Gbagbo’s wife jailed for 20 years over election violence
A court in Ivory Coast on Tuesday sentenced former first lady Simone Gbagbo to a 20-year prison term on charges of “undermining state security” during post-election violence in 2010-2011 that left nearly 3,000 dead. “The court, after deliberation, unanimously condemns” the 65-year-old wife of former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo to 20-years in prison, court president Tahirou Dembele stated. Prosecutors had asked for a 10-year sentence. The trial is viewed as the biggest judicial challenge faced by the post-crisis government of the west African nation. Violence broke out in Ivory Coast in 2010 when Laurent Gbagbo refused to cede power to his rival Alassane Ouattara, who was declared the winner of a presidential poll. France 24
Chad and Niger armies take two towns from Boko Haram
Troops from Chad and Niger have taken two northeastern Nigerian towns after bloody fighting that has left some 200 Boko Haram fighters dead, a Chadian security source has said. Boko Haram had held the towns of Malam Fatouri and Damasak near the Niger border since November. Ten Chadian soldiers were killed in the offensive that began on Sunday, the source told AFP news agency on Monday. About 30 Nigerien and Chadian soldiers were wounded in the clashes, a day after thousands of troops crossed the border to take areas held by the armed group, whose insurgency has prompted neighbours to mobilise their armies. A medical source in Diffa, the capital of the Niger region which borders Boko Haram’s heartland in Nigeria’s northeast, said 30 wounded soldiers had been admitted to the town’s hospital. Al Jazeera
Fears of Boko Haram in Cameroon
Gunmen have broken into a prison in central Nigeria and freed about 200 prisoners. It is not yet clear if the Islamist group Boko Haram was responsible but it has orchestrated several prison raids and controls a number of towns in north eastern Nigeria. It has also been carrying out attacks across the border in Cameroon. Thomas Fessy reports on the Cameroon Army’s efforts to defeat the Islamists. BBC
Hope Springs in Nigeria: Promising Signs for Democracy in Abuja
In early February, Nigerian authorities delayed an upcoming presidential election by six weeks, to March 28. The reason? The military was suddenly double-booked on the original polling day. It would not be available to provide security at voting stations because of a newly announced all-hands-on-deck campaign against Boko Haram. The United States was no more convinced by that reasoning than the thousands of Nigerians who flocked to Twitter to vent and fret. “Political interference with the Independent National Electoral Commission is unacceptable,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said, “and it is critical that the government not use security concerns as a pretext for impeding the democratic process.” Foreign Affairs
AFRICOM’s Flintlock develops tactics to take on Boko Haram threat
U.S. special operations forces on Monday concluded three weeks of training with regional partners in western Africa who are confronting the growing threat posed by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram, which may be seeking closer cooperation with the Islamic State. The Flintlock exercise, the largest conducted by Special Operations Command Africa, brought together troops from several countries to work on a range of tactics to be deployed in fighting Boko Haram, which is based in Nigeria but threatens the stability of neighboring states. “We find this year’s exercise both unique and very relevant,” Africa Command’s Gen. David Rodriguez said during Monday’s closing ceremony in Chad. “Because, as you know, here today in Ndjamena, we are not far removed from the immediate threat of Boko Haram.” AP on Stars and Stripes
Burkina Faso: The Challenge of Incomplete Democratization
Spontaneous protests by hundreds of thousands of Burkinabé following moves by parliament in October 2014 to amend the constitution to extend President Blaise Compaoré’s 27-year rule triggered a rapid and unexpected exit from power for the longtime leader. Subsequent struggles over the trajectory of Burkina Faso’s transition highlight four underlying issues that have fueled the crisis and which will shape the country’s prospects for democracy. First, is the role of the military in politics, in particular the Presidential Guard. This issue is at the heart of the current struggle over Burkina Faso’s political transition. Civil society groups and some political parties have been calling for the dissolution of the Presidential Security Regiment (RSP), a 1,200-strong elite force dedicated to protecting the ousted president following the civilian uprising. The RSP, as is the case in other African countries, is considerably better equipped, trained and supervised than the rest of Burkina Faso’s military. They have also played an active political role in the government’s prioritization and policymaking – a role that the RSP is reluctant to forego. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
After the revolution, what next for Burkina Faso?
Some called it an uprising. He calls it a revolution. Last October, graffiti artist Dera Issaka, alias Deris, covered the walls of Burkina Faso’s capital with political slogans. He also attended the massive protests that forced President Blake Compaore out after 27 years in power. In October, Dera Issaka did not sleep for almost a week. Three nights in a row, he strode along the streets of Ouagadougou, painting the walls with graffiti art and subversive slogans. “My art is not just about embellishing walls, it is about expressing my opinion,” he told the BBC. I needed to express that overdose of the regime, like the rest of the population.” BBC
Nine foreigners ‘kidnapped’ in Libya
Islamic State (IS) militants are said to have kidnapped nine foreign oil workers in a raid in Libya, when they reportedly beheaded eight guards. Four Filipinos, an Austrian, a Bangladeshi, a Czech and a Ghanaian were taken with an unidentified ninth foreigner, Austrian officials say. The foreign ministry in Vienna said IS had attacked the al-Ghani oil field. A Libyan army spokesman told the BBC the field 700km (440 miles) south-east of Tripoli had been attacked on Friday. One oil worker died of a heart attack after seeing the beheadings, he added. The foreigners were working for oilfield management company Value Added Oilfield Services (VAOS) at the field. BBC
Tunisia seizes arms haul near border with Libya
Tunisian security forces on Monday uncovered a second arms cache in three days near the border with Libya, the interior ministry said. “As part of ongoing operations against terrorist cells and their members… (security forces) have discovered a new weapons cache 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Ben Guerdane” in the southeast, it said. The cache included 20 rocket-propelled grenade launchers and various types of rockets, 40 anti-tank mines, detonators, grenades and 23,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition. A similar find was made in the same area on Friday. AFP on Yahoo News
UN puts Libya request for weapons on hold
Libya’s request for UN approval to buy fighter jets, tanks and other weaponry to fight Islamic State militants has been put on hold at the request of seven Security Council members led by Spain, diplomats said Monday. Libya had asked a Security Council committee for an exemption to an arms embargo to make the purchases from defense contractors in the Czech Republic, Serbia and Ukraine. Spain asked that the request be put on hold as UN envoy Bernardino Leon held talks on forming a unity government that could spearhead the battle against the IS jihadists, diplomats said. His request was supported by Britain, France, Chile, Lithuania, New Zealand and the United States in line with demands that reaching a power-sharing agreement be given priority. AFP on Yahoo New
El-Sisi urges ‘Arab ready force’ to confront ISIS, questions if US ‘standing by’ Egypt
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in an exclusive interview with Fox News, appealed to the U.S. to play a greater role in helping his country fight terrorism — as he urged the creation of an “Arab ready force” to confront the Islamic State and similar groups. The Egyptian leader spoke with Fox News’ Bret Baier in an extensive interview conducted in Cairo. He addressed the need for what he called a religious “revolution,” urging moderate Muslims around the world to “stand up” against terrorists twisting their religion. But in the short term, he said more military might and funding will be needed to confront the extremist threat and questioned whether the U.S. was doing enough for Egypt. Fox News
Turkey and Egypt’s Great Game in the Middle East
The chaos in the Middle East has tested many relationships, not least the one between Egypt and Turkey. Shortly after the fall of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, Turkey became one of Egypt’s chief regional supporters. When the new president, Mohammad Morsi, was himself pushed out of office in 2013, Turkey shifted course. With General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in power in Egypt, Turkey quickly became one of the country’s main adversaries in the Levant. In August 2013, Turkey asked the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Sisi. The next year, Egypt openly lobbied against Turkish candidacy to obtain a seat at the UN Security Council. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also told Al Jazeera that his government “does not accept the [Sisi] regime that has undertaken a military coup.” He has also called Sisi an “illegitimate tyrant.” Foreign Affairs
ISIS and the Foreign-Fighter Phenomenon
In August 2014, ISIS marked Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, with a 20-minute, high-definition video offering its greetings to the Muslim world. Gauzy images of smiling worshippers embracing at a mosque cut to children passing out sweets to break the Ramadan fast. These scenes were interspersed with shots of the muhajireen (Arabic for “emigrants”)-British, Finnish, Indonesian, Moroccan, Belgian, American, and South African-each repeating a variation on the same message. “I’m calling on all the Muslims living in the West, America, Europe, and everywhere else, to come, to make hijra with your families to the land of Khilafah,” said a Finnish fighter of Somali descent. “Here, you go for fighting and afterwards you come back to your families. And if you get killed, then … you’ll enter heaven, God willing, and Allah will take care of those you’ve left behind. So here, the caliphate will take care of you.” The Atlantic
Mali attacks targeted peace talks, says French minister
France’s foreign minister says the recent terror attacks in Mali were designed to wreck ongoing peace negotiations. Laurent Fabius told journalists Monday during a visit to Morocco that the attacks in Bamako and Kidal over the weekend were targeting the ongoing peace negotiations between the government and northern rebels. “We are a just a few meters from peace between Bamako and the north and it is precisely because we are so close to peace that its terrorist adversaries want to strike,” he said. The attack in Bamako killed five people, including a French citizen. Months of talks between rebel factions and Mali’s government in Algeria have yielded an accord that is close to being signed. AP on Stars and Stripes
Fatou Bensouda given nod to appeal Kenya’s non-cooperation ruling
ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has been allowed to appeal a decision declining a request to refer the Kenyan Government to the Assembly of State Parties (ASP) over non-cooperation in the case against President Uhuru Kenyatta. Kenya is accused of failing to comply with a request to produce financial and other records relating to President Kenyatta, whose case was terminated for lack of evidence, to support the proceedings. In December, ICC judges rejected the application by Ms Bensouda to refer Kenya to the ASP-which comprises countries that are signatories to the Rome Statutes. The prosecution had in November filed an application for the ICC to declare Kenya a non-cooperative country. “In its decision, yesterday, Trial Chamber considered the request and the observations made by the Kenyan government and the legal representative of the victims. The chamber decided to authorise the prosecutor to appeal the decision on Kenya’s co-operation,” reads the statement from the court. East African
Political stability in Morocco cannot silence the murmurs of discontent
The further into chaos north Africa sinks, the more Morocco asserts its difference. Well away from the war in Libya, the tumult of Tunisia’s democratic transition or the Egyptian clampdown, the kingdom is quick to publicise its stability. It is, as the authorities repeat, an “exception” in the Arab world and its Islamist prime minister, Abdelilah Benkirane, was back at the Davos economic forum this year to promote the “secrets of Morocco’s success”. But the country has nevertheless had its share of unrest. In 2011, following the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, tens of thousands of Moroccans took to the streets to demand greater social justice and democracy. There were no calls to oust the regime among the slogans of the “20 February movement”, as it is known, simply the will to restrict royal powers under a constitutional monarchy. The Guardian
US Pulls $3M Bounty for Somali Militant Who Defected
The United States has withdrawn a $3 million bounty linked to the capture of a high-level member of Somalia’s al Shabaab militant group who had since defected, a U.S. official said on Monday. The Somali government welcomed the move and thanked Washington for supporting its efforts to persuade senior figures to quit the al Qaeda-linked organization, which has launched attacks across east Africa. The U.S. State Department offered a total of $33 million in 2012 for information leading to the capture of Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi and six other al Shabaab leaders. Hersi — described on local media as the general secretary of al Shabaab’s finance department — surrendered to Somali government forces in December, Somali and U.S. officials said. VOA
Overshadowed By Islamic State, Somalia’s Al Shebab Loses Jihadist Lustre
Eclipsed by newer, more bloodthirsty and media-savvy global jihadists, Somalia’s Al Shebab militants are struggling to stay relevant. On Saturday the two most rapidly ascendant militant Islamist groups joined forces, in words at least, as Nigeria’s Boko Haram declared its allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. The rise of these two groups has left Al Qaeda aligned Al Shebab in the dust, damaging its capacity to attract foreign recruits, said Ken Menkhaus, a Somalia expert and professor at Davidson College, North Carolina. “Shebab is really overshadowed by IS,” said Menkhaus. AFP on NDTV
New Zambian President Needs Treatment Abroad
Doctors in Zambia say newly elected president Edgar Lungu needs treatment abroad for a condition that caused him to collapse in public on Sunday. The Zambian president’s office says Lungu is suffering from achalasia, an illness that leads to narrowing of the food pipe and complications that can include chest pain and difficulty in swallowing food and water. A statement Monday said doctors have recommended the president undergo a high-tech medical procedure that is not available in Zambia and have referred him for specialized treatment abroad. Lungu, 58, was initially diagnosed with malaria and fatigue after he collapsed in the capital, Lusaka, while giving a speech to commemorate International Women’s Day. VOA
West Africa buoyed by Ivorian gas discovery
A declaration of discovery was submitted to the government of the Ivory Coast after a test well produced oil and gas, RAK Petroleum said Monday. The Norwegian energy company said oil and gas was flowing at a test rate of 150 barrels and 25 million cubic feet per day, respectively, from its shallow-water North-1 exploration well off the Ivorian coast. “A declaration of hydrocarbons discovery has been submitted to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and an evaluation and appraisal program will follow,” the company said in a statement. RAK added the reserves were discovered in an area that wasn’t known previously to contain hydrocarbons. UPI
Where Terrorism Research Goes Wrong
Terrorism is increasing. According to the Global Terrorism Database at the University of Maryland, groups connected with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State committed close to 200 attacks per year between 2007 and 2010, a number that grew by more than 300 percent, to about 600 attacks, in 2013. Since 9/11, the study of terrorism has also increased. Now, you might think that more study would lead to more effective antiterrorism policies and thus to less terrorism. But on the face of it, this does not seem to be happening. What has gone wrong? The answer is that we have not been conducting the right kind of studies. According to a 2008 review of terrorism literature in the journal Psicothema, only 3 percent of articles from peer-reviewed sources appeared to be rooted in empirical analysis, and in general there was an “almost complete absence of evaluation research” concerning antiterrorism strategies. The New York Times