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.
South Sudan government and rebels ‘agree to end fighting’
At least ‘100 killed’ in fresh Sudan skirmishes
Ugandan named to head UN assembly faces criticism on human rights
NATO to extend counter-piracy mission until 2016
Algeria, France deny Libya operation
South Africa enters economic deep freeze
Mali rebel groups sign truce accord in Algeria
French Mirage Fighter Jet Crashes in Niger
Boko Haram may go global
Is Boko Haram forming an enclave in northeast Nigeria?
Suspected Boko Haram Insurgents Attack Cameroon Village
US House Sub-Committee to Hold Hearing on Boko Haram Wednesday
Kenya cleric Sheikh Mohammed Idris shot dead in Mombasa
Zimbabwe: Defence Minister in Line to Succeed Mugabe?
Egypt’s ultraconservative Islamists back Sisi, seek to eclipse Brotherhood
Egypt reverses conviction of officer jailed over gassing of 37 prisoners
Ethiopia invites Sisi to discuss Nile dam issue
Liberman set to embark on Africa visit
Western Countries Issue Warnings; Kenyan Tourism Gets Pummeled
African Refugees: The Untouchables of Our Time
Over 400 rhino killed so far this year – Kruger still bears the brunt
DR Congo minerals: Most mines ‘conflict free’ since US law
Sierra Leone President Fires Deputy Over Mining
A Fight as U.S. Girls Face Genital Cutting Abroad
Today’s News
South Sudan government and rebels ‘agree to end fighting’
The government and rebels in South Sudan have agreed to end fighting and form a transitional government within 60 days, Ethiopia says. The regional Igad bloc, mediating the conflict, has threatened sanctions if they fail to abide by the agreement. It follows a rare meeting between President Salva Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Previous deals to end the violence have been broken by both sides, compounding the worsening humanitarian crisis. BBC
At least ‘100 killed’ in fresh Sudan skirmishes
At least 100 people have been killed in fresh clashes that erupted between the government forces and the SPLM-North rebels in Sudan’ South Kordofan, sources said. Both sides have claimed controlling the El Atmor area, which is one of the rebel strongholds in the region. Sudanese army reported capturing El Atmor last Saturday, but the rebels announced the recapture of the strategic base on Monday. SPLM-North spokesman Arno Lodi said in statement on Monday that their forces were heading to Kadugli, the capital of the troubled state. Africa Review
Ugandan named to head UN assembly faces criticism on human rights
Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa, who is set to take over the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, has a decades-long legacy of corruption, military aggression and human-rights abuses, according to opponents of his selection as ceremonial head of the world body. The 65-year-old career politician and longtime ally of Uganda’s controversial president, Yoweri Museveni, was unanimously chosen by the African Union last month to fill the rotating U.N. presidency during the continent’s yearlong term at the helm. Stars and Stripes
NATO to extend counter-piracy mission until 2016
NATO Defence Ministers on Tuesday decided to extend NATO’s counter-piracy operation Ocean Shield until the end of 2016. Since August 2009, NATO ships have patrolled the waters off the Horn of Africa as part of Operation Ocean Shield. Their mission is to contribute to international efforts to fight maritime piracy and to help build the capacity of regional navies. Operation Ocean Shield works closely with other naval forces patrolling the Indian Ocean including US-led maritime forces and EU naval forces, such as CTF-151 and EU Navfor. As part of the broad international effort, Ocean Shield has helped to significantly reduce pirate activity in the region, NATO said in a statement. In 2011, pirates captured 24 ships and NATO recorded 129 pirate attacks off Somalia. In 2012, the number of attacks had fallen to 20. Not a single ship has been captured off Somalia since May 2012, and no merchant ships are currently held by Somali pirates, according to NATO. DefenceWeb
Algeria, France deny Libya operation
Algeria and France are drawing closer together on security issues. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius wrapped up a two-day visit to Algiers on Monday (June 9th). “We’re very committed to security, without which there can be no development, and we stand shoulder to shoulder in the battle against terrorism. We have a shared vision,” the French minister stated on Monday during a press conference. Fabius and his Algerian counterpart, Ramtane Lamamra, denied that joint operations had taken place in Libya. “This allegation is not based on reality,” Fabius said. Algeria’s Lamamra pointed out that Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal “had the opportunity to deny this information categorically”. Magharebia
South Africa enters economic deep freeze
Winter arrived in South Africa this week, covering hills and highlands with snow in a fittingly chill metaphor for an economy beset by everything from labour unrest and flat-lining output to rising inflation and waning external confidence. South Africa’s problems are many and complex but at their root is the collapse of the balance struck in the dying days of apartheid between the predominantly white world of business and the predominantly black one of organised labour. The deal that underpinned the mechanics of the “new” South Africa until a 2009 recession saw strong unions, allied to the ruling African National Congress (ANC), delivering workplace stability in return for wage increases slightly above inflation. Now, weak growth, ideological turf wars in the ANC, cynicism and neglect by union bosses and management, and fallout from events such as the police killing of 34 strikers at a platinum mine in 2012 have left that model in tatters. Reuters
Mali rebel groups sign truce accord in Algeria
Three northern Malian rebel groups signed an accord in Algiers pledging to work for peace through inclusive talks in Mali. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, the High Council for the Unity of Azawad and the Arab Movement of Azawad signed the Algiers Declaration pledging their “good faith” to strengthen the process of reconciliation through dialogue, said an Algerian government statement Tuesday. Since 2012, when Tuareg rebel groups seized control of northern Mali, or Azawad as they call it, the country has been in turmoil. The government only regained control of the whole country in 2013 with the help of French and African troops that intervened after al-Qaida took over the Tuareg rebellion. AP on Stars and Stripes
French Mirage Fighter Jet Crashes in Niger
A French Mirage 2000D fighter jet used to patrol the skies over Mali crashed in neighboring Niger due to a technical glitch, the army said Tuesday. The two crew members ejected and survived uninjured. The Mirage was flying back on Monday evening from a mission in Mali, where the French army has been fighting jihadist groups, and crashed half-way between Gao in Mali’s restive north and the Niger capital Niamey, where France has a military base. “The crew was forced to eject following a technical failure,” said French military spokesman Gilles Jaron. “The pilot and navigator were retrieved safe and sound.” DefenseNews
Boko Haram may go global
Boko Haram’s insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria may link the Islamic extremist movement to the global militant network, an expert warned on Monday. “I am convinced that there is some kind of outreach between al-Qaeda and the Maghreb… people talk about formal training for Boko Haram and operatives in Sudan but also Somalia,” Ola Bello, of the SA Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), told the Cape Town Press Club. “I think I will give more credence to this sort of view today than three years ago, so I think there is some global link.” Bello said he believed Boko Haram foresaw and intended the international outrage and media coverage its abduction of 276 school girls in April created. News 24
Is Boko Haram forming an enclave in northeast Nigeria?
Maiduguri was long the center of Boko Haram until 2011 when government forces largely cleared the city of its operatives. It now may be seeking to retake the city, which in 2014 had an estimated population of about one million. It is hard to know how many people are there in Maiduguri however, since media and other access has been severely curtailed by the violence. Presumably many town dwellers have gone elsewhere as Boko Haram violence has increased. On the other hand, there likely has been an influx of internally displaced persons to the city who have fled Boko Haram attacks in villages. Maiduguri has a large military base, Giwa Barracks, which was successfully attacked by Boko Haram in March though they did not attempt to hold it. CS Monitor
Suspected Boko Haram Insurgents Attack Cameroon Village
More than 300 heavily armed men suspected to be members of the Nigerian radical group Boko Haram have attacked the locality of Gorsi Tourou in North Cameroon, burning churches and looting property. Boko Haram Based in the northeastern city of Maiduguri Self-proclaimed leader is Abubakar Shekau Began in 2002 as a non-violent Islamist splinter group Launched uprising in 2009 Has killed thousands since 2010 Boko Haram translates to “Western education is sinful” Wants Nigeria to adopt strict Islamic law These villagers, who have fled Gorsi Tourou village in far northern Cameroon, are praying for God’s protection from the radical Islamist group Boko Haram. They escaped their village after a group of more than 300 heavily armed men began looting, burning houses and destroying property. Village chief Moussa Sambo, who was invited by Cameroonian authorities to the capital Yaounde, told VOA the invaders have been on the hills of Gorsi Tourou for five days. VOA
US House Sub-Committee to Hold Hearing on Boko Haram Wednesday
The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations will hold a hearing Wednesday to update members about the Boko Haram insurgency as well as conditions in parts of northern Nigeria, according to Congresswoman Karen Bass. “My expectations are really to get an update primarily from former Ambassador Sanders who was recently in Nigeria. The other witnesses will be giving us their perspective and especially their perspective on Boko Haram,’ she said. “There will be no representation from the State Department or from any other part of the administration,” said Bass. “And so we will not be getting up-to-date information from the administration’s point of view, and I think that is unfortunate, but that’s who is on the witness list so far.” VOA
Kenya cleric Sheikh Mohammed Idris shot dead in Mombasa
A moderate Muslim cleric has been shot dead in Mombasa, the latest killing of a preacher in the Kenyan city. Sheikh Mohammed Idris, chairman of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, was killed close to a mosque near his home by a group of gunmen. Reports say he had previously been threatened by radical Muslim youths and had said he feared for his life. He is the fourth prominent Muslim cleric to be shot dead in the city since 2012. The others were accused of links to the al-Qaeda linked Somali Islamist group al-Shabab and their supporters accused the government of being behind their killings – charges the authorities denied. BBC
Zimbabwe: Defence Minister in Line to Succeed Mugabe?
ZIMBABWE Minister of Defence, Sydney Sekeramayi, has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed long-serving President Robert Mugabe. Insiders close to the jostle to succeed the long-serving leader told CAJ News Mugabe was nurturing his defence minister to take over the reins when he retires from office probably before the 2018 presidential election. It emerged Sekeramayi’s re-appointment to his current post after last year’s poll and subsequent cabinet appointment, put him in good stead to assume office ahead of Justice Minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and Vice President, Joyce Mujuru. The duo has long been touted as candidates to succeed Mugabe amid reports of infighting within the ruling ZANU (PF) party. Mugabe removed Emmerson Mnangagwa from defence ministry after the 2013 polls. It is said he does not “trust” Mnangagwa. allAfrica
Egypt’s ultraconservative Islamists back Sisi, seek to eclipse Brotherhood
Egypt’s ultra-conservative Islamist Al Nour party is voicing interest in joining President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s new government as part of a strategy to replace the banned Moslem Brotherhood as the country’s most influential Islamist movement. Al Nour chief Younes Makhyoun, who enjoys strong support in Egypt’s poor cities and slum areas where Sisi’s liberal-leaning allies are weak, said in an interview with Reuters his party’s strategy would be to “help Sisi in his rule”. He backed the former general when the army toppled the Brotherhood last year. When asked if his party would be willing to take up a post in Sisi’s new government, Makhyoun, said: “Very likely and I expect so if God is willing.” “We are ready and we don’t mind any opportunity to present through it something for Egypt. It is a national duty to seek that. I would not mind joining the president as a consultant on his team or in the coming cabinet if he offered us so.” Reuters
Egypt reverses conviction of officer jailed over gassing of 37 prisoners
Fears for the accountability of Egypt’s police force have deepened after the only police officer jailed for his part in the deaths of protesters since the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi last summer had his conviction quashed on appeal. Lt Col Amr Farouq was originally given a 10-year jail term for his role in the gassing to death of 37 prisoners last August. A Guardian investigation, citing testimony by police witnesses and survivors, alleged that the victims had died after teargas was fired through the windows of a crammed prison truck for which Farouq was responsible. But this weekend, Farouq had his conviction reversed on appeal, and the case was sent to retrial. Rights activists said the move raised questions about the accountability of Egypt’s police force, who are frequently accused of excessive force and malpractice, but rarely brought to trial. The Guardian
Ethiopia invites Sisi to discuss Nile dam issue
Egypt’s newly-inaugurated President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been invited to visit Ethiopia after months of diplomatic scuffles over the unfinished Renaissance dam, Egypt’s presidential office said on Monday. “The Ethiopian minister has invited [President] al-Sisi to visit Addis Ababa during a meeting on Monday,” spokesman Ehab Badawi told reporters on Monday, as quoted by The World News Bulletin. “President al-Sisi has welcomed the invitation,” he added. The invitation came during a meeting between Sisi and the Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom at the presidential headquarters in Cairo. Al Arabiya
Liberman set to embark on Africa visit
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman was to leave Tuesday for visits to several African countries on a mission to gain observer status for the Jewish state in the African Union. The 10-day trip, Liberman’s first to Africa since 2009, will be to Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia, a Foreign Ministry statement said. “Africa is a key objective in the foreign policy of Israel, and we will deploy political efforts so Israel can be admitted this year as an observer member of the African Union,” it quoted Liberman as saying. “Relations with African countries have strategic importance for Israel, from a security, political and economic point of view,” he said. Time of Israel
Western Countries Issue Warnings; Kenyan Tourism Gets Pummeled
[...] Kenyan officials reacted furiously to the travel warnings, declaring them akin to . Kwale County minister of tourism Adam Sheikh says Kenyans feel abandoned by the West after standing with them in the war . “Now terrorists are fighting back, we need our friends to stand by us. Not to leave us and make the situation worse than it already is,” Sheikh says. Hoteliers in Mombasa point out that the tourism industry is an important bulwark against terrorism — giving young men a legitimate opportunity for economic betterment. The Kenyan response raises an almost existential question about travel warnings: Do they merely call attention to a bad situation, or can they actually do more damage to a country, hurting its ability to fight terrorism in the long term? NPR
African Refugees: The Untouchables of Our Time
[...] The EU’s border agency Frontex suggests some 42,000 migrants have made the journey from North Africa to Italy this year, a sharp rise on the past two years. And this is before we even mention the tragedy last October when over 360 people drowned off the Italian island of Lampedusa. When the worst happens and migrants die off the coasts of Libya or Italy, European countries often express sympathy and grief. After Lampedusa tragedy, for example, there was a high degree of soul-searching amongst European governments. However, as has often been the case, a momentary human concern soon evaporated and European countries soon restarted their well-worn strategies of rhetorically undermining the plight of asylum seekers through clever but disingenuous arguments, of emphasising the need to protect Fortress Europe from ‘invading African hordes’, and of trying as best they can to offload any burden that might come with protecting refugees onto poorer countries.
Over 400 rhino killed so far this year – Kruger still bears the brunt
he massive injection of funds into South Africa’s national anti- rhino poaching effort in March does not yet appear to have filtered through to those in the forefront of combatting the illegal and exceptionally lucrative trade in the horn of this Big Five species. The latest statistics on rhino poaching released by Minister Edna Molewa’s Department of Environment Affairs show South Africa is getting precariously close to losing three rhino a day to poacher’s high-powered rifles. Four hundred and forty-two rhino have to date this year been killed. This equates to just over 2,8 animals a day. If this rate of killing continues South Africa’s rhino population will decrease by another 585 animals at year end, giving an annual loss of 1 027 – 23 more than were killed by poachers for their horn last year. DefenceWeb
DR Congo minerals: Most mines ‘conflict free’ since US law
More than two-thirds of mines in eastern Democratic Republic Congo which produced “conflict minerals” four years ago are no longer run by warlords, a report by US-based Enough Project says. It follows a US law implemented in 2010 which required firms to determine the origin of minerals used in products. Tin, tantalum and tungsten, used to make computers and mobile phones, used to generate $185m (£110m) a year for armed groups, the report said. This fuelled decades of conflict. BCC
Sierra Leone President Fires Deputy Over Mining
Sierra Leone’s president fired his powerful chief of staff over how he negotiated a mining agreement and his granting of another company the right to log unlimited amounts of timber. The statement from President Ernest Bai Koroma’s office late Monday said Richard Conteh’s negotiation of the mining agreement exposed the government to “potential loss of revenue.” Conteh also allegedly issued an order allowing one company to export unlimited amounts of timber instead of the 30 containers stipulated by the president. Conteh is now under investigation by the police. The statement did not say which company was involved in the mining deal but the timber agreement was with Sierra Leone Limited. AP
A Fight as U.S. Girls Face Genital Cutting Abroad
Last summer, an American-born teenager of Somali descent fled her parents’ home in a suburb here after she discovered that a coming vacation to Somalia would include a sacred rite of passage: the cutting of her genitalia. In Guinea, a New Yorker escaped to the American Embassy after an aunt told her that her family trip would involve genital cutting. And in Seattle, at least one physician said parents had sent girls back to Somalia to undergo cutting. Immigrant parents from African and other nations have long sent their daughters back to their ancestral homes for the summer, a trip intended to help them connect with their families and traditions. During their stays, some girls are swept into bedrooms or backwoods and subjected to genital cutting in the belief that it will prevent promiscuity, ready them for marriage or otherwise align them with the ideals of their culture. “Vacation cutting,” as the practice is deemed by those who oppose it, has existed in immigrant enclaves around the world for decades. The New York Times