Africa Center for Strategic Studies

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.

• Shell Says Oil Sabotage in Niger Delta on the Rise

• As tensions boil, Obama’s Sudan envoy contemplates Kenya post

• USAF command seeking airmen for brief deployments to Africa

• Secret Assault on Terrorism Widens on Two Continents

• Kagame’s Priorities for Rwanda: First Prosperity, then Freedom of Expression

• US ‘concerned’ over results of Rwanda vote

• Rwanda: Positive vibe in former hellhole

• SA considers sending troops to back Somalia mission

• Somalis in US flooding into ‘deadly pipeline’ to Al Shabaab

• Is this Bob Gates’s last war?

• Madagascar Parties, President Sign Deal on Elections

• S.Africa opposition parties merge to challenge ANC

• Nigerian ex-military ruler declares election bid

• Nigeria: Former VP Announces Presidential Bid

• Activist group Girifna aims to educate voters in Sudan

• ‘12 die in Algerian desert’ in bid to reach Europe

• Police fear higher Sinai migrant death toll

• Niger hunger “worse than 2005″

• Who’s a Pirate? It’s Not So Simple

• Flying in Africa not for sissies

Today’s News

Shell Says Oil Sabotage in Niger Delta on the Rise
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell says an oil spill this week in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta was caused by sabotage, and that such attacks are on the rise.VOA

As tensions boil, Obama’s Sudan envoy contemplates Kenya post
President Obama’s special envoy to Sudan, retired Maj. Gen. Scott Gration, could be on his way to a new job in Kenya as the White House prepares a new approach to Sudan ahead of a January referendum that analysts fear could split the country into two separate nations — or even spark a new civil war. Foreign Policy

USAF command seeking airmen for brief deployments to Africa
U.S. Air Forces Africa is looking for a few good airmen. The command recently launched an initiative seeking volunteers for short deployments to Africa in an effort to build a cadre of experienced airmen, while also addressing some staffing shortages.Stars and Stripes

Secret Assault on Terrorism Widens on Two Continents
The White House has intensified the Central Intelligence Agency’s drone missile campaign in Pakistan, approved raids against Qaeda operatives in Somalia and launched clandestine operations from Kenya. The administration has worked with European allies to dismantle terrorist groups in North Africa, efforts that include a recent French strike in Algeria. The New York Times

Kagame’s Priorities for Rwanda: First Prosperity, then Freedom of Expression
Rwanda’s re-elected President Paul Kagame wants to achieve economic growth and prosperity for his people. He may be successfully pushing his country forward, but he is far less interested in a fully functioning democracy. Der Spiegel

US ‘concerned’ over results of Rwanda vote
The United States is “concerned” about human rights violations that occurred before recent presidential elections in Rwanda, the White House said on Friday. Mail & Guardian

Rwanda: Positive vibe in former hellhole
In Rwanda, it’s considered impolite to inquire about someone’s tribal heritage, to ask whether a person is a Hutu or Tutsi. In other parts of East Africa, tribal background is a point of celebration, a point of difference. In Rwanda, however, the 1994 genocide that saw almost a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus slaughtered remains a not-quite-healed wound. The Sydney Morning Herald

SA considers sending troops to back Somalia mission
African Union mission in troubled country could receive support from South African soldiers and navy. The Guardian

Somalis in US flooding into ‘deadly pipeline’ to Al Shabaab
A growing number of Somalis living in the United States are being accused of joining or aiding an Islamist group that is fighting to overthrow the US-backed government in Somalia. The East African

Is this Bob Gates’s last war?
Bob Gates never thought he’d be Barack Obama’s defense secretary. Now, in an exclusive interview, the most revolutionary Pentagon leader since Robert McNamara tells FP why he said yes, when he’ll get out of Washington, and what legacy he hopes to leave behind. Foreign Policy

Madagascar Parties, President Sign Deal on Elections
Madagascar President Andry Rojoelina has signed an agreement with least 90 minor political parties settings dates for a constitutional referendum, and parliamentary and presidential elections. VOA

S.Africa opposition parties merge to challenge ANC
South Africa’s largest opposition party said on Sunday it would merge with a small party but analysts said it was unlikely to pose a major challenge to the African National Congress in the 2014 election. Reuters

Nigerian ex-military ruler declares election bid
Nigeria’s former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida has formally declared his intention to seek the ruling party’s nomination for the presidential election next year, a further blow to incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. Reuters

Nigeria: Former VP Announces Presidential Bid
Nigeria’s former vice president Atiku Abubakar, who was accused of bribing a U.S. congressman while in office, announced Sunday he would seek the nomination of the oil-rich country’s ruling party to run for the presidency. CBS news

Activist group Girifna aims to educate voters in Sudan
Like any aspiring pro-democracy movement, the young Sudanese activists needed a name. They picked Girifna, Arabic for “We are fed up.” They chose orange for their color and the V-for-victory sign as a logo, then began distributing their first pamphlet. The Washington Post

‘12 die in Algerian desert’ in bid to reach Europe
Twelve African nationals trying to illegally enter Europe have died from thirst and hunger in the Algerian desert, survivors of the failed journey who returned to northern Mali told AFP on Sunday. AFP

Police fear higher Sinai migrant death toll
Smugglers may have killed as many as 10 African migrants in an armed battle near the Egyptian-Israeli border last week and dozens more could be lost in the desert, Egyptian security sources said on Sunday. Reuters

Niger hunger “worse than 2005″
Niger is now facing the worst hunger crisis in its history, the UN’s World Food Programme says, with almost half the population – or 7.3 million people – in desperate need of food. BBC

Who’s a Pirate? It’s Not So Simple
For the first time since the Civil War, accused pirates will be put on trial this fall in a federal courtroom. The defendants are six Somali men fished out of the Gulf of Aden, between Somalia and Yemen, in April after allegedly firing on a U.S. Navy ship, which blew apart the tiny skiff they were on. The wall Street Journal

Flying in Africa not for sissies
Flying in Africa? Then fasten your seatbelt, grit your teeth and hope for the best. That could well be the advice of seasoned travellers familiar with the nightmare of making connecting flights, surprise stopovers and poor scheduling that is strangling trade and tourism on the continent. News 24

Media Review Archive ViewPast Issues