Africa Center for Strategic Studies

Media Review for September 2, 2010

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.

Today’s News

Obama faces calls to get tougher on Sudan amid war fears
US President Barack Obama is facing calls by activists to get tougher with the Sudanese government to bring peace to Darfur and ensure a peaceful referendum on southern independence in January. AFP

Fighting, death and oil: Inside the conflict in Sudan
[...]We could point our finger at America for the early days of it, because Chevron sank the first well in southern Sudan. When we went down south in Sudan and saw the wells, we found out that it’s all Chinese companies there now. China doesn’t have any of America’s problems of bad press in the Middle East or Africa, or people back home saying they shouldn’t buy conflict diamonds or whatever. China is in very good favor in those parts of the world. CNN

Kenyan ambassadors summoned over Omar al-Bashir’s visit
Kenyan ambassadors in Europe have been asked to explain why Kenya did not arrest the Sudanese president during a recent visit to Nairobi. BBC

Just How Serious is the Situation in the DRC in DC?
We have seen the Statements by the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice regarding the horrific rapes that occurred earlier this month in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is a investigation underway by the United Nations regarding the actions taken by the Peacekeepers. But what of the United States itself? Accra daily Mail

Hell on Earth: The UN Documents Congo’s Bloodbath
Women and girls were raped. Men slaughtered. Refugees killed with machetes and sticks. A new UN report describes an orgy of violence in Congo between 1993 and 2003, meticulously documenting how law and humanity were abandoned. It also accuses Rwanda of atrocities in Congo — something that has not gone down well in Kigali. Der Spiegle

Congo leaders: We begged UN to protect civilians
Congolese community leaders say they begged local U.N. officials and army commanders to protect villagers days before rebels gang-raped scores of people, from a month-old baby boy to a 110-year-old great-great-grandmother. AP

EU keen to strike deal with Gaddafi on immigration
The European Union is keen to strike a pact with Muammar Gaddafi to stem the flow of immigrants across the Mediterranean, officials said today, after the Libyan leader put a price tag of €5bn (£4.1bn) a year on the deal. The Guardian

DRC: Stanley doesn’t merit a statue
If the north Welsh town of Denbigh’s choice of Henry Morton Stanley for a commemorative statue is ironic, given the trouble he took to hide his origins, it’s hard to find a word for Tim Butcher’s praise in the Telegraph for Stanley’s bloody-mindedness, his loyalty to Africans, his loathing of the slave trade and his pioneering journeys.The Guardian

Red Cross Feeding Ghanaians Displaced by Ethnic Violence
Ghana’s Red Cross is distributing food to some 2,000 families – 10,000 people in all – who ethnic fled violence that erupted in March in the northern town of Bawku. VOA

USA·S AFRICOM may directly train Somali troops
Since the creation of Africa Command Center under Bush administration in 2007, much focus of the Command has been creation of development projects and military cooperation between participating African countries and the United States military. Somaliland Press

Somali Government Denies Ethiopia Sent Troops into Somalia
Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government is denying reports that Ethiopian troops have taken the town of Beledweyn from al-Shabab militants in the central Hiran region. A government spokesman says there is no Ethiopian military presence in Somalia. VOA

In Somali Civil War, Both Sides Embrace Pirates
Ismail Haji Noor, a local government official, recently arrived in this notorious pirate den with a simple message: we need your help. With the Shabab militant group sweeping across Somalia and the American-backed central government teetering on life support, Mr. Noor stood on a beach flanked by dozens of pirate gunmen, two hijacked ships over his shoulder, and announced, “From now on we’ll be working together.” The New York Times

AQIM claims responsibility for failed bomb attack in Mauritania
The North African wing of Al Qaeda (AQIM) has claimed responsibility for the failed suicide bomb attack at Nema, some 1,200 km east of Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. Xinhua

France leads charge against African al-Qaida
The French are ideally situated to bolster the regional powers in their unprecedented offensive against AQIM. France had military bases across its former African colonies where Sarkozy has been seeking to restore Paris’ influence. UPI

At least 4 die in Mozambique food riots
At least four people died and 27 were wounded in riots that erupted Wednesday after Mozambique’s government announced increases in the price of bread, water, energy and other critical goods, the southern African nation’s official news agency reported. CNN

Cape Verde: Royal Navy warship intercepts yacht carrying cocaine worth £4m
Drug found hidden in rudder after boat seized in Atlantic following tip-off from French intelligence.[...] Cocaine suppliers in Colombia have increasingly been targeting west African states as transit sites for new routes into Europe. The boats often leave Venezuela and cross the Atlantic at one of its narrowest points.The Guardian

Gambian Businessman Denies Drug Allegations, Files Suit
A close associate of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has filed a lawsuit in a U.S court claiming the independent Freedom online newspaper recently published articles that tarnished his reputation. VOA

Zambia’s Constitutional Review Process Has Thwarted Meaningful Public Participation
“A costly spectacle.” “A circus.” “A charade.” This is how some detractors in the Zambian media have described the Zambian National Constitutional Conference (NCC), the body charged with the important task of rewriting the Zambian Constitution. The Huffington Post

EU blacklists 2 Ghanaian cargo airlines
The European Union says it has added two Ghanaian-registered cargo companies to its list of airlines whose aircraft are barred from flying to Europe.AP

When yes means maybe: Doing business in Nigeria
In a business culture where negotiations are fluid and what’s agreed on Monday might not necessary mean the same thing on Tuesday, how do you get the job done? It’s a challenge some foreigners encounter when doing business in Nigeria. CNN