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Senior Official: Military Will Maintain Low-key Africa Presence
U.S. military efforts in Africa will remain low-key and "small footprint," and will be geared toward building relationships with African nations, a senior Defense Department official said yesterday at the Pentagon. U.S. Africa Command is maturing and running a variety of exercises and operations with allies to continue the trend, the official said, speaking to reporters on background. U.S Department of Defense
Obama Meets Libyan Premier and Names Envoy
On the day he named a replacement for the United States ambassador slain at the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, in September, President Obama also met with Prime Minister Ali Zeidan of Libya and emphasized the need for his country's help in finding the attackers who carried out the assault that led to death of the envoy and three other Americans. The New York Times
US returning staff to embassy in Tunis
The United States on Wednesday allowed non-emergency staff to return to its embassy in Tunisia after a six-month ban, but warned that the security situation "remains unpredictable." In an updated travel warning, the State Department said, "the US embassy in Tunis is no longer on ordered departure status but continues to operate with limited staffing due to security concerns." Globalpost
Special operations in Africa task force changes commanders
Marine Corps Col. George Bristol, a trained sniper and martial arts master who for the past year has overseen a U.S. special operations task force in Africa, had a message for his troops before heading off to retirement. "An evil" has descended on Africa, Bristol said. "It is on us to stomp it out." For all the talk of the U.S. military's pivot to the Pacific, it is Africa and the growing threat posed by Islamic militant groups there that now has the attention of the special operations community. Stars and Stripes
In Africa, corruption dirties the water
Collusion among government officials, unscrupulous water vendors and large farm owners results in diverted water supply lines, misappropriated funds, and failure to implement laws on protecting water sources from encroachment and pollution. These are just some of the ways corruption is denying millions of poor people in Africa access to safe and clean drinking water, experts say. IRIN
Mali: Listening without Drones
Recent and still unconfirmed reports of the killings of top leaders of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb underscore tangible advances made by French and African forces in rolling back the violent jihadist onslaught that began in Mali over a year ago. Yet the hardest task lies ahead: setting up a viable political system that all Malians can live with. From vital partners like the US, which has just deployed drones to neighboring Niger, this task will require not high-tech solutions, but low-tech listening to the Malian people. African Argument
FRANCE 24 Exclusive: On the front lines in Mali
French ground forces in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains in northern Mali engaged in a firefight with jihadists on Sunday, FRANCE 24's Matthieu Mabin reports from one of the world's most forbidding zones. France 24
Abdul Kadir, Head of the International Support Mission to Mali has faith in Malian army
Major-General Shehu Usman Abdul Kadir, Commander of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (MISMA) is the unanimous choice of the 15 ECOWAS member states for the Mali command. The straight-talking Abdul-Kadir says that "despite the political problems they [Malian army] have had, they have tried". The Africa Report
It's Time For the U.S. to Intervene in the Congo
[...] The United States should be concerned that the DRC is climbing the ladder of the failed state index, currently second only to Somalia. Failed states pose a threat to the security of the continent as well as to the rest of the world. The United States must commit financially and practically to the long-term solution of rebuilding and strengthening government institutions. Even if the world is able to address the ruthless slaughter of the Congolese, those who are left will be unable to lead their country without education, rule of law, and a fair government. Policymic
Peacekeeping: changing horizons and new realities
Peacekeeping in Africa is at a crucial juncture, and 'template solutions' are just not good enough anymore. This was reflected in statements made during the United Nations (UN) Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34), which started on 19 February 2013. Peacekeeping in Africa faces numerous emerging challenges that require a mind shift starting at the top structures in the UN Security Council (UNSC) down to the most common standard operating procedures. ISS
Peter Mutharika and others on Malawi treason charges
The brother of former Malawi leader Bingu wa Mutharika and 11 other high-profile figures have been charged with treason for allegedly trying to prevent Joyce Banda succeeding him. Former Foreign Minister Peter Mutharika asked the military to take over after his brother's death, an official report said last week. He is accused of seeking to block Vice-President Banda taking over, as required by the constitution. BBC
Will Zimbabwe's Morgan Tsvangirai be Africa's next fallen hero?
The 'heroic' leaders who follow notorious African dictators to power frequently fall from grace themselves. If Morgan Tsvangirai replaces Robert Mugabe as president of Zimbabwe, will he be next? CS Monitor
Nigeria Pardons Ex-Governor Who Stole Millions
Nigeria has pardoned the former political benefactor of the nation's president, a presidential adviser said Wednesday, a politician convicted of stealing millions of dollars while serving as a state governor. The decision from a closed-door meeting Tuesday of the Council of State to pardon former Bayelsa state Gov. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha drew immediate outrage across Nigeria, an oil-rich nation long considered by analysts and activists to have one of the world's most corrupt governments. AP on ABC News
Maiduguri: The Nigerian city gripped by insurgency
Since 2009, northern Nigeria has been gripped by a bloody insurgency as militant group Boko Haram continues its quest to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state. Visiting the Boko Haram stronghold Maiduguri is dangerous, so a BBC reporter filmed with a concealed camera to reveal what life is like for citizens caught in the crossfire. The journalist's identity has been concealed for security reasons. BBC
Togo opposition figure charged over fires
Togolese authorities have charged a prominent political opponent of President Faure Gnassingbe over two recent market fires in the West African nation, prosecutors said on Wednesday. Jean-Pierre Fabre and another opposition official, Abass Kaboua, were "charged with complicity in destruction of public goods and conspiracy" over the January market fires, Fabre's lawyer Dodji Apevon told AFP. News 24
Hosni Mubarak's police chief 'gave shoot to kill order'
Police, including rooftop snipers, were responsible for nearly all of the deaths of the 850 protesters killed during Egypt's January 2011 uprising, a government inquiry has concluded. The report on the former regime's actions during the 18-day uprising suggests that Hosni Mubarak's security chief authorised the deadly force, and did so with the former president's full knowledge, according to excerpts of the document seen by the Associated Press. The independant
Egypt Ranks Last in World for Security in Tourism Industry Study
Egypt ranked last in terms of security and safety on the World Economic Forum's 2013 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index. The North African country ranked 138th out of 140 countries for the business costs associated with crime, violence and terrorism, and 135th for road traffic accidents, two elements of the security classification, according to the report published on the forum's website. The study aims to measure the attractiveness of tourism investment. Bloomberg
Revolution and Its Aftermath Play Out on an Avenue That Defines a City
[...] The Arab uprisings have changed cities like Tunis, turning the avenues, squares and traffic circles where protesters marched and died into hallowed spaces. Now those sites seem to measure the progress of the revolts, as in Bahrain, where the authorities have tried to wipe away the memory of the uprising there, renaming the roundabout where the protesters gathered and sealing it off with soldiers. Traffic no longer flows though Tahrir Square in Cairo. It is filled with tents that feel ever more permanent and suggest a chaotic impasse. Avenue Habib Bourguiba, guarded by riot police officers but full of movement and life, reflects the cautious hope of Tunisia's transition. In its best moments, the avenue ties together the nation's strands, forging a community even when Tunisians seem at odds. The New York Times
New Tunisian government sworn in amid protest
Moncef Marzouki, the Tunisian president, has sworn in a new government after lawmakers approved the new team in a vote. Ali Larayedh, prime minister, and his cabinet took the oath on Wednesday, the same day that a cigarette vendor who set himself ablaze in a busy street of the capital Tunis on Tuesday died under hospital care. "I speak to all those desperate young people, who are at the end of their patience and who see no glimmer of hope on the horizon," Marzouki said, evoking the memory of 27-year-old Adel Khazri who died from his injuries in the morning. Al Jazeera
'Khat' comeback allows Somalis to chew on
Locals regard this as controlled chaos - the delivery of khat to Afgoye comes every day at exactly 1pm. But for four years, when the rebel group al-Shabab controlled Afgoye, the consumption and selling of khat was banned. The khat ladies were forced to go underground, selling from their homes or the back of cars, only to customers they knew well. If they were caught, the consequences were severe, ranging from having their product burnt to public floggings. Al Jazeera
MSF quits Morocco, protesting anti-migrant attacks
Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders said Wednesday it was closing its projects in Morocco in protest at the plight of African migrants allegedly abused by Spanish and Moroccan police as they try to reach European soil. The group reported treating hundreds of migrants who said they had been beaten by Moroccan and Spanish security forces guarding a fence that closes off the Spanish enclave of Melilla. Expatica
Chinese-built electric railway to replace Ethiopia's historic French line
Camels rather than locomotives lumber over the railway tracks in this remote desert, famously traversed by storied French adventurers Arthur Rimbaud and Henry de Monfreid in the early 20th century. The old French-built railway that connected Addis Ababa, the capital of landlocked Ethiopia, to the Red Sea port of Djibouti, is now being replaced by a Chinese-built electrified railway, a bold project that seeks to boost Ethiopia's commercial exports. The East African
How Guyana calmed its ethnic conflicts
[...] Guyana had a history of tense racially-aligned politics between the Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese with roots in colonial policies, suspected Cold War alliances with the Soviet Union, and personal political rivalries. Campaign seasons were marred by violence, ranging from riots to assassinations. Political candidates competed fiercely for every vote in a country of just 760,000 and a parliament elected by proportional representation. [...] . Nevertheless, Guyana's elections commission worked with international donors, and civil society groups before the last election in 2006 and was able to defuse conflict, thwart violence, and deliver free and peaceful elections. Foreign Policy
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