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 tells its citizens to leave Libya amid unrest
US deploys warship carrying marines off Libya
Report: Libya Militia Stole US Weapons in Raid
The New Danger in Benghazi
Egypt extends election amid low turnout concerns
Egypt Govt Says Non-Voters to Be Fined 500 Egp
A Partnership for Egypt
Deadly raid by Boko Haram on Nigeria base
US aid to help Nigeria with Boko Haram: What it means so far
Nigeria’s ex-president Obasanjo holds talks to free schoolgirls
Update from Nigeria: Launching the Safe Schools Initiative
Chinese warships arrive in Nigeria
Nigeria Shows Its Weakness
Failed security cooperation leads to border problems in Sahel
Purveyors of Terror: Counterterrorism in Africa’s Failing States
Religious tolerance in (far western) Africa: How easy things can be
Treasury Official Emphasizes U.S. Commitment to Africa
Al-Shabab Raids Village, at least 39 Dead
Off-track in Somalia: parliament attack exemplifies lost momentum, weak leadership & deepening crises
Is the West sabotaging Kenyatta presidency?
Imagery is everything: George Clooney’s Africa satellites will track crime gangs
China’s rise meets America’s decline in Africa
###
US tells its citizens to leave Libya amid unrest
The US state department has warned any American citizens in Libya to leave the country immediately. It said the situation in the country remained unpredictable and unstable. On Tuesday, the US said it was sending a warship carrying around 1,000 marines to the region for any possible evacuation of American officials. Concern over the situation in Libya has increased after a renegade general launched an assault against Islamist militias in Benghazi. Gen Khalifa Haftar last week urged the judiciary to appoint a crisis government to oversee new elections after accusing Libya’s leaders of “fostering terrorism”. BBC
US deploys warship carrying marines off Libya
The United States is deploying an amphibious assault ship with about 1,000 marines off the coast of Libya in case the US embassy must be evacuated, a US defense official said Tuesday. The USS Bataan was to be in the area “in a matter of days,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The move was described as “precautionary” in case conditions in Libya, where militia battles have plunged the country into anarchy, worsen and require the embassy’s evacuation. The State Department said last week that the embassy in Tripoli was operating normally despite an offensive launched against Islamist militias by a dissident general, Khalifa Haftar. AFP on Yahoo News
Report: Libya Militia Stole US Weapons in Raid
Militia fighters stole hundreds of American-supplied automatic weapons and other equipment in a raid on a Libyan base where the US was training local forces, bringing an abrupt end to the secretive program, a report said Tuesday. Elite US troops have been tasked since last year with covertly forming local counterterrorism units in Libya, Mauritania, Niger and Mali, part of US efforts to widen the war against al-Qaida affiliates in Africa, The New York Times reported, citing American officials. It has been financed in part with millions of dollars in classified Pentagon spending, the Times said, and involves instructing and equipping “handpicked” commandos in the four countries, with the hope the teams will eventually be able to take on fighters like Boko Haram. DefenseNews
The New Danger in Benghazi
Forget the endless obsession with assigning blame for the attack in 2012 on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi. The United States has another large problem on its hands right now in . Khalifa Hifter, a former Libyan general who is now an American citizen, is mounting what could be a de facto coup, with far-reaching consequences for Libya and the United States. General Hifter was one of the Libyan officers who fought in Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s disastrous war with Chad in the 1980s. But afterward, he decamped for the United States. While researching a book on the origins of the 2011 Libyan Revolution, I uncovered many traces of a long relationship between General Hifter, the United States and the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, the main exile group opposing Colonel Qaddafi at the time. These included assertions that the C.I.A. recruited General Hifter to help prepare military activity against the dictator. General Hifter settled in Virginia and, I found, was put in charge of training like-minded Libyans as prospective insurgents. But those preparations never bore fruit; instead, in the late 1990s, the United States switched to pursuing accommodation with Colonel Qaddafi. The New York Times
Egypt extends election amid low turnout concerns
Voting for Egypt’s presidential election has been extended into a third day, state media said Tuesday, amid reports of lower than expected turnout that could threaten the legitimacy of the eventual winner. The vote had been due to end at 10pm (1900 GMT) Tuesday but has now been extended until Wednesday, state TV quoted an official in the body overseeing the election as saying. The extension would allow the “greatest number possible” to vote, said the official. Low turnout would be seen at home and abroad as an immediate setback for frontrunner Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army chief who toppled Egypt’s first freely elected leader, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi. France 24
Egypt Govt Says Non-Voters to Be Fined 500 Egp
Egypt’s Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab said on Tuesday that those who do not vote in the country’s presidential election will be fined in accordance with the law. A judicial source told Aswat Masriya earlier on Tuesday that the Presidential Elections Commission will abide by Article 47 of the new elections law and will fine those who do not vote 500 Egyptian pounds (70 US Dollar). Egyptians have until 10.00 p.m. on Tuesday to vote for either former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi or leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi to be president. Preliminary reports indicate a lower turnout than expected or anticipated. allAfrica
A Partnership for Egypt
[...] On that night in February 2011, optimism was overflowing. Now, three years after Mubarak fell, what has really changed? One thing that has changed is who has influence with the new government in Egypt. Several Gulf Arab States—in particular Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait—have emerged as Egypt’s chief international patrons. The United States has become more marginal after decades of occupying center stage. While many in the United States seem content to let Egypt drift into the arms of deep-pocketed Gulf monarchies, the smarter strategy is for the United States to prioritize finding common ground with those monarchies to steer Egypt in a more promising direction. In the latter years of Hosni Mubarak’s rule, skeptics argued that Egypt had ceased to be relevant. Ideologically inert, and burdened by a creaky bureaucracy and crumbling infrastructure, the future of the region seemed likely to be decided elsewhere. CSIS
Deadly raid by Boko Haram on Nigeria base
At least 24 people have been killed following an attack on a military base in Nigeria by Boko Haram fighters, witnesses said. The gunmen attacked the base in the northeast Nigerian town of Buni Yadi in Yobe State, where the group massacred 59 students at a boarding school in February, witnesses told the AFP news agency on Tuesday. Multiple witnesses said that the armed men stormed the remote town at 8:00pm (1900 GMT) on Monday, firing first on soldiers manning a checkpoint and razing the local police station. A witness and resident of Buni Yadi, who identified himself only as Mustafa for fear of retribution, said the militants arrived in an armoured personnel carrier and six Hilux trucks before dismounting and firing into the air. They then torched the home of local government leader and several government buildings before turning their guns on an empty primary school, said witness Kura Babagana. Al Jazeera
US aid to help Nigeria with Boko Haram: What it means so far
Boko Haram’s kidnapping of up to 300 school girls has thoroughly engaged US public opinion over the past few weeks. American narratives of its significance range from the humanitarian importance, to the persecution of Christians, to the deprivation of educational opportunity for women, and to a resurgence of Al Qaeda. The inadequacies of the Nigerian military, and corruption within the Nigerian government, have been profiled by Obama administration officials in congressional hearings. Under these circumstances, some in the Congress are already urging that the United States must do more directly if the girls are to be rescued, and administration officials say that the United States will do whatever is necessary. “Mission creep” seems all but inevitable in a situation with so many unknowns and with so little American area expertise about issues in northeastern Nigeria. CS Monitor
Nigeria’s ex-president Obasanjo holds talks to free schoolgirls
Reports of the talks emerged as Boko Haram was blamed for fresh attacks targeting the security forces, public buildings and a school in its northeastern stronghold. Cameroon also said it had begun deploying 3,000 extra troops to buttress its border with Nigeria against the threat posed by marauding militants. On Monday evening, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, said the 223 girls still missing had been located but cast doubt on the prospect of any rescue by force. The talks last weekend at Obasanjo’s farm in southern Ogun state included relatives of senior Islamist fighters, intermediaries and the former president, the source said on condition of anonymity. Times Live
Update from Nigeria: Launching the Safe Schools Initiative
[...] Now as we prepare to celebrate Children’s Day in Nigeria, in America — and in many countries around the world — our thoughts are firmly focused on practical measures that we can ensure will result in the safe release of the girls and the end of the nightmare for their families. But on Children’s Day, the girls will still be held in captivity — and their horror continues unabated. We still do not know whether they are being trafficked into slavery or whether they have been molested, as has happened to past hostages. And while the Nigerian government has sent more troops to the Borno state to back up the 15,000 already on the search and satellite and aircraft surveillance has been stepped up, it will take a delicate operation to secure every child’s safe homecoming. Ten days ago, I met with President Goodluck Jonathan in Paris and we agreed that the families of the kidnapped girls had a right to know now that, if and when the girls are released, they will be able to have a safe school where they can study. The Huffington Post
Chinese warships arrive in Nigeria
Several Chinese naval vessels have arrived in Nigeria for a friendship visit, where they will conduct training exercises with the Nigerian Navy. The 16th naval escort squad arrived in Lagos on Saturday and includes the Type 054A guided missile frigate Yancheng, the Type 053H guided missile frigate Luoyang and the supply ship Taihu. The Chinese fleet and its 600 plus crew were welcomed by the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Gu Xiaojie and Rear Admiral E.G. Ofik, chief staff officer of Nigerian Western Naval Command. The fleet commander, Senior Captain Li Pengcheng said the visit would enhance relations between the two navies as well as the two countries, Xinhua reports. DefenseWeb
Nigeria Shows Its Weakness
Throughout the nearly five years of the Boko Haram uprising, Western military officials assigned to Nigeria have had the same complaint: The Nigerian Army was eager to get gadgets from the West — surveillance equipment, specialized weaponry, protective gear — but was otherwise not in the least bit interested in its advice. It didn’t want to hear about best practices in counterinsurgency, these officials said. It didn’t want moralizing lectures on winning hearts and minds or gathering intelligence. This was Nigeria’s business, and Nigeria could handle it, the officials were told for years. The offers of help were rebuffed. Behind that attitude was Nigerian pride in its huge military establishment and a belief — not unfounded, even if misdirected — that Boko Haram was a domestic problem that must have a domestic solution. The New York Times
Failed security cooperation leads to border problems in Sahel
The approach of the Sahel countries in dealing with security issues seems to be based on a joint security strategy to fight terrorism and protect borders, which does not take into account evidence on the ground. It seems that this strategy exists only in the successive meetings that have been held; otherwise Algeria would not have been where it is now, with security threats on its border with Mali and Libya. The security indicators along Algeria’s borders, especially its borders with Libya and Mali, suggest that the security cooperation that was put forth by the region’s countries did not come out of the meeting rooms. This is despite the fact that countries affiliated with the African Union — such as Burkina Faso, Chad and Nigeria — joined the so-called “union of coordination and communication,” following emergence of the Nigerian militant group known as Boko Haram and the expansion of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the proliferation of its affiliated groups. Al Monitor
Purveyors of Terror: Counterterrorism in Africa’s Failing States By Thomas Dempsey
Weak and failing states in Africa continue to offer challenging environments for counterterrorism campaigns in both a military and a civil law enforcement context. Weakly governed and ungoverned spaces in these states offer venues that violent extremist groups continue to exploit as platforms for terrorism. These groups – Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Shabaab in Somalia are simply two of the more prominent examples – use these weakly governed and ungoverned spaces to recruit new followers, build capability and capacity, and launch new terrorist attacks while avoiding the scrutiny and attention of African security sectors and their international partners. A defining feature of these weakly governed and ungoverned spaces in Africa is the predominance of non-state security actors, including local militias, neighborhood watch organizations, traditional hunting societies, and traditional, customary, or religious justice processes that operate outside of the formal court system. Fletcher Security Review
Religious tolerance in (far western) Africa: How easy things can be
THE minibuses that ferry Sierra Leoneans around their capital, Freetown, bear a variety of religious slogans. “Trust in Allah,” reads one, while others evoke the power of the Christian god. But one stands out. Somewhere, plying the potholed streets, is a bus bearing the words “God loves Allah”. Sierra Leone takes religious tolerance seriously. Not only are relations cordial between the two main religious groups in the west African country, but it is not unusual here to be both Christian and Muslim. Hassan Kargbo is one of thousands of Sierra Leoneans who have become known as “ChrisMus”. He identifies himself as a Muslim, but also believes in Christianity. Before he starts work on Sundays, he goes to church. He visits a mosque every day. “I see it as the same religion,” he says, sporting a Jesus bracelet. “All of us say it’s the same god that we’re worshipping.” The Economist
Treasury Official Emphasizes U.S. Commitment to Africa
Emphasizing the U.S. commitment to strengthening economic growth in Africa, U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Sarah Bloom Raskin on May 23 led the U.S. delegation to the African Development Bank’s annual meetings in Kigali, Rwanda. The meetings marked the culmination of Raskin’s two-day visit to Rwanda, and the first international trip of her Treasury tenure. The Obama administration, with the international community, has launched a number of African initiatives to achieve concrete goals, the Treasury department said in a post on its website May 23. These include investing in power to help spur economic growth, boosting agriculture to improve food security, deepening trade to foster development, and supporting Africa’s next generation of leaders. State.gov
Al-Shabab Raids Village, at least 39 Dead
Nearly 40 people are dead after al-Shabab militants attacked a village on the border between Ethiopia and Somalia. The governor of Somalia’s Bakool region, Mohamed Abdi Tall, told VOA that the Islamist militant group raided the village of Aato early Tuesday. He said 27 pro-government militiamen and 12 al-Shabab fighters were killed in the ensuing clash. Afterward, the town remained in control of the militias, who have been working with governments on both sides of the border Al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabab has lost most of the territory it once controlled in Somalia but remains a threat to the country’s African Union-backed government. VOA
Off-track in Somalia: parliament attack exemplifies lost momentum, weak leadership & deepening crises
Somalia is off-track on its journey towards improved security, an agreed federal constitution, and credible national elections by 2016. On May 24th, in another attack that exemplifies rising insecurity, the insurgent group Al Shabaab stormed the Federal Parliament building in Mogadishu. In August 2012, when the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) emerged at the completion of the Roadmap Process, it was accorded unwarranted optimism by the international community and hailed as the country’s “best hope” after decades of conflict and statelessness. Political newcomer Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was heralded as a peace activist, who could reunite the fragmented nation and given red carpet treatment at world capitals. The new Government received diplomatic recognition for the first time since 1991. African Argument
Is the West sabotaging Kenyatta presidency?
Is the West out to sabotage Kenya through travel advisories, guided by the icy relations between the Jubilee government and some of the leaders in Europe and America? Following the evacuation of more than 200 tourists from Mombasa after the enhancement of travel advisories by Britain, France, the United States and Australia, some industry stakeholders now believe so. It is an action that investors in the industry say has never happened before, even in 2003 when some Western countries issued travel alerts and British Airways cancelled flights to Kenya over terrorism fears. They believe that some recent events and remarks best explain why Western countries have taken a hard stance on Kenya citing terror. Tourism players who spoke to The EastAfrican said the industry had lost more than Ksh5 billion ($58.1 million) in less than a week as a result of the evacuations, adding that the sector was headed for even tougher times. East African
Imagery is everything: George Clooney’s Africa satellites will track crime gangs
During the May 20 Elie Wiesel Foundation dinner, George Clooney announced an expansion to the Satellite Sentinel Project, an initiative he co-founded three years ago with the Enough Project’s John Prendergast. While the satellite project (SSP) will continue to use satellite imagery to monitor and warn against human rights abuses in war-torn Sudan and South Sudan, the orbiting monitors will also expand their scope to match the changes in modern conflicts. As conflicts in Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and the surrounding region become more linked with regional criminal networks, SSP will widen its focus to undertake forensic investigations that attempt to reveal how those who are committing mass atrocities are funding their activities and where they are hiding their stolen assets. CS Monitor
China’s rise meets America’s decline in Africa
In 2012 a new African Union headquarters, built with a $200 million gift from China, was opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It represented a real turning point in China’s growing influence in the continent. After decades of being patronized by the West, most African leaders are now facing east — shorthand for working with China — as their default position. Western diplomats are often reminded that their countries are no longer the only game in town. China’s investment in Africa is making it an indispensable player at a time when Africa’s economic fortunes are improving remarkably. Al Jazeera