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.
AFRICOM postpones training Libyan troops
Libya’s government resigns to allow parliament to form new cabinet
Egypt’s Emerging Libya Policy
Of Course the U.S. Knew About Airstrikes on Libya
Collapsing Libya Sucks In Egypt With Gulf Ally in Islamist Fight
Cameroon troops shell Boko Haram camp inside Nigeria
At least 60 killed in central Nigeria communal battle: police
In Nigeria, a civil war within Islam
Nigeria launches national electronic ID cards
South Africa, China to Push Forward Military Cooperation
Op-Ed: We’re withdrawing from the Arms Procurement Commission, and here’s why
Ambassador Johnnie Carson: US-Africa Summit: an unexpected success for Obama’s foreign policy
Africa’s Militants May Be Inspired by Islamic State, Officials Told
Tunisia, US partner against terrorism
Security Council extends UNAMID mandate, calls for revised focus
Somalia sues Kenya at top UN court over maritime border
West Africa Ebola outbreak could infect 20,000 people, WHO says
Tom Frieden’s Ebola Assessment: The Risk Is Increasing
Zambia’s President Michael Sata sacks Wynter Kabimba
Zambia: King Cobra loses his venom
The Gambia’s Democratic Space ‘Constricted, Restricted and Shrinking’ Ahead of 2016 Polls
Egypt’s Morsi accused of leaking secrets to Qatar
Increasing arrests and disappearances rattle Rwandans
Chinese involved in all of Africa’s ivory smuggling: Report
Tanzania takes a chunk of Kenya tourism pie after terror attacks
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AFRICOM postpones training Libyan troops
U.S. Africa Command’s plan to train Libyan military forces is on hold given escalating clashes among rival militias that the country’s U.N. ambassador warned Wednesday could plunge the country into civil war. The training, initially scheduled for the summer, was pushed back and now will not happen before next year. “We are still analyzing the new conditions and our capabilities in order to accurately assess our way ahead,” said Tom Saunders, an AFRICOM spokesman. “We had planned to begin training by the end of this year, but that timeline will probably shift to next year.” The violence in Libya has heightened concerns in the international community that it could spread. Stars and Stripes
Libya’s government resigns to allow parliament to form new cabinet
Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni and his cabinet resigned on Thursday to pave the way to forming a new government after parliamentary elections in June, a government statement said. The North African oil producer is at risk of splitting or even sliding into civil war after rival groups set up an alternative parliament this week. The competing parliaments and fighting among former rebels who helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 have created uncertainty and chaos in Libya. Thinni’s cabinet said it had resigned according to Libya’s constitutional rules to allow the House of Representatives to form a government based on all parts of society. Thinni had been in office since March. Reuters
Egypt’s Emerging Libya Policy
After weeks of fighting, an Islamist and jihadist alliance led by Ansar al-Sharia–a group with ties to Islamic State (formerly ISIS)–has taken control of Benghazi and declared an “Islamic Emirate.” The developments in Libya have come as a shock to the Egyptian government, which considers an Islamic state on Egypt’s 720-mile long western border an immediate threat to Egypt’s national security. Fighting in Tripoli has ravaged the city and closed down the national airport. Highlighting the gravity of the situation, the U.S. Department of State released a joint statement with the governments of Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia to express their deep concern about the political and security crisis in Libya and to call on all parties to adopt an immediate ceasefire. Last week, a majority of the Libyan parliament voted to call for foreign intervention to protect civilians amid chaos and violence among rival militias engaging in fierce clashes. Parliament met in Tobruk (a port city near the Egyptian border that does not fall under control of Ansar al-Sharia) and adopted “by 111 of the 124 deputies present a resolution calling on the international community to intervene quickly to protect civilians in Libya, including Tripoli and Benghazi.” The Huffington Post
Of Course the U.S. Knew About Airstrikes on Libya
[...] Egyptians and Emiratis had launched the strikes, but said they’d caught the United States by surprise. That claim seemed incredible, though, in light of the presence in the region of the U.S. military, which would have certainly detected a series of airstrikes. "With as many Aegis-class ships as the U.S. Navy has in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean, there is no possible way the UAE could pull this off without the U.S. knowing it,”said Christopher Harmer, a former Navy officer and an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War. Harmer said that he had no information about U.S. involvement, “but the U.S. government knows who bombed what,” he said. Egypt and the UAE are highly motivated to strike out at Islamist fighters, whose gains in Libya are only the latest reminder that a new wave of religiously aligned political groups and militias threaten secular regimes and monarchies across the region. “Libya is a serious situation,” Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar told Foreign Policy earlier this month. Morocco has organized a political dialogue among various factions in Libya in an effort to bring the country together. Mezouar has also worked closely with Egypt on the issue, specifically discussing concerns about terrorism in his July visit to Cairo. Foreign Policy
Collapsing Libya Sucks In Egypt With Gulf Ally in Islamist Fight
Egypt has won the United Arab Emirates’ support for a crackdown on Islamists and there are signs the collaboration is extending beyond its borders. U.S. officials say the U.A.E. and Egypt were behind air strikes in the Libyan capital in the past week. Egypt has denied its forces were involved, while the U.A.E. said claims of its intervention were an attempt to divert attention from political reversals suffered by Libya’s Islamists. The Arab revolts that broke out three years ago have morphed into armed conflicts that mostly pit Islamists against more secular-minded forces. The involvement by a Gulf Cooperation Council member in the Libya strikes, if confirmed, would signal a transition from financier to active participant. For Egypt, preoccupied by internal turmoil since 2011, engagement in Libya would be a revival of the country’s regional role at a time when it helped broker a Gaza truce. Bloomberg
Cameroon troops shell Boko Haram camp inside Nigeria
Cameroon’s army has attacked the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram, shelling one of their camps across the border and killing “many” fighters, a security official said on Thursday. The source said the army had shelled the camp on Wednesday evening, two days after the jihadist group had seized control of the town of Gamboru Ngala on the border with Cameroon. “It was tanks stationed on the frontier at Fotokol (on Cameroon’s side of the border) that shelled the camp on the other side,” the source said on condition of anonymity. AFP on Yahoo News
At least 60 killed in central Nigeria communal battle: police
Fighting between Fulani herdsmen and farmers from the Eggon ethnic group has left at least 60 people dead in central Nigeria, mostly from machete cuts, police said on Thursday. The clashes broke out on Wednesday in Nasawrawa state, a week after some Eggon villagers accused Fulanis of stealing cattle, Nasarawa police spokesman Umaru Ismaila said by telephone. “The report we have is 60 dead from the clash in Tudun-Ababu village,” he said. “Some bodies were burned beyond recognition.” Hundreds have been killed in the past year in clashes pitting the semi-nomadic, cattle-herding Fulani people against settled communities that practice a mix of farming and cattle rearing, driven mostly by disputes over land use. DefenceWeb
In Nigeria, a civil war within Islam
[...] The attempt against Sheikh Bauchi occurred when a bomb exploded near the square where he was scheduled to give an end-of-Ramadan sermon. Less than two hours later, a suicide bomber drove a vehicle into former head of state Buhari’s convoy as he was passing through Kaduna. Though Boko Haram has not claimed responsibility, both targets had been publicly critical of the group. Bauchi declared Boko Haram to be “non-Islamic,” and there have been earlier attempts on his life. Mr. Buhari, too, has published writing opposing Boko Haram, which has issued death threats against him. CS Monitor
Nigeria launches national electronic ID cards
Nigeria’s president has formally launched a national electronic identity card, which all Nigerians will have to have by 2019 if they want to vote. Goodluck Jonathan received the first biometric card which can also be used to make electronic payments. MasterCard is providing the prepaid payment element and it hopes millions of Nigerians without bank accounts will now gain access to financial services. An attempt to introduce national ID cards in Nigeria 10 years ago failed. Analysts blame corruption for its failure, and say the same problems may stymie the new e-ID scheme. BBC
South Africa, China to Push Forward Military Cooperation
China’s Defense Minister Chang Wanquan met with chief of the South African National Defense Force, Solly Shoke, on Wednesday. Hailing enhanced ties between the two countries and the two armed forces, state councillor Chang called on both sides to further plan for bilateral defense cooperation from a strategic and long-term perspective, learn from each other and seek common development. Shoke said South Africa is willing to further expand defense cooperation with China to push forward bilateral relationship. African Defense
Op-Ed: We’re withdrawing from the Arms Procurement Commission, and here’s why
The Arms Deal was a uniquely damaging moment in our young democratic history. It was concluded after decades of uncontrolled spending on foreign and internal wars by the apartheid regime. From the signing of the contracts in 1999 up to R70 billion of public money continues to be spent on weapons of questionable utility. The country was not and is not facing any meaningful military threat. But rather the most pressing problems that faced us then as they do now are inequality, poverty and unemployment. The Daily Maverick
Ambassador Johnnie Carson: US-Africa Summit: an unexpected success for Obama’s foreign policy
The historic US-Africa Summit has now passed and it is worth making an early assessment of what it accomplished. Although it will be months before we know whether all the business, security and political commitments that were made are fulfilled, it was by most accounts a success and probably achieved a great deal more than observers expected. Prior to the Summit, critics claimed the Washington gathering was only being held to counter China’s growing influence in Africa, but there would be no major new American initiatives on Africa to rival those that emanated from China over the last decade. Other critics claimed that President Obama would avoid discussing the thorny issues related to democracy and human rights and that some African leaders might skip the event because the President was not planning to hold any bilateral meetings, or they wanted to avoid being lectured to about governance and corruption issues. Many of these early assumptions were proved wrong. African Arguments
Africa’s Militants May Be Inspired by Islamic State, Officials Told
African Islamists may be emboldened by the Islamic State’s gains in the Middle East, and local security services need to cooperate to counter the continent’s militants, African intelligence officials heard on Thursday. African Islamist rebels like Nigeria’s Boko Haram have not made as dramatic an advance as Islamic State, which controls a swath of Syria and Iraq. They have launched attacks across Africa, though, from Niger, Mali and Nigeria in the west to Somalia and Kenya in the east. The success of Islamic State could shape the thinking of African Islamists, said Andrew Muzonzini, Zimbabwe’s head of external intelligence and a member of the African Union’s Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa [CISSA]. VOA
Tunisia, US partner against terrorism
The Tunisian army will soon have the tools it needs to repel militant groups and deal with terrorism, thanks to military gear and training from the United States. The $60 million-dollar aid package includes equipment to detect IEDs and landmines, and new boats to comb the coast, US Africa Command (USAFRICOM) commander General David Rodriguez said Tuesday (August 26th) at a meeting with Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa and other government officials. “Both Tunisia and the United States, as well many countries in the region, face a common threat from violent extremist organisations that use violence and terror to achieve their goals,” the American general said at the Tunis meeting. Magharebia
Security Council extends UNAMID mandate, calls for revised focus
The UN Security Council (UNSC) has extended for the mandate of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) for one year and asked the hybrid operation to focus on its revised strategic priorities. In a resolution unanimously adopted, the 15-member body extended the UNAMID mandate until the 30 June 2015. When established in 2007, the joint mission was mainly tasked with the protection of civilians, protection of aid workers and convoys of humanitarian assistance, monitoring and verifying implementation of agreements, and supporting efforts for to end the 11-year conflict. Sudan Tribune
Somalia sues Kenya at top UN court over maritime border
Somalia took its maritime border dispute with Kenya to the United Nations’ top court on Thursday, which could decide the fate of potentially lucrative oil and gas reserves off east Africa. The dispute has been simmering for years, keeping investors away because of the lack of legal clarity over who owns potential offshore oil and gas reserves. The internationally-backed government in Mogadishu is seeking to claw back authority over Somalia’s territorial waters, including the area bordering Kenya that is potentially rich in oil and gas deposits. Capital FM
West Africa Ebola outbreak could infect 20,000 people, WHO says
The Ebola epidemic in West Africa could infect more than 20,000 people, the U.N. health agency said on Thursday, warning that an international effort costing almost half a billion dollars is needed to overcome the outbreak. As the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced its strategic plan for combatting the virus, GlaxoSmithKline said an experimental Ebola vaccine is being fast-tracked into human studies and it plans to produce up to 10,000 doses for emergency deployment if the results are good. The WHO estimates it will take six to nine months to halt the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, while Nigeria said on Thursday that a doctor involved in treating the Liberian-American who brought the disease to the country had died in Port Harcourt, Africa’s largest energy hub, although the cause had yet to be confirmed. Reuters
Tom Frieden’s Ebola Assessment: The Risk Is Increasing
The Ebola outbreak has crippled local health systems. It’s flooded wards with patients, killed doctors, scared away medical staff and forced some hospitals to shut down entirely. That’s the grim assessment of Dr. Tom Frieden, head of the , who’s visiting West Africa this week for a firsthand look at the situation. Frieden spoke to Goats and Soda by cell phone as he was traveling by car from the hard-hit eastern Sierra Leone city of Kenema back to the capital, Freetown. Frieden says there’s now a vicious cycle around Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia, which is amplifying the spread of the disease. “More cases are leading to less adequate management of each case, which is leading to more cases,” he says. “That cycle has got to be broken for us to stop this.” NPR
Zambia’s President Michael Sata sacks Wynter Kabimba
Zambia’s leader has sacked his justice minister, who is seen as a potential successor, amid rumours the president is gravely ill. President Michael Sata, 77, has not been seen in public since June and has missed several recent summits. A presidential statement did not give any reasons for dismissing Wynter Kabimba as both minister and secretary general of the governing party. Officials insist the president is in good health. Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda, who is also Mr Sata’s uncle and is seen as another potential successor, this week said that a faction in the governing Patriotic Front was trying to take power. BBC
Zambia: King Cobra loses his venom
Guy Scott was conspicuous by his pallor as the only white leader present at United States (US) President Barack Obama’s US-Africa summit in Washington earlier this month. The rather eccentric Scott – who last year earned himself a certain local notoriety by calling South Africans ‘backward’ and suggesting that President Jacob Zuma was doing no better for most South Africans than the last white president, FW de Klerk – was deputising for his boss, Zambian President Michael Sata. A few weeks later, Vice President Scott had to do that again, this time at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit. The official explanation for Sata’s absences has been that he is saving money, but this is not a very convincing excuse, especially for the SADC summit, which took place literally just across the river at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. ISS
The Gambia’s Democratic Space ‘Constricted, Restricted and Shrinking’ Ahead of 2016 Polls
With the approach of the Gambia’s 2016 presidential elections, which will see President Yahya Jammeh seek re-election for a fifth, five-year tenure, more than a dozen opposition activists have been arrested, detained and prosecuted in the past eight months. The leader of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), Ousainou Darboe, told IPS, “the democratic space, instead of being expanded is constricted, restricted and shrinking.” Just in the past eight months, 15 of Darboe’s party members have appeared before a court of law. Twelve members of the party’s youth wing were arrested in February for “an unlawful gathering” but where later acquitted by the court in March. “The security forces have been scuttling our efforts by arresting my party supporters and I believe this is done with the full encouragement of the ruling party,” Darboe said. IPS
Egypt’s Morsi accused of leaking secrets to Qatar
Egypt’s ousted and jailed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi refused to answer a prosecutor’s questions about allegations that he leaked classified documents — some related to the army’s budget— to Qatar via the Doha-based Al-Jazeera broadcaster, Egypt’s official news agency reported Thursday. If the charges are referred to court, it would be the fourth case underway against Morsi, who was overthrown by the military last summer amid mass protests against his yearlong rule. The Washington Post
Increasing arrests and disappearances rattle Rwandans
About a month ago, in late July 2014, Rwandan president Paul Kagame reshuffled his cabinet. He said a reorganization would bring about a better working climate and promote development and wealth in the East African country. The move triggered a series of events which quickly attracted the attention of international human rights organizations. One such event was the news on Monday (25.08.2014) that three high-ranking members of the armed forces had been arrested, including Rwandan Defense Force Colonel Tom Byabagamba. The reason given for his arrest: crimes against state security. Deutsche Welle
Chinese involved in all of Africa’s ivory smuggling: Report
A Chinese is involved in every seizure of ivory in Kenya and other countries in Africa. A new report adds that Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and Port of Mombasa are major conduits for illegal ivory that drives the multi-million-dollar global trade. The report was released by wildlife charity -BornFree USA and says that a Chinese is always a trafficker. The Out of Africa: Mapping the Global Trade in Illicit Elephant Ivory report warns that allowing the ivory and wildlife trafficking networks to flourish created a high degree of convergence with other forms of organised criminal activity such as gun-running and sale of narcotic drugs. The East African
Tanzania takes a chunk of Kenya tourism pie after terror attacks
Tanzania expects tourist numbers to double to 2 million by 2017, the state tourist board said, challenging regional rival Kenya where Islamist attacks have scared away visitors. Tanzania, famed for its pristine beaches and safari parks beneath snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, has always played second-fiddle to Kenya, which has a more developed tourism industry and better air links to the key markets in Europe and United States. But a surge in visitors to Tanzania in the past two years has chipped away at Kenya’s dominance and helped Tanzania’s ambitions to become a regional tourist hub. The Nairobi Star