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.
Ebola crisis: Senegal closes Guinea border
South Africa bans travellers entering from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone
African Union to immediately deploy joint military and civil mission against Ebola
How Uganda stopped previous Ebola outbreaks
Egypt, Counterterrorism, and the Politics of Alienation
Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria militants ’seize police academy’
Boko Haram takes over another Nigeria town
Business in Nigeria: Africa’s testing ground
Q&A – South Sudan: A nation awash with arms
How to Prevent Total Disaster in South Sudan
China presses South Sudan over renewed violence
Libya shuts state TV stations
Libya: No Nato deed goes unpunished
Tunisia, Egypt close air routes to and from Libya
Pygmies in ‘mortal danger’ in southern DR Congo
UNHCR Seeks Repatriation of Somali Refugees
Kenyan president picks new intelligence boss
Museveni asks US to invest in Africa’s infrastructure
Botswana police rule out foul play in opposition leader’s death
Does Ghana’s oil boom spell the end for its fishing industry?
Child brides in west Africa: Girls fight back
Rise of Africa’s luxury loving super rich – from Nigeria’s champagne love affair to South Africa’s cosmetics obsession
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Ebola crisis: Senegal closes Guinea border
Senegal has closed its border with Guinea because of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, despite warnings that such measures are counterproductive. Senegal also banned flights and ships from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – the three worst-hit countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) says travel bans do not work, especially if they stop doctors going to help tackle the crisis. In Liberia, a boy shot while protesting about a quarantine has reportedly died. BBC
South Africa bans travellers entering from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone
South Africa said on Thursday that due to fears over the spread of the Ebola virus it was banning travellers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from entering the country, apart from its own citizens. The deadly Ebola disease has killed more than 1,300 people this year in the three small west African states and also has a toehold in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy. Travellers from Nigeria, where there is a much smaller outbreak, will be allowed entry. South African citizens returning from the three highest risk countries will be permitted entry but will be subject to a stricter screening process, a government statement said. Reuters
African Union to immediately deploy joint military and civil mission against Ebola
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union on Tuesday invoked Article 6(f) relating to its mandate with regard to humanitarian action and disaster management at its 450th meeting. The Council authorised the immediate deployment of a joint AU-led military and civilian humanitarian mission to tackle the emergency situation caused by the Ebola outbreak. “Using the infrastructure of the Peace Support Operations, the African Union Commission is finalising the planning of the joint military and civilian mission code named Operation ASEOWA that could start deployment by the end of August 2014,” Said Dr. Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko, Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union Commission. African Union
How Uganda stopped previous Ebola outbreaks
The current Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa is the worst ever since scientists discovered the virus in 1976. The virus was named after the Ebola River in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Since then, there have been almost 20 outbreaks of the virus; in the DRC, Sudan, Uganda and Gabon. In 2000 and 2001, around 425 people in Uganda were infected, four years later 149 people caught the virus. In subsequent years, two further outbreaks were recorded in Uganda but the total the number of people infected with the virus was just over 30. Deutsche Welle
Egypt, Counterterrorism, and the Politics of Alienation
When U.S. President Barack Obama pledged on August 18 “to pursue a long-term strategy to turn the tide” against jihadi terrorists in Iraq, “working with key partners in the region and beyond,” Egypt was probably one partner he had in mind. On the very same day, U.S. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf cited counterterrorism as an “overlapping strategic interest” between the United States and Egypt. Asked if the United States still views Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as leading a democratic transition despite human rights abuses (such as those identified in a recent Human Rights Watch report), Harf replied, “He is, he is.” Carnegie Endowment
Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria militants ’seize police academy’
Northern Nigeria’s riot police training academy has been overrun by Boko Haram Islamist militants, a witness in Borno state has told the BBC. Shots were heard after the militants arrived in three armoured vehicles and on dozens of motorcycles, he said. A police spokesman confirmed the attack while a senior security source said it had not been possible to communicate with the academy since Wednesday. The Liman Kara college is near Gwoza town, seized by Boko Haram this month. Thousands have been killed across north-eastern Nigeria since Boko Haram launched its violent campaign for an Islamic state in 2009. BBC
Boko Haram takes over another Nigeria town
Boko Haram has seized control of a town in northeastern Nigeria, the latest to fall into Islamist hands in the crisis-hit region and an indication of the group’s increasing territorial ambitions. The insurgents have tended to use hit-and-run attacks in the past but the recent seizure of towns suggests a significant shift in strategy, more in keeping with their stated goal of carving out a strict Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria. Residents who fled the assault on the fallen town of Buni Yadi in Yobe state said attacks began late last month and the insurgents have since taken over the main government building. AFP
Business in Nigeria: Africa’s testing ground
Tales of rich rewards have many firms scrambling to invest in Nigeria. Africa contains some of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Nigeria is the largest. In April its official GDP figures were revised up by 90% after hopelessly dated numbers were rebased. Roughly one in five of Sub-Saharan Africa’s 930m people lives there. Its population is growing at a rate of 2-3% a year (see charts). Its people are young, ambitious and increasingly well educated. Nigeria’s promise has made it a test-bed for the Africa strategies of consumer-goods firms. This is not only because of its size. It is also because of the spread of Nigerian culture—its music and movies—around Africa, says Yaw Nsarkoh of Unilever. The Anglo-Dutch company has been trading in Nigeria for nearly a century and is expanding its operations. Nestlé, a Swiss rival, plans to triple sales over the next decade. The Economist
Q&A – South Sudan: A nation awash with arms
Recent fighting in South Sudan’s Unity State between government troops and opposition forces has placed civilians at renewed risk and once again threatened the shaky cessation of hostilities agreement signed in January. Earlier this month members of a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation to South Sudan reportedly expressed alarm that the warring parties are still acquiring arms. Here, Amnesty International’s Elizabeth Deng and Geoffrey L. Duke, of the South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms explain why an arms embargo should be a priority. Amnesty International
How to Prevent Total Disaster in South Sudan
For more than seven months now, South Sudan has been at war with itself. A power struggle among members of the ruling elite has plunged the nation into a human catastrophe of alarming proportions. Three years after South Sudanese celebrated their nation’s independence, they are watching their hard-won struggle for peace slip away. Those who voted for the right to make their own way in the world as a sovereign people are victims yet again — this time to an abject failure of leadership. Opportunity after opportunity to end the senseless fighting has come and gone. Despite the valiant mediation efforts of the region’s Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa and the United Nations, a cessation of hostilities signed in January and a recommitment to a peace process made in May have not been met. Deadlines pass without actions. Meanwhile, the fighting continues, and suffering worsens. Foreign Policy
China presses South Sudan over renewed violence
China’s foreign minister pressed his South Sudan counterpart over renewed violence in the oil-rich state, demanding an immediate ceasefire and political dialogue in the country which is heavily reliant on Chinese investment. Government troops clashed with South Sudan rebels last week near the capital of Unity State, days after a UN Security Council delegation warned of sanctions if either side violated a ceasefire signed in May. The East African
Libya shuts state TV stations
The Libyan interim government shut down both state TV channels on Tuesday (August 19th). Egyptian satellite company Nilesat took Al-Wataniya and Al-Rasmiya off the air after receiving an official request from the acting Libyan media minister. The TV stations had been under the control of anti-government forces and backed the Islamists fighting for control of Tripoli international airport. Magharebia
Libya: No Nato deed goes unpunished
As Libya descends into chaos in the worst violence the country has known since the ousting of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, African diplomats are saying: we told you so. Jean Ping, the former chairperson of the African Union Commission, told the Mail & Guardian this week that the AU strongly opposed the Nato intervention in Libya three years ago because it believed it would cause untold harm in the region and could lead to civil war in the country. The Nato countries completely ignored Africa’s position, including attempts by leaders such as President Jacob Zuma to find a peaceful solution, because of their “sense of superiority”, he said. Mail and Guardian
Tunisia, Egypt close air routes to and from Libya
Tunisia and Egypt’s Cairo airport cancelled most flights to and from Libya on Thursday, officials said, days after the Libyan government said unidentified war planes had attacked positions of armed groups in Tripoli. A spokesman for the Tunisian Aviation Authority gave no explanation for the measures but Libyan news agency LANA and Egyptian officials said Cairo airport authorities had cancelled flights for security reasons. Flights from Tunis to the eastern Libyan town of Labraq, as well as from the Egyptian Mediterranean port city of Alexandria to Libya were still operating, a Libyan aviation official said. A Tunisian transport official said flights to the eastern town of Tobruk were also still running. Al Arabiya
Pygmies in ‘mortal danger’ in southern DR Congo
Pygmy people have been targeted in repeated attacks by armed Mai Mai groups made up by members of the Baluba tribe in Katanga province, in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our Observer met some Pygmies who fled their traditional forest homes to escape the ongoing violence. He says that they are facing “extermination.” The number of violent attacks has increased dramatically since mid-June in several regions in the Upper Katanga district, especially in Kabalo, Nyunzu and Manono. Most of the violence seems to target the Pygmy people, traditional hunters and gatherers of the region [Editor’s Note: The name Pygmy includes people from several tribes including the Twa, Baka, Mbuti, Aka, and others]. Mai Mai armed militias are the principal perpetrators of the violence. These Mai Mai are made up of Baluba people, the ethnic majority of the region. The militia members blame the Pygmies for having collaborated with Congolese soldiers and accuse them of sharing strategic information. France 24
UNHCR Seeks Repatriation of Somali Refugees
he U.N. refugee agency on Wednesday called for East African countries hosting Somali refugees to make voluntary repatriation possible and sustainable. Earlier this month, some UNHCR workers and Somali refugee leaders in Dadaab camp traveled to the port city of Kismayo to assess the security and socioeconomic situation of the city as part of the repatriation process. UNHCR spokesman in Kenya, Emmanuel Nyabera said security is a major challenge in south and central Somalia and the group’s visit helps the refugees make decisions knowing what awaits them if they decide to go back. VOA
Kenyan president picks new intelligence boss
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has nominated a new intelligence chief with experience in the war on al Qaeda-linked insurgents in neighbouring Somalia to stop a spate of attacks in Kenya blamed on Islamist militants. Kenyatta said he chose Major-General Philip Kameru for his success in intelligence-gathering in Somalia, where Kenyan soldiers are fighting al-Shabaab insurgents as part of an African Union peacekeeping force. The East African nation has suffered a string of gun and grenade attacks in the past several months, including an assault on the upscale Westgate shopping mall in the capital Nairobi last September in which at least 67 people were killed. News 24
Museveni asks US to invest in Africa’s infrastructure
President Yoweri Museveni has asked the US government to help in developing Africa`s infrastructure including railway, electricity and roads in order to enhance her economic development noting that African countries have the potential and capacity to do things that can make them transform economically. Mr Museveni was Thursday meeting a delegation of US officials who were led by the US Ambassador to Uganda Mr. Scott Delisi at State House Entebbe. The delegation was seeking President Museveni`s impression of the recent US- Africa leaders summit in Washington DC and his views on what the US can do to help Africa develop. Daily Monitor
Botswana police rule out foul play in opposition leader’s death
A Botswana police investigation has found the death of an opposition leader just months before a general election to be an accident, a claim angrily rejected by his party. Police Commissioner Keabetswe Makgophe late Wednesday ruled out foul play in the death of Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) secretary general Gomolemo Motswaledi. The popular politician died in a car crash on July 30, shortly after crossing the border from South Africa. “The investigations reveal that Mr Motswaledi’s death was the result of a road accident uninduced by any foul play,” Makgophe said in a statement. Times Live
Does Ghana’s oil boom spell the end for its fishing industry?
Beyond a busy harbourside market in the twin cities of Sekondi-Takoradi, where hundreds of fishermen scurry past pans sizzling with sardines, mackerels and moonfish, sit two offshore rigs that serve as a constant reminder of Ghana’s looming energy boom. Many in the country’s western region, the epicentre of the fishing industry, had been optimistic that oil production would bring jobs, cheaper fuel and economic prosperity. But now, they say oil exploration programmes are impeding their livelihoods. “Our fish catch has reduced drastically since oil exploration started here,” says Kofi al-Haji Musa, 43, who has been fishing in the area for 31 years. “Before oil exploration started I could fill my canoe with fish three times every day. Now, I can’t even manage one load,” he says. The Guardian
Child brides in west Africa: Girls fight back
Poverty, poor education, prohibitive school fees and tradition are among the many reasons. Parents are more likely to send their boys to school than girls. Instead, daughters are a source of income through dowries. Moreover, some families prefer to see their girls married than to take the risk of them misbehaving outside wedlock. And for the most part child marriage is accepted. Yet it causes all manner of problems. Child brides miss out on education and usually become mothers younger, which in turn increases maternal mortality. There is not much sign of change. The New York-based Ford Foundation thinks that between 2000 and 2011 the trend in five west African countries was towards even earlier marriages for girls. But at least in some places they are being helped to fight back. The Economist
Rise of Africa’s luxury loving super rich – from Nigeria’s champagne love affair to South Africa’s cosmetics obsession
OVER the past few years the African continent has shaken off its image as the place of only pity. Increasingly for many today, it is a place of business opportunity for even the crème de la crème of products – luxury goods. The new gold rush for the African consumer generally targets the continent’s burgeoning middle class as they begin to embrace more high-end mobile phones, pricy restaurant meals and trips down supermarket aisles with their new disposable incomes. Consultancy firm McKinsey predicts that this consumer spending will reach $1.4 trillion in 2020, from about $860 billion in 2008. Mail and Guardian