AFRICOM Related News Clips 28 March 2011

8/7/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 28 March 2011

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office28 March 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

TOP NEWS RELATED TO U.S. AFRICA COMMAND AND AFRICA

Gates: Libya not a vital interest for US, but part of region thats of vital US interest

(AP)(Libya) Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he doesnt think Libya is a vital interestfor the United States, but he does say the North African nation is part of a region thats

of vital American interest.

US reducing naval firepower aimed at Gadhafi (AP)(Libya) In a sign of U.S. confidence that the weeklong assault on Libya has tamedMoammar Gadhafi's air defenses, the Pentagon has reduced the amount of navalfirepower arrayed against him, officials said Sunday.

Libya Action Creates Risks for Obama (NYT)(Libya) Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, has raised the possibility

of impeaching President Barack Obama for ordering aggressive airstrikes against Libya,while Mitt Romney, a potential Republican presidential candidate, has said the policyshows the commander in chief to be tentative, indecisive, timid and nuanced.

Fresh Airstrikes Aid Rebels (Wall Street Journal)(Libya) Libya's revolutionaries reach the oil town of Brega, while newly releasedfootage shows coalition forces bombarding government forces, aiding the rebels'advance.

Aided by air strikes, Libya's rebels push west (Reuters)(Libya) Libya's ramshackle rebel army has pushed west to retake a series of towns fromthe forces of Muammar Gaddafi who are being pounded by Western air strikes.

Rebel forces regain territory in Libya (CBS)(Libya) In Libya, rebel forces are regaining lost territory in the oil-producing region.NATO is taking full command of the military operation. Powerful explosions are beingreported in Tripoli.

UPDATE 2-U.S. to cut Libya role soon, focus on Gaddafi exit(Reuters)


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(Libya) The United States will cut its military role in Libya in the next week or so andstart to focus with other nations on how to ease Libya's Muammar Gaddafi from power,top U.S. officials said on Sunday.

US still main force in anti-Libya strikes: Pentagon(AFP)

(Libya) The United States has undertaken the lion's share of coalition military sortiesagainst Libya late Saturday and Sunday, despite NATO formally taking command ofoperations, Pentagon figures showed.

NATO takes command of Libya campaign (AFP)(Libya) NATO took full command of military operations in Libya from a US-ledcoalition, empowering alliance forces to stage ground strikes to protect civiliansthreatened by Moamer Kadhafi's army.

Well not kill Muammar Gaddafi, says Obama (Mizoram Express World)

(Libya) US President Barack Obama has informed the US congressional leaders that thehis country will not assassinate Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

War on Libya and Control of The Mediterranean(Global Research)

(Libya) A year after assuming the post of president of the French Republic in 2007, and

while his nation held the rotating European Union presidency, Nicolas Sarkozy invited

the heads of state of the EU's 27 members and those of 17 non-EU Mediterranean

countries to attend a conference in Paris to launch a Mediterranean Union.

Libya air raids target Gadhafi hometown of Sirte (ABC)(Libya) A year after assuming the post of president of the French Republic in 2007, and

while his nation held the rotating European Union presidency, Nicolas Sarkozy invited

the heads of state of the EU's 27 members and those of 17 non-EU Mediterranean

countries to attend a conference in Paris to launch a Mediterranean Union.

Obama urges Ivory Coast president to cede power (USA Today)(Ivory Coast) While keeping up with developments in Libya, Syria and other parts ofthe Middle East, President Obama also found time this weekend to urge the defeatedpresident of Ivory Coast to cede power and avoid a civil war.

Ouattara Rejects New Ivory Coast Mediator (VOA News)(Ivory Coast) Efforts to resolve the political crisis in Ivory Coast suffered a new setbackSunday when one of the two rival presidents rejected a proposed mediator.

Ivory Coast Experiences Civilian Casualties (NPR)(Ivory Coast) As the deadly political power struggle continues in Ivory Coast, thevolatile neighborhood of Abobo has become a violent flashpoint. Forces loyal to the two


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men who claim to be president have repeatedly clashed and civilians have gottencaught in the crossfire.

Egypt Will Recognize Independent Southern Sudan, Minister Says (Bloomberg)(Sudan) Egypt will recognize Southern Sudan as a separate country when it is declared

independent in July, Foreign Minister Nabil El-Arabi said today in Sudan.

Nigeria: Violence - Jonathan Considers Massive Security Operations (This Day)(Nigeria) The escalating pre-election violence in the country may be met with a stiffcrackdown as the Federal Government prepares to deploy massive security measuresahead of the polls.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Websitey Civil society has key role to play in Sierra Leones redevelopment UNy Up to 1 million people driven from homes by violence in Cte dIvoire, UNreports

-------------------------------------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

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Gates: Libya not a vital interest for US, but part of region thats of vital US interest

(AP)By Unattributed AuthorMarch 27, 2011; 8:31 amWASHINGTON Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he doesnt think Libya is avital interest for the United States, but he does say the North African nation is part of aregion thats of vital American interest.

Gates tells NBCs Meet the Press that we clearly have interests in Libya, though hedoesnt believe its a vital American interest.

President Barack Obama, whos scheduled a speech Monday about Libya, used hisweekend radio address to explain his decision to take military action against MoammarGadhafi.


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Obama said that when innocent people are being brutalized and when a leader suchas Gadhafi threatens a bloodbath that could destabilize an entire region and whenother countries are ready to help save lives, then its in our national interest to act.

Gates tells ABCs This Week that he doesnt think Libya posed an actual or imminent

threat to the U.S. before military operations began last weekend.

But he notes the upheaval in two of Libyas neighbors Tunisia and Egypt thattopped longtime rulers, and the potential that refugees fleeing Libya could destabilizethose countries.

He says that was another consideration I think we took into account.

Gates taped the interviews on Saturday and they aired on Sunday.--------------------------

US reducing naval firepower aimed at Gadhafi (AP)By Unattributed AuthorMarch 27, 2011Washington - In a sign of U.S. confidence that the weeklong assault on Libya has tamedMoammar Gadhafi's air defenses, the Pentagon has reduced the amount of navalfirepower arrayed against him, officials said Sunday.

The move, not yet publicly announced, reinforces the White House message of adiminishing U.S. role a central point in President Barack Obama's national addressMonday night on Libya. The White House booked Defense Secretary Robert Gates and

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on three Sunday news shows to promote theadministration's case ahead of the speech.

Yet Gates, asked whether the military operation might be over by year's end, said, "Idon't think anybody knows the answer to that."

At least one of the five Navy ships and submarines that have launched dozens ofTomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan targets from positions in the Mediterranean Seahas left the area, three defense officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity inorder to discuss sensitive military movements.

That still leaves what officials believe is sufficient naval firepower off Libya's coast, andit coincides with NATO's decision Sunday to take over command and control of theentire Libya operation. Aided by international air power, Libyan rebels were reportedto have made important gains by capturing two oil complexes along the coast.

The shrinking of the naval presence adds substance to Obama's expected reassurance tothe American people that after kicking off the Libyan mission, the U.S. is now handing


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off to partner countries in Europe and elsewhere the bulk of the responsibility forsuppressing Gadhafi's forces.

NATO's governing body, meeting in Brussels, accepted a plan for the transfer ofcommand. That is expected to mean that U.S. Army Gen. Carter Ham, who has been the

top commander of the Libya operation, will switch to a support role.

Obama administration officials claimed progress in Libya, but lawmakers in bothparties voiced skepticism over the length, scope and costs of the mission.

Obama is trying to address those issues in a speech that's expected to provide his fullestexplanation of the U.S. role in Libya and what lies ahead.

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., questioned whether it made sense to be involved at all. "Idon't believe we should be engaged in Libyan civil war," Lugar said on NBC's "Meet the

Press."

"I believe the Libyans are going to have to work that out. The fact is that we don't haveparticular ties with anybody in the Libyan picture."

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, was broadlysupportive of the president's steps so far. "It is a flyover which is succeeding. It has setGadhafi back. He's on his heels now," Levin said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Still, Levin said it was unclear how long the air campaign will have to last if Gadhafi

clings to power.

Gates, an early skeptic of establishing a no-fly zone, told ABC's "This Week" that forpractical purposes, the establishment of the zone is complete and can now be sustained"with a lot less effort than what it took to set it up."

The Pentagon said Sunday that over the previous 24 hours, U.S. aircraft had flown 88combat strikes against Libyan targets, down from 96 a day earlier. It provided no detailson targets.

In advance of Obama's speech at 7:30 p.m. EDT Monday, Gates and Clinton stressed theadministration's message that the U.S. role in the mission will shrink, illustrating thatit's possible for the U.S. military to partner with others without always being the leader.

Gates said the no-fly zone and efforts to protect civilians from attack by pro-Gadhafiforces will have to be sustained "for some period of time."


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Among other hard questions for Obama is whether the Libyan intervention shouldserve as a model for U.S. policy toward other Arab countries where revolts againstauthoritarian governments are gaining ground, including Syria and Yemen, and wherecivilians are at risk of violent reprisals.

Clinton declined to say if the U.S. might be willing to enter other such conflicts. She saidit was too early to talk of getting involved in Syria, where security forces have openedfire on protesters amid nationwide unrest. Unlike Gadhafi, Syrian President BasharAssad is a "different leader" and many members of Congress who have visited thecountry "believe he's a reformer," Clinton said.

Clinton and Gates insisted that the objective in Libya was limited to protecting civilians,even as they hoped the pressure of concerted international penalties and isolation mightstrip away Gadhafi's remaining loyalists and cause his government to crumble.

"One should not underestimate the possibility of the regime itself cracking," Gates said.

Asked if the Libyan conflict posed a threat to the United States, Gates said it was "not avital national interest" but he insisted that the situation nevertheless demanded U.S.involvement. With tenuous democratic transitions under way in the neighboringcountries of Tunisia and more important to the U.S. Egypt, allowing the entireregion to be destabilized was a dangerous option.

Citing military gains against Libya over the past week, Gates said Pentagon officials arenow planning the start of a force reduction. He was not specific, but he appeared to

refer to moving some of the dozens of American ships or aircraft or both out of theimmediate area.

"We will begin diminishing the level of our engagement, the level of resources we haveinvolved in this," he said, adding that as long as there is a no-fly zone, "we will continueto have a presence." He gave as examples U.S. surveillance and reconnaissance aircraftthat support the no-fly zone.

Even as naval firepower was reduced, Pentagon officials said they were consideringadding air power. Vice Adm. William Gortney told reporters on Friday that low-flyingAir Force AC-130 gunships, armed drones and helicopters were among weaponry thatmight be deployed to provide more precise air power against Libyan ground forcesbattling in urban areas. High-flying fighter jets run a high risk of causing civiliancasualties if they attack inside cities.

It is unclear how long the U.S. will keep a Navy command ship, the USS MountWhitney, in its role as overall coordinator of the sea and air campaign, once NATO


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assumes full command. NATO could run the full operation out of its Allied Joint ForcesCommand headquarters in Naples, Italy.

The Navy has had three submarines in the Mediterranean the USS Providence, theUSS Scranton and the USS Florida plus two destroyers, the USS Barry and the USS

Stout. All five are equipped with Tomahawks, the cruise missile that can fly longdistances and maneuver to hit fixed targets like surface-to-air missile batteries and otherair defense elements that posed a threat to coalition air patrols. It was not clear Sundaywhich of the five had been ordered out of the area.

Through the first seven days of the campaign to ground Gadhafi's air force, thoseAmerican ships and subs launched 184 Tomahawks more than half of them in theopening moments of the assault on March 19, according to figures provided by thePentagon. None was launched Saturday and two on Sunday, bring the U.S. total to 186.That is in addition to seven cruise missiles fired by British warships.

Gates and Clinton taped interviews Saturday on NBC, ABC and CBS' "Face the Nation"that aired Sunday.------------------------------Libya Action Creates Risks for Obama (NYT)By ALBERT R. HUNTMarch 27, 2011Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, has raised the possibility ofimpeaching President Barack Obama for ordering aggressive airstrikes against Libya,while Mitt Romney, a potential Republican presidential candidate, has said the policy

shows the commander in chief to be tentative, indecisive, timid and nuanced.

Mr. Obama can brush aside these criticisms. Every modern American president wouldhave been impeached under Mr. Kucinichs standards. And, to borrow a timewornphrase, if Mr. Obama walked across the Potomac River, rivals like Mr. Romney wouldsay that only proves he cannot swim.

What the president cannot brush aside is Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, who Mr. Obamahas declared must leave power. If a year from now the dictator still rules Libya,thumbing his nose at the West and plotting revenge, Mr. Obamas political prospectswill suffer and Mr. Romneys critique will resonate.

Libya is of marginal strategic interest to the United States, especially compared withPakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. Yet in the short run, symbolically and politically, Mr.Obama may have more at stake.

The analogy that might give the president comfort would be President George W.Bushs boast, after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that the United States would get Osama


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bin Laden dead or alive. Not only did Mr. Bush fail, but a couple months later, whenMr. bin Laden reportedly was cornered in Tora Bora, Afghanistan, the United Statesfailed to act. In his memoirs, Mr. Bushs domineering defense secretary, Donald H.Rumsfeld, insisted that no one told him the Qaeda leader was within striking distance.

Yet that analogy has flaws. In the 2004 elections, three years after Sept. 11, the UnitedStates still was in a rally-round-the-flag mood, and Democrats did not capitalize on theadministrations failures.

Foreign policy, except in times of unpopular and higher-casualty wars, rarely drivesU.S. elections. In 2004, the Iraq war was not a determining factor in Mr. Bushs re-election. Twelve years earlier, his father lost his bid for a second term, despite a moresuccessful effort in throwing Iraq out of Kuwait. In 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhowersfailure to come to the aid of the unsuccessful uprising in Hungary cost him hardly anyvotes.

Contemporaneously, Mr. Obamas handling of Egypt may be much more important forthe region. Yet in calling on President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to step down in anorderly way, the United States knew it had some institutional support within Egypt;there is no such support in Libya.

The policy appears ad hoc and schizoid. One day the stakes are huge, the next it is nobig deal; Colonel Qaddafi has to go, unless he does not; the United States is providingleadership, except when it is not.

The contention that the president exceeded his authority in the airstrikes on Libyaseems specious to most war power experts.

More problematic has been the failure of the White House to explain to Congress or thecountry why it has taken a more aggressive posture. Even a number of Democratsnodded when the speaker of the House, John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio,complained that U.S. military resources had been committed without defining themission. When lawmakers like Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana and aforeign-policy mentor to Mr. Obama when he was in the Senate, and Senator Jim Webb,Democrat of Virginia, complain about a lack of consultation or clarity of policy, that isfar more credible than the gripes of Mr. Kucinich or Mr. Romney.

After more than a week, with the distraction of a trip to South America, Mr. Obama stillhas not laid out a coherent strategy or plausible endgame to the public. He will have anopportunity to do so in a speech Monday evening.

There was a very legitimate debate on Libya within the administration, with both sidesmaking a compelling case. Skeptics argue, sure, Colonel Qaddafi is a monster, but the


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world is full of such despots: Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Kim Jong-il in North Koreaand Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran.

The United States lacks the military, economic and political wherewithal to take all ofthem out. With two wars, the military is already stretched too thin, a state of affairs

reflected in Defense Secretary Robert M. Gatess reservations about the Libya action.

All true, acknowledge the interventionists, including most of the top women in thisadministration. However, if Colonel Qaddafi were permitted to brutally repress agenuine uprising, he would encourage dictators throughout the region and signal thatthe United States only pays lip service to promoting human rights and democraticvalues. The factors are geopolitical as well as humanitarian.

A parallel they cite is the former Serbian president, Slobodan Milosevic, who committedatrocities in Bosnia for years, until Richard C. Holbrooke, a senior diplomat, and

Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright finally persuaded President Bill Clinton tointervene. The genocide stopped, and Mr. Milosevic eventually fell. That is the aim inLibya.

The criticism from neoconservatives that Mr. Obama is a multilateralist, hesitant toexercise U.S. power, in the mold of Presidents Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush, doesnot stand up to scrutiny. Mr. Obama escalated the war in Afghanistan committingmore troops and more air assaults than the Bush administration even considered stayed the course in Iraq, and when Somali pirates took an American freighter captainhostage, the president ordered U.S. Navy snipers to shoot the captors; three pirates

were killed and the American was freed.

Further, the Reagan and Bush examples, so cherished by conservatives, are especiallyironic when discussing Libya. It was Mr. Bush five years ago who normalized relationswith Colonel Qaddafi after the dictator renounced weapons of mass destruction. Thateasing of tensions has enriched his coffers to pay for the current repression.

Mr. Reagan did bomb Libya in 1986 in retaliation for terrorist acts. Two years later, theerratic Libyan dictator masterminded the downing of Pan Am Flight 103, which wasblown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 189 Americans. There was no retaliation ofany consequence.

If the current move does not topple the aging colonel, he will assuredly taunt Mr.Obama and plot similar acts of terrorism.

The White House usually does not look to the conservative commentator Sarah Palinfor political wisdom. When she declared the other day that the objective in Libya has to


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be to win it, and win it means Qaddafi goes, she could have been channeling Mr.Obama.----------------------------Fresh Airstrikes Aid Rebels (Wall Street Journal)By SAM DAGHER and STEPHEN FIDLER

March 28, 2011Libya's revolutionaries reach the oil town of Brega, while newly released footage showscoalition forces bombarding government forces, aiding the rebels' advance.

The turnaround came the same day the North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreed totake full command from the United Nations of all international military operations inand around the country.

Coming one day ahead of President Barack Obama's speech on Monday to address U.S.involvement in Libya, the NATO decision frees up the U.S. to play a more subordinate

role in the operations. The decision extends NATO's responsibilities to cover theprotection of civilians beyond its existing task of enforcing a no-fly zone and an armsembargo. But it doesn't change the nature of the military mission in Libya.

The hope for the West is that a continuation of military pressure on Col. Gadhafi'sforces, even at somewhat lower levels in coming days, combined with continuedforward movement by the rebels, will be enough to make the Libyan army either buckleor turn on the Libyan leader. That would produce the outcome the West hopes fortheremoval of Col. Gadhafibut one that isn't the explicit goal of the military operation.

In Tripoli, massive explosions rocked the city starting about 9:15 p.m. local time asfighter jets were heard over the city, suggesting that air strikes had resumed on targetsin the capital after a lull since Friday. Libyan state television said both Tripoli and thecity of Sirte, about 285 miles to the east, were being hit by a "Crusader imperialistbombardment."

Meanwhile, rebels coming from the eastern gateway city Ajdabiya, which theyrecaptured on Saturday, took control of the strategic oil towns of Brega and Ras Lanufon Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

A correspondent with Al-Jazeera International, who was accompanying the rebels, saidthey have pushed further west and have retaken Ben Jawad, which they lost to Col.Gadhafi's forces in a bloody battle in early March, and were now camped in Al-Nawfaliyah.

Their next target, Sirte, Col. Gadhafi's birthplace, may prove to be a formidablechallenge for the ragtag rebel forces.


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A person close to the Libyan military command said reinforcements were already sentfrom the southern towns of Sebha, Waddan and Al-Jufra to Sirte.

Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim downplayed the rebels' gains. "I assureyou that we are still strong on the ground and we are still holding locations," he said.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates downplayed Libya's role in U.S. affairs,even as he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought to defend U.S. military actionthere.

"I don't think it's a vital interest of the United States, but we clearly have an interestthere," Mr. Gates said in an appearance on the NBC News program, "Meet the Press" aspart of a round of appearances on Sunday morning talk shows. He said he couldn't besure NATO would have finished its mission by the year-end, saying: "I don't thinkanybody knows that."

Mr. Gates' comments on Sunday could provoke more questioning from Capitol Hillabout U.S. objectives in Libya. "I was startled to hear Secretary Gates say that Libya wasnot in our vital interest," said Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the ranking Republican onthe Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "I personally don't think we should beengaged in a Libyan civil war."

Reducing the U.S. military footprint is a key goal of the Obama administration, whichinsisted its role would be circumscribed and employed in concert with internationalallies. The White House has been wary about embarking on a third war and wanted to

avoid being seen as fighting in a third Muslim country, after Afghanistan and Iraq.Many on Capitol Hill, including some Democrats, have contrasted the seeminglyambitious goalsremoving Col. Gadhafiwith the limited use of U.S. forces.

Mr. Gates said on NBC Sunday that the U.S. wouldn't take out Col. Gadhafi usingmilitary means, but stressed that the U.S. and allied countries are employing othermeasures, including economic sanctions, to pressure the regime. The U.S. hope is thatthese measures, combined with NATO air power, will be enough to turn the tidemilitarily, analysts said. The lack of professionalism in the Libyan military, andespecially its banishment from the corridors of power after an abortive 1993 coupattempt, increase the chances of further defections by senior commanders, which couldspeed the regime's demise.

U.S. officials acknowledge the limits of air power in fighting such a battle. SlobodanMilosevic withstood 78 days of NATO bombardment largely intact. Saddam Husseinendured a no-fly zone and a no-drive zone in large parts of Iraq for more than a decadeafter the 1991 war, and stayed firmly in power.


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British defense secretary Liam Fox told the BBC that targeting Col. Gadhafi wasn't partof the mission. "Losing Gadhafi is an aspiration. It's not part of the U.N. resolution," hesaid.

In Mr. Obama's address Monday night, he is expected to discuss why the situation

required U.S. intervention, as well as what level of involvement American forces willmaintain in the future. Mr. Obama will also try to convince the public that there is anend game in Libya, an administration official said Sunday.

Speaking after the NATO decision to take command on Sunday, Anders FoghRasmussen, NATO Secretary-General, said the alliance's actions would be guided bythe United Nations Security Council resolution passed on March 17 to defend civilians,"nothing more, nothing less."

A senior U.S. official said civilians would be protected whether they were being

threatened by government forces or by the opposition, potentially putting NATO in theposition in the future of attacking rebel forces if they were threatening civilians.

Libyan officials in Tripoli said little about Sunday's developments, focusing instead on aregime-organized event they have dubbed "the national reunion march" to the rebel-stronghold of Benghazi in the east. Participants were congregating in Sirte. Hundreds ofmen, women and children and some tribal elders, almost all of them regime loyalists,were sent to Sirte by coach buses and boat from Tripoli and other western cities.

Libyan officials have portrayed the march as a neutral effort by tribal elders in the west

to start peace talks with their counterparts in the east and have expressed fears thatthese "civilians" might be attacked by rebels and coalition forces.

The fate of Sirte, analysts say, will help clarify what happens next in Libya. If rebels canpush through the town, they will have a relatively clear road to Tripoli. A defeat inSirte, on the other hand, could lead to stalemate.

Journal Community..In the besieged city of Misrata, about 125 miles east of Tripoli, rebels said allied forcesbombarded early on Sunday several locations for Col. Gadhafi's troops around the citybut couldn't provide details.

A rebel, who only gave his first name, Ahmed, said Col. Gadhafi's forces continuedtheir push to make inroads into the city center, triggering sporadic clashes with rebelsespecially on the western side. "We are hoping for the best," he said.

Foreign journalists have been prevented from going to Misrata, Libya's third-largest cityand a key commercial hub. The government says it controls much of the city and that it


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is fighting a band of extremists who have wedged themselves among civilians.Coalition forces have repeatedly hit the air-force academy and airport south of the citywhere a large contingent of government troops was based.

In Tripoli, the mood was mixed on Sunday with many residents bracing for the worst.

Although the government has assured residents that the country's largest refinery atZawiya was operating normally, there were long lines at most gasoline stations.Residents reported waiting for at least two hours to fill up.

Mr. Ibrahim, the government spokesman, said fuel truck deliveries from the refineryhave been curtailed because of the coalition strikes.

One resident said food prices have also doubled as people rushed to stock up onessentials like oil, rice and pasta. He said one kilogram (2.2 lbs) of rice cost now 2 dinarscompared to 0.75 dinars before the start of the current crisis. The Libyan dinar hovered

at about 2.15 to the dollar compared with 1.25 a few weeks ago.--------------------------------Aided by air strikes, Libya's rebels push west (Reuters)By Angus MacSwanMar 27, 2011 9:45pm EDTBIN JAWAD, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's ramshackle rebel army has pushed west toretake a series of towns from the forces of Muammar Gaddafi who are being poundedby Western air strikes.

Emboldened by the help of the air strikes, the rebels have rapidly reversed military

losses in their five-week insurgency and regained control of all the main oil terminals ineastern Libya, as far as the town of Bin Jawad.

Rebels said Sunday they now had their sights on the coastal town of Sirte, Gaddafi'shometown and an important military base about 150 km (90 miles) further along thecoast.

A Reuters reporter in Sirte heard four blasts Sunday night. It was unclear if they were inthe town or its outskirts.

The reporter also saw a convoy of 20 military vehicles including truck-mounted anti-aircraft guns leaving Sirte and moving westwards toward Tripoli, along with dozens ofcivilian cars carrying families and stuffed with personal belongings.

"We want to go to Sirte today. I don't know if it will happen," said 25-year-old rebelfighter Marjai Agouri as he waited with 100 others outside Bin Jawad with threemultiple rocket launchers, six anti-aircraft guns and around a dozen pickup trucksmounted with machineguns.


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The advance along Libya's Mediterranean coast by a poorly armed and uncoordinatedforce of volunteer rebels suggested that Western strikes under a U.N. no-fly zone wereshifting the battlefield dynamics dramatically, in the east at least.

The rebels are now back in control of the main oil terminals in the east -- Es Sider, RasLanuf, Brega, Zueitina and Tobruk -- while Gaddafi appears to be retrenching in thewest.

MISRATA FIGHTING

Nearer the capital, Gaddafi's forces fought rebels in the center of Misrata, Libya's thirdcity, to try to consolidate his grip on western Libya. Misrata is the only western city stillin rebel hands and has been sealed off for weeks.

A resident called Saadoun told Reuters by phone that at least eight people were killedand 24 wounded when Gaddafi's forces fired mortar shells while attacking Misratafrom the west in a day of fighting.

Pro-Gaddafi snipers were also pinning down rebel forces but late Sunday night thefighting died down.

A rebel called Mohammed told Reuters by phone that pro-Gaddafi forces controlled"only one small area, a couple of streets" in the western part of the city.

Residents told Reuters they were having to use wells to get water and that medicineswere in short supply.

At least six blasts resonated in Tripoli Sunday night, followed by long bursts of anti-aircraft fire by Libyan forces. Libyan television said there had been air strikes on the"civilian and military areas" in the capital.

Libyan state TV broadcast what it said was live footage of Gaddafi in a car in his Tripolicompound where hundreds of supporters waved green flags and chanted slogans.Gaddafi could not be seen in the white car but the TV said he was in it.

Sunday, NATO agreed to take full command of military operations in Libya after aweek of heated negotiations, officials said, as Washington seeks to scale back its role inanother Muslim country after operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Western air strikes had "eliminated" Gaddafi'sability to move his heavy weapons.


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Gates also raised the possibility that Gaddafi's government could splinter and said aninternational conference in London on Tuesday would discuss political strategies tohelp bring an end to Gaddafi's 41-year rule.

Libya accused NATO of "terrorizing" and killing its people as part of a global plot to

humiliate and weaken the North African country.

The government says Western-led air attacks have killed more than 100 civilians, acharge denied by the coalition which says it is protecting civilians from Gadaffi's forcesand targeting only military sites to enforce the no-fly zone.

"The terror people live in, the fear, the tension is everywhere. And these are civilianswho are being terrorized every day," said Mussa Ibrahim, a Libyan governmentspokesman.

"We believe the unnecessary continuation of the air strikes is a plan to put the Libyangovernment in a weak negotiating position. NATO is prepared to kill people, destroyarmy training camps and army checkpoints and other locations."

Ibrahim acknowledged that rebel forces in the east were advancing westwards butdeclined to give any details on the retreat of government troops.

He said three Libyan civilian sailors were killed in a coalition air strike on a fishingharbor in the city of Sirte Saturday.----------------------

Rebel forces regain territory in Libya (CBS)By Mandy ClarkMarch 27, 2011In Libya, rebel forces are regaining lost territory in the oil-producing region. NATO istaking full command of the military operation. Powerful explosions are being reportedin Tripoli.

The rebels are advancing westward from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

CBS News correspondent Many Clark reports battle scarred but back in rebel hands,Ras Lanuf was a key foothold for Qaddafi forces as they pushed east.

"It says, 'Long live Qaddafi,'" says a rebel. "Then here it says, 'Free Libya.'"

Locals say Ras Lanuf is free once more.


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We were here as the rebel hold of the city collpased to Qaddafi forces two weeks agounder heavy bombardment. It was the shelling of civilians that triggered coaliltionforces to take out Qaddafi's heavy weaponry that surrounded several eastern cities.

Rebels say that government forces are on the run but they're not chasing them this time.

Instead, they're conducting clearing operations to secure the ground they fought hard towin back.

Ajdabiyah was the first city back in rebel hands as Qaddafi's forces retreated. Nowpeople are taking stock of what they suffered through. Pictures of the dead and namesof the missing are posted at the hospital.

A doctor decided to stay when government forces took control. His hand was injuredwhen the hospital came under attack.

"The last case I see brain tissue out," he said. "They cut the neck. Disastrous."

Families are starting to return, though some people did stay to protect their homes.

I was scared said one man. Look at these bombs.

Rebels are content but also cautious. They say they will get to Tripoli step by step, cityby city.

Pro Qaddafi forces are believed to have pulled back all the way to Sirte. There have

been coalition air raids all around the city.----------------------UPDATE 2-U.S. to cut Libya role soon, focus on Gaddafi exit (Reuters)

By Arshad Mohammed27 March 2011The United States will cut its military role in Libya in the next week or so and start tofocus with other nations on how to ease Libya's Muammar Gaddafi from power, topU.S. officials said on Sunday.

In television interviews, the U.S. secretaries of state and defense raised the possibility

that Gaddafi's government could splinter and said a London conference on Tuesday

would discuss political strategies to end his 41-year rule of the oil-exporting North

African nation.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on NBC's "Meet the Press" the United Nations

would be sending a special envoy to Tripoli in the next few days with "a very clear

message" to Gaddafi.


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The United States and others began bombing Libya on March 19 to impose a no-fly zone

and to keep Gaddafi's forces from attacking rebels and civilians in the east of the

country, the latest Arab nation to see uprisings against authoritarian regimes.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Libya was not vital to U.S. interests but the broader

Middle East was, arguing that instability in Libya could undermine democratic

transitions under way in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia.

"I don't think it's a vital interest for the United States. But we clearly have interests

there," he told NBC in an interview taped on Saturday and broadcast Sunday.

"It's part of the region, which is a vital interest for the United States," he added.

Libyan rebels have pushed west to recapture more territory abandoned by Gaddafi's

retreating forces, which have been weakened by Western air strikes and, according to

Gates, are largely unable to move tanks and other armored vehicles.

"His ability to move armor, to move toward Benghazi or a place like that, has pretty

well been eliminated," Gates told ABC's "This Week" program in one of three joint

interviews with Clinton taped on Saturday.

Gates said the United States will move to a supporting role of intelligence, surveillance

and reconnaissance, and maybe some mid-air refueling, once NATO assumes

responsibility for the whole Libya operation. He stressed that President Barack Obama

had ruled out putting U.S. ground troops into Libya.

CRACKS IN GADDAFI SUPPORT

Both Clinton and Gates spoke of a political push to try to find a way to ease Gaddafi

from power, saying that this effort was gathering steam and it was possible more of

Gaddafi's associates, including in the military, would turn against him.

"We have a lot of evidence that people around him are reaching out" to the international

community, Clinton told NBC.

She said the U.S. message to those around Gaddafi was: "Now is your time to get out ofthis and to help change the direction" or else become pariahs and face possible

prosecution by the International Criminal Court.

"We have things in our tool box in addition to hammers ... one should not

underestimate the possibility of the regime itself cracking," Gates told NBC.


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"This, eventually, is going to have to be settled by the Libyans themselves -- perhaps the

U.N. can mediate or whatever -- but in terms of the miliary commitment, the president

has put some very strict limitations," he added.

Clinton told NBC that the London conference, which she will attend, would "begin to

focus how we are going to help facilitate such a transition of him leaving power."

Obama has said the purpose of the military action was to protect civilians not to oust

Gaddafi. However, he and other officials have made no secret of the desire to see

Gaddafi go.

The U.N. envoy, former Jordanian foreign minister Abdelilah Al-Khatib, was likely to

travel to Libya after attending the London conference, which the British Foreign office

says will aim to "begin to support a new political future for Libya."

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, a Democrat like Obama, saidon CNN's "State of the Union" program the goal is to prevent the slaughter of civilians

in Libya and the mission was succeeding.

"It has set Gaddafi back. He is on his heels now," he said. Asked if the goal should be to

remove Gaddafi, he said: "There are other means of removing Gaddafi than military

means.

"We saw that in Egypt where the people of Egypt removed their dictator. The people of

Libya can remove their dictator, but we are not going to be the ones who remove him,"

he said.

Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican U.S. presidential nominee, criticized Obama,

saying he had not clearly explained the goal of the U.S. military operation in Libya and

should do so in a televised address scheduled for Monday.

"This policy has been characterized by confusion, indecision and delay," McCain told"Fox News Sunday." "It's no wonder that Americans are confused as to exactly what ourpolicy is because on one hand they say it's humanitarian on the other hand they sayGaddafi must go." (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Anthony Boadle and

Sean Maguire)--------------------US still main force in anti-Libya strikes: Pentagon (AFP)By Unattributed AuthorMarch 27, 2011


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The United States has undertaken the lion's share of coalition military sorties againstLibya late Saturday and Sunday, despite NATO formally taking command ofoperations, Pentagon figures showed.

Of 167 sorties flown between 1930 GMT Saturday and 1500 GMT Sunday, more than

half -- some 97 -- used US aircraft, the US Defense Department said.

That figure is only slightly less than the 62 percent of sorties flown by the US planessince Operation Odyssey Dawn got underway on March 19.

The latest Pentagon figures showed some 1,424 missions conducted during theoperation so far as it imposes a United Nations Security Council-mandated no-fly zoneover Libya.

The international coalition enforcing the no-fly zone, headed by the United States,

Britain and France, has struck Kadhafi's defense and air capabilities and sought toprotect Libyan civilians.

As rebels pushed towards Tripoli after nine days of Western bombings on Kadhafiforces, NATO ambassadors overcame objections from Turkey and France after days oftense talks and agreed to take control of the campaign.

"Our goal is to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack fromthe Kadhafi regime," declared NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen."NATO will implement all aspects of the UN resolution. Nothing more, nothing less,"

he said.--------------------NATO takes command of Libya campaign (AFP)By Laurent ThometMarch 27, 2011NATO took full command of military operations in Libya from a US-led coalition,empowering alliance forces to stage ground strikes to protect civilians threatened byMoamer Kadhafi's army.As rebels pushed towards Tripoli after nine days of Western bombings on Kadhafiforces, NATO ambassadors overcame objections from Turkey and France after days oftense talks and agreed to take control of the campaign.

"Our goal is to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack fromthe Kadhafi regime," said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

"NATO will implement all aspects of the UN Resolution. Nothing more, nothing less."


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Rasmussen said the operational commander for Operation Unified Protector,Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard of Canada, was being instructed to "beginexecuting this operation with immediate effect."

Bouchard himself told reporters: "Along with its non-NATO partners, NATO will do

everything it can to deny any use of air power and it will do so with care and precisionto avoid harming the people of Libya."

Alliance officials cautioned however that the transfer would take 48 to 72 hours.The United States has been eager to hand off control of the operation. While Britain andItaly wanted NATO to take over, France shied away from alliance control while Turkeyvoiced concerns about the intervention.

Addressing Ankara's objections, envoys from NATO's 28 member states endorsed athree-month military plan including rules of engagement strictly limiting the use of

ground strikes to protect civilians and populated areas, diplomats said.

The plan does not call for NATO to intervene in support of the armed rebellion fightingKadhafi, the diplomats said.

"NATO will always remain impartial. NATO does not take sides," said a NATOdiplomat who asked not to be identified.The transatlantic organisation is already running naval operations to prevent weaponsand mercenaries from entering Libya, and had also agreed to enforce a no-fly zone tokeep Kadhafi's jets on the ground.

Under Sunday's agreement, NATO's role is broadened to strike ground targets such astanks or artillery -- but only if the lives of ordinary Libyans are at stake.

In a landmark resolution a little over a week ago, the UN approved "all necessarymeasures" to safeguard civilians from attack, opening the way to the launch of strikesby a coalition led by Britain, France and the United States.

Turkey, NATO's sole predominantly Muslim member, criticised the scope of theWestern-led air strikes, vowing to "never point a gun at the Libyan people".

With decisions taken by unanimous vote at NATO, "the rules of engagement will takeinto account the sensitivities of all NATO members, including Turkey," an alliancediplomat said.A senior US official said some countries had decided they would not participate in"every part" of the mission.


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From the outset, the international coalition levered for support from Arab and Africanstates, and late last week regional power Turkey finally backed the no-fly zone andpledged warships to enforce an arms embargo off Libya's coast.

Luring Arab nations into action has been slow, however: Qatar and the United Arab

Emirates were alone in pledging fighter jets. Qatari warplanes have flown missionswhile six UAE F-16s arrived at a base in Italy on Sunday.

Britain welcomed the handover to NATO, saying it "ensures that partners from theregion are able to participate and represents a significant step forward as we plan forthe next phase of this vital mission."

But as critics query the end-game and exit strategy, another key question to resolve iswho will have political control of ongoing military operations.

France warned that flying the mission under the NATO flag would alienate Arab allies,with President Nicolas Sarkozy firing a new broadside Friday.

"It would be playing into the hands of Colonel Kadhafi to say NATO is taking over," hesaid.He insisted that NATO would merely run day-to-day operations while politicalcoordination would rest in the hands of a coalition committee.

That row is set to haunt talks in London on Tuesday between a "contact group" onLibya gathering foreign ministers from more than 35 countries including US Secretary

of State Hillary Clinton.--------------------Well not kill Muammar Gaddafi, says Obama (Mizoram Express World)

By Unattributed AuthorMar 28, 2011

US President Barack Obama has informed the US congressional leaders that the his

country will not assassinate Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

There was a discussion of how we have other ways of regime change. Its not our role

to do anything at this point from a kinetic point of view. It is our goal for regimechange, but were not going to do it from a kinetic point of view, Politico quoted

Maryland Representative Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House

Intelligence Committee, as saying.

Another source briefed on the one-hour meeting confirmed that claim, saying: Its not

just military efforts that can force his removal.


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The president, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike

Mullen and Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, were among the

administration officials briefing lawmakers involved in the Friday meeting and

conference call.

Although many lawmakers have complained against Obamas decision to strike Libyan

defenses in support of a no-fly zone without prior congressional approval,

Ruppersberger praised Obamas handling of the situation.

He took decisive action. He took action that was focused, and he did it pursuant to a

world coalition, Ruppersberger added.

Earlier, Arizona senator John Mccain while supporting the Presidents decision to

intervene militarily in Libya, remained concerned that the current efforts might not be

enough to avoid a stalemate and accomplish the US objective of forcing Gaddafi toleave power.

--------------------War on Libya and Control of The Mediterranean (Global Research)

By Rick RozoffMarch 28, 2011A year after assuming the post of president of the French Republic in 2007, and whilehis nation held the rotating European Union presidency, Nicolas Sarkozy invited theheads of state of the EU's 27 members and those of 17 non-EU Mediterranean countriesto attend a conference in Paris to launch a Mediterranean Union.

In the words of Britain's Daily Telegraph regarding the subsequent summit held for the

purpose on July 13, 2008, "Sarkozy's big idea is to use imperial Rome's centre of the

world as a unifying factor linking 44 countries that are home to 800 million people."

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, however, announced that his nation would boycott

the gathering, denouncing the initiative as one aimed at dividing both Africa and the

Arab world, and stating:

"We shall have another Roman empire and imperialist design. There are imperialist

maps and designs that we have already rolled up. We should not have them again." [1]

The unprecedented summit was held with the intention of "shift[ing] Europe's strategic

focus towards the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans." [2]

Less than three years later Sarkozy's Mirage and Rafale warplanes were bombing

Libyan government targets, initiating an ongoing war being waged by France, the


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United States, Britain and what the world news media refer to as an international

coalition - 12 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the emirate of

Qatar - to overthrow the Gaddafi government and implant a more pliant replacement.

The Mediterranean Sea is the main battle front in the world currently, superseding the

Afghanistan-Pakistan war theater, and the empire of the new third millennium - that of

the U.S., the world's sole military superpower in the words of President Barack Obama

in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, and its NATO partners - is completing the

transformation of the Mediterranean into its mare nostrum.

The attack on Libya followed by slightly more than three weeks a move in the

parliament of the Eastern Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus to drag that state into

NATO's Partnership for Peace program [3], which if ultimately successful would leave

only three of twenty nations (excluding microstate Monaco) on or in the Mediterranean

Sea not full members of NATO or beholden to it through partnership entanglements,including those of the Mediterranean Dialogue (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan,

Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia): Libya, Lebanon and Syria.

NATO membership and partnerships obligate the affected governments to open their

countries to the U.S. military. For example, less than a year after becoming independent

Montenegro had already joined the Partnership for Peace and was visited by then-

commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe Admiral Harry Ulrich and the submarine

tender Emory S. Land in an effort "to provide training and assistance for the

Montenegrin Navy and to strengthen the relationship between the two navies." [4]. Thenext month four NATO warships, including the USS Roosevelt guided missile

destroyer, docked in Montenegro's Tivat harbor.

If the current Libyan model is duplicated in Syria as increasingly seems to be the case,

and with Lebanon already blockaded by warships from NATO nations since 2006 in

what is the prototype for what NATO will soon replicate off the coast of Libya, the

Mediterranean Sea will be entirely under the control of NATO and its leading member,

the U.S.

Cyprus in the only European Union member and indeed the only European nation(except for microstates) that is - for the time being - not a NATO member or partner,

and Libya is the only African nation bordering the Mediterranean not a member of

NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue partnership program.

Libya is also one of only five of Africa's 54 countries that have not been integrated into,

which is to say subordinated to, the new U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).


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The others are:

Sudan, which is being balkanized as Libya may also soon be.

Ivory Coast, now embroiled in what is for all intents a civil war with the West backing

the armed groups of Alassane Ouattara against standing president Laurent Gbagbo andunder the threat of foreign military intervention, likely by the AFRICOM- and NATO-

supported West African Standby Force and possibly with direct Western involvement.

[5]

Eritrea, which borders Djibouti where some 5,000 U.S. and French troops are based and

which was involved in an armed border conflict with its neighbor three years ago in

which French military forces intervened on behalf of Djibouti.

Zimbabwe, which is among likely candidates for the next U.S.-NATO Operation

Odyssey Dawn-type military intervention.

The Mediterranean has been history's most strategically important sea and is the only

one whose waves lap the shores of three continents.

Control of the sea has been fought over by the Persian, Alexandrian, Carthaginian,

Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Spanish, British and Napoleonic empires, in part or in

whole, and by Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany.

Since the end of World War Two the major military power in the sea has been the U.S.

In 1946 Washington established Naval Forces Mediterranean, which in 1950 became theU.S. Sixth Fleet and has its headquarters in the Mediterranean port city of Naples.

In fact the genesis of the U.S. Navy was the Naval Act of 1794, passed in response to the

capture of American merchant vessels off the coast of North Africa. The Mediterranean

Squadron (also Station) was created in reaction to the first Barbary War of 1801-1805,

also known as the Tripolitan War after what is now northwestern Libya. The U.S.

fought its first naval battle outside the Western Hemisphere against Tripolitania in 1801.

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, also based in Naples, is assigned to the Sixth Fleet and

provides forces for both U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command. Its

commander is Admiral Samuel Locklear III, who is also commander of NATO's Allied

Joint Force Command Naples.

He has been coordinating U.S. and NATO air and missile strikes against Libya from

USS Mount Whitney, the flagship of the Sixth Fleet, as commander of Joint Task Force


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Odyssey Dawn, the U.S. Africa Command operation in charge of U.S. guided missile

destroyers, submarines and stealth bombers conducting attacks inside Libya.

Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations (the highest-ranking officer in the

U.S. Navy), recently stated that the permanent U.S. military presence in the

Mediterranean allowed the Pentagon, which "already was positioned for operations

over Libya," to launch Odyssey Dawn on March 19. "The need, for example in the

opening rounds, for the Tomahawk strikes, the shooters were already in place. They

were already loaded, and that went off as we expected it would."

"That's what you get when you have a global Navy that's forward all the time....We're

there, and when the guns go off, we're ready to conduct combat operations...." [6]

On March 22 General Carter Ham, the new chief of U.S. Africa Command, visited the

U.S. air base in Ramstein, Germany and met with British, French and Italian air forceleaders to evaluate the bombing campaign in Libya. He praised cooperation with

NATO partners before the war began, stating, "You can't bring 14 different nations

together without ever having prepared for this before." [7]

As the AFRICOM commander was in Germany, Defense Secretary Robert Gates was in

Egypt to meet with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, commander in chief of

the Egyptian armed forces and chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces,

to coordinate the campaign against Libya.

The Pentagon's website reported on March 23 that forces attached to AFRICOM's TaskForce Odyssey Dawn had flown 336 air sorties, 108 of them launching strikes and 212

conducted by the U.S. The operations included 162 Tomahawk cruise missile attacks.

Admiral Roughead stated that he envisioned "no problem in keeping operations going,"

as the Tomahawks will be replaced from the existing inventory of 3,200. Enough to level

Libya and still have plenty left over for the next war. [8]

The defeat and conquest, directly or by proxy, of Libya would secure a key outpost for

the Pentagon and NATO on the Mediterranean Sea.

The consolidation of U.S. control over North Africa would have more than just regional

repercussions, important as they are.

Shortly after the inauguration of U.S. Africa Command, Lin Zhiyuan, deputy director of

the Chinese People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences, wrote the

following:


26/35

"By building a dozen forward bases or establishments in Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and

other African nations, the U.S. will gradually establish a network of military bases to

cover the entire continent and make essential preparations for docking an aircraft

carrier fleet in the region."

"The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with the U.S. at the head had [in

2006] carried out a large-scale military exercise in Cape Verde, a western African island

nation, with the sole purpose of controlling the sea and air corridors of crude oil

extracting zones and monitoring how the situation is with oil pipelines operating there."

"[A]frica Command represents a vital, crucial link for the US adjustment of its global

military deployment. At present, it is moving the gravity of its forces in Europe

eastward and opening new bases in Eastern Europe."

"The present US global military redeployment centers mainly on an 'arc of instability'from the Caucasus, Central and Southern Asia down to the Korean Peninsula, and so

the African continent is taken as a strong point to prop up the US global strategy.

"Therefore, AFRICOM facilitates the United States advancing on the African continent,

taking control of the Eurasian continent and proceeding to take the helm of the entire

globe." [9]

Far more is at stake in the war with Libya than control of Africa's largest proven oil

reserves and subjugating the last North African nation not yet under the thumb of the

U.S. and NATO. Even more than domination of the Mediterranean Sea region.--------------------Libya air raids target Gadhafi hometown of Sirte (ABC)By Unattributed AuthorMarch 27, 2011A year after assuming the post of president of the French Republic in 2007, and whilehis nation held the rotating European Union presidency, Nicolas Sarkozy invited theheads of state of the EU's 27 members and those of 17 non-EU Mediterranean countriesto attend a conference in Paris to launch a Mediterranean Union.

Libyan state television reports that international airstrikes are targeting MoammarGadhafi's hometown and stronghold of Sirte for the first time.

Foreign journalists in the city reported loud explosions and warplanes flying overheard.

Sirte is strategically located about halfway between the rebel-held east and the Gadhafi-controlled west along a key coastal highway. Rebels were advancing rapidly west onthe highway Sunday toward Sirte after international airstrikes eased their way.


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An Associated Press reporter in the capital said international forces were also heavilybombarding the city that is Gadhafi's main support base. There were at least nine loudexplosions in Tripoli after nightfall and anti-aircraft fire was heard.-------------------Obama urges Ivory Coast president to cede power (USA Today)

By David JacksonMarch 27, 2011While keeping up with developments in Libya, Syria and other parts of the Middle East,President Obama also found time this weekend to urge the defeated president of IvoryCoast to cede power and avoid a civil war.

"Last year's election was free and fair, and President Alassane Ouattara is thedemocratically elected leader of the nation," Obama said in a video message.

Reports AFP:

Many observers argue that (current president) Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to cede powerto internationally recognized president Alassane Ouattara has pushed the country tothe brink of civil war.

Fighting with heavy weapons raged in two northern suburbs of Abidjan Friday near amilitary barracks where pro-Gbagbo forces said they had repulsed an attack by rebelsbacking Ouattara.

As many as 1 million people have fled their homes as civilian areas are bombarded

daily with rockets, mortars and shells.

Clashes between forces backing the two rivals killed 52 people in the past week, the UNestimates, with the total death toll reaching at least 462.

Residents gather on Saturday around an armored vehicle from the forces loyal to IvoryCoast strongman Laurent Gbagbo that was burnt during the night in the Abobo districtof Abidjan.

Bob Leavitt, director for African Affairs with Obama's national security staff, writes onthe White House website:

In the video-taped remarks, President Obama sent an important and very clear messagetoday to President Alassane Ouattara, Laurent Gbagbo, and the people of Cote d'Ivoire:the United States recognizes President Ouattara as the rightful leader of Cote d'Ivoireand calls on Laurent Gbagbo to step aside in the best interests of the country and itspeople.


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Cote d'Ivoire should -- and can -- be one of Africa's success stories, with a thrivingeconomy, a rich history, and a vibrant democracy.

President Obama has been focused on the situation in Cote d'Ivoire for some time.

During his town hall with young African leaders at the White House last August, hespoke with a young Ivoirian participant and said that "Africa's future also belongs tosocieties that protect the rights of all its people, especially its women."

He declared that "the United States of America will stand with you as you seek justiceand progress and human rights and dignity of all people." That statement is even moreimportant today as the violence against unarmed civilians has increased, raising fearsthat the country could descend into civil war.

President Obama has strongly condemned the continuing acts of violence against

unarmed civilians, particularly women, and calls on all leaders to reject violence.

The United States is not alone in standing by the people of Cote d'Ivoire. Theinternational community is united in recognizing President Ouattara as the duly electedleader of Cote d'Ivoire.

The African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), andthe U.N. Security Council have all repeatedly called for Laurent Gbagbo to step asideimmediately.

As President Obama makes clear in his remarks, the United States will continue to seeka peaceful transition of power in Cote d'Ivoire and will be a partner of those who chosedemocracy.--------------------Ouattara Rejects New Ivory Coast Mediator (VOA News)By Unattributed AuthorMarch 27, 2011Efforts to resolve the political crisis in Ivory Coast suffered a new setback Sunday whenone of the two rival presidents rejected a proposed mediator.

Alassane Ouattara, who most countries recognize as president of Ivory Coast, said in astatement he was not consulted before the African Union put forward the name of JoseBrito, Cape Verde's former foreign minister.

Ouattara said Brito was unsuitable as mediator because he is not a former head of stateand has personal and political connections with his rival, incumbent president LaurentGbagbo.


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There was no immediate comment from Gbagbo or his aides.

The African Union has been leading efforts to resolve the crisis, sparked when Gbagborefused to cede power after Ouattara was named the winner of the Novemberpresidential election.

The main city of Abidjan has been the scene of intense fighting between the twopresidents' supporters.

The United Nations says post-election violence has killed at least 462 people andprompted more than one million people to flee their homes, many to Liberia.

On Friday, the French ambassador to the United Nations warned that Ivory Coast is"very close to civil war."

France and Nigeria have proposed a U.N. resolution that would seek sanctions againstGbagbo.--------------------Ivory Coast Experiences Civilian Casualties (NPR)By Liane Hansen and Ofeibea Quist-ArctonMarch 27, 2011As the deadly political power struggle continues in Ivory Coast, the volatileneighborhood of Abobo has become a violent flashpoint. Forces loyal to the two menwho claim to be president have repeatedly clashed and civilians have gotten caughtin the crossfire.

Transcript of Audio Story:

LIANE HANSEN, HANSEN:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Liane Hansen.

The political power struggle continues in Ivory Coast. On Friday, President Obamaurged Laurent Gbagbo to step down. Gbagbo has refused to give up the presidencyafter being voted out of office.

President BARACK OBAMA: It's time for democracy in Cote d'Ivoire, and those whochoose that path will have a friend and partner in the United States of America.

HANSEN: Forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo and his opponent, Alassane Ouattara, haverepeatedly clashed, with civilians caught in the crossfire. One neighborhood in the maincity, Abidjan, has become a particularly deadly flashpoint.


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NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton joined a U.N. team investigating one particularly bloodyday.

OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON: The emergency helpline at the U.N. peacekeepingmission's headquarters in Ivory Coast operates 24/7. It takes desperate calls, such as

this one from civilians caught up in the fighting. Other callers offer information thatmay be helpful to U.N. human rights investigators like Guillaume Ngefa.

Mr. GUILLAUME NGEFA (Deputy Human Rights Director, United NationsOperation): Right now that the situation is deteriorating, we are now receiving callsfrom everywhere, everywhere and from both sides. If this trend continue, I'm afraidthat this may lead to a civil war.

QUIST-ARCTON: Ngefa was instrumental in setting up the call center. He's the numbertwo in the U.N. Human Rights division in Ivory Coast.

(Soundbite of a vehicles)

QUIST-ARCTON: Ngefa and his team travelled to Abobo in a heavily-armed convoy,led by U.N. peacekeepers. Abobo is the epicenter of the fighting in Ivory Coast's maincity, Abidjan. It also is a stronghold of Alassane Ouattara, who the U.N. says wonNovember's presidential election.

Ivory Coast's current conflict erupted when the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, refused tostep down. Now, this month's deadly shooting happened when armed men fired into a

crowd of women demonstrating in support of Ouattara, says Ngefa.

Mr. NGEFA: We are going to visit the area where seven women were summarilyexecuted by Defense Security Forces, pro-Gbagbo, on the 3rd of March.

QUIST-ARCTON: After a ride through makeshift checkpoints made up of burned outcar chassis, and manned by armed Ouattara supporters, the U.N. convoy stops in theheart of Abobo and a crowd gathers.

Mr. NGEFA: Yeah, in front of us, these are the clothes and the shoes of women whowere demonstrating.

QUIST-ARCTON: So we're just seeing dozens and dozens of flip flops.

Mr. NGEFA: Yes.

QUIST-ARCTON: Women clearly abandoned their footwear, because they were tryingto flee, I imagine.


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Mr. NGEFA: Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, they fled. When they opened fire, itwas just everybody was running all over the places. Those are evidence, clearlyevidence. It's sad to document those kind of evidences, but I think justice has to bedone.

Mr. MAMADOU BAMBA: (Foreign language spoken)

QUIST-ARCTON: Mamadou Bamba tells us his 18 year-old student daughter, Nachami,was killed here. He says she was hit by a mortar, full in the chest. Bamba points to alarge, dark patch of dried blood on the road, where he says Nachami fell whenGbagbo's forces opened fire on the women.

Deeper into the dense neighborhood of corrugated tin roofed houses, we meet 34-yearold Salimata Sawadogo. She was among the demonstrators.

Ms. SALIMATA SAWADOGO: (Foreign language spoken)

QUIST-ARCTON: Sawadogo shows us her bandaged head, shoulder and back as - stillclearly in shock - she recalls what happened.

We've never witnessed this before, women being fired upon, she says. We went outbarehanded, unarmed, to march peacefully. She says she's lucky still to be alive. We'retired, she says. We're tired of all of this.

The U.N. and international rights' watchdogs warn that forces loyal to both Gbagbo andOuattara have committed human rights violations, but say Gbagbo's troops are largelyto blame for the violence and killings in Abidjan.

Again, U.N. investigator Guillaume Ngefa.

(Soundbite of a crowd)

Mr. NGEFA: These are serious human rights violations. The human rights division ofONUCI is documenting all those facts.

QUIST-ARCTON: Gbagbo's camp claims the U.N. charges are fabrications by anorganization he says is partisan and has endorsed Ouattara as president.

Charles Ble Goude is Gbagbo's youth minister and chief rabble rouser.


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Mr. CHARLES BLE GOUDE (Leader, Young Patriots): What I want the outside world toknow is that Ouattara has given weapons to his supporters and they are killing everyday. Ouattara is imposing war to us.

QUIST-ARCTON: As the U.N. investigators prepare to leave Abobo, they're stopped by

a noisy crowd of women. We have a message for Laurent Gbagbo, says Salimata Kone.

Ms. SALIMATA KONE: (Foreign language spoken)

QUIST-ARCTON: Don't bother to take Gbagbo to prison for his crimes, she says. Bringhim straight here to Abobo and we will deal with him with a machete, as he has dealtwith us.

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Abidjan.-------------------------

Egypt Will Recognize Independent Southern Sudan, Minister Says (Bloomberg)By Maram MazenMar 27, 2011 1:53 PM ETEgypt will recognize Southern Sudan as a separate country when it is declaredindependent in July, Foreign Minister Nabil El-Arabi said today in Sudan.

Egypt intends to be the second to recognize the south after the Sudanese government,El-Arabi told reporters in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. He was in Sudan with anEgyptian delegation that included Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, who was sworn inMarch 7. They will travel to Southern Sudan tomorrow.

Almost 99 percent of Southern Sudanese voters chose to secede from Sudan and forman independent country in a January referendum.

The independence referendum was the centerpiece of a 2005 peace agreement ending acivil war that raged for all but 11 years since Sudans independence from the U.K. in1956. The conflict pitted Sudans mostly Muslim north against the south, whereChristianity and traditional religions dominate.

Sudanese President Umar al-Bashirs National Congress Party said this month that itwill recognize the new nation in Southern Sudan, despite rising tensions as theSouthern Sudanese ruling party suspended talks temporarily, accusing the north ofarming militias in the south to destabilize the region and topple its government beforeJuly. The Sudanese government denies the accusations.

Trade between Sudan and Egypt in 2010 was worth $628 million, up from about $600million 2009, Sharaf said at a meeting with Sudanese officials today.


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Egyptians are currently investing over $5 billion in Sudan, Sudanese Vice President AliOsman Taha said at the meeting today.-------------------------Nigeria: Violence - Jonathan Considers Massive Security Operations (This Day)By Ike Abonyi, Ahamefula Ogbu, and John Shiklam

March 28, 2011The escalating pre-election violence in the country may be met with a stiff crackdown asthe Federal Government prepares to deploy massive security measures ahead of thepolls.

THISDAY learnt Sunday that President Goodluck Jonathan may seek the nod of theCouncil of State to roll out tough security measures to tackle the violence which isspreading to more states of the federation.

Meanwhile, in Kaduna Sunday, the president met with the National Council of Islamic

Affairs (NCIA) and Northern traditional rulers at the headquarters of Jama'atu NasrilIslam (JNI) to seek their support to tackle violence ahead of the elections.

THISDAY learnt that there is going to be a massive shake-up in the security agencies.

A source said the agencies might be authorised to arrest trouble makers no matter theirstatus in the society.

Already, the governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in AkwaIbom State, Chief John Akpanudoedehe, has been arrested and charged with treason

following the violence that rocked the state last week.

THISDAY gathered that President Jonathan may call an emergency meeting of theCouncil of State early this week to brief them on the security situation and seek theirapproval for some extra-ordinary measures aimed at checking the situation.

In Kaduna, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, expressed worries aboutalleged continuous killings of Muslims in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

Speaking at a meeting between the president and Islamic and traditional rulers, theSultan called on the president to address the issue "once and for all".

"We are very worried about the happenings in Plateau as they affect the MuslimUmmah (Muslim community). When-ever there are crises somewhere and a Muslim iskilled, nobody hears anything about that, no condemnation, not even a mention.

"But when a Muslim takes revenge, without our knowledge, and kills somebody, say aChristian, I am talking of Plateau, the whole world will now know that Muslims are


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killing Christians. This is an issue that I believe I am speaking the minds of Muslimleaders in Plateau and other parts of the country, " the Sultan said.

He also raised concern on the peace and stability of the country after the elections andurged the Federal Government to take adequate steps to ensure stability.

"You have commented about the pre-election violence and post-election stability andlike I told you in Sokoto, the issue we have forgotten totally is the post-election stability.I am very happy you made mention of that. It means you are working towards that. Thepost-election stability is very important to us," he said.

Jonathan pleaded with Islamic leaders in the country to use their positions to prevail ontheir subjects to engender peace could so that development could take root.

He met with Christian leaders in Warri, Delta State, last week.

Jonathan asked all Nigerians to ensure that the violence which had been witnessedacross the country in the pre-election period was stopped as he had also directed thesecurity agencies to check and punish perpetrators.

Jonathan told the gathering that the people believe religious leaders more than politicalleaders and stressed the need for them to continue in their commitment to educate andimpart good morals on their followers.

Reiterating his position that no office was worth the blood of any Nigerian, he regretted

that politicians would always want to win even the smallest office by any means.

"Today I am specifically requesting for your prayers and counselling for peaceful co-existence among our people. With election coming, some politicians will want to winelection by all means. Some people are so desperate that once there is a contest betweenthem and their sibling or cousin, they go at each other as if they don't know themselves.

"You are holding very unique offices. Whatever you say is believed but when we giveadvice, they see it as politics. You are the people that can counsel us on elections. Iplead with you to continue to pray for us to succeed," he told them.

He said with him in dual position as president and a contestant, looking at how muchhe had achieved within 10 months of taking over the reins of power, they would agreethat if the tempo was sustained for the next four years, some basic things that werelacking like power could start being taken for granted.

A drama occurred around 3pm with a sudden fire outbreak suspected to have beenignited by an electrical fault.


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This nearly marred the parley as tongues of fire started dropping from the ceiling.

Jonathan was being expected with the police band already playing and some Muslimleaders seated when suddenly the smell of burning cable wafted through the hall.

Workers hurriedly started checking the air conditioners before smoke was noticed at apoint in the ceiling.

The fire sent the people already in the hall scampering for safety while some fetchedwater with buckets and put detergent in it with which they were dousing the heavilypadded floor and seats where the tongues were dropping.

After the power was switched off from the main supply, the fire died out on its own at3.05pm.

Power supply was switched to the generating set while the staff rushed in with broomsand other utensils to clean up the floor.

Later, the hall was certified safe and word came that the president was still going to usethe venue for the occasion and people went back to take their seats about 3.40pm.------------------------------------UN News Service Africa BriefsFull Articles on UN Website

Civil society has key role to play in Sierra Leones redevelopment UN25 March Civil society in general and women in particular have a critical role to playin cementing Sierra Leones transition from conflict to peace and development, a seniorUnited Nations official said today.

Up to 1 million people driven from homes by violence in Cte dIvoire, UN reports

25 March As many as 1 million people have been driven from their homes in CtedIvoire in the months-long turmoil stemming from the outgoing presidents refusal toleave office, with violence mounting and his loyalists using heavy weapons againstcivilians, a top United Nations official said today.

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AFRICOM Related News Clips 28 March 2011