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.
Has Kenya Destroyed the ICC?
Over 25 killed in Nigeria militant attack, government air strike
Families of Kidnapped Girls Refuse to Meet With Nigerian President
Nigerian police say they’ve arrested senior Boko Haram member
Boko Haram killed 2,053 civilians in Nigeria this year
The insurgency in Nigeria reaches Lagos – Boko Haram extends its reach
Democracy Lab The Boko Haram Economy
Why has Nigeria failed to contain Boko Haram?
International Hundreds Arrested in Somalia Security Sweep
A Year of “Firsts” as African Endeavor 2014 Kicks Off in Garmisch
South Sudan takes delivery of Chinese infantry weapons
Who Aids Whom? Exposing the True Story of Africa’s $192 Billion Losses
Security Tops Agenda as France’s Hollande Heads to Africa
Mali and Tuareg rebels swap prisoners ahead peace talks
France in Africa: We can’t help coming back
Morocco braces for Islamic State threat
Equatorial Guinea’s web of wealth and repression
Statelessness = invisibility in West Africa
Besieged Libya sends SOS
US sanctions pose serious threat to Sudan’s strategic wheat reserves
Kenya seizes mega heroin haul
I infiltrated a ruthless ring of human smugglers
Government alarmed as more Ghanaians ditch nationality
Today’s News
Has Kenya Destroyed the ICC?
When the supporters of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto began systematically attacking the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a neo-colonialist institution biased against Africans in the run-up to Kenya’s 2013 election, their prime concern was domestic: to ensure their champions escaped prosecution at The Hague. A publicity campaign that made clever use of social media was transformed into government policy once the two men were inaugurated president and deputy president, respectively. It then acquired diplomatic wings, with envoys from Nairobi crisscrossing the continent to drum up support, culminating with an extraordinary African Union summit last October at which it was agreed that African heads of state would no longer face ICC prosecution during terms in office. Foreign Policy
Over 25 killed in Nigeria militant attack, government air strike
At least 26 people were killed when suspected Islamist Boko Haram militants stormed a village in northeast Nigeria and a government warplane opened fire to repel the attackers, local residents and a security source said on Tuesday. The warplane strafed Boko Haram fighters fleeing in pick-up trucks after raiding Dille, near Lassa in the south of Borno State, for several hours on Monday. The attackers fired on inhabitants and burned homes and churches. “I counted 26 corpses yesterday evening,” one of the residents, Dauda Illiya, told Reuters. Most of the deaths occurred during the raid but cannon fire from the government jet also killed at least six civilians – four women and two children, residents said. “The pilot was just spraying bullets anywhere … People were running here and there. Many people were injured from the bullets,” said a local man, Suleiman Haruna. Reuters
Families of Kidnapped Girls Refuse to Meet With Nigerian President
President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday promised the Pakistani girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai that he would meet with families of the girls held captive by Boko Haram militants for the past three months. The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday in Abuja, but families of the missing girls canceled at the last minute. Doyin Okupe, a public affairs assistant to the president, blames Bring Back Our Girls, an activist group that rallies almost every day to demand the girls’ rescue.VOA
Nigerian police say they’ve arrested senior Boko Haram member
Nigerian police have arrested a man claiming to be Boko Haram’s “chief butcher” in an area identified as the Balmo Forest of northeastern Nigeria. Detectives arrested Mohammed Zakari, 30, as he fled from what police and the military describe as an intensive counterinsurgency sweep in the area. Zakari is accused in connection with the deaths of seven people, including women and children, according to Nigerian police. He is also accused of taking part in an April attack against Nigerian customs officers in Kari, police say. CNN
Boko Haram killed 2,053 civilians in Nigeria this year
The Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram killed at least 2,053 civilians in the first six months of this year in an increasing number of attacks that may constitute crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. Boko Haram carried out 95 attacks that included bombings on more than 70 towns and villages in northeastern Nigeria, the New York-based group said in a statement. The figures were based on analysis of media reports and field investigations, it said. “Boko Haram is effectively waging war on the people of northeastern Nigeria at a staggering human cost,” Corinne Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in the statement. “Atrocities committed as part of a widespread attack on civilians are crimes against humanity, for which those responsible need to be held to account.” Stars and Stripes
The insurgency in Nigeria reaches Lagos – Boko Haram extends its reach
After much speculation over the cause of a deadly set of explosions in Lagos last month, Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, released a video claiming responsibility, signifying that the Islamic insurgency has managed to hit the country’s commercial centre for the first time. Two successive blasts in the Lagos’ port district on June 25 were passed off by the local government as mishap with a gas container. That explanation seemed a little thin. Behind closed doors, diplomats called it a cover-up designed to prevent panic. Now, Mr Shekau appears to have undermined the government’s claims: “You said it was an ordinary fire, but it was me in that fire,” he said in his video. In laying claim to the bombing, Boko Haram has exacerbated concerns over its ability to reach deep into the south of the country. Lagos is the biggest city in Nigeria and the business centre for Africa’s largest economy. The Economist
Democracy Lab The Boko Haram Economy
How a country’s fortunes can change in a matter of several months. Nigeria started 2014 ready to celebrate becoming Africa’s largest economy, albeit by updating (rebasing) the standard measure of economic size, GDP. Unfortunately, the festivities were short-lived. In the ensuing months, the rapidly escalating Boko Haram insurgency exposed to all the country’s many weaknesses and deep dysfunction that had been partially obscured in recent years by surging oil revenues. While seemingly separate events, the announcement of Nigeria’s newly acquired economic status and the stepped-up insurgency are intimately related. Upon release of the new economic figures, the Nigerian government was taken aback by the popular backlash. It is rare that an arcane statistical exercise such as the rebasing of official output statistics stirs up so much popular attention. Simply put, a nation rebases its GDP statistics to provide as up-to-date a picture of its economy as possible. Rebasing incorporates into the GDP new activities undertaken since the previous base year. The new calculations also account for shifts in the composition of output resulting from differing rates of growth among economic sectors. Foreign Policy
Why has Nigeria failed to contain Boko Haram?
The erstwhile general officer commanding the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Ahmadu Mohammed, is a lucky man. Some two months ago, he was addressing his troops in Maiduguri, the capital of the northeastern state of Borno, when some disgruntled soldiers fired gunshots at him. But he narrowly escaped death as his aides shielded him and drove him out of danger. This is one major indication that the morale of many soldiers fighting insurgency in Nigeria is low. They have lost a number of their colleagues to terrorists. And they are not happy with some of their superiors who they feel are working against their interests. The situation is as variegated and complex as Nigeria itself. Al Jazeera
International Hundreds Arrested in Somalia Security Sweep
More than 200 suspects were arrested Tuesday in a security sweep aimed at stemming a wave of militant attacks in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, said a senior police official. Soldiers manned checkpoints in Mogadishu’s northern outskirts, where most of the streets were empty amid the ongoing operation. Security forces raided the homes and shops of suspects and arrested many people, mostly young men, according to Col. Ahmed Ali, a senior police official in Mogadishu who said the sweep was a joint operation by government forces and African Union troops. “The operation will continue until we stop terrorist attacks,” he said. AP
A Year of “Firsts” as African Endeavor 2014 Kicks Off in Garmisch
The opening ceremony for African Endeavor consisted of a roll call of nations with representatives, one at a time, standing and being recognized with a round of applause. But unlike the previous eight gatherings, this is the first time representatives from the United Nations, United Kingdom, Madagascar and USAID have participated. And it’s the first time in the history of African Endeavor that the exercise has been held somewhere other than Africa; this year gathering in Garmisch, Germany. “I am really looking forward to being able to share our experiences with you, but more importantly, learning from your experiences across all the nations here and how we can better work alongside you in the future,“ said first time participant COL. Craig Sutherland of the British Army. Africom
South Sudan takes delivery of Chinese infantry weapons
The South Sudanese army has taken delivery of a consignment of new infantry weapons including anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), grenades, assault rifles and machineguns, which are expected to boost the army in its fight against armed rebels led by former deputy president Riek Machar. According to Bloomberg, the consignment supplied by Chinese arms manufacturer China North Industries Group Corp (Norinco) includes 100 HJ-73D anti-tank missile launchers, nine simulators, 200 batteries, 1 200 missiles and spares parts worth $14.5 million. The HJ-73D is a Chinese clone of the Russian AT-3 Sagger, but features a tandem warhead for defeating explosive reactive armour (ERA), and semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) guidance. The new anti-tank weapons may have been bought in response to Sudan’s acceptance of 110 T-72M1 tanks between 2010 and 2012. DefenceWeb
Who Aids Whom? Exposing the True Story of Africa’s $192 Billion Losses
“It says something about this country. It says something about our standing in the world and our sense of duty in helping others… in short – it says something about the kind of people we are… And that makes me proud to be British.” As exhibited by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who made the above comment on 8 June 2013, governments of wealthy countries like to tell tales of generous aid spending and a common responsibility to help those less fortunate in the world. But there is another story to tell. And it is not a story of what is given to continents such as Africa, but of what is taken away. Think Africa Press
Security Tops Agenda as France’s Hollande Heads to Africa
French President Francois Hollande flies to Africa Thursday, on a three-nation visit that will focus on economic issues and rooting out terrorism in the Sahel area. Security tops the agenda of President Francois Hollande’s trip to Africa, where he will visit French troops and hold talks with the leaders of Niger, Chad and Ivory Coast. France has just announced a new mission to fight jihadists in the Sahel area. The operation is called Barkhane, named after a type of sand dune. Alain Antil heads the sub-Saharan Africa program for the French Institute for International Relations in Paris. VOA
Mali and Tuareg rebels swap prisoners ahead peace talks
Mali’s government and Tuareg rebels have exchanged prisoners in a goodwill gesture on the eve of peace talks. The army said 45 Malian soldiers held by the rebels in the north of the country arrived at Bamako airport. They were replaced on the plane by 41 Tuaregs, who had been held prisoner in the capital. The move comes a day before the peace talks due to open in Algeria’s capital Algiers. The two sides agreed a ceasefire in May. However, there is not much optimism for any quick progress at Wednesday’s gathering, the BBC Alex Duval Smith in Bamako reports. BBC
France in Africa: We can’t help coming back
DURING the military intervention of France in Mali January 2013, officials in Paris were at pains to emphasise the exercise’s modest ambition. “France can intervene only in an exceptional moment, for an exceptional and limited period”, said President François Hollande, as French troops swept into the west African country to beat back a jihadist advance that was threatening Mali’s capital, Bamako. After stopping the rebels in their tracks, France, he insisted, would hand over the country’s security to African forces. A year-and-a-half later, the French are less bashful about their intentions in the region. On July 17th Mr Hollande is setting off on a trip to the Ivory Coast, Niger and Chad to herald the onset of a new counter-terrorism operation, codenamed “Barkhane”, which will aim to tackle the jihadist threat across the Sahel, the region comprising the southern fringe of the Sahara desert. The Economist
Morocco braces for Islamic State threat
Morocco is tightening security measures in response to a “serious terrorist threat” from the group formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Interior Minister Mohamed Hassad on Thursday (July 10th) said there was an elevated risk of “a terrorist attack against the kingdom because of the growing number of Moroccans belonging to extremist organisations in Syria and Iraq”. “The leaders of the Moroccan fighters in Syria and Iraq are making no secret of their intention to carry out a terrorist plot against Morocco, and they also aim to give support to other terrorist movements active in the Sahel,” Hassad told a cabinet meeting in Rabat. Magharebia
Equatorial Guinea’s web of wealth and repression
The stark contrast between Equatorial Guinea’s vast resource wealth, and its extreme levels of poverty and inequality is a result of a total failure of governance, said the Institute for Security Studies on Tuesday. Since the start of oil production in the mid-nineties, Equatorial Guinea has become Africa’s wealthiest nation on a per-capita basis, and the third-largest oil producing country in sub-Saharan Africa. But it is also one of the most corrupt and least transparent; and has one of the widest gaps between wealth and human development. ‘This is a situation that is unlikely to change while the Obiang political dynasty rules this oil-rich country’ said Stephanie Wolters, reflecting on discussions an ISS seminar last week on prospects for Equatorial Guinea. Wolters is head of the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis division at the ISS. ISS
Statelessness = invisibility in West Africa
At least 750,000 people are stateless in West Africa, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which is calling for governments to do more to give or restore the nationality of stateless individuals, and improve national laws to prevent statelessness. Many in the region are both stateless and refugees, said Emmanuelle Mitte, senior protection officer on statelessness with UNHCR in Dakar, but the overwhelming majority of stateless persons in West Africa are stateless within their own country, lacking proof of the criteria required to guarantee their nationality. IRIN
Besieged Libya sends SOS
On Monday, the UN announced it was evacuating its remaining staff from Libya because of the deteriorating security situation. With liberal and Islamist militias locked in a brutal power struggle, the airport came under renewed attack late on Monday, for the second straight day. Dozens of rockets – including one that hit a plane – were fired, killing a security guard and wounding six others, officials said. The airport had already been shut down for at least three days after the Zintan militia that controls it was attacked by Islamist fighters on Sunday. Al-Jilani al-Dahech, a security official at Tripoli airport, said the control tower was hit, along with an aircraft belonging to the private Libyan carrier Buraq Airlines. Times Live
US sanctions pose serious threat to Sudan’s strategic wheat reserves
Sudan’s strategic reserve of wheat has declined sharply due to refusal of several banks in western countries and Gulf States to open documentary credits for importing the commodity. Last month, France’s largest bank, BNP Paribas, agreed to pay nearly $9 billion to resolve criminal allegations that it processed transactions for clients in Sudan and other blacklisted countries in violation of the United States trade sanctions. After months of negotiations, BNP admitted to violating US trade sanctions by processing billions of dollars in illegal transactions on behalf of clients in Sudan, Cuba and Iran. Sudan Tribune
Kenya seizes mega heroin haul
Kenyan police on Tuesday seized 341.7kg of heroin hidden in the diesel tank of a ship, the biggest ever single seizure of drugs at the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa. Police said they did not know the departure point of MV Bushehr Amin Darya, a stateless vessel they detained at sea last week after receiving intelligence reports it may have been carrying drugs to Mombasa. Hamisi Masha, anti-narcotics police chief for Kenya’s coast region, said nine suspects were arrested, including six Pakistanis, two Indians and an Iranian. One man died on the ship from illness soon after the ship docked in Mombasa, he added. News 24
I infiltrated a ruthless ring of human smugglers
For years, I heard spine-chilling stories about border jumpers being eaten by crocodiles in the Limpopo River. I heard about ruthless border gangs called omaguma guma raping female border jumpers and shooting anyone who resisted being robbed. I heard tips on how to avoid being shot by South African soldiers patrolling their side of the border. A friend, familiar with the operations of human smugglers, takes me to Macs Garage where cross-border taxi operators are ranked. “These are the human smugglers,” my friend warns. “They will either take you across the border into South Africa through the bush, or you will end up dead in the mortuary as a victim of either omaguma guma criminals or South Africa border guards. That is, if your ancestors abandon you.” Radio Netherlands
Government alarmed as more Ghanaians ditch nationality
The high cost of living in Ghana forced 817 people mostly women to relocate to other countries after renouncing their citizenship in 2013, the government said on Monday. All the 450 females and 367 males who sought citizenship in Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Hong Kong and China were granted. The majority of the applicants were health professionals, mostly doctors and nurses, who were offered job opportunities with better conditions in the countries that do not accept dual citizenship. Africa Reports