US agents arrest Guinea-Bissau ex-official
Undercover US agents have arrested the former navy chief of Guinea-Bissau, wanted by Washington for his role in the international drugs trade, two sources familiar with the operation said. Rear Admiral Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto was detained by anti-narcotics officers along with four other people on a boat in international waters on Tuesday, the sources told the Reuters news agency. They said the arrest was carried out in a "sting" operation off the coast of West Africa. Al Jazeera
Baker relieved of duties as Task Force-Horn of Africa commander
The commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa has been fired for misconduct. Army Maj. Gen. Ralph Baker was relieved of his duties on March 28, according to U.S. Africa Command spokesman Benjamin Benson. Gen. Carter Ham, AFRICOM commander, lost confidence in Baker's ability to lead, but the command isn't releasing any further details at this time because the alleged misconduct is being appealed, Benson said. "The allegations remain under adjudication, so it would be inappropriate to comment at this time," he said. Stars and Stripes Dempsey Arrives in Germany for Africom Change of Command
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived here today for meetings with U.S. Africa Command senior leaders and to preside over tomorrow's Africom change of command. Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez will succeed Army Gen. Carter F. Ham. "In the five years since it was established, Africom has made a real difference in the region -- from strengthening partnerships among nations to weakening extremist organizations," Dempsey said. U.S. Department of Defense Russia eyes Africa to boost arms sales [...] many African countries were the most strongly supportive of an arms trade treaty while among the abstentions was Russia, the world's second biggest arms exporter after the US and a highly significant arms partner with much of Africa. What the new treaty will mean for Russia-Africa relations and their arms deals remains to be seen, but Russia's military deals with Africa have shifted in recent years and the time may be right to recast this relationship. The Guardian African Armies are better than you think
France's intervention to chase jihadist forces from northern Mali in July has caused many African politicians and military leaders to question the state of Africa's armed forces. Governments face a series of new threats - from piracy to Islamist terrorism - and militaries are changing in order to build up new regional and continental forces. The Africa Report Kenya: ICC charges contributed to peaceful elections - US
The indictments issued by the International Criminal Court against prominent Kenyans helped prevent violence during the March elections, a US State Department official said on Thursday. "The fact that these indictments have been out there has had an effect in terms of the peacefulness of this past election," declared Stephen Rapp, the US ambassador-at-large for war crimes. Daily Nation New CAR Leader Accepts African Transition Plan
The rebel leader who seized power in Central African Republic and proclaimed himself president accepted on Thursday a call by regional leaders to speed up a transition to democracy, but could stay in office, his information minister said. Michel Djotodia led thousands of rebel fighters of the Seleka coalition into the riverside capital of the mineral-rich country on March 24, toppling President Francois Bozize. VOA SA troops out of CAR
Short and sharp is probably the best way to describe International Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane's report back on this week's ECCAS (Economic Community of Central African States) Extraordinary Summit. She told a briefing in Pretoria President Zuma told the Summit in N'Djamena "South Africa has taken a decision to withdraw its troops from the Central African Republic (CAR)". This because "since the self-appointed leader of the CAR took over, in the process nullifying the Constitution, the Parliament and the Judiciary, it has become clear the government we entered an agreement into with was no longer in place". DefenceWeb CAR rebels recruit troops for new national army
The Seleka rebels who staged a successful coup in the Central African Republic last month are recruiting troops for a new national army, though nobody has the means to pay them. Times Live Bozizé in frantic plea for weapons
In the 12 months before he was ousted, Central African Republic President Francis Bozizé was desperately trying to obtain delivery of weapons and ammunition donated by South Africa in 2007. The donations flowed from the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defence co-operation signed by former president Thabo Mbeki's administration and Bozizé in February 2007. As the Mail & Guardian reported last week, former Umkhonto weSizwe heavyweight Joshua Nxumalo inserted his company, Serengeti Defence Technologies, as part of the joint venture that would revamp decommissioned vehicles, including Ratel armoured cars that the South Africa National Defence Force had offered to donate to Bozizé. Mail and Guardian Chadian troops redeploy to Tuareg stronghold of Kidal
The battle against Islamists in the Ifoghas Mountains is over and Chadian troops are now being redeployed to the northern Malian town of Kidal, where Tuareg hopes for independence remain strong. France 24 Hollande: France will have peacekeeping role in Mali
French troops will take part in a future UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, after they end their task of clearing rebels linked to Al Qaeda out of the west African country's vast northern region. The French president, Francois Hollande, made the announcement yesterday as he spoke to Morocco's parliament, part of a two-day visit celebrating the close cooperation between the nations. "France will soon complete its mission [in Mali] in a few weeks, and African forces will take over." he said. "The security council is going to deploy a peacekeeping operation and France will play its part." The National Peace in Mali Needs More Than More Troops
The 11,000 peacekeeping troops that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for in Mali will not be enough to bring stability. Not even if they are supported by the unspecified number of combat troops that might be called on to back the peacekeepers up. That's not because they're not enough in military terms but because securing stability in Mali for the long-term is a much more than military task. The Huffington Post AQIM creates Twitter account
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) joined Twitter last month, spreading the terror group's jihadist propaganda on the popular micro-blogging site. The account was first created March 16th by the Andalus Foundation, the propaganda arm of al-Qaeda in North Africa. The foundation has been known for years as the distributor of terror tapes featuring hostages and promoting jihadist ideology. Magharebia First food aid allowed into war-torn Blue Nile state in Sudan
The first UN food aid has been allowed into Sudan's war-torn Blue Nile state in a "major breakthrough," the World Food Programme said on Thursday, after severe government restrictions. Times Live As Egypt Negotiates IMF Loan, Food And Fuel Prices Soar
Two years after the revolution, Egypt is in a deep economic crisis. It's running out of money to purchase crucial imports like wheat and fuel, both of which are subsidized by the government, and an infusion of cash is desperately needed. While a delegation from the International Monetary Fund is in Cairo continuing negotiations on a $4.8 billion loan, Egyptians are strained by the rising costs of food - and the gas needed to cook it. NPR Kidnappers target Christians in Egyptian province
[...] a dramatic rise of kidnappings targeting Christians, including children, in Egypt's southern province of Minya, home to the country's largest concentration of Christians but also a heartland for Islamist hard-liners. The kidnappings are mostly blamed on criminal gangs, which operate more freely amid Egypt's collapse in security since the 2011 fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Crime has risen in general across Egypt, hitting Muslims as well. But the wave of kidnappings in Minya has specifically targeted Christians, and victims, church leaders and rights activists ultimately blame the atmosphere created by the rising power of hard-line Islamists. Stars and Stripes Ivory Coast begins exhuming mass graves
Ivory Coast officials on Thursday began exhuming dozens of mass graves dating back to the country's 2011 postelection violence, as a new report accused President Alassane Ouattara of failing to bring his supporters to justice for crimes they allegedly committed during the conflict. Justice Minister Gnenema Coulibaly presided over the exhumations, observing a moment of silence at the site before digging started at the first grave on the grounds of a mosque in Abidjan's Yopougon district. U.S.News & World Report Burundi Parliament Passes Tough Media Law
Burundi lawmakers have approved a draft media law that forces journalists to reveal sources, threatens reporters with financial penalties and bans news about the local currency. Lawmakers say it will protect Burundi leaders and citizens but local media call it an attack on press freedom in a central African nation recovering from more than a decade of civil war. Although the media operate with some freedom in landlocked Burundi, several journalists have been jailed and independent outlets threatened with closure in the last few years. VOA 'Hybrid' governance and Africa: examining a development buzzword
Hybridity, it seems, is everywhere today. In the wake of a decade of ruminating over the problems of 'failed' and 'fragile' states, there has been a rush to claim that the idea of 'hybridity' offers a better way forward for understanding the world's most troubled and conflict-affected places. This trend is spawning a new language among scholars concerned with conflict and development, in which 'hybrid' is the prefix of choice. The emerging literature abounds with terms such as hybrid governance, hybrid political order, hybrid public authority, hybrid institutions, hybrid contexts, hybrid security, hybrid structures, hybrid actors, and hybrid political spaces. Just as observers commented on the proliferation of 'democracy with adjectives' to explain the various forms of 'semi-democracy' emerging after the Cold War, today we can talk of 'hybridity with nouns'. African Argument Analysis: Roots of polio vaccine suspicion
For years, polio vaccination has faced strong resistance within conservative Islamic communities in northern Nigeria, largely due to a deep distrust of the West, persistent rumours that the vaccine is harmful, and the house-to-house approach taken by immunization campaigners, which many saw as intrusive. Over recent years, polio campaigners have changed their methods to try to win over reluctant community members and religious leaders - to mixed effect. In February of this year, 10 polio vaccinators were killed in the northern city of Kano by anti-western Boko Haram militants, the latest setback to efforts to eradicate the virus from Nigeria. The country is one of only three where polio is still endemic. In 2012, Nigeria recorded 122 cases - over half of the global total that year. IRIN Gold Fields mines in Ghana idled by strike
Gold Fields mines in Ghana ground to a halt on Wednesday, as wildcat strikes halted output at its Tarkwa and Damang sites - just weeks after the miner spun off its strife-hit mines in South Africa. The Ghana mines account for 900,000oz of gold, or 43% of the world's fourth-biggest gold miner's expected annual production. The strikes seemed to coincide with wage negotiations under way with labour unions, Gold Fields spokesman Willie Jacobsz said on Wednesday. BusinessDay Hunt for Higher Bond Yields Leads to Africa
Investors hunting for yield are increasingly buying African sovereign debt. But demand for the infrequent issues has led to lower yields, making some market participants question whether investors are being compensated for the risk they take. Demand for higher-yielding debt is opening up a new source of funding for some African countries, some of which are tapping the market for the first time. For investors, the debt sales offer exposure to growing economies, with a better return than they would receive in more-developed markets. The Wall Street Journal | 
