Media Review for September 4, 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

Angola’s ruling MPLA party wins 74 percent of vote, 5 more years in power
President Jose Eduardo dos Santos’ ruling party has won 73 percent of the national vote assuring his government, in power for 32 years, another five years in power. With 85 percent of the votes counted from Friday’s poll, the state election commission said Sunday that the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, or MPLA, has gained a large majority. The MPLA will control Angola’s 220 seat legislature, but the party’s margin of victory is down from the 82 percent that it won in 2008. The Washington Post

40 percent abstention at Angola elections
Angola’s electoral commission says 40 percent of voters abstained — a shocking rate for Africa that some blamed on cynicism over the ruling party’s expected victory after 33 years in power and others on faulty electoral rolls that included people who died a long time ago. Eighty-seven percent of voters participated in 2008 elections. The Houston Chronicle

Elephants Dying in Epic Frenzy as Ivory Fuels Wars and Profits
[...] Africa is in the midst of an epic elephant slaughter. Conservation groups say poachers are wiping out tens of thousands of elephants a year, more than at any time in the previous two decades, with the underground ivory trade becoming increasingly militarized. Like blood diamonds from Sierra Leone or plundered minerals from Congo, ivory, it seems, is the latest conflict resource in Africa, dragged out of remote battle zones, easily converted into cash and now fueling conflicts across the continent. The New York Times

Al-Shabaab and post-transition Somalia
For the first time in four years, the militant group al-Shabaab is not the center of attention in Somalia. Since the fighters were ejected from the capital Mogadishu a year ago by the African Union peacekeepers (AMISOM) and Somali government troops, they’ve sustained dramatic losses in central and southern Somalia – their traditional bastion. African Argument

Somalia Joins African Union in Major Drive Against Al Shabaab
Somali and African Union forces are planning a major assault on the Al Shabaab militia in their last major stronghold, the southern port of Kismayo. Since being ejected from the capital, Mogadishu, a year ago, the militia have sustained dramatic losses in central and southern Somalia, their traditional bastion. It’s leaders now plan to transform themselves into a guerrilla movement and rebrand itself as the alternative to the new Somalia government. allAfrica

Unrest spreads to South Africa gold mine
South Africa’s mining violence has spread to Johannesburg, with police and security guards firing rubber bullets and tear gas at sacked gold miners who have been blocking colleagues from working, officials and police said. Police said four people were wounded on Monday at the mine that used to be partially owned by President Jacob Zuma’s nephew. Al Jazeera

Mali Islamist group ‘kills Algerian diplomat’
An armed religious movement that has taken control of large swathes of Mali has claimed to have executed an Algerian diplomat who was kidnapped during their takeover of northern Mali, according to a statement published by a Mauritanian news agency. Taher Touati, the Algerian vice-consul, “was executed this [Sunday] morning at dawn” read the statement from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa [MUJAO] published by online news agency ANI, known for carrying reliable information on extremist groups in the region. Al Jazeera

Islamists seize control of key Mali town
Islamic extremists have seized control of the strategic town of Douentza, moving much closer to government-held territory in central Mali. Herald Sun

Terror arrests highlight al-Qaeda rifts
The capture last week of three senior al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) figures is more than just a counter-terrorism success for Algeria. The bigger story is what the AQIM officials were trying to do when ANP soldiers intercepted them in Ghardaia. The senior leaders were headed to the desert on a mediation mission aimed at bridging the widening rift between the various arms and branches of the terrorist group. Magharebia

In Ethiopia, a nation comes to bury Meles – and to praise him
Ahead of the funeral Sunday of Ethiopian strongman Meles Zenawi, many Ethiopians are proudly assessing his abilities and the changes instigated. Less spoken of – at least publicly – is the intimidation of his opponents and nervousness about the future. CS Monitor

Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice at the Funeral of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia
“Good morning. First Lady Azeb Mesfin, President Girma, Acting Prime Minister Hailemariam, members of the Council of Ministers, members of Parliament, excellencies, distinguished guests, and the great people of Ethiopia – thank you for the privilege of speaking here today. We gather to mark a profoundly sorrowful loss for Ethiopia, for Africa, and for the entire world. Our shared grief is palpable.” U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations

Mabior Garang, son of South Sudan’s founder, blasts country’s leadership
In a move that’s likely to shake the foundations of the world’s youngest nation, the eldest son of South Sudan’s founding hero has broken his family’s political silence and declared his opposition to the country’s leadership. It’s another indication of the depth of concern over the direction of a country whose existence in one of the world’s most volatile regions depends on U.S. backing. McClatchy

LRA rebels capture dozens in raid in Central African Republic
Ugandan Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels kidnapped 55 people, half of them girls, in a raid on two villages in a remote eastern corner of Central African Republic, a local gendarme and a witness said on Monday. Reuters

Egypt retires 70 army generals
Seventy generals in the Egyptian armed forces are to be retired, the government has announced. The move comes weeks after President Mohammed Mursi replaced the defence minister and the chief of staff. However, six of the generals will keep their positions on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf). BBC

Berlin Silent on Report of U-Boat Sale to Egypt
A report that Germany plans to sell two submarines to Egypt has triggered speculation about a deterioration in German relations with Israel. The German government stressed on Monday that it remained committed to Israel’s security — but officials declined to comment on the report. Spiegle

US Nears Deal for $1 Billion in Egypt Debt Relief
The United States is close to a deal with Egypt’s new government for $1 billion in debt relief as part of a U.S. and international assistance package designed to prop up the country’s faltering economy and aid its transition to democracy.VOA

Understanding the Dynamics of Islamic Radicalism in Nigeria is key to Bringing Boko Haram to Book
This week Nigeria officially started talks with the Islamic sect popularly known as Boko Haram in an attempt to remedy the security crisis that has crippled the country for the past two years. This dialogue takes place after much wrangling and procrastination on the part of both parties. While the attempt at dialogue is welcome, doubt remains as to whether this strategy will succeed. The decision to negotiate with a sect that the authorities had previously taunted as being a group whose days were numbered, could suggest that the government’s military approach has failed. ISS

100 killed in Madagascar cattle rustling unrest
Villagers in Madagascar have killed nearly 100 cattle thieves in a wave of weekend attacks in southern areas of the Indian Ocean island plagued by rustling, officials said on Monday. The Telegraph

The future Kingdoms of Africa?
Why are there still so many monarchies among the 193 states of the world? 44 countries have heads of state from a single family under a primogeniture system. But it is hard to find any common thread that explains their survival or revival. There are ten European monarchies including Britain and 16 other countries that recognise the monarch of the United Kingdom as head of state. In Asia there are Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Brunei and Thailand, some small Pacific islands and the mountain kingdoms of Bhutan and Nepal. The Arab world has six monarchies, all from the early or mid 20th century. They have oil money so not much pressure, internal or external, for democracy. The African monarchies are Lesotho, Swaziland (both small kingdoms that were British protectorates), and Morocco – does it count itself African these days? It is still not a member of the African Union. African Argument

African women won’t wield political influence without cultural change
The elections taking place across Africa this year present an opportunity for a rising tide of women to take political office. An enouraging precedent was set a few weeks ago, when the proportion of women in Senegal’s parliament swelled from 22% to 43%. But without action to tackle the barriers that keep women out of power, the great wave of equality may amount to no more than a trickle. The Guardian

Ethiopian Airlines: Ethiopian dares to Dream
Africa’s booming aviation industry reached another landmark in August when Ethiopian Airlines became the first carrier outside Japan to operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (pictured), a state-of-the-art passenger jet. The introduction of the 787 to African skies could transform the nature of air travel across the continent—and even worldwide. The Economist


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