AFRICOM Related Newsclips 2Aug10

8/9/2019 AFRICOM Related Newsclips 2Aug10

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office2 August 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

What the US Should Do About Eritrea (Ethiopian Journal)(Eritrea) In 2007 the Bush administration launched a separate military command whosesole focus is Africa. AFRICOM, which is actually currently headquartered in Stuttgart,Germany, was setup after a thought process that includes acknowledging theemerging strategic importance of Africa according to the official website.

Upcoming Conference 'to Make the Connection' between U.S. and Continent - HopeMasters (AllAfrica.com)(Pan Africa) The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation Africa Policy Forum: a Vision for the21st Century to be held in Atlanta in September, aims to help build a U.S.-Africadialogue based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.

Nigeria's foreign minister to meet U.S. secretary of state next week (Xinhua)(Nigeria) Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Odien Ajumogobia and the U.S.Secretary of State Hilary Clinton are to meet in Washington D.C. next week, a statementreaching here said.

Congressional Leaders Unveil New Legislation on Zimbabwe (The Zimbabwean)(Zimbabwe) Africa Action, the oldest human rights organization focused exclusivelyon Africa, celebrates the introduction of the Zimbabwe Renewal Act of 2010 (H.R. 5971)in the House of Representatives.

Keep peace! Don't enforce it, AU tells Amisom, Uganda (The East African)(Somalia) While the denial of mandate was officially given the face of the UnitedNations, The EastAfrican has separately learned that in classic cloak-and-daggerfashion, the United States, while overtly promising more resources and support toAmisom, was behind the scenes prodding the UN to say no to Ugandas request.

UN-AU peace force in Darfur to stay for another year (AFP)(Sudan) The UN Security Council on Friday extended by a year the mandate of a jointUN-African Union force in strife-torn Darfur, stressing the need to protect civilians andensure safe humanitarian access.


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Mugabe lets fly at critics, saying West can go to hell (Irish Times)(Zimbabwe) Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe angrily criticised Europe and theUS yesterday during a speech at the state funeral of his close ally and sister Sabrina,saying to hell with those who were opposed to his rule.

Kenyans to Vote on Controversial Constitution (Wall Street Journal)(Kenya) Kenyans will vote on a controversial new constitution in a referendum onWednesdaythe latest step in a series of efforts by the nation's leaders to bring politicalchange to their country to quell tribal tensions.

Central African Republic to go to polls in January (AFP)(Central African Republic) Presidential and parliamentary elections will take place inthe Central African Republic next January 23, President Francois Bozize decreed onFriday.

Zanzibar Approves Power-Sharing in Referendum (Voice of America)(Tanzania) Voters on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar have voted to allow rival partiesto form a coalition government after the upcoming October elections.

UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website

y UN official praises Rwandan police officers in Liberia for professionalismy UN official warns terrorism and organized crime increasingly linked in Africay D arfur: UN-African Union peacekeeping force extended as tensions risey UN chief expresses deep sadness after boat capsizing in D R Congoy

UN rushing aid to flood-stricken areas of north-western D

R Congo-------------------------------------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, August 3, 3:00 p.m., Ronald Reagan BuildingWHAT: 2010 AGOA Forum on U.S.-sub-Saharan Africa Trade and EconomicCooperation SecretaryWHO: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addresses the AGOA ForumInfo: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/07/145454.htm

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, August 4, 12:00, Council on Foreign RelationsWHAT: A Conversation with Henry Odein Ajumogobia, Minister of Foreign Affairs,Federal Republic of NigeriaWHO: Moderated by Princeton Lyman, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies,Council on Foreign RelationsInfo: http://www.cfr.org/region/143/africa.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL ARTICLE TEXT


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What the US Should Do About Eritrea (Ethiopian Journal)

In 2006, US-backed Ethiopia invaded Somalia and removed from power the IslamicCourts Union, which it perceived as a brewing threat. To the United States, it wasanother extension of the global war on terror and it openly backed the invasion,claiming that the Islamic Courts were harboring terrorists responsible for the bombingof US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. Both Ethiopia and the US subsequentlysupported the creation of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, which all theUS allies in the neighborhood including Kenya, Uganda and Djibouti supported andregional and international organizations including, IGAD, the African Union and theUnited Nations blessed.

The regime in Eritrea, which bet all its cards on defeating Ethiopia and prevailing as awinner over the never-resolved border war of 1998-2000, saw the opportunity to open a

proxy front in Somalia with the aim creating quandary for Ethiopia that would usurp itsmilitary capability, while simultaneously creating havoc by arming and motivatinganyone who has an axe to grind with the ruling party in Addis Ababa. As far as a Sub-Saharan military and political tit-for-tat goes, it was a gutsy, albeit foolhardy move onthe Eritrean part, but given the history of how conflicts are handled in the region,probably not a surprising one. For the millions of residents of Somalia though, it wasindeed business as usual and there is nothing they could do except brace for impact anddeal with the consequences.

Five years later, Eritrea has nothing to show for its foolish adventure save for inching

toward a pariah state, huge inflation, rampant military desertion, diplomatic isolation,UN Security Council sanction and domestic tension unseen since its independence.Any rational thinking mind would have seen this coming long time ago, but for theegoistic tyrant in Eritrea, it was a way of proving to his supporters and adversaries alikethat he was more than a petty dictator. By pulling the right stringsso he thoughthecould be a formidable foe not only to Ethiopia but to the United States foreign policy inAfrica as well. He availed the countrys strategic location and diplomatic resources toanyone with anti-American sentiments and became a liaison for the likes of Iran, Libyaand various extremists and misfits of the region. With every failed attempt to play therole of a spoiler in the region, Isaias Afworki has been upping the ante and proving tothe world that he is willing to do whatever it takes to blackmail everyone into agreeingwith him.

The powers that be, including the United States and its allies in the region have so faropted to use the AU and UN to contain the dictator. For the most part, that policy hasworked, at least until now. Except for the poor people of Eritrea, who are silentlysuffering daily under the repressive police state, no one else seems to have felt the bruntof this brutal system yet. But so long as Isaias and his Neo-Communists are in power,


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they will continue to wreak havoc in the region, negatively affect the stability ofgovernments in the fragile Horn of Africa and directly challenge US national securityand other interests.

Now, could a small desperately poor African state actually carry out all these andthreaten the interests of the sole super power of the world and its allies? The answer is,yes. Yes, if it is willing to use the ugly power of terrorism directly or via surrogates. Sofar, the Isaias regime has repeatedly shown its willingness to go that far. To this day, ithas neither denounced the activities of the terror groups such as the Al-Qaeda linkedAl-Shabaab, nor has it stopped given them political support. Case in point: after the July 11th terrorist attacks in Kampla, Uganda that left 76 people dead, including 7Eritreans, instead of denouncing Al-Shabaab (which gladly took the credit) and vowingto bring the responsible to justice for killing innocent Eritrean citizens, the regime choseto up its propaganda on its state-owned media and foolishly tried to spin Al-Shabaabsimage as a bona fide Somali resistance movement. In the mean time, another milestone

toward the impending disaster has been reached. Eritrea-backed terrorists have nowkilled Eritreans, Ethiopians, Ugandans and one American. So much for the policy ofcontainment! The next Al-Shabaab bomb can go boom in Addis Ababa, Nairobi,Kampala, or even in New York, DC or Los Angeles.

There is nothing much American diplomats can do about those bent to kill innocentcivilians to prove a point, but it is high time that they take concrete steps that show theyhave done their best to prevent them.

This is not a call for a preemptive strike aimed at the Eritrean regime. That would be

irresponsible and the repercussions far reaching. What is needed is not military might,but skillful, focused and stern strategy that works. But first, what is the US foreignpolicy in Africa anyway?

AFRICOM

In 2007 the Bush administration launched a separate military command whose solefocus is Africa. AFRICOM, which is actually currently headquartered in Stuttgart,Germany, was setup after a thought process that includes acknowledging theemerging strategic importance of Africa according to the official website. There arehonest critics in the United States, in Africa and within the international communitythat are skeptical about the mission, which among other things provides military aideand training to friendly states. Whether this is actually designed to put a check onChina whose hunger for resources has made Africa very important, or to protect andcontrol the flow of oil for the United States is debatable. But, what is undeniable is thatthe mission continues to grow in size and importance. President Obama must haveliked where things are heading as he has tripled AFRICOMs annual budget which nowstands at $300 million.


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Those whose knee jerk reaction is to oppose every American foreign policy initiativemay not ever be convinced, but the mission so far is viewed to be successful. It hascreated tremendous opportunities not only to professionalize militaries but also to keepaid flowing and help with creating basic infrastructure. The Africa Standby Force thatAFRICOM is helping revamp might even prevent the next Rwanda or Darfur. In theHorn of Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Djibouti have greatly benefited from theiralliance with the US and their ability to channel the resources it brings to each countrybe it via the Pentagon or the State Department.

The Eritrean regime is vehemently opposed to AFRICOMs mission, not only because ittips the military balance in favor of Ethiopia (it definitely did 2006 present), but alsobecause it does not mesh well with the system that it is trying to create within thecountry and even the entire region. Phrases like self-reliance and social-justice arethe new euphemisms that the Isaias Afworki regime is using to sugarcoat its

governance system, but it essentially is a Maoist communism, an African North Korea.Notwithstanding the PR labels, for more than 15 years now, it has been trying to createin Eritrea a system that everyone thought failed with the collapse of the Soviet Union.One-man, one-party rule; full command of commerce; total militarization of society;control of travel and movement; banning of the private press; meddling in religiousaffairs; and total absence of the rule of law are characteristics of godless communists.The core of their principle is the total submission of the individual to the spooky state;and this principle is diametrically opposed to the values of civil rights, democracy andrule of law. Therefore, its no wonder that the Eritrean regime looks at the United Statesand its African mission as its natural enemy.

Especially in the past few years, the dictator of Eritrea has been engaged in concertedpropaganda efforts to convince the Eritrean public that America is the cause of all theirsuffering. Even though it is abundantly clear that most, if not all, of the failures can betraced to the unelected tyrants ill-advised policies and misadventures, the regime hasbeen distorting facts and telling half truths aimed at creating a convenient scapegoat. Bytapping into emotional sentiments and fanning conspiracy theories it has somehowsucceeded in creating an atmosphere that at best mistrusts the United States and atworst views Americas intentions as hostile. Again, great miscalculation, but this aurahas given the PFDJ ruling clique a false sense of confidence in which it thinks it wouldbe acceptable to pal around with world renowned terrorist that have publicly vowed tokill Americans.

By design or miscalculation, slowly but surely, the despot has positioned Eritreasforeign policy to squarely collide with that of the United States. If the status quo ismaintained, and things are allowed to continue to where they seemingly are headed,dangerous and totally uncalled for disaster looms in the horizon. In the event of aterrorist attack by Somalia based groups with links to Al-Qaeda or Al-Shabaab, and if


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such an attack ends up killing Americans, the anger and call for retaliation and revengewill include those who encourage them. And Eritrea will end up being a target fasterthan its foolish leaders can say: prove it!

As an immigrant in America who enjoys the opportunities this great country has tooffer, and as one who cherishes its democratic values, my dreamy ideal is that one daymy home country will be as great as my adopted one. And my nightmare? Theopposite of that of courseand that my two countries will be on a collision course and Iwill have to face the inevitable dilemma the emotional type, if not the intellectual one.

But we do know that this is a false choice, because the Eritrean people and Americapeople (and their elected officials) are not in conflict whatsoever! The Eritrean peoplehave no dog in this fight, not only because they never get to choose their leaders butalso the value that they espouse is very close to that of Americans. Love of freedom,equality and tolerance are highly treasured by the average Eritrean. And for the tens of

thousands of us who proudly call ourselves Eritrean-Americans, the hyphen in themiddle stands for a cherished bond that only those who are deprived of their liberty forgenerations can possibly know. Perhaps more than any group of immigrants and firstgeneration Americans, we understand that the simple freedoms are not to be taken forgranted. To us Eritrea and America are not merely countries but states of mind thatstand for independence, freedom and liberty. Thus, the two nations are natural allies,with tyranny as their common enemy.

The people of Eritrea have absolutely no say what the self appointed leaders choose todo and say. So, it wouldnt be a stretch to conclude that, a gang of unenlightened

extremists have held hostage their own people and have become major contributors ofinstability in East Africa, directly endangering the lives of millions and indirectlythreatening the interest and security of the United States.

So, What Should the United States Do?

Let me start by quoting one of the greatest speeches I have ever heard uttered by apolitical leader.

Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:

All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignoreyour oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we willstand with you.

Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you forwho you are: the future leaders of your free country. .The rulers of outlaw regimescan know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: Those who deny freedom to


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others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot longretain it.

The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve yourpeople you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, andAmerica will walk at your side.

These beautiful words were part of a speech made not by the greatest orator andwordsmith of our generation, President Barrack Obama, but they were actually spokenby his predecessor George W. Bush in his 2nd Inaugural Address in January, 2005.

President Obama had even more profound words that trigger warm and fuzzy feelingabout what is possible and what America stands for, and weve heard them.

The point is, it is easy to come up with words if they are not backed up by concrete

action. And every time that happens, credibility yields to hypocrisy. The fact of thematter is the United States continues to ignore oppression, and excuse oppressors.The oft repeated rationalization is that it has to operate between idealism andpragmatism.

Sometimes though, there comes a time when an opportunity to be both pragmatic andidealistic lends itself. Helping freedom deprived Eritreans and spreading the cause ofliberty is an ideal thing to do; and protecting the security and other national interests isof course pragmatic. In this case, the two are intertwined and can no longer be viewedas separate. It is high time that those responsible for implementing Americas policy

take steps that will help protect the country and garner good will among those who areliving in tyranny and hopelessness.

Reading a Tyrants Mind

If his past modus-operandi is any indication of what Isaias may be contemplatingtoday, it is to probably force the United States into cutting a deal with him, so he canhave the upper hand in matters that matter the entire Horn neighborhood. He almostsucceeded when the Bush Administration was looking for a base in the region justbefore the invasion of Iraq. He positioned himself as an expert of how to conduct thewar against terrorism. Neo-conservatives like former Defense Secretary DonaldRumsfeld were courting him around the year 2002, and the Eritrean regime lobbiedcongress to setup a military base in Eritrea, which never materialized, and Djibouti waseventually selected as the base for Camp Lemonier. Things turned even worse for thedictator, as Ethiopia strengths its relationship with the United States and Americanofficials preferred to deal with the smooth operator Meles Zenawi than theunpredictable and erratic Isaias Afeworki. And now, according to some credible


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analysts, the United States is seriously considering moving AFRICOMs headquarters toAddis Ababa.

Isaias Afworki failures continue to mount: from the unresolved border ruling tomaintaining depomatic relationship with the powers that matter. The US, UN, EU, AU,IGAD, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda are firmly on one side; their combined andseparate power is of course insurmountable. Instead of changing courses towardcreating a democratic Eritrea that is governed by the rule of law and one that is united,Isaias continues to tread along the edge of a cliff and into the abyss that includessupporting desperados and fanatics like the Al-Shebaab group. Its a losing battle andhe deserves to loose, but he should not be allowed to take down the Eritrean people andtheir hard won independence and honorable name.

If Isaias Afworkis aim had been to get attention of the United States, he sure has it now.

At this juncture, it would be a great mistake to assume that he would be a reliablepartner. His history, personality and innate hatred of anything that includesdemocratic principles and rule of law do not allow him to be part of the solution. As amatter of fact, he and a handful of his operators are part of the problem. They are theonly extremists Eritrea has and dislodging them from power will be akin to removing achoke from a bottleneck.

Here are 3 strategies that will certainly have immediate impact.

1) Stern Warning and Smart Targeting

Listing Eritrea as a State Sponsor of Terrorism may sound like the next logical step andone the Bush State Department tried to push; the Obama administration dangled as awarning; and a few days ago Congressman Ed Royce (R - CA) recommended SecretaryHilary Clinton do, in response to the Kampala bombing. But at the end of the day, thatwill only give more notoriety to Isaias Afworki and may even enhance his ability to gethelp from his would be peers on that list; not to mention, unnecessarily broad-brushingan entire nation.

What is needed is the immediate implementation of the targeted sanction, under UNSCResolution 1907. That should include the dictators top lieutenants in his administrationand their financial enablers and enforcers in the West. President Obamas ExecutiveOrder 13536 that added Isaias Afewrkis political advisor, Yemane monkey Gebreab,to the list of sanctioned persons is a move in the right direction but would be renderedineffective if it is not targeting the entire gang.

It is also about time someone from Congress, the State Department or Pentagon paysIsaias Afeworki a personal visit and in no uncertain terms tell him what the United


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States reaction would be in the event that US citizens are killed by any of the Somaligroups he is supporting now or in the past, no matter what kind of support that may bepolitical, material, monetary, diplomatic or otherwise. The days, that this was ahypothetical scenario are behind us. The bombing in Kampala was a major mile stone.There remain many US-born Somalis who have recently disappeared and it is largelyfeared that they are being indoctrinated by extremists into committing terrorist acts inthe United Sates. The Eritrean regime must be forced to publicly denounce Al-Shebaaband its association with it for that is the only insurance that it may have left to avoidmilitary reaction. And for us Eritrean-Americans, its about protecting our loved oneson both sides of the Atlantic.

2) Protecting Eritreas Refugees

Eritrea under Isaias Afeworkis rule has not only become the biggest trouble maker inthe Horn Africa, but also one of the biggest producers of refugees. Its abundantly clear

that the two are interconnected. Innocent Eritreans asylum seekers are currentlysuffering under precarious conditions around the globe. The long term solution to thisproblem may be to eliminate the factors that are making them flee their country, but forthose who are desperately looking for help, time is running out and in most cases it is amatter of life and death.

The United States can be a great help, especially by pressing the Egyptian, Sudanese,Libyan and even Ethiopian authorities to improve the conditions of Eritrean refugeeswithin their territory. The poor refugees plight can be immediately alleviated bysimply expediting their asylum applications and working with their family members in

the US.3) Empowering Democratic Reformers

Eritreans are not simply fleeing or waiting for someone else to solve their problem.Most Eritreans already agree that regime change is the ultimate solution to thecountrys problem. Within the opposition movement, the widely accepted preferablemethod is to push for revolution and reform by peaceful means. The Eritrean regimehas its ardent and vocal supporters, but the vast majority of Eritreans within thecountry and abroad would be more than happy to see the end of the dictatorship.

Eritreans know that they are just pawns in the chess game of world politics. They knoweveryone they come in contact with view and treat them as expendable. But now thatthe interest of the international community and specifically the United States areclearly mingled with that of the Eritrean people, the America must show that it willwalk on their side as they reclaim their fate and fight for democratization of theircountry.


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As of this writing, Eritreans from around the world are gathering in Addis Ababa underthe theme: National Conference for Democratic Change. The conference which is beingconducted under the auspices of the Eritrean Democratic Alliance (EDA), the umbrellagroup of the opposition movement, seeks to unite Eritrean of different backgrounds. Asuccessful conclusion of the conference will be a giant stride for the organicdemocratization movement and a clear message of support by the United States will bea great shot in the arm.

This conference is likely to jump start other similar events around the globe which willeventually encourage Eritreans to demand change within their own country. Along theway, America must live up to its promise and duty to still be a beacon of hope for thosewho are fighting to end oppression and tyranny. In his July 4th speech, AmericanAmbassador to Eritrea has artfully indicated that the when it comes to independenceand freedom, Americas position is pretty clear. I sincerely hope that RonaldMcMullen's and other American leaders understand that, there are people who actually

hear them and take their message to heart. Will the country of the free be there whenthe downtrodden rise up against their oppressors? Will America stand with those whostand for their liberty? Great speeches; but its time for bold action.

The Cost of Inaction

Conversely, an argument for staying the course, containing Isaias to keep barking in hisbackyard, for ignoring the pleas of Eritrean refugees and underestimating theimpending threat can probably be made.

To a giant super power like the US, Eritreas dictator may be just a grass snake it caneasily ignore. But as he positions himself to wield more power by networking withmore and more extremists and amassing wealth from newly discovered gold mines, thelittle snake will turn into a formidable serpent; and sooner or later, he will have to bedealt with.--------------------Upcoming Conference 'to Make the Connection' between U.S. and Continent - HopeMasters (AllAfrica.com)

The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation Africa Policy Forum: a Vision for the 21st Century tobe held in Atlanta in September, aims to help build a U.S.-Africa dialogue based onmutual respect and mutual benefit. It will encompass cultural discourse as well as talkson business and national security issues. Hope Masters, CEO of the SullivanFoundation, spoke with Saratu Abiola and Carine Umuhumuza of allAfrica.com aboutwhat informed her approach to the conference, and what she would like to see in thefuture regarding U.S.-Africa relations.


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How does the conference tie in to what the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation is trying toachieve?

Our overarching purpose is to build a bridge, to make the connection between AfricanAmericans, in particular, but really people of the African Diaspora in general, toconnect us all back to the continent. Traditionally we have chartered planes and takenpeople to the continent. We believe now that the bridge goes both ways. We've beentrying to get the bridge across to the continent but now with brilliant young people,there's so many people coming back and forth.

We want to have, for the first time, our dialogue here in the states. We picked Atlantabecause it is, we believe, the hub of the civil rights movement. The historical energy inAtlanta, the fact that Ambassador [Andrew] Young, who is our chairman and a dearfriend of my father, is so critical to Atlanta becoming such an international city. Andalso because Atlanta is where all these black schools are. It's important that we get the

youth's perspective. We want to have a conference in Atlanta where we bring all thesedifferent African leaders to where we can talk about fusing everything we have towardsthe good of Africa.

Sullivan Foundation

Hope Masters, CEO of the Sullivan FoundationAlso, culturally, we're trying to enlighten and teach people here about what Africareally is. The media is always giving us distorted perspectives on the continent. Wewant to share real Africa with African Americans, in particular, [but also] the greater

Diaspora.In the schedule of events, you begin with the Diaspora and the media before you starttalking about policy, conflict resolution and related events. It's an interesting pattern -was it deliberate?

It is deliberate. It's because I also believe that a lot of the time these conferences can getvery heady and very academic and didactic and I don't want that. I want people to, firstof all, start out broad, which is for African Americans: 'What interest would I have inthe continent?' But for one thing if you determine that your DNA connects you there,you are going to have a spiritual, emotional connection, number one. Then when yourealize that our roles as mothers, fathers, children and families are so connected to thesame roles with our families overseas.

And then we hit the media with the fact that all these years you've been gettingmisinformation and mis-educated about the continent. Then again, you're like, 'Okay'and at the end of the week you're like, 'Now I'm interested in how we can turn thataround. What can we do from a policy perspective to use our resources here in the U.S.


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to support the nations and the people of Africa?' That's why the rhythm of theconference is like that.

I was interested in the way you introduce fact and fiction: the real Africa versus themedia's Africa. I was wondering if you could speak about how that affects policy, theway that Africa policy is currently being shaped.

For one thing, Americans have a tendency to be very paternalistic towards thecontinent. That's what you feel like if you raise somebody up or help somebody. Thewhole aid argument it's a paternalistic thing if you feel that you always have to help[Africans], give them a handout. The reality is the nations of Africa are an investableenvironment. Many of them are beyond where we are in certain areas. We're trying toencourage the U.S. to partner and say, "We don't need you to give us a handout." Talkto me like a man. Woman to woman. Man to man. Equals. Partners. We're trying toengage policy makers and opinion makers to treat Africa as a partner, not as somebody

who is a basket case or needs your help in that way, which is how they treat Africa.

If you had a scorecard for the administration of President Barack Obama We've had ayear to see how its Africa policy has been playing out. Are you satisfied thus far?

I would love for the Africa Policy Forum in Atlanta to be an opportunity for the Obamaadministration, in particular President Obama, to tell us what the administration'sAfrica policy is. He has been busy on so many other things. I think that it needs to beclarified. I would like for him to use this opportunity to talk about U.S. policy towardsAfrica in front of the African leaders that we will have there.

Do you think that Obama's Africa policy is clear?

I think that there are so many different facets to it that your question is too broad.

A full day at the conference is going to be entirely on U.S. conflict relations; it spansfrom conflict resolution to upping the investment. There are a lot of non-governmentalactivists [NGOs] have become really prominent lately and have done some greatwork.

We, through the summits and through our different programmatic extensions, areconnected with the NGO community. This forum, in particular on Friday, is reallygoing to talk about policy, but during the week we are engaging those organizations.Mo Ibrahim (of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation) is invited and other people to speak aboutwhat they're doing. I believe they are critically important because so many of themsurvive the different changes in government.


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What about the importance of the African entrepreneurs? Do they also have a role toplay here, or is it just on a public sector level?

They are there throughout it all. They are critically important. East [Africa] finally got ittogether with the trade protocol. [U.S. Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton is alwaystalking about how Africa needs to trade with itself. I think what's important isinfrastructure: transportation, rail. Africa can do so much among [its] countries but it'sall about infrastructure and reversing the patterns of not being able to trade amongthemselves. It's insane. It could be so much simpler, but it takes so much money.

Again, I also think that goes back to how Africa and Africans have been portrayed overmany, many years and so there's been that reluctance to make that investment. We'vegot to flip that. We were talking about it with Ambassador Young and somebody else afew weeks ago. We had a map out talking about a rail systemyou could take it all theway through the continent. I think that is going to be critically important also airlines

so trade can be made easier among African countries.

Some of that is beginning. You have Lonrho that is working on aviation. There is aninfrastructure project to build a bridge linking Nigeria and Cameroon across theMunaya River. There are already buses that travel between Guinea and Cameroon.Generally, though, there seems to be a lot of attention to resources and investments andless on infrastructure. The Chinese, on the other hand, seem to be focusing more oninfrastructure.

Yes, they are leaving something on the ground. There's definitely something to be said

for that. The other thing, what we are trying to do, is there are so many engineers and[resources] like that here in the U.S. Take your skills back home and use everything thatwe've learned here. The governments are looking for people with that expertise. So, it'snot up to the Germans and the Chinese and everybody else. The Diaspora is aconstituency and if we pulled together like other constituencies it's amazing what wecould do, the power that we could have.

I know that earlier we talked about Atlanta being a hub for youth. What role do youthplay in the conference?

With a student ID you can get in free Students don't have any money. I believe[students have] the greatest ideas, like an incubator in academic environments. Andthey don't get into the rooms where these people are, because they are shut out eitherby age, money to register or whatever. I'm throwing the door open for students. We'regoing to allow the students to come in and be a part of these discussions There is somuch potential among those kids and I want them to be able to share it That to me isimportant.--------------------


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Nigeria's foreign minister to meet U.S. secretary of state next week (Xinhua)

LAGOS, Nigeria - Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Odien Ajumogobia and the U.S.Secretary of State Hilary Clinton are to meet in Washington D.C. next week, a statementreaching here said.

The meeting is coming two months after the working group on energy and investmentof the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission ( BNC) met to explore the renewableenergy and energy efficiency opportunities for Nigeria, it added.

Nigerian Ambassador to the United States Adebowale Adefuye said in the statementthat the high-level meeting is scheduled to discuss issues of mutual concern betweenboth countries within the framework of the BNC agreement.

The commission is a collaborative forum to build partnership for tangible and

measurable progress on issues critical to the two countries, the statement said.

The working group on good governance, transparency and integrity met in May inAbuja, followed by the energy and investment group in Washington.

Both countries planned to meet in September in Washington to inaugurate the NigerDelta and regional security cooperation working group of the commission.

Ajumogobia would feature at a forum organized by the Council on Foreign Relations(CFR) to discuss U.S.-Nigeria relations, while in the United States.

--------------------Congressional Leaders Unveil New Legislation on Zimbabwe (The Zimbabwean)

Africa Action, the oldest human rights organization focused exclusively on Africa,celebrates the introduction of the Zimbabwe Renewal Act of 2010 (H.R. 5971) in theHouse of Representatives.

Sponsored by Congressmen Payne, and cosponsored by over 35 members of Congress,the new legislation aims to bring about a major shift in U.S. policy that is significant tothe democratic transition in Zimbabwe and aligns with the latest political and economicdevelopments on the ground.

Gerald LeMelle, executive director of Africa Action said, "This is a promising day foreveryone who supports democracy and development in Zimbabwe. The newlegislation is a major step forward for the people of Zimbabwe."

Africa Action, in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Alliance - a collaboration of like-minded partners working within a human rights framework to promote a successful


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democratic transition in Zimbabwe, has been working to bring about such a policy shiftin the U.S. government.

Michael Stulman, associate director for policy and communications added, "The Houseof Representatives and Senate must work together now in light of the opportunity thatexists to build robust democratic institutions and strengthen democratic actors inZimbabwe."

Key provisions of the Zimbabwe Renewal Act of 2010 include: Establishing a multi-donor human rights trust fund and support crucial sectors, like

health care, education, agriculture, clean water and an emergency vocational workprogram for youth in Zimbabwe

Instructing the Secretary of the Treasury to forgive Zimbabwe's bilateral debt, andin consultation with the Secretary of State, gather information on the feasibility andadvisability of restructuring, rescheduling, or eliminating such debt in the future

Maintaining targeted sanctions against individuals who continue to undermine thedemocratic processes and review and update existing sanctions to reflect changingconditions on the groundFor more information and analysis on Zimbabwe, visithttp://www.africaaction.org/zimbabwe.html or visit the Zimbabwe Alliance website,--------------------Keep peace! Don't enforce it, AU tells Amisom, Uganda (The East African)

Ugandan officials were putting a brave face on a major setback to the governmentsplans for retaliatory action against Al Shabaab.

This was after the AU Summit that closed in Kampala last week failed to deliver thedesired change to Amisoms mandate that would have given the peacekeepers theresources and the licence to attack the Somali militants.

While the denial of mandate was officially given the face of the United Nations, TheEastAfrican has separately learned that in classic cloak-and-dagger fashion, the UnitedStates, while overtly promising more resources and support to Amisom, was behind thescenes prodding the UN to say no to Ugandas request.

Uganda and its East African neighbours had hoped to leverage the outrage thatfollowed the July 11 twin bombings in Kampala that killed 85 people, to galvaniseinternational opinion to support more robust action against the militants in Mogadishu.

In an unexpected development however, the summit, which was notable for havingattracted no less than 35 heads of state including key figures from North andSouthern Africa backed away from authorising offensive action.


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Instead, they adopted the UN position that the current mandate was sufficient for thetask at hand.

That position was communicated to the summit and Igad (Inter GovernmentalAuthority on Development) members by UN Special Envoy to Somalia and head of theUN Political Office for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga.

The only concession, it would seem, was some slack in the leash that allows Amisom totake pre-emptive action against Al Shabaab should a threat to its safety be perceived.

It was Mahigas view that the existing mandate allows the forces on the ground to actin a more responsible but robust fashion, US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jonnie Carson told the Ugandan media.

The United States and the United Nations warned that Ugandas position would

escalate the Somali crisis to uncontrollable levels, a position that forced the AU back tothe drawing board, and the resolution that Amisom remain a peacekeeping mission forthe moment.

In diplomacy, you go in with a long wish list but you dont expect to get everythingyou asked for. In the circumstances, this summit ended really well for us because weachieved three major goals, Ugandas Junior Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry OkelloOryem told The EastAfrican.

Those three achievements apparently include increased political will and international

focus on the Somalia problem, more countries committing troops to Amisom andincreased backing from the US. These unnamed countries are expected to break cover inthe next two weeks.

The political will is now there, and three countries have shown serious commitment tocontribute troops to the mission, although they have asked us not to name them untilthey have completed consultations back home.

Most importantly, we have the US fully behind us in terms of equipment, resources andintelligence. With such support on board, Amisom will not be as constrained as it hasbeen, Mr Oryem added.

While that assertion was consistent with what US Assistant Secretary for Africa JonnieCarson told the media on July 27 that the US would continue to be a primarysupporter of Amisom separately, The EastAfrican has been told that the US was thereal force behind the UN veto.


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Sources say the US is worried that full-scale military action by Amisom will drawEritrea, which together with Yemen is believed to be Al Shabaabs major backer, into amore overt involvement in Somalia, which would in turn force Ethiopia into theconflict.

The possible scale of such a conflict, its fallout and implications for the US in terms ofthe resources it would be expected to deploy, are factors that dont allow Washington toplay a speculative game, says one source.

Indeed, it has come to light that the Obama administration has firmly turned downprevious requests by Kampala for diplomatic cover for an all-out attack against AlShabaab. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last September, PresidentYoweri Museveni made such a request in a meeting with President Obama, Secretary ofState Hillary Clinton and US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice.

Obama was not forthcoming on the proposal and made this plain to Museveni, saysour source.

In Kampala, Mr Carson alluded to this position when he told journalists that Somaliawas not a US project and it was time the international community woke up to itsresponsibility and contributed to making the region safer.

Giving the example of piracy off the Somali coast, Mr Carson said of the 32 vessels thathad been hijacked in the region in the past two years, only one was US-flagged. Yet theUS continues to shoulder the burden of trying to keep the Gulf of Aden open to

international shipping.While Uganda had been talking of a Plan B should its bid for a peace-enforcementmandate be defeated, the mood in military circles is now one of resignation as officialsadmit that the country does not have the capacity to execute such a mission single-handed.

Uganda, afraid of failing to secure logistical support for the operation from fundingagencies like the UN, EU and the US, now says it will abide by the internationalcommunitys position.

We shall go by what Carson and the AU chairman said, stated Lt-Gen KatumbaWamala, Commander of Land Forces in the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces.

Earlier, officials had said that Uganda could exercise the option of attacking Al Shabaabunder a bilateral arrangement with Somalias Transitional Federal Government. Buteven this option was apparently based on anticipated material support from keyWestern stakeholders.


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We no longer have the intention of pursuing a force operation. We shall go by whatthe AU resolved. But we are at least comfortable that we could still achieve our missionthrough the new rules of engagement, a subdued Uganda Defence and Armyspokesman Lt-Col Felix Kulaigye said.

TFG Defence Minister Abukar Abdi Osman, who was in closed-door meetings withseveral Ugandan officials since the AU Summit started, has also finally given uplobbying for a change in the Amisom mandate.

We have to accept the Igad position of immediately providing the 2,000 troops as wewait for the adoption of the AU resolution, he said.

Explaining the Summits decision to the media, AU Commission Chairman Jean Pingsaid it was informed by the implications of what would be required in terms of financial

and military resources.--------------------UN-AU peace force in Darfur to stay for another year (AFP)

UNITED NATIONS The UN Security Council on Friday extended by a year themandate of a joint UN-African Union force in strife-torn Darfur, stressing the need toprotect civilians and ensure safe humanitarian access.

The council's 15 ambassadors unanimously adopted a British-drafted resolution thatextends the mandate, which expires Saturday, to July 31, 2011.

The text said the mission, known as UNAMID, must "make full use of its mandate andcapabilities, giving priority in decisions about the use of available capacity andresources to the protection of civilians in Darfur and ensuring safe, timely andunhindered humanitarian access, the safety and security of humanitarian personnel."

It strongly condemned all attacks on UNAMID, underlining that "any attack or threaton UNAMID is unacceptable."

UNAMID, which is nearing full deployment, with over 17,000 troops and more than4,000 police now on the ground, has been the target of repeated attacks since firstdeploying in the western Sudanese region January 2008.

On Tuesday, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice expressed alarm at deterioratingsecurity in Darfur and demanded that the situation be "effectively addressed."


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Fighting there killed nearly 600 people in May, with most of the casualties resultingfrom renewed clashes between the Sudanese military and Darfur's most active rebelgroup, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), according to UNAMID.

JEM, which had agreed a ceasefire with Khartoum in February, has since pulled out ofQatari-hosted talks intended to end a seven-year war that the United Nations says haskilled about 300,000 people since 2003.

The Security Council also demanded that all parties to the Darfur conflict, including allrebel groups, "immediately engage fully and constructively in the peace processwithout preconditions... with a view to completing an inclusive and comprehensiveagreement."--------------------Mugabe lets fly at critics, saying West can go to hell (Irish Times)

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe angrily criticised Europe and the US yesterdayduring a speech at the state funeral of his close ally and sister Sabrina, saying to hellwith those who were opposed to his rule.

The 86-year-olds emotional outburst in front of thousands of mourners prompted USambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray to leave the funeral. But President Obamasrepresentative refused to comment about his early departure from Heros Acre shrine inHarare, where Sabrina Mugabe was being buried following her death last week.

We say to hell, hell, hell with them [Europe and the US]. They will not decide who is

going to lead the people of Zimbabwe, Mr Mugabe said before adding that thedecision of his opponents to continue imposing sanctions against him and his allies washurting all Zimbabweans.

Western countries imposed financial sanctions on state firms, and travel restrictions onMr Mugabe and dozens of his associates about eight years ago, following disputedelections and violent land seizures from white commercial farmers.

The formation of a transitional government in Zimbabwe two years ago between theMovement for Democratic Change party and Mr Mugabes Zanu-PF party has failed toconvince Brussels and Washington to lift their sanctions.

We are still being treated as if we dont own this country. They want to tell us, do A, Band C of that, remove so-and-so and they are now saying Mugabe must go first, thepresident said. Whoever told them that their will is above that of the people ofZimbabwe?


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Mr Mugabe also promised that Zimbabwes growing diamond wealth would benefitthe whole country rather than just a few local political leaders. Diamonds should notbe pocketed by some individuals. They should help to improve the whole country.Those with an appetite for individual aggrandisement, please blunt your appetite, hesaid.--------------------Kenyans to Vote on Controversial Constitution (Wall Street Journal)

NAIROBI, KenyaKenyans will vote on a controversial new constitution in areferendum on Wednesdaythe latest step in a series of efforts by the nation's leadersto bring political change to their country to quell tribal tensions.

The U.S., eager to bring stability to a regional powerhouse and a strong ally in its fightagainst terrorism, maintains a new constitution is central to that effort. U.S. officials,including the Kenya ambassador, Michael Ranneberger, and Vice President Joseph

Biden, who visited Nairobi in June, have spoken at length about the importance of thedraft and the need for change. More than 1,300 people were killed in ethnic violence inthe country in early 2008.

"A new constitution, if it is adopted, will strengthen Kenya's democratic institutions,"said Johnnie Carson, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs in a recentinterview. "We believe this is an opportunity for fundamental change, but the decisionfor that change is in the hands of Kenyans."

'Yes' and 'No' Rallies in Nairobi

Kenyans are set to vote on a controversial new constitution in a referendum onWednesday, and both the "yes" and "no" camps rallied Sunday.

The draft provides for a more decentralized democracy that checks the power of thepresident and establishes two houses of parliament. The current system of governmentallows for an imperial presidency, where the executive branch holds most of the power.Historically, whatever tribe has held executive power has become the primarybeneficiary of any government largesse.

The document also tackles the controversial issues of abortion, Islamic courts and landdistribution. It allows, for example, the state to seize property for the benefit of the state,and gives parliament the mandate to enact land reform to address inequities andcorruption.

The draft was written by a committee of legal and other experts selected by parliament.


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A July study by the Nairobi office of Synovate Ltd., a global market-research company,said 58% of 6,005 registered voters surveyed would approve the constitution, with 17%undecided. The margin of error is 1.6%.

The vote is expected to divide along tribal lines, as do most controversial issues inKenya. Two main tribes, the Kikuyu and Luo, generally favor the constitution becausetheir leaders are the country's president and the prime minister, who support the draft.The Kalenjin group largely oppose the draft because their main political leader, WilliamRuto, is against it.

The debate on the vote has been contentiousand briefly violent. In June, twoexplosions ripped through an anticonstitution rally in a park outside downtownNairobi, killing at least five people and wounding dozens more. Authorities haven'tfound the perpetrators. Both the "yes" and "no" camps blamed each other for the blasts,heightening tensions between them.

Some Christian leaders also oppose the new constitution, criticizing its language onabortion and the Islamic courts. They say its provision allowing abortions where themother's health is at risk is too permissive. They also oppose the recognition oftraditional Islamic courts that Kenya's Muslim minority use to resolve family and othercivil matters.

The Muslim communityestimated at about 18% of the populationlargely supportsthe draft.

A Christian American nonprofit group, the American Center for Law and Justice, whichrecently opened an office in Kenya, has worked to educate voters on the abortion andthe Islamic-court provisions, according to Jordan Sekulow, the group's director ofinternational relations. He said the group isn't explicitly against the draft, but that itsupports Kenyan attorneys critical of the draft, in part because of the abortion andIslamic-court provisions.

The U.S. government also has worked to educate voters about what the documentcontains, and says it wants Kenyans to decide on the draft in a fair vote.

U.S. officials have said that after the violence in 2008, they sensed an opportunity topush for democratic change in the country because of America's popular influence, andbecause of the growing assertiveness of media and civil society in calling forgovernment accountability. Washington threatened sanctions against Kenyan leaders itbelieved to be stalling the reform process.


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Last year, the American government banned Kenya's attorney general, Amos Wako,from traveling to the U.S. because it believed he was holding back anticorruptionefforts.--------------------Central African Republic to go to polls in January (AFP)

BANGUI Presidential and parliamentary elections will take place in the CentralAfrican Republic next January 23, President Francois Bozize decreed on Friday.

"The president of the republic ... decrees that the electorate of the Central AfricanRepublic is called out on January 23, 2011, for presidential and parliamentary elections,"said the decree, read out on state radio.

The elections, which had been due to take place last April 25, were put off until Mayand then postponed indefinitely as the opposition called for delays, warning that

security was not guaranteed in the strife-prone country.

In mid-June, the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) proposed a vote on October24, but Bozize chose not to follow its advice.

His own mandate expired on June 11, but after the second postponement of the polls,the presidential and parliamentary mandates were extended by a constitutional law.

A postponement in the election had also been recommended by the committee offinancial sponsors of the poll, consisting of the United Nations, the European Union,

France and the United States.Under the decree, the electoral campaign begins on January 10 and will end at midnighton January 21.

The date of October 24 had been proposed unanimously by the 30 members of the CEIin June, according to commission spokesman Rigobert Vondo, who argued that "all theorganisational, security and budget constraints will be lifted" by that date.

But government spokesman Fidele Gouandjika responded: "The head of state has saidand repeated that the new date of the elections must take account of the securityconditions and progress in the disarmament, demobilisation and reinsertionprogramme for former rebels, which must reach the disarmament phase."

Since 2008, politicians and armed movements in the Central African Republic have beenengaged in a process of peace-making and reconciliation, after years of instability andinsecurity.


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The main rebel groups have signed up to the disarmament process, but unrestperiodically erupts in the volatile north of the country.

Bozize came to power as an army general who ousted president Ange-Felix Patasse in2003, and was then elected president for five years in 2005. He is running for a secondterm.--------------------Zanzibar Approves Power-Sharing in Referendum (Voice of America)

Voters on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar have voted to allow rival parties to form acoalition government after the upcoming October elections.

Zanzibar election officials said Sunday two-thirds of the voters in Saturday'sreferendum approved the idea of a unity government.

The power-sharing proposal was supported by the ruling CCM party and leaders of themain opposition party, CUF, and was designed to end years of political strife that hadmarred previous elections.

Under the new referendum vote, two vice presidential positions will be split betweenthe leading parties in parliamentary elections.

Ministries will be allocated on a proportional basis.

Officials said Saturday's voting proceeded peacefully.

Zanzibar gained independence from Britain in 1963, then united with Tanganyika thefollowing year to form what became the republic of Tanzania.-------------------UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website

UN official praises Rwandan police officers in Liberia for professionalism1 August The United Nations deputy envoy to Liberia, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, todaylauded Rwandan police officers serving in the UN mission in the West African countryfor their professionalism and discipline, saying their presence there had strengthenedthe capacity and skills of the local police.

UN official warns terrorism and organized crime increasingly linked in Africa30 July Terrorism in Africa is increasingly linked to organized crime, and thecontinents governments must take stronger steps to try to break those connections, asenior United Nations official said as he called for countries worldwide to broaden their


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anti-terrorist strategies beyond involving only the military and law enforcementagencies.

D arfur: UN-African Union peacekeeping force extended as tensions rise30 July The Security Council today voted to extend by another year the mandate of the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, where violenceonce again rocked a large camp for people uprooted by the conflict in the war-ravagedSudanese region.

UN chief expresses deep sadness after boat capsizing in D R Congo30 July Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has added his voice to those of other UnitedNations officials expressing deep sadness at learning of the news that more than 140people have reportedly died when a boat capsized in the Democratic Republic of theCongo (DRC) this week.

UN rushing aid to flood-stricken areas of north-western D R Congo30 July United Nations agencies are providing urgent assistance to areas of north-western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after devastating floods, which havedestroyed nearly 300 homes and left an estimated 1,500 people homeless.

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