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How sequester may help African security
Good news, Africa. Because Washington's unbendable lawmakers have allowed sequestration's automatic multi-billion dollar defense spending cuts to begin, African security may win out in the end, according to the top U.S. commander watching over the continent. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, last week told Congress that sequestration will force the U.S. and African countries to cut back on their annual list of military exercises, which are almost exclusively bilateral. That's bad news. The good news is that the budget crunch may force African countries to work with each other, turning some exercises and training into multinational efforts that save money. Foreign Policy
France sees northeast Mali secure by end-March
French and Chadian forces expect to have secured the northeast region of Mali that is the stronghold of Islamist militants by end-March, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told French media. Reuters
The Latest Front in a Long War
The Sahel divides the Sahara desert from the grasslands to the south. The unstable region stretches 3,400 miles west to east across parts of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan and Eritrea. Militias roam the region trafficking in drugs and arms, seizing hostages for ransom, and trading livestock. The turmoil in the Sahel is shaping up to be a long-playing conflict that will end well only with the help of African regional organizations, Western nations, nongovernmental groups, and the United Nations providing a mix of military, diplomatic and economic assistance. Collective conflict management carried out by improvised, case-specific networks operating in informal cooperation is urgently needed. The New York Times
How Misguided U.S. Aid Contributed to Mali's Coup
U.S. efforts to help the Malians secure their national territory failed spectacularly the first time. Until March 2012, when a cataclysmic military coup caused the State Department to suspend all assistance, the U.S. concentrated its aid on Mali's economic and social development, on the theory that extremism could best be defeated by alleviating poverty. In 2011, the U.S. spent $221 million on irrigation, transportation, education, health and other development initiatives. It spent less than $4 million for security programs. Much of that sum, moreover, went to development projects that purported to curb extremism. Bloomberg
Mali: French Intervention Hits Drug Running
France's surprise intervention against Islamist fighters involved in lucrative drug-running in northern Mali has disrupted cocaine supply to Europe, analysts have said. Sky News
U.S. Army Africa command post Soldiers train with South African Forces
Soldiers of U.S. Army Africa Contingency Command Post hosted a familiarization visit, Feb. 26-28, with six South African National Defense Force soldiers in preparation for Shared Accord 13, a joint peace keeping and humanitarian exercise scheduled for July. This visit, which was part of a contingency command post, or CCP, command post exercise, was the first time U.S. Army Africa, known as USARAF, incorporated a partner nation in an exercise prior to going to Africa, which the participants saw as a beneficial factor. Army.mil
Senegal, U. S. hold navy exercise
The Senegalese and U. S. navy forces are staging a seven-day exercise along the Senegalese, Cape Verdian and Mauritanian coastal waters. The joint exercise dubbed "Saharan Express 2013" began on Thursday as part of the military cooperation between the two countries. The exercise is also joined by personnel from Morocco, Mauritania, Gambia, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Britain, France and Portugal. Xinhua
US Drones bombing Africa operated from RAF bases in the heart of the Lincolnshire countryside
An RAF base in Britain is being used by America in its controversial drone warfare campaign, it was claimed last night. Documents seen by The Mail on Sunday reveal that the United States has established a drone 'operations centre' in the heart of the Lincolnshire countryside which could be used to co-ordinate attacks in the Middle East and Africa. Last night, the revelation sparked claims of British complicity in the US Airforce (USAF) assassination programme which is being investigated by the United Nations. Daily Mail
Nigeria: Hostage Video Shows Dead Bodies Of Foreign Victims
A video posted online appears to show the corpses of some of the seven foreign hostages abducted by Islamic extremists in northern Nigeria and later killed, a gruesome warning of the growing dangers in the region. The video, viewed by The Associated Press on Monday, matched still images released earlier by the Islamic extremist group Ansaru when it claimed the killings. The face of one of the corpses in the video also resembled that of one of the hostages already named by authorities. European diplomats said Sunday that the hostages had been killed. The Huffington Post
11 Malawi Ex-Ministers Arrested over Alleged Coup Plot
Malawi police on Monday arrested 11 ex-ministers and senior government officials, including the former president's brother, for an alleged coup plot, sparking protests met with police tear gas. The group are accused of trying to prevent then vice president Joyce Banda from coming to power last year, after the death of president Bingu wa Mutharika. "They are likely to be charged with treason," a senior police officer who did not want to identified told Agence France Presse. Naharnet
Uganda battles to stem wildlife trafficking
Exotic animal exports from Uganda are a lucrative business, but conservationists have managed to outlaw the private trade. Hunters must now work for licensed zoos only, although illegal wildlife trafficking continues. Inside the Murchison Falls National Park, the wildlife authority is able to provide some protection by searching for traps and snares set by poachers. Al Jazeera
Indictee for President!
When the International Criminal Court was established in 2002 it had many lofty ambitions. Ending impunity for crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. Delivering justice to those abandoned by their national courts. Boosting indictees' electoral chances was not on that list. Yet that's exactly what has happened in Kenya. Prosecutions are pending at the I.C.C. against the presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto for their alleged roles in a program of ethnic cleansing that traumatized Kenya's Rift Valley after the 2007 elections. Yet those cases gave the two men's Jubilee alliance a priceless fillip in last week's general election. International Herald Tribune
Kenyan Reaction to Disputed Election Is Far Calmer Than Last Time
In the Kibera slum, where the sun beats down mercilessly on the metal shacks and ribbons of raw sewage snake across the dirt, people are about as angry as they have ever been. Their preferred presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, lost the election. He claims it was rigged, again. And he is refusing to concede. But unlike the reaction after the last presidential election, in 2007, which Mr. Odinga also lost amid evidence of vote rigging, Kibera has not exploded. There have been no major clashes this time, here or anywhere else across Kenya, no blockading of national highways or ripping up of train tracks. The New York Times
ICC drops charges against former Kenya official
The International Criminal Court prosecutor handling accusations of crimes against humanity against four prominent Kenyans -- including the country's newly elected president -- dropped charges Monday against one of the men, citing dead, fearful or tainted witnesses and government stonewalling. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the decision to drop charges against former Cabinet Secretary Francis Kirimi Muthaura in connection with post-election violence in 2007 had nothing to do with last week's election of Uhuru Kenyatta as Kenya's next president. CNN
Central Africa rebels attack two towns: army
Fighters from the Central African Republic's main Seleka rebel group attacked two southern towns Monday, exactly two months after signing a peace deal with the government, a military source said. "Seleka forces launched a first attack at around 6:00 am (0500 GMT) against the town of Gambo... They met no resistance because our troops retreated to Bangassou," an army officer said on condition of anonymity. Globalpost
Are rape statistics in the Congo being inflated to increase aid?
A new article in Foreign Policy claims one Congolese village over-reported rape in order to secure more foreign aid. Its author says international focus on sexual violence has diverted attention from the country's underlying problems. CS Monitor
Alcohol poisoning kills 51 in Libya
At least 51 people have died after drinking tainted homemade alcohol in Tripoli, Libyan health officials say. They say 378 have been taken to the capital's hospitals since Saturday, and the number may rise further. A hospital official told the BBC the deaths occurred from methanol poisoning and that many patients were undergoing kidney dialysis for treatment. The consumption and sale of alcohol is illegal in Libya, but it is available on the black market. BBC
It's Still a Bad Idea to Sell Arms to Somalia
[...] Though still dangerous, al Shabaab is no longer capable of ruling large swaths for the country, and there's been an astounding drop in Somalia-based piracy as the security situation improves. But a country isn't fixed simply because the pirates and terrorists who utilize its territory are in retreat. The Somali federal government is badly lacking in capacity; by all accounts, its reach is little felt outside of Mogadishu, and even there it's having difficulty providing basic services for a population that is still widely-militarized and poor. The state security sector largely consists of regional militias incorporated into the national army -- hardly a firm foundation on which to build a legitimate, professional military. The Atlantic
Ethiopia's fast lane to growth
Camels rather than locomotives lumber over the railway tracks in the Ethiopian desert traversed by storied French adventurers Arthur Rimbaud and Henry de Monfreid in the early 20th century. Times Live
Peacekeeping and Protection of Civilians in South Sudan: Rhetoric and Reality
The United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) maintains civilian protection as one of its core responsibilities. However, ethnic tensions and a weak national security architecture across South Sudan, coupled with UNMISS's own limited resources, have made this objective of protecting civilians from physical violence difficult to achieve. There have been sporadic, violent tribal clashes in several South Sudanese states, most notably inter-communal violence in Jonglei state that has claimed hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. United States Institute of Peace
Sudan rivals 'to resume pumping oil'
South Sudan and Sudan have agreed to resume pumping oil after a bitter dispute over fees which saw production shut down more than a year ago. The South, which seceded from the rest of Sudan in 2011, will begin oil production again by 24 March, under the deal negotiated in Ethiopia. Both states rely heavily on oil, which is pumped from the South through Sudan's pipelines for export. They also agreed to withdraw troops from their border area. BBC
'How I escaped child slavery in Sudan'
[...] For former slaves, speaking about their ordeal is taboo - shameful, says Deng. Even when he became a Sudanese long-distance swimming champion, he kept his experiences to himself. But in 1993, having relocated to the US, he read a newspaper article that brought back the pain of his childhood. "It said in Sudan you could buy a human being for $10. I could not believe what I saw. For three nights I couldn't sleep. It haunted me. These were my people. This was my country. This was the very situation I had walked away from. But I was living in denial." IOL
Africa and the Six 'I's: Independence, Investment, Infrastructure, Innovation, Incubation, Inspiration
It's no secret that Africa has become a major success story. In 2012, six of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies were in sub-Saharan Africa, and this trend shows no signs of slowing. In 2012, growth hit 5.3 percent and it is predicted to increase this year. Meanwhile technology is transforming the continent. With 650 million subscribers, Africa's mobile phone market now exceeds that of the U.S. or EU -- a development that is changing lives. In addition to these startling figures, there is Africa's young population, which, according to projections, will double over the next four decades. The Huffington Post
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