Media Review for July 23, 2012

By Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Updated: 07/23/2012

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

Rwanda cut off from US military aid over conflict in DRC
The US government has said it will cut military aid to Rwanda, citing evidence that the central African country is supporting rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda has denied reports by United Nations experts and rights groups that it is backing eastern Congolese rebels, including the M23 group, which has seized parts of North Kivu province in fighting that has displaced over 260,000 people since April. The Guardian

U.S. Drug War Expands to Africa, a Newer Hub for Cartels
In a significant expansion of the war on drugs, the United States has begun training an elite unit of counternarcotics police in Ghana and planning similar units in Nigeria and Kenya as part of an effort to combat the Latin American cartels that are increasingly using Africa to smuggle cocaine into Europe. The growing American involvement in Africa follows an earlier escalation of antidrug efforts in Central America, according to documents, Congressional testimony and interviews with a range of officials at the State Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pentagon. NYT

Pentagon eyes drones for Kenya to fight militants nearby
The Pentagon is seeking to send hand-launched drones to Kenya as part of a $40 million-plus military aid package designed to help four African countries fight al Qaeda and al Shabaab militants, notably in Somalia, the Wall Street Journal reported. Kenya would get eight “Raven” unmanned aerial systems – an unarmed drone that can be used to identify targets for strikes by ground forces or other aircraft. Reuters

Madagascar quells mutiny
A group of mutinous soldiers in Madagascar took over a military camp near the Indian Ocean island’s main airport early on Sunday, but were eventually driven out in an assault by government forces, the military said. Attempts to negotiate with the mutineers had failed, and an officer sent in to start talks was shot and later died of his wounds. Several mutineers were arrested, the military said, without providing an exact number. News24

West African Defense Chiefs Meet Over Mali Crisis
Defense chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are scheduled to meet in an extraordinary summit on the continuing security crisis in Mali Wednesday. The meeting will be held in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital, Abidjan. ECOWAS communications director Sonny Ugoh said the defense chiefs will review a report by a technical team of ECOWAS and the African Union that recently assessed the situation in Mali. VOA

US urges Mali to accept African force
The United States has called on Mali’s authorities to accept offers by African states to send a military force to stabilise the country and help retake control of its vast northern desert, now in the hands of al Qaeda-linked Islamists.
West Africa’s ECOWAS bloc has said for months it wants to send a 3,000-strong force to tackle instability but it has so far not received backing from the United Nations and met resistance from politicians and soldiers in Mali. Angola Press

Defense industry, strategy at major crossroads
[...] In Africa, the Pentagon’s strategy is slightly more complex and non-traditional. The stated purpose of Africa has been indirect operations with logistical support and cooperation to local governments. The military operations in Africa will undoubtedly contain a greater emphasis on asymmetric operations through drones and special operations forces. Contractors already play a key role in these missions and the Defense Department appears committed to their deployment in sensitive hot spots around the world. Contractors are the next proxy in these asymmetric fights. This is the area of growth for industry – a tough pill to swallow. The Hill

Somali Piracy: Is Taking the Fight to Land the Solution?
ears of naval counter-piracy operations have so far failed to strategically defeat Somali pirates. The presence of more warships and armed guards on civilian ships have pushed pirates to adapt to the evolving situation. It was in this context that, on March 23, 2012, the Council of the European Union decided to extend Operation Atlanta (officially known as EU Naval Force Somalia) to allow military strikes on land. This new mandate represents a substantial step-up in operations and shift in strategy. Think Africa Press

Two-thirds of bilateral aid to Somalia govt stolen, diverted
Successive Somali governments have not accounted for nearly $238 million, the bulk of which constituted bilateral assistance, according to an audit report made available exclusively to The EastAfrican. The report shows that over the period 2000-2011, the first Somali Transitional National Government and the subsequent Transitional Federal Government received bilateral aid totalling $308 million, that was given mainly by Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Libya, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. (This figure does not include funds that came through the Arab League. It also does not cover multilateral assistance to Somalia, which is managed entirely by the United Nations Development Programme.) The East African

Africa’s wealth is being devoured by tyrants and vultures
A surprise judgment was made last week against a vulture fund, FG Hemisphere, striking down its claim for $100m from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Keeping money out of the hands of profiteers is welcome, but wider questions raised by the case lead straight to one of the central problems of the global economy: the right of money to flow wherever, whenever, while millions remain in poverty. FG Hemisphere has spent many years and a small fortune pursuing Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko for a debt it bought “secondhand” for $3m, but on which it hoped to claim back $100m. The Guardian

World Court Orders Senegal to Try or Extradite Chad’s Habre
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, has issued a judgement in the dispute over the prosecution of former Chad dictator Hissène Habré, ruling that Senegal must either prosecute Habré for war crimes or extradite him “without further delay.” allAfrica

South Sudan suspends direct talks with Sudan
South Sudan has called off face-to-face peace talks with Sudan accusing its neighbour of bombing one of its villages on the border. Colonel Philip Aguer, the military spokesman, said on Saturday that Sudanese Antonov planes bombed the village of Rumaker in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state near the two countries’ border early on Friday morning. Al Jazeera

New Satellite Evidence Suggests Sudanese Atrocities
An NGO here unveiled new satellite evidence on Friday that would seem to suggest the torching of a village in southern Sudan by state soldiers.The group, the Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP), suggests that the images, coupled with eyewitness testimony and video footage gathered by the organisation, are further proof of crimes against humanity by Khartoum regime. IPS

New arrivals in South Sudan tell of worst war crimes since Darfur
[...] With tens of thousands of people living in sodden tents surrounded by contaminated floodwater, the number of deaths has risen to double the internationally recognised emergency rate. According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), nine children are dying every day in the worst-affected camp at Jamam. The foetid water is ideal for mosquitoes to breed, and malaria cases have begun to appear. Conditions are also perfect for cholera and agencies have already built a quarantine facility in preparation for an outbreak. The Independant

Huge rally in Togo
Several thousands of anti-government demonstrators rallied in Togo’s capital on Saturday to protest what they say is a crackdown on the opposition movement. The small West African nation, ruled by one family for the past four decades, has since last month seen a series of protests launched by a coalition of opposition parties. Dozens of people have been arrested. News 24

Mauritius swears in new president
Rajkeshwur Purryag became the fifth president of the Republic of Mauritius when he was sworn into the largely ceremonial post Saturday. He was elected Friday during a special parliamentary session after his predecessor Anerood Jugnauth resigned in March following open conflict with Prime Minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam. News 24

The U.S. And Egypt Understand Each Other Better Than You’d Think
Analysis: The meeting last week between Hillary Clinton and newly elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was between leaders from two countries that not only need each other, but may have a surprisingly similar approach to public life. Worldcrunch – Le Monde

Why Islamists Lost in Libya and Why Nobody Should Be Surprised
[...] The erroneous assumption that Islamists would be victorious in the Libyan elections was based largely on the simplistic rationale “well, it happened in Tunisia and Egypt.” Aside from the fact that many Libyans wouldn’t do what Tunisia and Egypt did simply out of spite (as anyone who has been to Libya can tell you, Libyans tend to have a superiority complex with regards to their neighbors), there were a multitude of reasons why an Islamist defeat in Libya was certain. The Huffington Post

In Zimbabwe Land Takeover, a Golden Lining
[...] Before Zimbabwe’s government began the violent and chaotic seizure of white-owned farms in 2000, fewer than 2,000 farmers were growing tobacco, the country’s most lucrative crop, and most were white. Today, 60,000 farmers grow tobacco here, the vast majority of them black and many of them working small plots that were allotted to them in the land upheavals. Most had no tobacco farming experience yet managed to produce a hefty crop, rebounding from a low of 105 million pounds in 2008 to more than 330 million pounds this year. NYT

China’s goods burden Africa’s producers
From the edge of Lagos Island, you have a clear view of the giant cargo ships coming in to dock. Walk a few blocks away from the water to Balogun market, and you’ll see where some containers’ contents end up. In small, packed stalls spilling onto the streets of Nigeria’s commercial capital hang suits, fire extinguishers, shoes, radios, padlocks, shirts, clocks, generators and countless other items. The common link for many of the goods is their origin. The Washington Post

Closed border invisible to Algeria, Morocco neighbours
It is 10 pm when we arrive in the known “smuggler’s hub” of Maghnia. In this town perched on the far western edge of Algeria, 600 kilometres from the capital and across the border from Oujda in Morocco, the cafés are packed with patrons. Maghnia is the capital of “trabendo” (contraband). From drugs to chickens, from alcohol to Ramadan food, everything comes through the town. In the market square, young men openly offer all sorts of goods brought in from Morocco. Magharebia

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This entry was written by Africa Center for Strategic Studies, posted on July 23, 2012 at 7:00 am, filed under Media Review and tagged . Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.