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Drone base in Niger gives U.S. a strategic foothold in West Africa
The newest outpost in the U.S. government's empire of drone bases sits behind a razor-wire-topped wall outside this West African capital, blasted by 110-degree heat and the occasional sandstorm blowing from the Sahara. The U.S. Air Force began flying a handful of unarmed Predator drones from here last month. The gray, mosquito-shaped aircraft emerge sporadically from a borrowed hangar and soar north in search of al-Qaeda fighters and guerrillas from other groups hiding in the region's untamed deserts and hills. The Washington Post
Terrorist Classification Could Prompt Mali Drone War
The United States might be poised to ramp up its presence in Mali in the coming weeks following news Thursday that it has classified one of the militant groups fighting there as terrorists. The State Department's decision to add Ansar al Dine to its list of terrorist organizations grants the U.S. the political and legal authority to pursue directly the al-Qaida affiliate, says J. Peter Pham, a senior advisor to U.S. Africa Command. U.S.News & World Report
Africom still struggling to win South Africa's blessing
[...] In an interview with South African journalists touring Africom's headquarters in Stuttgart Germany, the organisation's commander, General Carter Ham, said Africom and the US government are yet to successfully change the hostile attitude some Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries have against Africom, particularly South Africa - one of the key countries in the continent that advocates for an African solution for African challenges. "There remains a high degree of skepticism within South Africa," Ham said. "And we too believe in an African solution for Africa, but we think we can help. When invited by governments we think we can work together well." Mail and Guardian
AU Somali force readies for possible Ethiopia pullout
African Union forces battling Islamist insurgents in Somalia are preparing troops to take over should Ethiopia withdraw more soldiers from the region, their commander said on Thursday. "We have in place contingent measures to ensure that areas in Bay and Bakool...remain stable and secure in the event of further Ethiopian troop withdrawals," said Andrew Gutti, commander of African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM), referring to southwest Somali regions currently controlled by Ethiopia. Capital FM
Somalia, where a UN arms embargo failed
The Somali National Army's 4th Brigade is walking proof of the unintended consequences of a badly thought-out attempt to control the flow of arms and ammunition. In 1992, after the Somali government collapsed and rival warlords began to tear the country apart, the United Nations imposed what was supposed to be a comprehensive arms embargo on the country. It was hoped that the embargo would choke off military supplies and bring the bloodletting to a halt. Aljazeera
Tunisian salafist announce al-Qaeda support
Tunisian salafist jihadists announced their allegiance to al-Qaeda this week, accepting the group's invitation to wage a holy war. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's call on Sunday (March 17th) to fight the French, westerners, secularists and other so-called "enemies" was welcomed by Tunisian salafist jihadists, the movement's leader, Mohamed Anis Chaieb, told Assabah. Magharebia
Purported Draft of Congo-M23 Agreement Leaked
The text of a proposed peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC's) government and rebel group M23 has apparently been leaked to the media. The rebels, who took over parts of eastern Congo last year, were scheduled to sign an agreement earlier this month but didn't. VOA obtained the purported text of the agreement Wednesday, a few days after it began circulating in political circles in the DRC capital, Kinshasa. VOA
Congo Update
Often referred to as one of the deadliest and most forgotten wars, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has yet to see a lasting peace in over a decade. Mvemba Dizolele, Tony Gambino, and Ben Rawlence discuss the long history of the Congo, the roadblocks to a sustainable framework agreement, and recommendations for the United States and regional players moving forward. Council on Foreign Relations
The Kenyatta Affair
[...] Before this election, U.S. and European officials let out vague minatory noises about what would be done if Kenyatta won. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson warned, in what may have been the most embittering and most meaningless phrase of the campaign, that "choices have consequences." Kenyans have chosen. Now those consequences have to be defined. What they may entail, beyond making a point of not phoning Kenyatta to congratulate him, no one has said publically, but it's commonly agreed that the situation is unprecedented. The West has had to deal with reprobates already in power, but never has it suffered the anxiety of watching a man accused of crimes against humanity run for and then win the highest office in a friendly nation (and with British counsel). The journalist Steve Coll wrote in the New Yorker that "Kenyatta might well become the first democratically elected alleged criminal on that scale in history." Foreign Policy
In Kenya, social media hate speech rises as nation awaits election ruling
Ugly and demeaning speech on Kenyan social media has tribal elements and many in the country are worried it could spark a reprise of the street violence that took more than 1,000 lives after the 2007 election. CS Monitor
Gaddafi family member no longer taking refuge in Algeria: envoy
Relatives of Libyan former strongman Muammar Gaddafi who took refuge in Algeria in August 2011 left the country a long time ago, the Algerian envoy to Libya said on Thursday. Times Live
Chadian rebels threaten to restart rebellion
Chadian rebels have threatened to take up arms again against President Idriss Deby's government two years after both sides agreed to stop fighting. Chadian rebel leader Timane Erdimi said on Thursday that after two years of waiting for talks the rebels had no other options, according to the Reuters news agency. Reuters said Erdimi made the threat by telephone from the Qatari capital Doha. Al Jazeera
Central African Republic Rebels Reject Peace Offer
Rebels in the Central African Republic clashed with government forces on Thursday and threatened a renewed assault on the capital, after rejecting a last-ditch peace offer. The Seleka rebel group seized two northern towns, hundreds of kilometers north of the capital Bangui, dismissing an offer from President Francois Bozize to agree to some of their demands as "too little, too late.'' VOA
Tensions mount on Mali-Burkina Faso border as cattle farmers vie for land
The movement of hundreds of thousands of cattle from Mali is threatening peace across the border in Burkina Faso, where tensions are mounting as Malian refugee pastoralists come head to head with local agricultural farmers. "They don't even say hello, they don't ask but they just take things," said Hamidou Tamboura from Djibo, near the site of the refugees. The Guardian
Ethnic clashes leave 35 dead in Nigeria
Inter-communal clashes in Jos, in central Nigeria, have left at least 35 people dead and caused extensive damage to property, local media reported on Thursday. The clashes, which took place on Wednesday, are the latest in tit-for-tat raids between communities in Jos, which has seen some of the most violent ethno-religious fighting in the country in recent years. News 24
Eritrea: Why Discontent Doesn't Necessarily Mean Change
Ali Abdu Ahmed, Eritrea's former information minister, has not been seen in Eritrea since his trip to Europe in September 2012. This has generated rumours that he has defected from President Isaias Afewerki's regime and is seeking asylum abroad. Along with other recent events in the secretive Red Sea state, Abdu's absence suggests that while Afewerki's iron grip on control is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, it perhaps stops short of heralding the Eritrean leader's downfall. Think Africa Press
The Brotherhood: In Power, But Not in Control
[...] Ever since Morsy's constitutional declaration and the rushed constitution-writing process that followed, a series of mass demonstrations, workers' strikes, and police-versus-protester clashes have plunged the country into near-chaos. Egypt's already weak economy is now in free fall, episodic instability has forced the military to assume control over three cities along the Suez Canal, and al-Gamaa al-Islamiya -- a U.S.-designated terrorist organization -- has deployed members to patrol the mid-Nile city of Asyut. The Brotherhood's single-minded pursuit of power has catalyzed significant resistance to its rule, and thus contributed to Egypt's instability. But the Islamist movement shows no sign of changing course, apparently believing that further consolidating its power is the only way it can stymie what it views as a broad conspiracy against its rule. Foreign Policy
Will the United States Be Able to Go Big on the African Development Fund This Year?
Will donors be able to "go big" on the African Development Fund (AfDF) this year, even if they want to? Here in the United States, budget austerity and restrictive funding rules stack the deck against any bold moves when it comes to multilateral contributions. But I think boldness in support of smart multilateral investments like AfDF may still be possible, and the United Kingdom's multilateral aid review just might offer some clues on how to get there. Center for Global Development
Uganda's oil: lessons on governance and the resource curse
As fresh column inches are written about Uganda's oil resources (some exposing corruption allegations, others claiming that the government scarcely has enough money to begin refining) it is clear that managing a natural resource is a daunting challenge. Uganda, anticipating commercial production in the next few years, has itself been gripped by intense debate. [link] Waste, corruption, environmental catastrophe and conflict in a country like Nigeria are a stark warning. The spectre of the "resource curse" looms large. The Guardian
Evicted from Ancestral Lands: Botswana's Basarwa Minority
For the last decade or so, the Basarwa minority group in Botswana has been locked in hard-fought legal battles with the government over access to their ancestral lands. The long-marginalised Basarwa people (also known as Bushmen and San) have been in and out of court contesting their eviction from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) in central Botswana, and claim the government has been using strategies of intimidation, arbitrary detention and violence to keep people off the land. Accusations have also been circulating about the state's reasons for wanting to clear the reserve, raising complex questions regarding the tensions between development and minority rights. Think Africa Press
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