AFRICOM Related News Clips 9 May 2011

8/6/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 9 May 2011

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office9 May 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

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

Bring Africa Command Home (Defense News)The Pentagon is seeking a new home for Africa Command, the military headquarterscreated for the continent in 2007. It is now housed at a base in Stuttgart, Germany, anarea The Economist aptly calls "perhaps the least African place in the world."

We say bring it home. Congress, for predictable reasons, agrees. At recent hearings,lawmakers questioning Gen. Carter Ham, AFRICOM's commander, focused not on thewar he was then running in Libya but on landing the 2,000 jobs under his command fortheir voters.

White House: Success in Protecting Libyan Civilians (ABC)(Libya) While the Obama administration continues to celebrate the death of Osama binLaden, their troubles in the Middle East have not come to an end. In an interview with"This Week" anchor Christiane Amanapour, the President's National Security adviserinsisted that the United States would not increase its presence in Libya due to NATO'ssuccess in protecting the embattled nation's civilians.

African Union Official Urges Political Solution to Libyan Crisis (VOA)(Libya) The African Union says its roadmap for peace is the best option for settlingLibyas political crisis. El-Ghassim Wane said the AU is convinced that only a politicalsolution will make it possible to promote peace in a lasting manner that will also fulfillthe aspirations of the Libyan people to democracyand good governance.

Libya Tribal Appeal to Rebels Falls Flat (WSJ)(Libya) Col. Moammar Gadhafi has turned to Libya's tribal leaders in a new effort toerode a Western-backed insurgency, but the initiative, including the promise of an

amnesty, is having no immediate impact on the stalemated conflict.

Fierce fighting reported in Libyan cities (AlJazeera)(Libya) NATO air attacks have hit Libyan government weapons depots near Zintan,southwest of Tripoli, the capital, according to a rebel spokesman in the town.

Italy rescues 500 Libya refugees in 'miracle' operation (AFP)


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(Libya) Italian coast guards and local fisherman saved all 528 refugees on a boat fromLibya early Sunday after their vessel hit rocks off the island of Lampedusa, an operationone rescuer described as a "miracle".

Ivorian President Sworn In (WSJ)

(Ivory Coast) Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara took oath of office on Friday asauthorities of the Western African country try to turn the page on the months-long civilconflict that followed a contested election.

Ivory Coast: 29 bodies found in new mass grave (AP)(Ivory Coast) A new mass grave containing 29 bodies has been found in a restivesuburb of Ivory Coast's commercial capital, said a resident who said the victims werekilled in the aftermath of a political standoff that plunged the country into violence.

Ivory Coast Begins Questioning of Ex-Leader Gbagbo (VOA)

(Ivory Coast) A prosecutor in Ivory Coast's government says officials have for the firsttime questioned former President Laurent Gbagbo about alleged rights abusescommitted while he was in power.

U.N. warns about standoff in oil-rich Sudan region (CNN)(Sudan) Violence in the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei will jeopardize relationsbetween north and South Sudan governments as the two sides gear up for a permanentseparation in July, the United Nations said.

Shipping Companies Urge Governments to Tackle Piracy (WSJ)

(Somalia) Ship owners are stepping up pressure on governments world-wide to take astronger role in policing the waters off Somalia and prosecuting hijackers, saying laxenforcement is encouraging attacks and helping pirates extend their operations fartherinto the Indian Ocean.

EU to Give Five Million Euros for Election (RFI)(Guinea) The European Union is to provide five million euros to help Guinea run adelayed general election.

Women Entrepreneurs Carve a Niche in Boston (IPS)(Somalia/Boston) Deeqo Jibril is always on the go. Whether she is tending to her fourchildren or teaching breast cancer awareness classes to women in her community, theSomali-born community organiser is always up for a new challenge.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Websitey As military stand-off continues in Sudans Abyei area, UN chief presses for

peace


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y UN launches initiative to spur job creation for Africas poory UN agency deplores fatal shooting of Somali asylum-seekers in Mozambiquey Nigeria: UN signs cooperation pact to boost adult and youth literacyy Cte dIvoire: UN human rights team heads to alleged mass grave site

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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, May 13th; CSIS 1800 K Street, NW, WDC 20006WHAT: U.S. Trade Relations with Africa and Outlook for the AGOA ForumWHO: Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, Deputy United States Trade Representative;Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Former Minister of Trade and Industry, Republic of Kenya; JackEdlow, President of Edlow International, Co-Chair, Trade Advisory Committee onAfricaInfo: http://csis.org/event/us-trade-relations-africa-and-outlook-agoa-forum----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Bring Africa Command Home (Defense News)By BENJAMIN FRIEDMAN and HARVEY SAPOLSKYMay 9, 2011The Pentagon is seeking a new home for Africa Command, the military headquarterscreated for the continent in 2007. It is now housed at a base in Stuttgart, Germany, anarea The Economist aptly calls "perhaps the least African place in the world."We say bring it home. Congress, for predictable reasons, agrees. At recent hearings,lawmakers questioning Gen. Carter Ham, AFRICOM's commander, focused not on thewar he was then running in Libya but on landing the 2,000 jobs under his command fortheir voters.

Sen. Jim Webb, a Virginia Democrat, pointed to the Hampton Roads real estate vacatedby Joint Forces Command's closure. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, braggedof Atlanta's African diaspora community, and more relevantly, international airport.South Carolina's Rep. Joe Wilson, a Republican, argued for Charleston because of theculture it shares with West Africa, boldly trying to turn slavery into an economic asset150 years after it was abolished.

Pathetic as the spectacle was, it had a certain logic. AFRICOM is basically useless. If it isto exist, it might as well generate jobs at home.

The Pentagon burdened the command with a uniquely ambitious charge. Unlike ourother regional commands, AFRICOM was not intended merely to manage militaryplanning in its area. PowerPoint slides full of trendy terms like "interagency process,""unity of effort" "smart power" and "capacity-building" obfuscated AFRICOM's


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audacious mission: to coordinate other U.S. agencies' efforts to help Africangovernments establish peace and stability, melding war planning, diplomacy anddevelopment.

That mission assumes not only that American military officers know the causes of

Africa's troubles but that they can empower Africans to fix them. It also recommended aheadquarters in Africa.

Things have not gone as planned. For starters, no suitable host emerged. Many ofAfrica's 55 nations suffered disqualifying conditions - disastrous civil wars, Muslimpopulations big enough to provoke charges that we were occupying another Muslimnation, or are under NATO attack.

That left only a handful of candidates to bribe for a base. But those African leaderspresumably had less confidence than their would-be mentors that modern nation-

building is distinct from the colonial variant that caused them so much trouble. SoAfrica Command remains in Germany, shunned by the governments it aims to assist.Another problem is the State Department has not sent AFRICOM as many diplomats asit wants. Perhaps Foggy Bottom was reluctant to subordinate diplomats to generals inservice of goals that we used to call "diplomacy." They may also cling stubbornly to theidea that our African embassies are a better place than Army bases in Germany fromwhich to engage African governments.AFRICOM's biggest problem is that its objectives assume powers it lacks. Its advocatesimply that al-Qaida would be running much of the continent but for training itorganized and wells it helped dig. But African chaos is amenable neither to foreign

state-builders nor international terrorism. AFRICOM's busy work has no real impact onour security.

It is not that taxpayers get a great deal on the other geographic commands. SouthernCommand, which deals with South and Central America, fights the counterproductivedrug war and Haitian boat people. Northern Command, for North America, is mostlyconcerned with missions that the National Guard and the North American AerospaceDefense Command has covered. Its biggest enemies are storms, Posse Comitatus andoverwrought cyber fears.

European Command ran out of enemies in the 1990s. Even Central Command (theMiddle-East) and Pacific Command (Asia), which at least have real threats to hype,largely replicate capacity in the Pentagon or the commands we stand up in the countrieswhere we fight. We should close them all.

Because our leaders likely will not do that, they should at least make AFRICOM a local,rather than foreign, subsidy. Bring it home, as we already have done for Southern andCentral Commands. As Massachusetts natives, our first choice for AFRICOM's new


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home is Fort Devens, a closed base near Boston, just across the ocean from the continentit is to run. The Gulf Coast could also work. New Orleans and Biloxi are both home tomilitary bases and still struggling from Hurricane Katrina and the oil spill.

Washington has some empty offices, three nearby airports and plenty of hard workers

well-versed in this brand of technocratic idealism.

Bringing peace and stability to Africa is a tall order for the U.S. military. Bringing a fewjobs home is doable. Military programs shouldn't be jobs programs, everyone says. But,as it happens, they are, and we might as well make them local ones.-------------------------White House: Success in Protecting Libyan Civilians (ABC)By SARAH HERNDON and EVAN HARRISMay 8, 2011While the Obama administration continues to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden,

their troubles in the Middle East have not come to an end. In an interview with "ThisWeek" anchor Christiane Amanapour, the President's National Security adviser insistedthat the United States would not increase its presence in Libya due to NATO's successin protecting the embattled nation's civilians.

"NATO is still running this operation now, we're supporting it," Donilon toldAmanpour. "They have the assets that are needed for them to engage in the civilianprotection mission, and they are engaging."

Recalling NATO's ineffective war policy in Bosnia, where the U.S. "gave the Europeans

the lead and they weren't able to protect the civilians," Amanpour asked if the UnitedStates policy of "leading from behind" will be ineffective in achieving the desired resultsin Libya.

"Will the U.S. step up more involvement?" Amanpour asked the White House NationalSecurity Adviser.

"No," responded Donilon. "When the president made this decision, there was animmediate threat to 700,000 Libyan civilians in the town of Benghazi. We've had asuccess here in terms of being able to protect those civilians. Now we need to continuethat civilian protection mission and continue to put the pressure on Gadhaffi."-----------------------African Union Official Urges Political Solution to Libyan Crisis (VOA)By Peter ClotteyMay 8, 2011The African Union says its roadmap for peace is the best option for settling Libyaspolitical crisis.


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El-Ghassim Wane said the AU is convinced that only a political solution will make itpossible to promote peace in a lasting manner that will also fulfill the aspirations of theLibyan people to democracyand good governance.

The AU plan calls for a ceasefire, and a dialogue between all Libyan parties for a

solution to the crisis. It also calls for the protection of African workers in the country.

Wane said the proposal, which is geared towards achieving stability in Libya, is thebasis for AU talks with both the administration of Moammar Gadhafi and theopposition National Transitional Council.

Wane also said the AU is encouraged by the rival parties support of its efforts toresolve the crisis. In late April, Libyas foreign minister went to Ethiopias capital todiscuss the peace plan with AU officials. However, rebels want any agreement toinclude Gadhafis removal from power.

Some members of the international community do as well. But, Wane said thats anissue for the two parties decide.

Its not up to the AU to determine the future of Libya, said Wane. Our conviction isthat the future of Libya should be determined by Libyans. Our role is to help Libyans tonegotiatewith the view of fulfilling the aspirations of their people.

Some experts have been critical of the AUs roadmap deal saying it has so far beeninfective in resolving the almost daily violent clashes between Gadhafi loyalists and the

rebels seeking to overthrow the government.

Wane acknowledged the challenges the roadmap faces but expressed confidence in theAUs ability to help resolve the stalemate.

We wont relent in our efforts, said Wane, because it is our conviction that the onlyway to address in a sustainable manner the crisis in Libya is through dialogue.

His comments came after loyalist forces intensified their shelling of towns Saturday inthe country's western mountains, a stronghold of anti-Gadhafi rebels.---------------------------Libya Tribal Appeal to Rebels Falls Flat (WSJ)By RICHARD BOUDREAUXMay 9, 2011TRIPOLI, LibyaCol. Moammar Gadhafi has turned to Libya's tribal leaders in a neweffort to erode a Western-backed insurgency, but the initiative, including the promise ofan amnesty, is having no immediate impact on the stalemated conflict.


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The rebel leadership dismissed an appeal by hundreds of tribal elders to engage inpeace talks. And the tribal chiefs, who held a nationally televised conference in Tripoli,stopped short of pledging armed followers to back up the Libyan leader's militarycampaign.

Government forces attacked isolated rebel strongholds in western Libya over theweekend, striking a fuel terminal in rebel-held Misrata with ground-to-ground rocketsand igniting a fire that threatened the besieged port city's fuel supply.

The rebel-held mountain towns of Zintan and Wazin also came under rocket fire,forcing many inhabitants to flee across the border into Tunisia. About 80 shells fell onTunisia's soil, prompting a protest by its government Sunday to Libyan authorities, theTunisian state news agency reported.

Since the uprising began in mid-February, Libyan authorities have enlisted local tribal

leaders and offered amnesties in some towns recaptured from the rebels. The latestamnesty plan, announced Saturday by Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmoudi, wouldcover all of Libya, including the rebels' eastern strongholds.

The Justice Ministry is drafting an amnesty law, Mr. Mahmoudi told a news conference,and a nationwide committee of tribal leaders will be entrusted to present it tocounterparts in rebel-controlled areas in an effort at reconciliation.

The tone of the prime minister's remarks was plaintive, reflecting frustration overLibya's division and deadlock. At one point, he addressed defectors from his

government who now work for the rebels' Transitional National Council, calling them"my brothers" and urging them to "say no to bloodshed."

"If there were mistakes or wrongs" in governing Libya, he said, "then the mistakesbelong to all of us."

Abed Abu Hamada, a leader of the Mergharbah tribe from the eastern city of Ajdabiya,struck a similar note at the tribal conference, appealing to "our brothers in the easternregionsthe armed ones, the misled ones." The two-day conference ended late Fridaywith a denunciation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's aerial attacks andsupport for an amnesty and peaceful dialogue.

Mansour el-Kikhia, an adviser to the rebel leadership, said the tribal leaders' messagewould have no impact in eastern Libya, where rebel forces shielded by NATO airstrikeshave a solid hold on Benghazi, seat of their leadership council, and other coastal cities.

"The east is feeling so free, so removed from Gadhafi, that none of this is going to makeany difference," he said.


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Moussa Ibrahim, a Libyan government spokesman, said about 200 elders from therebel-held east took part in the conference and would exert their influence back home.But in interviews, two of those elders said they had fled the region weeks ago, after therebel takeover, and didn't plan to return anytime soon.

Tribal loyalties and influence have diminished in recent decades as Libya's populationhas become more mobile and urban, social scientists say. Tens of thousands of membersof the predominately western tribes that form the core of Col. Gadhafi's support nowlive in Benghazi and in March staged a demonstration there calling on their westerncousins to join the revolt.

The government gave extraordinary publicity to the tribal conference and opened it toforeign journalists. "You can't get more representative than this," said Mr. Ibrahim, wholisted 851 tribal groups present. "It sends a powerful message to the country."

George Joffe, a Cambridge University professor who has studied Libya's tribal politics,said the gathering may have been staged more for audiences in the West "in the hope ofcreating the impression that Col. Gadhafi enjoys widespread support." Even thatsupport was limited. Two weeks after government officials suggested that armed tribalgroups might take up the siege of Misrata, there was no mention of such action at theconference.

Instead, the gathering's final declaration called for peaceful marches to rebel-held

"hijacked towns" to try to "liberate" them. But no marches were immediately planned."NATO must stop bombing first," said Mansour Khalaf, leader of the Warfalla tribe."Then Libyans will stop fighting each other."

In Misrata on Sunday, fires were still blazing from fuel depots a day after being struckby Col. Gadhafi's forces. Rebel spokesman Mohammed Alzawwam said the attack haddiminished gasoline supplies for rebel vehicles.

It was the second pinpoint attack on Misrata by government forces in recent days.Rebels were working to clear antitank mines that had been dropped by parachuteacross the port area late Thursday from rockets that open in midflight.

In Benghazi, Abdul Hafidh Ghoga, spokeman for the rebels' governing council, said itplanned to use money from a fund pledged for humanitarian and reconstruction needsto buy weapons from the Italian government. Maurizio Massari, an Italian ForeignMinistry spokesman, denied that Rome planned to supply weapons to the rebels. Hesaid the fund, set up by 22 NATO and Arab countries last week, could not be used forweapons purchases from any source.


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------------------------Fierce fighting reported in Libyan cities (AlJazeera)By Unattributed AuthorMay 9, 2011NATO air attacks have hit Libyan government weapons depots near Zintan, southwest

of Tripoli, the capital, according to a rebel spokesman in the town.

Separately, two loud explosions rocked a western sector of Tripoli on Sunday as jetsflew overhead, witnesses told the AFP news agency.

An international coalition began carrying out attacks on forces loyal to MuammarGaddafi, Libya's long-time ruler, on March 19, under a UN mandate to protect civiliansin the country. NATO took command of operations over Libya on March 31.

"NATO struck weapons depots five minutes ago in an area which lies about 30km

southeast of Zintan," Abdulrahman, the rebel spokesman, told the Reuters news agencyby telephone on Sunday.

"We heard a loud explosion ... I think the strike hit some of them [the depots].

"We are now at a cemetery burying 11 people martyred during yesterday's fighting, inwhich 35 other fighters were also wounded."

The reported air raids came a week after the Libyan government said that Gaddafi'sson, Seif al-Arab Gaddafi, and three of his grandchildren were killed in a NATO air

strike on a compound in Tripoli.

Elsewhere in the country, rebels in the contested city of Misurata clashed withgovernment forces near the airport, a rebel spokesman told the Reuters news agency onSunday.

"Fierce fighting is taking place now at the airport and in the air force college area [nearthe airport]. We are still hearing sounds of artillery and rockets," the spokesman, calledAbdelsalam, said from Misurata.

"NATO struck an area in the east of Misurata today but we do not have details."

Fuel depots destroyed

Misurata is the last remaining city in Libya's west under rebel control. It has been undersiege for more than two months and has witnessed some of the war's fiercest fightingbetween the rebels and Gaddafi loyalists.


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On Saturday, a rebel spokesman in Misurata said that Gaddafi's forces dropped bombson four large oil-storage tanks, destroying them and sparking a fire that spread to fourmore.

Government forces used small, pesticide-spraying planes for the overnight attack in

Qasr Ahmed close to the port, Ahmed Hassan, the spokesman, said.

"Four tanks were totally destroyed and huge fire erupted which spread now to theother four. We cannot extinguish it because we do not have the right tools," he said.

"Now the city will face a major problem. Those were the only source of fuel for the city.These tanks could have kept the city for three months with enough fuel."

Commenting on the latest fighting, Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from therebel stronghold of Benghazi, said on Sunday that Libya "is showing that it is ready for

any kind of foreign aggression.

"They know that it is extremely important to keep the momentum in what appears nowto be a very long and protracted conflict".

Border tensions

Against this backdrop of continued conflict, Tunisia warned on Sunday that therepeated shelling from Libya of one of its border towns may force it to take measures toprotect its sovereignty.

The country's official TAP news agency said that about 80 shells from Libya have fallenon Tunisian territory.

There were no reported injuries after the shells fell as Libyan troops fought with rebelsto regain control of the Wazen-Dhehiba border post.

TAP quoted the Tunisian foreign ministry as warning that the country would take "allmeasures needed" within the law to ensure protection of its citizens, refugees and itsterritory.

Tunisia summoned Libya's ambassador on April 29 to complain after shells fell ininhabited areas. It now says Libya is not keeping to its commitments.

Meanwhile Italian coast guards and local fisherman saved all 528 refugees on a boatfrom Libya after their vessel hit rocks off the island of Lampedusa in an operation arescuer described as a "miracle."


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Most of those on board were migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia whohave been living in Libya. Thousands of refugees fleeing Libya have been arriving inLampedusa in recent weeks as the conflict there has escalated.

"The bombs forced us to flee. Right now the situation in Libya doesn't leave us any

choice," a Pakistani refugee was quoted by ANSA news agency as saying.

Lampedusa, which measures 20 square kilometres (eight square miles), is Italy'ssouthernmost point and is closer to North Africa than to the mainland.

Morana said an investigation was underway into what had gone wrong but he believedthere had been "a malfunctioning of the rudder" on the vessel.

Also Sunday, another boat carrying 800 refugees from Libya arrived in Lampedusa, aday after two boats with 842 refugees including 101 women and 22 children also fleeing

the North African state landed there.

Lampedusa, which has a population of only around 5,000 has been overrun by morethan 30,000 migrant and refugee arrivals since the start of the year. Almost all havesince been transferred to the mainland or sent back.

Almost all have been Tunisians in search of a better life in Europe amid continuedupheaval in their homeland in the wake of a revolt in January.

Some 150 refugees fleeing Libya are believed to have died on April 6 after their boat

capsized in stormy weather in the middle of the Mediterranean. Italian coast guardsmanaged to pluck 53 survivors from the sea.

A week later, two women died and another person was reported missing after theirovercrowded boat hit rocks on the Italian island of Pantelleria.-----------------Ivorian President Sworn In (WSJ)By MONICA MARK and DAVID GAUTHIER-VILLARSMay 6, 2011Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara took oath of office on Friday as authorities ofthe Western African country try to turn the page on the months-long civil conflict thatfollowed a contested election.

Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara takes his presidential oath in a tense ceremonyconducted by an ally of ousted leader Laurent Gbagbo. Video courtesy of Reuters.

It is the start of a new era of reconciliation," Mr. Ouattara said in a short speech after theceremony.


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Mr. Ouattara and ousted leader Laurent Gbagbo were engaged in an armed conflictafter the latter refused to relinquish his president's post following his loss in theNovember election. Mr. Gbagbo was put under house arrest after he was pulled from abasement bunker at his residence on April 11.

Life is slowly returning to normal in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's commercial hub: Bankshave reopened for business and cocoa export companies are girded to resume trade,though many complain about racketeering.

Officials have had to deal with sporadic uprisings in recent weeks. On Friday, theUnited Nations dispatched investigators to inspect the site of alleged massacres in oneAbidjan district.

In the normally bustling district of Youpougon, two U.N. tanks guarded the short dusty

road that led to a field where children once played soccer and marriage receptions wereheld. An official said at least 44 dead bodies were now buried in mass unmarked gravesthere, surrounded by looted shanty homes and a mosque with a caved-in roof.

"A group of volunteers came to bury some of the bodies that were rotting in the sunthree weeks ago," said 24-year-old Alberto Samake, holding three unclaimed identitycards found among the strewn belongings. "While we were doing that, Gbagbo'smilitiamen came and started shooting again."

Meanwhile, Ivory Coast prosecutors were scheduled to question Mr. Gbagbo on Friday

as part of a preliminary probe aimed at determining his role in the nearly five-monthstandoff. Two French lawyers for Mr. Gbagbo said they could not meet with their clienton Friday because they were denied entry into Ivory Coast on the grounds that theirvisas were not valid.

Habiba Toure, a third lawyer for Mr. Ggabgo who had remained in Paris, saidprosecutors had to allow for the presence of a counsel to question their client.

Mr. Gbagbo is held under house arrest on the grounds of a 1963 law aimed preventingpublic unrest. Prosecutors have said it was too early to say what charges might bepressed against him.

Prosecutors, however, have said they would not look into possible accusations of crimeagainst humanitysomething they would leave to the Hague-based InternationalCriminal Court.

The ICC has said it was planning to launch an investigation into alleged widespreadkillings in Ivory Coast, a probe that could involve both sides of the conflict.


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Ivory Coast government officials said an inquiry will look into the mass graves ofaround 800 people found in the western town of Duekoue last month. Human rightsgroups said forces loyal to Mr. Ouattara were behind the massacres.

Mr. Ouattara has said no crime would be left unpunished, even if perpetrated by hisown supporters.-------------------------Ivory Coast: 29 bodies found in new mass grave (AP)By Unattributed AuthorMay 8, 2011ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast A new mass grave containing 29 bodies has been found in arestive suburb of Ivory Coast's commercial capital, said a resident who said the victimswere killed in the aftermath of a political standoff that plunged the country intoviolence.

U.N. investigators had said they were investigating the reports of a new mass grave.

Yopougon resident Brahima Bakayoko said late Saturday that militants loyal to arrestedstrongman Laurent Gbagbo swept through the neighborhood amid celebrations overGbagbo's April 11 arrest.

He said the militants targeted members of two ethnic groups that supporteddemocratically elected President Alassane Ouattara, the Dioula and the Baoule.

"Here, they killed two youths of the Baoule and they forced us to bury them in the sametomb," he said, adding that he counted 29 bodies in the grave.

An Associated Press reporter visited the site late Saturday and spoke to other residentswho said their family members were killed. They did not give their names.

The U.N. human rights office in Geneva announced Friday that their investigators wereheaded to a soccer field in Yopougon believed to be the site of a new mass grave.

"We are told that there is a vast field that is used to play soccer. It is now an open-aircemetery," said Hamadoun Toure, spokesman for the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast.

Yopougon had voted in large numbers for Gbagbo. His militias are believed to havetaken cover in Yopougon, and the neighborhood was the scene of pitched battles untilThursday, when Ouattara's military spokesman announced that the area had beenbrought under control.


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Toure said it was not known if the dead were killed by Gbagbo's forces, or if they wereGbagbo supporters slain in reprisal killings by forces loyal to Ouattara. Human rightsgroups have detailed massacres by the forces backing Ouattara, who swept the countrycoming in from the north, east and west.

Judicial officials began questioning Gbagbo on Saturday over human rights abusescommitted while he was in power.

Gbagbo's refusal to cede power after losing a November poll sent the West Africannation into a spiral of violence. More than a 1,000 civilians were killed, first by the armycontrolled by Gbagbo and later by a former rebel group allied with Ouattara that seizedcontrol of the country and toppled Gbagbo.-------------------------Ivory Coast Begins Questioning of Ex-Leader Gbagbo (VOA)By Unattributed Author

May 7, 2011A prosecutor in Ivory Coast's government says officials have for the first timequestioned former President Laurent Gbagbo about alleged rights abuses committedwhile he was in power.

Prosecutor Simplice Kouadio Koffi told reporters that Gbagbo was questioned Saturdaydespite the absence of his lawyers.

Gbagbo's team of French lawyers flew into Abidjan Friday, but were not allowed toenter the country. Ivorian officials say did not have valid visas.

Koffi said judicial officials will question Gbagbo's wife, Simon, on Sunday. SimoneGbagbo was a key figure in her husband's government.

Gbagbo was arrested last month for refusing to step down after losing a Novemberelection. His refusal to cede power sparked a violent power struggle between loyalistsof Gbagbo and supporters of President Alassane Ouattara who won the election.

The political unrest killed hundreds and displaced about 1 million people.

Ouattara took power last month, after his supporters captured the defiant Gbagbo in hisAbidjan home with the help of United Nations and French forces. Ouattara was sworninto office Friday inside the presidential palace.------------------------U.N. warns about standoff in oil-rich Sudan region (CNN)By Unattributed AuthorMay 7, 2011


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Violence in the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei will jeopardize relations between northand South Sudan governments as the two sides gear up for a permanent separation inJuly, the United Nations said.

Northern Sudan's army clashed with southern forces in the region this week, killing at

least 14, the United Nations said Friday.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he "is deeply concerned by thecontinued tension" in the area.

"The military standoff is unacceptable," Ban said in a statement.

South Sudan in January voted to split from the north, and is expected to officiallybecome an independent nation in July.

However, the fate of the oil-rich Abyei region remains a flashpoint.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said last month that his government would notrecognize the new state of South Sudan if it claims Abyei.

"Abyei is a part of the north and will remain a part of the north," the president said in aspeech broadcast on state television.

Al-Bashir's declaration reneged on an earlier promise to honor the results.

On Friday, Ban urged the two sides to avoid claiming ownership of the area to avoidundermining a peaceful resolution.

"The parties must refrain from provoking each other or engaging in any militaryconfrontation in Abyei as this could result in further loss of life and significantly affectthe future relationship between North and South," he said.

Leaders of the north and the South have a range of issues to address as their separationnears, including Abyei.

Ban said the two sides should make negotiations on the disputed region a priority,joining the United States in calling for a resolution to outstanding concerns.

"It is important that both sides ... focus intensely on trying to resolve the key issues thathave not been completed ... Abyei is one of them," Johnnie Carson, the U.S. assistantsecretary of state for African affairs, said last month.


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The referendum to split was part of a 2005 peace agreement that ended two decades ofviolence between the north and oil-rich south. The conflict led to the deaths of 2 millionpeople, many from starvation.------------------------Shipping Companies Urge Governments to Tackle Piracy (WSJ)

By NEENA RAIMay 9, 2011Ship owners are stepping up pressure on governments world-wide to take a strongerrole in policing the waters off Somalia and prosecuting hijackers, saying laxenforcement is encouraging attacks and helping pirates extend their operations fartherinto the Indian Ocean.

Piracy hit an all-time high in the first three months of 2011, with 142 attacks world-wide, up from 67 a year earlier, according to statistics from the International MaritimeBureau, a non-profit organization set up to counter maritime crime. The sharp increase

was led by a surge in hijackings off the coast of Somalia, where 97 attacks wererecorded in the first quarter of 2011, up from 35 in the comparable period last year.

"National governments hold the key to resolving this crisis. Their brief to the navalforces has, in most cases, been simply to deter and disrupt unless it involves a nationalinterest," said Graham Westgarth, president of Teekay Marine Services, a unit of TeekayCorp., the world's largest owner of medium-sized crude oil tankers. "Prosecution isvital. Even when caught red-handed by naval forces, 80% of pirates are released againto attack," Mr. Westgarth adds, citing figures compiled by the International Associationof Independent Tanker Owners, or Intertanko.

Since March 31, Somali pirates have taken a further 30 vessels for ransom, holding 588crew members of varying nationalities as hostage, according to the IMB.

Ship owners also point to increasing cases of torture and execution of hostages. Earlierthis year, Somali pirates shot and killed four American hostages on a 58-foot yachtseized in the Arabian Sea. In the first quarter of 2011, seven hostages were killed,according to IMB data. In contrast, no hostages were killed in the year-earlier period.

Ship owners also say that the threat of piracy has increased voyage times, as ships usesafer, but significantly longer, routes. About 40% of the world's oil supply is shippedthrough the Indian Ocean, an area where Somali pirates are dramatically increasingtheir presence.

"Vessels now sail from the Arabian Gulf, then very close to coast of India before they goaround Africa," said Richard Arnesen, Head of Tankers at Oslo-based oil shippingbroker Imarex Asa. "It's adding an extra four to five days in voyage times, but it's saferthan sailing straight down the Indian Ocean," he said.


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More than 20 naval vessels now patrol the coast of Somalia as part of multinationalcoalition established in December 2008. The flotilla includes ships from the EU, U.S. andNATO, as well China and Russia. But ship owners and brokers question itseffectiveness, saying governments are reluctant to take captured pirates to their

countries for trial because failure to convict could open the door to claims for asylum.

"Especially in the European Union, it's clear that governments do not wish to prosecutepirates in the fear that a failure to convict will open the floodgates for asylum claimsinto the country under question," said a shipping industry executive who asked not tobe identified.

Recent cases highlight the difficulty putting pirates on trial. In April, the EuropeanUnion Naval Force Somalia, or EU Navfor, returned 18 suspected pirates to Somalia,after its requests to three states considered to have an interest in the case proved

unsuccessful. "The states either decided not to prosecute or could not provide intent toprosecute within the required timescale," EU Navfor said.

The pirates were detained by Finnish warship FNS Pohjanmaa April 6, after theyhijacked the Singapore-flagged vessel MV Pacific Opal April 5 in the North ArabianSea, about 500 kilometers east of Salalah, Oman. The states that were offered a chance toprosecute were Finland, Singapore and Kenya. All three governments declined tocomment on the situation.

"The shipping community feels that the countries where the hijacked vessels are

registered or the country involved in the detention of pirates, should be taking a lotmore responsibility in the prosecution procedure," said Bill Box, spokesman forIntertanko.

Under international maritime law and United Nations Security Council resolutions onpiracy, all states have the jurisdiction to prosecute people suspected of involvement inpiracy. And under article 105 of the U.N. convention on the Law of the Sea, a state thathas seized suspected pirates has the right to prosecute them. Generally, the next state tobe contacted is the flag state of the attacked vessel. The crew members' or ship owner'scountry can also be asked to prosecute.

With the Pacific Opal pirates, "there was no state willing to prosecute the pirates, and asEU Navfor cannot detain the pirates indefinitely, as this is in breach of the regulationsof the European Convention on Human Rights, so we decided to release the pirates,"EU Navfor spokesman Paddy O'Kennedy said.

In another case, the U.K. Royal Navy frigate HMS Cornwall's capture of 17 Somalipirates aboard a hijacked vessel in the Indian Ocean Feb. 15 stirred controversy after the


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director of the Public Prosecutions Service instructed the navy to return the offenders toSomalia.

"We support the wishes of the countries [such as Somalia] to prosecute and imprisonpirates in the region, and we are helping them to do so," a spokeswoman for the U.K.

Foreign Office said. She declined to comment on the issue of asylum.

But a trial in Somalia is extremely unlikelythe central government has little controloutside the capital, Mogadishu.

In the face of increasingly brazen attacks and little hope of a law-enforcementcrackdown, ship owners say they have no option but to pay more ransom to free crewsand retrieve ships, which in turn encourages more piracy.

"We cannot let the shipping trade cope alone with piracy by ransom pay outs, which

merely encourage further acts of piracy. But if governments do not intervene, whatchoice to do shippers have to recover hijacked vessels and crew members?" said Mr.Box of Intertanko.

On April 8, Somali pirates released Greek-owned oil tanker Irene SL after 58 days incaptivity. Published reports claim a fee of more than $13 million was negotiated. Thatlevel would mark a record-high ransom paid by a ship owner for the recovery of avessel. Martin Baxendale, spokesman for NS Lemos & Co. Ltd., owner of the Irene SL,declined to comment on the size of the ransom paid to recover the tanker.

The hijacking marked a significant escalation in Somali piracy, taking it into the mainsea lanes of the Arabian Gulf. The crude oil tanker hijacking represented 20% of totalU.S. daily crude oil imports, or 5% of total daily world seaborne oil supply.

According to non-governmental organization One Earth Future, a global-governancethink tank, a total $415 million was paid in ransoms to Somali pirates in 2009 and 2010.

Aside from pushing for more prosecutions, ship owners want more aggressive policingat sea. "We specifically want governments to reduce the effectiveness of the easilyidentifiable mother ships, the hubs from which gangs operate, as well as increase navalassets in the piracy zone," Intertanko's Mr. Box said.

One nation that has taken a more pro-active stance is India, which earlier this yearmoved to give its navy greater powers to crack down on pirates farther out at sea, aspirate attacks moved deeper into its shipping lanes. The approach has already yielded abig catch. On March 12, the Indian navy intercepted a pirate mother ship, Vega 5, 600nautical miles west of India, in international waters. The hostage crew was released


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unharmed and the 62 pirates were detained and transported to India, where they awaittrial. This was the southernmost incident of Somali piracy.-----------------------EU to Give Five Million Euros for Election (RFI)By Daniel Finnan

8 May 2011The European Union is to provide five million euros to help Guinea run a delayedgeneral election.

Wrapping up his two-day visit to Guinea on Saturday the European Commissioner forDevelopment Andris Piebalgs told RFI that support for the country's parliamentaryelections is "crucial" to avoid future ethnic violence.

"Elections are crucial because countries in Africa have a lot of tribal history and it isvery difficult to find any other method to avoid violence and poor representation of

each and every ethnic group," Piebalgs says.

Guinea has not had a legislature since 2008 when it was dissolved by former militaryjunta leader Moussa Dadis Camara. A 155-member National Transition Council hasbeen acting in place of parliament since February 2010.

"Without parliament all the debates that come between different groups of interestcould overspill," says Piebalgs, who arrived in Guinea a few days after violence left atleast 25 people dead in the south east of the country.

The European Union broke off diplomatic relations with the former French colonyfollowing the military's coup in December 2008 and Piebalgs' visit marks a warming ofties since last year's presidential election.

"For us, it was of crucial importance - the presidential election - it passed well," the EUCommissioner insists. "Since then we've started to develop cooperation.".

During the visit Piebalgs took part in the inauguration of the Forecariah bridge, astructure providing a route between Conakry and Freetown, completed with 8.35million euros from the EU.

But aside from EU support for improvements to the country's infrastructure, Piebalgsbelieves reform to the country's lucrative mining sector could bring the biggestwindfall.

"There is quite substantial interest from Rio Tinto and also from other companies. Andthat gives the country a chance to move quite rapidly out of poverty if the governance isright," he believes.


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Guinea has some of the largest bauxite reserves in the world. Income from bauxitemining is "key", according to Piebalgs. Although he warns that the status of existingcontracts signed under the previous government is a "delicate area". Guinean PresidentAlpha Cond has already embarked on a review of mining licenses.

The EU diplomat also discussed military reforms with Cond reflecting concerns overany future involvement of the army in governance.

"This country has a huge army and it's definitely important to have security sectorreforms," Piebalgs says. "For the size of the country, it definitely requires people to gointo retirement and that means that we need to support this process, because if we don'tthe risk of military coup there is quite substantial."--------------------------Women Entrepreneurs Carve a Niche in Boston (IPS)

By Talia Whyte6 May 2011Boston Deeqo Jibril is always on the go. Whether she is tending to her four childrenor teaching breast cancer awareness classes to women in her community, the Somali-born community organiser is always up for a new challenge.

Recently, she gave up her job as a social worker to focus full time on the Boston-basedSomali Community & Cultural Association, a nonprofit Jibril founded a year ago tosupport Somali-American women.

The organisation is located inside a 3,000-square-foot retail building in Dudley Square,the heart of Boston's African American community. Jibril is also a building co-landlordand currently subleases space for six businesses.

"Most of my tenants are from Africa and the West Indies," Jibril said. "I startedsubleasing the building two years ago so other entrepreneurs could have a chance at theAmerican dream."

Statistically, Somalis have struggled more than nearly any other immigrant group in theUnited States. The American Community Survey estimated just over 100,000 Somalislived in the U.S. in 2009, with almost 30,000 living in Minnesota, although other sourcessuggest 60,000.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income for Somalis isamong the lowest, with 51 percent living in poverty. But that could be changing.

Jibril's enterprise is not only an example of the evolving multicultural dynamic withinthe U.S. workplace, but also the role of women. According to Joyce Stanley, head of the


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Dudley Square Main Streets Program, a city initiative to support business developmentin the community, there are nine businesses that were started up by African women inthe area, many of them in the last four years alone.

"In the immigrant community, anyone who comes here to America is motivated to

achieve," Stanley said. "Somalis are one of the fastest growing immigrant communitiesin Boston, but it is simply amazing to see the Somali women take charge."

Like many Somalis in Boston, Jibril immigrated with her mother and four siblings in1991 to escape the civil war in Mogadishu. Entrepreneurship runs in Jibril's blood, asher mother, Lul Isak, is also an entrepreneur who sells women's scarves from a cart inher daughter's building.

Down the street is Mabruuk Fashions, a store specialising in traditional Islamic apparelfor women, which was started up by Somali entrepreneur Sapia Gelle in 2007. Gelle is

out of the country for several weeks, so her daughter Amenia Wasin is currentlymanaging the store.

"My mother was always a businesswoman at heart even before she came here," Wasinsaid. "It's a special thing to see all these women running businesses here."

Dudley Square has been a revolving door of culturally diverse entrepreneurship forover a century. Up until the 1940s, the community was supported by businesses run byJewish, Irish and Eastern European immigrants. The square evolved after World War II,when an influx of African Americans migrated there from the South, escaping harsh Jim

Crow laws.

Most of them were Pullman Porters, who not only helped modernise the country'srailroad system, but also contributed to the rise of the black middle class. Many of thesebusinessmen were influenced by Marcus Garvey's call for black economic self-reliance.

Today, there are abandoned buildings reminiscent of Dudley Square's glory days ofAfrican American entrepreneurship, ranging from pharmacies, barbershops andrestaurants. Beginning in the 1990s, some of those buildings were taken over by a newwave of entrepreneurs from South Korea, Jamaica and Nigeria.

For many of the Somali women, owning their own businesses here gives them financialindependence, which is something they didn't have in their home countries. In Somalia,men are generally the breadwinners in their traditionally Muslim households, whiletheir wives kept house and took care of the children.

However, once these families come to the United States, the roles change, and thewomen are setting up shop and bringing home paycheques.


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Saido Farah moved to Boston from Somalia in 1996 and started Roots Halal MeatMarket in the neighbouring community of Jamaica Plain in 2004. Farah, who is fivemonths pregnant, runs the store seven days a week with the support of her husbandand one of her 10 children. Farah says it can be hard at times, but she does good

business with her predominately Muslim clientele. She also believes in giving back toher community.

While her husband is very supportive of her venture, she said many of her malecustomers are not sure how to take her.

"They are not used to seeing women in positions of power," Farah said. "However, themen are generally supportive of me."

Back in Dudley Square, Ismahar Warfa helps run the Indian Ocean Grocery and Halal

Meat with her husband. She says that no matter whether a man or a woman is runningthe store, in this economy, "work is work", and everyone chips to support the business.

The male businessmen in Jibril's building are supportive of her work.

"I think it's healthy to have business women since some of the best world leaders arewomen, like Hillary Clinton, Golda Meir, and Indira Gandhi," said Josiah Faeduwer, theSierra Leonean manager of Bintimani Restaurant located in the building. "Deeqo is apowerful woman who has the character to bring people together."

Unfortunately, Jibril says she is not getting that same support for her ventures from herhusband, who she is currently divorcing. Despite the tragedy of a marriage breakup,Jibril says she has more freedom now to concentrate on her nonprofit's work, such asproviding English language training and developing business skills for other Somaliwomen.

In fact, she will be honored for her work in the community May 18 by theMassachusetts Commission on the Status of Women as an "Unsung Hero".

"It is an honour to serve my community," Jibril said. "Giving back and empoweringother women only makes our community stronger."--------------------------UN News Service Africa BriefsFull Articles on UN Website

As military stand-off continues in Sudans Abyei area, UN chief presses for peace


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6 May Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced concern over the continuingmilitary stand-off in Sudans disputed area of Abyei, saying the deadlock has led tofurther loss of life, despite the recent peace measures agreed to by both parties.

UN launches initiative to spur job creation for Africas poor

6 May The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched aninitiative to boost job creation through involving low-income people in Africa inbusiness development programmes as customers, employees, producers orentrepreneurs.

UN agency deplores fatal shooting of Somali asylum-seekers in Mozambique

6 May The United Nations refugee agency today condemned the recent shooting byMozambican police of four Somali asylum-seekers and called on authorities to ensurethat those responsible are brought to justice.

Nigeria: UN signs cooperation pact to boost adult and youth literacy6 May The United Nations agency tasked with promoting universal access toeducation today signed an agreement with Nigeria to revitalize adult and youth literacyin a country where an estimated 50 million adults cannot read and write and nearly 9million children are out of school.

Cte dIvoire: UN human rights team heads to alleged mass grave site

6 May A United Nations human rights team is investigating the reported killingearlier this week of at least 40 people in the Yopougon district of Cte dIvoirescommercial capital, Abidjan, and is due to visit an alleged mass grave there today,according to a spokesperson.

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AFRICOM Related News Clips 9 May 2011