United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

15 November 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command and
Africa, along with upcoming events of interest for November 15, 2011.
Of interest in todays clips: Tunisia announces its election results.
In Libya: Clashes continue outside of Tripoli as more people were killed in the violent
rivalry between warring factions.
Nigeria reinstates border security measures against the extremist group, Boko Haram.
Equatorial Guinea holds elections that are disputed by the ruling party.
In Swaziland: Democracy versus monarchy is in the news as the country looks at
governance for the future.
U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs
Please send questions or comments to:
africom-pao@africom.mil
421-2687 (+49-711-729-2687)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa
Final Tunisian election results announced (Al Jazeera)
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111114171420907168.html
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
The moderate Islamists of the Ennahda party have won 89 of the 217 seats in Tunisia's
new constituent assembly, according to the final results released by the country's election
commission.
Libyan factions in deadly clashes near Zawiya (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15726099?print=true
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
Several days of fighting between rival factions near the Libyan coastal city of Zawiya

have left at least seven people dead, reports say.

Nigeria: Boko Haram - FG Re-Activates 22 Border Patrol Posts (All Africa)
http://allafrica.com/stories/201111140032.html
14 November 2011
By Daniel Idonor
In a move to curtail the excesses of the deadly group, Boko Haram, the Federal
Government has ordered the immediate re-activation of 22 border security posts across its
four contiguous neighbours.
Kenyan, Somali Troops Kill Nine Members of al-Shabaab (Africa 24)
http://www.france24.com/en/africa
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
Kenyan and Somali government troops have killed nine members of an al-Qaida-linked
militant group they are pursuing in Somalia, Kenyas military spokesman said Sunday.
Egypt lifts bar on ex-ruling party members in vote (Reuters)
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7AD0GV20111114?sp=true
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
A top Egyptian court on Monday overturned a decision barring members of President
Hosni Mubarak's former party from standing in a parliamentary election that starts later
this month.
Gambia: Opposition United Front Vow to Unseat President Jammeh (FOROYAA)
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201111140036.html
14 November 2011
By Lamin Sanyang
The opposition United Front led by Independent Presidential candidate, Honourable
Hamat Bah, has unveiled the amount of hardship, poverty and impunity prevailing in the
country for the past 17 years under the present regime and vows to unseat President
Jammeh in the November 24 presidential polls to make the country a better place for all
Gambians.
Equatorial Guinea holds constitutional polls (Al Jazeera)
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111113134927717805.html
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
Equatorial Guineans have voted in a referendum that would limit presidential terms in the
small oil-rich African country, which has been ruled by the same man for 32 years.
Opposition reject Equatorial Guinea 'sham' referendum (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15722395?print=true
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
Equatorial Guinea's main opposition have dismissed as a sham the referendum on

limiting presidents of the oil-rich nation to serving two terms.

Zambia mine chamber: operations may scale down over royalty (Reuters)
http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE7AD0A120111114
14 November 2011
By Chris Mfula
Miners in Africa's top copper producer Zambia have expressed deep reservations after the
new government of President Michael Sata said it would double their royalties to six
percent, a move analysts said was needed to bring in badly-needed revenue.
Swazi king must give up power, says Bishop Mabuza (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15718890?print=true
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
Swaziland's top Anglican cleric, Bishop Meshack Mabuza, has called on King Mswati III
to give up political power in favour of a democratic government.
Africa: America's Role in Continent's Strife (Daily Nation)
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201111130186.html
13 November 2011
By Mwaura Samora
As Kenyan troops push their way into Somalia's hinterland in pursuit of Al-Shabaab
militants, several security analysts and observers allege an unseen hand behind Operation
Linda Nchi.
###
UN News Service Africa Briefs
http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA
(Full Articles on UN Website)
Millions of South Sudanese children receive polio vaccine in UN-backed campaign
14 November Up to 3.2 million South Sudanese children have received vaccinations
against polio in a United Nations-backed campaign to ensure the new country remains
free of the deadly disease, more than two years after the last case was reported.
Security Council demands end to attacks by rebel Lords Resistance Army
14 November The Security Council today strongly condemned ongoing attacks carried
out by the rebel Lords Resistance Army (LRA) across Central Africa and demanded an
immediate end to the atrocities.
Ban voices deep concern over worsening rhetoric between Sudan and South Sudan
14 November Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed deep concern about the
escalating tensions between neighbouring Sudan and South Sudan, especially recent
incursions into each others territory and cross-border support of rebel groups.

Lead poisoning continues to affect many in Nigeria UN

11 November At least 43 villages in Nigeria continue to present cases of lead
poisoning, 18 months ago after cases were first discovered in the region, the United
Nations reported today, calling for an increase in preventive measures in the African
country.
DR Congo: ICC prosecutor warns election-related violence will not be tolerated
11 November The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said today he is
following the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with
utmost vigilance, stating that violence related to the presidential and legislative polls
later this month will not be tolerated.
###
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST
16 NOV 2011
WHAT: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Discussion on
"Tunisians and Their Hopes for Democracy: Islam and Democracy." Speaker: Radwan A.
Masmoudi, Founder and President of the Center of the Study of Islam and Democracy.
WHERE: SAIS, Room 500, Bernstein-Offit Building, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
CONTACT: Felisa Neuringer Klubes at 202-663-5626 or fklubes@jhu.edu; web site:
www.jhu.edu
SOURCE: SAIS - event announcement at: http://www.sais-jhu.edu/calendar/index.htm
18 NOV 2011
WHAT: Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Discussion on "The Middle East, North
Africa, and U.S. Policy." Speaker: Adam Smith (D-WA), Ranking Member, House
Armed Services Committee.
WHERE: CFR, 1777 F St, NW
CONTACT: Lucy Dunderdale at 202-509-8525 or DCPressRSVP@cfr.org ; web site:
www.cfr.org
NOTE: RSVP by: 12:00 p.m., Thursday, November 17, 2011 RSVP to:
DCPressRSVP@cfr.org
SOURCE: CFR Communications office - www.cfr.org
###
New on www.africom.mil
Kansas National Guard Discovers, Aids Nature
http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7429&lang=0
14 November 2011
By U.S. Army Specialist Michelle C. Lawrence

DISCOVER AND AID NATURE REFUGE, Djibouti, Nov 14, 2011 As the hot,
African sun beat down on U.S. service members stationed at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti,
a studious focus was evident as they quietly listened to the history of what is commonly
known here as the "Cheetah Refuge."
###
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL TEXT

Final Tunisian election results announced

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111114171420907168.html
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
The moderate Islamists of the Ennahda party have won 89 of the 217 seats in Tunisia's
new constituent assembly, according to the final results released by the country's election
commission.
The once-banned movement will write the fledgling democracy's new constitution and
appoint an interim government ahead of new elections tentatively scheduled for next
year.
The runners up in the first free elections in the north African country were the left-wing
Congress for the Republic (CPR) with 29 seats, and the Popular Petition with 26 seats.
The turnout was 54.1 per cent, according to the electoral commission on Monday, which
specified that about four million of the 7.6 million registered voters cast their ballots in
the election on October 23.
The left-wing Ettakatol party won 20 seats, the Progressist Democratic Party took 16, and
the Democratic Modernist Pole took five.
Some of the remaining seats went to very small parties, including the Communists who
won three. Sixteen seats went to candidates from independent lists.
The new constituent assembly will meet for the first time on November 22 in the old
parliament building in Tunis.
The body's task is to draw up a new constitution, after the ouster last January 14 of Zine
El Abidine Ben Ali, the former president who had ruled Tunisia for 23 years.
The Tunisian uprising inspired similar pro-democracy movements elsewhere around the
region, setting off what has been called the Arab Spring in the Middle East.

The assembly will also form a new executive branch of power and can legislate until
general elections are held.
Ennahda has already put forward its deputy leader Hamadi Jebali for the post of prime
minister, while discussions are in hand among the Islamists, the CPR and Ettakol for the
choices of head of state and speaker of the constituent assembly.
Fouad Mebazaa, the interim president, and the provisional government led by Beji Cad
Essebsi, which was formed six weeks after the fall of Ben Ali, will remain in charge until
a new team is ready to take over.
Ennahda has pledged to preserve Tunisia's progressive legislation on women's rights.
###
Libyan factions in deadly clashes near Zawiya
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15726099?print=true
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
Several days of fighting between rival factions near the Libyan coastal city of Zawiya
have left at least seven people dead, reports say.
The BBC's Karen Allen in Libya says rival communities have been fighting for an area
previously controlled by Gaddafi loyalists.
The interim government said the fighting had been resolved.
However analysts say the violence raises questions about stability in post-Gaddafi Libya.
The country is still awash with weapons and armed groups following the rebellion that
led to the collapse of Col Muammar Gaddafi's rule.
Interim Libyan leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said the ruling ruling National Transitional
Council (NTC) had brought together elders from the feuding areas - Zawiya and the
nearby tribal lands of Warshefana - and that the dispute has been resolved over the
weekend.
"I want to assure the Libyan people that everything is under control," he said on Sunday.
However, witnesses said some fighting was still taking place as he spoke.
Reports said trouble flared up on Thursday when fighters from Warshefana set up a
checkpoint on a highway near Zawiya, challenging fighters from the city.
Fighters from Zawiya reportedly accused their Warshefana counterparts of having links
to the old government.

A fighter from the capital Tripoli, quoted by AP news agency, said the two sides had
been battling for control of a military camp of the ousted government on the main road
between Tripoli and Zawiya.
Witnesses reported hearing heavy gunfire and the explosions of rocket-propelled
grenades.
At least seven people were killed although one report quoting medics in the Warshefana
region put the toll at 13 - four from Zawiya and nine from Warshefana.
Mr Abdul-Jalil said the trouble had been started by "young men behaving irresponsibly"
and that the NTC had established a committee to address the grievances of both sides.
NTC leaders have said they cannot quickly disarm the various armed factions across the
country.
Mr Abdul-Jalil said there was high unemployment among the armed men and that the
new government had to offer alternatives such as jobs, education and training.
###
Nigeria: Boko Haram - FG Re-Activates 22 Border Patrol Posts (All Africa)
http://allafrica.com/stories/201111140032.html
14 November 2011
By Daniel Idonor
In a move to curtail the excesses of the deadly group, Boko Haram, the Federal
Government has ordered the immediate re-activation of 22 border security posts across its
four contiguous neighbours.
A top security source said on the list of the identified contiguous borders are Chad, Niger,
Benin and Cameroun while Mali is also being watched closely.
The directive followed the outcome of a security parley of top spies from the affected
five countries in Abuja, where participants pledged their commitment to fight terrorism,
endorsed the measures being put in place by Nigeria to curb the menace.
The move which has received the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan, is
coming as part of stringent measures to tackle recent threats to national peace and
security particularly from the Boko Haram islamic sect.
According to the sources, which preferred anonymity, the re-opening of these security
posts is a major and welcome security strategy by the administration as negligence of the
posts by previous regimes have made them porous for smuggling of light arms and transborder crimes to thrive.

The source added that though Mali does not have same border with Nigeria, its inclusion
in the security watch-list became imperative because of its strong Al Qaeda linkages.
It was gathered that Nigeria will supervise border patrols across the 22 posts in
partnership with security personnel in the listed countries, who will be mostly trained in
Nigeria.
The reopening of the border posts is expected to checkmate the influx of illegal
immigrants and weapons, especially from neighboring Niger which reportedly remains
the most porous entrance for trans border criminals into Nigeria.
Already security authorities in the listed countries have met with their Nigerian
counterparts and pledged full co-operation in the fight against trans-border crimes
proliferation of light weapons.
The fresh approach to security issues in Nigeria is coming few days after President
Jonathan directed Ministries, Departments And Agencies, MDAs to volunteers capable
hands to be trained by his security forces on counter terrorism and emergency response
strategies.
The officials will manage related security issues in their respective MDAs to complement
the efforts of key security agencies in the country.
Already, the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, it was learnt has ordered a 24
hours surveillance around all hotels that have over fifty room capacity while all public
infrastructure and private recreational centres are now to be manned by plain-clothes
security operatives.
A top Presidency source told Vanguard that the different security agencies have
intensified physical security checks across the FCT and major cities across the country as
well as deployment of intelligences personnel's to busy hotels and offices across the
country.
Federal Government, the source said, was also discussing with border countries on the
need for a mutual cooperation in dealing with the emerging security challenges along the
border towns and cities within the West African sub-region.
"We are doing our best to ensure that we protect the lives and property of the citizenry
and foreigners in this country", the source stated further adding that once the government
puts the entire new security apparatus into use, "you can be sure that these criminals
causing so much trouble for the government will be taken care of adequately".
The source urged Nigerians to ensure that the war on terrorism is not left for the
government alone to handle.
"The fight on terrorism should be a collective one because the man or woman who has

turned himself or herself into a weapon of destruction is difficult to monitor so every

Nigeria should consider this fight his or her own. It must not be left for the government to
fight alone," the source appealed.
###
Kenyan, Somali Troops Kill Nine Members of al-Shabaab (AP)
http://www.france24.com/en/africa
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
Kenyan and Somali government troops have killed nine members of an al-Qaida-linked
militant group they are pursuing in Somalia, Kenyas military spokesman said Sunday.
Kenyan and Somali government troops have killed nine members of an al-Qaida-linked
militant group they are pursuing in Somalia, Kenyas military spokesman said Sunday.
Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said the soldiers came upon an al-Shabab camp while on patrol
Saturday night.
He said four Kenyan soldiers were wounded. One of the Kenyan soldiers who was
critically wounded has been flown to the Kenyan town of Garissa for further treatment,
Chirchir said in a statement.
Chirchir said some militants are believed to have escaped with wounds and advised
residents of the Kenya-Somalia border town of Elwak to be on the lookout for people
seeking treatment for wounds.
Separately, the Kenyan army said it conducted a raid in Elwak town on Saturday night
and arrested four people in possession of illegal weapons. Of those arrested, one is
Kenyan and others are Somalis, Chirchir said.
Kenya last month sent hundreds of troops into Somalia to pursue al-Shabab. The East
African nation blames the group for a string of attacks and kidnappings in Kenya,
including those of four Europeans. The Kenyan government says the kidnappings
threaten tourism, a key source of revenue for the country.
In return, al-Shabab has threatened to attack Kenyas capital with suicide
bombings.Somalia has not had a functioning government since the ouster of longtime
dictator Siad Barre in 1991 by warlords who then turned on each other.
Al-Shabab, Somalias most dangerous militant group, is waging an insurgency against
Somalias weak-U.N. backed government.
###
Egypt lifts bar on ex-ruling party members in vote (Reuters)
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7AD0GV20111114?sp=true

14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
A top Egyptian court on Monday overturned a decision barring members of President
Hosni Mubarak's former party from standing in a parliamentary election that starts later
this month.
A lower Egyptian court in the Delta city of Mansoura ruled on Friday to ban members of
former National Democratic Party (NDP) from running, setting off a string of lawsuits
nationwide aimed at removing such candidates from the race.
"Depriving (anyone) of taking up their political rights is an attack on rights that are
protected and guaranteed in the constitution," said a document detailing the verdict of the
Higher Administrative Court, presided by Judge Magdy el-Agaty.
Backers of the candidates, who were former members of the now disbanded party,
cheered the decision at the crowded court, chanting: "God is the greatest." Some waved
pictures of candidates.
"I dedicate this ruling to all the honorable sons of this country from all political parties
not only the disbanded NDP," said Omar Hareidy, a former NDP member and candidate
in Assiut. "It gives equal chances to everyone."
Many former NDP members have registered to run as independents or on other party lists
in the first free election in decades following an uprising that overthrew Mubarak.
The first stage of the staggered vote starts on November 28.
Former NDP members have set up at least six new parties and many are running with
older parties, angering activists who want to ensure that those they see as "counterrevolutionary" forces are kept out of the assembly which is tasked with appointing a
committee to write Egypt's new constitution.
Eliminating any members associated with the former ruling party could have meant party
lists and candidate applications would have to be reviewed from scratch, disrupting the
vote or potentially even delaying it, analysts had said.
Protesters who toppled Mubarak have been demanding for months that a law barring
anyone found guilty of corruption be issued and complain that the ruling army generals
are dragging their feet.
The military council had promised to issue such a law to curb the influence of Mubarak's
NDP, but its draft version has a narrower scope than Mansoura's court ruling and analysts
think it is unlikely it will be issued to affect the results of the vote.

"Depriving someone of a political right must be based on a clear article in the law," the
High Administrative Court's report, obtained by Reuters, said, adding that banning
anyone from running could only be through means specified by the law.
Legal sources said the spirit of the decision would likely prevent further challenges
against candidates associated with the NDP, but one of the lawyers who brought the
claim to ban former ruling party members from running said the verdict will not stop
further suits.
"The High Administrative Court revealed its position," Ahmed Abo Baraka said. "The
verdict does not prevent other lawsuits from being filed in different parts of the country."
###
Gambia: Opposition United Front Vow to Unseat President Jammeh (FOROYAA)
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201111140036.html
14 November 2011
By Lamin Sanyang
The opposition United Front led by Independent Presidential candidate, Honourable
Hamat Bah, has unveiled the amount of hardship, poverty and impunity prevailing in the
country for the past 17 years under the present regime and vows to unseat President
Jammeh in the November 24 presidential polls to make the country a better place for all
Gambians.
The presidential candidate of the United Front, honourable Hamat Bah, while addressing
a mass rally, on Saturday at the Ebony Street in Serrekunda, that attracted an
overwhelming crowd, mentioned the presence of an APRC 'Yai Compin' who cross
carpeted with many youths to join the United Front. He said the truth is more powerful
than falsehood. He said when the truth comes falsehood is thrown away like dust.
"It was not expected that we can come together. But what the interest of the country is
what brought us together," said United Front flag bearer.
The NRP, PDOIS, GPDP and NADD backed candidate said slavery was abolished
centuries back but it still exists in the Gambia. He said people are taken to court with
their hands and feet shackled in chains like slaves while their families watch them on
national television. He asked for the number of Gambians in exile and cannot come
home. He asked for the number of youths without employment.
"The president cannot jail anybody but it is the law that can jail people," he remarked He
indicated that it is not the responsibility of the president to tell the court what they do."
He called on people to vote for the United Front. He said they are pleased with the way
their campaign is taking shape because they are receiving calls from APRC supporters
who want to join them.

The next speaker was honourable Sidia Jatta of NADD. He said election is all about
accountability. He said the time has come for the person that the people have entrusted
with power to govern them to render account to them.
"Every year D4, 850 billion is collected to the national budget. The APRC has been in
power for 17 years. Multiple D4, 850 billion by 17 years and think of what the APRC has
done for this country," said Honourable Jatta.
The veteran politician said 61 percent of the population is living in abject poverty and
unemployment is seriously affecting the youths of the country. He said when power is
entrusted to the United Front they would build factories to make use of the groundnut,
tomato, mango and other produce that are wasted in the country. He said that will create
employment and generate income to the country.
He emphasized that all the projects of the APRC government for the past 17 years are
based on loans or charity. He said loans are supposed to be paid with interest. He said the
amount spent to pay loans can be used for development.
"Your children abroad are sending D1, 800 billion remittances every year yet they send
authorities abroad to deport your children," said hon. Jatta.
He said nothing is more painful than to be born in a country where your parents are born
and you don't know any place than that country but you are voiceless. He said the time
has come for the APRC government to account for their 17 years rule, as to whether or
not our taxes have been spent to improve lives. He said every child born in this country is
indebted. He said the amount of poverty in this country is increasing.
"Your name is Lamin, me Sidia, Samba, Pateh and we want something for the interest of
all. When that thing is done are we going to name it Sidia," asked NADD
parliamentarian.
"No," roared from the crowd.
"Hamat is a national candidate because he is elected by all the 7 regions of this country,"
he said
The party leader of GPDP, Henry Gomez, said the issue of the United Front is a burning
issue. He said they have all thrown their weight behind Honourable Hamat Bah. He urged
all Gambians to trust and support United Front flag bearer.
"All of us are from different tribes and religions but the United Front does not believe in
tribal or religious differences," said GPDP leader.
Gomez said the present regime used to accuse the former regime of corruption and
flamboyant lifestyle. He said everybody is living in a state of fear.

"Nobody owns power but it belong to the Gambian people. Don't believe what they tell
you that there are cameras in the ballot boxes where you cast your votes for him to know
whether you voted for him or not," said Henry Gomez.
He said president Jammeh used to condemn the former president Jawara for spending 30
years in power. He said president Jammeh has already spent 17 years and he is still
hungry for power. He was critical of the president's extensive involvement in businesses
in the country. He refuted the slogan 'Free Education for Girls' and asked who is not
paying school fees for their girl child.
"We are all paying it," responded the crowd.
He indicated that it is wrong to say that the opposition cannot win, "What happened in
Zambia will happen here," he said
Meanwhile, the Secretary General of PDOIS, Halifa Sallah, said the campaign slogan for
this election is to Own Yourself, Own Your Country, Save Yourself, Save your Country.
Mr. Sallah said when one does not know oneself somebody can put a rope on one's neck
and ride the person like a horse. He said the marbles that people use to cast their vote
would determine their voice.
"When a child does not know the value of D100 somebody can give a mint to that child
and take the D100 because the child does not know D100 can get many packets of
mints," said Halifa Sallah.
He said it is the vote that determines the success and failure of the people in a country.
He asked for the reason why people should fear their fellow human being. He said all
Gambians are equal in the country. He said the president should be accountable to the
people. He said in a monarchical system leaders become kings and the people are turned
to servants but in a republic it is the opposite. He said The Gambia is described as a
highly indebted country.
"You cannot base a national economy on taxes only," said PDOIS Secretary General.
The veteran politician said the proceeds from the sand mining site in Kombo Sanyang are
not going to the national budget. He said most National Assembly Members do not know
how much is in the national budget. He said the APRC said they empowering women
when in reality women suffer the most in the country. He said many marriages are in a
shambles because of the poverty and hardship in the country.
"Both the public and private sectors have failed. What the government owes to banks in
the country is D9 billion. That is why there is no job in the country," he said.
The Acting Secretary General and party leader of NRP, Dulo Bah, said there is no need to
remind anybody what is happening in the country. He said the situation in the country is
pathetic. He said president Jammeh was fond of saying whether people vote for him or

not he would win. He said he has changed his words only because he knows four
registered parties have come together to form a United Front.
"A bag of rice in the Gambia is D1000. This is too painful," said NRP Acting Secretary
General.
Amie Sillah of PDOIS said the success of the United Front has dismissed all kinds of
talks. She said victory would be on their side come the November 24 polls.
"We want freedom, empowerment and liberty because women are the most vulnerable in
this country. Our children are in the prisons," she said.
She said President Jammeh has said he would not campaign for this election but he has
changed his mind because of the United Front. She urged people to vote massively for the
United Front. She said the United Front is the only way forward for the Gambia.
Mrs. Amie Sillah said the symbol for the United Front is a cow. She said the cow can be
used for many things. She said the cow can be used to get cheese, butter, milk, meat and a
lot more which can create food and employment in the country.
"The hardship in this country is seen by everybody, if you are arrested today the next day
it will be somebody else," a song sang by women's group.
###
Equatorial Guinea holds constitutional polls
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111113134927717805.html
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
Equatorial Guineans have voted in a referendum that would limit presidential terms in the
small oil-rich African country, which has been ruled by the same man for 32 years.
The opposition, however, has called the plebiscite a charade and withdrew its
representatives from polling places after alleging serious election violations.
Voting closed at 6:00pm local time (17:00 GMT) on Sunday, and the country's
information minister said shortly afterwards that the package of reforms had passed with
more than 99 per cent of the vote, with 60 per cent of ballots counted.
Final results are not due until Wednesday, but Jeronimo Osa Osa Ecoro, the information
minister, said victory was assured for the reforms package.
"On the national territory, 99.04 percent voted yes and 0.96 percent no," he said. The
outcome, he added: "is a good thing for Equatorial Guinea. It is a project for the political,
economic, social and cultural future. "The people are delighted."

About 300,000 people were eligible to vote and more than half of the 1,500 polling
stations were in the capital Malabo, though no official figures on the number of peopled
who voted were available.
The referendum is designed to strengthen the small state's democracy, but the opposition
said the text did not make clear whether Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the president, would
step down when his term ends in 2016.
Opposition leader Placido Mico, who is the only opposition lawmaker in the 100-member
parliament, said there was no consultation ahead of the vote.
"No one has seen the text, not the cabinet or any official body," he said. "It was not
studied in parliament. We are submitting a text to a referendum that no one has seen. It's
an invisible text."
On Sunday, he dismissed the referendum as a sham, withdrawing all representatives from
his Convergence for Social Democracy party from polling places at 1:30pm local time
(12:30 GMT) after witnessing and hearing accounts of election violations.
A young supporter of his party "was threatened with being tortured by a colonel" at a
polling station in Malabo, he said. Voters were facing pressure across the country, he
added.
"There is no participation. It's not going beyond 25 percent. I have visited some 50
polling stations since 11:00 am. No one is voting" said Mico.
Ecoro, the country's information minister, however, said that voting had taken place in a
"climate of calm, peace and tranquility". Before polls closed, he said that voting in his
Anisok constituency was "for the moment 99 per cent in favour of reform".
He called the referendum a "democratic milestone", adding: "President Obiang is
carrying out reforms to bring sounder economic policies and more democracy to the
country's governance."
Obiang, 69, is currently serving his fourth seven-year term, which he won in the
November 2009 elections. He seized power in 1979, winning his first presidential vote in
1989.
During the coup he had his uncle, the former Spanish colony's first president, executed by
firing squad.
Obiang, who currently chairs the African Union, is on an offensive to win himself a clean
bill of health on the international scene and reverse his country's reputation as one of
Africa's most corrupt and autocratic.

"He wants his country, long ignored or despised, to acquire a diplomatic status that
matches its new financial weight," said one diplomat, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
Equatorial Guinea, with a population of around 700,000, struck oil off its Atlantic coast
in the early 1990s and has become sub-Saharan Africa's third biggest producer, but the
majority of its people live in abject poverty.
Obiang has come in for criticism by the opposition for the lavish style of his 41-year-old
son Teodoro Obiang Mangue, who owns a $31m home in Malibu, California.
The opposition charge that Mangue - who is nicknamed Teodorin and has a penchant for
sports cars and champagne - is being groomed for the new vice-presidency and could
eventually succeed his father.
Mico, opposition lawmaker, said: "Most sources suggest that Teodorin is tipped to
succeed" Obiang.
He dismissed the proposed reforms as "lies" intended to "further secure Obiang and his
family's dictatorship and pave the way for a hereditary succession".
Mico also noted a provision of the proposed text according to which the newly created
state council can only be headed by a former president.
"How many former presidents do we have in this country?" Mico asked.
The government says the new constitution would also create a position of vice president,
impose more checks and balances on the executive, improve the judicial system and
ensure better protection of civic rights.
###
Opposition reject Equatorial Guinea 'sham' referendum (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15722395?print=true
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
Equatorial Guinea's main opposition have dismissed as a sham the referendum on
limiting presidents of the oil-rich nation to serving two terms.
Pablo Mba Nsang of the Convergence for Social Democracy Party told the BBC it was a
way for the president to stay in power for another 14 years.
The government says that, with more than three-fifths of votes counted, 99% of voters
have backed the referendum.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been in power for 32 years.

It is unclear whether President Obiang, Africa's longest-serving president, will have to

step down when his current term ends in 2016, the AFP news agency reports.
Critics say the changes to the constitution, which include the creation of the post of vicepresident, will allow him to hand-pick his successor.
"There clearly is a worry that his eldest son Teodoro is being groomed to become the
next president of the country," Joseph Kraus, who works for the Washington-based rights
group Equatorial Guinea Justice, told the BBC's World Today programme.
Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who currently serves as the country's agriculture
minister, has been accused of using his ministerial position and his father's influence to
plunder his nation's wealth.
Last month, the US government said it was seeking to recover assets worth more $70m
(44m) from him.
The Convergence for Social Democracy Party withdrew its agents from polling stations
on Sunday, complaining of irregularities.
Mr Nsang said there was evidence of ballot-stuffing during the referendum.
"It's not a secret ballot," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
"People were voting for absentees. People will vote for their [dead] relatives. People will
vote many times."
Information Minister Jeronimo Osa Osa Ecoro told AFP the vote had passed off
peacefully.
President Obiang, 69, seized power from his uncle and has so far served four seven-year
terms.
Since the mid 1990s - when multi-party politics was allowed - the former Spanish colony
has become one of sub-Saharan Africa's biggest oil producers.
But few people have benefited from the oil riches and the UN says that less than half the
population have access to clean drinking water while 20% of children die before reaching
five.
###
Zambia mine chamber: operations may scale down over royalty
http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE7AD0A120111114
14 November 2011

By Chris Mfula
Miners in Africa's top copper producer Zambia have expressed deep reservations after the
new government of President Michael Sata said it would double their royalties to six
percent, a move analysts said was needed to bring in badly-needed revenue.
The country's chamber of mines said on Monday companies might have to scale back
their operations in the impoverished southern African nation, the first shot in the
corporate backlash to the policy.
"The increase in mineral royalty will significantly raise costs for the mining companies ...
Each mine will have to examine its own cost structure and depending on the impact of the
higher tax, some may decide to shut down certain sections," Frederick Bantubonse, the
chamber's general manager, said.
"The 6 percent mineral royalty is on revenue and it will work around 20 percent on
profit," he told Reuters.
Sata's government unveiled an expansive 2012 budget on Friday, with big increases in
social spending and farming subsidies to be paid for by a rise in mineral royalties and a
debut $500 million Eurobond.
What has really grabbed attention is the move to double copper royalties to 6 percent.
But even before the populist Sata was swept to power in September, the previous
administration was aiming to boost tax revenue from miners and was auditing them.
Foreign mining firms in Zambia include Brazil's Vale, Canada's First Quantum Minerals
and Barrick Gold and London-listed Vedanta Resources and commodity giant Glencore.
The benefits of Africa's vast mineral wealth are often not widely spread and there has
long been a perception that mining firms in Zambia, one of the world's poorest countries,
were paying well below global rates.
"Sub-Saharan African countries including Zambia have had lower mineral tax rates than
other resource producers, such as Australia," Paul Bugala, senior sustainability analyst
covering extractive industries at U.S.-based Calvert Investments, said.
"So, a change in those rates was to be expected and is preferable to the sort of regulatory
disparities that increase the threat of nationalization," he said.
Other Zambia watchers also noted that the increase did not seem draconian by global
standards.
"The proposed increase in royalties from 3 percent to 6 percent would still leave Zambia's
rates well below many resource-rich competitors, suggesting a larger increase would have

made sense," said David McNair, the principal economic justice adviser for UK charity
Christian Aid.
"It is unsurprising, albeit depressing, to see that the immediate reaction of the mining
companies has been to raise the suggestion that this step could lead to reduced production
and investment. We would hope the government is not moved from its poverty reduction
focus by this implicit threat."
Zambia's copper production is around 750,000 to 800,000 tonnes a year but is seen
growing as investment pours into a sector that had been neglected and nationalised.
According to Reuters' Metal Production Database (here),
Zambia will produce around 1.3 million tonnes of copper from mine and leach operations
by 2014.
###
Swazi king must give up power, says Bishop Mabuza (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15718890?print=true
14 November 2011
By Non-Attributed Author
Bishop Mabuza told the BBC that Swaziland's "archaic" system of government had
plunged the country into a deep financial and economic crisis. Bishop Mabuza told the
BBC that Swaziland's "archaic" system of government had plunged the country into a
deep financial and economic crisis.
A government memo says salary payments to civil servants this month will be delayed
because of a shortage of money.
King Mswati, who has 13 wives, is sub-Saharan Africa's only absolute monarch.
He is widely accused of profligate spending, but cancelled his silver jubilee celebrations
this year because of Swaziland's cash crisis.
Swaziland has so far refused to accept a $355m (218m) loan from South Africa to help
it pay bills, after Pretoria demanded political and economic reforms.
'Excuses'
Bishop Mabuza, the Anglican Archbishop of Swaziland, told the BBC that Swaziland's
problems would not end while the monarchy wielded political power.
Continue reading the main story Start QuoteThe country has really reached the point of
collapse

End Quote Meshack Mabuza Anglican Archbishop of Swaziland

"The answer really lies in regime change in terms of the traditional, feudalistic, archaic
form of government," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
"It has to be replaced with multi-party democratic rule."
A leaked government memo - signed by the acting accountant general, AF Mabila - said
the November salary payments of civil servants had been moved to December.
Government spokesman Percy Simelane told the BBC the cabinet had been discussing
the issue since Saturday, but no decision had as yet been reached.
The government says its financial crisis has been caused by the global economic crisis
and a sharp decline in the landlocked kingdom's income from the Southern African
Customs Union (Sacu), following a new tariff deal.
But Bishop Mabuza, who is due to step down next month, said these were "excuses".
"The economic constraints were here even before the global economic meltdown because
there has hardly been any economic growth," he said.
"The country has really reached the point of collapse."
There have also been fears that state hospitals could run out of anti-retroviral drugs
(ARVs) because of a lack of money to buy them.
Swaziland, with a population of 1.2 million, has one of the highest HIV/Aids rates in the
world.
About 230,000 people are HIV-positive, of whom 65,000 depend on state hospitals to
give them free ARVs.
Political parties are banned in Swaziland, where King Mswati has been in power since
1986.
Critics accuse the royal family of lavish spending, despite the fact that many of his
subjects languish in poverty.
The economic crisis has sparked protests against King Mswati's rule, but analysts say the
monarchy still commands the respect of most traditional Swazis.
###
Africa: America's Role in Continent's Strife
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201111130186.html

13 November 2011
By Mwaura Samora
As Kenyan troops push their way into Somalia's hinterland in pursuit of Al-Shabaab
militants, several security analysts and observers allege an unseen hand behind Operation
Linda Nchi.
The allegations have been riding on the wave of unconfirmed reports in the early days of
the incursion that claimed that unmanned American drones had attacked several targets
inside the lawless nation.
Both countries denied the reports, with Washington insisting that it had no plan of being
actively involved in the war on Al-Shabaab.
An Associated Press reporter even intimated that the United States was actually
"shocked" by the incursion of Kenyan troops in Somalia since Washington had not been
consulted over the ingress in advance.
Andrew Franklin, an ex-US Marine now working in Nairobi as a financial and security
consultant, agrees with the reported position of the US.
"My experience from the past tells me that it is very unlikely that the United States was
aware of this spontaneous invasion and agreed to go with it," he observes, adding that his
position is informed by a number of factors, key among them being that the prevailing
climatic conditions in southern Somalia will greatly hamper a quick and decisive
attainment of the operation's key objectives.
Mr Franklin's observations came a few days after US President Barack Obama
announced that his country would be sending 100 Special Forces personnel to Uganda to
help quell the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) and capture its leader, Joseph Kony.
Although the unit will not hesitate to engage the enemy in self-defence, their key
mandate, it was reported, is to provide information, advice, and assistance to their hosts
and the armies of other neighbouring countries prone to attacks by the LRA like South
Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Whichever way one looks at it, the deployment of this elite US force to Uganda and the
alleged drone attacks against targets in southern Somalia is not a surprise since Uncle
Sam has always, directly or indirectly, been a key player in many post-colonial African
conflicts.
From covert operations during the cold war era and the tragedy of "Black Hawk Down"
in Mogadishu in the early 1990s to supporting the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia five
years ago, Washington's military adventures in Africa have been thick and fast, especially
since 9/11.

In order to harness its military operations in Africa and, according to some observers,
check the Chinese onslaught in the resource-rich continent, America established the
controversial Africa Command (AfriCom) in 2007.
While pan-Africanists have claimed that AfriCom is one of the final steps in
Washington's quest to "re-colonise Africa", the latter insists that the institution was set up
to foster world peace.
According to the US Department of Defence, AfriCom was established to seek "more
effective ways for the department to help prevent and respond to humanitarian crises,
improve cooperative efforts to stem trans-national terrorism, and sustain enduring efforts
that contribute to African unity and bolster security on the continent", and "to oversee
military operations on the African continent".
As expected, the command was greeted with suspicion and mistrust by most African
leaders. Perceived as an imperialist tactic against the continent by America, no country
was willing to host the headquarters of this controversial military organisation except
Liberia.
But the West African country, still rising from the ashes of a brutal civil war, apparently
did not make the required mark, hence Pentagon decided to station AfriCom in the
faraway city of Stuttgart, Germany.
According to the command's website, it has approximately 2,000 assigned personnel,
which includes military, civilian, and host nation employees, the bulk of whom work at
the Stuttgart headquarters.
Others are assigned to AfriCom units in the US and Europe, while a small number of
officers are posted at American embassies and diplomatic missions across Africa.
Since its inception in 2008, the command has received more than $730 million in budget
allocations, excluding individual service expenditures and funding for military exercise.
The US is the only country in the world that divides the globe into military commands.
Besides AfriCom, there are other commands in charge of Europe and the rest of the
world.
In a bid to appease Africa, former US president George W. Bush appointed Gen William
Ward, an African-American, as the first commander of AfriCom. He was replaced by
Gen Carter Ham in March this year.During his two-year tour of duty, Gen Ward strived
to sell the AfriCom gospel to African leaders by attending AU gatherings and state visits
where he portrayed the European-based command as a partner of African national armies.
Responding to a question by a Voice of America journalist on AfriCom's role in the Horn
of Africa and Somalia in particular, the four-star general was categorical.

"We certainly support those who are supportive of the Transitional Federal Government
(TFG), the African Union, and AMISOM missions," he explained.
"In so far as any direct involvement in Somalia, that's not the role of my command. Our
activities on the continent, in Somalia, are widespread, and so there are probably things
that occur that may be publicly as done by the United States Africa Command, but that's
just not the case".
But, apparently, in recent times AfriCom has been doing more than just helping its
partner countries through various training missions and developing the capacity to
provide for their own security and protect their own borders.
The Stuttgart-based command was at the heart of Operation Odyssey Dawn that played a
pivotal role in bringing down Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi.
Coordinating the combat operations of more than 11 American warships and dozens of
aircraft along the Mediterranean coast, AfriCom fired hundreds of cruise missiles into
Libya and participated in many aerial bombardments in conjunction with Nato.
Although Operation Odyssey Down attained its key objectives, the active fighting role
put AfriCom at loggerheads with African Union (AU) leaders, most of whom have
questioned the US military motives in the continent.
This was further aggravated by fact that Western allies snubbed a suggestion by AU
leaders to save Gaddafi through a ceasefire.
The current commander has stated that AfriCom will be working closely with the
National Transitional Council government to assist in curbing the proliferation and
smuggling of weapons into Libya.
But one of AfriCom's darkest spots remains in Uganda, where a botched operation to
capture Joseph Kony three years ago ended up doing more harm than good.
In an apparent quest to "enhance the ability of each one of our African partners to provide
for their own security", AfriCom, working with the Ugandan army, hatched Operation
Lightning Thunder in 2008, a mission meant to crush LRA and capture its murderous
leader.
According to the Star and Stripes, a US military independent news source, "the command
provided the Ugandan military with maps, satellite phones, GPS receivers and about $1
million in fuel for vehicles, as well as a team of advisers who provided feedback on the
plan".
The LRA got wind of the operation and fled before the raiding party arrived. And since
the operation made no effort to warn civilians -- despite the fact that reprisals and civilian

massacres are some of the barbaric standard operating procedures of the LRA -- the
group went on a retaliatory killing spree.
Describing the method of execution as "axing, cutting, slitting throats, and crushing
skulls with wooden bats and axes", the New York Times quoted a source from Doruma
town in the Democratic Republic of Congo saying that, after massacring 300 people
attending a Christmas party, the rebels "ate the Christmas feast the villagers had prepared
and then slept among the dead bodies before continuing with their trail of destruction and
death."
The bloody orgy by the retreating LRA left 1,000 dead, more than 100,000 displaced,
hundreds of minors conscripted, and thousands more raped, maimed, injured, and their
homes destroyed. Far from being apologetic for triggering the catastrophe, both AfriCom
and the Ugandan Government declared victory.
"The operation has been a success in that it left Joseph Kony naked," then State Minister
for Defence, Ms Ruth Nankabiriwa, told journalists.
"Because of the surprise nature of the attack, he fled from his camp empty-handed. He
left behind everything, including food, equipment, and other gadgets, so this has reduced
his capacity."
AfriCom's biggest military base in the continent is located at Camp Lemonnier in the Red
Sea nation of Djibouti. Established in 2002 under the name Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), the 2000-troop-strong base came under AfriCom in 2008. It
assumes responsibility for the total airspace and land areas of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan.
Other states which are under the watchful eye of the CJTF-HOA include Comoros,
Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania, and Uganda. Although one of its core
missions is the provision of humanitarian mercy missions like medicine, most activities
from the camp are more often than not towards military ventures.
It is through CJTF-HOA that AfriCom supported the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in
2006. Addis Ababa is said to have received more than $20 million in military aid, which
was by then more than any other country in the region except Djibouti.
Africa Command was established former U.S. president George Bush and his Secretary
of Defence Robert Gates.
Although the objective was to dethrone the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) from
Mogadishu, the operation ended up sowing the seeds that led to the formation of the more
radical and deadly Al-Shabaab.
"I can say with certainty that America's actions, interventions, invasions, and grand
meddling in African countries' internal affairs have not only escalated but also created

more conflicts in Africa," observes Maj (Rtd) Imaana Laibuta, who currently runs a
security consultancy in Southern Sudan.
"Africa does not need AfriCom.... It was another Hollywood blockbuster by America to
win the war in the world arena after losing it in the operation theatre."
###
END REPORT