that has seized on the international uproar over nearly 300 kidnapped schoolgirls. In an effort to sabotage his reelection prospects next year, opponents are painting Jonathan as indifferent to the terrorist threat and ill-prepared to lead this fractured democracy of 175 million. The Washington Post
Cameroon, Chad Deploy Troops to Fight Boko Haram
Cameroon and Chad have sent a thousand troops to their borders with Nigeria to fight the Islamist group Boko Haram. The troops were deployed shortly after leaders from the two countries met in Yaounde and declared war against the violent group. These are soldiers of Cameroon’s rapid intervention battalion singing in excitement as they leave Yaounde, capital of the West African country, for the border with Nigeria. They headed out barely a day after Presidents Idriss Deby of Chad and Paul Biya of Cameroon announced they are waging war on Boko Haram. Colonel Didier Badjeck, spokesperson of the Cameroon military told VOA that the soldiers will work with the local people to find out who members of the violent group are, since the soldiers are aware they will be fighting an enemy that uses unconventional tactics. VOA
Areva signs uranium deal with Niger, delays new mine
French nuclear group Areva agreed to a reduction in tax breaks and a rise in royalty rates at its uranium mines in Niger on Monday but said the start of production at its giant new Imouraren mine would be delayed until prices improve. Under the terms of a long-awaited deal to renew its production agreements in Niger, the state-owned French company also agreed to pay 90 million euros ($122.7 million) to rebuild the road to its mines in the northern town of Arlit and to invest 17 million euros in a local development project. Areva pledged to build a new headquarters for its mining operations in the capital Niamey at a cost of 10 million euros, and to name Niger nationals to the head of its two mines in the country – Somair and Cominak – by 2014 and 2016 respectively. Reuters
In Libya, fears of all-out war as Islamist militias allied with parliament deploy in capital
[...] The growing support for Hifter’s self-declared Libyan National Army stands in contrast to deepening divisions between parliament and the interim government. On Thursday, the government criticized Abu Sahmein for ordering the Misurata militias into the capital, saying their presence “threatens the safety of citizens.” It also accused parliament of “not bothering to reply” to a proposal earlier in the week calling for the body to suspend activities until the election. Libya’s political transition has been unraveling over the past several months. Many point to the imposition in November of a draconian law that expelled many figures who once worked for the Gaddafi regime, even though they later became dissidents and participated in the 2011 revolt. The Washington Post
Tuareg rebels, Malian government sign ceasefire, agree peace talks
After four and a half hours of negotiations the three armed groups – National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUC) and the Arab Movement of Azawad (MAA) – signed the deal, negotiated with Mauritanian President and African Union chairman Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. nterior Minister Sada Samake signed on behalf of the government in Bamako later. “The deal comes into effect with the signature of all parties,” Abdel Aziz said on Malian television. RFI
The crisis in South Sudan: a game of regional chess
[...] There are obvious tensions between Sudan and Uganda – which no longer share a land border, and are respectively South Sudan’s oldest enemy and closest ally. Uganda has security-related, political and economic interests, which prompted it to intervene militarily in South Sudan in support of the government. Historically, Uganda provided substantial support to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) during its armed struggle against Sudan, which reciprocated by giving support to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Uganda also sought to protect its lucrative bilateral relationship with South Sudan since it had recently become a major trading partner, to the detriment of Sudan’s geopolitical and economic interests. It also aimed to protect the thousands of Ugandans working and operating businesses in South Sudan. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni assiduously cultivated close personal ties with South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir. ISS
Cote d’Ivoire must strengthen electoral institutions to avoid democratic back-slide in 2015
At the end of March 2014, Ivorian President Alassane Outtara declared in Abidjan that “we are determined to ensure that [the 2015 elections] are transparent and truly democratic”. Although this goal is admirable, a number of challenges that existed during the disastrous 2010 presidential elections persist. These include an Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) and voter register in need of updating, electoral districts in need of redesign and an incoherent electoral legal framework. Thus, for President Ouattara’s declaration to prove more than merely aspirational or rhetorical, these challenges must be resolved before 2015. African Argument
Swaziland’s AGOA Status Revoked: Madagascar All Over Again?
Earlier this week, the United States was expected to make an announcement regarding duty-free export access under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for Swaziland. News reports indicated that access was rescinded, yet this week others have indicated that official statements have not yet been made. If Swaziland is made ineligible for AGOA, the Swaziland economy is expected to be severely injured. The small country’s exports to the U.S. have averaged over $100 million a year since the beginning of AGOA, mostly in the apparel sector. The sector is thought to employ around 17,000 people, which is a huge number for a country whose unemployment rate is estimated to be around 40 percent. Swaziland will not be the first country to have its AGOA benefits revoked. Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania and Niger have all had their privileges rescinded (though in some cases restored) in the last few years for a variety of reasons (often due to undemocratic transitions), but of these countries only Madagascar lost access in any significant amount to non-mineral fuel-related exports to the U.S. under AGOA. Brookings
Did Robert Mugabe fake a flood in Zimbabwe this February? (+video)
This February 3,000 families were driven out of an area in southeast Zimbabwe known as Tokwe-Mukosi when flood waters rose dramatically. The flood was proclaimed a “national disaster” by Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe, after state media reported it was caused by the broken wall of a dam. International donors pledged food and humanitarian aid, which has been steadily delivered. In an operation conducted partly by the military, the displaced and destitute families — about 20,000 people — were quickly whisked off and resettled in a “transit camp” of tents 80 miles away, on something called the Nuanetsi Ranch. CS Monitor
Rio Tinto and Chinalco sign $20bn Guinea iron ore deal
Rio Tinto, Chinalco and the International Finance Corporation have signed a deal to develop Guinea’s iron ore deposits. The Simandou project, which has been delayed for years, would be the biggest iron ore and infrastructure project developed in Africa, the firms said. The $20bn (£12bn) “investment framework” provides legal and financial backing for the project. The framework will now go the Guinean National Assembly for ratification. If ratified, the three parties said they would complete a feasibility study, including timeline and costs, within about a year. BBC
Twitter users imagine #TheAfricaWeWant
In celebration of Africa Day, two women’s organisations are asking Africans on Twitter to imagine Africa as they want it to be. #TheAfricaWeWant has many envisioning a future of economic success, political accountability, and equal rights for women across the continent. Africa Day commemorates the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union) on May 25, 1963. Organisers of the “tweetathon”, hosted by women’s rights organisations FEMNET and Make Every Woman Count, hoped to spark a broad conversation about the future of the continent, not necessarily centred around just women’s issues. Nebila Abdulmelik, head of communications at FEMNET, told The Stream, “Instead of saying ‘the Africa women want’, we’re saying ‘the Africa we want’, and also making it open so that other people are also free to kind of define what kind of Africa they envision”. Al Jazeera