# Africa in Crisis- The Merged Superthread



## patrick666

I am just wondering what kind of, if any, strategies Canada, or any nation, is using to help eliminate inter-tribal war, resistance fighting, and governmental death squads in areas such as Sudan and Bahr-al-Ghazal, Africa. I know with the current monetary situation plagueing our military we can barely afford to keep up the peacekeeping missions that we have committed ourselves to in Bosnia, etc. 

If no strategies are in place, what do you think should be done? I think we‘ve overlooked the violence and arms trades going on in the North and South Africas and should attempt to ease their sufferings instead of brushing it off our shoulders. I am not implying that we have to embark upon some massive crusade to completely remove the aforementioned dilemmas and create a unified and peaceful Africa, but there has to be something we can do.

What are your thoughts?


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## Gunnar

Put a big wall around Africa, drop in lots of guns and ammo, and stay away?


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## dano

I totally agree that nations including ourselfs have over looked the violence and poverty in Africa; to the extent of military operations and mobilzations. Canada and other G8 nations does recognize that Africa is in turmoil. Reason why large scale operations are not in motion is becouse we are North American, The president does‘ent run the country, big time CEO‘s of US and Canada run things in North America. They won‘t step foot in Africa for one reason; No profit. Why wage war in a country that has less value then waging war in Iraq, Its for Oil. The US government are the modern day Nazi‘s, They enfornce their beliefs, their values on countrys; for example; are not Christian, or are Anti-American. That is my thought on it.


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## chriscalow

Dano, don‘t you think that‘s pushing it a bit far?  "modern day nazi‘s"  come on, if anyone is racist its you, that kind of sh*t is not called for.  I don‘t think it was really necessary to go that far.  Your points may have some value to them but come on.


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## fusilier955

the trouble with africa is a long and complicated story.  to fix one problem, you have to fix many others.  it stems from the fact many countries in africa were colonies that european countries controled.

the europeans took the land‘s resources to get rich, and in turn provided an infastructure for the country.  after colonialism abolished, the pulling out of these governing countries ment that the infastructure was taken as well, and the economy and government crumbled.  poverty took hold over many of these countries, and political vaccums were yet to be filled. 

in the place of these european governments, new corupt governments took hold.  when aid money was given to these governments they did what they call top down development all the leaders of the government took the money and spent it on luxury items (cars, jewlery), or the military to insure that they stay in power and can guard their riches, as to feeding hungry mouths of the masses.

then these poor nations were taken over essentally by commercial companies, this is called neo colonialism.  they provided the infastructure the europeans did, and in turn they get cheap labour.

the new infastructure does not offer public education, clean drinking water, food, or adiquite housing.  if you try to supply these things the government in power will take them and use them for themselves.  if you offer education, most will not go, because they  need the money to live off of to buy what little food they can.  you cant get the corperations out, the government wont let them becuase they are cut a share of profits.  you cant take the gov‘t out, who will take over? (no country wants the job really).  so the government is without check really, and they go around what they like.

there is no education to better the people and rise above it by making a living.  they are for the majority of nations illiterate.  some countries are so uneducated that some married couples dont know how to consimate their mariages.

in the worst parts of africa peacekeepers are sent to insure that some of the people get the things like water and food.  also to allow the fighting to stop when they are present, just for awhile so some people have time to get out of the area, and just as they leave it starts back up.  the underlining problem is the government there, and no one wants to take it out.  if the gov‘t is taken out, who will govern?  and if someone steps up, you have to bring a country out of the "dark ages" in many aspects (ie- open sewers, communication, government services, education) to the rest of the developed world.

with the take on the problem right now, not much can be done.  if there is to be change, there would have to be some pretty enginutive plans to pull it off.  what the world is doing right now, is as close to the best as you are going to get.  there is so much red tape, and a spider web of connected problems.

that is just my 2 cents.


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## Padraig OCinnead

What do you call the missions to Somalia, Rwanda, Eritrea, Congo, Rwanda (again), Mozambique, and Congo (again)? These are all missions that the UN and Canada as part of most of the missions (if not all) that have taken place in the continent of Africa. Some lasted years. It isn‘t just financial aid, civil support, infrastructure rebuilding and yet more financial aid/grants that will help our fellow people there. They must want too as well. You can throw good money after bad for years to come, yet until fundamental changes from the top to bottom and back up again happen very little will happen. 

Why not educate themselves? Eradicate illiteracy? Make them understand about STD‘s. Get the bloody church out of there with their anti-birth control views and give out 50 condoms with every 3 ltrs of petrol, or every loaf of bread. Keep their own money that they are making from diamonds, lumber, gold, coffee etc etc instead of foreign financial institutions.  Sure we could offer advice, equal trade and other things along the way but it should be more so as equals instead of financialy dominant superpower and poor 3rd world country. Kinda like the rest of the world trades.


Dano. C‘mon pally. As soon as any comparision to 3rd Reich Nazy Germany is made all sensible arguments go out the window and are ignored. I have yet to see millions of dead Jews being burnt, destroyed and buried in mass graves anywhere in USA. I have not seen desert boot wearing Marines marching down my main street here in Kingston. I was even able to watch my neighbours go to church last sunday. Next time, breathe deep, have another puff/drink/bite and then reply to a post.

But I‘m just a dim soldier...


VVV


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## patrick666

I don‘t really believe that a lack of oil is preventing international assistances to parts of Africa. Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn‘t Sudan have oil fields? I read that the Sudanese government spends their profit from the oil on small arms to fight rebels in the south instead of supplying food and water to it‘s starving populace.

How effective were these missions to Rwanda, Mozambique etc? What kind of assisstance does the UN supply today?

If anything, I believe the dissolution of the arms trade would help significantly. I realize that it is a major economic business, and quite frankly, would take some time to even have the most minimal gain because of the exorbinant amount of guns. There are 33 million in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. 

Wouldn‘t that be a start? if not already started, then how else do you think we could improve the process?


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## Padraig OCinnead

How do you stop the arms trade into there? You‘re not going to just ask these people (the Weapons dealers) to stop selling weapons are you? You might as well ask Ronald to stop selling BigMacs.

Besides, 800 000 (+/-)Rwandans were killed using machetes. Not many Ak‘s used there. The Sudanese Govt should do what to the rebels? Use nerf guns? If they want to keep their oil fields they better use bigger/more/better weapons than their opponents. I don‘t support or disavow any side in that conflict but am merely pointing out what might be just simplification.


Weapons trade is a big part of these troubles but if it wasn‘t weapons it would be spears, machetes, IED‘s, stones. It‘s what the weapons are being brought in to protect or destroy that must be addressed. Money! In the shape of that continents resources. Do we have the Brittish, Dutch, Americans sending companies into our land to pillage the land and them di di out once there is nothing left?  That‘s right, we don‘t.  Once they control their own trade and economy they can start building again. Corruption is a human fault and not ethnically orientated. We got it here they‘ll have it there.  It will take as long as it has already been since the good times went to pot. Whats that, 2 centuries? Longer? An example would be Canadas First Nations. Since whites set foot here in Canada they have suffered and have only now started to be where they once were. They still have a long way to go.


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## patrick666

Excellent points, Padraig and Fusilier.  

As you have stated, there are major companies dependant on Africa‘s resources and labour for their profits. I guess we cannot simply ask them to cease their careers and jeopardize the sustainability of their corporations after they‘ve already been woven into society‘s commercial fabric. Does anyone know which country profits the most from African exports?

Africa, it seems, is a landfill for the world‘s militaries to dump their aging weaponry at cheap prices. When you can get an AK-47 for merely a few pieces of chicken, you are right, there is not much we can do from stopping the purchasing of them. Especially in a country where guns are obligatory for survival. 

What is the timeframe for the deaths of those 800,000 Rwandans?


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## Padraig OCinnead

It was around April of ‘94. The year after we came back from Somalia. The Rwandan president and the Leading Opposition leader were in a plane. They were on their way to Kigali to discuss  a merging or two-party leadership sort of thing. 

Anyways hard liners shot the plane down, blamed it on the Tutsis and started the masacre. The Rebel Tutsi Army tried to move in and prevent their people from getting the hack. Along the way there were reprisals after reprisals. In the end the Hutus were chased out of the country into the Congo next door to the west. You saw their pics in the huge camp run by the U.N.

It stopped by the time we got there in Aug of 94.


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## fusilier955

it was on the history channel not to long ago, they air it every so often.  apparently a canadian BGen was incharge while **** hit the fan.  the UN tied his hands and he had to sit and watch, this was all after the incident in somalia in which the movie "blackhawk down" is based on (which is the reason why the UN said no, because they didnt want another incident).  the majority of the people killed in the masacre was over a span of 10 days.  it was sad watching the general now retired, talk about those bloody 10 days, you could see it in his eyes he just stared off like he was still in disbelief.  it was a graphic documentation.(not visually, but discriptively)


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## Padraig OCinnead

Fusilier995,

I know his name but will not mention it publicly on these means. I wonder how much we hear from the soldiers that were there, the ones who werent spending their working hours in a secured guarded enclosed building. How many of them had instances of AWOL, and drunkeness excused? I feel a bit strongly about this issue and don‘t feel inclined to give sympathy to him when so many others just had to suck it up and ruck on.

Somalia may have played a part. But I am not sure, as the main players in Somalia were not in Rwanda. Different chapter types as well. Other than the Belgiques there were few other Western armies there before late July ‘94. We just were dealing with the various UN departments viewing the same info in a different light. Besides, it was probably on a weekend or a Friday afternonn and they were all down at the local golf course/trendy restaurant or villa in upstate NY.
VVV


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## northamericanrebel

Dano...you have a cage waiting for you down at GITMO with your name on it


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## northamericanrebel

I mean...lets be frank...thats where uneducated scum belongs...am I not right???


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## patrick666

Being opinionated does not necessarily imply that he is uneducated. Let‘s try to not get sidetracked here.


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## northamericanrebel

"The US government are the modern day Nazi‘s"....hmmm... you take a look at that statement....


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## Padraig OCinnead

Let‘s not get wrapped up around the axle over a guy saying something before thinking it through. 

I mean of all the things to say that accusation is pretty foolish. Free speech and all sometimes means having to hear the odd foolish remark in all the smart, well thought out comments. I have my own views on USA. But being similar to nazy Germany has never been one  of them.

NorthAmericanRebel. Thickening your skin a bit will get you through life‘s little barbs much easier. When I saw my Nations flag upside down in Georgia at some game I didn‘t do much more than frown and then get over it.Besides aren‘t you a rough old construction worker? lol

VVV


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## northamericanrebel

not old yet     getten there tho


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## patrick666

Padraig, just wondering..

Based on the information you‘ve given, would I be right in saying you have some first-hand experience overseas and in situations of similar context?


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## Padraig OCinnead

You would be very right.

I was both in Somalia and Rwanda a year later. And then a couple others since.


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## patrick666

Wow. 

What exactly did you do? I recently wrote a paper on Africa for my english class and it has been on my mind ever since. I want to know as much as I can about what is going on. 

Would you mind telling me about your experiences? I think that would be a very interesting perspective.


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## Padraig OCinnead

Do you want me to e-mail you a bit?


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## patrick666

That would be very awesome of you. My email address is in my profile so feel free to drop me a line.


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## Padraig OCinnead

Give me a couple of days and I‘ll send you a bit. Some pics as well. Mind you this is from a soldier‘s point of view. It might not necessarily be what you are looking for but I‘ll put together a few things and e-mail it off in by Tues or Wed.

Cheers

gotta go eat my Sunday dinner.


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## donkon

I know the french foreign legion is stationed there and they constantly have missions there. Not really sure about the whole story but i am getting a book about the FFL this week so i will let you know when i read about it.


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## patrick666

Would be appreciated, Don. What is the name of the book?

Padraig, I am looking for any view. You can‘t particularly understand fully what is going on until you see it from as many perspectives as you can. IMHO. I bet it‘s a good dinner to - compared to my beans and oreos.


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## MarkOttawa

A round-up guest-post at _Daimnation!_:
http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/008459.html

Mark
Ottawa


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## Dare

MarkOttawa said:
			
		

> A round-up guest-post at _Daimnation!_:
> http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/008459.html
> 
> Mark
> Ottawa


Comment by Queensman:



> “The Americans are simply not prepared to listen to anyone else’s point of view,” one diplomat complained angrily. “They have made their mind up.”..
> 
> You see, the Europeans always listen to everybody and never make their mind up.
> 
> That is called sophistication.


I like that comment. I hope Ethiopia does not back down.


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## a_majoor

Game on:

http://strongconservative.blogspot.com/2006/12/somalia-ethiopia-at-war.html



> *Somalia-Ethiopia At War*
> 
> Somalia's Islamic fascist government declared that it was now at war with Ethiopia. The Somalian government is now known as the Union of Islamic Courts after a civil war with rival forces that has raged for years. Ethiopia is a largely Christian country.
> 
> Ethiopia sent forces into Somalia not long ago to halt the advance of Islamic forces, although it denies these actions. Now, "Fresh heavy fighting is reported near the weak Somali government's Baidoa base, amid fears conflict could plunge the entire Horn of Africa into crisis."(BBC)
> 
> Somalia's Deputy Defence Minister Salad Ali Jelle told reporters in Baidoa that 71 Islamic fighters had been killed and 221 injured so far during clashes in three locations. But in Mogadishu, UIC official Sheik Mohamud Ibrahim Suley claimed his fighters had killed 70 fighters, mainly Ethiopian troops.
> 
> This appears to be another fulfillment of Samuel Huntington's prediction of "bloody borders" where Islam and Christianity (or Buddhism) meet. Such is true in many other parts of Africa, Asia and Europe like Chechnya, Bosnia, Sudan, and Thailand.
> 
> Ethiopia has admitted to having some military trainers in Somalia, but our correspondent says that as he drove to the airport in Baidoa on Wednesday, he was stopped by a huge convoy of Ethiopian military armour.
> The United Nations estimates that at least 8,000 Ethiopian troops may be in the country backing the government while regional rival Eritrea has deployed some 2,000 troops in support of the Islamic group. (Id)


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## Sig_Des

> *Ethiopia warns it losing patience as Somalis clash*
> Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:14pm ET
> By Hassan Yare
> 
> BAIDOA, Somalia (Reuters) - Ethiopian tanks rolled to the battlefront on Friday as Somali Islamists and Somalia's pro-government troops pounded each other with artillery and rockets in a fourth day of clashes.
> 
> In its first detailed response to the fighting that has killed dozens and wounded hundreds, Addis Ababa said its patience was running out and demanded the Somali Islamic Courts Council (SICC) stop all "hostile anti-Ethiopian activities".
> 
> "The situation in Somalia has turned from bad to worse," said a statement from Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Ethiopia has been patient so far. There is a limit to this."
> 
> The U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council denounced the fighting and urged the interim government and Islamists to resume peace talks.
> 
> Ethiopia has said it would make public any intention of war against the Islamists, who already view it as a fait accompli.
> 
> The Islamists said they would send ground troops to attack en masse on Saturday, as opposed to fighting from a distance with heavy weapons as the two sides have done so far, ignoring a European peace initiative.
> 
> "Our troops have not started to attack. From tomorrow the attack will start," Islamist deputy spokesman Ibrahim Shukri told a news conference.



More on link:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-12-22T201401Z_01_L2248305_RTRUKOC_0_US-SOMALIA-CONFLICT.xml&WTmodLoc=IntNewsHome_C2_worldNews-1


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## Mike Baker

Can't be good at all.


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## Yrys

Timeline: Ethiopia vs Somalia

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6159735.stm



> Ethiopia and Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) are on war footing.
> The BBC New website logs the two countries troubled relationship.


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## Yrys

Thousands flee as war escalates in Somalia

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/12/22/somalia.ap/index.html



> MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Ethiopian attack helicopters and tanks
> headed for battle Friday as fighting raged for a fourth day between Somalia's
> Islamic militia and the country's secular government, witnesses and a
> government official said.
> 
> Tens of thousands of Somalis fled their homes as the Ethiopian-backed
> government used artillery to push back Islamic fighters who had advanced
> on the regime's only stronghold, Baidoa. Islamic forces who have declared
> they want to bring the whole country under Quranic rule said the latest
> fighting had been started by the government but now they would launch
> their own attacks.


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## midget-boyd91

Soooo umm.. whats going ot happen now??? The UN isn't even able to put very many troops (or at least equipped ones) down in Sudan for humanitarian, and now in roughly the same area andother disaster is unfolding. NATO isn't going to be able to do anything the UN isn't, so are we all going to sit and watch it happen on CNN and CTV, or is someone sitting behind a desk actually going to do something this time?


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## George Wallace

Look south......way down south......what do you see?  Know anything about the South African Army?


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## midget-boyd91

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Look south......way down south......what do you see?  Know anything about the South African Army?



This is a serious question, Im not trying to sound sarcastic, but do you really think that they would throw themselves in the middle of it all knowing for a fact that they would become a target of the Islamic Militia?


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## career_radio-checker

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Look south......way down south......what do you see?  Know anything about the South African Army?



Yah I'd be leaning in that direction too George. Chances are you won't see any NATO or Western led Peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia or Somalia (again). Colonialism has left a really sour taste in African mouths, who have come to blame caucasians for all their problems of starvation,  corruption, ethnic tensions, health problems etc on us. They don't want a 'White' army setting foot in certain African states (A very bold and racy statement, I know, but just look at how Suddan only allowed an all African force to 'patrol' Darfur. The only caucasions there are observers). Sounds like a job for another UN sanctioned African Union mission for which South Africa could be a major contributor.


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## George Wallace

midget-boyd91 said:
			
		

> This is a serious question, Im not trying to sound sarcastic, but do you really think that they would throw themselves in the middle of it all knowing for a fact that they would become a target of the Islamic Militia?



They may not have to throw themselves into it.  It may come to them.  In fact it most probably will come to them.  The only question is when.


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## midget-boyd91

Do you think that if they do end up taking a handfull of casualties they would end up leaving the way the US did in 93  (i hate using that as an example.. it was just the best one i could think of at the time).?


70


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## George Wallace

You have lost me.  If they are fighting on their borders, it is not the same as fighting half way around the world.  They can't pack up and go home.  They already are home and are fighting to protect their home.  Casualties will not be a factor.


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## midget-boyd91

George Wallace said:
			
		

> You have lost me.  If they are fighting on their borders, it is not the same as fighting half way around the world.  They can't pack up and go home.  They already are home and are fighting to protect their home.  Casualties will not be a factor.


 I was making reference to the earlier post about the South African army.


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## George Wallace

I am talking about the South African Army.  There is not too much in the way of land and distance between Somalia and South Africa.  Once the violence spreads, South Africa will have a hard time not being involve.


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## midget-boyd91

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Once the violence spreads, South Africa will have a hard time not being involve.


I dont think that the violence is going to spread that far. If it spread into too many nations like Malawi which are full of NGOs (and i mean packed full) there would be too much of an outcry and it would be any nation that could deploy would.


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## Thorvald

As I recall the French Foreign Legion recently deployed to Ethiopia at the request of their government (according to a Military Channel special), anyone know if they are still there?

I'll try to dig up some info.


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## 3rd Horseman

Sine the FFL has had a garrison on the border with Somalia and Ethiopia I would suspect that LOs are in Ethiopia, as in the past.


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## aesop081

midget-boyd91 said:
			
		

> Soooo umm.. whats going ot happen now??? The UN isn't even able to put very many troops (or at least equipped ones) down in Sudan for humanitarian, and now in roughly the same area andother disaster is unfolding. NATO isn't going to be able to do anything the UN isn't, so are we all going to sit and watch it happen on CNN and CTV, or is someone sitting behind a desk actually going to do something this time?



First off.......The UN cannot put troops into the Sudan because the Sudanese gov will not authorize it. A small contingent from the African Union is there doing what it can.

As for your NATO comment well, the UN failed to deliver in the FRY but looks to me like NATO succeeded where the UN failed.

Why do we need to do somwthing about this in the first place ?  These two countries seem to have decided that they have money to fight each other rather than feed and look after their population.  Why should we risk our collective butts considering how our last attempt at helping turned out.


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## Jay4th

George,  The South African National Defense Force is not the SADF of pre 1994.  Their policies regarding assistance to outside nations and their bold practice of pre-emptively fighting wars before they reach South Africa is gone too.  Admittedly I only searched for a couple hours on the net after seeing" Blood Diamonds" but I doubt they even have the capability anymore. They can't even protect thieir own farmers from attacks from within.


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## CrazyCanuck

Just in case anybody is wondering here are the links to the concerned countries on the CIA world-fact-book, the military info is a bit thin but it's better than nothing. 
South Africa: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sf.html#Military 
Ethiopia: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/et.html
Somalia: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/so.html


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## 3rd Horseman

cdnaviator said:
			
		

> As for your NATO comment well, the UN failed to deliver in the FRY but looks to me like NATO succeeded where the UN failed.



History correction - The UN won the war in Bosnia and Croatia after hard fought battles in summer/fall 95. The war ended in Oct 95, NATO as IFOR arrived in Jan Feb time frame 96 when the war had already ended.


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## warspite

cdnaviator said:
			
		

> Why do we need to do something about this in the first place ?  These two countries seem to have decided that they have money to fight each other rather than feed and look after their population.  Why should we risk our collective butts considering how our last attempt at helping turned out.


This is a good question. Why should we?  Sure there's the typical well the horrors of war must be stopped and we must now go and stop them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating wars sufferings as unimportant. But don't we always intervene when this stuff happens... anywhere in the world. Perhaps we should just let Africa stew for a decade or so and then move in to clean up? You know, let them blow off some steam rather than the white man coming back to tell them to stop it and be good.


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## CrazyCanuck

If we did just let them kill each other do you think they would ever forgive us? That would give more voice to the idea that all their suffering is the West's fault. We're damned if we do and damned if we don't.


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## tomahawk6

I think the decision has been made to let our proxies deal with the Islamic Courts in Somalia.


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## Adrian_888

warspite said:
			
		

> This is a good question. Why should we?  Sure there's the typical well the horrors of war must be stopped and we must now go and stop them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating wars sufferings as unimportant. But don't we always intervene when this stuff happens... anywhere in the world. Perhaps we should just let Africa stew for a decade or so and then move in to clean up? You know, let them blow off some steam rather than the white man coming back to tell them to stop it and be good.



I agree, why do we always think that other countries conflicts are our own, war is the most efficient way to resolve a conflict... sounds kind F'ed up, but its true (from a methodical point of view at least).  I believe that unless a majority of people ask for help, then theres no way to justify dying for something like this. Just my opinion of course, you don't have to agree with it.


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## sober_ruski

> The U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council denounced the fighting and urged the interim government and Islamists to resume peace talks.


Does anyone else sees the problem with that?


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## old fart

3rd Horseman said:
			
		

> History correction - The UN won the war in Bosnia and Croatia after hard fought battles in summer/fall 95. The war ended in Oct 95, NATO as IFOR arrived in Jan Feb time frame 96 when the war had already ended.



IFOR deployed Dec 95 - Jan 96....UN won the war....come on....

I think you will find it was NATO airpower (hate to admit that), can't remember the air campaign name, (and to close to some xmas festivites to look up), that brought the Serbs to the table, resulting the in Dayton Accords.

Nothing whatever to do with the UN...


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## tomahawk6

Ethiopia deployed combat aircraft for the first time against the Islamic Courts forces.Reminds me of the Italians using planes against the Ethiopians. The IC lack aircraft so the use of jets should enhance the fighting capabilities of the Ethiopian ground forces.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061224/ap_on_re_af/somalia



> "After too much patience, the Ethiopian government has taken a self-defensive measure and has begun counterattacking the aggressive extremist forces of the (Islamic council) and foreign terrorist groups," said Ethiopia's foreign affairs spokesman, Solomon Abebe.


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## MarkOttawa

Why in heaven's name should Somalia be a Canadian priority? War update
http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/008498.html

Ethiopia attacks Somalia Islamic council
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061224/ap_on_re_af/somalia_45



> Ethiopia launched an attack Sunday on Somalia's powerful Islamic movement, sending fighter jets across the border and bombarding several towns in a major escalation of the violence that threatens to engulf the Horn of Africa.
> 
> Ethiopia confirmed the attacks, the first time it has acknowledged that its troops were fighting in Somalia, though witnesses have reported their presence for weeks.
> 
> "After too much patience, the Ethiopian government has taken a self-defensive measure and has begun counterattacking the aggressive extremist forces of the (Islamic council) and foreign terrorist groups," said Ethiopia's foreign affairs spokesman, Solomon Abebe.
> 
> The Council of Islamic Courts has vowed to drive out troops from neighboring Ethiopia, a largely Christian nation that is providing military support to Somalia's U.N.-backed government.
> 
> "They are cowards," said Sheik Mohamoud Ibrahim Suley, an official with Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts. "They are afraid of the face-to-face war and resorted to airstrikes. I hope God will help us shoot down their planes."
> 
> But Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf said his forces have gained the upper hand.
> 
> "I think they have met a resistance they have never dreamt of before," Yusuf said in brief remarks from Baidoa — the only town the government controls — as the battles began to die down Sunday afternoon...
> 
> As Sunday's fighting wore on, the Islamic leadership in the capital, Mogadishu, began broadcasting patriotic songs about Somalia's 1977 war with Ethiopia. Abdi Mohamed Osman, who owns a shop in the capital, said businessman were closing their shops to go and fight.
> 
> "We are going to support our brothers on the front line," he said.
> 
> The Ethiopian airstrikes were the first against Somalia's Islamic movement. Ethiopia and Somalia have fought two wars over their disputed border in the past 45 years. Islamic court leaders have repeatedly said they want to incorporate ethnic Somalis living in eastern Ethiopia, northeastern Kenya and Djibouti into a Greater Somalia...



Somalia militia seeks foreign fighters 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061224/ap_on_re_af/somalia_38



> Islamic militants who want to govern Somalia by the Quran urged foreign Muslims on Saturday to join their war with Ethiopian troops, as heavy fighting broke out Sunday in this volatile nation that threatens to escalate into a regional conflict...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CrazyCanuck

What jets do the Ethiopians have?


----------



## rz350

Boater said:
			
		

> What jets do the Ethiopians have?



If I recall, they have Su-27's piloted by Russian or Ukraine pilots that they hire. (Ex RUS or UKR AF pers...but that might of changed, that was from the 1998 war with Ereteria, and they have trained their own pilots for that plane by now)
Also, they fly Mig-17, 21 and 23. Some F-5 as well and they have two Su-25 Frogfoot CAS planes. I would imagine the MiG-17 is limited to a CAS/bombing role against light infantry only, since its very very old and rather dated for anything but strafing infantry.

They have some Ka-50 and Mi-24 attack whirrly's too.


----------



## sober_ruski

Are you sure they have KA-50 "Black Shark"?


----------



## rz350

thats according to wiki, it seemed a bit dodgy to me as well. But ya never know. (and it says they only have 2 of the Ka-50...its possible)


----------



## Emenince Grise

Looks like it has begun... 

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/12/24/somalia.html



> Ethiopia declares war against Somali militants
> Sends troops to bombard towns across the border
> Last Updated: Sunday, December 24, 2006 | 3:43 PM ET
> The Associated Press
> Ethiopia has moved openly for the first time against Islamic militants in neighbouring Somalia, striking in border towns Sunday amid fears that the violence could engulf the Horn of Africa.
> 
> Until now, Ethiopia has supported Somalia's weak interim government against the militants, but has denied that its troops have crossed the border to fight — even though witnesses have been describing such attacks for weeks.


----------



## Emenince Grise

rz350 said:
			
		

> If I recall, they have Su-27's piloted by Russian or Ukraine pilots that they hire. (Ex RUS or UKR AF pers...but that might of changed, that was from the 1998 war with Ereteria, and they have trained their own pilots for that plane by now)
> Also, they fly Mig-17, 21 and 23. Some F-5 as well and they have two Su-25 Frogfoot CAS planes. I would imagine the MiG-17 is limited to a CAS/bombing role against light infantry only, since its very very old and rather dated for anything but strafing infantry.
> 
> They have some Ka-50 and Mi-24 attack whirrly's too.



You can read a good account of the last Ethiopian/Eritrean air conflict in the late 90's/early 2000's here:

http://www.dehai.org/archives/dehai_news_archive/apr-may03/0303.html

EAF pictures here:

http://www.mediaethiopia.com/photoessay/photo_essay_EAF.htm


----------



## rz350

Good link...I was just trying to give a brief statement of their equipment


----------



## CrazyCanuck

It will be interesting to see how the west reacts to this, I'm wondering how close it will mirror the Isreal-Hezbolla conflict in regards to Western opinion


----------



## FredDaHead

Boater said:
			
		

> It will be interesting to see how the west reacts to this, I'm wondering how close it will mirror the Isreal-Hezbolla conflict in regards to Western opinion



You know the result as well as I do: the legitimate authorities will come out looking like bad guys (worse than the Empire) and the terrorists will look like victims of the evil conspiracy against... uh... terror.


----------



## tomahawk6

The Islamic Courts have retreated from Mogadishu to their last stronghold of Kismayo. Many of their fighters have taken off their uniforms and blended into the population,an insurgency is probably planned its effectiveness may be problematic. The IC did not make themselves very popular during their brief time in power.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061227/ethopia_somali_061228/20061228?hub=TopStories


----------



## MarkOttawa

War now: 

Somalia War: Mogadishu falls to Christians
http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/008508.html

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## NL_engineer

Article link http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061227/ethopia_somali_061228/20061228?hub=CTVNewsAt11



> CTV.ca News Staff
> 
> Somalia's government plans to declare martial law for three months, after Ethiopian-backed troops took over the capital Mogadishu from their Islamist rivals.
> 
> "This country has experienced anarchy and in order to restore security we need a strong hand, especially with freelance militias," Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamad Gedi told reporters Thursday.
> 
> He added that martial law could begin as early as Saturday.
> 
> Militiamen for the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) had controlled Mogadishu since June, attempting to establish a government based on a strict interpretation of Islam that echoed the Taliban.
> 
> Before Somali troops entered the capital, hundreds of militiamen who had backed the Islamist faction showed they had switched allegiance by taking off their uniforms.
> 
> "We have been defeated. I have removed my uniform. Most of my comrades have also changed into civilian clothes," one former SICC fighter told Reuters. "Most of our leaders have fled.
> 
> Meanwhile, at least 17 refugees fleeing the conflict zone drowned when their boat capsized in the Gulf of Aden, the United Nations refugee agency said Thursday.
> 
> The confrontation occurred Wednesday when Yemeni authorities discovered four boats, carrying about 515 people, and opened fire. The agency said 140 people were still missing.
> 
> Earlier, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said officials had been discussing how to keep Mogadishu from descending into chaos.
> 
> "We will not let Mogadishu burn," Meles told reporters in Addis Ababa.
> 
> Ethiopian and Somali government troops advanced on the capital from the north and the west, capturing the country's most important airfield and driving Islamic fighters out of Jowhar, the last major town on the road leading to Mogadishu.
> 
> Somali officer Col. Ahmed Omar said that Ethiopian troops would stop advancing on Mogadishu but that government forces would approach the capital.
> 
> Islamists said they had left Mogadishu but vowed they would not give up without a fight.
> 
> Residents south of the city told The Associated Press that Islamist forces were headed south toward the port city of Kismayo, their last remaining stronghold.
> 
> One former Islamic fighter who quit Thursday, Yusuf Ibrahim, said about 3,000 fighters had left for Kismayo, some 500 kilometres to the south.
> 
> Abdirahman Janaqow, a senior leader, told AP he ordered his forces out of the capital to avoid bloodshed.
> 
> "We decided to leave Mogadishu because of the safety of the civilians," Janaqow said. "We want to face our enemy and their stooges in a separate area, away from civilians."
> 
> Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf is expected to offer the clans a truce later Thursday.
> 
> Some analysts fear that the SICC could focus on guerrilla fighting, especially if Ethiopia fails to help Somali maintain long-term security.
> 
> Clan system
> 
> Somalia's complex clan system has formed the basis of the country's politics and identity for centuries.
> 
> But clan infighting has prevented Somalia from having an effective government since clan-based warlords ousted longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, thrusting the country into anarchy.
> 
> Two years ago, the United Nations helped set up the interim government. But until the past week, it had little influence outside of its seat in the city of Baidoa, in part because it had been weakened by clan rivalries.
> 
> The Council of Islamic Courts seized Mogadishu in June and went on to take much of southern Somalia after chasing U.S.-backed warlords from the city.
> 
> They were later joined by foreign militants, including Pakistanis and Arabs, who supported their goal of making Somalia an Islamic state.
> 
> While many Somalis appeared to welcome the law and order that came when the militiamen imposed Islamic law, others rejected the strict enforcement of Islamic codes.
> 
> The Islamists appeared to be unbeatable after seizing the capital, but they have been no match for Ethiopia, which has the strongest military in the Horn of Africa.
> 
> On Sunday, Ethiopia sent fighter jets streaking deep into militia-held areas to help Somalia's UN-recognized government push back the Islamists.
> 
> Ethiopia got involved after the Islamists tried to march on the government base of Baidoa.
> 
> Ethiopia's prime minister has said that his country was "forced to enter a war" with the Council of Islamic Courts after the group declared holy war on Ethiopia, a largely Christian country that has feared the emergence of a neighbouring Islamic state.


----------



## Dogboy

the flip side is Somalia was calming down under the Cort's rule and stabilizing .
something the gov. in exile was unable to do.
and don't forget most Somalians hate Ethiopia for past wars.
and the fact that the gov.in exile was also made up of warlords as well. 
but hey I guess their on our side.


----------



## warspite

Well looks like Somalia is declaring martial law in order for the government to take root...
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/12/28/somalia-mogadishu.html


----------



## retiredgrunt45

It's ironic, heres two countries that can't feed their population's, but somehow they never have a problem buying bullets and bombs for their wars! 

 It seems theres a power struggle every few years in these countries, one warlord knocks of another and siezes power until the next one comes along and knocks him from the throne, its a damn merry-go-round. Meanwhile people starve to death or are caught in the crossfire.

 They should send these war mongering idiots to a deserted island and give them each and atomic bomb and see which idiot will be the first one to push the button.


----------



## harry8422

my thoughts exactly


----------



## Yrys

US wary of Somali 'terror' links

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6212321.stm



> The United States has closely followed the gains made by Somali government
> forces, supported by Ethiopian armour and troops, against Islamist militiamen.
> 
> Washington is determined to prevent the spread of fundamentalist Islam to Africa
> and has been deeply concerned by the rise of the Union of Islamic Courts.


----------



## aesop081

3rd Horseman said:
			
		

> History correction - The UN won the war in Bosnia and Croatia



 :rofl:

Wow, sorry for the late reply but i must have seriously missed something when i was there !!  There were some pitched engagements over there, yes, but saying that the UN won the war is a bit much, even for you.  You must have been in too deep to see the ineffectivenes of the UN i guess.


----------



## MarkOttawa

Somalia War: A Bad Thing
http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/008511.html



> Trust a _Globe and Mail_ reporter find to find "analysts" to criticize the US--remember the Islamists did bring "security" (and Hitler almost eliminated unemployment before the war)...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Stranded in a conflict zone
Somali-Canadians fear for families after Ethiopian-backed government troops trounce Islamists, regain Mogadishu
_Toronto Star_, Dec. 30
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/166429



> Somali-Canadians are actively involved with both sides in the violent power struggle that rocked Somalia this week, but hundreds are also caught in the middle of the upheaval in the capital, Mogadishu.
> 
> Dual citizens who've left Canada in recent years to return to Somalia now hold key posts in the UN-backed transitional government and with its foes, the fundamentalist Union of Islamic Courts.
> 
> On one side, former Toronto grocer Abdullahi Afrah, better known as Asparo, is a senior leader with the Islamists who fled Mogadishu on Thursday in the face of a fierce assault by government forces, backed by Ethiopian troops, who finally regained control of the capital.
> 
> And on the other, 13 Somali-Canadians, most from Greater Toronto, are serving as parliamentarians in the 275-member transitional government that includes Ali Jama, the minister of information...
> 
> Sitting in Toronto, Abdirizak Mohamed is desperate to evacuate his family from Mogadishu, where they have been visiting family since the summer. But all international flights have been suspended, and martial law was to be imposed today.
> 
> "I've asked them to get on any flight that comes out of Mogadishu. I asked them to get out but I don't know.
> 
> "Only if the Canadian government gets involved, otherwise we are not in a position to do anything," said Mohamed, a community activist who works at the Somali-Canadian Cultural Club near Jane St. and Eglinton Ave...
> 
> ...currently, there are no plans to evacuate Canadians from Somalia, according to Bernard Nguyen, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa...
> 
> *A lack of Canadian military capacity in that region* [emphasis added] could make evacuation difficult, according to historian Jack Granatstein, fellow of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute.
> 
> "I'd be surprised if there was a Canadian effort to evacuate or support evacuation in any form," said Granatstein. "We have no capacity to get in there. We'd have to beg space on British or American flights.
> 
> "Those fleeing would be Islamists, and the British and Americans are not eager to get them out."..



The "World's Finest Hotel" in action, with one of its houses divided against itself.  This business of dual nationals getting involved in politics abroad really is getting out of hand. The Brits and Americans have the right perspective, if Mr Granatstein is correct.

More here:
http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/007849.html

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## a_majoor

There is an old saying about lying in the bed that you make.

In this and other cases (I recall hearing reports and rumors of people using Canada as a "safe haven" while being involved with one faction or the other in former Yugoslavia in the 1990's as well, and of course there is that little incident of "citizens" being trapped in Lebanon......) we need to step in and make a judgement call. Either there is some compelling reason for us as a nation to be involved, or there is not.

If not, then people who end up "over there" are private citizens who have made a _choice_ to be there; frankly I do not think I should be compelled to pay for the negative consequences of their choices (I notice they are not very eager to share any positive fruits of their choices i.e. paying Canadian taxes). I would even go so far as to say that standing for public office in a foreign country should be grounds to suspend the Canadian citizenship. If we are getting in a big knot over Mr Dion's French citizenship, then the same arguments apply to a Canadian citizen in a foreign nation.


----------



## 1feral1

You know, I just don't care anymore. We're the Great Satan until they want our $$$.

Just remember, those kids we fed in 1993 are now carrying those AKs and ridng around with RPGs etc.

The next generations will be doing the same.

I say let 'em go at it, let 'em kill each other.

Cheers,

Wes


----------



## FredDaHead

I find it rather amusing that the "citizens" they want us to rescue have been in-country "since the summer."

How many Canadians do you know that can take a 6-month vacation to a war-torn nation, or anywhere for that matter? Not many, I'd guess, so why don't we just declare their citizenship null and void and leave them there to fend for themselves? After all, they were quite happy to go off and stay there however long they could, until it blew up, so they should be fine with "visiting their family" for a little while longer.


----------



## NL_engineer

Frederik G said:
			
		

> I find it rather amusing that the "citizens" they want us to rescue have been in-country "since the summer."



They would never have come out and said that they had a Canadian citizenship till there was trouble.





			
				Wesley (Over There) 
 said:
			
		

> You know, I just don't care anymore. We're the Great Satan until they want our $$$.
> 
> Just remember, those kids we fed in 1993 are now carrying those AKs and ridng around with RPGs etc.
> 
> The next generations will be doing the same.



Good point Wes


----------



## MarkOttawa

Kenya arrests as many as 2 men with Canadian passports: reports
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 2, 2007 | 1:18 PM ET
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/01/02/kenya-canadians.html



> As many as two Somali Islamic fighters who claim to be Canadian were among 10 fighters arrested by Kenyan police, according to separate reports Tuesday.
> 
> The 10 were arrested on Monday at the Liboi border crossing in Kenya as they tried to flee Somalia, the Kenya Daily Nation reported.
> 
> Two were reportedly carrying Canadian passports, while the remaining eight were said to have Eritrean passports. According to the newspaper, all 10 militants were being detained in the Kenyan town of Garissa. It is not known whether they have been charged.
> 
> A Canadian Press report, however, said only one man with a Canadian passport had been detained. The report quotes Kenya police spokesman Gideon Kibunja.
> 
> "It's difficult to judge if they are Islamic Courts fighters, but a number of them were Eritrean and one had a Canadian passport," Kibunja said.
> 
> Foreign Affairs officials in Canada told CBC News on Tuesday that they were aware of the Kenya Daily Nation report, but they would not comment until they had more information.
> Continue Article
> 
> Officials at the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi said they were trying to get information from Kenyan police about the arrests, but they have not had much success.
> 
> "Consular officials are aware of the arrest on the Kenya-Somalia border," said Ian McKinley, a counsellor with the High Commission. *"We are actively investigating whether Canadian nationals were detained in order to provide them with consular help."* [emphasis added]
> 
> Canada has issued a travel warning urging Canadians not to travel to Somalia, or if there already, to leave immediately.
> 
> 10 stopped while fleeing in vehicle
> 
> According to the Kenya Daily Nation, Kenyan security forces suspect that the 10 fighters helped to finance the Council of Islamic Courts, an Islamic movement that has been driven out of Somalia by government forces backed by Ethiopian troops...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## GAP

Another poor innocent, misunderstood Canadian caught inbetween warring factions? Poor lad....where's the memorial service?


----------



## sober_ruski

Nah, he just got an all inclusive tour to Somalia. For an extra $99.99 they take you a shooting range of sorts.


----------



## NL_engineer

From CTV
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070104/som_islam_070104/20070104?hub=TopStories



> Kenya says it has closed border with Somalia
> 
> Updated Thu. Jan. 4 2007 8:13 AM ET
> 
> Associated Press
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya -- Kenya said Thursday it has closed its border with Somalia in an apparent effort to keep Islamic militants and refugees from entering the country.
> 
> "The Kenyan border is officially closed," Foreign Affairs Minister Raphael Tuju told The Associated Press, but he did not say when the decision was made or how the border would remain closed.
> 
> Kenya has sent extra troops to its northern frontier with Somalia.
> 
> The UN's humanitarian agency said Wednesday that about 4,000 Somali refugees were reported to be near the Somali border town of Dhobley, unable to cross into Kenya.
> 
> That same day, a Kenyan security helicopter and a Kenyan air force plane were fired at by unidentified gunmen on either side of the border. Tuju said he had no information on the incidents.
> 
> The minister told journalists on Wednesday that Kenya will not allow Somali refugees into the country following the routing of Somalia's Islamic movement because Kenya did not know of any threat facing the refugees.


----------



## MarkOttawa

Top Islamist ponders return to Toronto
_Toronto Star_, Jan. 8
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/168839



> Somalia will descend into anarchy if Ethiopian troops do not leave, says a Canadian who is a high-ranking member of an Islamist group in the country.
> 
> Abdullahi Afrah, who remained in Mogadishu when fellow leaders of the Union of Islamic Courts fled the Somali capital last month, warned against the involvement of "external forces" in shaping Somalia's future.
> 
> "The only solution is that Ethiopia should get out of Somalia peacefully, or with force," the former Toronto grocer said when the Toronto Star reached him on a cellphone in Mogadishu. "They will be out either willingly or unwillingly."
> 
> But while the 54-year-old denounced Al Qaeda and suicide bombers [well he would say that to the _Star_, wouln't he] following a call on Friday for "martyrdom campaigns" against Ethiopia, other Islamists have vowed a holy war.
> 
> That raises the question of what happens if Somali Islamists with dual citizenship do decide to return to the West.
> 
> Afrah said while he plans to stay in Mogadishu for now, he might return to Toronto some day.
> 
> Since he's a Canadian citizen, there would be no impediment to his return, according to a Foreign Affairs Department spokesperson.
> 
> But it's likely Canada's spy service would attempt to question him upon his arrival here. As early as June, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service was compiling reports every two weeks on the UIC, according to documents released to the Star under Access to Information legislation...
> 
> Those who knew Afrah here in the 1990s as the mild-mannered co-owner of a Dundas St. W. halal grocery store were shocked at his involvement with the UIC.
> 
> Afrah, who left Toronto with his wife and children for Mogadishu in 1997, said he also once worked as a security supervisor for Toronto's Catholic Board. His friends here said that while he lived in Canada, Afrah wasn't overly political or religious...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## GAP

If he loves his country so much now, why does he not give up his "get out out Somalia" card and stay to work towards making the country work. 

IMHO...these are some of the ones we really don't need as citizens.


----------



## 1feral1

GAP said:
			
		

> IMHO...these are some of the ones we really don't need as citizens.



Exactly!

Lets hope he ends up in someone's sight piccy, and silences him for good.

I guess he should have stuck to his halal shop!

Sadly, I think Canada and other western nations are rife with such trash.

One of our lives is not worth risking for any of them. I hope we steer clear of this mess completly.


My two cents.

Wes


----------



## NL_engineer

Wesley (Over There) said:
			
		

> Sadly, I think Canada and other western nations are rife with such trash.
> 
> One of our lives is not worth risking for any of them. I hope we steer clear of this mess complety



Well said Wes


----------



## MarkOttawa

This will certainly cause controversy and criticism of US involvement (reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act):

U.S. targeted al Qaeda suspects in Somalia: report
Reuters, Jan. 8
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070109/ts_nm/somalia_qaeda_report_dc



> A U.S. gunship conducted a strike against two suspected al Qaeda operatives in southern Somalia, but it was not known whether the mission was successful, CBS News reported on Monday.
> 
> The U.S. Air Force plane, operated by the Special Operations Command, flew from its base in Djibouti to the southern tip of Somalia, where the al Qaeda suspects were believed to have fled from the capital Mogadishu, the U.S. network reported.
> 
> A Pentagon spokesman said he had no information on the report.
> 
> The al Qaeda operatives, who were not named, included a suspect in the car bomb attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, the report said.



CBS story:
http://kcbs.com/pages/179626.php?contentType=4&contentId=285495



> A U.S. Air Force gunship has conducted a strike against suspected members of al Qaeda in Somalia, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports exclusively.
> 
> The targets included the senior al Qaeda leader in East Africa and an al Qaeda operative wanted for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in Africa, Martin reports. The AC-130 gunship is capable of firing thousands of rounds per second, and sources say a lot of bodies were seen on the ground after the strike, but there is as yet, no confirmation of the identities.
> 
> The gunship flew from its base in Dijibouti down to the southern tip of Somalia, Martin reports, where the al Qaeda operatives had fled after being chased out of the capital of Mogadishu by Ethiopian troops backed by the United States.
> 
> Once they started moving, the al Qaeda operatives became easier to track, and the U.S. military started preparing for an air strike, using unmanned aerial drones to keep them under surveillance and moving the aircraft carrier Eisenhower out of the Persian Gulf toward Somalia. But when the order was given, the mission was assigned to the AC-130 gunship operated by the U.S. Special Operations command.
> 
> If the attack got the operatives it was aimed at, reports Martin, it would deal a major blow to al Qaeda in East Africa.
> 
> Meanwhile, a jungle hideout used by Islamic militants that is believed to be an al Qaeda base was on the verge of falling to Ethiopian and Somali troops, the defense minister said Monday.
> 
> While a lawmaker had earlier told The Associated Press that the base was captured, Somalia's Defense Minister Col. Barre "Hirale" Aden Shire said troops had yet to enter it and that limited skirmishes were still ongoing, though troops were poised to take the base.
> 
> Ethiopian soldiers, tanks and warplanes were involved in the two-day attack, a government military commander told the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
> 
> Shire said there had been heavy fighting with high numbers of casualties.
> 
> "There are a lot of casualties from both sides," he said, declining to give details.
> 
> Residents in the coastal seaport of Kismayo, some 90 miles northeast of Ras Kamboni, said they saw wounded Ethiopian soldiers being loaded onto military helicopters for evacuation.
> 
> "I have seen about 50 injured Ethiopian troops being loaded onto a military chopper," said Farhiya Yusuf. She said 12 Ethiopian helicopters were stationed at the Kismayo airport.
> 
> Somali officials said the Islamic movement's main force is bottled up at Ras Kamboni, the southernmost tip of the country, cut off from escape at sea by patrolling U.S. warships and across the Kenyan border by the Kenyan military.
> 
> In Mogadishu, Somalia's president made his first visit to the capital since taking office in 2004. During the unannounced visit, President Abdullahi Yusuf was expected to meet with traditional Somali elders and stay at the former presidential palace that has been occupied by warlords for 15 years, government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said.
> 
> U.S. officials warned after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that extremists with ties to al Qaeda operated a training camp at Ras Kamboni and that al Qaeda members are believed to have visited it.
> 
> Three al Qaeda suspects wanted in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa are believed to be leaders of the Islamic movement. The Islamists deny having any links to al Qaeda.
> 
> Somalia's government had struggled to survive since forming *with backing from the United Nations* [emphasis added--surely that makes it a Good Thing for the NDP, Liberals and BQ? But I suspect not] two years ago, and was under attack by the Islamic militia when Ethiopia's military intervened on Dec. 24 and turned the tide.
> 
> But many in predominantly Muslim Somalia resent the presence of troops from neighboring Ethiopia, which has a large Christian population. The countries fought two brutal wars, the last in 1977.
> 
> On Sunday, gunmen attacked Ethiopian troops, witnesses said, sparking a firefight in the second straight day of violence in the capital, Mogadishu.



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## GAP

Aircraft Attack Al Qaeda Haven, Ike Moves off Somalia
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service
Article Link

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2007 – A U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship attack in Somalia on Jan. 7 targeted senior terrorist leaders, a senior Pentagon official confirmed today. 

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters the attack targeted "what we believe to be principal al Qaeda leadership" operating in the southern part of Somalia. 

Whitman declined to discuss damage assessments or the effectiveness of the strike, or future operations in the area.


The U.S. 5th Fleet moved the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower into the waters off Somalia in an effort to capture al Qaeda terrorists attempting to flee the country, a 5th Fleet spokesman said. 

Whitman said the attacks were aimed at terrorists who may have struck the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. "We are going to continue to work in close cooperation with our allies in the region, who all understand the importance of pursuing terrorist activities and denying them safe havens," he said.

More U.S. ships are moving in to the waters off Somalia to reinforce the maritime interdiction effort there, said U.S. 5th Fleet officials. “Due to rapidly developing events in Somalia, U.S. Central Command has tasked USS Dwight D. Eisenhower to join USS Bunker Hill, USS Anzio and USS Ashland to support ongoing maritime security operations off the coast of Somalia,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a spokesman for 5th Fleet in Bahrain. 

The ships will stop vessels and search them for al Qaeda terrorists attempting to escape from Somalia, officials said. 
End


----------



## NL_engineer

*Somali government denies reports of new airstrikes*

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/africa/news/article_1241788.php/Somali_government_denies_reports_of_new_airstrikes



> Mogadishu/Nairobi - The Somali interim government on Wednesday denied eyewitness and media reports of a new series of airstrikes in the south of the country, following the confirmed US strike against suspected al-Qaeda militants on Sunday.
> 
> Government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari rejected witness reports which claimed the new strikes took place in the region of Ras Kamboni, a coastal area close to the Kenyan border which is believed to be one of the last strongholds of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) Islamist militias.
> 
> The United States has confirmed it carried out an airstrike on Sunday targeting suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in the border region. The Somali government said it has been informed of the strike and had granted its consent.
> 
> Witness reports however spoke of further airstrikes Monday and Tuesday across the region in which up to 60 people are said to have been killed. It was not clear however whether they were carried out by US or by Ethiopian fighter jets.



More on link


----------



## NL_engineer

Somalia Government Tries to Confirm Terrorist's Death

http://voanews.com/english/2007-01-10-voa29.cfm



> Somalia's interim-government spokesman says the government cannot confirm one of the three key al-Qaida operatives involved in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in East Africa has been killed in a U.S. air strike in southern Somalia. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi reports.
> 
> FBI most wanted poster of Fazul Abdullah Mohammed
> FBI most wanted poster of Fazul Abdullah Mohamed
> The Associated Press news agency quoted the chief of staff of Somalia's interim president, who said he had received a preliminary report from American officials about the results of Monday's air strike. The report said that al-Qaida suspect Fazul Abdullah Mohamed had been killed in the attack, near the Somali border with Kenya.
> 
> Somali interim-government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari says government officials and troops are now trying to verify the information.
> 
> "Our forces and officials are trying to know if this information is right or wrong. We cannot confirm it," said Dinari.
> 
> Born in Comoros, Fazul Abdullah Mohamed joined al-Qaida in Afghanistan and is believed to have planned the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 200 people. He eluded capture for nearly a decade, despite a $5 million bounty.
> 
> The United States believes that Mohamed and two other al-Qaida operatives fled Mogadishu late last month with several senior leaders of Somalia's radical Islamist movement, as the country's government troops, backed up by the Ethiopian military, advanced on the capital.
> 
> A U.S. airplane pursued the suspects near the Islamist stronghold of Ras Kamboni, in southern Somalia near the border with Kenya. The air strike was the first American military offensive in Somalia since a humanitarian mission ended in disaster in 1993.
> 
> In Washington, U.S. officials said the air attack was ordered after receiving credible intelligence about the whereabouts of the al-Qaida suspects. An American newspaper Tuesday quoted an unidentified U.S. diplomat, who acknowledged that the United States was working with Somali clans to locate the al-Qaida fugitives.



More on link

Image from article:


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## NL_engineer

Somalia: to bomb or not to bomb?

http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/22870/2007/00/10-171634-1.htm



> It seems to takes bombs to push Somalia into the headlines, at least judging from the piles of comments and heaps of news that has followed the U.S. attacks on suspected Islamist militant targets there. But while opinions abound on "terrorism" and security, there's precious little in the press on Somalia's shaky humanitarian situation.
> 
> First, the praise for intervention. Con Coughlin in London's Daily Telegraph is as impressed with the (Washington-trained, he notes) Ethiopian forces who took Mogadishu as with the U.S. strikes on militant hideouts believed to shelter al-Qaeda operatives. A "rare combination of African steadfastness and raw American power" has scored an important victory, he concludes.
> 
> The Wall Street Journal says the strikes are a reminder that only victory will do in the "war on terror", noting that Ethiopia made the attacks possible by pushing militants "out of their safe houses and into the open".
> 
> Then there are the doubters. The U.S. attacks run the risk of backfiring, warns Simon Tisdall in Britain's Guardian newspaper. The bombings are not part of the Ethiopian-led struggle to topple the Islamic Courts, he says, and could risk undermining Somalia's shaky government as well as international efforts to reverse "decades of Somali violence, famine and despair".
> 
> "These days the axis of evil is expanding faster than the European Union," the same paper's Jonathan Freedland muses while reflecting on a potential Cold War-style "war by proxy" in the region.
> 
> Jonathan Stevenson, writing in the New York Times, fears for a fragile peace and argues for a "low-cost" U.S. option: regional diplomacy, not military intervention, should do the trick in the Horn of Africa, he says.
> 
> And what about some sharp critique? Conor Foley, writing a Guardian blog, says the attacks raise the stakes in what could escalate into a regional conflict, adding that the tacit U.S. endorsement of Ethiopia's "illegal foreign invasion" of Somalia opens the prospect of more bloodshed.
> 
> It's "instructive" that the United States attacked only 48 hours before President George W. Bush's planned nationwide address on January 10, Britain's Independent notes dryly. Bush is likely to come in for criticism there for boosting U.S. troop levels in Iraq.
> 
> Coverage from the east African press is sometimes more nuanced than media coming out of Western capitals. The ongoing conflict has thrown up two problems, according to L. Muthoni Wanyeki in the East African: Ethiopia waging an offensive war despite little room for it in international law, and Kenya rejecting fleeing Somalis the right to seek asylum. Meanwhile, Somalis suffer an imposed solution that they probably won't tolerate. "Military intervention, covert or overt, of the external variety does not make for internal legitimacy," Wanyeki says.
> 
> John Mbaria, also writing in the East African, warns that the defeat of the Islamist could revive bitter clan conflicts, fuelled by struggles over natural resources. The invasion destroyed a "home-grown" peace-building process, he says, and now international donors and African countries are failing to clean up the mess.
> 
> In a separate piece in Kenya's The Nation, he says: "Even after supporting the hounding out of the Islamists and - now - the direct attack by U.S. planes on its remnants, the international community is seemingly not ready to bankroll the difficulty process of returning Somalia back to normal." Too little aid money is put forward and too few peacekeepers have been offered so far.
> 
> Uganda remains the only one to raise its hand with an offer of troops. But not so quick, says an editorial in the Kampala-based New Vision. Uganda should first urge other countries to join, should have a clear exit strategy and make sure to bring all Somali leaders on board, including the Islamic Courts.
> 
> Somalia's problem is the proliferation of guns and the country's historic resistance to outside intervention, the paper argues - echoed by the Irish Times back in Europe with its warning that warlords still "armed to the teeth" are now busy reclaiming their old patches from the Islamists. "Disarming Somalia is no joke", the Ugandan editorial concludes - that rare thing, a comment most opinion-makers would agree


----------



## NL_engineer

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/2694/



> It appears as if the Americans must be enjoying themselves so much being bogged down in the Afghan war, that they want to try to create another Afghanistan in the Horn of Africa. That would seem to be just about the only sensible explanation for Washington’s policy towards Somalia, which has culminated this week in air strikes against suspected al-Qaeda camps in the country’s coastal swamps.
> 
> Washington policy towards Somalia has veered from one extreme to another in recent years. But the results have been consistent: at every stage, its interventions have succeeded in stirring up conflict and making matters worse. The latest turn seems likely to be no exception, a dramatic illustration of what happens when foreign policy runs out of control.
> 
> A bit of background should help to put current events in perspective. The Horn of Africa was an important arena for Western and Soviet intervention during the Cold War, with both sides sponsoring proxy wars and supporting unpopular governments. In Somalia, the brutal dictator Siad Barre switched sides from the Soviets to the Americans in the late 1970s. Washington then propped up his regime until 1989, reportedly to the tune of some $100million a year. With the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, however, America no longer had strategic need of the likes of Barre. The USA withdrew its support, his regime collapsed, and Somalia descended into factional strife.
> 
> After the Cold War Somalia became the scene for a different sort of US and Western intervention, as the West sought to assert its global authority under the new banners of humanitarianism. In 1992, as almost his last act in office, President George HW Bush sent 25,000 American troops into famine-wracked Somalia ostensibly to guarantee aid supplies, in Operation Restore Hope. That this operation was primarily intended to restore the image of US power was made clear when the marines restaged parts of the landing for the cameras, so that the media could get the right pictures. The invaders’ lack of knowledge or interest in Somalia was captured by a story doing the rounds at the time, which had one US marine asking his sergeant which Somalis were the good guys and which the bad guys. To which the sergeant supposedly replied, ‘The good guys are the skinny ones, the bad guys are the fat ones….’
> 
> Under new US President Bill Clinton, the US and UN forces quickly became embroiled in Somalia’s internal conflicts between competing ‘warlords’, with predictably dire consequences. First the Americans backed the warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed against rival clan chiefs. Then they changed tack, branded Aideed the Somali ‘Hitler’ (sound familiar?), and tried to hunt him down. This operation culminated in the infamous ‘Battle of Mogadishu’ in October 1993, when US special forces and helicopter gunships blundered into a catastrophic firefight which left hundreds of Somalis dead and in which, more importantly from Washington’s perspective, 18 American soldiers were not only killed but some of their bodies were dragged through the city streets. (For the Hollywood version, see Black Hawk Down.) Clinton pulled out the humiliated US military. Somalia had now all but ceased to exist as a nation state, as warlords vied for control of clan fiefdoms. (See Somalia: killed by ‘kindness’, by Brendan O’Neill.)
> 
> You might have thought that American presidents had learnt their lesson about staying out of Somalia by now. But with the launch of the global ‘war on terror’ after 9/11, the Bush administration started panicking that the al-Qaeda leaders supposedly driven from Afghanistan might land up in Somalia, listed as another ‘failed state’ (I wonder who could be responsible for that?). Attention focused on the rise of the Union of Islamic Courts, a loose coalition of Islamic groups seeking to re-impose some order in Mogadishu in the name of Sharia law. This inevitably brought them into conflict with the warlords.
> 
> Mogadishu warlords put aside their longstanding rivalries to launch the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) to oppose the Islamic courts. As the name suggests, this motley outfit became the unoffocial Somali wing of Bush’s war on terror, and was funded by the CIA. Thus America signed up to support the same warlords who had fought against it a decade ago. Some warlords became incorporated into the official-but-impotent Somali government.
> 
> The result of this latest intervention was that America effectively helped to create a popular Islamist movement. The Union of Islamic Courts grew in opposition to the US-backed ARPCT, finally taking control of Mogadishu after fierce fighting in 2006. The courts then reopened Mogadishu’s airport and seaport for the first time in a decade, banned guns from the streets, and drove pirates (who had held international organisations to ransom) from the surrounding areas. Many Somalis who were by no means Islamic radicals supported the courts’ campaign to restore order, seeing even this collection of Islamists as being preferable to the warlord alternative.
> 
> The US response to all of this was to encourage its allies in the neighbouring Ethiopian government to invade Somalia and fight alongside the warlords in support of the ‘legitimate’ government. This they did in December 2006, the well-equipped Ethiopian forces quickly driving the Islamists out of Mogadishu. The people of the city celebrated the return of the warlords by turning off all the lights and shutting up shop.
> 
> Despite the return of chaos to the streets of Mogadishu, however, the US authorities apparently considered this a major strategic success. Thus they moved to take advantage of the situation this week, by launching air-strikes against suspected al-Qaeda bases in the coastal swamps, where they claim leading terrorists responsible for the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were sheltering. At the time of writing the immediate military results are unclear, with American claims to have got their men countered by local reports of civilian casualties.
> 
> The wider political results of the latest US intervention, however, should already be clear enough. It risks plunging Somalia into another round of Afghan-style conflict and turmoil, with every chance of the instability spreading elsewhere in east Africa.
> 
> Historically, this region is no hotbed of Islamic militancy. Yet US policymakers seem to be doing their darnedest to rectify that situation. Even before these events, the past few years had given rise to a widespread conspiratorial belief that America and in particular the CIA are behind everything that goes wrong in Africa today.
> 
> At the end of December, as the UIC fled Mogadishu, a young Somali human rights worker gave a telling interview to the BBC. He described how the fear of a return to ‘chaos, confrontation and lawlessness’ in the city had grown alongside anger with the Americans and their Ethiopian agents. ‘When helicopters and warplanes appeared over our city and the bombs were dropped on Mogadishu airport, we got the feeling that what is going on is an international war – the war on terror. The fighter planes were coming from the sea and US ships from their Djibouti base are in the Indian Ocean. People really do believe that the US is part of this mission.’ After this week’s air strikes, of course, they would appear to have pretty good reason to be certain of that.
> 
> Even if those strikes did hit their immediate terrorist target or not (and the record in Afghanistan is hardly encouraging for the Americans), they will have gained little in return for losing a lot more authority and support. As that Somali human rights worker summed it up, ‘Since 9/11 everything has changed. America used to be a dream for us….’
> 
> So why do they do it? The point is that the ‘war on terror’ is not really about what happens in Somalia or Afghanistan. It is about America and the West seeking to resolve their own problems on the international stage, thrashing around in the desert of Afghanistan, the towns of Iraq or the swamps of Somalia in search of a moral mission, a victory. The result is an out-of-control, fear-driven foreign policy, characterised by a mixture of risk-aversion and recklessness that has proved so disastrous in the Iraqi conflict and beyond.
> 
> President George W Bush’s decision to send more troops into Iraq this week has been described as a ‘surge’. In fact, like the air strikes in Somalia, it looks more like a violent spasm from an almost-paralysed foreign policy elite. Having talked up the war on terror as the test of America’s resolve, the pressure to ‘do SOMETHING’ leads to an apparently endless cycle of overreactions and own-goals.



More on link


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## GAP

Official: Top leader of Somalia's Islamic militia arrested
POSTED: 1411 GMT (2211 HKT), January 15, 2007 
Article Link

GARISSA, Kenya (AP) -- Kenyan police arrested a top leader in Somalia's Islamic militant movement on Monday, a Kenyan security official said.

The leader was arrested at midmorning at a refugee camp near the Kenyan border with Somalia, the official said, quoting from a police report. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said he was on his way to the Dadaab refugee camp, 62 miles (100 kilometers) east of Garisa, to help identify the suspect.

If confirmed, the arrest could be a major step toward ending the fighting in Somalia, which began when Ethiopian troops intervened to stop the Islamic movement's advance to destroy the internationally backed government. Top movement leaders Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys and Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed have pledged to carry on a guerrilla war as long as Ethiopian troops remain in Somalia.

Unidentified gunmen have repeatedly attacked Ethiopian troops in the capital, Mogadishu, over the last two weeks.

Aweys was the founder of the Council of Islamic Courts, which took up arms to establish an Islamic emirate in Somalia in January. Before that, he was a senior leader of al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, a group listed by the United States as a terrorist organization with ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda.

Ahmed is considered a religious moderate compared to Aweys. He emerged as the leader of the courts' executive council in early 2006, but has been named as a religious leader who could be part of national reconciliation talks to end 16 years of clan violence in Somalia.

The Horn of Africa country has not had an effective central government since 1991, when clan warlords overthrew the government and then turned on each other. The Islamic courts control most of southern Somalia for six months, until Ethiopia intervened on December 24. Within 10 days, the Islamic council had been driven out of all major towns and was in hiding.
End


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## GAP

U.S. confirms second air strike in Somalia
24 Jan 2007 17:57:20 GMT Source: Reuters
Article Link

By Sahal Abdulle

MOGADISHU, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The United States has conducted a second air strike in Somalia, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, as the top U.S. envoy in East Africa met an ousted Islamist leader to press for reconciliation with the government.

The new air strike came roughly two weeks after an AC-130 plane killed what Washington said were eight al Qaeda-affiliated fighters hiding among Islamist remnants pushed to Somali's southern tip by Ethiopian and Somali government forces.

One official said the targets this week were from the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC), a militant group defeated by government troops with Ethiopian armour and air power in a two-week war started before Christmas. 

A second source said the target was an al Qaeda operative. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment.

"We're going to go after al Qaeda and the global war on terror, wherever it takes us," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

"The very nature of some of our operations are not conducive to public discussions and there will be times when there are activities and operations that I can talk to you about and there will be other times when I just won't have anything for you," he added.

Washington believes Somali Islamists have protected al Qaeda members accused of bombing U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and an Israeli-owned Kenya hotel in 2002.
More on link


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## Donut

Fair dealings, etc.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article2374345.ece

Zimbabwe threatens diplomats with expulsion 

By Basildon Peta in Johannesburg 
Published: 20 March 2007 
Zimbabwe summoned all Western diplomats based in Harare and threatened them with expulsion as reports said President Robert Mugabe was importing at least 3,000 security personnel from his regional ally Angola to bolster his police force in cracking down on opponents. 

The Foreign minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, criticised Western diplomats yesterday over the latter's perceived support for the opposition, telling them to "shape up or ship out". His words infuriated the American ambassador, Christopher Dell, who walked out of the meeting in protest.

"We have been basically told to stop meddling in Zimbabwe's internal affairs or get kicked out," said one diplomat, who asked not to be identified.

It is understood the diplomats were also warned against their continued interactions with opposition officials. They were ordered to stop visiting them and attending their court appearances. Those breaking the latest orders would face imminent expulsions.

Mr Mumbengegwi addressed the diplomats as it emerged that Mr Mugabe is particularly keen on expelling the British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Andrew Pocock, and his American counterpart, Mr Dell, as an example of what he can do to the rest of the Western diplomats. The two, particularly Mr Dell, have been outspoken in their criticism of the Mugabe regime, with Mr Dell describing it in the past as being "corrupt" and "misruling" Zimbabwe.

"If these two don't shut up from now, their expulsions are imminent," said a Zimbabwe foreign affairs official, who said "stern action" was being contemplated against Mr Dell for his walkout. He did not elaborate. Efforts to contact Mr Dell failed. He is due to leave Harare today and it is unclear whether he will return.

*Mr Mugabe was particularly infuriated by the Western diplomats when they visited several police stations to try to locate the officials of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) who were arrested more than a week ago and whose whereabouts remains unknown. The diplomats summoned included those from Britain, the United States, Germany, Sweden, the European Union mission in Zimbabwe, Canada  and Australia.*
The summons came as it was revealed that Mr Mugabe is importing up to 3,000 militiamen from Angola to help bolster his own police force's ability to clamp down on the opposition.

Angola and Zimbabwe are strong allies and they jointly deployed their armies to save the late Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila from a Ugandan and Rwandan-backed rebel onslaught in 1997.

The regional analysts SouthScan quoted Angola's Home Affairs minister, Roberto Monteiro, as saying that Angola would be bringing in more that 3,000 police militia to help Zimbabwe in "quelling violence and maintaining law and order". Mr Monteiro, who was in Zimbabwe at the weekend, further said Angola was "sympathetic" to Zimbabwe's police force in light of recent disturbances and attacks on Zimbabwean police. Mr Mugabe accuses the opposition of attacking the police first and resisting arrest.

According to a recent leaked confidential police memo, the Zimbabwe police has of late been hit by wide-scale desertions by poorly paid officers and soldiers who opt to work as security guards in South Africa, thus leaving Zimbabwe's security exposed.

Doubts over some army and police units has forced Mr Mugabe to create regiments that are loyal to him and report to him directly. It is these regiments that are being used to intimidate and attack the opposition.

On Saturday, Mr Mugabe told a meeting of his ruling party he will stand again in presidential elections next year and rule until 2014, by which time he will be 90. 



Article Ends, emphasis mine.

I think it's time to expell the Zimbabwean mission in Ottawa, and recall our staff from that shithole poorly managed, dictatorial piece of the African paradise.  Unfortunately, that will mean a loss to the relations we enjoy with Angola and Botswana.  His Excellency, Ambassador Dell, did the correct thing in walking out.

We have a long history of promoting democracy among nations, and to have our staff threatened by the thugs loyal to Mugabe over a long-standing Canadian policy indicates to me that it's time to cut our ties to that regime.  Conversely, we can accept the risk to our mission staff, and offer tacit and materiel support to the potentially "disloyal" Army regiments who are reportedly threatening the Mugabe regime.

DF

Edited to add link


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## TCBF

Robert Mugabe: Poster Boy for Tertiary Syphillis.


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## GAP

They need to cut off the sources of aid income that is being funneled into that country as a start. This was a country that used to be self sufficient, now it has been raped repeatedly. The $0.25 solution would be a good one.


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## DJ

I share Tsvangirai's optimism about oncoming change resulting from this latest round of tyranny (for lack of a less charged word).  Arrests: surely unjust but nothing that would warrant more than a blip on the international radar.  The subsequent beatings on the other-hand have done substantial damage to Mugabe's international image.  Finally criticisms are coming from places other than the West.  

I've been surprisingly impressed with how the press has managed to keep the issues in the headlines so far, (although it couldn't have been too hard with all of the blunders Mugabe's supporters have committed in relation to this PR fiasco).  My room mates here in the shacks, like it or not, have been getting 'Mugabe Updates' daily.  As manipulative as it sounds I quite enjoyed the emphasis in U.S. news that the rally was a 'prayer meeting'.  I can only speculate what the truth is however I doubt that prayer was the sole intention of the MDC...nonetheless, involving religion will garner support in a strong U.S. demographic with substantial representation in Congress.  Smart smart smart.    

Mugabe still has substantial support in Zimbabwe.  However, will a country tolerate such a dire economic state, (it's pretty bad when the BBC and CNN differ on the inflation by 100 points....but the question is: does it really make a difference when we're arguing between 1600 and 1700 percent?!), combined with such brutality?  The next little while will determine if the opposition movement fizzles once again or gathers steam; I'm hoping for the latter.    

In terms of Aid, I think that it should be increased.  Invest it all in civil society projects that aim to discredit the regime.  Sure, I acknowledge that such a move would be one-sided and subject to accusations of Western meddling...but whatever...in this case I'd be fine with that.


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## tingbudong

> They need to cut off the sources of aid income that is being funneled into that country as a start



You'd probably have to take on China in order to strangle him financially.


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## 3rd Herd

The Usual Disclaimer:
Somali-Canadians joined fight in Horn of Africa: report
Stewart Bell, National Post
Published: Wednesday, July 25, 2007
An al-Qaeda-backed militant group fighting in Somalia is made up partly of Canadians, says a declassified intelligence report that warns while some of the insurgents may be dead, others could attempt to return to Canada.

The report by the government's Integrated Threat Assessment Centre confirms reports that members of Canada's large ethnic Somali community have traveled to the Horn of Africa to join the Taliban-like Council of Islamic Courts.

"Some Somali-Canadians have fought as Islamist extremists in Somalia," says the report, Somali-Canadian Islamic Militants. It is marked "Secret" but was released under the Access to Information Act, although portions were removed for national security reasons
The report says the Canadian government does not know how many Canadians are in Somalia; only 28 have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs, but the actual number is estimated at somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000.

It does not say how many of those are believed to have joined the Islamic Courts militia headed by Aden Ayro, who was trained in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden's sidekick Ayman Al Zawahiri has been urging his followers to join what he calls the holy war in Somalia...........http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=c5a9dfb7-009b-4196-9cbb-2b2a37fdd3a8&k=0

Comments?


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## 1feral1

3rd Herd said:
			
		

> The Usual Disclaimer:
> Somali-Canadians joined fight in Horn of Africa: report
> Stewart Bell, National Post
> Published: Wednesday, July 25, 2007
> An al-Qaeda-backed militant group fighting in Somalia is made up partly of Canadians, says a declassified intelligence report that warns while some of the insurgents may be dead, others could attempt to return to Canada.



Interesting. Glad to see where their loyalities are  : . 

Are they Canadain or just Somalis living in Canada, putting their faith before citizenship. What a shame and disgrace. 

So can they be allowed back in? I would assume so, afterall we are in a PC world, don't wanna offend anyone, even at the cost of having known terrs with bloood on their hands, and they are openly batting for the other side. I would consider them the enemy. As much as this is 2007, and there is a global war against 'the other side', what about Canadian involvment in the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930's? Hummm.

Anyways lets hope that many Somalis who went over for allah had met their fate, and will not return. Less headaches for us in the long run, as who knows what they are capable of once home, and how many youth of their own kind they will and could influence.


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## Blackadder1916

*French-speaking Rwanda turns to English*
Since an Anglophone rebel movement swept into the country a decade ago, English has quickly gained currency as the language of education and opportunity. 

By Scott Baldauf | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the September 25, 2007 edition  
Kigali, Rwanda

For decades, Rwanda has been one of nearly 30 Francophone countries in Africa where the language of business, power, and civilization has been French. 

Up until recently, the French-speaking elite here saw their ties to Paris as a link to the civilized outside world. Top bureaucrats and scientists would get their university degrees from France's top écoles. Those who returned to Africa would often take up positions in government after having served briefly as functionaries in the French government. 

But today, on the sprawling campus of the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), a dramatic social change can be seen. Designed in 1997 to be an African version of MIT, KIST is shaping a new generation of scientists, engineers, and technical minds to help Rwanda become the Singapore of Africa. English is their language of instruction. 

English? Mon Dieu! 

The change came about in 1994. After a brutal 100-day genocide, when Rwanda's then ruling Hutu majority massacred some 800,000 minority Tutsis, an English-speaking Tutsi rebel movement based in Uganda swept into Rwanda, forcing the French-speaking Hutu genocidaires into exile. 

Et voilà, Rwanda became Anglophone. 

Combined with Rwanda's November 2006 decision to cut relations with France, the transformation of Rwanda into an English-speaking country is already creating political and economic ripples throughout the region. 

"France's relations with Rwanda, under former President Jacques Chirac, completely broke down," says Greg Mills, director of the Brenthurst Foundation, a think tank in Johannesburg. Mr. Mills believes that the election of a younger French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, may provide a needed break. "There is a potential under Sarkozy for a change. But it's no good saying there is going to be a change, unless you admit there are things that needed to be changed." 

France's current troubles here in Rwanda are an outgrowth of its post-colonial policy of supporting African regimes in return for preferential trade and military relations with France. Under Mr. Chirac, this made regimes less susceptible to coups, but also less responsive to their populations. 

"Jacques Chirac was a supporter of Africa, but he relied on an intimacy with leaders and the political class that is not going to be the case with President Sarkozy," says one Western diplomat in the region, speaking privately. Under Sarkozy, France is more likely to use its influence in Africa through multilateral organizations, the diplomat adds. 

But there are some aspects of French policy that still roil. The French-created Common African Franc, or CFA, allows 16 African countries to trade with each other and with France on a preferential basis, but economists say it also restricts CFA countries from trading with anyone else. 

Since the early 1990s, and particularly after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, many French-speaking Africans have begun to see their relationship with Paris as more burden than boon. 

"Not that much has changed since liberation; Africa is still a profitable region in terms of France's commercial trade balance," says Achille Mbembe, history professor from Cameroon, who teaches at Witswatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa. "Fifty percent of Africa's uranium still goes to France's nuclear plants. If you go to the markets in Senegal, you'll find no African sodas or juices, only French ones." 

In Rwanda, all of that is changing. The Franco-Rwandaise Cultural Society – once the beating heart of all things French in Kigali – has been closed, along with the French international school, the French embassy, and many of the offices of French multinational companies. For language study, Rwandans are turning to a growing industry of English-language academies, and for the plum university posts, they turn to English-language colleges like KIST. 

"Officially, the policy of the Rwandan government is bilingualism, both French and English," says Jean-Baptiste Rusine, director of the KIST Language Center. "But there is something psychological at work, too. At the time of monarchy, the language of the court was the language of the people. In these times, the president and his high advisors speak English, so you will feel tempted to write proposals, or to speak more in English than in French." 

The real driving force for Rwanda's preference for English is more economic than political, says Chrysologue Karangwa, who, as rector of KIST, oversees all departments. With a fast-growing number of foreign investors (most from anglophone countries) coming to Rwanda, and with Rwanda joining the East African Community trade bloc, Rwanda can benefit from closer ties with its English-speaking neighbors while maintaining ties with French-speaking ones like Burundi and Congo. 

At the same time, Mr. Karangwa says that Rwanda will need to hear a more apologetic tone from France before it restores relations. "What we want is for France to accept that at a certain period and at a certain extent, the French government played a role in the genocide," he says. 

The signs of a new Anglophone Rwanda are subtle. Billboard advertisements often print their slogans in English first, then in French. But menus certainly haven't changed "pommes-frites" into "freedom fries." 

Muyunyi Nicholas, an engineering student at KIST, grew up speaking French, but has switched to English. 

"English will be an advantage for us, as we are joining the East African Convention," he says, referring to a trade bloc of English-speaking countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and others. "If we are going to be doing business with those countries, we need to be using their language." 

Jessica Karera, another civil engineering student at KIST, also prefers English to French. "Mostly, it's for economic reasons," she says. "After 1994, Rwandans could see that the countries colonized by England had achieved much, much more." She does hope that Rwanda will restore relations with France, now that France has Sarkozy at the helm. But that new relationship will only be meaningful if France "accepts what they did in the genocide. They can give $10 billion in aid, but that isn't going to replace all the people who died."


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## Edward Campbell

A similar thing happened 12 years ago when Cameroon (a former French colony) joined the Commonwealth.

There were two Cameroon colonies: a large French one and a small British one, after they gained independence (1960 and 61, respectively) they united and were, largely, French dominated.

In 1995, despite much pressure from the French (I was in Geneva a lot during the early '90s and I heard a fair bit about that from my Cameroonian neighbour (we sat near one another in the big conference room)), they joined the Commonwealth while remaining in _la Francophonie_. Aid and trade were the drivers.


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## geo

English as the dominant language of trade is essential.
Nothing more needs to be said - IMHO


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## Greymatters

Interesting article, good post!


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## Blackadder1916

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> A similar thing happened 12 years ago when Cameroon (a former French colony) joined the Commonwealth.
> 
> ...Aid and trade were the drivers.



While it may appear that there are some similarities in both situations, the major difference is that French and English were official languages in Cameroon from the time of the unification of the former colonies.  Even though Cameroon is now a member of the Commonwealth, France remains it most significant trading and military partner.  French remains the primary working language of much of the government and business.

Rwanda, on the other hand, did not have any official use of English until significant numbers of exiles (like President Kagame) returned, often having spent many years in Uganda or Tanzania.  They do not have much affection for the French due to the connection with the Rwanda government before and during the events of 1994.   However, French remains the second widely spoken language after Kinyarwanda.  But this is not new, other than English now being an official language.  I was surprised (in 1994) by the number of people that I encountered who spoke English (often better than my French).


----------



## MarkOttawa

What's the UN's exit strategy?  MONUC was established in 1999.
http://www.monuc.org/Home.aspx?lang=en

CF involvement (approx. 10 people): Operation CROCODILE
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Operations/Crocodile/index_e.asp

DR Congo threatens war on rebels Nov. 23
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7109932.stm



> The head of the army in the Democratic Republic of Congo says he has given up all hope of a peaceful solution to the conflict in eastern Congo.
> 
> General Dieudonne Kayembe said force was now the only way to deal with dissident General Laurent Nkunda.
> 
> Fighting has continued in the North Kivu province for a third day, with government troops using heavy artillery against rebel forces in Rugari.
> 
> Gen Nkunda has threatened UN troops, accusing them of backing the army.
> 
> The United Nations peacekeeping mission in DR Congo (Monuc) says the army has been sending reinforcements to the region ahead of a possible major offensive against Gen Nkunda...
> 
> Observers say the army seems to be trying to target Gen Nkunda's supply lines near the Rwandan border.
> 
> Rugari is 30km (19 miles) from the North Kivu regional capital, Goma, towards the border.
> 
> Rwanda has always denied claims it backs Gen Nkunda, who is an ethnic Tutsi, like most of the Rwandan leaders...
> 
> "Now that all attempts to use persuasion, to use peaceful means have been used, I am here in Goma to set up plans for military force," Gen Kayembe said.
> 
> "*We are doing the military planning with Monuc.* [emphasis added]"
> 
> But this has prompted Gen Nkunda to accuse the UN of taking sides...



U.N. to help Congo disarm dissidents by force Nov. 22
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL2263238.html



> U.N. peacekeepers will help Democratic Republic of Congo's army disarm eastern dissident groups by force in violence-plagued North Kivu province, U.N. and Congolese commanders said.
> 
> Army soldiers and fighters loyal to renegade Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda clashed again on Thursday a few miles from Rutshuru, where the dissidents attacked an army base a day earlier and forced thousands of civilians to flee.
> 
> "Now that all peaceful means have been explored with no result ... we will enter into a phase where there is no other solution than to constrain them to (reintegrate) without delay or conditions," General Babacar Gaye, military chief of the U.N. peace mission MONUC, said in comments broadcast on Thursday on U.N. radio.
> 
> The army has battled renegade Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda since he abandoned a peace deal in August, raiding government positions and forcing tens of thousands of civilians to flee.
> 
> Under diplomatic pressure to find a peaceful solution to the North Kivu crisis, President Joseph Kabila delayed a planned military offensive against Nkunda last month but ordered the rebels to disband and reintegrate the national army.
> 
> However, only a few hundred fighters have so far deserted Nkunda's ranks, believed to total around 4,000, and Congolese army chief of staff General Dieudonne Kayembe said the time had come to launch operations against the rebels.
> 
> "I have come here precisely in order to establish plans for constraint, for the use of force. We will carry out this work of conceiving, of planning, with MONUC," he said.
> 
> The operations would also target local Mai Mai militia, and Hutu-dominated Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels also present in North Kivu, Gaye and Kayembe said.
> 
> MONUC's 17,000-strong force has a mandate to operate with the army to reestablish security and protect civilians, but *U.N. sources said for the time being it would limit its role to planning and logistical support for Congolese operations* [emphasis added].



For an example of the misinformation that a certain Canadian "expert"--much loved by the media, guess who (not Steve Staples)--spreads about the Congo (and other things) see this comment at another topic:
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/65224/post-604846.html#msg604846

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

Canada spurns UN plea on Congo
Rejecting request to lead peacekeepers indicates Ottawa abandoning traditional role, ex-envoy says
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/435224

A post at _The Torch_:

Just say "No" to Congo
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2008/06/just-say-no-to-congo.html

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## daftandbarmy

France accused in Rwanda genocide 

Rwanda has accused France of playing an active role in the genocide of 1994, in which about 800,000 people were killed. 
An independent Rwandan commission said France was aware of preparations for the genocide and helped train the ethnic Hutu militia perpetrators. 
The report also accused French troops of direct involvement in the killings. 

It named 33 senior French military and political figures that it said should be prosecuted. France has previously denied any such responsibility. 
Among those named in the report were the late former president, Francois Mitterrand, and two former prime ministers, Dominique de Villepin and Edouard Balladur. 
Also named was former Foreign Minister Alain Juppe. 

The French foreign ministry told the BBC it would only respond to the fresh allegations after reading the report, which was released on Tuesday afternoon. 	

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7542418.stm


----------



## GAP

Did I miss a whole chunk of stuff? I thought the major European culprit was Belgium....


----------



## geo

Cheezzz

This kind of accusations - some 14 years old... lovely!

If the Rwandans wanted the world to take them seriously, they would've, at the very least, started making accusations 12 years ago.  Prosecution could come later BUT, initial finger pointing should have been present from the get go... IMHO


----------



## 3rd Horseman

Agreed Geo, 14 years to start pointing fingers is a bit much. Particularly when amongst the militarys at the time it was common knowledge that the French had the FFL supporting the government before and during the genocide. When the French found themselves on the wrong side of the war and facing blue helmets they removed the FFL and staged them for another Blue helmet mission in Bosnia instead of lending support to the UN in Rwanda...the irony is too much. 

3rd Horseman


----------



## geo

GAP said:
			
		

> Did I miss a whole chunk of stuff? I thought the major European culprit was Belgium....


Rwanda IS a former Belgian colony BUT, it's military was being supported by the French
When everything went to hell.... the French found themselves on the wrong side and simply walked away - leaving the Belgian paras (amongst others) to their own fate.


----------



## GAP

geo said:
			
		

> Rwanda IS a former Belgian colony BUT, it's military was being supported by the French
> When everything went to hell.... the French found themselves on the wrong side and simply walked away - leaving the Belgian paras (amongst others) to their own fate.



I did not know that....thank you


----------



## Blackadder1916

geo said:
			
		

> This kind of accusations - some 14 years old... lovely!
> 
> If the Rwandans wanted the world to take them seriously, they would've, at the very least, started making accusations 12 years ago.  Prosecution could come later BUT, initial finger pointing should have been present from the get go... IMHO



Though specifically naming the leadership of the French government in its accusations of complicity in the genocide is a relatively new wrinkle to this tale, the finger pointing has been on-going since the French established the 'Zone Turquoise'  back in 1994.  

This latest round of accusations may have something to do with events stemming from 2006:  in May of that year, several civil lawsuits are filed and accepted in a Paris court by victims of the genocide alleging that French troops assisted Interahamwe militias in finding their victims, and also carried out atrocities;  a French magistrate then begins an investigation into the downing of the Rwandan president's plane that preceded the widespead outbreak of violence (the plane's crew were French);  the investigation leans towards implicating President Kagame (current Rwandan president) in its downing; Rwanda initiates its own investigation into French actions in the genocide and then severs diplomatic relations with France in Nov.  These latest accusations come from that investigation's report.


----------



## Kirkhill

And in related news - Rwanda and the Commonwealth.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article1392750.ece
http://africanpress.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/conference-on-rwandas-bid-for-cwealth-membership-begins-in-kigali/


----------



## geo

Had missed the French legal action in 2006 Blackadder
So this new "action" starts to make sense... sort-of.
Now that Rwanda is applying for membership to the Commonwealth, it,ll be interesting to see how Sarkozy will fix this fine pickle


----------



## time expired

In one of the books that I read about Rwanda, I'm damned if I can remember
which one,sorry,I read about the aftermath of the shooting down of the
Presidents aircraft.The UN staff attempted to get to the crash site but were
stopped by a group of white men with short haircuts carrying French weapons.
The aircraft was reportedly shot down by 2 light SAMs(as in shoulderfired)
weapons that the Rwandan army did not have in service.Another point that
could indicate Frances desire to cover something up at the time,was the fast 
deployment of French troops to guard the refugee camps where most of the
perpetrators of the massacres ended up after the Tutsi army had gained the
upper hand in Rwanda.
 After the Rainbow Warrior incident in New Zealand I would take any French
denials with a large grain of salt.
                                  Regards


----------



## time expired

Something I failed to mention in my last was the fact that the Hutu
were French speakers and the Tutsi  mainly English speakers and 
the French had always supported the Hutu.
                                      Regards


----------



## aesop081

But you can blame the division between Hutus and Tutsis on the Belgians.

There's plenty of blame to go around.


----------



## geo

Umm... the division was already there - two tribes occupying +/- the same piece of land.
The trouble was the Belgians befriended the Hutus and used them as their administrators and plantation managers.  When the Belgians decided to call colonialism quits, they handed everything over to Hutu control - the smaller of the two tribes.


----------



## aesop081

geo said:
			
		

> The trouble was the Belgians befriended the Hutus and used them as their administrators and plantation managers.  When the Belgians decided to call colonialism quits, they handed everything over to Hutu control - the smaller of the two tribes.



I'm aware of that and that is what i meant.


----------



## Blackadder1916

geo said:
			
		

> Umm... the division was already there - two tribes occupying +/- the same piece of land.
> The trouble was the Belgians befriended the Hutus and used them as their administrators and plantation managers.  When the Belgians decided to call colonialism quits, they handed everything over to Hutu control - the smaller of the two tribes.



A few misconceptions there.  Hutus are in the majority; Tutsis are the minority, but dating before German colonization were the traditional ruling class of the area and the existing societal structure was maintained by the Germans and continued by the Belgians when they accepted the League of Nations Mandate to govern Ruanda-Urundi following WW1.  As Pan-Africanism swept across the continent following WW2, the Tutsis (still making up the ruling and better educated class) lead the movement for independence (or at least were the first most vocal about it).  There were some moves from Belgian authorities to dilute the influence of the Tutsis and this resulted in a growing power base for Hutus.  When the referendum for independence voted (with the support of the Belgians) to abolish the Tutsi monarchy and establish a republic, the first president was a Hutu.  



			
				time expired said:
			
		

> Something I failed to mention in my last was the fact that the *Hutu were French speakers and the Tutsi  mainly English speakers* and the French had always supported the Hutu.



I don't think that the divide was ever along linguistic lines.  Most Rwandans speak Kinyarwanda as their primary tongue, though French and English are also official languages.  French was most assuredly the language of government administration and business during the Belgian colonial period and this continued immediately following independence.  Educated Rwandans would have used French in school and perhaps many learned English there.  This thread gives some indication about the adoption of English in Rwanda.  From my recollection of looking at a few Rwandan National Identity Cards back in 1994, the info was in a bilingual format, Kinyarwanda and French. (_edited to add_ - link to image of Rwandan ID Card)


----------



## time expired

There seems to be a completely difference in the background of these
two peoples.The Hutu appear to be typical central African in appearance
while the Tutsi look east African,almost Ethiopian.I understand that during
the struggle for Independence many of the Tutsis fled to a neighbouring country 
that was an exBrit colony,hence the widespread use of English.
I am sure Blackadder 1916 would be able to clear these questions up.
                                                    Regards


----------



## Blackadder1916

time expired said:
			
		

> There seems to be a completely difference in the background of these two peoples.  . . .



There is no simple explanation.  During our pre-deployment briefings back in 1994 reference was made to physical differences between the two groups that it was made to seem that you would be able to tell the person's "tribe" simply by looking at them.  While sometimes there were certain characteristics of appearance among members of the RPA that made you assume they were Tutsi, it was not always so.  There has been a lot of study of the differences between Hutu and Tutsi since 1994 and some of the preconceptions have been broken.

These extracts are from Wikipedia. (yes I know, but it does condense some of the current theories very well and saves me from a lot of writing and adding multiple links)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutsi#Origins


> The ideas surrounding real and supposed ethnic groups in Rwanda have a very long and complicated history. The definitions of "Hutu" and "Tutsi" may have changed through time and location. Societal structures were not identical throughout Rwanda. There was clearly a Tutsi aristocracy that was distinguished from Tutsi commoners, and wealthy Hutu were often indistinguishable from upper class Tutsi. When the Belgian colonists conducted their censuses, they desired to classify the people throughout Rwanda-Urundi with a single classification scheme. They merely defined "Tutsi" as anyone with more than ten cows or a long nose. The "European-like" noses of some Rwandans, invoked historical and racial theories to explain how some Africans acquired such noses. According to these early twentieth-century Europeans such organization and such noses could only be explained by European descent, transmitted by way of Ethiopia.) Modern day genetic studies on the y-chromosome show the Tutsi to be 100% indigenous African (80% e3a, 4% e3, 1% e3b and 15%B) with little to no East African genetic influence. [1] In fact, the Tutsis are most genetically similar to the Hutu. There is currently no mtDNA data available for the Tutsi.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutu#Competing_theories_about_origins


> . . .   Several theories exist to explain the Tutsi and their differences (if any) from the Hutu. One is that the Tutsi were a Bantu language people who migrated south from what is now Ethiopia, conquering the Hutu kingdoms and establishing dominance over the Hutu and Twa between the 15th and 18th centuries.[6] However, an alternate theory, that the Hutu and Tutsi were originally one people, but were artificially divided by German and then Belgian colonists so the Tutsi minority could serve as local overseers for Berlin and Brussels, has received support among those supporting Rwandan national unity, but may be an attempt at historical revisionism.[7][8] Still others suggest that the two groups are related but not identical, and that the differences between the two were exacerbated by Europeans[9] or by a gradual, natural split as those who owned cattle became known as Tutsi and those who did not became Hutu.[5] Mahmood Mamdani states that the Belgian colonial power designated people as Tutsi or Hutu on the basis of cattle ownership, physical measurements and church records.[10]



It has been a few years since I was last in Rwanda, but not many people self-identify themselves by tribe.  Most simply want to be known as Rwandans.


----------



## time expired

Thanks,Blackadder,that answers my question.Sorry I missed your
reference to Rwanda in your previous post.Were you there at the
time of the Presidents crash or do you know more about the circumstances
surrounding it?.
                  Regards


----------



## Blackadder1916

time expired said:
			
		

> . . .   Were you there at the time of the Presidents crash or do you know more about the circumstances surrounding it?.



No, I was first there in the aftermath of the genocide and was back there since my retirement from the military.  My knowledge of the crash is like most others, limited to what was reported.  I suppose that I may pay more attention when Rwanda pops up in the media because of my slim connection to the place.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*France rejects Rwanda's genocide accusations*
Rwandan investigators issued a report Wednesday that implicates French soldiers – and top French officials – in the 1994 genocide.


> By Robert Marquand | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the August 07, 2008 edition -
> 
> PARIS
> Official French reaction to the Rwandan accusation that French leaders, diplomats, and soldiers were complicit in the epic 1994 genocide in Rwanda was muted and curt.
> 
> "Unacceptable," said both former French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé, and a diplomatic spokesman here during a sleepy week when most of Paris has decamped for vacation. Yet some French nongovernmental organizations, media, and intellectuals treated accusations that France aided and abetted Hutu government forces in the 100-day killing spree, which left more than 800,000 dead, as at least a subject for further inquiry.
> 
> "There is something not clear in France's responsibility in Rwanda," argued a column in the Paris-based daily, Libération, though it noted that the report, by a Rwandan presidential commission, does not carry the significance of a body like the United Nations' Rwanda war crimes tribunal – set up at the same time as the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
> 
> Le Monde hit the subject slightly harder in a headline reading, "Rwanda's genocide: a duty to tell the truth."
> 
> Tit-for-tat accusations
> 
> Rwandan president Paul Kagame, a Tutsi, launched an inquiry that led to a 500-page document naming 33 senior French officials – including former President François Mitterrand and former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin – in 2006, immediately after a famous French antiterrorism judge, Jean-Louis Bruguiere, in 2006 said Mr. Kagame had masterminded the downing of an aircraft carrying former Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana, a Hutu.
> 
> The downed plane question is extremely sensitive in Rwanda – "something like a 9/11 event in the US," says Thomas Cargill, a specialist at Chatham House, a think tank in London – since it is regarded as the trigger for bloodshed between Hutus and Tutsis.
> 
> Kagame denies involvement, but he has treated the nonbinding indictment as an insult – given widespread local views that French UN peacekeepers favored the Hutu government and did little to stop the killing.
> 
> Yet the report Kagame initiated goes further.
> 
> Along with charging that French forces trained Hutu military squads and aided in forcing hundreds of thousands of Tutsis out of their homes, it says that French support "was of a political, military, diplomatic, and logistical nature."
> 
> A French parliamentary investigation in 1998 found that "errors of judgment …were made," but denied that French peacekeepers helped the Hutu militants.
> 
> Kagame's justice minister called for the 33 French officials to be brought to justice by "competent authorities," without spelling out what that meant.
> 
> Paris writer and intellectual Jean Hatzfeld argues on the website of the French weekly news magazine Le Nouvel Observateur that French soldiers may have witnessed the slaughter, but were not any more culpable than they were in Bosnia, where they also served as peacekeepers during the Balkan wars. "The situation [in Rwanda] was very confusing. As in Bosnia ... France was on the ground during the massacre." He went on to say, "We can share responsibility without being guilty."
> 
> Battle to shape world opinion
> 
> Mr. Cargill, at Chatham House, argues that Rwanda and France are trying to have their own version of the horrific event accepted as truth.
> 
> "In France, Belgium, and among the Rwandan Hutu diaspora, there's a sizable group that feel angry at what they perceive as international sympathy for the Kagame government," says Cargill. "Rwanda and France should cooperate, but I don't see that happening quickly."
> 
> The Paris NGO Survie, which has tracked the Rwanda issue since 1992, asserts that France was unquestionably involved. "France was complicit with a regime that committed a genocide, and knew ahead of time what would happen," says Sharon Courtoux of Survie. "It's a nasty business, and most countries don't like to admit such things."



The French response is not surprising.  There had been some efforts on the part of France earlier this year to re-establish diplomatic ties with Rwanda;  I imagine that they are, now, less keen.


----------



## cameron

BOTH France and Belgium have a lot to answer for in Rwanda.  The horrifying actions of the Hutus were certainly inexcusable but the policy of ALL the colonial powers in Africa of sowing mistrust and resentment among various ethnic groups in order to maintain control has left a legacy that is still being manifested in Africa today.


----------



## Kirkhill

Cameron, I can't agree with your implicit assumption that without the "Colonials" Africa would be any different now than it is.

The "colonials" didn't have to "sow mistrust".  The mistrust predated them.

Africa is replete with tales of Black Empires, Black on Black Genocides and Black-Black slavery, not to mention Arab-Black, Ethiopian-Black and Nilotic-Black conflict.

Africa suffers from too long a history.


----------



## time expired

I suppose that is the popular opinion,that the earlier colonists
are responsible for everthing that goes wrong in Africa.But I 
think that is an opinion that does not fit the historical facts,before
colonisation tribal warfare was part of the everyday life of Africans,
much like the Indians of North America,the colonists put a stop to 
that.Admittedly they did use this warlike attitude whenever it suited
their purpose, they did not however, teach the African how to fight
and kill their neighbours, they had plenty of experience at doing that
and ,incidentally,selling their beaten neighbours to Arab traders as slaves.
  I feel that the African are just reverting to type,the situation is of
course made more complicated by the arbitrary borders drawn by the
colonists but I do not feel that everthing should be loaded on the
shoulders of the former colonial powers although of course this is
the PC opinion here in the West.
                                    Regards


----------



## cameron

While animosity among African ethnic groups predated the colonial period, the colonists certainly exacerbated it to suit their purposes and those arbitrary borders are a big part of the problem now.  Also the slavery which existed in pre-colonial Africa as in all ancient societies including European ones cannot be compared to that encouraged by European slave traders in Africa in terms of sheer scale and brutality.


----------



## George Wallace

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Title is link to article.)

*Canadian journalist possibly kidnapped in Somalia*

Saturday, August 23, 2008 | 4:09 PM

A  Canadian woman is one of two journalists abducted near Mogadishu in Somalia by unidentified armed men. 

CTV.ca News Staff 

The journalists were on their way to visit a refugee camp on Saturday.

A hotel employee in Mogadishu said the two journalists went to Elasha, about 18 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu.

"They left this morning and their whereabouts are unknown," Ajos Mohamed Nor told The Associated Press. 

Foreign affairs expert Eric Margolis said the kidnapping of foreigners is a grave problem in Somalia. 

"Somalia has got to be the most dangerous and probably lawless place that I can think of," he told CTVNewsnet. "It's been in chaos for over a decade."

Margolis said the situation has dissolved into civil war with fighting between local clans and tribes, making Somalia, and particularly Mogadishu, "extremely dangerous."

"Even foreign aid workers who've come in to try and help have become victims or have been kidnapped or killed and now these two journalists (are) the latest victims of the waves of kidnapping and killing that have been going on for so long," he said.

Somalia's economy has "completely broken down" said Margolis. Kidnapping, piracy and the smuggling of the narcotic shrub known as khat have become the main sources of income.

Canada sent one of its warships to patrol off the coast of Somalia and international flotillas are keeping watch, but it's not the solution, he said.

The last form of stable government in South Somalia was a group of moderate Islamists called the Islamic Court Union, said Margolis. But the U.S., worried that it was an extremist government, aided Somalia's neighbour Ethiopia in invading the country. 

"So on top of chaos clan and tribal warfare you have this Ethiopian invasion which is being violently resisted by the Somalis and has caused huge numbers of refugees and many deaths," he said. 

Some observers have called the situation worse than Darfur, he said. 

Margolis said the U.S. and the rest of the Western world will not succeed in bringing stability to the region. 

*"There has to be a massive influx of some neutral foreign military force."*

He gave the Egyptian and Turkish militaries as examples. However, he is not optimistic they would tackle the problem.  

"No one wants to get involved in this absolute disaster area of a country."

With files from The Associated Press


[Note Highlighted statement.]


----------



## OldSolduer

We could straighten them out, IF the world gives us a chance and the time.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> We could straighten them out, IF the world gives us a chance and the time.




Just the simple fact that we don't have the resources to fight on two fronts at the moment, comes to mind why we can't for starters. And secondly, why should we? It's hard enough dealing with people that want our help. Never mind those that don't. Let's get out of this mindset of moralistic superiority where we have to run off to be the world savior everytime there's a blip in some third world shit hole.


----------



## The Bread Guy

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> We could straighten them out, IF the world gives us a chance...



Oh, I'm sure a lot of people WANT us to do more in Africa....



			
				OldSolduer said:
			
		

> ...and the time.



...but it would be the politicians and pundits who would want things solved fast (think one election cycle).



			
				recceguy said:
			
		

> Just the simple fact that we don't have the resources to fight on two fronts at the moment, comes to mind why we can't for starters. And secondly, why should we? It's hard enough dealing with people that want our help. Never mind those that don't. Let's get out of this mindset of moralistic superiority where we have to run off to be the world savior everytime there's a blip in some third world shit hole.



Plus what recceguy said....


----------



## George Wallace

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Title is link to article.)

*Gunmen holding Canadian reporter hostage: union*


> Sunday, August 24, 2008 | 11:56 AM
> 
> Gunmen holding Canadian reporter hostage: union
> 
> CTV.ca News Staff
> 
> Somalia's journalists' union believes that a Canadian and another reporter are being held hostage by gunmen in Mogadishu, one of the world's most lawless places.
> 
> "No formal claim of responsibility has been made and the motive for the kidnapping remains unknown. As well, there have been no demands," the National Union of Somali Journalists said Sunday in a statement.
> 
> The NUSOJ identified the two as Amanda Lindhout, 26 -- originally from Red Deer, Alta. -- and Nigel Brennan, 27, from Australia.
> 
> A local translator and driver were also seized in Saturday's incident.
> 
> "It is not clear whether they are being held for political purposes, (as) bargaining chips or for financial purposes. But journalists who spoke on condition of anonymity for their security said the abduction seemed to be a pre-planned attack," the union said.
> 
> The two journalists were on a visit to a camp for people who had fled the chaos of Mogadishu when the attack occurred.
> 
> We are appalled by this cruel abduction of journalists and call for the immediate release of our colleagues," NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman said in the statement.
> 
> "They were simply doing their job of reporting the story and presenting the plight of Somali people to the world."
> 
> On Saturday, Lindhout's mother, Lorinda, told CTV Edmonton that her daughter was there because she felt to be a good journalist, she had to be on the frontlines to tell peoples' stories.
> 
> "And the humanitarian side of everything was, is, huge for Amanda, to bring that to the light, so that people can help," she said.
> 
> Canada's nearest diplomatic mission is in Kenya. Foreign Affairs Canada said officials there are in contact with Somalia's government.
> 
> Kidnappings for ransom are relatively common in Somalia. But domestic journalists have also been deliberately murdered.
> 
> With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press


----------



## aesop081

Lets send an LRP detachement to support anti-piracy operations. They could also conduct overland ISR operations ISO a multinational force.

Walt ?

 ;D


----------



## George Wallace

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Title is link to article.)

*Ransom demand may soon come for journalist: group*



> Monday, August 25, 2008 | 10:56 PM                                                              CTV.ca News Staff
> 
> There are indications that a Somali militant group believed to be holding two journalists, including a Canadian, may soon make a ransom demand, says a journalism organization official.
> 
> Tom Rhodes, Africa co-ordinator for the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, told CTV.ca on Monday that his sources say the militants are looking for a safe house to hold Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan.
> 
> Once they have found such a place, it is believed they will make a formal ransom demand, he said.
> 
> But "no one really knows what's going on," Rhodes glumly added.
> 
> Lindhout, 27, is originally from Red Deer, Alta. Brennan, 37, is from Australia.
> 
> On Saturday, the two freelancers had travelled south of Mogadishu to a camp for people displaced by the fighting in Somalia's capital city.
> 
> Gunmen stopped and snatched them, along with their Somali translator and driver. Hotel staff became worried when they didn't return at their scheduled time.
> 
> The National Union of Somali Journalists said Sunday that the attack appeared to be premeditated.
> 
> Rhodes said media reports quoted one Somali Islamist leader saying his group had nothing to do with the abduction.
> 
> Background
> 
> The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) has been battling for control of the country with the Ethiopia-backed transitional government.
> 
> However, the country has been without an effective government since 1991, although its troubles extend back into the 1970s. Canada had a "peacemaking" force in Somalia. But it became embroiled in scandal following the early 1993 torture and killing of a Somali citizen trying to steal from Canada's military base at Belet Huen.
> 
> The U.S. pulled its forces out of Somalia within six months of the famous October 1993 Battle of Mogadishu -- an incident that eventually formed the basis for the book and movie "Black Hawk Down." All United Nations peacekeepers pulled out by 1995.
> 
> Since them, Somalia has faced more fighting, economic collapse and a humanitarian crisis. Kidnappings, along with acts of piracy on the high seas off Somalia's coastline, are very commonplace.
> 
> Rhodes said there is no effective police force in Somalia, and the prospect of any other type of rescue is unlikely (the Battle of Mogadishu resulted from a botched attempt to snatch leaders of an anti-U.S. warlord).
> 
> He noted that Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said the situation is incredibly delicate.
> 
> If a rescue isn't an option, that leaves a paying a ransom, "which of course perpetuates the problem," he said.
> 
> Executions rare
> 
> "On a positive note, they very, very rarely execute people they abduct," Rhodes said of the Somali militias. "(They're) usually held for just a week at a time before they're released."
> 
> French journalist Gwen Le Gouil was grabbed in the semi-autonomous Somali region of Puntland in December 2007. His kidnappers asked for a US$70,000 ransom, but negotiators secured his release without a ransom being paid, according to news reports.
> 
> Rhodes said another factor that helps Lindhout and Brennan is that the UIC wants to take control of the country. As a result, it wants to look legitimate in the world's eyes.
> 
> "So arbitrary killings aren't going to help their cause," he said.
> 
> Lindhout and Brennan are also helped by the fact they are foreigners, he said.
> 
> Somalia has been rated as the second-most dangerous country for journalists after Iraq. Former Ottawa resident Ali Iman Sharmarke was one of at least eight killed there in 2007. He returned to his homeland in 1999 to start a media company. A remote-detonated bomb blew up his vehicle about a year ago as he returned from the funeral of a murdered Somali journalist.


----------



## greentoblue

Despite several sarcastic comments that come to mind ie send Taliban Jack and Sacha bin Laden to reason with them - in all seriousness what about contracting Blackwater or a similiar agency to go in?  Wasn't there a situation where a South African mercenary outfit called Executive Outcomes sorted out an African country (Liberia or Sierra Leone)?


----------



## George Wallace

greentoblue said:
			
		

> Despite several sarcastic comments that come to mind ie send Taliban Jack and Sacha bin Laden to reason with them - in all seriousness what about contracting Blackwater or a similiar agency to go in?  Wasn't there a situation where a South African mercenary outfit called Executive Outcomes sorted out an African country (Liberia or Sierra Leone)?



The days of Mike Hoare and Wild Geese are pretty much over.


----------



## OldSolduer

I can see this nation becoming host to an Al Qaeda style group.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse

If I had an applause smiley I would put it here.....


----------



## George Wallace

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> I can see this nation becoming host to an Al Qaeda style group.



Too late.  There is already a radical Islamic group running amok in Somalia, with strong Al Qeada ties.


----------



## George Wallace

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Link in Title)

*Canadian journalist has not been harmed by Somali captors: reporters' group*



> 26/08/2008 10:48:00 PM
> 
> Nelson Wyatt, THE CANADIAN PRESS
> MONTREAL - A freelance Canadian journalist who was kidnapped with an Australian and a Somali colleague has not been harmed by her captors, says an organization that defends media freedom.
> 
> 
> The Paris office of Reporters Without Borders has been able to obtain details about the condition of Amanda Lindhout from the National Union of Somali Journalists, said Dennis Trudeau, spokesman for Reporters Without Borders in Montreal.
> 
> "What we have been able to glean is that the journalists - the Canadian, the Australian and the Somali - are unharmed, they have their clothes, they're getting food regularly and they may even have access to satellite TV," Trudeau told The Canadian Press late Tuesday.
> 
> The group is believed to be in an area about 80 kilometres outside of Mogadishu, Somalia's capital.
> 
> "I can't say more than that. You can understand that the group may be afraid of a possible armed mission to rescue the journalists."
> 
> Lindhout, a freelance television and print reporter from Sylvan Lake, Alta., is usually based in Baghdad. She had previously reported from Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of Africa. She also wrote a weekly column for the Red Deer Advocate from Iraq and Africa.
> 
> A friend has described her as courageous and said she had been detained by warriors in Iraq while working for a television station and had been robbed at gunpoint in Africa.
> 
> Lindhout, who is working for French TV station France 24, arrived in Somalia on Aug. 20.
> 
> Lindhout, Australian Nigel Brennan, and Somali reporter Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi, who served as their photographer and translator, were grabbed on Saturday. Workers at their hotel raised the alarm when they noticed the journalists had not returned from their outing.
> 
> Journalists and humanitarian workers are frequently abducted for ransom in Somalia, one of the world's poorest and most violence-torn countries.
> 
> Saturday's reported abduction came during a period of especially heavy fighting in Somalia, including the capture of Kismayo, Somali's third-largest city, by Islamic insurgents.
> 
> Trudeau said no ransom demand has been made yet.
> 
> "But the way things have gone in Somalia, from what we know and from what we've seen in the past, that's not necessarily a bad thing, that there's been no demand yet.
> 
> "In the case of some Italian aid workers kidnapped a while ago in Somalia, it took seven to 10 days before any contact was made. So you see we're still early on."
> 
> Trudeau said the kidnappers may be from the Air clan, a dissident part of one of the Somali clans.
> 
> "Somalia is a dangerous place. There are a lot of various factions and many of them have guns. It's a confusing place."
> 
> Trudeau said before the group was kidnapped, they had left Mogadishu to visit a refugee camp about 20 or 30 kilometres away. They were waylaid on their way back by a number of armed men.
> 
> Two bodyguards who were accompanying the group were not taken but Trudeau said he had no idea if they were somehow involved in the kidnapping.
> 
> Trudeau acknowledged the kidnapping could be about money, given the case of the Italian aid workers. He said it is his understanding that when negotiations eventually started in that case, there was a demand for funds and a ransom was paid.
> 
> "We are led to believe that it is not necessarily an Islamist organization," he said. "So chances are that, we hope that we'll see that there may be some kind of negotiations and demands for ransom rather than some kind of other outcome."


----------



## Fishbone Jones

> "Somalia is a dangerous place. There are a lot of various factions and many of them have guns. It's a confusing place."



Well, duuhh :blotto:


----------



## George Wallace

And right next door:

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Link in Title)

*Hijackers of Sudanese jetliner release all passengers: Libyan officials*



> Hijackers of a passenger jet travelling from Sudan's Darfur region released all passengers on Wednesday at a remote airstrip in Libya, but were still holding the aircraft's crew, Libyan aviation officials said.
> 
> 27/08/2008 5:44:31 AM
> 
> CBC News
> 
> A group of about 10 hijackers commandeered the Boeing 737, which was carrying nearly 100 people, soon after it took off Tuesday from Nyala in the south of Darfur, a vast region where Sudan's government has been battling rebels since 2003.
> 
> The plane, which had been en route to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, was diverted to a the Second World War-era airstrip in the Sahara desert oasis of Kufra.
> 
> The civil aviation official did not provide additional details and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Reuters also quoted an official as saying that all the passengers were freed.
> 
> Earlier, it was reported that the hijackers had refused to negotiate and were demanding enough fuel to fly to France. But the BBC reported that talks were still underway to free the remaining hostages.
> 
> A Libyan airport official said the hijackers were members of Darfur's rebel Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdul-Wahid Nour.
> 
> But a spokesman for the rebel group, Yahia Bolad, denied any involvement, saying the SLM has "no relation to this act."
> 
> Officials said the jet belongs to a private company, Sun Air, and was carrying 95 passengers - a mix of civilians and local Darfur officials - plus an unspecified number of crew members.
> 
> The politicians on board were members of the Darfur Transitional Authority, an interim government body responsible for implementing a peace agreement between rebel factions and Sudan's government, a security official at Nyala airport said.
> 
> With files from the Associated Press


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Rwanda to switch from French to English in schools*
• Move seen as further snub to former colonial power 
• Business needs a factor in dropping old influences


> Chris McGreal, Africa correspondent The Guardian, Tuesday October 14 2008
> 
> *The Rwandan government is to switch the country's entire education system from French to English in one of the most dramatic steps to date in its move away from Francophone influence. *
> 
> Officially the change is to reposition Rwanda as a member of the East African Community, an organisation made up mostly of English-speaking countries such as neighbours Uganda and Tanzania.
> 
> However, the shift to education solely in English is part of a wholesale realignment away from French influence that includes applying to join the Commonwealth - if accepted Rwanda would be only the second member, after Mozambique, that has not been a British colony - and establishing a cricket board.
> 
> Underpinning the move is a long and bitter dispute with France born of its support for the Hutu regime that oversaw the 1994 genocide of 800,000 Tutsis, which has seen the French ambassador expelled and the closure of the French cultural centre, international school and radio station.
> 
> However, what amounts to an attempt to expel the French language too, consigning it to a few hours a week in schools and increasingly forcing it out of the workings of government, will be badly received in Paris where protection of the language is at the heart of what critics describe as the French obsession with maintaining influence in Africa and which led it to back the Hutu extremist government.
> 
> No timetable has been set to implement the policy, which will face a number of challenges, including finding sufficient teachers who speak English. The cabinet also decided that all public service workers will receive English instruction.
> 
> English was made an official language in Rwanda, alongside French and the indigenous Kinyarwanda, after the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) overthrew the Hutu regime and took power in 1994.
> 
> The RPF leadership, dominated by Tutsis raised in exile in Anglophone countries, generally speaks English and not French. Rwanda's minister of education, Daphrosa Gahakwa, grew up in Uganda where she took her O levels. She studied her PhD in genetic engineering at the University of East Anglia.
> 
> English has also become fashionable even among French-speaking young people in the cities, particularly Tutsis, as a means of rejecting Francophone influence and its association with the Hutu regime responsible for the genocide.
> 
> *At present the first three years of primary school is in Kinyarwanda after which pupils may choose English or French. The French option is to be dropped.*
> 
> Instruction at Kigali's elite Institute of Science and Technology is already in English and it is increasingly the language of instruction in the national university.
> 
> The drive towards English is in part financial. Close trading ties not only with other east African nations such as Uganda and Kenya but also with South Africa, which has provided investment for luxury hotels and shopping malls, have helped drive an economic boom in Rwanda.
> 
> The Rwandan trade and industry minister, Vincent Karega, told Kigali's New Times newspaper that the country is looking beyond the Francophone world.
> 
> "French is spoken only in France, some parts of west Africa, parts of Canada and Switzerland," he said. "English has emerged as a backbone for growth and development not only in the region but around the globe."
> 
> There is little doubt that a deep loathing of all things French is also an important factor for some of Rwanda's leaders.
> 
> The latest salvo against French influence comes weeks after the Rwandan government accused more than 30 French politicians, officials and military officers of complicity in the genocide, including the late president, François Mitterrand, and called for their prosecution.
> 
> A two-year investigation by an official commission alleged that French forces in Rwanda committed crimes against humanity and protected those who organised the genocide, helping them to flee the country and escape justice.
> 
> The Rwandan inquiry followed allegations by France's leading anti-terrorism judge, Jean-Louis Bruguière, that in effect accused Rwanda's Tutsi president, Paul Kagame, of bringing mass murder on his own people by allegedly ordering the 1994 assassination of the then president, Juvenal Habyarimana, which marked the start of the genocide.
> 
> The judge could not indict Kagame as head of state but he issued international arrest warrants for nine of his closest aides and advised the tribunal trying those behind the genocide to pursue Kagame.
> 
> Backstory
> France's claim that Rwanda was a French-speaking nation was always somewhat disingenuous given that 80% of the population spoke only Kinyarwanda fluently. But there was no doubt about France's influence over the former Belgian colony.
> 
> It remains strong in other Francophone countries in Africa from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west and central African nations where the national currencies are underpinned by French financial support.
> 
> French remains an important language of commerce and diplomacy in west and central Africa, so much so Ghana recently decided its officials should learn it so as not to be marginalised by the likes of Senegal.
> 
> There is little doubt English is encroaching on French influence, not only because it is the language of business in Europe but because of the economic power of South Africa.


 
This is the latest move in the efforts in Rwanda to transition it into an English speaking country.  While such an exercise may be of benefit to that nation, the recent move by President Kagame to make Rwanda adopt cricket as the national sport may be more questionable. If he had spent his years in exile in Toronto, would there now be the Kigali Maple Leafs?


----------



## Old Sweat

Mods, forgive me. The devil, and the Ottawa Senators, made me do it.

"If he had spent his years in exile in Toronto, would there now be the Kigali Maple Leafs"

They probably would have a better shot at the Stanley Cup than the original Make Believes.


----------



## Blackadder1916

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> Mods, forgive me. The devil, and the Ottawa Senators, made me do it.
> 
> "If he had spent his years in exile in Toronto, would there now be the Kigali Maple Leafs"
> 
> They probably would have a better shot at the Stanley Cup than the original Make Believes.



A response I was half expecting.  Now, was it the Ottawa Senators or just a Senator in Ottawa.


----------



## Old Sweat

And the spiral begins . . .


----------



## Greymatters

Blackadder1916 said:
			
		

> This is the latest move in the efforts in Rwanda to transition it into an English speaking country.  While such an exercise may be of benefit to that nation, the recent move by President Kagame to make Rwanda adopt cricket as the national sport may be more questionable. If he had spent his years in exile in Toronto, would there now be the Kigali Maple Leafs?



One line of action is derived from the other.  You cant seriously expect them to play cricket while speaking French do you?  

I think there's something in the game rulebook about players having to self-immolate themselves if they do that...   :evil:


----------



## tomahawk6

Follow the link to see a few images.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D943IEG00&show_article=1&catnum=0

KILIMANYOKA, Congo (AP) - Rebels vowing to take Congo's eastern provincial capital of 600,000 people advanced toward Goma on Tuesday as Congolese troops and U.N. tanks retreated, while tens of thousands fled to a makeshift shelter. 
The sudden influx tripled the size of the camp in Kibati in a matter of hours, said Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency. A hundred refugees a day, mostly women and children, were also fleeing across the border into Uganda, that country's Red Cross said. 

In Kibati, a few miles from the front line, young men also lobbed rocks Tuesday at three U.N. tanks with Uruguayan troops heading away from the battlefield. 

"What are they doing? They are supposed to protect us," complained Jean-Paul Maombi, a 31-year-old nurse from Kibumba. 

On Monday, peacekeepers fired into the air at one U.N. compound that came under a hail of rocks, and city leaders said three people were killed. Mobs hurled the stones to protest the U.N.'s failure to protect them from the rebels, despite having 17,000 peacekeepers in its Congo mission. 

Renegade Gen. Laurent Nkunda has vowed to seize Goma, a lakeside city of 600,000 on the border with Rwanda in Central Africa. 

Nkunda signed a cease-fire with the government in January, but defected because he said the government showed no interest in protecting his Tutsi people—a tiny minority of 3 percent in east Congo—from Rwandan Hutu militiamen who escaped to Congo after helping perpetrate Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Some half a million Rwandan Tutsis were slaughtered in that genocide. 

But Nkunda's ambitions have expanded since he launched a fresh onslaught on Aug. 28—he now declares he will "liberate" all of Congo, a country the size of Western Europe with vast reserves of diamonds, gold and other resources. Congo's vast mineral wealth helped fuel back-to-back wars from 1997-2003. 

More than 200,000 people have been forced from their homes in the last two months, the U.N. says, joining 1.2 million displaced in previous conflicts in the east. Outbreaks of cholera and diarrhea have killed dozens in camps, compounding the misery. 

U.N. efforts to halt Nkunda's rebellion are complicated by the country's rugged terrain, dense tropical forests that roll over hills and mountains with few roads. U.N. provincial chief Hiroute Guebre Selassie told angry civil leaders on Monday that Nkunda's fighters also were using guerrilla tactics. 

"We cannot use the helicopters to prevent them advancing, because they hide in the bush, they fight on many fronts, and they hide themselves among the population," she said. "(That) strategy makes it very difficult for us to master the situation." 

On Monday, peacekeepers in attack helicopters fired at the rebels trying to stop them taking Kibumba, a village on the main road 30 miles north of Goma. But fleeing civilians say the fighters overran Kibumba anyway. 

A U.N. helicopter gunship patrolled the sky Tuesday in Kilimanyoka, seven miles north of Goma. Rebel spokesman Bertrand Bisimwa said he expected the helicopters to soon attack their front line, which he said is within 12 miles of Goma. 

The chief U.N. mandate is to protect the population. But since the peace deal it also is helping the Congolese army disarm and repatriate Hutu militiamen—by force if necessary. 

Yet Bisimwa, the rebel spokesman, claimed Tuesday the Congolese army has abandoned dozens of its positions to Hutu militiamen. 

"It's the Hutus who are on the front line and whom we are fighting, not the army," he said. U.N. peacekeepers "leave us no choice but to fight on." 

Nkunda long has charged that Congolese soldiers fight alongside the militia of Hutus, an ethnic majority of about 40 percent in the region. 

Some 800 Hutu militiamen have voluntarily returned to Rwanda, the U.N. says, but the fighters recruit and coerce Congolese Hutu children and young men into their ranks daily—far outnumbering those who have returned home. 

Civil leaders led by Jason Luneno said if U.N. peacekeepers cannot halt the rebel advance, the peacekeepers should leave Congo and "the people will descend into the streets to demand the government resign." 

Tensions also are high on the diplomatic front. Congo this week repeated charges that Rwanda's Tutsi-led government is sending troops across the border to reinforce Nkunda. Rwanda denies the charges and the U.N. says they are unfounded. 

The U.N. refugee agency said a team under "tight security" was heading to the village of Kibati to prepare for an influx of refugees. Wailing babies and children with worried frowns were among the thousands there who had no idea where they were headed. 

"What can we do? We have nothing," said Maombi.


----------



## old medic

Rice: 'It's well past time' for Mugabe to leave
Fri. Dec. 5 2008
The Associated Press



> COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that it is "well past time" for Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to leave office as evidenced by the nation's calamitous cholera epidemic and health care crisis.
> 
> Rice said the country experienced "a sham election," followed by a sham sharing of power. Speaking in the Danish capital Friday, she said the current outbreak of cholera in the country should be a sign to the international community that it is time to stand up to Mugabe.
> 
> "If this is not evidence to the international community to stand up for what is right, I don't know what would be. And frankly the nations of the region have to do it," she said. The nations in southern Africa have the most to lose and need to take the lead, she said.
> 
> Zimbabwe declared a national emergency over a cholera epidemic and the collapse of its health care system, and state media reported Thursday the government is seeking more international help to pay for food and drugs to combat the crisis.
> 
> "It's well past time for Robert Mugabe to leave, that's now obvious," she said. "There has been a sham election, there was a sham power-sharing. We are now seeing the humanitarian toll."
> 
> Rice said "we are seeing not only the political and economic toll that is being taken on the people of Zimbabwe but the toll in the humanitarian dimension as the cholera epidemic has broken out. It is time for the international nations to push Mr. Mugabe out."
> 
> She said the United States "will always do anything and everything it can to help innocent people who are suffering. We are not going to deny assistance to people who are in need because of Mugabe."
> 
> The U.S. Agency for International Development has said it would provide an additional US$600,000 to help combat the cholera outbreak. This assistance is in addition to the $4 million water, sanitation, and hygiene emergency program USAID is already implementing in Zimbabwe.
> 
> The failure of the southern African nation's health care system is one of the most devastating effects of the country's overall economic collapse.
> 
> Facing the highest inflation in the world, Zimbabweans are struggling just to eat and find clean drinking water. The United Nations says the number of suspected cholera cases in Zimbabwe since August has climbed above 12,600, with 570 deaths, because of a lack of water treatment and broken sewage pipes. Besides shortages of food and other basics, even cash is scarce.
> 
> Cholera is an infectious intestinal disease that is contracted by consuming contaminated food or water. Its symptoms include severe diarrhea.
> 
> Rice's comments on Zimbabwe came during an appearance with Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Rice is making a tour of various cities overseas as her tour in the job of secretary of state comes to a close.
> 
> Rice expressed "deep regret" for the deaths of two Danish soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan on Thursday, adding that nothing of value is won without sacrifice. "Afghanistan must never be allowed again to be a safe haven for terrorists," Rice said. She said a review being done by the Bush administration and its NATO allies of the mission in Afghanistan is nearly complete.
> 
> "It is under way. It is, very frankly, almost completed," she said. "It is being reviewed by the principals of the National Security Council and it is going to be discussed with our friends. And at that point I expect that some elements of it will be made public in some way."
> 
> Some have called for more troops in Afghanistan, a sentiment backed Friday by Danish leader Fogh Rasmussen.
> 
> "We have to make sure that the mission will be a success," he said. We must prevail and we need more troops."


----------



## Reccesoldier

I'm sorry, why exactly is the rest of the world lending any appearance of legitimacy to this thug and his crooked friends?

Zimbabwe should be Serbia-ized.  Ostracize the nation diplomatically and then, as was done to Serbia (Kosovo) ignore it's sovereignty and move in with overwhelming force to establish the rule of law.

Ooh, threats to expel us!  :crybaby: I'm so underwhelmed :boring:


----------



## old medic

Military doctors fight cholera crisis in Zimbabwe
6 Dec 2008 
CTV.ca News Staff
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081206/zimbabwe_cholera_081206/20081206?hub=World



> South Africa will deploy more military doctors to its northern border to help stem the tide of Zimbabwe's growing cholera epidemic, a spokesperson for South Africa's government has announced.
> 
> South Africa, the region's major power, will also send clean water and other aid to Zimbabwe, said Themba Maseko, in a sign that leaders fear the outbreak will spread beyond Zimbabwe's borders.
> 
> Cholera, a preventable intestinal disease, has killed nearly 600 people and infected almost 13,000 since August, according to United Nations estimates.
> 
> However, aid agencies believe many more infections and deaths have gone unrecorded, as patients may have fallen ill and died at home.
> 
> Cholera is contracted by consuming contaminated food or water, and symptoms include severe diarrhea.
> 
> The outbreak is largely blamed on Zimbabwe's crumbling health-care and water-treatment systems, which have languished under the autocratic rule of President Robert Mugabe.
> 
> On Thursday, Zimbabwe declared a national health emergency, according to an announcement issued by state media.
> 
> In addition to extra doctors and aid, South Africa also plans to send a fact-finding team to Zimbabwe on Monday. The team will issue a report to President Kgalema Motlanthe and his cabinet ministers before more assistance plans are announced, Maseko said.
> 
> "We will continue to work with the World Health Organization's representatives and other donor organizations to provide assistance to medical facilities in Zimbabwe in order to manage and reduce the influx of Zimbabweans into South Africa and other neighbouring countries," Maseko said.
> 
> Health officials in Mozambique and Botswana, which border Zimbabwe, are assessing the risk of the epidemic spreading into those countries.
> 
> The crisis has led the international community to call for Mugabe to step down.
> 
> U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said Friday it was "well past time" for Mugabe to relinquish power.
> 
> The outbreak is an opportunity for the international community to put pressure on Mugable, Rice said, an effort that should be led by neighbouring southern African countries.
> 
> In a statement issued Friday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the outbreak was "a further illustration of the misrule of Zimbabwe's rogue government."
> 
> On Thursday, Novel peace laureate Desmond Tutu called for African countries to use military force if necessary to oust Mugabe from office should he refuse to resign.
> 
> In an interview with the Dutch current affairs program Nova, Tutu, the retired Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, said Mugabe "is destroying a wonderful country...a country that used to be a bread basket...has now become a basket case itself needing help."
> 
> Former South African president Thabo Mbeki has been trying to improve Zimbabwe's fortunes through attempts to broker a power-sharing agreement between Mugabe and his main rival, Norman Tsvangirai.
> 
> So far, those negotiations have proved fruitless, while Mugabe blames western sanctions for his country's deterioration.



With files from The Associated Press


----------



## Yrys

See also Foreign Militaries > Military doctors (SA) fight cholera crisis in Zimbabwe - CTV


----------



## TCBF

- Remember back in the seventies, when Rhodesia was fighting what was initialy called a "Communist Insurgency"? But outside Rhodesia, the Western media turned it from a Democracy vs Communist-backed action into a Black vs White action (notwithstanding the fact that most of the Rhodesian soldiers were black).

- So now, after the despots have won and rich Rhodesia has become starving and diseased Zimbabwe, does anyone not see the irony in this?  Too bad the vast majority of the people in Zimbabwe have to suffer.  They have no shortage of home-grown talent: Zimbabwe will again be a well run country.  But, the thugs have to be run out first.


----------



## Edward Campbell

Although this report, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from _Global Pundit_, is a bit (a week+) dated it should serve as a good launch pad for a discussion about a (possible?) (potential?) (likely?) (inevitable?) Canadian military mission in Africa:
--------------------
http://globalpundit.org/2008/12/07/report-munk-debate-on-humanitarian-intervention/

 Report: Munk Debate on Humanitarian Intervention

*Toronto, Canada* - Christiane Amanpour’s CNN special tonight “Scream Bloody Murder” on genocide was quite timely after this week’s Munk Debate on Humanitarian Intervention.  Both events hinged on the question of whether the international community has an obligation to intervene in situations of genocide and other man-made crises when a country is unable to protect itself.  The most immediate example that comes to mind is that of Rwanda in the early 1990s.  For one hundred days in 1994, a bloody genocide perpetrated by Hutu extremists resulted in the deaths of 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates in Rwanda.  Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Rwanda, provided the United Nations with ample evidence that this massacre was coming, yet the UN refused to send him the troops and resources he requested.  Weeks before the killing began Dallaire had been tipped off by aHutu informant that weapons caches were hidden all around the capital city of Kigali and that the names of Tutsis were being compiled into lists in preparation for the slaughter.  All this information was presented to theUnited Nations numerous times, but to no avail.   Today we can look back and ask ourselves, if Dallaire had been given the 4500 troops he asked for, would the situation have been different?  How many lives would have been saved?  Is it safe to say that the international community, specifically the United Nations, failed General Dalliare, and most importantly, the people of Rwanda?  Asked tonight by Amanpour if he thinks he did enough to stop the genocide, he regretfully says no, he could have done more. 

In 1948, The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide  was passed by the United Nations, requiring nations to act to stop genocide.    The word genocide, which literally means race/group killing, was coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944, a man who had lost 40 members of his family in the most horrific genocide the world has ever seen, the Holocaust. Lemkin was instrumental in creating  The Convention on Genocide and hoped it would stop future massacres. Yet since the law officially came into effect in January 1951, we have witnessed the killing of millions of people around the world as a result of genocide.  The examples used in the CNN special tonight were as follows:

•	Over two million people were killed in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge during the 1970s. The Khmer Rouge, led by dictator Pol Pot, were a communist rebel group who overthrew the US-backed Cambodian government in 1975 and proceeded to transition the country into a tradition, agrarian-based society.  People were forced from the city into the countryside, put into work camps, starved, tortured and executed.

•	Tens of thousands of Kurdish people during the al-Anfal campaign in Iraq under Saddam Hussein between 1986 and 1989. Supported financially by The United States during the Iran/Iraq war, Saddam used chemical warfare against the Kurds, dropping mustard gas and deadly nerve agents on their villages.  According to Human Rights Watch, 90% of Kurdish villages were wiped out in target areas.

•	Nearly 100,000 died in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995, mostly Muslimskilled by Christian Serbs. After Bosnia-Herzegovina declared sovereignty from Yugoslavia in 1991 and was formally declared an independent country in 1992, Christian Serbs embarked  on  an ethnic cleansing mission against the country’s Muslim population involving massrape, torture,  starvation, and execution.  In Srebrenica, 8000 boys and men were executed by Serb forces in July of 1995 after Serb forces overtook the UN occupied “safe area” and gained control of the thousands of Bosnian Muslims who had sought refuge there.

•	800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates were killed in Rwanda by Hutu extremists in 1994 . During Belgian colonial rule of Rwanda in the early twentieth century, the tall, lighter-skinned Tutsis were favoured over the shorter, darker-skinned Hutus because they were seen as being more European-like.   Since Rwanda achieved independence in 1962  the Hutus have sought to take revenge on the Tutsis through political corruption, displacement  and murder.  It was this conflict that ultimately played out during the 1994 massacre.

•	Thousands of African tribes are being killed today by the Arab government in Darfur. Government-backed Arab militiamen, known as the Janjaweed, are killing non-Arab African tribes in an effort to make Darfur free of black people.  The Janjaweed have raped women, burned down villages, and murdered thousands in an effort to drive these people from the land.  After apeacekeeping force of 26,000 was finally put into the region in 2007, afterSudan finally gave its permission, by July 2008, the force had dwindled to half its size and the region erupted into anarchy.  While the international response from the United Nations and other countries has been dismal, some say the grassroots movement that has grown up around the genocide in Darfur is keeping this issue on the agenda and forcing people to pay attention.  Save Darfur , 24 hours for Darfur and Eyes on Darfur are three such organizations and all are easily accessible online. 

In all these situations there has been delayed, insufficient, or virtually no international response.  This has had dire consequences for the people of these countries and as a result millions have died.  So: What should happen in these situations?  _Do countries like Canada and the United States have anobligation to step in and stop these atrocities from happening?_   If so, will this involve diplomacy and sanctions or will it involve military force and violence?  During the recent *Munk Debate* in Toronto, participants debated the following resolution “Be it resolved that if countries like Sudan,Zimbabwe, and Myanmar (formerly Burma) will not end their man-made humanitarian crises, the international community should.”  Actor and activist Mia Farrow and Gareth Evans, President of International Crisis Group were in support of humanitarian intervention and advocated for a multi-dimensional approach including both non-violent and military means. Evans said that we should be cautious of coercive military force and should use it only  in the most extreme circumstances like Rwanda and Bosnia, when it is too late for diplomacy.  Farrow noted that the core of a truly effective approach is to go in and deescalate situations by non-violent means so that they don’t get to the point where military intervention is needed.  Both argued military solutions should not be the only solutions.  General Rick Hillier, retired soldier and former Canadian Chief of Defence staff said that if diplomacy worked, we wouldn’t be having a debate on humanitarian intervention because it would never get to the controversial military stage. He went on to say that intervention can be successful when  those who seek to intervene have the support of the government in power, but when dealing with a corrupt government for example in Darfur today, intervention may be less successful.  When asked if leaders today feel any pressure to stop committing atrocities, John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the UN cited the example of the recent bombings in Pakistan and the spike in terrorist attacks globally post 9/11 as examples that leaders, official or otherwise, actually aren’t that scared.  Evans countered that the International Criminal Process is deterring some leaders, and that a recent study out of the University of British Columbia reported an 80% decrease in the number of serious conflicts in the world in the past 18 years. Hillier and Bolton remained unconvinced.

 A prominent theme brought up in both these discussions about crisis and intervention is the question of morality.  What is the right thing to do in these situations?  One could argue that the relative ignorance of the international community on these atrocities may have had something to do with their desire to not have to think about the horrors happening halfway across the world.  Elie Wiesel, Holoucaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prizewinner and author, when asked by Christiane Amanpour why people don’t pay closer attention to genocide noted that it would interfere with their ability to sleep at night, or enjoy a glass of red wine.  Who among us, living in relative peace in Canada would be able to go on day to day knowing of all the horrors that really go on in the world?  Many of us know little of the resilience and strength summoned by those who actually have to live these atrocities and we are grateful that we don’t have to. 

Mia Farrow has been to Darfur ten times and she came to the debate to speak for those people whom do not command the attention of the spotlight as she does.  Farrow was adamant that we must respond to international crises because every life is a life worth saving and we are all part of a larger global community.  If we don’t have a leader in power who can stomach the sacrifices necessary to do this, than they should step aside for someone who does.   Gareth Evan urged the audience to understand that there is always a national interest in international humanitarian crises because failed states and corrupt regimes have been known to quickly deteriorate into global threats and terrorist harbours.  Even situations that at first do not seem of direct concern to us can become dangerous further down the road, but more than national interest, we all have a common obligation to humanity to keep each other safe.   Rick Hillier, conversely was not as interested in morality and actually took a swipe at Farrow saying that if you come at intervention from the heart, you are going to fail.  He said that intervention should never be justified on the basis of values alone.  According to Hillier interventions should only be carried out if long-term, sustainable success can be guaranteed and all necessary resources are available. Generals are very pragmatic, Hillier said, and they want to do missions that have the support of Canadians, but won’t commit without the proper capacities and capability.  Hillier suggested Canada double to size of their army if they want to get serious about being more involved.  John Bolton was the most conservative of the participants and argued that morality does not only run in one direction, namely in the direction that promotes intervention.   If the President of the United States doesn’t want to send his soldiers out to die in a foreign land, then that should be considered a moral decision too.  Bolton was adamant that we should not be casual with other people’s blood and challenged those in the audience who favour intervention to send out their own sons and daughters, but not his.

*Before the debate 72% of the audience was in favour of humanitarian intervention and in the post-debate poll, 68% agreed that humanitarian intervention is necessary.*

In our increasingly global and integrated world, it seems neither practical, nor possible to only be concerned with what is going on outside our front door.  Here in North America, we’ve gladly welcomed the connections forged by technology, the economy and the media that have made it possible for us to become global citizens.  There has probably never been a time in all of history that we’ve been able to take so much from other parts of the world into our own homes.  _Yet, where does that end?_  If we gladly welcome oil from Iraq or coltan from the Congo, is it fair or right for us to choose not to take on the conflicts, deaths and horrors going on in those exact same regions?

~report by GP correspondent Jenna

To contact Jenna, comment, or reach www.GlobalPundit.Org eMagazine, email editor@GlobalPundit.Org
--------------------


As a point of clarification: At the start the audience at the Munk Debate was offered this resolution:


_“Be it resolved that if countries like Sudan,Zimbabwe, and Myanmar (formerly Burma) will not end their man-made humanitarian crises, the international community should.” _

Before the debate the audience (750 people interested in foreign policy) voted as follows:

Pro: 79% (agree with Evans/Farrow)
Con: 21% (agree with Bolton/Hillier)

After the debate the results were:

Pro:  68% -11
Con: 32% +11

A 22 point _shift_ means that Hillier and Bolton persuaded a considerable people that Evans and Farrow, idealistic though they may be, are offering poor policy advice. That's my view, too.

-------------------

There should be no question that human rights, the _natural_ *rights* of every single person, and civil rights and, indeed, civilization itself have taken a beating over the past 60 years. There is also no doubt that the US led West has actively, even aggressively supported a few of the most abusive ‘leaders’ in the world, *but*, in the main, the majority of the blame can, must be laid at the feet of:

Secondarily - The now defunct USSR which exported abuse as a mainstay of its political/socio-economic _solution_ to the 3rd World’s many problem; and

Primarily – the thugs and thieves who have governed most of the third world for the past 55 years.

Fifty five years of inept, corrupt _self government_ have driven the _Bottom Billion_ – which includes almost all of Africa’s 900 million people and another 100 million scattered thither and yon, including in West/Central/South Asia and the Caribbean – to the very brink of the point at which people lose all hope and most vestiges of civilization. Afghanistan was, certainly, and maybe still is part of that Bottom Billion. The whole _Bottom Billion_ is already a festering sore on the world’s conscience and it will, soon, break through and become a significant, frightening threat to our peace and security.

My view, informed in part by discussions with Bob Fowler, is that *Africa beckons* – and when we (some of you, actually) get there we (civilians, especially in the _commentariat_ and the ‘chattering classes’) will look fondly back at Afghanistan as a nice, clean, tidy, clear cut, morally unambiguous mission.

My questions are:

Is Africa, indeed, the next _big deal_, or am I missing something?

If Canada (the military, anyway) is bound for Africa then: are we ready – policies, military doctrine, training, equipment and so on?


----------



## dapaterson

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> My questions are:
> 
> Is Africa, indeed, the next _big deal_, or am I missing something?



Yes, it likely is.



> If Canada (the military, anyway) is bound for Africa then: are we ready – policies, military doctrine, training, equipment and so on?



No, we're not, and won't begin to make efforts to be ready until we've been deployed for half a decade at least.  How many CF members have we sent on Pastun language training so far?  But plenty go on the ATL to learn French, German or Spanish - career enhancing, or at least gets you jammy postings to Europe, since those are more important that being prepared for the current battle.


----------



## Sonnyjim

68% of those polled think there should be intervention, but how many are willing to put themselves in harms way to deal with the problem. And then how much of those people will change their opinions once Canada's soldiers start losing more men and women. The Canadian public is too 'comfortable'(can't think of another word) and only supports missions where little is lost and lots is gained. Africa, particularly Darfur, would be a slaughterhouse waiting to happen and it'll be the 'minute' population of men and women that we work with everyday that will have to deal with the brunt of this conflict. Don't get me wrong, I joined to fight for opressed people and those that cannot defend themselves, but I am simply saying that the Canadian public is blind to what the outcome of such a conflict might be.


----------



## Brad Sallows

Much of the blame can also be laid at the feet of people who wish not to be involved for ideological reasons, until genocide is in progress.  Timely intervention requires acceptance of the labels "paternalist" and "colonialist".  The self-learned path to the institutions we take for granted was centuries long and marked with blood shed at every step.  The model exists for those who can tear themselves away from tribal vendetta to consider it, but few can.

Intervention in Africa is overdue, but not as handmaidens to tyrants.

[Add: one advantage: English and French are spoken in much of Africa.]


----------



## dapaterson

Brad Sallows said:
			
		

> [Add: one advantage: English and French are spoken in much of Africa.]



Yes, maybe we can get all those Rhodes Scholars to return to the continent that provided them with their education...


----------



## OldSolduer

Well if I can't get to the Sandbox, I'll go to Africa. I'm ready for another adventure. Who's with me??


----------



## TCBF

- Here is a question nobody is asking: Should we spend our defence budget DOING things, or flitter it away MOVING things?

- Because that is exactly what most of the money will be spent on: moving several billion dollars worth of kit (some of it in over 1,000 seacans) from the place we are to the next place we are told to go.  Figure out how many planes we have at our disposal then how long it will take to buy the stuff to replace the stuff we figure is just too expensive to move - sneaky way to disarm the country, isn't it.

- What happens to the local knowledge we have gained over the last six years?  All for naught?  Dump it and start all over on a new continent?  That experience has been paid for in blood.

- Wait! There is OIL in Africa! NO WAR FOR OIL!  8)

- (A noted Canadian Historian) has it right - in Canada, R2P is R2P(A): Africa.

- Does Africa need saving? No.  It needs money to save itself.  There is MORE than enough home grown talent in Africa to make things right.  Give them time.  Let the OAS tell us what they need.  Know what?  It won't be white soldiers...

- What happens after we start filling body bags there?  Because you know that the bad guys in Africa read our newspapers.  They know that the fastest way to get us to leave is to kill a few of us - works every time, right?


----------



## childs56

The same people who are saying lets go to Africa to help out are the same ones who after five years and little shown progress will be crying the Sacrifice is to much get our troops home. 

I think after 2011 we should keep a good Peackeeping force in Afganistan to moniter and keep training the Local Miltary and Police force. Have heavy Armour/ Artillery positioned for 24 hr reaction to respond. 

Then take a six month break from major operations. Get our Gear and personalle sorted out then head off to Africa and commit a sizable force there. That has the mandate to fight and get to the root cause of the situation. Deploy full support including Armoured, Artillery, And Airsupport (F18s). Make the public aware that this is not a peacekeeping mission but a peace making missison. The cost of being involved will be much higher then it was or is in Afganistan from a Military point of view. (loss of lives and equipment). Commit to this untill it is sorted out.


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## dapaterson

CTD said:
			
		

> Deploy full support including Armoured, Artillery, And Airsupport (F18s). Make the public aware that this is not a peacekeeping mission but a peace making missison. The cost of being involved will be much higher then it was or is in Afganistan from a Military point of view. (loss of lives and equipment). *Commit to this untill it is sorted out. *



(emphasis added)

Africa will be a basket case for several more generations, regardless of our efforts.  So unless "we're all Rhodesians now" this isn't going to fly.


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## Redeye

I've watched Zimbabwe with interest for many years - I had cousins who lived there from the times of UDI and Ian Smith who finally left starting around 2000.  They were at one time the breadbasket of Africa, a prosperous nation.  Mugabe built an amazing education system, so I'm told, the problem being that it educated a lot of people who simply left to find their fortunes elsewhere.  When he finally does go and the people start to try to pick up the pieces, they're going to have to try to get these educated folks to come back to fill the vacuum that is sure to be left.  It's not going to be a pretty job, though.  The land is destroyed, the economy is almost completely collapsed, and so many have fled perhaps never to return.



			
				TCBF said:
			
		

> - Remember back in the seventies, when Rhodesia was fighting what was initialy called a "Communist Insurgency"? But outside Rhodesia, the Western media turned it from a Democracy vs Communist-backed action into a Black vs White action (notwithstanding the fact that most of the Rhodesian soldiers were black).
> 
> - So now, after the despots have won and rich Rhodesia has become starving and diseased Zimbabwe, does anyone not see the irony in this?  Too bad the vast majority of the people in Zimbabwe have to suffer.  They have no shortage of home-grown talent: Zimbabwe will again be a well run country.  But, the thugs have to be run out first.


----------



## TCBF

dapaterson said:
			
		

> (emphasis added)
> 
> Africa will be a basket case for several more generations, regardless of our efforts.  So unless "we're all Rhodesians now" this isn't going to fly.



- Exactly.

- The problem is not resources, it is political and national will.  We could do both Afghanistan AND Africa - but not with a Regular Force of 53,000.

- All of those interventionists who think we should be in Africa NOW, should frog-march (notice I am trying to use that verb in a constructive way now) themselves into the nearest CFRC and LEAD the way.


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## a_majoor

Seems odd the heirs to Progressia don't form their own new "*International Brigades*" and do the job. Their forebearers in the 1930's really knew how to put their money where their mouths were, while today they *might* be persuaded to cheer from the sidelines for a short while.


----------



## TCBF

Redeye said:
			
		

> I've watched Zimbabwe with interest for many years - I had cousins who lived there from the times of UDI and Ian Smith who finally left starting around 2000.  They were at one time the breadbasket of Africa, a prosperous nation.  Mugabe built an amazing education system, so I'm told, the problem being that it educated a lot of people who simply left to find their fortunes elsewhere.  When he finally does go and the people start to try to pick up the pieces, they're going to have to try to get these educated folks to come back to fill the vacuum that is sure to be left.  It's not going to be a pretty job, though.  The land is destroyed, the economy is almost completely collapsed, and so many have fled perhaps never to return.



- In many cases, the loss of talent in stressed countries has been a gain for the West, but it makes no sense to be flying doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs and administrators from Africa to Toronto so that they can become taxi drivers.  An incredible waste of human resources.  Sure, they may want to go home someday, but you can bet their children will want to stay in Canada.


----------



## TCBF

Thucydides said:
			
		

> Seems odd the heirs to Progressia don't form their own new "*International Brigades*" and do the job. Their forebearers in the 1930's really knew how to put their money where their mouths were, while today they *might* be persuaded to cheer from the sidelines for a short while.



- The Decline of the Upper Classes: they once LED us to war, now they SEND us to war...


----------



## old medic

UN says Zimbabwe cholera death toll reaches 1,111
The Associated Press



> GENEVA -- The cholera death toll in Zimbabwe has risen above 1,100, the United Nations said Thursday, as one expert warned that the country is ill-prepared to deal with outbreaks of other diseases.
> 
> A total of 1,111 cholera deaths were recorded by Wednesday, an increase of 133 in two days, the UN humanitarian office in Geneva said.
> 
> The latest figures, which are compiled by the World Health Organization, show that the number of cases has risen to 20,581 since the start of the cholera outbreak in August.
> 
> On Monday, health officials had tallied 18,413 cases and 978 deaths.
> 
> Aid workers have struggled to keep up with the spread of the disease, partly because reports of new cases have been slow to come in from rural Zimbabwe.
> 
> One WHO cholera expert, Dominique Legros, said a new command and control centre that opened this week will speed up reporting of outbreaks, but the lack of basic communications equipment in outlying areas remains a problem.
> 
> Legros warned that Zimbabwe's fragile health system means the country is ill-prepared at the moment to deal with other health emergencies.
> 
> WHO says cholera is spreading in Zimbabwe because of badly maintained sanitation systems, rampant inflation that has hit doctors and nurses, and a lack of clean drinking water.
> 
> Unlike many other African countries, Zimbabwe has modern laboratories and well-trained health workers, said Legros.
> 
> But according to WHO, many cannot survive on the meagre pay they receive, with some unable even to afford the cost of travelling to work.



Mugabe says no African country will topple him
The Associated Press
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081219/mugabe_threats_081219/20081219?hub=World



> HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says no African nation has the guts to topple him.
> 
> The state-controlled Herald newspaper quotes Mugabe as telling leaders of his party that neighboring Botswana's calls for his ouster are nothing but hot air.
> 
> Meanwhile, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Friday he will ask his party to halt talks on a unity government with Mugabe unless political detainees are released or charged by Jan. 1.
> 
> Mugabe and Tsvangirai agreed three months ago to form a unity government but negotiations have stalled over how to share Cabinet posts.
> 
> The political impasse comes amid a mounting economic and humanitarian crisis that has pushed thousands of Zimbabweans to the point of starvation and left 1,123 dead from cholera since August.


----------



## geo

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says no African nation has the guts to topple him.

And you know what ???  He,s right.
Unfortunately, without the support of some African nations, any UN/NATO/ABCA intervention would be impossible.


----------



## pbi

When I was in Mozambique (93), Zimbabwe was our preferred destination for 48 hrs leave. As soon as we crossed the border from the poverty, desolation and general decrepitude of Mozambique into the clean, functional and friendly atmosphere of Mutare (the border town), it was literally like stepping onto another planet. You could get a well prepared meal in a clean restaurant, have a few beers in a friendly pub, and actually buy meat in a butcher store that was health inspected. But even then, as we found out from friends we made in Mutare, Mugabe's regime of nepotism, corruption and setting people against each other was already under way. The majority of key positions in the govt and security forces were held by family or members of his tribe. The economic backbone of the country, and what made it the breadbasket that Desmond Tutu referred to, were the large farming operations run by white Zimbabweans. Our friends ran a large operation that included a lumber mill, a small bauxite mine and the production of tulips for shipment to Europe. They had about 300 employees, and three villages on the farm.  Mugabe was just beginning his programme of winning favour with poor rural Zimbabweans by taking over these successful operations and breaking them up into individual patches where a family would be able to grow a few vegetables. This might have sounded good, but in fact it contributed to the destruction of the economy, as we can see today. On top of this, AIDS was already getting a pretty strong hold on the population: I'm sure current conditions have only made that worse.

Mugabe is a disgrace to the idea of African self rule, who should have been deposed long ago. It's shameful (but to be expected...) that other Southern African leaders have taken so long to do anything. Hopefully it's not too late to restore Zimbabwe to what it was.

Cheers

DJB


----------



## geo

> Hopefully it's not too late to restore Zimbabwe to what it was



Unfortunately.... who is going to do that ???

From what I understand, they have found gemstones in the rivers and streams.  Mugabe,s cronies are "mining" the rivers to complete the rape of the country.  The thugs won't leave until they are thrown out - but, who's the one who is going to do that ?

The only country with the potential muscle to do the throwing would be South Africa.... and their leader has proven himself to be indecisive on that subject.


----------



## dapaterson

pbi said:
			
		

> Hopefully it's not too late to restore Zimbabwe to what it was.



Where's Cecil Rhodes when you need him?


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/558490

Toronto Star
Dec 28, 2008 
Gilbert Ndikubwayezu

It was the day after Col. Théoneste Bagosora, the architect of the Rwandan genocide, was convicted of war crimes.
I was attending a Christmas party, for which I have come to realize Canadians are famous.
And this somewhat aggressive man approached me with many questions about Rwanda. Someone had already told him I am a Rwandan doing a journalism internship in Canada.
Before I could answer his first question, he pointed his finger and demanded: "Are you a Tutsi or Hutu?"
For some seconds, I lost sight of my surroundings. I actually forgot the crowd of people at the party and I prepared to give him a lesson of the life of my country.
It is a lesson I have already had to give to some others.

The Rwanda of today belongs to Rwandans – not Hutus or Tutsis.
Indeed, in my country it is an offence to ask anyone if he or she is Tutsi or Hutu. The government itself has resolved that any mention of tribal background should be eliminated from any official document.
My sense was that many Canadians should know this fact.

Yet, since my arrival here two months ago, I realize they don't. And so, I get asked this question often. And every time it is asked, I get really angry.
It bothers me how some Canadians seem centred on the negative side of things in my country. I am hardly asked about the rate of performance in schools or the numbers going to universities or the many new buildings.
Yes, some Canadians do know positive things about Rwanda and express a concern about my country.

I have also come to learn many are aware of Gen. Roméo Dallaire, the former head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda.
For me, meeting Dallaire brought mixed emotions.
First, I felt sorry for him, for he was so betrayed by his own organization, the United Nations, which chose to withdraw from Rwanda at a time when he needed more military support to accomplish his mission.

But as a Rwandan I have always wondered about the total failure of the UN to stop the genocide.
In fact, I have since wondered if the UN sends peacekeeping missions just to fail. If so, then why does it have to exist, I ask myself.
When I was growing up, I thought the UN could be the most powerful organization in the world. But time has told me a different story.
At the Christmas party, I made the same argument to this man, a retired university professor who attaches much importance to Canada's separatist issue.
I told him it was the Belgians in 1933 who first introduced a mandatory identity card revealing the bearer's ethnicity.

Then, I pulled out my own Rwandan identity card.
I am very proud of it. It looks just like a Canadian ID, it is very modern and bears no ethnic reference.
I showed it to him as proof that he had no right to ask me that question about my ethnic tribe.
Later, he said it was good that he could learn about the Rwanda of today and how different it is.

I think this man was taken aback by my strong words. The force of his questions slowed down as he discovered how important this is to me.
Sometimes people think they know – when they don't.
And they don't realize their uncontrolled desire to know too much can offend.

Gilbert Ndikubwayezu is a Rwandan journalist in Canada on a three-month journalism internship.


----------



## Greymatters

Stereotyping is wonderful - apparently all Canadians are now acting like Americans...


----------



## old medic

Congo says Ugandan rebels on run, fleeing toward Central African Republic
By Associated Press
January 2, 2009
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — 





> Ugandan rebels accused of killing hundreds of Congolese civilians are fleeing a joint offensive by three African armies and heading toward Central African Republic, Congo's government said Friday.
> 
> The coalition of forces from Congo, Uganda and Sudan has "completely destroyed" the rebel positions in northeast Congo's Garamba National Park, government spokesman Lambert Mende said.
> 
> But not all of the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group's bases have been entirely dismantled, he said, calling the offensive "80 percent successful" three weeks after it was launched.
> 
> The Lord's Resistance Army has waged one of Africa's longest and most brutal wars for the last two decades. In the past, aid and rights groups have accused the rebels of cutting off the lips of civilians and forcing thousands of children to serve as soldiers or sex slaves. The conflict has spilled into Sudan and Congo, which suffered back-to-back civil wars from 1996 to 2002 that drew neighboring countries into what became a rush to plunder Congo's massive mineral wealth.
> 
> Since Dec. 25 in northeastern Congo, the Ugandan rebels have killed more than 400 people in a series of massacres, according to Catholic charity group Caritas, which cited its staff in the region. Caritas said its employees identified the rebels by their dreadlocked hair and Acholi language.
> 
> The rebel group and Ugandan government have accused each other in the past of being behind attacks in the remote area of Congo.
> 
> Central African Republic, informed by Congo of the rebels' approach, has deployed soldiers along its border to prevent the rebels from crossing, Mende said.
> 
> Officials and witnesses said Lord's attackers hacked scores of people to death as the victims were seeking refuge at a Catholic church on Dec. 26, and the United Nations initially said the rebels had killed at least 189 people in three area villages on two recent days.
> 
> Long-running peace talks between the Lord's Resistance Army and Uganda's government have stalled. Rebel leaders have sought guarantees they will not be arrested under international warrants. The rebels' elusive leader, Joseph Kony, and other top members are wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.


----------



## tomahawk6

Africa in general and the Congo specifically is a quagmire. The UN doesnt want to withdraw from a mission because it helps to generate funding and provide proof that the UN is "doing something" it doesnt make any difference that their missions dont do much for the local people or the economy.


----------



## PanaEng

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Africa in general and the Congo specifically is a quagmire. The UN doesnt want to withdraw from a mission because it helps to generate funding and provide proof that the UN is "doing something" it doesnt make any difference that their missions dont do much for the local people or the economy.


That's the thing, they could be doing something for the locals if it was managed properly, given the resources necessary and had more teeth. Most missions are a mishmash of countries with no equipment or incompatible C2; soldiers lacking training and discipline - with a few exceptions. Most missions in Africa are short of about 1/3 to 2/3 of the mandated capacity which to start with is very optimistic for the task. That can only happen if more countries do their part - if it wasn't for US money and resources the whole organization would collapse.

Anyway, just my $0.02

cheers,
Frank


----------



## Command-Sense-Act 105

Frank, I think you're bang on but for one thing.  Exchange "missions in Africa" for "all UN missions" and add in the parts about mismanagement, over-rankedness and lack of focus by the participants...


----------



## George Wallace

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Title is link to article.)

*Journalists freed from Somalia; Canadian still missing*

*
Two journalists on assignment for London's Daily Telegraph newspaper were released Sunday after being held captive in Somalia for nearly six weeks, but the whereabouts of a Canadian journalist who was abducted last August are still unknown.
*

CTV.ca News Staff 

Correspondent Colin Freeman, 39, and Spanish photographer Jose Cendon, 34, were on assignment in the African country to investigate the increase in pirate attacks that have plagued the shipping industry in the Gulf of Aden.

The two had completed their assignment and were on their way back to England on Nov. 26 when they were abducted by bodyguards, who were escorting them to the airport in Boosaaso, according to a story published on the newspaper's website.

Freeman and Cendon were held captive in the mountains southwest of Boosaaso and were moved from cave to cave so their abductors could hide from the authorities, as well as rival gangs.

Both men said they were treated well by their captors and are in good mental and physical health.

"We survived on rice, goat meat and Rothmans," Freeman told the Telegraph. "I gave up smoking in 1992 and somehow decided now would be a good time to start up again."

Editors at the paper became concerned after the pair notified them that they were travelling to the airport and then did not check in again.

When another media outlet reported that two journalists had been kidnapped in Somalia, staff at the Telegraph Media Group informed authorities in both England and Somalia that the two were in the country.

Staff formed a crisis management team to co-ordinate communication between Telegraph staff members, government officials and the families of the two men.

The company did not confirm if a ransom had been paid for the safe return of the journalists or offer details on exactly how their release was negotiated.

On Sunday, both journalists flew out of Somalia to Nairobi, Kenya. They were accompanied by Spain's ambassador to Nairobi Nicolas Martin Cinto, who negotiated on behalf of the two men.

Foreign journalists and aid workers are at a high risk for being abducted for ransom in Somalia, an almost lawless country in the Horn of Africa. It does not have a stable central government and is mired in violence as rival clans fight for power and influence.

In August, Alberta freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout was kidnapped along with Australian freelance photographer Nigel Brennan as they travelled to a refugee camp in Elasha, which is about 18 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu.

Lindhout, 27, had been working for French TV station France 24, and had previously reported from Afghanistan, Iraq and throughout Africa.

Lindhout's captors demanded a ransom of more than $2 million in early September, and footage broadcast on Arab television station Al Jazeera later that month showed Lindhout and Brennan seemingly in good health.

With files from The Associated Press


----------



## Edward Campbell

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s _Globe and Mail_, is an opinion piece on Zimbabwe and our much touted *Responsibility to Protect*:
--------------------
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090104.wcozimbabwe05/BNStory/specialComment/home

 We must save Zimbabweans from more rape and violence

ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO AND JULIO MONTANER

From Monday's Globe and Mail
January 4, 2009 at 9:30 PM EST

Maiba is in her late 40s. More than 20 children live under her care – her own children and those of her deceased siblings. In June, she was captured, gang-raped and severely beaten by youth militia, members of Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party, as punishment for saying she had no food to give them. Afterward, they literally dragged her home and ransacked her house. She said what hurt her most was knowing that her attackers were young enough to be her sons. She said they threatened to kill her if she talked to the police, but she talked anyway. She felt she was already dead.

In the weeks before the sexual torture of Maiba (not her real name), there was still no clear winner from Zimbabwe's March 29 election, and President Robert Mugabe's future was in jeopardy. We have since seen a presidential runoff that ostensibly ended in a tie, months of power-sharing talks obstructed by Mr. Mugabe's lust for absolute authority, the terrible spectacle of a country disintegrating, assorted toothless bleating from world leaders. Meanwhile, the people of Zimbabwe, particularly the women, have been bloodied and broken under a nationwide campaign of sexual violence, meticulously orchestrated during the election period to maintain Mr. Mugabe's control. They endure intimidation, rape, torture, murder, the spectre of HIV – and the fear of more to come.

At the request of a Zimbabwean women's and children's rights group, the international advocacy organization AIDS-Free World has been collecting testimonies. But as we scramble to document the crimes and preserve evidence for future legal proceedings, we are deluged with warning signs that the violence is about to boil over again.

Zimbabwe is a very loudly ticking time bomb. Health care and education are distant memories. Patients on HIV drugs can no longer get them. Cholera rages. Human-rights activists disappear for weeks on end while the government claims ignorance of their whereabouts. Prominent activist Jestina Mukoko was recently abducted, discovered alive in government custody 21 days later, “disappeared” again when police defied a High Court order to release her to hospital, then held again, charged with plotting against the government.

In November, we learned from rights groups that the women raped between May and June, systematically and on orders of the government, number in the many hundreds and perhaps thousands. Interviews with survivors show clear patterns in the timing of the attacks, in the verbal threats against supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, in the organized ways that groups of men methodically confiscated MDC materials, in the method of rampaging through homes, abducting the women and brutalizing them at “torture bases” for hours or days.

Testimony has been handed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. An urgent letter was faxed to members of the Security Council, which met but took no action. It's time for the UN to do its job – because, we can assure you, the siege against women is about to resume.

Rape is a simple, covert, inexpensive way to terrorize and silence not just women, but through them their men and communities. The infrastructure is in place: a clear command structure for deploying ZANU-PF militia and extensive lists of female MDC supporters. All the “youth militia” loyalists need is an order to act.

It need not happen. Although the people of Zimbabwe have been rendered powerless, the leaders of the world have unanimously agreed that UN member states have a responsibility to protect when a government is unable or unwilling to protect its own citizens from precisely these sort of threats.

Member states have legions of experts on peace and justice at their disposal. They could decide to send peacekeepers to Zimbabwe. They could further ostracize Mr. Mugabe. They could appoint a new negotiator to work out a viable power-sharing arrangement. They could let women into those negotiations, since women are bearing the most extreme brunt of the crisis.

It's not for us to decide. But it is for us – for all of us – to remind our elected leaders of their responsibility to protect. For the raped women of Zimbabwe, for the people of Zimbabwe and for us, so we can stand without shame. 

_Angélique Kidjo of Benin is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and co-founder of the Batonga Foundation.

Dr. Julio Montaner is president of the International AIDS Society and director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

Both serve on the advisory board of AIDS-Free World._
---------------

I’m afraid that it will be pointless to:

•	“Send peacekeepers” – to keep what ‘peace?’ This is a law enforcement matter and Zimbabwe has no law enforcement because it is a lawless state, a totally, completely *failed* state. “Peace’ isn’t the problem, it’s just a symptom of a deeper problem: barbarism;

•	“Further ostracize Mr. Mugabe” – how could that be done. He is, already, despised by 99% of the world’s leaders and he knows it and doesn’t care because he has no conscience; or

•	“Appoint a new negotiator” – unless he comes with hangman’s noose and the unfettered authority to string up Robert Mugabe and several of his followers.

That Zimbabwe, like almost all of Black Africa, has fallen/is falling into poverty, despair and chaos – exacerbated by ignorance and disease, is no secret. The solutions, however, are elusive. They *may* require some renewed form of UN sanctioned and supervised _trusteeship_ – but the _trustees_ *cannot* be Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain or the USA. Countries like Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Norway or Singapore might be both able and acceptable but I doubt any would be willing.

Who’s left that is able and *might* be willing? Brazil? China? India? Japan? Aided, maybe, by Argentina, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines?

But who is going to do the necessary _spade work_? – which will, almost certainly in my opinion, involve redrawing Africa’s international boundaries to address too many festering ethnic sores.  That will need the American led West, including Canada.

-------------------

Mods: would you consider merging this with: Into Africa? The Congo; The Rwanda Thread and maybe even Somali Pirates to form a new thread called, maybe They’re Rioting in Africa … 
.
.
.
.
.
.
... no on second thought how about calling it something more PC like Africa in Crisis?

Thanks, in advance.


----------



## Infanteer

Where's Rhodesia when you need it?


----------



## George Wallace

Edward

This is good commentary, and I think it should remain as a topic on its own.  In fact, with the changing face of Africa, we may have to merge all topics on Zimbabwe into one,  all topics on Sudan/Darfur into another, etc. so that we can more easily track developments.

Zimbabwe's decline into poverty, from being "Africa's Breadbasket" and one of Africa's most advanced nations, creates quite an imbalance and fosters more tensions and decline amongst surrounding states.  It may be cause for the "Western nations" to withdraw completely from Africa in fear of being sucked into a bottomless quagmire and spreading Africa's problems outside of Africa.  It may be a case of stepping back and letting them sort themselves out, and then thinking of giving them assistance once they have.  It would appear that all our good intentions so far have been for naught.


----------



## Old Sweat

I suggest that China is the likely candidate to step in and enjoy the fruits of Mugabe's perverted labour. India might be another contender, but I think they are a distant second. The Chinese have been dabbling in Africa for four decades with some success - they gained a foothold in Tanzania in the sixties, resulting in the Canadian army training team there being booted out - and have been able to forestall western attempts to resolve nastiness in places like Darfur. 

It is, in my opinion, recklessly simplistic to imagine that the west will be able to do anything as long as the Chinese are able to exercise a veto on the UNSC. Unilateralism or a coaltion of the willing is probably a non-starter without big power sponsorship, and I wonder if the US or anyone else would want to confront China over an area that is not vital to its interests.


----------



## Edward Campbell

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Edward
> 
> This is good commentary, and I think it should remain as a topic on its own ... Zimbabwe's decline into poverty, from being "Africa's Breadbasket" and one of Africa's most advanced nations, creates quite an imbalance and fosters more tensions and decline amongst surrounding states.  It may be cause for the "Western nations" to withdraw completely from Africa in fear of being sucked into a bottomless quagmire and spreading Africa's problems outside of Africa ...



Which is little differnt from Niger's decline into poverty and Ghana's decline into poverty and Kenya's decline into poverty, and, and, and, _ad infinitum_. They are all as one in Black Africa, they are all related - one cannot, for example, sensibly discuss Rwanda _qua_ Rwanda and Congo _qua_ Congo because they are all one big place or, more properly, perhaps, the two big places ought to be ten small places. The borders between Congo and Rwanda have everything to do with the Belgian and French colonial experiences and nothing at all to do with the realities of Africa - nothing beyond being part of the problem. We must see Black Africa as a single whole and we, in Army.ca, should discuss it in one, comprehensive thread.

Darfur (and maybe Somalia) may require (a) separate page(s) because the problems go beyond ethnicity and involve a Muslim vs _infidels_ conflict, too.



			
				George Wallace said:
			
		

> Edward
> 
> ...  It would appear that all our good intentions so far have been for naught.



Our 'good intentions' are rarely 'good' and come to naught because they are, usually, poorly implemented. The only products that many Black African states can produce cheaply and efficiently are textiles. Want to guess which North American products enjoy the amongst the highest levels of tariff 'protection?' You got it: textiles. Want to *really* help Africa? Reduce the tariffs on textiles. Want to lose votes in QC? Reduce the tariffs on textiles? Good intentions? Guess again.


Mods: Please reconsider. Black Africa is one BIG problem and it's going to get bigger. Africa's artificial borders are part of the problem; Army.ca's artificial boundaries between threads make it more difficult to discuss the ONE BIG problem.


----------



## Reccesoldier

While I agree with Edward that Africa is one big problem perhaps a separate sub forum for all things Africa could be set up in the Politics section?


----------



## Edward Campbell

Zip said:
			
		

> While I agree with Edward that Africa is one big problem perhaps a separate sub forum for all things Africa could be set up in the Politics section?




Our "Politics section" is, currently, the "Canadian Politics" section and while there is, certainly, a Canadian political aspect to the Africa problem, Africa is a _world_ strategic (political, economic, social, military, humanitarian) problem.

Just adding one more thread can only to exacerbate the problem for Army.ca users as we scatter bits of information thither and yon, hoping that some magical, all seeing eye, will make everything clear.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse

I merged a couple of the threads together but I did not put the "Somali Pirates" topic in as the 33 pages there would overwhelm this thread, and to be truthful, I don't think an organized crime ring is really just an "African" problem.


----------



## CougarKing

Bruce Monkhouse said:
			
		

> I merged a couple of the threads together but I did not put the "Somali Pirates" topic in as the 33 pages there would overwhelm this thread, and to be truthful, I don't think an organized crime ring is really just an "African" problem.



Thank you Bruce. Still, perhaps it is about time the title of the Somalia pirates thread be changed to "Modern piracy" to account for pirates in other parts of the world such as the Malacca Strait and elsewhere?


----------



## Reccesoldier

Speaking of Zimbabwe, I have been emailing a guy there who is into all things ZDF this is his website, and he has informed me that last year according to the Zimbabwe hansard that Mugabe and his thugs spent 90 million dollars on new equipment purchases for the year ending 2007.  No not 90 million Zim dollars either (that'd barely buy you a loaf of bread!)


----------



## sm1lodon

Nations, regions, and ethnicities have various strengths and weaknesses.

It is not the case that the British, for example, do not excel at bureacracy.

It is not the case that Africa has a lack of a labor pool, or people unwilling to go to war as deemed necessary.

It is not the case that Europeans are lacking in inventiveness and operational and management skills, and infrastructure development vision.

One thing that would be helpful for Africa is if the groups that are strong in the areas where Africa is weak were to invest in Africa with infrastructure, bureacracy, rule of law, management and future vision. What would expedite this would be if the Africans knew they were going to receive the bulk of the benefit for providing the overwhelming majority of the labor, which, to my mind, has not historically been the case.

From what I know of Africa, it is generally the technology- and infrastructure-heavy players that get the VAST majority of the benefit from whatever projects they emplace, while the African workers themselves get as little as is humanly possible that the employers can get away with.

Of course, it is the same in the North America, I have found. The difference is that here, we have laws and such to make it so my employer, who is charing 100 dollars an hour for my services, can't just pay me ten cents a day and expect me to be worshipfully grateful. Whatever little they can get away with paying, however, they tend to do.

Africans are less likely, from what I have seen, to remain subservient little production robots and accept it as their lot in life. There are more constructive ways of expressing it, but they periodically express their disgust with the status quo, and do so violently.

If, instead of regarding our neighbour as being a tool to be bought, used, and discarded at the lowest cost possible, we looked to the long term and worked at building sustainable societies, we, the non-Africans, might have a more positive impact in Africa.

Treating it like a gold mine where the main goal is wealth extraction at any and all costs in human suffering is something of which most people, including Africans, take a very dim view.

Just because I have, due to whatever nation into which I am born, more knowledge, and I am better educated, and live in a place with more advantages doesn't give me some God-given right to make virtual slaves of other men, depriving them of a hope for a future while extracting maximum productivity from them before casting them, like empty husks, to the wind, when I no longer deem them sufficiently useful.

And that, historically, has been the way Africans have been treated, in Africa, by non-Africans.

Just because you can get away with it, for a while, does not make it good, right, proper, or sustainable.


----------



## MarkOttawa

Further to this reply by E.R. Campbell on the Munk Debate on Humanitarian Intervention (Rick Hillier and John Bolton vs Mia Farrow and Gareth Evans)
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/58983/post-789641.html#msg789641
here's video of the debate (one hour and forty-five minutes):
http://cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&pagetype=vod&lang=e&clipID=2236

Other relevant links:
http://www.munkdebates.com/debates/
http://www.munkdebates.com/

Posts of mine on Congo (mentioned in the debate) and Darfur:
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2008/06/just-say-no-to-congo.html
http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/012005.html

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## PanaEng

Brings to mind the writings of the leader of the opposition:
The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror, Princeton University Press, 2004 (2003 Gifford Lectures)

cheers,
Frank


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Rwanda troops enter Congo to help fight rebel militias*

Congolese President Joseph Kabila invites foreign troops onto his soil for a second time in a month. The joint military operation is aimed at restoring security in the eastern part of his country.

By Edmund Sanders Los Angeles Times January 21, 2009 

Reporting from Nairobi, Kenya -- Hundreds of Rwandan troops crossed into Congo early Tuesday as part of a joint military operation to crack down on rebel militias that have been destabilizing the Central African giant for more than a decade.

It is the second time in a month that Congolese President Joseph Kabila has made a controversial decision to invite foreign troops onto his nation's soil to help restore security in eastern Congo. Last month, Ugandan and southern Sudanese troops entered the Democratic Republic of Congo to attack hide-outs of the Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel movement.

The latest campaign appears to be targeting a Rwandan rebel army that also had sought refuge in Congo's dense jungles. The Hutu militia, known as Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, is accused of seeking to overthrow Rwanda's Tutsi-led government.

The FDLR, which finances itself by illegally exploiting Congo's mineral riches, was founded by Hutu extremists who fled Rwanda after orchestrating the 1994 genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people died.

Early Tuesday, 1,500 to 2,000 Rwandan troops crossed the border and began making their way toward the town of Rutshuru, north of the regional capital of Goma, where they were expected to join Congolese troops with tanks and other heavy equipment, United Nations officials said.

Details of the impending operation were unclear, but a Congolese government spokesman told Reuters news agency that the campaign should last 10 to 15 days.

U.N. officials, who in Congo oversee the world's largest peacekeeping force, complained that they received only a vague notice Monday night about the planned operation, even though their mandate is to provide security.

"We don't know what the exact aim is," said Lt. Col. Jean-Paul Dietrich, a U.N. military spokesman. "Quite surprisingly, we were a little bit sidelined."

He called upon both governments to ensure that any military crackdown complies with international law and provides adequate security for civilians. As a precaution, he said, U.N. troops deployed Tuesday to some displacement camps in the region.

Aid groups and civilians criticized last month's joint operation against the Lord's Resistance Army as ill prepared. After being bombed by Ugandan helicopters, LRA rebels launched dozens of attacks against civilians, killing more than 500 people and displacing thousands in the last month.

The presence of more foreign troops in Congo is also stirring uncomfortable memories of the late 1990s, when soldiers from Uganda and Rwanda twice invaded to help overthrow Congolese regimes. Both countries claimed to be pursuing rebels and stabilizing their borders, but they also profited heavily from illegal mining.

One military official in Congo, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the joint Rwandan-Congolese force might also be used to reestablish the Congolese government's authority over territories recently seized by another rebel group, the Tutsi-led National Congress for the Defense of the People, or CNDP, which seeks to overthrow Kabila.

The CNDP, which historically has received support from the Rwandan government, has been weakened recently by an internal power struggle.

The presence of rebel militias in eastern Congo has long been a sore spot between the governments of Rwanda and Congo. Rwandan officials accused the Congolese army of protecting and even joining forces with the FDLR guerrillas. The Congolese government, in return, accuses Rwanda of backing the CNDP. A recent U.N. investigation found evidence to support both claims.

Last month, the two governments reached an agreement to work together to disarm the FDLR, which is estimated to have 6,000 fighters.

edmund.sanders@latimes.com


----------



## George Wallace

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Title is link to article and video.)

*Ransom for kidnapped Alta. journalist lowered*

*

There's new hope that an Alberta journalist missing in Somalia may still be alive.    *


24/01/2009 12:12:14 PM

Melissa Dominelli 

Ransom for Amanda Lindhout has reportedly dropped from $2.5 million to $100,000 and a Somali journalist who was traveling with Lindhout has been released. 

Abdifatah Mohamed Elmi said he has no idea why their group was abducted back in August but he still has hope that Amanda Lindhout will be released safely.

Elmi was working as a journalist last August when he met up with two other journalists, Albertan journalist Amanda Lindhout and Australian Nigel Brennan.

"We had a relation kind of quickly because they are journalists and I am journalist, and we worked together," Elmi told CTV News on the phone Friday.

The trio decided to report on the situation at this refugee camp at the port of Elasha so they left by car, along with two Somali drivers, but they never made it to the camp. 

Just southwest of Mogadishu in Somalia, their car was pulled over by men with guns, who blindfolded the group.

"We were kidnapped at the same time and the kidnappers had guns pointed (at) us," Elmi said.

The group was separated and held captive for five months and during that time, the captors released video of Lindhout and Brennan, in which the kidnappers demanded millions for their safe return. 

"I asked them, where's my colleagues? They told me, don't ask us this question," he said.

Earlier this month, Elmi was released and he thinks that because the ransom has been reportedly dropped for both journalists, it's a sign that they may be okay.

"I think Amanda and Nigel are still alive," Elmi said. "The kidnappers want something."

Back in October, the kidnappers threatened to kill Lindhout if they didn't receive the money by the end of the month. It's a deadline that passed close to three months ago. 

With files from CTV's Bill Fortier


----------



## cameron

sm1lodon said:
			
		

> Nations, regions, and ethnicities have various strengths and weaknesses.
> 
> It is not the case that the British, for example, do not excel at bureacracy.
> 
> It is not the case that Africa has a lack of a labor pool, or people unwilling to go to war as deemed necessary.
> 
> It is not the case that Europeans are lacking in inventiveness and operational and management skills, and infrastructure development vision.
> 
> One thing that would be helpful for Africa is if the groups that are strong in the areas where Africa is weak were to invest in Africa with infrastructure, bureacracy, rule of law, management and future vision. What would expedite this would be if the Africans knew they were going to receive the bulk of the benefit for providing the overwhelming majority of the labor, which, to my mind, has not historically been the case.
> 
> From what I know of Africa, it is generally the technology- and infrastructure-heavy players that get the VAST majority of the benefit from whatever projects they emplace, while the African workers themselves get as little as is humanly possible that the employers can get away with.
> 
> Of course, it is the same in the North America, I have found. The difference is that here, we have laws and such to make it so my employer, who is charing 100 dollars an hour for my services, can't just pay me ten cents a day and expect me to be worshipfully grateful. Whatever little they can get away with paying, however, they tend to do.
> 
> Africans are less likely, from what I have seen, to remain subservient little production robots and accept it as their lot in life. There are more constructive ways of expressing it, but they periodically express their disgust with the status quo, and do so violently.
> 
> If, instead of regarding our neighbour as being a tool to be bought, used, and discarded at the lowest cost possible, we looked to the long term and worked at building sustainable societies, we, the non-Africans, might have a more positive impact in Africa.
> 
> Treating it like a gold mine where the main goal is wealth extraction at any and all costs in human suffering is something of which most people, including Africans, take a very dim view.
> 
> Just because I have, due to whatever nation into which I am born, more knowledge, and I am better educated, and live in a place with more advantages doesn't give me some God-given right to make virtual slaves of other men, depriving them of a hope for a future while extracting maximum productivity from them before casting them, like empty husks, to the wind, when I no longer deem them sufficiently useful.
> 
> And that, historically, has been the way Africans have been treated, in Africa, by non-Africans.
> 
> Just because you can get away with it, for a while, does not make it good, right, proper, or sustainable.



Well said, I agree


----------



## PanaEng

sm1lodon said:
			
		

> And that, historically, has been the way Africans have been treated, in Africa, by non-Africans.


However, most of the recent troubles have been by Africans to Africans: Rwanda, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Sudan (two conflicts), Congo, etc. Perhaps with complicity from outside parties, but we can't just absolve their leaders and blame the colonizing powers with a blanket statement.

cheers,
Frank


----------



## MarkOttawa

Who need the UN, anyway?

Rwanda-Congo move isolates UN mission
Last week's deployment of Rwandan troops to fight rebels in Congo caught the 17,000-strong UN mission by surprise.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0127/p07s01-woaf.html



> Kigali, Rwanda - Deploying a mere 3,500 soldiers, one of Africa's smallest countries last week called into question the relevance of the world's biggest United Nations peacekeeping force.
> 
> Rwanda moved the soldiers across its western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo without notifying the 17,000-strong, $1 billion-per-year UN peacekeeping force (MONUC), which is supposed to broker calm, protect civilians, and maintain dialogue with the rebel groups and the governments of Congo and Rwanda, all of whom have a stake in the outcome of the conflict.
> 
> Rwanda disrupted that dialogue last week, deploying its troops as part of a secret deal with Congo's President Joseph Kabila to launch joint operations against one of the region's major rebel groups.
> 
> "The special envoys in the region, the international community, MONUC, – we did not get any official warning. We were not informed," says Roeland van de Geer, the European Union's special representative to the Great Lakes region.
> 
> Mr. Van de Geer says the lack of information was not an oversight but a deliberate move by two former enemies who have found in the past few weeks an alliance more useful than cooperation with the UN.
> 
> "[T]he region wants to do it itself," van de Geer says. "They've lost confidence in the UN."..
> 
> Rwanda and Congo brokered a deal in 2007 to force the FDLR out of the bush. MONUC has been a key player in that deal, as the go-between for FDLR fighters who desert. MONUC says it has disarmed 6,500 FDLR combatants since 2002.
> 
> Last year, MONUC also offered Congo's Army tactical training, equipment, and logistical support, preparing the Congolese for a military offensive against the FDLR slated to begin last fall. But renewed fighting derailed the plan.
> 
> The Rwandan troop movement will do little to dissolve the FDLR, one member of the UN team that has been working to disarm the group said by phone from eastern Congo. But it might do a great deal to damage the UN's reputation.
> 
> "Nothing important will happen, no serious clash…. They will push against FDLR, who will go deeper in the bush," says the worker, who wished to be identified only by his first name, Goran. "And MONUC cannot do anything. It will show that MONUC is useless."..
> 
> Joe Felli, head of office for MONUC in Rwanda's capital, Kigali, says the development hasn't marginalized the UN in eastern Congo, where as many as 24 armed groups vie for control over vast and sometimes impenetrable territory. "This does not prevent us from taking action against any of the armed groups once they threaten our mandate, which is chiefly the protection of civilians. The Rwandans are definitely aware of that."
> 
> Some observers predict that the joint mission will devolve into a Rwandan civil war on Congolese soil. Rwandan and Congolese forces exchanged fire with the FDLR over the weekend, reportedly killing nine combatants. The fighting raises concerns about the protection of civilians. The FDLR are known to nestle into civilian areas, making it difficult to isolate combatants and avoid injuring civilians. Van de Geer says the UN is the only body capable of providing that protection.
> 
> "We feel that the UN should stay involved as much as possible precisely because they are charged with responsibility of protecting civilian population," he says. "That will require muscle, military muscle."
> 
> Felli says MONUC is not wavering on its mandate to protect civilians, a task about which he says MONUC "cannot remain neutral."
> 
> It's unclear, however, precisely how the UN can protect those who find themselves in the path of the Rwandan Army. Last week, the Rwandan and Congolese armies blocked the UN from delivering humanitarian supplies to the recently displaced.
> 
> The Congolese themselves are questioning how valuable the promise of UN protection is. In October, Congolese civilians turned on the UN, hurling heavy slabs of lava rock at MONUC headquarters in the regional capital of Goma and stoning a peacekeeping vehicle.



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## The Bread Guy

Some highlights from a 20 Jan 09 speech by Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon to the Heads of African Missions to Canada.....


> ....Unfortunately, there remain too many crises in Africa. *Somalia, Sudan, the DRC and Zimbabwe* immediately come to mind....





> ....Canada has three main foreign policy priorities: the Americas, Afghanistan and emerging markets.  It may be difficult to see many of your countries reflected in our geographic priorities, but you may recall that Canada’s foreign policy is also anchored in our respect for the values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.  Our policies on Africa are anchored in them too.  Our approach focuses on engagement and partnership with progressive African leaders and governments committed to political and economic reform....





> ....Canada has strongly engaged in Africa on peace and security.
> 
> In Sudan, we have taken a leadership role in helping achieve sustainable peace by supporting efforts to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Canada supports this fragile agreement through critical projects that strengthen the rule of law, security-sector reform and good governance. Since 2006, Canada has contributed over $514 million for peace and basic human needs in Sudan.
> 
> We also provide significant support toward resolving the conflict in Darfur. This year, we are providing up to $40 million in equipment and training support to African countries that are contributing troops and police to the joint UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur.
> 
> We also participate in the UN mission in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and contribute to the development of a modern, professional military doctrine for the country’s new armed forces, to ensure that its population is protected.
> 
> Canada remains committed to the northern Uganda peace process, despite recent setbacks there.
> 
> The Canadian government has announced an additional $10.3 million for police and peacekeeper training in Africa, which will also assist centres of excellence in Accra (Ghana), Bamako (Mali) and Abuja (Nigeria).
> 
> Canada provides training, technical assistance and equipment to help combat terrorism, and we will increase our funding commitments and our cooperation with you.
> 
> Canada is a member of the UN Peacebuilding Commission, where we are working to support post-conflict peacebuilding in countries such as Sierra Leone and Burundi. To that end, we have provided over $20 million to the Peacebuilding Fund.
> 
> Canada is also quick to respond to immediate crises. In 2008, a Canadian Navy frigate escorted World Food Programme ships going to Somalia, aiding the delivery of enough supplies to feed about 400,000 people for six months....



_- edited to correct date of speech -_


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Rwanda's Move Into Congo Fuels Suspicion*
Some in Mineral-Rich Region See Broader Motives Than Disarming Hutu Militiamen

By Stephanie McCrummen  Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, February 13, 2009

KIGALI, Rwanda -- With thousands of Rwandan troops fanned out across eastern Congo's green hills, many residents and international observers are questioning what is really behind the operation in the mineral-rich region and how long it is likely to last.

The official explanation, offered by both Rwandan and Congolese diplomats, is straightforward. After two wars and a decade of mistrust, the two nations finally agreed to deal militarily with a common menace -- the Rwandan Hutu militia known as the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda, or FDLR, which reorganized in Congo after the 1994 Rwandan genocide and has been a principal cause of the deadliest documented conflict since World War II.

By some estimates, at least 5 million people died in multi-sided wars over more than a decade, mostly from disease, hunger and the collapse of human services associated with the fighting. The humanitarian catastrophe was largely ignored by the United States and other Western nations, while United Nations peacekeepers failed to halt the violence.

In acting now, Congo and Rwanda have in theory ended a proxy war that had played out for years in eastern Congo. Rwanda pulled the plug on rebel leader Laurent Nkunda, whom it arrested last month. And Congo abruptly turned on its longtime ally the FDLR, joining the Rwandans in an operation to hunt down the militia.

"Rwanda and Congo have decided to come together as neighbors," said Joseph Mutaboba, who was Rwanda's envoy during several rounds of talks. "And we have been able to tackle the problems that are ours."

*But some observers see much broader economic and political motives behind Rwanda's military foray -- its third in Congo in the past decade -- that have more to do with Rwanda's regional ambitions than with the 6,000 or so FDLR militiamen. As recently as October, Rwandan officials had cast the militia as "a Congolese problem," saying it did not pose an immediate military threat to Rwanda.*

"Is the FDLR now suddenly on the verge of becoming more militarily powerful? I don't think we've seen that," said Alison Des Forges**, a Human Rights Watch researcher and leading expert on Rwanda. "And if they haven't, then what you have is Rwanda trotting out an old warhorse of an excuse to go in again. The question is, what is the intent?"

The stakes are high for the joint Rwandan-Congolese military offensive against the FDLR, given its potential to trigger more regional instability than it resolves. Rwanda's two earlier invasions succeeded in disrupting the militia's operations but also helped spawn more than a decade of conflict that at one point drew in as many as eight African nations in a scramble for regional supremacy and a piece of Congo's vast mineral wealth.

*Although the two Rwandan invasions were devastating for the Congolese, they were hugely beneficial for Rwanda, which is still struggling to rebuild after the 100 days of well-planned violence in 1994 when Hutu extremists killed an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Many Rwandans became involved in the lucrative mineral trade out of eastern Congo after the genocide, and some observers speculate that the current military operation aims to solidify Rwanda's economic stake in the region.

"It was a period of great economic boom for Rwanda -- a lot of people got rich, including military officers," Des Forges said, adding that the current military operation could help Rwandan President Paul Kagame relieve internal pressures on his government, which allows little room for dissent. "Presumably, if the troops were back in Congo for a substantial period of time, they could expect to reap certain benefits. It could also be beneficial for Rwanda to have greater control over economic resources than they've had before."*

On that score, unverifiable rumors abound about secret deals and gentlemen's agreements struck between Congo and Rwanda over mineral rights and mineral processing. At a local level, Congolese villagers who have long suspected Rwanda of wanting to annex a swath of eastern Congo say they are certain that their tiny but militarily powerful neighbor is interested in more than disarming the FDLR.

"Congo is rich," said Eric Sorumweh, who said he watched hundreds of Rwandan troops pass by his village last month. "So they just come to loot the wealth of Congo."

Those suspicions, along with Rwanda's messy history in Congo, have fueled criticism of Congolese President Joseph Kabila, who has been lambasted by political opponents for inviting an old enemy back into the country. Late last month, Kabila pledged that the estimated 7,000 Rwandan troops in Congo would leave by the end of February. This time, his supporters say, the situation with Rwanda is different.

While conspiracy theories swirl, Kabila's backers -- as well as a number of Western diplomats who support the joint operation against the FDLR -- say Congo's deal with Rwanda represents a mature realization by Kabila and Kagame that their interests are better served by working together officially, rather than through rebel proxies.

"I think the two presidents have understood that official contact can be to their advantage," said Julien Paluku Kahongya, governor of North Kivu province in eastern Congo. "Now we can start thinking together of how we can lift the economy. For agriculture and trading and other economic reasons, Rwanda will be coming here, and we will be going to Rwanda."

According to Kahongya and others, the downsides of the proxy war between Rwanda and Congo were becoming increasingly clear. Kabila was politically threatened by the stunning advance of Nkunda's rebels across eastern Congo last year. And Rwanda was embarrassed by a U.N. report in December that found it to be directly or tacitly supporting Nkunda. As a result, Rwanda's prized reputation as a darling of the aid world suffered, the Netherlands and Sweden cut off aid, and international pressure mounted for the government to solve its differences with Congo. The report also found that Congo was collaborating with the FDLR.

At the same time, hundreds of millions of dollars from the European Union, the World Bank and other donors -- for major road, railroad and power projects that would benefit both countries -- were largely predicated upon a detente between the two sides. That is supposed to become official when Rwanda and Congo restore full diplomatic relations, probably next month.

"Rwanda's interest is in a stable region, and you can't have that with multiple armed groups running around in eastern Congo," said a Western diplomat in the region who was not authorized to speak publicly. "Plus there's a whole system of militia taxes and corruption there, and none of that benefits Rwanda. They see their economic welfare as tied to greater integration in East Africa."

And so Congo and Rwanda devised a way to cut out the middlemen -- launching the joint military operation to disarm the FDLR, neutralize Nkunda's rebels and, in theory, fold an array of other, smaller militias into the Congolese army.

The entry of Rwandan troops into Congo also represents the failure of U.N. peacekeepers to tame the militias and rebels of eastern Congo. A deal signed in Nairobi in December 2007 called upon the peacekeepers to assist the Congolese army in disarming the FDLR, but that effort never got off the ground. A recent U.N. request for an additional 3,000 peacekeepers also fell flat, with only Bangladesh offering troops so far.

"Now things have turned in such a way that it's possible for the Rwandans to do it," said Philip Lancaster, a professor at the University of Victoria in Canada who has been involved in U.N. efforts to demobilize Congo's militias. "I think this is a clear case of two African states agreeing to solve their own problems, seeing that the international community can't."

According to a U.S. official who is in close contact with the Rwandan military, the goal is not to completely dismantle the FDLR, but merely to scatter it. Several of its key leaders are not even in eastern Congo, but are living in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, or in Europe.

So far, very little information is trickling out about the operation. According to U.N. officials, Rwandan forces were able in recent days to capture two villages that had served as FDLR bases. More than 40 FDLR fighters have been killed and 11 taken prisoner, and more than 500 fighters and their families have simply surrendered.

Several large groups of militiamen were fleeing west last week, deeper into Congo, the U.N. officials said, and Rwandan soldiers were pursuing them.

-----------------------------
** Though unrelated to the above story, Ms Des Forges died in the recent plane crash near Buffalo.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*President Joao Bernardo Vieira of Guinea-Bissau assassinated by army*

Tristan McConnell, Nairobi - From Times Online March 2, 2009

The President and head of the army in Guinea-Bissau were killed in tit-for-tat murders that have plunged the West African "narco-state" into crisis. 

President Joao Bernardo Vieira and General Tagme Na Waie died in separate incidents only hours apart. General Na Waie was killed in a bomb blast at army headquarters. Hours later Mr Vieira died in a hail of bullets as he tried to flee his home in the capital Bissau. 

An army spokesman claimed responsibility for the President’s death saying it was in reprisal for the earlier assassination of the army chief. 

“President Vieira was killed by the army as he tried to flee his house,” said Zamora Induta. He said that the President was “taken down by bullets fired by … soldiers.” 

Mr Induta alleged that Mr Vieira was “one of the main people responsible for the death of [General Na Waie].” 

Mr Vieira ruled Guinea-Bissau from 1980 to 1999 before being deposed in a military coup. He returned from exile in 2004 and was reinstated as president at elections the following year. 

But tensions between the President and the army have remained high. In July last year the head of the navy fled the country after a failed coup attempt. Days after parliamentary elections in November gunmen attacked the presidential palace leading Mr Vieira to establish an elite unit of personal bodyguards. 

This militia was, however, partly disarmed by the army after its gunmen were accused of shooting at General Na Waie’s convoy in January in an incident that underlined the extent of the hostility between the President and his top military man. 

Diplomats have accused General Na Waie of involvement in the growing cocaine trade through West Africa. 

Drugs enforcement officials have complained that Mr Vieira failed to crackdown on the lucrative trade in which an estimated 50 tonnes of cocaine transit the region destined for Europe every year. 

Much of this cocaine passes through Guinea-Bissau, one of the impoverished region’s poorest and weakest states. Its ragged coastline of unpoliced inlets and islands has in recent years been targeted by South American cartels seeking new routes to traffic cocaine to Europe. 

The former Portuguese colony has a history of coups, mutinies and instability since winning independence in 1974. 

But analysts say that the blowing up of General Na Waie bears the hallmarks of an attack by drugs cartels rather than the result of power struggles within the military. 

“There is no mutiny aspect to the bombing. It looks more like a drugs hit,” said one analyst. The murder of Mr Vieira was a revenge attack by General Na Waie’s army loyalists. 

There are fears that the instability might spread beyond Guinea-Bissau’s own borders. “This is a very bad situation,” said Richard Moncrieff, West Africa project director at International Crisis Group. “There is a power vacuum, people are not coming out onto the streets and there is still shooting going on. 

“There are many factions within the armed forces, the fear is that the army could fracture further,” he warned. 

After years of brutal civil war that ravaged West Africa during the 1990s it had seemed that the region was entering a new era of peace with the end of fighting in Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone. But in the past 12 months there have been military coups in Mauritania and Guinea. 

“West Africa is not out of the woods at all,” said Mr Moncrieff.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Guinea-Bissau assassinations: Is Colombia's drug trade behind them?*
The murder of the president and the Army chief on Monday raises questions about the nature of the instability in this African nation. 

By Scott Baldauf  Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the March 3, 2009 edition

Johannesburg, South Africa - The assassinations were committed gangland style – a bomb in a stairwell, and a rapid fire shootout – which is perhaps not so surprising in a country that has swiftly become a major transit hub for narcotics into Europe. 

But the tit-for-tat revenge killings of Guinea-Bissau's top two leaders, its Army chief and its president, have left this poor country without leaders and the prospect of continued military rule. 

By Monday evening, the tiny African country's Army had shut down two private radio stations, and had escorted the president's widow and children to the home of the United Nations representative in Guinea-Bissau. 

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces assured citizens on state-run radio that no coup was in process, but that the Army would respect the Constitution and allow the head of parliament to succeed the president. 

Unstable region

Coming just a month after an apparently popular coup in the neighboring country of Guinea, the double assassinations in Guinea-Bissau are a troubling sign for a region with weak institutions for self-government and strong incentives for corruption. 

"This is bad news for the country, and there are real risks of factional fighting between elements of the military," says Richard Moncrieff, senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, based in Dakar, Senegal. "But the question now is what direction the Army intervention takes. To my mind, the risks are the mid-level officers, [who] are not used to running a country and tend to react harshly if a problem comes up." 

With a weak economy and institutions of governance, it's not surprising that Guinea-Bissau is seen as a haven for criminal enterprises. 

In recent years, Colombian drug cartels have begun flying small planes across the Atlantic, landing on tiny islands dotting the Guinean coastline. Since Guinea-Bissau has no navy to patrol its waters, the cartels were free to unload tons of cocaine destined for Europe. The drugs were then distributed to impoverished African migrants, who would carry the drugs north by boat to the shores of France, Italy, and Spain. 

Government corruption, fed by poor government salaries at the bottom and uncertain political leadership at the top, means that Guinea Bissau has few tools to stop the drug trafficking. 

Rivalry goes back decades

While the bad blood between Army chief Gen. Tagme na Waie and President Joao Bernando Vieira goes back decades, tensions increased during the country's November 2008 elections, after General Waie accused President Vieira of involvement in the drug trade. 

After a narrow escape from an assassination attempt in November, Waie publicly stated that the president wanted to get rid of him and was using his personal armed militia of 400 men to hunt him down. 

"This recent set of killings can be explained [as] the action of the drug traffickers, who would not allow anything to get in the way or to obstruct their links with Europe," says David Zounmenou, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Tshwane, formerly known as Pretoria. 

"Africans are very reluctant to call for external interventions," Dr. Zounmenou adds, noting that many African countries are still suspicious of Western countries, some of which were colonial rulers less than 50 years ago. "But drug trafficking is not a domestic matter anymore. It affects the stability of many countries, it affects systems of governance, and it allows groups to acquire weapons."


----------



## George Wallace

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Title is link to article and video.)

*Canadian journalist held in Somalia has failing health*

Updated Mon. May. 25 2009 5:17 PM ET

The Canadian Press

EDMONTON -- A freelance Canadian journalist held hostage in Somalia says she may die in captivity and is begging the federal government to bring her home, according to a news report.

"The situation here is very dire and very serious. I've been a hostage for nine months. The conditions are very bad. I don't drink clean water. I am fed at most once a day," Amanda Lindhout reportedly told the Agence France-Presse news agency in a phone interview Sunday.

"I have been sick for months. Unless my government, the people of Canada, all my family and friends can get $1 million, I will die here, OK. That is certain."

Lindhout and Nigel Brennan -- a photographer from Australia -- were among several people abducted by roadside kidnappers outside the capital city of Mogadishu Aug. 23, 2009.

Lindhout was 27 when abducted and Brennan was 37.

The other members of the group -- all locals -- have been released.

It's believed Lindhout, who is from Sylvan Lake, Alta., and Brennan are being moved from house to house by their captors and that negotiations for their release have broken down numerous times.

A media spokesman for Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs could not be reached immediately for comment. The department has repeatedly declined to say anything about the case, saying it doesn't want to jeopardize attempts to secure Lindhout's release.

Lindhout, in the five-minute interview with a Mogadishu-based AFP journalist, said she is suffering.

"I'm being kept ... in a dark, windowless room, completely alone," she said.

"I love my country and I want to return, so I beg my government to come to my aid.

"Likewise, I ask all my fellow Canadian citizens and my family to contribute in any way possible in order to help me finally be released from Somalia and be able to return home."

The AFP said the statement seemed to be part of a prepared script.

When pressed by the reporter for details on her ill health, Lindhout replied: "I cannot answer any question that you have. What I just said, that's all I can say."

In the interview, Brennan urged the Australian government to free him. He said he has been shackled for four months and his body is breaking down due to a high fever.

Ambroise Pierre, head of the Africa desk of Reporters Without Borders, said the group is trying to independently verify the report, but that's hard to do in the war-torn country.

"The security situation in Mogadishu is pretty volatile," Pierre said in an interview from Paris.

Kidnappings of foreigners by mercenaries are not unusual in Somalia, which has been ravaged by civil war since the central government of president Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.

Recently, Islamist rebels have fought pitched battles with government troops in the streets of Mogadishu in a bid to overthrow the internationally recognized transitional government of President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

Gun battles, mortar attacks and suicide bombings have forced an estimated 57,000 people to flee the capital.

Pierre said mercenary kidnappings are generally resolved soon after an abduction and don't drag out for months.

He said the phone interview may be an attempt by the captors to strike a deal because they're having trouble staying hidden in the strife-ridden city.

"In such a context it's not very easy to stay in a house and hold two foreign hostages. This is difficult to assess, but the violence taking place in Mogadishu right now doesn't make things easy."

Pierre said it's been difficult to get good information and Lindhout's plea for a million-dollar ransom clouds the issue further.

Shortly after the journalists were grabbed, the captors demanded US$2.5 million for their release. That figure was reportedly dropped to $100,000 in January.

"The amount of the ransom is still not clear," said Pierre.

In Canada, Lindhout's colleagues and friends are trying to keep her case in the public spotlight through YouTube videos, Facebook pages and a website dedicated to the kidnapping (www.amandalindhout.com).

Lindhout came to Somalia on a freelance project after reporting on the Iraqi conflict for an Iranian-based English TV news network. She had also worked in Afghanistan and filed overseas dispatches for Alberta's Red Deer Advocate newspaper.

She arrived in Somalia on Aug. 20 to document the famine and violence for a French TV station.

Three days after arriving, she, Brennan and the rest of her group left their Mogadishu hotel to visit a refugee camp about 30 kilometres to the south. They were stopped on the road and abducted.

Two weeks later, their kidnappers demanded the initial $2.5 million, saying they would kill the hostages if their demands were not met within two weeks.

A week after that, Lindhout was seen on Arab TV's Al Jazeera network on a silent film clip wearing a red Islamic robe and surrounded by gunmen.

Al Jazeera said the kidnappers accused Canada and Australia of helping destroy Somalia and said Lindhout was urging the Canadian government to work to free her.






Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Title is link to article and video.)

*Kidnapped Alta. reporter fears dying in captivity*


Updated Wed. Jun. 10 2009 9:41 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A woman claiming to be Amanda Lindhout, a freelance Canadian journalist being held hostage in Somalia, called CTV's National newsroom Wednesday afternoon, appearing to be reading from a statement in which she says she fears dying in captivity and pleads with the Canadian government to help bring her home. 


"I've been held hostage by gunmen in Somalia for nearly 10 months. I'm in a desperate situation, I'm being kept in a dark, windowless room in chains, without any clean drinking water and little or no food. I've been very sick for months without any medicine," she told CTV News. 


She said she's in need of "immediate aid" and begs the Canadian government to help her family to pay her ransom. "Without it, I will die here," she said. 


"I also tell them that they must deal directly with these people, (for) my life depends on it." 


Lindhout is a freelance print and television journalist from Sylvan Lake, Alta. 


She travelled to Somalia on Aug. 20 to cover the famine and violence in Sudan for a French television station. 


Three days after arriving in the capital city of Mogadishu, she and a group, including photographer Nigel Brennan of Australia, left a hotel to visit a refugee camp about 30 kilometers to the south. They were stopped on the road and abducted. 


The kidnappers have been identified as a group called the Mujahedeen of Somalia, They originally demanded $2.5 million but have lowered their ransom price to $1 million. 


According to reports, it's believed the pair's captors are moving them from location to location -- and that negotiations for their release have broken down a number of times. 




At the time of the abduction, Lindhout was 27 and Brennan was 37. The other members of the group, all locals, were released. 


Lindhout had also worked in Afghanistan and has reported from overseas for Alberta's Red Deer Advocate newspaper. 


Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs would not comment on the case. 



Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Title is link to article and video.)

*Militias pressuring kidnappers of Alta. reporter*



Updated Thu. Jun. 11 2009 8:56 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

The Somali kidnappers holding Amanda Lindhout, a freelance Canadian journalist, are under pressure from militias to make sure they exchange her for money, according to sources in the region. 

Lindhout, a freelance print and television journalist from Sylvan Lake, Alta., was abducted last August while covering the famine and violence in Sudan for a French television station. 

Three days after arriving in the capital city of Mogadishu, she and a group, including photographer Nigel Brennan of Australia, left a hotel to visit a refugee camp about 30 kilometres to the south. They were stopped on the road and abducted. 

Ambroise Pierre, head of the Africa desk of Reporters Without Borders, said Thursday his organization is very concerned about the safety of Lindhout and Brennan. 

"What I got this morning from information and sources on the ground is worrying because apparently there are some militias in Mogadishu who are putting pressure on the kidnappers so that the hostages would be sold," Pierre told CTV's Canada AM from Paris. 

"What I mean is that apparently everybody in Mogadishu is surprised that the detention is so long. Nearly 10 months after the kidnapping the kidnappers would like to get rid of Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan but would absolutely like to get paid." 

Pierre said the kidnappers are trying to show "everybody that if they don't (get paid) they could get really angry." 

On Wednesday, a woman claiming to be Lindhout called CTV's National newsroom and, apparently reading from a statement, said she feared dying in captivity. 

The woman also pleaded with the Canadian government to help bring her home. 

"I've been held hostage by gunmen in Somalia for nearly 10 months. I'm in a desperate situation, I'm being kept in a dark, windowless room in chains, without any clean drinking water and little or no food. I've been very sick for months without any medicine," she told CTV News. 

She said she was in need of "immediate aid" and begged the Canadian government to help her family to pay her ransom. "Without it, I will die here," she said. 

"I also tell them that they must deal directly with these people, (for) my life depends on it." 

After hearing the recording, a former colleague of Lindhout said it was "absolutely" her voice. 

"She knew what she was doing, she knew it was dangerous," Daniel Smith told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday from Baghdad. 

"She was based out of Baghdad, she was going to be coming back here after a two to three week trip to Somalia but she never returned." 

Smith said Lindhout is "good under pressure" in tough situations. 

"She generally jumps out there with kindness towards people she meets and tries to get stories and will go to places like Somalia to get them," he said. 

The kidnappers have been identified as a group called the Mujahedeen of Somalia, They originally demanded $2.5 million but have lowered their ransom price to $1 million. 

According to reports, it's believed the pair's captors are moving them from location to location -- and that negotiations for their release have broken down a number of times. 

At the time of the abduction, Lindhout was 27 and Brennan was 37. The other members of the group, all locals, were released. 

Lindhout had also worked in Afghanistan and Iraq and has reported from overseas for Alberta's Red Deer Advocate newspaper. 

Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs would not comment on the case. 



Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Title is link to article and video.)

*Public pushes to bring envoys home, not Lindhout*


*
The public put significant pressure on the federal government to resolve the kidnapping of high-profile diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Guay, while showing comparatively little support for missing freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout, documents obtained by CTV.ca reveal. *


11/06/2009 6:19:37 PM

Geoff Nixon 

In the first seven weeks of Fowler and Guay's four-month-long captivity in Western Africa, Foreign Affairs and senior government officials received several dozen emails from members of the public, pressing for details about their case. 

But in Lindhout's case, only one person bothered to send a letter to Foreign Affairs on her behalf, even after she had been held against her will in Somalia for more than 90 days. 

Through the Access to Information Act, CTV.ca recently obtained copies of all of the emails, letters and faxes sent, or forwarded, to Foreign Affairs about Fowler and Guay, during the first seven weeks of their captivity. 

Starting only two days after the pair of Canadians first disappeared in Niger, a flurry of messages were sent to government officials, including to high-level civil servants, diplomats, cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister's Office. 

On Dec. 16, one letter writer told a sitting MP that he wished to "beseech quick and urgent action on the part of the Canadian federal government to locate and protect Louis Guay and Robert Fowler." 

Two days later, an all-caps email which arrived in the inbox of Defence Minister Peter MacKay aptly summed up the tone of the incoming message from the public: "Please do all possible to free Bob Fowler and his team now. It is essential that Canada act now." 

The same day, another email instructed MacKay to "devote the maximum possible efforts your office and our country can generate in pursuit of the safe return of these men and their driver." 

The next day, an email was sent to MacKay, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and the Prime Minister's Office, demanding that the two diplomats be returned to Canada "with all the energy that our country and government can generate." 

And as time went on, the tone of the letters sent to Ottawa did not get any less urgent. 

On Boxing Day last December, one letter writer sent a message intended for John McNee, Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, wanting to know "what is Canada doing at this point to find all three men (the diplomats and their driver) and what, in turn we can do to support your efforts in that sense?" 

Less than two weeks later, another member of the public demanded to know what the government was doing about the kidnapping: "How about giving the press a statement on what you may or may not know concerning Fowler's disappearance? He is a prominent citizen and we have a right to know what attempts are being made for his return." 

Some of the letters sent to the government regarding the Fowler and Guay kidnapping were deemed too sensitive to be released as four pages were blanked out in their entirety when sent to CTV.ca. The body of an email meant for Guay's family was similarly blocked. 

*Appeal for Lindhout *

But the public pressure to bring home the diplomats appears to have been much higher than the resolve to free Lindhout, who was kidnapped for ransom in Somalia last August. 

A separate Access to Information request for emails sent to Foreign Affairs about Lindhout, returned only one document that had been sent on her behalf during the first 90 days of her captivity. 

"As you may know, Amanda Lindhout of Sylvan Lake, Alberta, is a freelance journalist and was abducted at gunpoint near Mogadishu, Somalia in August of this year. As of yet she has not been released," the writer said in the email to Foreign Affairs on Oct. 8, 2008. 

"A fundamental responsibility of a sovereign state is to protect its citizens at home as well as abroad. I am asking what the Department has been doing to facilitate Amanda's release. I understand that for reasons of operational security, your response will be limited." 

Nearly ten months after her abduction, Lindhout has still not been freed. 

A woman claiming to be Lindhout called CTV's National newsroom on Wednesday afternoon, reading a statement to the person who answered the phone. 

The woman pleaded with the Canadian government to get her home and said she was need in "immediate aid" for her survival.


----------



## George Wallace

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.  (Title is link to article and video.)

*Somalia's foreign fighters*

08 June 2009

The conflict in Somalia has encouraged many foreign volunteers to join the militant Islamist factions attempting to overthrow the internationally backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG). These foreigners seem to be mostly ethnic Somali émigrés living in Western countries, raising fears that some may return to carry out terrorist attacks.

While Somalia's hardline Islamist factions have often claimed they have foreigners fighting on their behalf, it has been difficult to independently assess how many foreign fighters there are in Somalia and what impact they have on the conflict. However, UN special representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, has claimed they constitute a small, but elite force within the Islamist insurgency. In May, the AP quoted him as saying that the foreigners are "the best disciplined and organised force".

This suggests that there are dedicated foreign units fighting in Somalia and that they are made up either of veterans from other conflicts and/or new recruits who have been given extensive training. It stands to reason that these foreigners are a more unified force, as they do not suffer from the clan loyalties that divide Somalia. They are also likely to be more ideologically committed to the hardline Islamist cause.

More on Janes' site with a subscription.


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## Yrys

Italy plans to reopen embassy in Somalia

Ethiopia denies its soldiers in central Somalia

Somali 'thieves' face amputation
Hardline Islamists have condemned four young Somali men to a double amputation 
for stealing mobile phones and guns.

Somali police chief among 17 dead in clashes

Somali MP gunned down in capital

Somali Minister Killed in Bombing
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A suicide car bomber killed Somalia’s security minister and 
more than a dozen others north of the capital on Thursday, witnesses and officials said.

Somalia: A Third High-Profile Killing

AU supports Somalia plea for foreign troops
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The African Union said Monday it supports Somalia's plea 
for neighboring countries to send troops to help fight Islamist insurgents, but there 
was no indication the reinforcements would be forthcoming.

Somali president calls emergency
Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has declared a state of emergency 
in the country.


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## Yrys

Africans prepare to welcome Obama






Ghanaian President John Atta Mills seems keen to cash in on the Obama effect

African view: Shipshape for Obama?

"We have consequently run into some very odd incidents.

This past week, there was the strange case of the president asking, or maybe, 
ordering the police to allow a street demonstration by a group that wanted to 
protest against a litany of things.

The police had gone to court and got an injunction to prevent the demonstration 
on the grounds, among others, that the police were so busy with the planned 
Obama visit they would not have the manpower to handle a demonstration.

Nobody here imagines that President Atta Mills intervened so dramatically to ask 
that a court order be put aside and the group be allowed to protest because he is 
dying for people to protest against him.

But imagine this: Here is Mr Obama, daily criticising the Iranian government for 
not allowing its citizens to demonstrate; and here is Ghana, the "admirable example 
of a thriving democracy" refusing to allow peaceful demonstrations… Obviously that 
would not do. "

Historic African trip for Obama
African press pragmatic about Obama's visit
Ghana excitement builds for Obama

Unveiling Food Plan, Obama Presses Africa on Corruption

L’AQUILA, Italy — President Obama told African countries on Friday that the legacy 
of colonialism was not an excuse for failing to build prosperous, democratic societies 
even as he unveiled a $20 billion international program to help the developing world 
grow more food to feed its people.

 Just hours before his scheduled departure for his first trip as president to sub-Saharan 
Africa, Mr. Obama made a personal appeal to other leaders of the Group of 8 powers 
for larger donations to the effort, citing his own family’s experiences in Kenya. As a 
result, the initiative grew from $15 billion over three years that was pledged coming 
into the summit meeting to $20 billion.

At a news conference afterward, Mr. Obama said that when his father came to the 
United States, his home country of Kenya had an economy as large as that of South 
Korea per capita. Today, he noted, Kenya remains impoverished and politically unstable, 
while South Korea has become an economic powerhouse.

“There had been some talk about the legacies of colonialism and other policies by 
wealthier nations,” he said, “and without in any way diminishing that history, the point I 
made was that the South Korean government, working with the private sector and civil 
society, was able to create a set of institutions that provided transparency and accountability 
and efficiency that allowed for extraordinary economic progress and that there was no 
reason why African countries could not do the same.”

He continued: “And yet, in many African countries, if you want to start a business or get a 
job you still have to pay a bribe.” While wealthier nations have an obligation to help Africa, 
he said, African nations “have a responsibility” to build transparent, efficient institutions.

Mr. Obama noted that he has learned lessons from his family members still living in Kenya.
“They themselves are not going hungry, but live in villages where hunger is real,” he said. 
“And so this is something that I understand in very personal terms.”

Mr. Obama left the Group of 8 meeting, held in this earthquake-rattled region, to head to 
the Vatican to meet Pope Benedict XVI. In a 30-minute tete-a-tete, the two discussed some 
of the themes of the Group of 8 summit, including international development aid and 
immigration, but also Middle East peace and questions of bioethics.

Although they diverge over issues like abortion and stem cell research, the Vatican and 
the Obama administration share common ground on some social issues. “We hope to build 
strong relations between our countries,” Mr. Obama said after the meeting, which was held 
in the papal library.

At his earlier news conference, the president set September as a deadline for Iran to negotiate 
about its nuclear development program, saying that if it does not respond “we need to take 
further steps.” He also indicated support for restructuring the Group of 8 and other international 
gatherings to reflect geopolitical changes — and to ensure that there would be “fewer summit 
meetings.”

But as he again hailed progress with Russia during a stop in Moscow earlier in the week, 
President Dmitri A. Medvedev returned to sharper rhetoric about American missile defense 
plans. He repeated a past threat to order short-range missiles placed in the western enclave 
of Kaliningrad if Mr. Obama proceeds with an anti-missile project in Poland and the Czech 
Republic. Moreover, just four days after he said at Mr. Obama’s side that “no one is saying 
that missile defense is harmful in itself or that it poses a threat to someone,” Mr. Medvedev 
said Friday that missile defense is “harmful” and “threatening to Russia.”

Mr. Obama’s comments on Africa may carry special resonance as the son of a Kenyan father. 
Other presidents have called on African countries to take more responsibility or fight corruption 
before, but Mr. Obama’s background gives him a connection and credibility that none of his 
predecessors could command.

Mr. Obama left Italy en route for Ghana on Friday night for a one-day visit during which he will 
address Ghana’s parliament, visit a hospital and, weather permitting, fly by helicopter to the 
coast to tour a notorious slave embarkation point.

The food security initiative is designed to transform traditional aid to poorer countries beyond 
simply donated produce, grains and meats to assistance building infrastructure and training 
farmers to grow their own food and get it to market more efficiently. The $20 billion amounts 
to a substantial commitment if carried out, but it remains unclear how much is actually additional 
money. The American share of $3.5 billion over three years represents a doubling of previous 
spending levels.

“The sums just aren’t adding up,” said Otive Igbuaor, head of ActionAid’s hunger campaign. 
“Is this all really new money? Given the Group of 8’s record on delivery, this is still very 
much a work in progress. So far they have been counting not just apples and oranges but 
more like apples, oranges, cauliflowers and beets.”

Oliver Buston, the Europe director for One, the advocacy group co-founded by the singer Bono, 
said the Group of 8 must do more than make promises. “All governments should now com forward 
and prove the amounts they pledged here are new. They need to make clear what they will do, 
by when. Some countries have done this; others have not.”

Mr. Obama was joined for his first trip to the Vatican by his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, 
Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8, all three of whom wore black dresses and black veils over their heads. 
The Obamas shook the pope’s hand and some of the president’s Catholic aides kissed his ring. 
Then the president and pontiff sat down without the family.

The meeting came just days after Benedict released his latest encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate,” 
which calls for more ethics in business and represents the church’s latest thinking about the 
economy in a globalized world.

Mr. Obama met separately with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. “They 
talked about the encyclical and how some of the issues raised in it are in keeping with some of 
the priorities of the Obama administration,” said a person who was present but insisted on 
anonymity to discuss a private meeting. Benedict gave Mr. Obama a mosaic depicting Saint Peter’s 
Basilica, a leather-bound and signed copy of “Caritas in Veritate,” and a copy of “Dignitas Personae,” 
or ”The Dignity of the Person,” the church’s latest document on bioethics, released in December.

_Rachel Donadio contributed reporting from Vatican City._


----------



## PMedMoe

It would _seem_ Amanda Lindhout is still alive.

*'I'm afraid I'll die in captivity,' kidnapped Canadian says*

Almost a year into her captivity in Somalia, Amanda Lindhout said her health, both physical and mental, is deteriorating.

In a phone call to a Canadian media outlet, the kidnapped freelance journalist from Sylvan Lake, Alta., also said she is shackled and being kept in a dark room.

“I don't want to die here and I'm afraid I'll die in captivity if I don't get help soon,” she told OMNI TV on Monday. “I don't know how much longer I can bear this.”

Ms. Lindhout, 28, and Australian photographer, Nigel Brennan, were grabbed near Mogadishu, the Somali capital, on Aug. 23, 2008. Their local translator and driver were later released. A demand for $2.5-million was initially made.

In the call, Ms. Lindhout pleaded with her family to deal directly with her captors and Ottawa to intervene to pay a $1-million ransom. The teary statement was similar to previous calls to other media agencies.

“My government must have some duty to help me,” Ms. Lindhout said, “I love my country and I want to return so I'm begging, I'm begging my government to come to my aid.”

She said her captives have threatened to kill her if the ransom isn't paid.

Last month, Ms. Brennan's mother broke the family's silence and urged Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to move the case forward.

Ms. Lindhout's family and friends have not spoken to the media.

In the call, Ms. Lindhout also complained of fever, dysentery, severe stomach problems and an abscessed tooth.

The Somali news site, Waagacusub.com , reported Friday that Ms. Lindhout had given birth the week before to a boy, and that the father is one of her captors.

“She is very contented with her marriage relationship with one of her captors,” a captor said.

Rumours about pregnancy and escape have been circulating for months, but no Western source has confirmed them.

Daud Abdi Daud, executive director of the Somali Journalists' Rights Agency, does not consider Waagacusub a reliable source, but said that Ms. Lindhout “is still alive and in good condition.”

Reporters Without Borders, which has been monitoring the case, does not consider that agency to be reliable.

Emma Welford, a spokeswoman with Foreign Affairs, said Ottawa was aware of these reports, but had no comment.

Long-term kidnappings are not unheard of.

More on link


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## Edward Campbell

Today is the day the UN sets aside to consider slavery and its abolition.

Sadly, of course, while slavery was, indeed, abolished – within the British Empire – on 23 Aug 1833, it persists today. It is not just the _informal_ slavery that exists, in some cultures, when, for example, women are deprived of their “natural rights,” there exists, today, in Africa and the Middle East, *real* slavery where people are bought and sold and where they can be worked, literally, to death. 

This item, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the CNC website, is a bit dated, about 18 months old, but it remains pertenant:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/slavery/mauritania.html


> * IN DEPTH*
> Modern slavery
> Freedom's just another word
> *Contemporary slavery in Mauritania*
> 
> February 29, 2008
> 
> By David Gutnick, The Sunday Edition
> 
> The night of Aug. 8, 2007, seemed like a night for celebration in Mauritania, a vast desert country on Africa's northwest coast.
> 
> Radio, television and newspapers all proclaimed the end of slavery. Slave-owning was criminalized, and overnight, half a million people — a fifth of the country's population — were officially freed from bondage.
> 
> But there was a problem. Those half-million newly free people didn't own radios. They didn't own televisions. They can't read either. And the news — if they heard it — meant little anyway.
> 
> In Mauritania, despite good intentions and high-minded words, slavery is still thriving, as it has for 800 years. It is just taking new forms.
> 
> Dark-skinned men, women and children known as Haratine carry out orders under the threat of being beaten. They work as labourers and shepherds, as servants and cooks, as nursemaids and security guards. They are penniless and uneducated. Their masters are pale-skinned, Arab-speaking Moors.
> 
> The relationship is ancient, confusing and deeply entrenched, and it defines much of what goes on in this iron-rich, sandy country. Even the most modern and sophisticated of Mauritanians is caught in the tangled web.
> 
> My guide and interpreter, Mohamed-Sidi-Ali-François, is a computer teacher at an elite, American, private school in the capital city of Nouakchott. He is a tall, thin Moor in his mid-40s who studied at universities in Scotland and the United States. He's full of energy on the morning in late November 2007 when we meet.
> 
> *A visit to a Haratine slum*
> 
> As we drive through the sandy streets of Nouakchott, Mohamed points out the Tiviski dairy, which bottles milk collected from nomadic camel herders. We pass by the high walls surrounding the central military barracks; generals ruled Mauritania until last year. Our destination is Sebra, one of Nouakchott's poorest neighbourhoods.
> 
> Excited crowds of children meet us. Mohamed scans the golden sand, frowns and points to my shoes.
> 
> "Be careful as you walk," he says, "because people here don't have toilets, so they usually go to the bathroom in the street. So, you have to watch your steps every time."
> 
> Mohamed is leading me through a labyrinth of shoulder-wide alleyways. The rows of one-room shacks are built from wood scraps and corrugated metal and arranged so that they block out the desert winds.
> 
> Mohamed's ankle-length shirt, called a bou-bou, billows out like a sheet, a brilliant patch of blue against the sand-scarred walls.
> 
> Mohamed drives his SUV by Sebra often — it is near the airport — but he rarely visits. In Mauritania, everyone knows his or her place.
> 
> From the time they are born, Mauritanians learn to whom they can talk and to whom they can't, whom they can marry and who's off limits.
> 
> The donkey-cart drivers, the street sweepers, the construction labourers are dark-skinned Haratine.
> 
> The bank managers, the lawyers and the private-school teachers, like Mohamed, are Moors, and their skin is close to white.
> 
> The social codes in Mauritania aren't subtle. You read them instantly in Mohamed's proud posture and the dutiful way the Haratine here in Sebra avert their eyes and step out of his path unless he gestures that it's OK.
> 
> *A reality check*
> 
> To Mohamed's face, the Sebra residents won't readily admit they used to be slaves. They are still afraid their former masters will come looking for them.
> 
> A man named Hussein tries to set the record straight.
> 
> "If you go outside in the countryside, you will see that slaves and freed slaves are doing all the work in the fields," he says, "and the land doesn't belong to them. It belongs to the master."
> 
> "They keep saying we are not their slaves, but it is the masters who are making them work and who decide how much to pay them. [The Haratine] still believe because the government says, you are not slaves, but in practice they are still slaves," says Hussein.
> 
> Last August when the Mauritanian National Assembly voted to criminalize slavery, masters were ordered to free their Haratine slaves or face 10 years in jail.
> 
> Anti-slavery organizations called it a giant step forward, and on paper it was.
> 
> But the free Haratine are landless, own nothing and almost all are illiterate. The law cannot change the colour of their skin.
> 
> So far, the end of slavery has been a mixed blessing, Hussein tells me. Freed slaves who were fed by their masters are now going hungry.
> 
> "Some of them who are freed now really like to stay with the master because now the relationship is so good they just don't want to say anything," he says. "White people, now, they say they are related to you, but they treat us as slaves. So, why do Haratine keep denying the fact?"
> 
> Mauritania is an Islamic republic governed by Shariah law. Imams preached for centuries that the Prophet Mohamed justified the comfort of the Moors and the suffering of the Haratine.
> 
> Hussein is among the lucky ones; he managed to become a teacher. He knows that it takes more than a law to break the shackles of slavery.
> 
> "There is a contradiction here," he says. "The religion of the country allows it whereas the government is trying to put an end to it. So should we follow the religion, or what the government says?"
> 
> *A visit to a Muslim scholar*
> 
> Ever since we left the slums of Sebra, Mohamed's been telling me about Mohameden Ould Tah. He's a religious star in Mauritania, a regular guest on state television and radio. Street vendors hawk piles of his books and cassettes. I tell him I would like to meet with him. Mohamed makes a phone call and tells me he can't believe we got an appointment. He says imams line up to get into his white-walled mansion.
> 
> We are met at the door by a Haratine and led through a flower-filled courtyard, through another set of doors and down a long, tiled hallway.
> 
> Mohameden Ould Tah is waiting in his palatial book-lined study. He's got a head of thick white hair, delicate pale skin and a gracious smile. He looks gentle, though Mohamed has warned me of his reputation as a fierce and tenacious debater.
> 
> A Haratine servant hands us small cups of sweet green tea. Mohameden Ould Tah waves him off with the flick of his wrist, and says he finds my interest in slavery puzzling.
> 
> "Nothing in Islam encourages slavery," he says. "If Muslims had applied the verses of the Qur'an that said that, there wouldn't have been any problem"
> 
> I say I cannot believe that because the Haratine I have seen in his own home open the doors, clean the floors and make the tea, so if there are no more slaves in Mauritania, who are these people taking care of him?
> 
> He says that I do not understand: he used to have slaves, but now they are free to come and go. They are, he says, just like his own children and even his own mother, "because when I was young, my mother didn't have enough milk so slaves gave me their milk."
> 
> "When some countries are not happy with Mauritania, they try to find something wrong," he says.
> 
> "There is no more problem with slavery. We should not be talking about this subject at all, because it's gone, finished," he says.
> 
> I ask whether it is true what the Haratine in Sebra told me — that their imams preached that God made their ancestors slaves and that they shouldn't desire freedom.
> 
> Mohameden Ould Tah raises his hand to stop my question; he's clearly exasperated.
> 
> "The prophet Mohammed said never say 'slave,' say 'my son' or 'my daughter.' Islam shut the doors of slavery and opened other doors to free slaves. If you commit a sin and you free one slave, half of your sins are forgiven. There is a deed called Zakahat, [meaning] if you are rich, you will take part of your wealth to give to the poor people."
> 
> *A visit to the countryside*
> 
> Mohamed and I have a day-long drive across the Sahara ahead of us. I want to meet with Haratine in the market city of Atar in the north of the country. We're listening to Mohamed's favorite singer, Malouma, a light-skinned Moor who champions the rights of the Haratine and the rights of women.
> 
> _When we spoke with our eyes, it was heavenly
> All smiles and reverent beginnings
> We tried love, and it failed
> Yet whatever we do, love catches up with us_
> 
> A few years ago, Malouma's music was banned; now, she's an elected senator. But her struggle against injustice still has a long way to go because hundreds of thousands of Haratine live in communities scattered across the vast Sahara dessert that's flying by our window.
> 
> We arrive just after sundown. The air is already cool. Our SUV crawls through the dark, narrow streets on the edge of town and pulls up beside a clay wall.
> 
> Mohamed says this is the first time he's been in this neighbourhood. Here, the homes are made of pressed sand that's covered with clay. When it rains, Mohamed says, the clay washes off, and residents worry about their homes falling apart.
> 
> The only light is the full moon.
> 
> *Mistrust and skepticism*
> 
> We stumble through a door into a courtyard. I hear a dozen voices, but I can't make out any faces until my eyes adjust to the candlelight.
> 
> Mohamed's arranged for a representative of S.O.S. Slavery to be present, along with men and women who have recently been freed from their masters.
> 
> A young man takes me by the arm and leads me over to a group of women and children.
> 
> On old woman named Mohammeda — this is the only name she goes by — is sitting on a carpet. She smiles and takes my hand. Her eyes are clouded over. She's almost blind.
> 
> From the time she was a little girl, Mohammeda rose before sunrise to work. She lit the fire, milked the camels and prepared food. She spent her days carrying water, gathering firewood and caring for the master's children. Her mother, her grandmother and her great-grandmother served the same family.
> 
> When Mohammeda's eyes and knees began to fail, the master expelled her from the only home she had ever known. He said he was following the law, setting her free.
> 
> Mohammeda left on foot with nothing but the clothes on her back: a yellow and pink cloak called a malaffa that protects her from the heat and sting of sandstorms.
> 
> "My children are still enslaved," she says, "and the master regularly beats my daughter. She is not given enough clothes."
> 
> Mohammeda said she knows about the new law that criminalized slavery, but she doesn't trust the government to help free her daughter. She begins to laugh when I ask whether slavery can ever end. No, she says. She wants to know whether I can help free her daughter.
> 
> *A visit to Mohamed's home*
> 
> It's my last day in Mauritania, and Mohamed and I are back in Nouakchott.
> 
> We're driving around in his SUV, music blasting through the open windows and across the dunes, two guys on a hot afternoon with time to kill.
> 
> Mohamed is excited about the foreign oil and mining money now flooding into Mauritania. Much of it is Canadian. Mohamed says he used to dream about moving to the United States because Mauritania was caught in a time warp. But he's changed his mind, he says, because the country is catching up with the rest of the world.
> 
> He wants to show me the new home he's building in an upscale neighbourhood near the beach.
> 
> Mohamed and I have only been together for a couple of days, but I feel I'm getting to know him. I've pegged him as a progressive guy, a member of the educated elite who will help end the caste system that goes back to the dark ages. I'm looking forward to finally getting a peek into his day-to-day life.
> 
> Mohamed points to a two-story high cement walled house. There's a balcony and two-car garage. So far, he's spent $60,000 on it. There are two bathrooms, imported tiles and a computer room.
> 
> Just metres away, a tent covered with old bags and bits of plastic leans into the wind. A dozen children run in and out. A handicapped boy sits on the sand next to a goat and a pile of garbage. Inside the tent, a woman nurses a five-day-old baby. There are a few cooking pots, some plastic water containers and a pile of clothes. A pot of tea steams away on an open fire.
> 
> Mohamed tells me that these are his guards. They are Haratine. He pays them 15,000 ouguiya — $50 — a month. For that, Mohammed gets round-the-clock service. The father, a man in his 40s named Jeva, makes sure no one steals construction materials.
> 
> When I ask whether the family are his slaves, Mohamed says no. Because he pays them, they are simple employees. Slavery is over, he says. They will be free to go when his house is finished and he no longer needs them.
> 
> "You never told me about these people," I tell him.
> 
> "This is a surprise for you," he says. "I just want to show you that sometimes those that work for you are not really slaves. We pay them a little salary, but that is all we can afford."
> 
> Mohamed makes $3,000 a month teaching at the American school. That's 30 times the average salary in Mauritania.
> 
> "You know," he says, "life is unfair."


 

I have suggested, many times, that we – Canada and our friends in whatever _alliance_ might be formed – will end up in Africa, for a generation, of fighting and killing and dying as we try, with only limited prospects for success, to remake Africa into something more _acceptable_ to our, Western, _enlightened_ world view. Ending slavery is one of the *right* reasons to undertake that mission.


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## Rifleman62

While I believe you are more than likely correct about the crisis in Africa, I strongly believe the Canadian public will not want their sons and daughters killing "child" soldiers. It makes no difference to the Canadian public how ruthless these "child" soldiers can be. Our service personnel have enough problems without having to be looking down the gun sight and pulling the trigger on what we in Canada consider children. Canadian fathers/mothers/brothers/sisters put into situation would be criminal in my mind. And the Canadian liberal press, the CBC, the Parliamentary Press Gallery would be all over the CF for  this just to get at the government (assuming Mr. Harper is still the PM). The CF would be pawns in several agendas. If the UN was running the operation it is a guaranteed disaster.

In Africa it is too often a coup or invasion so that someone new can rape, pillage and loot the country. It's my turn Jack. 
The solution? I don't know. Let China sort it out even if means some their influence in Africa is firmly established. 

This has been going on forever even under Colonial rule. Tribalism.That's Africa's standard. Let's not try to establish Canada's standard. That's colonialism.

Why, I may even protest sending the CF!


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## Edward Campbell

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> While I believe you are more than likely correct about the crisis in Africa, I strongly believe the Canadian public will not want their sons and daughters killing "child" soldiers. It makes no difference to the Canadian public how ruthless these "child" soldiers can be. Our service personnel have enough problems without having to be looking down the gun sight and pulling the trigger on what we in Canada consider children. Canadian fathers/mothers/brothers/sisters put into situation would be criminal in my mind. And the Canadian liberal press, the CBC, the Parliamentary Press Gallery would be all over the CF for  this just to get at the government (assuming Mr. Harper is still the PM). The CF would be pawns in several agendas. If the UN was running the operation it is a guaranteed disaster.
> 
> In Africa it is too often a coup or invasion so that someone new can rape, pillage and loot the country. It's my turn Jack.
> The solution? I don't know. Let China sort it out even if means some their influence in Africa is firmly established.
> 
> This has been going on forever even under Colonial rule. Tribalism.That's Africa's standard. Let's not try to establish Canada's standard. That's colonialism.
> 
> Why, I may even protest sending the CF!




I am very much in agreement, Rifleman62, except that:

1. I expect the _anti-colonial/anti-globalization/anti-American_ left to *demand* that "we" - the American led West (the left has no sense of the irony of its own positions) - do something, and that will involve sending troops; then

2. I expect the very same people to protest because we are killing (take your pick) -

a. children, and/or

b. blacks, and/or

c. the poor; and

3. I expect the Liberal Party of Canada to support the left each and every step of the way.


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## Rifleman62

Absolutely agree. Although the LPC will have to tread smartly so not to alienate it's base in the New Canadians community. The CF's attempts to have a more diversified "workforce" will suffer, as it could be seen as an oppressor rather than a liberator to  some new immigrants. How many New Canadians would want to go back to the country they were born in, and remember what went on there?

And you can take it to the bank that whomever we are facing will put "child' soldiers in the first couple of waves, followed by the unreliable/potential threats, followed by the rest of the mob.


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## Blackadder1916

> . . . to get at the government (assuming Mr. Harper is still the PM). The CF would be pawns in several agendas. If the UN anyone was running the operation it is a guaranteed disaster.



While I "sort of" agree with ERC that we (as part of whatever alliance) "may" end up in Africa, I don't think it is a given in my lifetime, so Harper probably has little worry concerning this (he is not that much younger than me).

Like this thread which has lumped together all things Africa, the problems of the "Dark Continent" are just as broad.  There are so many problems, in so many places, that it melds into one giant 'white noise'.  Looking at those problems in their totality overwhelms one and sometimes you can't see the "trees for the forest".  Yes, there will probably be continued calls (well past my expiry date) from the well intentioned (but sometimes poorly informed) for significant western military action to solve some of those problems.  But the question that should then be posed (now and in the future) is "where do you begin".

Everyone has their pet projects or cause de jour which clouds their thinking, however most of the leadership of the western nations are reasonably intelligent and rational individuals.  I don't expect that dynamic to radically change in the near future regardless of the party in power.  My expectation that any "western led" (which would have to include an African element) military expedition would only have limited objectives and would be closely tied (whether publically stated or not) to some "legitimate" security (or more likely economic) agenda.  The west (read USA) has already had (is still in) its moment of altruistic military action.  Despite the exhortations of the well-meaning, my belief is that there are enough with common sense to delay any rushing in until the memory of recent military action fades.


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## Edward Campbell

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> ...
> 
> ...Let China sort it out even if means some their influence in Africa is firmly established.
> ...




See Dambisa Moyo on why ”we” fail and China might succeed (7’25”).

But, see also Rwandan Pres. Paul Kagane on the same topic.

In fairness, to both, the “answer” is to go to the capital markets to sell bonds – which Westerners will not buy but the Chinese will – rather than to rely on aid.

But the Chinese seem more inclined to *invest* in Africa; they want and get _influence_, but, as Kagane says, Chinese _influence_ is growing world wide, not just in Africa.


----------



## Old Sweat

Blackadder 1916, I wish I shared your high opinion of the hard-nosed, intelligent approach the western political leadership has and will continue to take towards Africa. For the most part you are correct, but remember the abortive "bungle in the jungle." For those who don't recall it, it was to have been a Canadian led intervention in central Africa to ease the plight of the poor, starving civilians in the region. And it was literally conceived in the den of 24 Sussex Drive when the Chretiens were watching TV one afternoon and saw a clip of the crisis in that part of the continent. 

It eventually collapsed in a jumble of bureaucracy after weeks of wheel spinning. Its legacy was, perhaps, the letter of the week in the Ottawa Citizen written in response to a picture of three Canadian generals in rumpled combat clothing. The late Colonel Strome Galloway (retired) wrote in the outrage that only a member of the senior regular infantry regiment could muster that the turnout and demeanour of the trio certainly did not inspire his confidence. In fact he opined that they looked like a detail of kitchen fatigues.


----------



## Edward Campbell

Blackadder1916 said:
			
		

> While I "sort of" agree with ERC that we (as part of whatever alliance) "may" end up in Africa, I don't think it is a given in my lifetime, so Harper probably has little worry concerning this (he is not that much younger than me).
> 
> Like this thread which has lumped together all things Africa, the problems of the "Dark Continent" are just as broad.  There are so many problems, in so many places, that it melds into one giant 'white noise'.  Looking at those problems in their totality overwhelms one and sometimes you can't see the "trees for the forest".  Yes, there will probably be continued calls (well past my expiry date) from the well intentioned (but sometimes poorly informed) for significant western military action to solve some of those problems.  But the question that should then be posed (now and in the future) is "where do you begin".
> 
> Everyone has their pet projects or cause de jour which clouds their thinking, however most of the leadership of the western nations are reasonably intelligent and rational individuals.  I don't expect that dynamic to radically change in the near future regardless of the party in power.  My expectation that any "western led" (which would have to include an African element) military expedition would only have limited objectives and would be closely tied (whether publically stated or not) to some "legitimate" security (or more likely economic) agenda.  The west (read USA) has already had (is still in) its moment of altruistic military action.  Despite the exhortations of the well-meaning, my belief is that there are enough with common sense to delay any rushing in until the memory of recent military action fades.




I am not as confident that we can stay out for too long.

While I cannot see any "good" policy reason for anyone, except maybe China and/or India, to engage in prolonged military missions in Africa, I fear that Africa will, as I have said before, explode in our face – initially in a series of small, separate “bush fires” but increasing in number, frequency and duration until they account for an explosion.

I agree Africa is complex. It reminds me of a joke, of sorts, about China: _one can say anything about China without getting it right_. Another joke: _one can say anything about China without getting it wrong_. A third joke: _the better one knows China the more reluctant one is to make any judgements or conclusions at all_. Africa is a big place and it is much the same.

I suspect we begin wherever we get sucked in and I suspect our media – with its insatiable demand for something “exciting” to tell us 24/7 – will have much more to do with the where than will any sensible analysis of our interests, small though they might be.

And, see this, on “altruistic” military actions.


----------



## Edward Campbell

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> Blackadder 1916, I wish I shared your high opinion of the hard-nosed, intelligent approach the western political leadership has and will continue to take towards Africa. For the most part you are correct, but remember the abortive "bungle in the jungle." For those who don't recall it, it was to have been a Canadian led intervention in central Africa to ease the plight of the poor, starving civilians in the region. And it was literally conceived in the den of 24 Sussex Drive when the Chretiens were watching TV one afternoon and saw a clip of the crisis in that part of the continent.
> 
> It eventually collapsed in a jumble of bureaucracy after weeks of wheel spinning. Its legacy was, perhaps, the letter of the week in the Ottawa Citizen written in response to a picture of three Canadian generals in rumpled combat clothing. The late Colonel Strome Galloway (retired) wrote in the outrage that only a member of the senior regular infantry regiment could muster that the turnout and demeanour of the trio certainly did not inspire his confidence. In fact he opined that they looked like a detail of kitchen fatigues.




And Stome Galloway was right!

His _outrage_ was not feigned; it was expressed, vigorously and publicly, to several of the most senior serving officers. A very, very senior officer "challenged" him in the Officers' Mess. Strome tore a strip off him and then demanded that he come back with a few others so that there could be no misunderstanding of his (Galloway's) _considered opinion_ on the CF's leadership.

My guess is that Gen. Baril's colleagues finally figured out that the only way to make Galloway go away was to let him have his say and I also suspect that the a few of the most senior officers were only too happy to see a little "humility" _awarded_ to a few others!


----------



## GAP

Maybe this is the reason we'll go in.....Canadians held hostage!!! 

  Friends and family despair while Canadian government stays mum on kidnapping in Somalia
August 23, 2009 Ben Rayner Feature Writer
Article Link

As anniversaries go, it's a bleak one – and only Amanda Lindhout herself truly knows how bleak.

It was one year ago today that the Alberta-bred journalist and two colleagues were kidnapped at gunpoint in Somalia, plucked from a road near Mogadishu.

Since then, little has been seen or heard of the 28-year-old Sylvan Lake native, aside from a mute video of her and Australian reporter Nigel Brennan kneeling before their masked and armed captors aired on Al-Jazeera television weeks after they disappeared, and a few scattered, horrifying calls to media outlets by a distraught woman claiming to be Amanda Lindhout in recent months in which she essentially pleads with the Canadian government to save her life.

The last was made to Omni TV three weeks ago: "I don't want to die here and I'm afraid I'll die in captivity if I don't get help soon," she sobbed, saying she was kept in shackles in a windowless room and suffering from fever, dysentery and an abscessed tooth. "I don't know how much longer I can bear this."

Just days before, the Somali news site Waagacusub.com furthered long-circulating rumours of rape by reporting that Lindhout had given birth to a baby boy and was "very contented with her marriage relationship with one of her captors."

It has also been reported that Lindhout has escaped at least twice, only to be recaptured.

She and Brennan are being held for a ransom initially set at $2.5 million (U.S.), but reportedly reduced to several other sums since. One of the journalists captured with her, a Somali, was released in January.

Lindhout's father, John, and her mother, Lorinda Stewart, have been silent, likely for fear of upsetting fragile negotiations. But on Friday, they offered a statement with the Brennan family through Reporters Without Borders.

"Together, the two families continue to work tirelessly to secure Nigel's and Amanda's safe release," it read.

"With little outside support, the families, who have been united as one throughout this horrendous ordeal, continue to do everything and anything to gain the earliest possible release for their loved ones Amanda and Nigel. Our thoughts and all our love are with Amanda and Nigel today, just as they have been for the past 365 days, and just as they will be until they are safely home with us."

If the government has made any progress towards bringing Lindhout home, it's keeping mum. 
More on link


----------



## Edward Campbell

The (late fall 1996) _bungle in the jungle_ was more than just a “bungle.” It was a remarkable *humiliation* for Canada.

No matter what the origins of the “impulse,” the “act” was to send then LGen Maurice Baril on a two phase “mission:”

First – appreciate the situation in Eastern Zaire; and, then

Second (since the appreciation had already been fully _situated_ by the Prime Minister, himself) – organize an international effort to remedy the problem.

I have no idea about the appreciation. Like Col (ret’d) Galloway I took one look at the pictures of briefcase wielding combat soldiers on recce, turned in my resignation and began second career my job hunt.

Canada’s clarion call for international cooperation and support was loud and clear; equally loud and clear was the deafening silence with which the whole world, led by the Americans and Europeans responded. The problem wasn’t just the mission. It was us, too. In fact, I am convinced that it, more than anything else, was the stimulus for Paul Martin’s foray in foreign policy, his _quest_ for : A Role of Pride and Influence in the World. Martin recognized humiliation when he saw it. The world didn’t turn its back on Zaire because the situation was either too far gone insufficiently bad, it turned its back on *Canada’s proposal* – which included an explicit Canadian “claim” on leadership.  If Australia or Brazil or China had proposed such a mission it might have achieved some success – indeed just two and half years later Australia did propose, organize and lead such a mission in East Timor. The problem wasn’t in Congo, it was in Canada and the problem was that, _circa_ 1996, no one trusted Canada to lead a two man piss-parade at a convoy halt.

We’ve come a long way since then. Chrétien made the necessary _volte face_, albeit reluctantly; he told the CF to “do the right things” even as he kept the budget too low. Paul Martin and Stephen Harper have done exactly the same: too much mission with too little political support.


----------



## Old Sweat

One might opine that the example of this fiasco may have made noted by Rick Hillier who was then either a new BGen or a senior Colonel. Again, this is speculation on my part and I have no information that would lead me to draw a conclusion yay or nay. However, to plan (and mount) an operation of this type required that the CLS and his staff down tools and leap on their horses and go maddly riding off in all directions. Not only that, but the DCDS was also deeply involved, probably because he would have managed the mission from Ottawa on behalf of the CDS.

Those of us, myself included, who question the rationale for the dot.coms should ponder on this horrible example.


----------



## OldSolduer

First, I'm no foreign policy expert. I'm a soldier.
I will say this...we have good intentions, but as we all know...

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Just two cents.


----------



## Edward Campbell

Some progress but, also, a warning about a setback in this report, reproduced under the fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the CTV News website:

 http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090915/somalia_us_090915/20090915?hub=World


> Official says al Qaeda suspect killed in U.S. raid
> 
> Tue. Sep. 15 2009
> 
> The Associated Press
> 
> MOGADISHU -- One of Africa's most wanted al Qaeda suspects has been killed in a U.S. raid in southern Somalia, the deputy mayor for security affairs in Somalia's capital said Tuesday.
> 
> Citing intelligence reports, Abdi Fitah Shawey confirmed that Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan was killed in Monday's attack in an insurgent-held town near Barawe, some 250 kilometres south of Mogadishu. U.S. military officials say American forces were involved in the raid.
> 
> "Our security intelligence reports confirm that Nabhan was killed," Shawey told The Associated Press. He did not elaborate on the intelligence reports.
> 
> Nabhan is a Kenyan wanted for questioning in connection with the car bombing of a beach resort in Kenya and the near simultaneous attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner in 2002. Ten Kenyans and three Israelis were killed in the blast at the hotel. The missiles missed the airliner.
> 
> Two U.S. military officials said forces from the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command were involved. The officials gave no details about the raid or its target, and they spoke on condition of anonymity because the operation was secret.
> 
> Somali witnesses to Monday's raid say six helicopters buzzed the village before two of the aircraft opened fire on a vehicle. Witness Abdi Ahmed said soldiers in military fatigues then got out of the aircraft and left with the wounded men.
> 
> The commando-style action took place amid growing fears that al Qaeda is gaining a foothold in this lawless nation.
> 
> Many experts fear Somalia is becoming a haven for al Qaeda, a place for terrorists to train and gather strength -- much like Afghanistan in the 1990s. The UN-backed government, with support from African Union peacekeepers, holds only a few blocks of Mogadishu, the war-ravaged capital.
> 
> Last year, U.S. missiles killed reputed al Qaeda commander Aden Hashi Ayro -- marking the first major success after a string of U.S. military attacks in 2008.
> 
> Like much of Somalia, Barawe and its surrounding villages are controlled by the militant group al-Shabab, which the U.S. accuses of having ties to al Qaeda. Al-Shabab, which has foreign fighters in its ranks, seeks to overthrow the government and impose a strict form of Islam in Somalia.




One of the primary reasons we – the American led West – went to Afghanistan and one of “our” few successes, to date, was to kick al Qaeda out of its “base” there and to warn other failing states that they will pay a bitter price if they allow al Qaeda to set up bases there. Somalia appears to be the a new al Qaeda base.

There’s no political stomach in Canada or Europe for “going after” al Qaeda. The Americans are reluctant. But, the focus shifts towards Africa.


----------



## Yrys

Same news as Mr. Campbell,
another article :

Somali fury at 'al-Qaeda killing'   

Somali Islamists will avenge the raid in which a top al-Qaeda 
suspect was reportedly killed in Somalia, an al-Shabab 
commander has told the BBC.

See above link for full article


----------



## CougarKing

An update from the Central African Republic:



> Peace dividends elude the Central African Republic - 20 Sep 09
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2VBKmqTdNc&feature=sub
> Commander Bertin Wafio of the Popular Army for Unity and Democracy in the Central African Republic has told Al Jazeera that his fighters will oppose the new unity government's plans for presidential elections next year.
> 
> That is unless more progress is made to disarm and reintegrate fighters following a peace deal agreed last year.
> 
> Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reports from Paoua in the Central African Republic.


----------



## Edward Campbell

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s _Globe and Mail_ is another report on the chaos and violence that characterizes early 21st century Africa:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/report-targets-military-for-congo-unrest/article1321517/


> Report targets military for Congo unrest
> *Coalition of 84 organizations finds 1,000 civilians killed and nearly one million displaced by Rwandan Hutu, with protection lacking*
> 
> Carley Petesch
> 
> Johannesburg — Associated Press
> 
> Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 8:35AM EDT
> 
> More than 1,000 civilians have been killed and nearly 900,000 displaced in eastern Congo by Rwandan Hutu militiamen and Congolese forces since January, humanitarian groups said today.
> 
> The report released by a coalition of 84 organizations said that many of the killings were carried out by Rwandan Hutu militiamen. Congolese government soldiers also have targeted civilians, the report said. A Congolese military operation has been aimed at forcing out the Rwandan Hutu militiamen, many of whom sought refuge in neighbouring Congo after participating in Rwanda's 1994 genocide that killed more than 500,000 people.
> 
> But the groups said the military operation, which is backed by a United Nations peacekeeping force, is not doing enough to protect civilians in the region. “The human rights and humanitarian consequences of the current military operation are simply disastrous,” Marcel Stoessel of Oxfam said.
> 
> The UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, known as MONUC, has backed the Congolese army in eastern Congo since March following a joint Congolese and Rwandan operation against the Rwandan Hutu militiamen. UN officials have said they simply do not have enough boots on the ground to perform effectively in Congo, a country that is bigger than Western Europe but has only 500 kilometres of paved roads.
> 
> The 3,000 additional peacekeepers authorized by the UN Security Council in November, 2008 are only just arriving in the region, the report said.
> 
> “The UN needs to make it clear that if the Congolese government wants its continued military support, the army should remove abusive soldiers from command positions and its soldiers should stop attacking civilians,” said Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
> 
> The report said many of the killings have been carried out by the Rwandan Hutu militiamen “targeting civilians to punish them for their government's decision to launch military operations against the group.”
> 
> Congolese government soldiers also have targeted civilians through killings and widespread rape, looting, forced labour, and arbitrary arrests, the report said.
> 
> “Nearly 900,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and live in desperate conditions with host families, in forest areas, or in squalid displacement camps with limited access to food and medicine,” it said.
> 
> The report also said 7,000 women and girls have been raped and more than 6,000 homes have been burned down in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu. The humanitarian groups also called for those wanted for genocide and other serious crimes to be brought to court, including militiamen living in Europe. The groups also said that those responsible for serious human rights abuses, including sexual violence, should be prosecuted regardless of rank.
> 
> The 84 groups in the coalition behind the report include ActionAid, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group and Oxfam.



This is an explicit call for Western intervention, through the UN.


----------



## The Bread Guy

...in the Horn of Africa, from NATO here.


----------



## a_majoor

I'm afraid I will have to strongly disagree here.

Africa is not "our problem", and neither Canada nor the West will act to intervene on the massive scale needed to make a serious dent in Africa's problems. The reason is no one sees Africa as being an existential threat to our nation, economy or way of life.

True, you can read Robert Kaplan and see the sorts of problems festering in the continent, but if "The Coming Anarchy" wasn't a sufficient call for action in 1994 (or the subsequent wave of civil wars, genocides, child soldier atrocities, disease outbreaks, famines etc.), then it is hard to say what will provoke intervention.

The only short to medium term activity that I can foresee is playing "whack a mole" against pirates and Islamic terrorists along the African east coast, and even then that is only an economy of force effort while we deal with the main theaters in the Middle East and Central Asia. Even if/when we clear out that nest of snakes, the main effort will probably follow the arc east into the Indian Ocean, the Phillipines and Indonesia, as that direction leads towards China and the Pacific Rim, areas "we" have staked out as being the center of global trade and economic activity in the 21rst century.

The only area where we "might" stumble into large scale conflict or engagement is where the Chinese are establishing beach heads to harvest resources in Africa, such as the Sudan. If our fight against the Islamic terrorists interferes with their extraction of resources, they will respond in ways we probably won't like.


----------



## Edward Campbell

The Chinese are on the horns of a dilemma: they need African resources and they want African _friends_, but they face a serious _Islamist_ threat - domestically and on their frontiers. In many respects China is more seriously, more _immediately_ threatened than is the USA.


----------



## Edward Campbell

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s _Globe and Mail_ web site, is more about the ever increasing _Islamist_ threat in Africa:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/we-dont-want-to-become-a-second-afghanistan/article1327381/


> North Africa: ‘We don't want to become a second Afghanistan'
> *Why the al-Qaeda kidnappers of Canadian diplomats now have governments across the western Sahara on the run*
> 
> Geoffrey York
> 
> Timbuktu, Mail
> 
> Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009 3:20AM EDT
> 
> At first, he thought it was just the desert wind, whispering through the predawn darkness. But then the soldier heard the sound again, and he realized the sickening truth: His slumbering troops were surrounded by terrorists from the Sahara branch of al-Qaeda, and the ambush was about to begin.
> 
> It was a mismatch. The insurgents had night-vision goggles, bulletproof vests and rocket-propelled grenades. The soldiers carried amulets and Koranic verses for protection. They were also outnumbered 3 to 1. Two hours later, almost half of the 60 soldiers were dead, and the rest were fleeing for their lives.
> 
> The ambush, which took place on July 4, was another shocking victory for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the terrorist group that has swiftly spread its influence across North Africa, opening a new front in global terrorism and drawing U.S. military forces into yet another corner of the world.
> 
> After the disastrous defeat, Mali's President vowed a “total struggle” against the terrorists. But since then, his army has made no effort to pursue them, creating the impression that, despite its rhetoric, the government is afraid of tangling with al-Qaeda.
> 
> Senior government members admit that AQIM is better armed than they expected, and they say Mali will not pursue the terrorists until there is agreement on a joint operation among all the armies of the Sahara region – an agreement that has been discussed for months, yet is still delayed by disputes among Mali, Algeria, Mauritania and Niger.
> 
> Formed in 2006 when al-Qaeda struck a deal with an Algerian-based terrorist group, AQIM is fighting to expel Westerners and set up an Islamic theocracy. It has launched scores of attacks and suicide bombings in the four Saharan states, with more than 10 hits on Western targets in Algeria and Mauritania, including European tourists, a French embassy and an American aid worker.
> 
> In Canada, the terrorist group is most famous for kidnapping Canadian diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Guay in Niger last December. But the two high-profile hostages – who were released in April – were not the only Canadian targets. Last year, AQIM car bombers in Algeria attacked a bus carrying employees of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., the Montreal-based engineering firm, killing 12 and injuring dozens.
> 
> While Western targets remain vulnerable, AQIM's terrorist activity poses an even greater threat: that the Islamic extremists could overwhelm the weak states of the Sahara, where they already have entrenched bases, trafficking networks and government links.
> 
> “These people can go for months in the desert without encountering any authority,” said Adghaimar Ag Alhouseyni, commander of the Timbuktu detachment of Mali's National Guard. “They're like invisible people. They even have weapons that we don't know about – light weapons, but powerful. And they have night-vision equipment. They can see us and we can't see them.”
> 
> Mali is hoping that the United States or Algeria will provide helicopters or jets to pursue the terrorists. “The government doesn't have the resources to fight them alone,” said Assarid Ag Imbarcaouane, a vice-president of Mali's parliament. “They are well-armed and mobile. They move in small groups, but they're very numerous.”
> 
> The Pentagon has responded with the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, which, among other things, sent 300 U.S. military advisers to bases in Mali for three months this year. Locals in Timbuktu point to a house on the edge of town, surrounded by surveillance cameras, where the U.S. Green Berets were based while training Malian soldiers.
> 
> The U.S. presence failed to deter the terrorists. On June 10, they launched one of their most audacious assaults.
> 
> In a convoy of six pickup trucks, they slipped into the outskirts of Timbuktu, the fabled town on the edge of the Sahara. One vehicle drove to the family home of the local intelligence chief, Lieutenant-Colonel Lamana Ould Bou, who had arrested several AQIM members. With two gunmen positioned on the roof and at the gate, two others entered the house and shot the colonel. As they fled, one of the killers' turbans slipped off and the colonel's family saw his long beard, the trademark of the Islamic radicals.
> 
> The colonel's Arab tribesmen vowed to take revenge. Calling themselves the “Delta Force” in homage to Hollywood war films, they created a militia unit and formed an alliance with Mali's regular army, pledging to “cut off the beards” of the terrorists.
> 
> After several days of searching, the army and militia found a temporary AQIM base in a remote corner of the desert, about 700 kilometres north of Timbuktu. With nearly 300 men, they greatly outnumbered the rebels and after three hours of fighting on June 17, nearly one-third of the estimated 90 Islamists were dead.
> 
> The hunt continued for two weeks. About 200 kilometres north of Timbuktu, nomads reported suspicious truck movements, and the soldiers found a lone AQIM vehicle, which they attacked and then followed through the desert. Just before sunset on July 3, they spotted a terrorist camp in the distance.
> 
> But by now the army unit was smaller, with one unit having split off to search in a different direction. The AQIM cell, meanwhile, had obtained reinforcements from two other cells.
> 
> Despite months of training by the U.S. Special Forces advisers, Mali's army made a fundamental tactical blunder. Survivors say their commander ordered his fatigued men to rest for the night – within range of the AQIM encampment.
> 
> “I tried to tell him that it was a mistake, but he wouldn't listen,” says Mousa, a sergeant in a special Malian army unit that was set up to chase the terrorists.
> 
> By 4:15 a.m. on July 4, the extremists had crept to within 15 metres of the sleeping soldiers. That was when Mousa discovered them, and the firefight began. “They planned to cut our throats, one by one,” he says. “That's how close they were. Some of our soldiers were shot while they were still sleeping.”
> 
> The two highest-ranking soldiers in the unit, a colonel and a captain, were among the 29 soldiers and militia members who perished. The Islamists also captured three soldiers and seized three vehicles and many of their weapons.
> 
> Since then, the army and its allies have been on hold. “The government has told us to wait,” says one Arab militia member, a survivor of the July 4 battle. “I don't understand why. We don't just want to get rid of them – we want to kill them. They're bringing evil into this region. They killed some of our greatest leaders.”
> 
> He believes the AQIM units have gained strength in the past year from their kidnapping operations, which have produced millions in ransom payments. “You can tell from the weapons they buy and the money they pay to anyone who helps them with supplies or information.”
> 
> Analysts agree that the hostage-taking strategy has bolstered the terrorists. “AQIM's increased focus on kidnap-for-ransom operations … has allowed for the group's expansion, helping fund recruitment, training, propaganda and terrorist attacks,” Michael Leiter, director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Centre, said in testimony to a Senate committee.
> 
> The Islamists seem to have mysterious connections to high-ranking informants in Mali's government. “They must have good sources,” says Mousa, the army sergeant. “Every time we go on a mission, they seem to know who is in our ranks, how many we are and where we are going.”
> 
> The conflict with AQIM is devastating the economy in northern Mali. In places such as Timbuktu, tourism has collapsed. Foreign aid workers are under orders to stay away from the north. The U.S. and France have pulled out hundreds of oil-exploration workers and humanitarian volunteers.
> 
> Yet Mali lacks the money and appetite for a protracted war in the desert. “The problems are the distance and the enormous cost of supplying the army at such a great distance,” says Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, a former Malian defence minister.
> 
> Since the terrorists are targeting Westerners, many people in Mali perceive the AQIM issue as “other people's war” – a problem for the West, not the locals. “Mali doesn't want to be caught in the middle of a big war,” Mr. Maiga says. “The authorities don't feel that the threat justifies a big war. We don't want to become a second Afghanistan.”
> 
> While Mali shies away from conflict, AQIM is entrenching itself in the Sahara. “They're even marrying into the local communities and convincing young people of their ideology,” says Baba Ould Sheik, a politician in northern Mali who helped to negotiate the release of the Canadian hostages this year.
> 
> “If al-Qaeda is not tackled, the whole of the north could be controlled by al-Qaeda within the next five or 10 years.”




The tentacles of the _Islamists_ choke Africa, from West to East and from North to South. African government and militaries are, by and large, useless. Africa is an important source of several strategic minerals and of oil.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Worth keeping in mind in line with other comments elsewhere suggesting (I think correctly) Africa will be drawing more of the West's (military and other) attention over time, from Sahel Blog.



> *1. Elections*
> 
> I debated whether to organize this list by country or by theme, and ultimately went with the latter. But if I had organized it by country, I would have begun with Sudan, where elections in April 2010 represent a critical juncture for the country and for the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Will the government crack down violently on opposition supporters, a trend foreshadowed by some tense demonstrations this fall? Will the elections restart the renewed civil war between North and South Sudan, or pave the way for a peaceful referendum on Southern independence in 2011?
> 
> Also, the elections in Sudan aren’t the only ones on the continent – Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, the Central African Republic and others will hold key elections in 2010, and Nigeria will prepare for presidential elections in 2011.
> 
> *2. Chinese Influence*
> 
> The conclusion of another Afro-Chinese summit in Egypt in November 2009, accompanied by major loan agreements, reaffirmed China’s substantial economic and political role in Africa. With African leaders like Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi making strongly pro-Chinese statements last year, one can argue that China’s stock is rising on the continent despite political backlash in places like Namibia. In 2010 we’ll see which way the wind blows – will there be more trade and aid deals? more attacks on Chinese citizens and workers? more international pressure for China to stop dealing with countries like Guinea and Sudan? – but I’m betting that China’s power in Africa will, on the whole, increase this year.
> 
> *3. Environmental Problems*
> 
> 2009 saw major droughts and devastating floods, along with high temperatures and widening desertification. 2010 will likely see more of the same, with resource conflicts straining national unity in places like Kenya and exacerbating intercommunal and international tensions across the continent. Some innovative solutions are circulating – like a “Great Green Wall…stretch[ing] from Senegal to Djibouti” – but the challenges are daunting.
> 
> *4. Energy and Mineral Deals with Foreign Powers*
> 
> China isn’t America’s only competitor in Africa. A high-profile tour in the summer of 2009 by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev to major African energy producers like Nigeria and Angola signaled the increasing interest of foreign actors in Africa’s fuels and minerals. South American powers like Brazil and Venezuela, and Asian powers like India, also want a piece of the action. Expect more deals in 2010, with repercussions for local African politics and US influence.
> 
> *5. Kidnapping and Terrorism*
> 
> We enter 2010 with a number of foreigners held in Africa, especially in the Sahel, including at least six Westerners kidnapped by AQIM. 2009 also saw major concern about rising kidnappings (of foreigners and locals) in Kenya and Nigeria. If the peace process in the Niger Delta region stays on track, we will hopefully see fewer kidnappings there in 2010, but expect the trend to continue elsewhere. Regarding the Sahel, an increase in terrorism (including kidnapping) could evoke strong military responses against AQIM by local governments.
> 
> *6. Piracy*
> 
> Piracy off the coast of Somalia made headlines throughout 2009, and pirate attacks have nearly tripled from 2008. Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is also a trend to watch. If piracy increases in 2010, expect more debate about how to address the problem, with strong pressure placed on NATO, and increasing concern about pirates’ capacity to disrupt oil shipments.
> 
> *7. Separatism, Intercommunal Violence and Rebellion*
> 
> People in a number of African communities are demanding self-determination: South Sudan, Western Sahara, and Somaliland and Puntland for starters. Some separatists act primarily through political, rather than military, channels, but politics can quickly spill over into violence.
> 
> Meanwhile, violent rebellions continue in a number of countries. Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army remains a thorn in the side of its home country and a serious problem for Uganda’s neighbors, including South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rebellions in Chad and the Central African Republic may flare up again, and of course the conflict in Darfur is far from over. Civil war rages in Somalia. Rebels in Senegal’s Casamance region are again taking up arms. 2010 could see the resolution of some of these conflicts, but certainly not all.
> 
> *8. Aid Debates*
> 
> A fierce debate raged last year over the effectiveness of aid and the form it should take, with scholars like William Easterly, Jeffrey Sachs, Peter Singer, Chris Blattman, and others making important arguments. We can tie the aid debate to other debates about who can best solve Africans’ problems (see Mahmood Mamdani and John Prendergast’s debate about Darfur). These debates could potentially change the way the US (and other foreign actors) relate to Africa.
> 
> *9. US Military Activity*
> 
> From what I can tell, the Obama administration has budgeted slightly less for AFRICOM in 2010 than the funding AFRICOM received in 2009. That does not mean, however, that US military activity in Africa is winding down. Counterterrorism partnerships in the Sahel continue – the US recently conducted military training in Mali, for example – and the Obama administration may conduct more missile strikes in Somalia this year. The biggest story of all would be if AFRICOM moved their headquarters from Germany to, say, Liberia, but that appears unlikely to happen in the near-term.
> 
> *10. Death of a Major African Leader*
> 
> I have placed this one last because it concerns contingencies, but it could easily top the list if those contingencies occur. No one can foresee the future, but a real possibility exists that one of Africa’s aging leaders will die in 2010, leaving successors scrambling to attain power and stabilize their rule. The death of any leader would have major consequences – it was the death of Lansana Conte in Guinea that put the current military junta in power, for example – but the passage of either Robert Mugabe (turns 86 in February) or Hosni Mubarak (turns 82 in May) would have especially far-reaching effects ....


----------



## George Wallace

*Articles found February 20, 2010*

 After four days, Canadian kidnapped in Kenya freed
CTV.ca News 

Article Link

*After four days, Canadian kidnapped in Kenya freed*



"I can confirm that he's been released unharmed," DFAIT spokesperson Lisa Monette told CTV.ca on Saturday afternoon, adding that the man's captivity lasted for four days.

Monette also thanked Kenyan officials in helping secure the man's release. 

Kenyan police say that two suspects linked to the kidnapping are now in custody.

The kidnapping reportedly occurred in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Wednesday, and a ransom was issued for his release, The Associated Press reported.

Monette could not say if a ransom was paid in the case, but she reiterated that the Canadian government's policy is to not pay kidnappers.

However, The Associated Press reported that the Canadian was rescued after Kenyan police shot three of his kidnappers.

Kenyan police official David Kerina said that undercover officers tricked the captors, who had demanded a ransom of more than $132,000.

The Canadian man reportedly works for an aid agency but he hasn't been named yet. Monette did not name the man, citing privacy concerns.

Kenya has seen a rash of kidnappings over the past year, with many victims being Kenyan nationals. 

In most cases, the victims are released after a mobile phone money transfer is paid.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


----------



## CougarKing

Note this other "Africa in Crisis" superthread.

Anyways, the Darfur rebels have just signed a truce deal with Sudan's government:

Associated Press link



> N'DJAMENA, Chad – Darfur's most powerful rebel group has initialed a truce with the Sudanese government, officials said Saturday, marking the rebel group's return to peace talks aimed at ending the Darfur conflict.
> The truce between the rebel *Justice and Equality Movement *  and the Sudanese government takes effect immediately, said Idriss Deby, Chad's president, in a statement.
> 
> Justice and Equality Movement spokesman Ahmed Hussein said the deal initialed Saturday was a framework agreement to guide future peace negotiations, including talks on a permanent cease-fire. He said it will be formally signed in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday in the presence of Deby and the leaders of Sudan and Qatar.
> 
> The rebel group has been the most significant holdout in efforts to end the seven-year conflict in Darfur, in which 300,000 people have lost their lives to violence, disease and displacement.
> 
> The Justice and Equality Movement will take part in talks in Qatar which aim to reach a final agreement by March 15, Deby's statement said.
> 
> Hussein said Saturday's deal was important to the Darfur peace process.
> 
> "It's a significant step for peace in Darfur," said Hussein. "It is a considerable achievement for both parties."
> 
> In Sudan's capital, Khartoum, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced he was pardoning members of the Justice and Equality Movement on death row who had been convicted for taking part in an attack close to Khartoum in May 2008.
> 
> Al-Bashir told a campaign rally he had ordered the immediate release of 30 percent of those he had pardoned. According to Sudanese law only the president can pardon someone on death row or commute his or her sentence.
> The May 2008 attack on Khartoum's twin city, Omdurman, was the closest a Darfur rebel group had reached the capital. The government said more than 200 people were killed in the attack that shocked Sudan at the time.
> 
> *Saturday's developments come as Sudan and Chad have been working for months to improve relations soured by the spillover from the Darfur conflict, with each country accusing the other of supporting the other's rebel groups.
> 
> Sudan has often accused Chad of supporting the Justice and Equality Movement, allowing the group to use eastern Chad as its rear base. Saturday's agreement is significant because it appears to have Chad's solid support.
> 
> JEM and the Sudan government held peace talks last year that eventually collapsed because the two sides couldn't agree on an exchange of prisoners.*Earlier this month, Deby visited Sudan for the first time in almost six years and discussed with Sudan's president efforts to set up a joint force to patrol their common border.
> 
> The U.N. has said 2.7 million were driven from their homes in Darfur in the fighting between ethnic African rebels and the government and Arab militias.
> 
> (This version CORRECTS spokesman's name in graf 7 to Hussein, sted Adam.)


----------



## George Wallace

Perhaps we should go back a few years and look at things differently:

 SPIEGEL Magazine, 07/04/2005

Interview with Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati:

 "For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"


----------



## a_majoor

A bit of good news:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/03/poverty-is-falling-fast-in-africa.html



> *Poverty is Falling Fast in Africa*
> 
> African Poverty is Falling...Much Faster than You Think! (38 page pdf) by Maxim Pinkovskiy, MIT ; Xavier Sala‐i‐Martin, Columbia University (H/T Marginal Revolution)
> 
> The conventional wisdom that Africa is not reducing poverty is wrong. Using the methodology of Pinkovskiy and Sala‐i‐Martin (2009), we estimate income distributions, poverty rates, and inequality and welfare indices for African countries for the period 1970‐2006. We show that: (1) African poverty is falling and is falling rapidly. (2) If present trends continue, the poverty Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of people with incomes less than one dollar a day will be achieved on time. (3) The growth spurt that began in 1995 decreased African income inequality instead of increasing it. (4) African poverty reduction is remarkably general: it cannot be explained by a large country, or even by a single set of countries possessing some beneficial geographical or historical characteristic. All classes of countries, including those with disadvantageous geography and history, experience reductions in poverty. In particular, poverty fell for both landlocked as well as coastal countries; for mineral‐rich as well as mineral‐poor countries; for countries with favorable or with unfavorable agriculture; for countries regardless of colonial origin; and for countries with below‐ or above median slave exports per capita during the African slave trade
> 
> After three decades of zero or negative growth, Africa began a growth spurt around 1995 that has been sustained at least to 2006. The poverty rate in 1970 was 0.398. That is, close to 40% of the entire population lived with less than one dollar a day in Africa in 1970. After a small decline during the first half of the seventies, the rate jumped to around 0.42 in 1985 and stayed more or less at that level for a decade. In 1995 there is a dramatic change in trend: the poverty rate began a decline that led to a ten percentage point reduction by 2006.
> 
> Previous look at Africas economy
> 
> Examining global progress against poverty
> 
> These results contradict the 2008 Millennium Development Goals Report (UN, 2008), which asserts that “little progress was made in reducing extreme poverty in sub‐Saharan Africa.” Our estimates disagree: the African poverty rate in 2006 was 0.318, 30% lower than in 1995 (0.428) and 28% lower than in 1990 (0.421). That is, while progress in Africa has by no means been as extraordinary as that of East Asia, there has been a significant reduction in poverty and a substantial movement towards achieving the MDGs. The poverty rate in 1990 was 0.421. Hence, the MDG is for the poverty rate to be 0.210 by 2015. The rate in 2006 was 0.318, so even though substantial progress has been made, we still have ten basis points to go. But we also have 9 years left. We do not know what the future will look like, but if poverty continues to fall at the rates it fell between 1995 and 2006, we project that the $1/day poverty rate will be 0.228 in 2015. In fact, we project that the MDG will be achieved by 2017: just two years late.
> 
> The main point is that Africa has been moving in the right direction and, while progress has not been as substantial and spectacular as in Asia, poverty has been falling and it has been falling substantially. We should not let the literal interpretation of the MDGs turn good news (Africa is rapidly moving in the right direction) into bad news (Africa will not achieve the MDGs on time)
> 
> The overall Gini coefficient for Africa: starting at a level of around 0.63, the inequality index increased to around 0.66 during the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s. Then it stayed at that level until the early 1990s and started a downward trend that took it to its initial level by 2006. In other words, during the period of positive and sustained African growth (1995 to 2006), not only inequality did not explode as predicted by those who say that all the wealth went to a narrow elite, but it actually declined substantially.


----------



## Edward Campbell

This topic was being discussed in the “What Army After A’stan” thread, before it got derailed and locked up.

Here, reproduced under the fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_ are Canadian historian (and sometimes Army.ca member) Jack Granatstein’s thoughts on why a mission to Congo is doomed to fail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/defining-canadas-role-in-congo/article1525307/


> Defining Canada's role in Congo
> *Yes to peacekeeping, but only if there's a firm UN mandate, full UN support and a real role to play*
> 
> J.L. Granatstein
> 
> From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
> Published on Wednesday, Apr. 07, 2010
> 
> In the past two weeks, there have been rumbles in the Ottawa jungles that the Harper government might be interested in sending troops to take part in the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Chief of the Defence Staff was said to be telling the troops that Canada's next overseas mission was in Africa; the departing Chief of the Land Staff, Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, was tipped to be the Congo force's commander. There was even a hot rumour that the Governor-General was to visit Kinshasa, the capital.
> 
> Certainly, Congo is a disaster – a huge country the size of Europe, with a corrupt government ruling its 70 million people, with genocidal tribal slaughters, rapacious mining companies scooping up everything in sight, and neighbours trying to bite off chunks of territory and population for their own purposes. The UN first went into Congo in 1960, with Canadian signallers providing its communications, and UN forces fought a war against separatist elements. They have been there again for more than a decade, with 22,500 people on the ground, mainly provided by African nations.
> 
> MONUC, as the UN force is dubbed in French, is underfunded and undersupplied, and has been neither competent militarily nor effective in halting the violence that is estimated to have killed more than five million Congolese since 1999. Moreover, as so often is the case with UN missions, the mandate is fuzzy, its political support in New York doubtful. Many also consider the UN troops in-country to be part of the problem, and charges of corruption and rape have been levelled against them. And even though MONUC has supported the Kinshasa government, President Joseph Kabila has demanded that the UN leave Congo by mid-2011.
> 
> Should Canada involve itself in this horrifying mess? There seems no doubt that Canadians continue to believe that Canada is uniquely gifted in peacekeeping. Lester Pearson's Nobel Peace Prize, the 60-year-long record of service in UN missions, and the popular sense that doing good is what the Canadian Forces should be doing all make UN service hugely popular. And with the Canadian Forces now set to pull out of Afghanistan by 2011 – an unpopular commitment (even though UN-authorized) because it involves killing and being killed and supporting the United States – what better way to re-establish our national bona fides than by taking over a UN peacekeeping force.
> 
> An Ipsos Reid poll last September found popular support for Canada's military to be a force that does only peacekeeping. The NDP, the Bloc Québécois, large elements of the Liberal Party and the peace movement speak as one on this: Government funding has made the Canadian Forces capable again, so why not use them for peace in a nation that is bleeding to death?
> 
> But hold on a moment. There's no doubt that Congo is a basket case, a perfect example of a failed state ruled for the benefit of a corrupt leadership and the corporations that loot it. But before we jump in, we need to remember a few things. The first is that the Congolese government wants the UN forces out. The second is that UN willingness to finance MONUC is shaky at best, and there's no guarantee that the countries that pay the bill might not accede to Congo's demands and support withdrawal.
> 
> Then there are the peculiarly Canadian factors. The members of the Canadian Forces are white, and that's never a plus in Congo. They are a Western force that needs roads and mobility to operate effectively, that requires a high standard of logistical support, and that has small numbers at its disposal. Congo is huge and, in the eastern regions where much of the killing goes on, there's no infrastructure. One Canadian officer who knows the country well says it can take five days to drive 100 kilometres in Orientale province in the rainy season.
> 
> What this means is that, if the Canadian Forces go into Congo, they will need fleets of helicopters, potable water and a secure supply line. Where's that to come from? Moreover, there are local armies aplenty operating all across Congo, some well-supplied from neighbouring regimes, and all knowing the terrain better than a bunch of white guys from Come by Chance or Moosonee. They will fight to protect their access to the spoils. In other words, any troops we send are likely to be involved in combat (156 peacekeepers have been killed since MONUC's creation) and will need to be equipped with a full suite of weapons and air mobility. Despite a decade of service in Afghanistan, we still lack sufficient helicopters, and the Canadian Forces won't have them available soon.
> 
> So peacekeeping, yes. But only if there's a firm UN mandate, full UN support, and a role that the Canadian Forces can play. Unfortunately, that's not in Congo.
> 
> _J.L. Granatstein is a historian and senior research fellow at the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute_



I agree with Prof. Granatstein, but he *knows* that the UN cannot, even if it was so inclined, agree to the sorts of common sense ‘terms’ he demands, and he also *knows* that Canada has no _strategy_ beyond doing whatever might make the polls move in the government’s favour. He must also *know* that Congo is probably the CF’s next mission and that it will be harder, dirtier and bloodier than Afghanistan, and Canadians will turn against it, too.


----------



## The Bread Guy

1)  From the Canadian Press, LGEN Leslie says "I go where they send me":


> The soon-to-be-departing commander of the Canadian army isn't about to retire, but Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie wouldn't say Wednesday whether his next assignment will involve a peacekeeping mission in the Congo.
> 
> Leslie, speaking publicly for the first time since word of his forthcoming departure sparked speculation about his future, said it's up the chief of defence staff and the defence minister to tell him what's next.
> 
> "No soldier gets to pick his or her next job," Leslie said in an interview with The Canadian Press following a nearly four-day visit to Kandahar. "When they're ready, they'll let me know."
> 
> Leslie also wouldn't bite on questions about just how seriously Ottawa is contemplating a UN request for a peacekeeping force in the African nation, which has been torn asunder by violence since 1996.
> 
> "The government of Canada is the sole authority and will decide where their Armed Forces will be used," he said after a tour of front-line Canadian bases, his last as head of the army ....



2)  These monthly summaries of what's up in DRC from the International Crisis Group, a think tank keeping track of conflicts all over the world (one that a lot of OSINT folks seem to find useful).  March 2010's, as an example:


> DPKO head Alain Le Roy and President Kabila 4 March discussed timetable for MONUC pull-out; govt 11 March reiterated call for withdrawal before 2011 elections. DRC ambassador to UN Ileka Atoki 19 March demanded SRSG Alan Doss be replaced, calling him “corrupt”. Govt 11 March announced 271 FDLR rebels “neutralised” during Amani Leo operation. Col. Noboka Rashidi of FDLR splinter wing RUD 22 March surrendered to MONUC, announced hopes 400 FDLR/RUD men he commanded in Lubero would follow suit. FARDC 11 March abducted 3 wounded FDLR fighters from MSF-run hospital. Parliament 15 March opened new session: ruling PPRD/AMP advocated extension of president’s term, strongly rejected by opposition. Govt 2 March announced possible trial of FARDC commander Innocent Zimunrinda, accused of mass atrocities in N Kivu. ICC trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba delayed to 5 July after defence lawyers challenged admissibility of case. LRA attacks continued in northeast. Human Rights Watch 28 March reported 321 killed, 250 abducted by LRA in Makombo area, Orientale province, 14-17 Dec 2009; DRC justice minister rejected massacres occurred, said “no more than 25” died.


----------



## Rifleman62

May be PM Harper is waiting for 





> the NDP, the Bloc Québécois, large elements of the Liberal Party


  and Iggy to stick their oar in, win the vote to committ the CF to this useless mission. Then when the body bags come a lot faster than present, the PM can tell Canadians what we all know: Peacekeeping is a Myth, and The UN is (fill in any derogatory term). The CPC can say to Canadians, see we told you, it's the usual suspects that got us into this mess, not us.

Stay Out of Africa.


----------



## The Bread Guy

A bit more background, from the MONUC mission web page:


> MONUC remains in Congo because the legacies of a war that claimed some 4 million lives (1998-2003) persist:
> 
> * The illegal expoitation of natural resources continue to fuel internal conflict
> * Ethnic differences and land disputes are unresolved
> * The elected Government has limited impact outside Kinshasa
> * Governance capacity is weak
> * Effective institutions to deliver services and the rule of law are absent
> * Human rights are abused with impunity
> * Corruption is endemic
> * Heavily armed rebels continue to challenge state authority in the east
> * Integration of former rebels into the FARDC is incomplete
> * Root and branch reform of the security services is essential for establishing and maintaining State Authority in all parts of the country.


Deja vu all over again, only in Africa instead of Afghanistan?  :nod:


----------



## CougarKing

link



> By Alexander Panetta, The Canadian Press
> 
> GOREE ISLAND, Senegal - First she drew attention in Africa for bluntly declaring that slavery remained widespread, and then Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean visited a dungeon with a dark past to illustrate her point Friday.
> 
> 
> Jean's statement about the plight of children in Senegal was widely reported by media in that country, where an in-depth survey has concluded that at least 50,000 boys are being exploited and frequently beaten at their religious schools.
> 
> 
> *Her sentiments are supported by a new report from Human Rights Watch, an organization that also describes as "slavery" a common Senegalese custom: Islamic schools that send children out to beg for money all day, then often beat them when they don't return with enough cash.
> 
> 
> The country's so-called talibes, boys as young as four, can be seen wandering through traffic in tattered clothes and pleading for money. Because charity is considered a religious duty, people hand over enough donations to make the schoolmasters wealthy by local standards.
> 
> 
> Jean's visit made the front page of several newspapers Friday.
> 
> 
> "Exploitation of Children In Senegal: Michaelle Jean Calls It Slavery," was one headline in Le Quotidien newspaper, the day after Jean surprised some journalists at the presidential palace by making that assessment at a joint press conference with the country's president. *
> 
> Human-rights groups estimate that as many as 27 million people live in modern-day slavery  - and that there are more slaves in the world now than at any point in human history.
> 
> 
> *They include unpaid labourers who work for room and board, women forced into the sex trade, underage soldiers, and child workers who are paid a pittance.
> 
> 
> The UN's High Commission on Human Rights has suggested a variety of means to fight the problem, including product boycotts and mandatory labelling of goods in industries - like carpet-weaving - where child exploitation has been a problem.
> 
> 
> This week's report on Senegal by Human Rights Watch urged the Senegalese government to better regulate religious schools, which are popular because they offer the promise of a free education.*
> 
> 
> As she visited a former slave-trading centre Friday, Jean used the occasion to illustrate her point for the second day in a row.
> 
> 
> She was received jubilantly by dancing and singing locals on Goree Island. Now a pastel-coloured tourist destination and UN World Heritage Site, the French used this island to imprison slaves traded for guns and alcohol.
> 
> 
> Jean toured the former prison where slaves were once chained to walls by their necks; where children were crammed, in the words of her tour guide, "like fish in a sardine can," with 150 kids crowded into a separate dungeon half the size of a bowling alley; where men were sold for the price of a barrel of rum, while women fetched the same price if they had attractive physical attributes.
> 
> 
> "These captives were not considered human beings," said Jean's guide, Eloi Coly.
> 
> 
> "They were considered merchandise."
> 
> 
> People had their names taken away, and were assigned a number. They were marched down a stone hallway through the infamous "Door of No Return," then loaded onto ships that carried them on a three-month - often fatal - journey to the new world.
> 
> 
> A teary-eyed Jean, after the tour, said descendents of former slaves and former slave-owners can work together today on a common cause: ending modern-day slavery.
> 
> "This place is not about the history of black peoples. It's about us all," Jean told Canadian and Senegalese journalists.
> 
> "Whether we are of European descent, and probably related to those who committed that crime of slavery and slave trade, or whether we are of African descent, we all belong to that history."
> 
> She delivered a similarly contemporary message four years ago during a visit to Ghana. During a visit to a similar prison there, she knelt on the ground and broke into sobs, then waved off a question about what special meaning the place carried for someone like her, the descendant of African slaves.
> 
> Jean repeated Friday that it would be a mistake to view slavery uniquely through the prism of African history.
> 
> "It's about us all. And it's about how life can triumph over barbarism. And we must stand together today, to really fight every situation that denies rights, dignity and humanity to people in the world today. Slavery is still a fact today, in so many different ways," she said.
> 
> "Human-trafficking, injustices, are still a reality today. But we are together - and we can say no to it. It's a responsibility."
> 
> On Friday, Jean also addressed a school where Canadian aid money has helped train young Senegalese journalists over the years and, on the second full day of her 10-day trip to Africa, she met with a women's group after touring Goree's House of Slaves.
> 
> Just outside that old prison, young Amadou Guisse spends the whole day working. He started three years ago, when he was only 10. Guisse follows tourists onto a ferry and, to earn a few dollars on the ride back and forth from the capital, Dakar, he goes around the boat urging tourists to let him shine their shoes.
> 
> Guisse shook his head when asked whether he keeps any of the money he earns.
> 
> "It's for my family," he said. "Everything."


----------



## a_majoor

I read recently that the Jihadis in Somalia banned the playing of music on the radio, and most stations complied (rather than be firebombed or worse). This is very much like the Taliban during their time in power.

It seems we have an opportunity to unleash the West's weapons of  cultural mass destruction to destabilize the Jihadis and win a low cost victory for our side.

Step 1: get a few old ships and outfit one as a pirate radio station with a powerful transmitter, a big music library and a staff fluent in the language to keep the tunes, patter, weather reports and unfiltered news going 24/7. The other ships send supplies and relief crews to the pirate station. Ensure the crews have access to arms in case the Jihadis send _real_ pirates out to stop them.

Step 2: import vast quantities of cheap radios tuned to the pirate station and smuggle them into Somali (by airdrop if necessary). Rugged solar cell radios or the type powered by hand cranks are the best ones to use. (even just highlighting the station on the dial, or engraving the frequency on the radio casing will do)

The Jihadis will be on the horns of a dilemma: they can attempt to find and shut down the broadcast station (which will take time and resources, and alienate listeners), or try to crack down on large numbers of listeners (which will take even more time and effort, and alienate the population). If they do nothing, "our" side will be shifting support away from the Jihadis as time passes.

Who do you send ideas like this to anyway? (For that matter, any radio hobbyists out there with access to a ship?)


----------



## a_majoor

The real reason Africa is in crisis and we cannot fix things. From FP (first page of a longer article):

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/02/22/africas_forever_wars?page=0,0



> *Africa's Forever Wars*
> Why the continent's conflicts never end.
> BY JEFFREY GETTLEMAN | MARCH/APRIL 2010
> 
> There is a very simple reason why some of Africa's bloodiest, most brutal wars never seem to end: They are not really wars. Not in the traditional sense, at least. The combatants don't have much of an ideology; they don't have clear goals. They couldn't care less about taking over capitals or major cities -- in fact, they prefer the deep bush, where it is far easier to commit crimes. Today's rebels seem especially uninterested in winning converts, content instead to steal other people's children, stick Kalashnikovs or axes in their hands, and make them do the killing. Look closely at some of the continent's most intractable conflicts, from the rebel-laden creeks of the Niger Delta to the inferno in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and this is what you will find.
> 
> What we are seeing is the decline of the classic African liberation movement and the proliferation of something else -- something wilder, messier, more violent, and harder to wrap our heads around. If you'd like to call this war, fine. But what is spreading across Africa like a viral pandemic is actually just opportunistic, heavily armed banditry. My job as the New York Times' East Africa bureau chief is to cover news and feature stories in 12 countries. But most of my time is spent immersed in these un-wars.
> 
> 
> I've witnessed up close -- often way too close -- how combat has morphed from soldier vs. soldier (now a rarity in Africa) to soldier vs. civilian. Most of today's African fighters are not rebels with a cause; they're predators. That's why we see stunning atrocities like eastern Congo's rape epidemic, where armed groups in recent years have sexually assaulted hundreds of thousands of women, often so sadistically that the victims are left incontinent for life. What is the military or political objective of ramming an assault rifle inside a woman and pulling the trigger? Terror has become an end, not just a means.
> 
> This is the story across much of Africa, where nearly half of the continent's 53 countries are home to an active conflict or a recently ended one. Quiet places such as Tanzania are the lonely exceptions; even user-friendly, tourist-filled Kenya blew up in 2008. Add together the casualties in just the dozen countries that I cover, and you have a death toll of tens of thousands of civilians each year. More than 5 million have died in Congo alone since 1998, the International Rescue Committee has estimated.
> 
> Of course, many of the last generation's independence struggles were bloody, too. South Sudan's decades-long rebellion is thought to have cost more than 2 million lives. But this is not about numbers. This is about methods and objectives, and the leaders driving them. Uganda's top guerrilla of the 1980s, Yoweri Museveni, used to fire up his rebels by telling them they were on the ground floor of a national people's army. Museveni became president in 1986, and he's still in office (another problem, another story). But his words seem downright noble compared with the best-known rebel leader from his country today, Joseph Kony, who just gives orders to burn.
> 
> Even if you could coax these men out of their jungle lairs and get them to the negotiating table, there is very little to offer them. They don't want ministries or tracts of land to govern. Their armies are often traumatized children, with experience and skills (if you can call them that) totally unsuited for civilian life. All they want is cash, guns, and a license to rampage. And they've already got all three. How do you negotiate with that?
> 
> The short answer is you don't. The only way to stop today's rebels for real is to capture or kill their leaders. Many are uniquely devious characters whose organizations would likely disappear as soon as they do. That's what happened in Angola when the diamond-smuggling rebel leader Jonas Savimbi was shot, bringing a sudden end to one of the Cold War's most intense conflicts. In Liberia, the moment that warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor was arrested in 2006 was the same moment that the curtain dropped on the gruesome circus of 10-year-old killers wearing Halloween masks. Countless dollars, hours, and lives have been wasted on fruitless rounds of talks that will never culminate in such clear-cut results. The same could be said of indictments of rebel leaders for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. With the prospect of prosecution looming, those fighting are sure never to give up.
> 
> How did we get here? Maybe it's pure nostalgia, but it seems that yesteryear's African rebels had a bit more class. They were fighting against colonialism, tyranny, or apartheid. The winning insurgencies often came with a charming, intelligent leader wielding persuasive rhetoric. These were men like John Garang, who led the rebellion in southern Sudan with his Sudan People's Liberation Army. He pulled off what few guerrilla leaders anywhere have done: winning his people their own country. Thanks in part to his tenacity, South Sudan will hold a referendum next year to secede from the North. Garang died in a 2005 helicopter crash, but people still talk about him like a god. Unfortunately, the region without him looks pretty godforsaken. I traveled to southern Sudan in November to report on how ethnic militias, formed in the new power vacuum, have taken to mowing down civilians by the thousands.



The last time our civilization had this problem was after the close of the "100 years war", when gangs of decomissioned mercenaries and soldiers who decided they didn't want to return to life on the farm roamed France and other parts of Europe in an orgy of rape and pillage. The only effective response at the time was the growth of powerful "royal" forces which could organize and deploy enough military resources to supress the bandidts and impose order (and taxation) again. Of course during the interim while the bandidts were being cleared out, many of these "royal" forces were being used to settle scores or even make an attempt to secure the "royal" banner for the sub commander. In France, the culmination was Louis XIV (the Sun King), who finally managed to stamp out opposition internally and use his Royal armies to subjugate large portions of Europe.

One other alternative based on European history is to encourage the growth of "walled cities", which have the ability through fortification and the use of a citizen militia to protect the city and the local hinterland, but not much more (and usually has little ability to project forces beyond, the Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta being the most notable exception).


----------



## Edward Campbell

Here, reproduced under the fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_ is an interesting commentary by author/_activist_ and now African politician Ken Wiwa (who, despite the Random House _blurb_ now lives and works in Africa):

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/africa/africas-youth-an-energy-to-liberate-or-detonate/article1560804/


> The Africa Century
> Africa’s youth: An energy to liberate or detonate
> *A half-century after much of Africa threw offf its colonial bonds, the continent swells with millions of youth. How leaders channel that potential will determine its future*
> 
> Lagos — From Saturday's Globe and Mail
> 
> Saturday, May. 08, 2010
> 
> Like most Africans nowadays, I was not yet born during the colonial era.
> 
> By 1968, most of Africa had been liberated from European rule and I entered the world in the middle of Nigeria’s civil war (its first and, to date, only one). Conventional wisdom then had it that once freed of colonial bondage, Africa would use its resource advantage to make a great leap forward. The 2000s would be Africa’s century.
> 
> Despite the subsequent decades of underdevelopment, some still believe that this will be Africa’s century.
> 
> _“Where, I wonder, are the younger, vibrant leaders who can harness the energy of Africa’s increasingly youthful, urban and restless societies? ”_
> 
> We’ve been here before – we’ve had Africa’s decade (that was the 1980s, I think), rock concerts have been thrown to save the recalcitrant continent, and world leaders have resolved to Make Poverty History. Yet even as India and China surge ahead with their double-digit growth, the likes of Bono, World Bank chief Robert Zoellick and Chevron chief executive officer David J. O’Reilly insist that Africa will be the hard drive of the new world.
> 
> This year, the World Cup of soccer will be held on African soil for the first time and 17 African countries celebrate the 50th anniversaries of their independence. These festivals of nostalgia could heighten a collective anxiety among Africans my age, about being remembered as a lost generation. In many countries, the leaders and their cronies – Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, Senegal’s Abdullah Wade – have been in power ever since those days of liberation.
> 
> Only last year, Gabon’s Omar Bongo died with his presidential boots on at the age of 73. He had been in charge of the central African country for 41 years. By the time my cohort has wrested power from these reluctant fathers, we may no longer be relevant.
> 
> Another generation is being mass-produced, surfing on a wave of technological advance, presenting a demographic time bomb that threatens to detonate everything that has gone before them. But where, I wonder, are the younger, vibrant leaders who can harness the energy of Africa’s increasingly youthful, urban and restless societies?
> 
> It was not always like this. If I rewind the Pathé Newsreels of African history, I see young Turks such as, yes, Moammar Gadhafi and Robert Mugabe, not to mention the likes of Patrice Lumumba (Congo), Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya) and Steve Biko (South Africa). There they are, all in their 20s and 30s, daring to stand up to the old order, leading their countries out of the bondage of colonialism, rejecting their parents’ institutionalized passivism and mobilizing moral outrage to separate from a Europe exhausted by the Second World War.
> 
> In memoirs such as Wole Soyinka’s colourful _Ibadan_, there’s a sense of a gilded age: The future Nobel laureate returns sheepishly from postgraduate studies in England, only to land on his feet as the creative director of Nigeria’s independence celebrations. My parents’ generation had it all to live for – access to good education at home (often created by colonial governments) or abroad, then almost invariably returning to take up good jobs in government or civil service. In the newly independent Africa, nations had to be built almost overnight, and young, educated men and women were pressed into exalted positions as generals and ministers, mapping out the future to fulfill their destinies. At the time, my father was a left-leaning provincial government official in his late 20s, a position that enabled him to cultivate a love of travelling as he visited places such as Cuba and Brazil as part of his education in administration.
> 
> Yet the seeds of the continent’s future dysfunctions had already been sown. The geopolitics of the postwar world meant that East and West would play chess with the map of Africa, propping up dictators such as Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaire (now Congo), Ethiopia’s Mengistu Haile Mariam or the notorious, flesh-eating Jean-Bédel Bokassa in the Central African Republic. The world waged its Cold War and turned its back on the African people.
> 
> Corruption and deficits of democracy, infrastructure and human development grew. Many African countries became dependent on a drip feed of aid and toxic loans while foreign corporations plundered Africa’s natural resources under the protection of repressive regime. The continent’s well-trained middle class voted with their feet, going abroad for professional fulfilment.
> 
> As a teenager in London in the 1980s, I remember excitedly going to my father with a copy of Guyanese academic Walter Rodney’s influential text _How Europe Underdeveloped Africa_. He smiled to himself, then checked my righteous fury with the tart observation that Africa had been in charge of its own destiny for some time and that Africa’s problems now were mostly of our own doing. I was deflated, especially when he took the opportunity to remind me that after my studies I needed to return home to help rebuild that failing Africa. At the time, Africa was being “structurally adjusted” by the International Monetary Fund, forced into stringent public-sector cuts in return for debt relief, a medicine some brutal military dictators took pride in force-feeding to their subjects. I was one of the lucky ones to have got out, and I couldn’t picture ever going back.
> 
> But Africa is a challenge every one of us, whether at home or in the diaspora, has to face in some shape or form. With time, my father became frustrated by the inability of Nigeria’s leaders to articulate the dreams of its people and he mobilized the Ogoni in Nigeria’s oil rich Niger Delta to protest against Shell Oil’s environmental crimes in the region during the 1990s. For that, he was arrested on trumped-up murder charges by Nigeria’s most repressive military dictator, General Sani Abacha. My father was hanged while the world crossed its arms and watched.
> 
> My own return came courtesy of an invitation of Nigeria’s then-president Olusegun Obasanjo. He was like many of his generation who had struggled to save or liberate their countries and then believed that only they had the experience and knowledge to steer the ship of state. As his Special Assistant on Peace, Reconciliation and Conflict Resolution, one of my first unofficial tasks was to try to reconcile the combative president and his equally combustible son. Along the way, Mr. Obasanjo confided in me that it was time “we prepared your generation for leadership.” At this point, he had been at the centre of Nigeria’s affairs for only 40 years.
> 
> I have spent the past four years receiving a robust education in the front lines of African government, and while my ideological framework has mellowed with age and experience, I am sometimes dismayed at the size of the task ahead of us.
> 
> Africa’s natural and human resources confirm its enduring importance to the world. Sixty per cent of the world’s natural resources reside in Africa. Water, wildlife, natural gas, petroleum, gold, land, uranium, wood, steel, coal – almost every mineral or natural resource is found in abundant quantities. But the real story is hidden in the demographics.
> 
> Average life expectancy in Africa is 46 and falling, and that is an enduring shame. But those figures do not tell the whole story. While most of Europe and North America have aging “inverse pyramid” population structures, many African countries exhibit a pyramid population structure: There are hundreds of millions of Africans under the age of 30. In the Republic of Niger, 70 per cent of its 13 million people are under 25 years old. The pattern is most evident in places such as Botswana where HIV has created a country of AIDS orphans, but even North Africa is experiencing the youth bulge, with 65 per cent of its population under 30.
> 
> The bald fact is that Africa is underpopulated. About a billion people live on a continent that could easily accommodate the land masses of continental America, China, India and Europe with room to spare. Yet Africans are still eager to get out, to go to Europe, North America or, increasingly, Asia. We are no longer shocked to hear stories of desperate African teenagers frozen to death in the landing gear of aircraft in their desperation to emigrate. After all, opportunities here are often limited to a life of petty crime or migrant labour. A young person can be a recruit to a child army or to any number of crime syndicates that operate drug traffic, diamond cartels, Internet fraud, small-arms trading, oil bunkering or prostitution rackets.
> 
> From that vantage point, the dreams of our forefathers or today’s hopes for an African century seem a long way off. But there are optimistic signs.
> 
> Until the turn of the new century, Africa was still mostly a communications backwater. In-country phone calls were hard enough, but if I wanted to call Bujumbura, Burundi’s capital, from Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, the call had to be routed through an exchange in Europe. Information moved at a geriatric pace. Now, speaking to my brothers and sisters in Accra, Nairobi or Cape Town by cellphone is routine. Additionally, the Internet has opened up Africa to Africans and the world. We no longer have to rely on the BBC World Service to tell us what is happening in our own countries.
> 
> This morning, I read a Zambian proverb that advises, “The worlds of the elders do not lock all the doors; they leave the right door open.”
> 
> I don’t know which of the 70 languages or 72 ethnic groups of Zambia it comes from. And I didn’t imbibe the tribal wisdoms of my own elders from sitting under a tree in my village. Like most Africans today, I didn’t grow up in a village or a rural setting.
> 
> _“Do any of my colleagues in government have the vision and conceptual tools to channel this youthful energy to the common good? ”_
> 
> Most Africans now live in cities, making Lagos, Johannesburg, Cairo and Kinshasa among the largest in the world. No, the African proverbs that feed my nostalgia for the calm perspective of the past in contrast to the rush of modern life come in a daily dose from my African cellphone, courtesy of Twitter.
> 
> Social media have enabled us to bypass the limitations and biases of traditional media. Here in Nigeria, websites and blogs such as SaharaReporters.com routinely publish stories no newspaper would have printed in the past. As they are everywhere else, the old orders are struggling to contain the shifting shape of this irreverent new movement.
> 
> Local distribution networks and channels are piping locally produced music and film into fertile and impressionable minds, through cable providers such as DSTV and stations such as Channel O and Africa Magic, where African actors and musicians are showcased side by side with cultural producers from the West. The film industry here – Nollywood – is only the most celebrated example.
> 
> Yet one can get carried away by the vibrant viewpoints these next-generation griots bring to the mix.
> 
> The question I keep asking myself is how these cultural networks will engage with the old political order. Do any of my colleagues in government have the vision and conceptual tools to channel this youthful energy to the common good?
> 
> One man providing an answer is Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour, an artist regarded as a conscience of his people. Only last week it was reported that he had fallen out with his long-time friend, 83-year-old President Abdoulaye Wade.
> 
> Senegal is one of the success stories of Africa, a cultural hub and a testament to what can be achieved with political stability – Mr. Wade is only its third president, a post he gained after 16 years in opposition. When I was last in Dakar, two years ago, I saw the profile of a modern, confident city, developing its natural gifts along the beautiful Atlantic coastline.
> 
> As Mr. Wade nears the end of his second term, however, there are disappointing rumours of nepotism and vanity projects, so much so that Mr. N’Dour has joined the opposition. The government recently denied a television license to his Futurs Médias group, a vehicle for a populist political movement, and the singer was able to assemble a million-strong petition in protest. This is the level of organization, combined with the freedoms afforded by the new technology, that could permit the young generation to make an impact on Africa’s political dysfunctions.
> 
> The continent is vast, rich in contradictions, complex yet simple. It is black and white, rich and poor, Muslim and Christian, north and south. It is a place that invites but defies stereotyping. As we like to say here, what you see is what you don’t get. Whether it can fulfill the claims of its boosters, only time can tell. What could be decisive is whether Africa’s leaders, new and old, learn to see the burgeoning young population as a challenge and opportunity, to be mobilized for nation building and economic success, rather than as a threat to self-serving elites.
> 
> _Author Ken Wiwa is an aide to the President of Nigeria._




Mr. Wiwa’s well known father, Ken Saro-Wiwa, was right: _most_ of Africa’s problems are the result of *African* actions or inactions, errors and omissions. Many predate colonialism, a few are the results of the colonial experience – some of which was pretty dreadful, but most have a home-grown, post-colonial, *African* source. If we are looking for a Euro-American scapegoat, however, it is, doubtless, the universities – from Moscow to Monteray – that inculcated budding African leaders with socio-economic nonsense in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. Lumumba and Mugabe didn’t become stupid without some outside help – from Russia and (White) South Africa, respectively.

Africa has potential, perhaps not as vast as Ken Wiwa suggests, but it also faces a hazardous road. I may be a natural pessimist but I expect that almost all progress will be offset by various calamities – most manmade, by Africans.


----------



## CougarKing

> *US Special forces train African armies*
> AP
> 
> 
> By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU, Associated Press Writer Alfred De Montesquiou, Associated Press Writer – Tue May 11, 1:15 am ET
> 
> KATI, Mali – A U.S. Special Forces instructor leans toward a steering wheel, showing some 50 Malian soldiers gathered around an army pickup how a passenger should take control of a car if the driver is killed in an ambush.
> 
> The elite Malian troops look on, perplexed. *"But what can we do if we don't know how to drive?" *  asks Sgt. Amadou, echoing many of his colleagues' concern.
> 
> There are a few laughs, but the Malians are not joking; most of their unit does not know how.* The lack of ability to perform such a basic task illustrates part of the huge knowledge gap the U.S. military is seeking to bridge in Africa as it trains local armies to better face the region's mounting threats.*
> The exercises Monday in Kita, a shooting range in the savanna near Mali's capital, Bamako, are but one leg of an ambitious program led by the Pentagon's Africa Command, or AFRICOM, to provide top-tier training in six African countries during three weeks this month. Over 200 "Green Berets" from the Special Operations Forces and from the U.S. Marines Special Forces have deployed in Mali, Mauritania and other countries that line the Sahara Desert's southern rims.
> 
> The yearly exercise, known as *"Flintlock," *  is being beefed-up to face traffickers and al-Qaida-linked terrorists mounting increasingly brazen operations in this vast region of porous borders and lawless tribes.
> 
> Western intelligence officers estimate some 400 heavily armed Islamist militants have made northern Mali their rear-base. A kidnapped French tourist is being held somewhere in the desert, and half-a-dozen were held hostage last year.
> 
> More worrying still for authorities, the militants, known as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, are now believed to be cooperating with traffickers who increasingly use the desert routes to carry large quantities of South American cocaine to Europe. This brings more weapons and more cash to the region, increasing the militants' potency.
> 
> Small forces from several European countries and some 500 African troops are taking part in this year's exercise, including countries that don't directly touch the desert, like Senegal.
> 
> "The point is, we've got to start getting ready for al-Qaida if they come our way," said Maj. Cheikhna Dieng, who headed 30 Senegalese soldiers taking part in Monday's exercises. "They recruit from Islamists, and that's a threat we're taking seriously," because over 90 percent of Senegal's population is Muslim, he said. Armies in the impoverished countries that militants and traffickers cross are usually no match for the outlaws' heavily armed columns, and vast swathes of eastern Mauritania, northern Mali and Niger, and southern Algeria are now considered no-go zones.
> 
> But Mali's army plans to reclaim its part of the area in the coming months, said Capt. Ongoiba Alou, the commander of the embryonic Malian Special Forces. "The whole purpose of the exercise is for our troops to be able to fight the terrorists," he said.
> 
> That most of his unit training Monday can't drive is a sign of Mali's lack of funds, Alou says.
> 
> "These are our elite troops," he said, stating they'd proven their worth in combat during clashes with a rebellion of ethnic Tuareg nomads that ended a few years ago in the volatile north.
> 
> Most of the Malian Special Forces, formed at the American's prodding, come from paratrooper units. But they lack training, and one paratrooper died last week during a Flintlock parachuting exercise. An investigation is still under way, but Malian and U.S. officers said it seemed the trooper had somehow knocked his head against the plane as he was jumping.
> 
> Shooting in live fire exercises and jumping from planes can be challenging for poorly trained and poorly equipped armies in a patchwork of uniforms like Mali's, but U.S. soldiers say they find the troops very motivated.
> 
> "Training with them is also an outstanding opportunity to build contact," said Capt. Shane West, the U.S. Special Forces team leader who headed the exercise.
> 
> Malian and American authorities have given orders for the U.S. Special Forces to only conduct training, and none will launch real operations during Flintlock, West said.
> 
> "We're essentially here to help our host nation handle whatever situation it needs to," he said. "And we're taking it step by step."
> 
> link


----------



## Edward Campbell

This article, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the _Asia Times_, is three years old but it gives a good, American, overview of what China was doing:

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/IF08Ad03.html


> Military backs China's Africa adventure
> 
> By Susan Puska
> 
> Of all the elements of growing national power China now wields to promote its national interests in Africa, its military's role raises the most anxiety. Beijing's Africa strategy to promote China's economic (resource access and trade) and political (one-China recognition) interests explicitly tie in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to support overall peace and security for its interests in Africa.
> 
> The strategy tasks the PLA with conducting high-level and technological military cooperation and exchanges, training African military personnel and "support[ing] defense and army building" in African countries. [1] Additionally, the PLA and police support China's Africa strategy through participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (PKO), and non-traditional missions, such as combating terrorism, small-arms smuggling, drug trafficking and transnational economic crimes.
> 
> Consequently, the PLA now maintains a growing military presence on the African continent. Estimates range from approximately 1,200 soldiers, including PKO forces, to more than 5,000. [2] Its military-to-military contacts extend throughout the continent, reaching at least 43 countries to provide a network of military relations from which to shape its future role in Africa.
> 
> *Defense attache representation*
> 
> Chinese Embassy defense attache offices throughout Africa provide the diplomatic foundation for China's military contacts. Accredited defense attaches link the PLA to host country militaries. Defense attache duties vary, but as a minimum, they report on local matters from a military and/or security perspective and facilitate contacts with local armed forces. China currently maintains bilateral diplomatic military relations with at least 25 African countries, spread across the main regions of the continent.
> 
> At least 14 of the 107 Chinese military attache offices worldwide are in African countries. Collectively, these offices hold at least 30 accredited military officers, in addition to support personnel. They are located in Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Tunisia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
> 
> In Beijing, 18 African countries maintain permanent defense attache offices. [2] Six of these offices were directly reciprocal: Algeria (which has continuously maintained a defense attache in Beijing since January 1971), Egypt, Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The 11 remaining countries that do not have known Chinese resident equivalents in Africa include Burundi, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire), Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Niger, South Africa and Tanzania.
> 
> Since 1985, China has almost doubled the number of defense attache offices worldwide from 59 to 107. [4] In Africa, however, the number of Chinese defense attache offices increased quite modestly from only nine to 14, maintaining an average of 15% of all of China's attache offices over the past 20 years. In contrast, China has a defense attache office in practically every capital in Europe.
> 
> *Reported defense-to-military activities*
> 
> China divides its primary bilateral military activities with foreign countries into four main categories: [5]
> 
> *1. Major military exchanges*. Between 2001 and 2006, Chinese military leaders visited Africa over 30 times, touring virtually every country that recognizes China. These visits often included more than one country, but several of the countries received multiple stopovers by Chinese military leaders.
> 
> Of these, Egypt, by far, welcomed the highest number of Chinese senior delegations - 15 during the course of these six years. Additionally, China's still rare naval ship visits have included stops in Africa. Rear Admiral Huang Jiang led the first PLA Navy (PLAN) ship visit, consisting of the Shenzhen, China's newest Luhai-class guided missile destroyer at the time, and the Nancang supply ship to Africa in July 2000. A 2002 naval ship visit by a fleet composed of a guided missile destroyer, the Qingdao, and a supply ship, the Taicang, included Egypt.
> 
> *2. Chinese bilateral security consultations*. Between 2001 and 2006 China conducted 110 bilateral security-related meetings and consultations. The number of biannual bilateral defense-related talks jumped from 33 between 2003 and 2004, to 46 during 2005 and 2006. Despite this overall increase, South Africa is the only African country that holds security consultations with China. [6] South Africa and China initiated the Meeting of the Sino-South African Defense Committee on April 2003 in Pretoria, where Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of the General Staff, represented the Chinese. Since then, South Africa and China have had three subsequent meetings that have alternated between South Africa and China. The most recent meeting was held in December 2006 in Pretoria.
> 
> *3. Joint exercises*. Between August 2005 and December 2006, China conducted joint military exercises (including maritime search and rescue and counter-terrorism scenarios) with India, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the United States. No African states have yet been included in the joint exercises with China, either bilaterally or multilaterally.
> 
> *4. Peacekeeping operations*. China has participated in United Nations PKOs since 1990. [7] As of March, China ranked 13th as a contributor of military and police to UN missions worldwide. Its support includes 1,572 troops, 63 military observers and 174 police. During this same period, Pakistan ranked first with over 10,000 personal; the United States ranked 43rd. [8] China's largest contributions include the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (343), and three of the six African PKO missions:
> 
> _United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS)_  - Established in March 2005 to support the implementation of the January 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army. It was expanded in August 2006 to include the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement. UNMIS provides some humanitarian assistance, as well as protection and promotion of human rights. China contributes 446 of the 8,766 soldiers, nine of the 662 police, and 14 of the 599 military observers.
> 
> _United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI)_  - Established in April 2004 to facilitate the implementation of the peace agreement signed by Ivorian parties in January 2003. China contributes seven out of the 200 military observers. UNOCI also includes 7,854 soldiers and 1,187 police.
> 
> _United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)_  - Established in September 2003 to support the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, it protects UN staff, facilities and civilians; supports humanitarian and human rights activities; and assists in national security reform, including national police training and the formation of a restructured military. China contributes 565 out of the13,841 soldiers, 18 of the1,201 police and three of the 214 military observers.
> 
> _United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)_  - Established in November 1999 to support the implementation of the Lusaka Accord, its current mission is to carry out disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, resettlement and reintegration. The final phase of its mission, concurrently in  process, is to facilitate transition to "credible" elections. China contributes 218 of the 16,594 soldiers and 12 of the 713 military observers. The mission also has 1,029 police.
> 
> _United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE)_  - Established in July 2000 to verify the ceasefire agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia, brokered by Algeria and the Organization of African Unity. China contributes seven of the 202 military observers. The mission also has 1,594 soldiers.
> 
> _United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)_  - The mission was set up in September 1991 to monitor the ceasefire between the Government of Morocco and the Frente Polisario, and to organize and conduct a referendum on the territory's status. The UN mandate was recently extended until October 2007. [9] China contributes 13 of the 195 military observers. MINURSO also includes 28 soldiers and six police.
> 
> *Other Chinese military activities in Africa*
> 
> China's military-military activities in Africa also include working-level professional contacts, such as military aid and assistance to local militaries in the form of "donations" and technical support, training and exchanges; arms-sales related support; and professional education. Military cooperation in Africa has almost exclusively focused on bilateral cooperation, but in 2003 China participated in a multilateral military environmental protection conference hosted by South Africa, which may indicate a future direction for multilateral military engagement in selected areas. [10]
> 
> China's military-to-military activities in Africa, including defense attache presence, naval ship visits, arms sales and other missions to support military cooperation can be expected to expand to keep pace with China's growing national interests throughout the region. An increase in its diplomatic military representation and overall presence may inadvertently be encouraged by the establishment of the new United States Africa Combatant Command, if China feels a new combatant command impinges on China's security interests in the region.
> 
> If China's limited number of defense attache offices in Africa does grow, the potential list of countries would likely begin among the 11 that have already established offices in Beijing, but lack a reciprocal counterpart in Africa, as discussed above. Resource access and associated security needs would likely influence any expansion of China's defense attache offices in Africa. Four of the six countries that China currently maintains reciprocal, resident defense attache offices with - Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and Sudan - are among those countries that China has interests in petroleum and other resources. Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, which are among the main producers of petroleum in Africa and already have established defense attache offices in Beijing, would be logical additions.
> 
> Military and naval ship visits are also expected to develop. China may enter into agreements with African countries beyond South Africa to establish bilateral defense consultations, and joint exercises under the framework of anti-terrorist or maritime safety scenarios could be an outcome of China's increased military capability and overall interest in Africa.
> 
> Finally, China will increasingly be challenged to respond to security threats to Chinese property and personnel in the region that may necessitate a re-evaluation of the role of China's military. The recent kidnappings and killings of Chinese workers in Ethiopia and Nigeria painfully demonstrated that China can no longer depend on local security forces to protect its oil interests (personnel and facilities) in areas such as Ethiopia and the Niger Delta.
> 
> Potential attacks by local insurgents, criminals, and even terrorists, demand skilled defense practitioners. The PLA could provide this either directly and openly in tailored military units with or without Chinese police force participation, through quasi-military or "outsourced" rent-a-soldier security entities that would be manned by trained soldiers who may retain loose association with the PLA as demobilized soldiers, or through other mechanisms based on negotiations with the host African countries.
> 
> *Implications for the US*
> 
> While China's military-to-military contacts with Africa have been quite modest, anxiety over China's activities in Africa exceeds the present extent of military activities for several reasons. Among these are questions about China's future military capabilities and its intentions in the region. China's arms sale practices, particularly to Sudan, demonstrate its willingness to look the other way when sovereign states commit genocide and persecution of its citizenry, if it serves China's national interests - in this case, access to oil. Even as China has responded to international pressure to nudge the Sudanese regime toward the settlement of the Darfur crisis, it is woefully late.
> 
> Furthermore, China's newfound support for the resolution of the Darfur tragedy may be short-lived and ineffective, merely a tactical move to counter the bad press that could overshadow the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. There is certainly no indication China will fundamentally reassess its indiscriminant arms sale practices in Sudan.
> 
> Although China is not alone in placing its national interests and growing demand for resources above the interests of African states, China's modern self-identity as a leader of the developing world moralistically insists it could never exploit weaker states. As its power and wealth grow, however, China will be increasingly judged for its actions.
> 
> The implications for United States interests in Africa need not lead to a confrontational competition in response to China's growing military profile. There is plenty of work to do in Africa, and the Africans themselves will ultimately decide what courses to follow. China has a constructive role to play in Africa and provides both a useful model for the successful modernization of a developing country, and also has a long-standing relationship, including military-to-military contacts, with many nations on the continent.
> 
> The United States and others will do well to continue to press China on issues of concern, such as Darfur, but also to look for opportunities to work bilaterally and multilaterally with China and its military in the region.
> 
> *Notes*
> 
> 1. "China's African Policy", Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of South Africa, January 2006.
> 2. For the high end of this estimate, see Peter Brookes and Ji Hye Shin, "China's Influence in Africa: Implications for the United States", Backgrounder, No 1916, The Heritage Foundation, February 22, 2003. Estimates of 1,200 soldiers are based primarily on UN PKO statistics, as of March 2007, and an estimate of Chinese military attache representation throughout the continent.
> 3. Information is accurate as of March 2007. Beijing Military Attache Corps in Beijing.
> 4. China's National Defense in 2006; directory of PRC military personalities, October 2006; Kenneth W Allen and Eric A McVadon, China's Foreign Military Relations, Report No 32, The Henry Stimson Center, Washington, DC, October 1999.
> 5. The 2004 and 2006 National Defense White Papers provide detailed information on China's military-to-military activities by country and type of contact. Available online.
> 6. Among African countries, it is highly likely that China also conducts ongoing bilateral defense consultations with Sudan and, possibly Zimbabwe, as a minimum to support arms sales.
> 7. United Nations Peacekeeping, website and Appendix V, China's National Defense in 2006, Information Office of the Sate Council of the People's Republic of China, December 2006, Beijing.
> 8. Contribution statistics are accurate as of March 2007. Availableonline.
> 9. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1754 (2007) adopted by the Security Council on April 30, 2007.
> 10. Attendee List of the August 4-8, 2003, Military Integrated Environmental Management Conference is available online.
> 
> _*Colonel Susan M Puska* (retired) is a former US Army attache. She currently works for Defense Group, Inc, in Washington, DC.[/b]
> 
> (This article first appeared in The Jamestown Foundation. Used with permission.)
> 
> (Copyright 2007 The Jamestown Foundation.)_


_ 

Although UN missions come and go, nothing I have heard/read indicates that China is doing any less in Africa. I would be surprised if they are not doing more and more.

My impression is that the Chinese are persuaded by Joseph Nye’s Sofy Power and it appears to me that they are applying a balanced mix of hard and soft power in Africa because Africa matters to them – matters more to them than it does to us, I think.
_


----------



## The Bread Guy

Mods - if you think this works better elsewhere, be my guest to move, and thanks!

This from the Department of Finance:


> The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today announced the Government of Canada will forgive nearly $24 million owed by the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) through the Canadian Debt Initiative (CDI). With this relief, Canada has now cancelled close to $1 billion of debt owed by the world’s poorest and most heavily indebted countries through the CDI.
> 
> “Canada’s debt relief program continues to support nations that have demonstrated a commitment to invest in the current needs of their citizens, even as they struggle with the debt burdens of their past,” said Minister Flaherty. “Today’s debt relief announcement will free up more resources that can be better invested in the health and education of the Republic of Congo’s citizens.”
> 
> The Republic of Congo is the 14th country to meet all of the debt relief requirements of the CDI, under which $1.3 billion in debt will be forgiven once all eligible countries have completed the process. The CDI provides 100 per cent cancellation of bilateral debt owed to Canada for countries that have fulfilled all of the requirements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank-led Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative.
> 
> Minister Flaherty also announced that the Government of Canada will stop collecting all bilateral debt repayments from Côte d’Ivoire, in recognition of the country’s efforts towards economic reform under its current IMF and World Bank programs. This moratorium will continue until Côte d’Ivoire reaches the completion point under the HIPC Initiative, at which time all remaining debt owed to Canada will be cancelled.
> 
> Today’s announcement is a further example of Canada’s track record of accountability and honouring its international commitments, a key theme of Canada’s G8 and G20 Summit year. Through Budget 2010, Canada fulfilled its commitment to double international assistance from the 2002 level this fiscal year, and has already met its commitment to double aid to Africa. Canada has also boosted by $22 billion its support to international financial institutions, such as the IMF and World Bank, which assist nations still coping with the global economic and financial crisis. This includes Canada’s offer to provide US$2.6 billion to the African Development Bank, which will increase the Bank’s lending capacity by 75 per cent in 2010.


----------



## Jarnhamar

It's like the Oprah show.
YOU get a million dollars
YOU get a million dollars 
YOU get a million dollars.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Reviving this necrothread with a new, more-than-one-country development....



> Canada is set to play a leading role in a new anti-terror organization to be launched by President Barack Obama in New York this fall — the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the city.
> 
> The Global Counter-terrorism Forum is the U.S. President’s initiative to create diplomatic alternatives to military interventions such as Iraq and Afghanistan and strengthen the international consensus in the fight against terror.
> 
> As part of the new effort, to be unveiled formally in late September, Canada will co-chair a working group seeking to prevent terrorism in the mid-African Sahel region, one of a number of such groups in the organization. The aim is to share information and improve co-operation in the prevention and prosecution of terrorism.
> 
> Representatives from nearly 40 countries met in Istanbul last April to draw up a draft political declaration and devise rules and procedures for the new secretariat, which will be based in Washington.
> 
> It will differ from the existing United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee, in that it is expected it will have the resources to build capacity in areas like the Sahel and the Horn of Africa — for example by strengthening criminal prosecution systems and countering violent extremism among potential “homegrown” terrorists.
> 
> Neither the U.S. State Department nor the Department of Foreign Affairs would offer any comment on the new organization.
> 
> It is not clear whether Canada will increase its spending on anti-terrorism measures — it may simply divert existing money from its $8-million Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building program or from the $78-million Global Peace and Security Fund ....


Source:  _National Post_, 13 Jul 11


----------



## Kirkhill

Not related to this perhaps?:



> Canada considering international bases: MacKay
> ......
> A report in Montreal newspaper Le Devoir said the Canadian Forces is negotiating to set up bases under a program known as the Operational Support Hubs Network. They've reportedly already completed negotiations with Germany and Jamaica, and are in talks with Kuwait, *Senegal, Kenya or Tanzania*, Singapore and South Korea.
> .....



Senegal (Francophonie-Foreign Legion) on the west coast and Kenya (Commonwealth-British Army & RN) on the east coast bracket the SAHEL and the left flank of the Islamic arc - the more Europeanized and Berber end as opposed to the Asiatic Persian Arab end.

How do Leos and LAVs run in soft sand?


----------



## OldSolduer

So when are we headed to South Sudan?


----------



## sean m

It seems that things are improving in South Sudan. They are now a part of the UN. Even though there still seems to be a lot of work to be done, it seems other countries need military aide more than South Sudan ex; Somalia, Nigeria, Chad, and Tanzania. Here is an article from the foreign policy institute about radical Islam in Tanzania.

http://www.fpri.org/enotes/201104.glickman.islamismsubsaharanafrica.html



			
				Jim Seggie said:
			
		

> So when are we headed to South Sudan?


----------



## Edward Campbell

sean m said:
			
		

> It seems that things are improving in South Sudan. They are now a part of the UN. Even though there still seems to be a lot of work to be done, it seems other countries need military aide more than South Sudan ex; Somalia, Nigeria, Chad, and Tanzania. Here is an article from the foreign policy institute about radical Islam in Tanzania.
> 
> http://www.fpri.org/enotes/201104.glickman.islamismsubsaharanafrica.html




Oh, yeah! That will help a lot ...  :


----------



## Kirkhill

You can't find a map of South Sudan yet because the borders have not yet been agreed.

Totonto Star July 11 2011



> ....As South Sudan gets ready to stand on its own, it’s faced with several security threats, including rebel attacks against the army, and inter-tribal warfare that can often kill dozens, even hundreds, at a time.
> 
> But the biggest concern for the army, still a guerilla force for the most part, appears to be what it calls an expected incursion by the Sudan Armed Forces and their anti-SPLA rebel proxies.
> 
> “They are preparing to occupy several areas of the border of South Sudan,” Col. Philip Aguer, the army spokesperson, told the Star. “We expect the SAF to attack us in these areas using militias and their own forces.”
> 
> South Sudan is breaking away after decades of civil war with Khartoum, which it fought over discrimination and extreme governmental neglect. About 2.5 million people died. A peace agreement was signed in 2005 that led the way to a referendum and secession.
> 
> The attacks, Aguer maintained, could happen anytime, either before or after independence. But he said they’re more likely before Saturday, because the idea would be to capture territory before the proclamation of independence.
> 
> “Once South Sudan declares (independence) with its current territory, it will be harder to make territorial claims later. It’s the same mentality they used to occupy Abyei,” he argued.
> 
> In May, Northern forces violently entered Abyei, a hotly contested region that borders both North and South. About 100,000 civilians fled for their lives. A recent peace deal signed in Ethiopia plans for Ethiopian peacekeepers to deploy to the region to ensure the two sides remain separated.
> 
> Others are more skeptical that the North will launch such a provocation, particularly at this sensitive time, which would lead to a vocal international reaction.
> 
> On the other hand, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s aggression in Abyei, and more recently, South Kordofan state, suggest otherwise. In that Northern state, the government says it’s trying to disarm SPLA-elements and sympathizers. But several humanitarian accounts point to the bombing and execution of civilians.
> 
> Bashir also recently said that war is “likely” with the South.
> 
> There are five disputed areas all along the border between Sudan and South Sudan. The North has already occupied three of them since taking Abyei, said Fouad Hikmat, Horn of Africa Project Director for the International Crisis Group.
> 
> The SPLA is also “monitoring” the movements of renegade militia leader George Athor, a former SPLA lieutenant-general now fighting the army. The Southern army believes Athor will try to seize the Adar oilfields in Upper Nile state, or perhaps even the state capital of Malakal.
> 
> The Southern government believes the North is arming the militias. The North denies this......



And the contiguous Darfur problem has not been resolved.


----------



## OldSolduer

Interesting report from Somalia:

http://news.ca.msn.com/world/somalia-famine-has-killed-tens-of-thousands


----------



## The Bread Guy

What could Canada do in South Sudan?


> .... Canada has much to offer. Its recent lead mediation role in the “Dubai Process” supporting peace-building in Afghanistan stands out as a future potential Canadian contribution to international peace operations. This experience has also demonstrated the contribution Canada can make to complex mediation, a process that will no doubt be required to underpin many of the challenges facing the newly independent state.
> 
> Canada’s active and influential role in the Commonwealth of Nations is also significant. The Commonwealth provides a strong foundation that could serve as the basis of any mediated discussions; a foundation that clearly articulates and represents the core values of its member states that, not surprisingly, include a number of South Sudan’s close regional neighbours, such as Uganda and Kenya. Indeed, one could argue that South Sudan should be a contender for Commonwealth membership. Its roots and future speak to what Commonwealth values of democracy, rule of law, development and capacity building could mean. The Commonwealth Secretariat in London and neighbouring African Commonwealth partners should be on this file ....


Source:  _National Post_, 12 Aug 11


----------



## CountDC

Jim Seggie said:
			
		

> So when are we headed to South Sudan?



Will according to my son the U.S. and Canada are headed for the Congo now that they have pulled out of Iraq and we have pulled out of Afghanistan. Of course it makes sense as the U.S. wants to protect all their Gold and Diamond Mines there and Canada will naturally help them.  Did I mention he also believes the U.S. went after the wrong person when they went after Suddam Husien for terrorism?  sigh


----------



## The Bread Guy

AFRICOM's boss appears worried about greater co-operation between terrorist groups in Africa....


> The general who leads U.S. Africa Command said Wednesday he is worried that three terrorist groups based on the continent are attempting to share training and to collaborate in other ways in pursuit of their goal of attacking the United States and other foreign targets.
> 
> Army Gen. Carter Ham told a group of reporters that each of the three — al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb, Somalia-based al-Shabaab and Boko Haram — poses a “significant threat” not only in the areas in which they operate but also to the United States.
> 
> “Those three organizations have very explicitly and publicly voiced an intent to target Westerners and the U.S. specifically,” Ham said. “I have questions about their ability to do so; I have no question about their intent to do so, and that to me is very worrying.”
> 
> An even bigger concern, he said, is that the three are looking for ways to work together more closely. He said this is most apparent in efforts by al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb, which is focused mainly on North Africa, and Boko Haram, a radical Muslim sect that wants strict Shariah law in Nigeria ....


_Army Times_, 14 Sept 11


----------



## The Bread Guy

Ooooh, I can just imagine what the headlines over at rabble.ca would look like here....


> *Somalia's Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali during a stop in Toronto on Tuesday appealed to Canada for military trainers and financial aid to stabilize his country.
> 
> "We need these because security institutions are essential to law and order," he said in comments to the daily Globe and Mail.*
> 
> "We also need logistical support -- communication, transportation, even providing salary in the short term -- so that once we have a bigger, broader tax base we will be able to provide salaries for our soldiers. We need a lot of financial help." ....


Agence France-Presse, 19 Sept 11

This from a _Globe & Mail_ Q&A with the Somali PM:


> .... *You spoke of the need for more military and police trainers in Somalia, and suggested this is an area where Canada could specifically contribute. Aren’t there already such trainers in Somalia?*
> 
> No, we don’t have those. Not inside Somalia. The European Union is providing some training for the Somali national army. They are training outside the country but we don’t have American, British or Canadian trainers. We need these because security institutions are essential to law and order. We also need logistical support – communication, transportation, even providing salary in the short term – so that once we have a bigger, broader tax base we will be able to provide salaries for our soldiers. We need a lot of financial help ....


----------



## The Bread Guy

> Canada’s help could be critical in assisting the development of a “new roadmap” for the Darfur peace process, the head of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur, Joint Special Representative Ibrahim Gambari, said in talks with senior Canadian Government officials during a three-day visit to Ottawa.
> 
> Canada has been a major backer of peacekeeping efforts in Darfur and in particular of the two-year peace process among the parties to the Darfur conflict in Doha, Qatar. In addition to leading UNAMID, the AU-UN peacekeeping mission, JSR Gambari is also the interim Chief Joint Mediator in the Darfur peace talks.
> 
> “Canada has played an important and substantial role in the development of a comprehensive peace in Darfur,” JSR Gambari told Margaret Biggs, president of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in a meeting Wednesday. “We now have a unique opportunity for a new beginning, an enduring peace and a way forward towards a better future for all Darfuris.” ....


UNAMID news release, 7 Oct 11


----------



## cupper

Interesting move.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-sends-troops-to-africa-to-help-fight-guerrilla-group/2011/10/14/gIQA0o7LkL_story.html?hpid=z1

President Obama said Friday he is sending a small number of U.S. combat troops to central Africa to assist in a regional effort to neutralize the Lord’s Resistance Army, a guerrilla force originally from northern Uganda that has been accused of terrorizing civilians in several countries.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Obama announced the deployment of “approximately 100” combat-equipped personnel to act as “advisers to partner forces” that are targeting the leadership of the insurgent group.


----------



## Old Sweat

Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry (with the usual caveat re accuracy) which includes the US troop deployment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord's_Resistance_Army


----------



## Colin Parkinson

If there is one asshole in this world that needs killing, it's the leader of the LRA, the things he has done to childern and made them do to others is chilling.


----------



## BadgerTrapper

I don't normally get involved on an emotional level with these things. However, It's about god damned time. Joseph Kony needs to die, that man lives to kill, maim and make war. do you guys think that a Canadian unit might get sent? I.e. CSOR or JTF-2?


----------



## PuckChaser

BadgerTrapper said:
			
		

> do you guys think that a Canadian unit might get sent? I.e. CSOR or JTF-2?



If they did, you'd never know about it, so speculating here is frivolous.


----------



## FlyingDutchman

I hope the assistance puts a quick end to this.


----------



## tomahawk6

All they need is a support team for the Predators.  ;D


----------



## a_majoor

Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia and now this

Say, is that Bush fellow still President? There seem to be "endless wars" going on under this administration....


----------



## GnyHwy

Forgive my ignorance, but are guerrillas bad or good?

Maybe redefine the word.


----------



## cupper

GnyHwy said:
			
		

> Forgive my ignorance, but are guerrillas bad or good?
> 
> Maybe redefine the word.



Furry ones Good. ;D


Ones carrying guns Bad! 


(and yes I know they are spelled differently)


----------



## 57Chevy

Kony proclaims himself the “spokesperson” of God. 

Kony is on the Specially Designated Global Terrorists list


Josephn Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army: a primer
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/obama-deploys-combat-forces-to-fight-lords-resistance-army-in-central-africa/2011/10/14/gIQAYB8KkL_blog.html

video at link (Warning there are graphic images in the movie.)


----------



## OldSolduer

57Chevy said:
			
		

> Kony is on the Specially Designated Global Terrorists list
> 
> 
> [



Lets hope someone Specially Designates a Hellfire or 7.62 NATO into his specially designated a$$.


----------



## aesop081

R2P : Responsibility To Project ?


----------



## 57Chevy

57Chevy said:
			
		

> Specially Designated Global Terrorists list



Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) is a now discarded designation under US terrorism and terrorist funding sanctions regulations.

The designation has been superseded by the similar Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.

Specially Designated Nationals List
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specially_Designated_Nationals_(SDN)#Specially_Designated_Nationals_List


of which he is #11018 specially designated national a$$
Instant OFAC searches at link


----------



## Fishbone Jones

cupper said:
			
		

> Furry ones Good. ;D
> 
> 
> Ones carrying guns Bad!
> 
> 
> (and yes I know they are spelled differently)



 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74-WSM0xTyE


----------



## cupper

recceguy said:
			
		

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74-WSM0xTyE



 :rofl::goodpost:

Like I said, the ones with guns, BAD. But funny!


----------



## a_majoor

This is the unintended (?) consequence of the R2P idea; penny packets of troops sent on a potentially hopeless mission for no obvious reason involving the nationa interest:

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/10/why-is-obama-sending-troops-against-the-lords-resistance-army/246748/



> *Why Is Obama Sending Troops Against the Lord's Resistance Army?*
> OCT 14 2011, 5:23 PM ET 134
> The pseudo-Christian terror cult has enslaved 66,000 children in its 20-year campaign across several countries in Central Africa, but it poses no threat to the U.S. or its interests
> 
> When the Lord's Resistance Army showed up in the Central African Republican village of Obo in 2008, everyone who refused to join them was killed. One of the men they scooped up, Daba Emmanuel, would spend the next year as one of the LRA's slave-soldiers. Indoctrinated, abused, and eventually forced to perform raids like the one against Obo, he survived to tell journalist Graeme Wood his story. "We killed the old immediately, and kept the young for work," Emmanuel said.
> 
> Recalling one raid on a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he told Wood that his small LRA faction began by gathering all the villagers together. "We put them into the church and closed the doors," Emmanuel remembered. They'd been ordered to steal supplies and find new children to make into slaves. "We entered only to choose some small girls and boys. The rest we burnt." They killed anyone who tried to escape with machetes, logs, or stones -- new recruits like Emmanuel were not trusted with rifles. As with similar groups, it's children who make the most loyal soldiers -- once their home has been destroyed, their language forgotten, and their religion replaced with a cult-like worship of LRA leader Joseph Kony, betrayal or escape is much less likely.
> 
> Part insurgency and part cult, the Lord's Resistance Army has waged a 20-year campaign of terror across Uganda, where it originally formed in opposition to the government there, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and Sudan. It raids villages, massacres for no other purpose than bloodlust, enslaves child soldiers and child sex slaves, drugs its captives to make them more violent, all in an apparently endless mission that has destroyed countless villages and killed thousands of civilians, transforming one of the world's least governed spaces into one of its most dangerous.
> 
> A 2009 U.S. law authorizing financial support to Uganda against the LRA cites studies finding the LRA had abducted 66,000 children and displaced two million civilians. Last year, Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth -- no hawk -- called on Obama to use U.S. military force against the Lord's Resistance Army. Roth cited the group's overwhelming humanitarian toll, its small size, and (unlike, for example, the Taliban) its extreme unpopularity among the populations it terrorizes.
> 
> The U.S. already supplies intelligence and a few million dollars to the Ugandan government in its totally failed quest to stop the LRA and to capture Joseph Kony, who is under indictment for war crimes from the International Criminal Court. On Friday, President Obama announced he would be sending approximately 100 U.S. combat troops to "act as advisors to partner forces that have the goal of removing from the battlefield Joseph Kony and other senior leadership of the LRA. Our forces will provide information, advice, and assistance to select partner nation forces." Special forces will be among them. The troops will not fire unless fired upon, but they will be able to provide much-need intelligence and organizational support to the Ugandan forces; they will also provide an important check on Uganda's troops, who might be tempted toward less-than-legal behavior as they crash around Central Africa.
> 
> Kony may be barking mad -- he performs bizarre rituals and claims to fight for "the Ten Commandments" -- but he has survived for two decades, outnumbered and outmatched by every metric, on little more than his ideology and his wits. "Kony is a brilliant tactician & knows the terrain better than anybody. He surrounds himself with scouts who have what amounts to an early warning system, which is how he's eluded capture for so long," Morehouse College assistant professor and Central Africa expert Laura Seay warned on twitter. "Kony also operates in some of the least-governed areas of the world's weakest states. Many of these places have no roads, infrastructure. All of this adds up for a potential mess for US troops, who don't know the terrain & can't count on host government troops to be helpful or even to fight. This will not be easy for only 100 US forces to carry out, especially given language barriers." Seay also points out that Kony uses children as human shield -- and as much of his fighting force -- making any direct action ethically and morally difficult.
> 
> Obama's decision to send 100 troops is a microscopically small deployment compared to the broader U.S. military diaspora: hundreds of thousands of troops in dozens of countries. The list of countries with around 100 or more U.S. troops might surprise you: Colombia, Thailand, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, and Djibouti, to name a few. That list would probably be a lot longer if it included special forces deployment. Last year, Marc Ambinder reported that Obama had approved special forces bases and operations across the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and Central Asia. But those operations, large and small, target terrorist groups and rogue states that threaten the U.S. -- something the Lord's Resistance Army could not possibly do.
> 
> If this if the humanitarian mission that the Obama administration says it is, and if it achieves the humanitarian goals it is setting out to achieve, it would be harder to find a more suitable target than the Lord's Resistance Army. Since World War Two, the U.S. has often presented its military, overwhelmingly the most powerful on Earth, as a force for good and global stability. In execution, it has been a force for furthering U.S., not global, interests -- just like every other national military. Some U.S. military actions, such as the intervention in Libya or the toppling of the Taliban in Afghanistan, were sold as efforts for global peace, and that was probably part of the motivation, but they were also designed to promote American interests: to remove threats and replace them with friendly faces.
> 
> It's difficult to find a U.S. interest at stake in the Lord's Resistance Army's campaign of violence. The group could go on killing and enslaving for decades -- as they well might -- and the American way of life would continue chugging along. It's possible that there's some immediate U.S. interest at stake we can't obviously see. Maybe, for example, Uganda is offering the U.S. more help with peacekeeping and counterterrorism in East Africa, where the U.S. does have concrete interests, in exchange for the troops. But it certainly looks like a primarily or purely humanitarian military mission, if a very small one. The Obama administration is hoping that these 100 troops will succeed where past U.S. assistance against the LRA -- intelligence, satellite images, fuel, and millions of dollars -- has failed. Maybe they will and maybe they won't. But this seems to suggest a small but important shift in how, where, and why the U.S. uses applies military force.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Just an FYI - if you want to keep track of the LRA in Uganda, there appears to be a web page devoted to sharing that kind of information:
http://www.lracrisistracker.com/#updates


----------



## The Bread Guy

More on Operation Crocodile (Canada's contribution to the U.N.'s Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or MONUSCO in French) here


> The senior Canadian soldier serving in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo says it's unclear whether the worst of the post-election violence in the country has passed.
> 
> But Col. Rick Fawcett said it is clear that Canada has a role to play in helping the Central Africa country develop.
> 
> Fawcett, 51, is head of a contingent of nine Canadian soldiers serving with a decade-old, United Nations peacekeeping force in the Central African country.
> 
> UN troops were instrumental in readying the country for its second-ever presidential and legislative elections in November.
> 
> But Fawcett, who led the preparations, said the country itself wasn't logistically prepared for the challenge.
> 
> The Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world, with few roads, railways or other infrastructure available to move election materials from town to town.
> 
> "The panic we went through through the whole month of November just was unbelievable, what we had to do to make this happen," Fawcett said in a telephone interview from Kinshasa.
> 
> "History will determine if it happened good enough." ....


The Canadian Press, 3 Jan 12


----------



## The Bread Guy

With all the push from ceasefire.ca and Steve Staples for Canada to become a "peacekeeper" and not as offensive a forces, we now see this:


> Earlier this month, civil conflict in South Sudan between the Murle and Nuer tribes resulted in the deaths of hundreds or possibly thousands of Murle people. A UN source said the number might be as high as 1,000, while a local Murle official estimated the number of deaths to be as high as 3,000 (Jeffrey Gettleman, “Born in Unity, South Sudan Is Torn Again,” New York Times, 12 January 2012).
> 
> A UN peacekeeping mission, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), is present to assist the government of the country, which achieved independence from Sudan in July 2011, in establishing peace and stability. However, as the New York Times reported, the peacekeepers seem to have been of little benefit to the civilians targeted in the recent violence ....


Gee, maybe if the forces in question were able to and allowed to shoot back if the bad guys aren't following the rules, the civilians may have had better protection?  Oh, wait, would that be in line with being a "peacekeeper"?  

 :


----------



## The Bread Guy

Longish, but worthwhile read, especially by those keen on "blue helmetting" Canada into Africa in largish numbers - this summary from an eclectic reading aggregator site is good:


> Why so many small wars in Africa? Because barriers to insurrection have fallen very low. No more colonial powers or superpowers to intervene. Anyone with a satphone can get publicity. If you need troops, just drug some children


----------



## a_majoor

This video has gone viral (I drove across Ontario today and every radio station from London to Pet had something to say about it), but as the article shows, this is another example of "feel good" activism, and probably a way to make lots of money to boot ($30 for a "kit"?). Back in the 1920's and 30's, people would actually go out and fight for their causes, like the International Brigades who fought in the Spanish Civil War, or Normane Bethune, who went to China to support the Chinese Communist movement. I doubt these people will dirty their hands by going to Africa to do something themselves (but if they can whip enough people into a frenzy to push governments to send people like *us* over there...):

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/solving-war-crimes-with-wristbands-the-arrogance-of-kony-2012/254193/



> *Solving War Crimes With Wristbands: The Arrogance of 'Kony 2012'*
> By Kate Cronin-Furman & Amanda Taub
> 
> Mar 8 2012, 11:38 AM ET 106
> A viral video by a controversial group claims to fix Central African violence with awareness, but such misguided campaigns can do more harm than good.
> taubcronin p.jpg
> 
> Members of Invisible Children pose with soldiers from the Sudan People's Liberation Army near the Congo-Sudan border in 2008 / Courtesy Glenna Gordon
> 
> Have you heard? Joseph Kony, brutal warlord and International Criminal Court indictee, is going to be famous like George Clooney. The reason is Kony 2012, a 30 minute film by the advocacy organization Invisible Children, which has gone viral in the 72 hours since its release, garnering over 38.6 million views on Youtube and Vimeo. It has been retweeted by everyone from Justin Bieber to Oprah, and shared on Facebook by seemingly everyone under the age of 25.
> 
> The video opens with a perplexing sequence of home movies. A happy couple film their baby's delivery by Caesarean, and he grows into a healthy, smiling toddler. Then the scene cuts to Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony in Central Africa, violently preying upon poor villagers. Now we discover the reason for the five minutes we just spent with this bubbly blond child in Los Angeles. He serves as a contrast for the crying children of northern Uganda, who have been victimized by Kony. (Never mind the fact that the LRA left Uganda years ago.)
> MORE ON THE LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY
> LRA1.jpg	The Bizarre and Horrifying Story of the LRA
> LRA2b.jpg	The Soft Bigotry of Kony 2012
> LRA3.jpg	A Mission That Requires More Than Guns
> LRA4.jpg	Obama's War on the LRA
> 
> The movie swirls us through a quickie history of the LRA, a rebel group that terrorized vulnerable civilian populations in northern Uganda for nearly twenty years before moving into the borderlands of South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Central African Republic. It's (justifiably) heavy on the vilification of Kony, but light on any account of the complex political dynamics that sparked the conflict or have contributed to the LRA's longevity. Instead, we are given a facile explanation for Kony's decades-long reign of terror: Not enough Americans care.
> 
> Invisible Children has turned the myopic worldview of the adolescent -- "if I don't know about it, then it doesn't exist, but if I care about it, then it is the most important thing in the world" -- into a foreign policy prescription. The "invisible children" of the group's name were the children of northern Uganda forcibly recruited by the LRA. In the group's narrative, these children were "invisible" until American students took notice of them.
> 
> Awareness of their plight achieved, child soldiers are now visible to the naked American eye. And in fact, several months ago, President Obama sent 100 military advisors to Uganda to assist in the effort to track down Kony. But according to Invisible Children, these troops may be recalled unless the college students of America raise yet more awareness. The new video instructs its audience to put up posters, slap on stickers, and court celebrities' favor until Kony is "as famous as George Clooney." At that moment, sufficient awareness will have been achieved, and Kony will be magically shipped off to the International Criminal Court to await trial.
> 
> This awareness-based approach to atrocity strikes many people as worthwhile. As Samantha Power laid out in brutal detail in her book A Problem From Hell: America in the Age of Genocide, the United States has repeatedly failed to intervene to stop genocide and crimes against humanity because of our leaders' belief that public opinion would not support such a decision. In theory, awareness campaigns should remedy that problem. In reality, they have not -and may have even exacerbated it.
> 
> The problem is that these campaigns mobilize generalized concern -- a demand to do something. That isn't enough to counterbalance the costs of interventions, because Americans' heartlessness or apathy was never the biggest problem. Taking tough action against groups, like the LRA, that are willing to commit mass atrocities will inevitably turn messy. Soldiers will be killed, sometimes horribly. (Think Somalia.) Military advice and training to the local forces attempting to suppress atrocities can have terrible unforeseen consequences. Consider the hundreds of victims of the LRA's 2008 "Christmas Massacre," their murderous response to a failed, U.S.-supported attack by Ugandan and Congolese government forces. International Criminal Court investigations often prompt their targets to step up attacks on civilians and aid workers, in an attempt to gain leverage with the court. (Both Kony and Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir have tried that method.)
> 
> The t-shirts, posters, and wristbands of awareness campaigns like Invisible Children's do not mention that death and failure often lie along the road to permanent solutions, nor that the simplest "solutions" are often the worst. (In fairness, you try fitting that on a bracelet.) Instead, they shift the goal from complicated and messy efforts at political resolution to something more palatable and less controversial: ever more awareness.
> 
> By making it an end in and of itself, awareness stands in for, and maybe even displaces, specific solutions to these very complicated problems. Campaigns that focus on bracelets and social media absorb resources that could go toward more effective advocacy, and take up rhetorical space that could be used to develop more effective advocacy. How do we go from raising awareness about LRA violence to actually stopping it? What's the mechanism of transforming YouTube page views into a mediated political settlement? For all the excitement around awareness as an end in itself, one could be forgiven for forming the impression that there might be a "Stop Atrocity" button blanketed in dust in the basement of the White House, awaiting the moment when the tide of awareness reaches the Oval Office.
> 
> If only there were. Because Americans are, by and large, pretty aware. In addition to the millions who have now watched Kony 2012, organizations like the Enough Project, Amnesty International, and STAND mobilize countless more. A Google News search of 2011 archives produces thousands of articles about child soldiers in Africa, rape in the Eastern DRC, and ongoing violence in Darfur.
> 
> Treating awareness as a goal in and of itself risks compassion fatigue -- most people only have so much time and energy to devote to far-away causes -- and ultimately squanders political momentum that could be used to push for effective solutions. Actually stopping atrocities would require sustained effort, as well as significant dedication of time and resources that the U.S. is, at the moment, ill-prepared and unwilling to allocate. It would also require a decision on whether we are willing to risk American lives in places where we have no obvious political or economic interests, and just how much money it is appropriate to spend on humanitarian crises overseas when 3 out of 10 children in our nation's capital live at or below the poverty line. The genuine difficulty of those questions can't be eased by sharing a YouTube video or putting up posters.
> 
> Invisible Children has been the target of intense scrutiny from the international development and NGO community for spending less than one third of the funds they raise on actual programs to help LRA-affected populations. (Mia Farrow was unimpressed.) The $1,859,617 that Invisible Children spent in 2011 on travel and filmmaking last year seems high for an organization whose total expenses were $8,894,630 (which includes the cost to make all those bracelets and posters).
> 
> However, we're less concerned with the budgetary issues than with the general philosophical approach of this type of advocacy. Perhaps worst of all are the unexplored assumptions underpinning the awareness argument, which reduce people in conflict situations to two broad categories: mass-murderers like Joseph Kony and passive victims so helpless that they must wait around to be saved by a bunch of American college students with stickers. No Ugandans or other Africans are shown offering policy suggestions in the film, and it is implied that local governments were ineffective in combating the LRA simply because they didn't have enough American assistance.
> 
> None of us who actually work with populations affected by mass atrocity believe this to be a truthful or helpful representation. Even under horrific circumstances, people are endlessly resourceful, and local actors understand their needs better than outsiders. It's good that Americans want to help, but ignoring the role and authority of local leaders and activists isn't just insulting and arrogant, it neglects the people who are the most likely to come up with a solution to the conflict.
> 
> The LRA is a problem worth solving, but how to do so is a complicated question with no easy answers. Americans are right to care but we need to stop kidding ourselves that spending $30 plus shipping and handling for a Kony 2012 action kit makes us part of the solution to anything.


----------



## Edward Campbell

Without comment:






Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Ottawa Citizen_
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/editorial-cartoons/index.html


----------



## 57Chevy

I think that the whole Kony ordeal is one BIG SCAM. (Send no money now)

Shared with provisions of The Copyright Act

Kony 2012 flops in Uganda
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/15/kony-2012-flops-in-uganda/

Kony 2012 may have received more than 73 million hits on YouTube since its release on the internet on March 5. But in Uganda it is a flop. Top Ugandan officials denounce the video — created to raise awareness about Joseph Kony, the leader of the brutal Lord's Resistance Army operating in central Africa — as false. Kony's LRA, they say, has not operated in Uganda for years.

article continues at link.


----------



## The Bread Guy

More on this ....
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/81276/post-1203204.html#msg1203204
.... from Algeria's PM:


> .... Mr. Sellal was more specific about the attackers, telling the news conference that the kidnappers had come from Egypt, Canada, Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Tunisia, although it was unclear how he knew for sure. Algerian have been saying that few if any of the attackers were believed to have been Algerian ....


_NY Times_, 21 Jan 13

More detail from Reuters news wire (highlights mine):


> A Canadian coordinated the Islamist attack on an Algerian gas plant in the Sahara desert, Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said on Monday.
> 
> *"A Canadian was among the militants. He was coordinating the attack,"* Sellal told a news conference.
> 
> Earlier an Algerian security source told Reuters that documents found on the bodies of two militants had identified them as Canadians ....



Also, splitting off the Mali material into its own thread - stand by ....


----------



## Old Sweat

This appears to be a credible report from the Atlantic electronic edition that Zimbabwe is bankrupt. The report is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provision of the Copyright Act.


Zimbabwe Is Down to Its Last $217

Adam Clark Estes Jan 29, 2013


 There are cash-strapped governments and there are broke governments. And then there's Zimbabwe, which, after paying last week's government salaries, has just $217 left in the bank. No, we didn't forget any zeroes to the end of that figure. Zimbabwe, the country that's home to some of the world's largest platinum and diamond reserves, literally has the same financial standing as a 14-year-old girl after a really good birthday party. The country's finance minister admitted as much in a press conference on Tuesday. "Last week when we paid civil servants there was $217 in government coffers," Tendai Biti told reporters. "The government finances are in paralysis state at the present moment. We are failing to meet our targets."

So it seems. However, Zimbabwe is hardly a stranger to financial hyperbole. The economy started to come apart at the seams in 2000, when President Robert Mugabe seized the land of over 4,000 white-owned farmers, effectively dismantling the country's agriculture industry. Over the course of the next decade, the country spiraled into an extended period of hyperinflation, the likes of which the world almost never sees. It peaked in August 2008, when inflation reached 11,200,000 percent and economists around the world started to say that the country's situation was hopeless. Prices were doubling by the day, and the government had to print Z$100 billion notes. The following year, they went ahead and printed Z$100 trillion notes, just before deciding to chop 12 zeroes off of the currency. A new coalition government formed that year and started on the long process of financial recovery, a process that is clearly going to take a little longer.

It's unclear how the Zimbabwean government is going to get itself out this fiscal mess, but whatever it does, it needs to do it quickly. As Quartz's Tim Fernholz points out, Zimbabwe is looking at a $104 million bill for its upcoming election. Its government is also dealing with brand new allegations that government officials have been running a corruption ring around the country's diamond mines. The country obviously desperately needs a major change. "But action against corruption probably won’t come until the end of Mugabe's reign, and a new constitution coming up for a referendum this spring -- presuming the funds can be found -- might set up the aging autocrat for another term in power," writes Fernholz.

Until then, looking for quarters under the couch isn't going to cut it, so Zimbabwe is doing the only thing it can do. "We will be approaching the international community," Biti said. You'll never guess who's most likely to come to the rescue. Hint: They're big fans of rare minerals.​


----------



## The Bread Guy

> Algerian security forces are thwarting efforts by Canadian police and intelligence agents to confirm whether Canadian citizens were among the Islamic jihadis who attacked a gas plant in a brazen terrorist assault that killed dozens – including Americans and Europeans – at a remote Sahara desert site.
> 
> Nearly two weeks after Algerian Prime Minster Abdelmalek Sellal said a Canadian played a key leadership role in the attack, RCMP and CSIS agents sent to Algiers have been denied access to documents, bodies, witnesses and tissue samples, according to multiple sources familiar with the ongoing, and so far unsuccessful, attempts to help the Algerian investigation.
> 
> “A Canadian was among the militants,” Mr. Sellal said after the battle to retake the remote plant near the Libyan border. “He was co-ordinating the attack,” he added, giving the Canadian’s name only as “Chedad.”
> 
> And he is a Canadian of Chechen origin, according to a report published Friday by the respected French newspaper Le Monde after one of its journalists toured the gas plant.
> 
> Other Algerian officials and freed hostages said a second Canadian was among the al-Qaeda-linked jihadis who held hundreds hostage in what they claimed was retaliation for the French military assault on Islamic militants in northern Mali. Some who survived the four-day siege said a hostage taker had a North American or Canadian accent. And unconfirmed reports said Canadian passports were among documents found on two of the dead jihadis ....


_Globe & Mail_, 1 Feb 13

Le Monde article referenced above viewable here (Google Docs) in French.


----------



## The Bread Guy

> The Honourable Peter MacKay, the Minister of National Defence, announced today that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has concluded its successful training mission in Sierra Leone, in February 2013 .... The mission, known as Operation Sculpture, is Canada’s contribution to the International Military Advisory Training Team, a multinational effort led by Britain to help the government of the Republic of Sierra Leone build effective and democratically accountable armed forces.   The withdrawal of the ten CAF members coincides with the official draw down of the International Military Advisory Training Team.  For the past decade, the CAF provided advisory and training support, technical expertise, and assisted in the development of training programs as part of the International Military Advisory Training Team.  During the course of the mission, the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces continued to grow in professionalism and skill, allowing the international trainers to step back .... The success of the mentoring and training program can be seen in the success of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, which is now a respected organization attracting global attention. In 2009, the Government of Sierra Leone was able to make its first offer of troops to a peace operation and deployed a sector reconnaissance company to serve with the United Nations-Africa Union Mission in Darfur. In 2011, the Government of Sierra Leone committed to the deployment of a battalion of 850 soldiers to the Africa Union Mission in Somalia. The growing stability of the country was underlined in November 2012, when landmark national elections were held a decade after Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war ....


DND/CF Info-machine, 15 Feb 13

More on Op SCULPTURE here.


----------



## jollyjacktar

Reports that Mokhtar Belmokhtar has been killed by Chadian forces.  Good news if true.  Shared under provisions of Sec. 29 of the Copyright Act.



> Al-Qaeda leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar 'killed in Mali' as Chadian armed forces destroy terrorist base
> 
> Belmokhtar is believed to be among several rebels killed when Chadian armed forces 'completely destroyed' a terrorist base in northern Mali
> One-eyed terror chief said to be behind the Algeria hostage crisis in January
> A total of 37 workers were killed at an oil facility - including six Britons
> 
> By Suzannah Hills
> 
> PUBLISHED: 20:25 GMT, 2 March 2013 | UPDATED: 21:57 GMT, 2 March 2013
> 
> Al-Qaeda leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar has reportedly been killed by Chadian soldiers in Mali.  The veteran Al-Qaeda leader, nicknamed 'Mr Marlboro' for his illicit cigarette empire, is said to have ordered January's attack on an Algerian gas plant where 37 hostages were killed.  He is believed to be one of several extremists killed today when Chadian armed forces in northern Mali 'completely destroyed' a terrorist base around midday.
> 
> His death was announced on Chadian state television but has not been confirmed by other sources.  Chadian armed forces spokesman General Zacharia Gobongue said in a statement read on national television: 'Chadian armed forces operating in northern Mali completely destroyed a terrorist base.
> 
> 'The toll included several dead terrorists, including their leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar.'  Chadian troops are fighting Islamist militants in Mali as part of an international force led by France.  Belmokhtar's death will be a major blow to Islamist rebels in northern Mali who have been pushed into their mountain strongholds by the French and African forces.
> 
> 
> The terrorist leader was an influential figurehead for the rebels and is said to have masterminded the attack at a gas plant in Algeria that led to the hostage crisis in January which claimed the lives of six Britons.   A total of 37 foreign workers died at the remote oil facility - part-operated by BP - which was overrun by heavily-armed terrorists on Wednesday January 16.
> 
> Some 22 Britons escaped the attack, which took place between January 16 and 19.  Some 29 of the hostage-takers died, while three were captured by Algerian troops during a special forces mission to end the four-day stand-off.  Belmokhtar had been sentenced to death in his absence in his home country of Alergia twice - in 2008 for murder and 2012 for acts of terrorism.
> 
> It is believed Belmokhtar first became interested in jihad as a schoolboy before travelling to Afghanistan to support the mujahadeen fighting in the Civil War.  He later joined the Islamist GIA fighting in the Algerian Civil War where he lost his left eye while mishandling explosives.  His reputation as a 'gangster-jihadist' involved in arms and cigarette smuggling earned him the nickname 'Mister Malboro' among locals in the Sahara.
> 
> Belmokhtar then became a commander in the Mali-based Islamist Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb before heading his own Islamist organisation, dubbed the Al-Mulathameen or Masked Brigade.  It was this group that claimed responsibility for the Algeria gas plant attack.
> 
> In a chilling video message filmed at the height of the crisis, Belmoktar said: 'We in Al Qaeda announce this blessed operation.  'We are ready to negotiate with the West and the Algerian government provided they stop their bombing of Mali's Muslims.'  The latest clash comes just one day after reports that another senior Al-Qaeda member was killed in Northern Mali.
> 
> Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, a senior commander in Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), was killed among 40 other Islamist fighters four days ago in the foothills of the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains.  Speaking on Friday, Chadian President Idriss Deby said his forces 'killed two jihadi leaders, including Abou Zeid,' but did not give any further details.
> 
> Algerian national Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, whose real name was Mohamed Ghadir, was one of the top three commanders in AQIM.  The former smuggler turned jihadist is believed to be behind the kidnapping of more than 20 Westerners in the area over the last five years, and is thought have executed British national Edwin Dyer in 2009.
> 
> French and Chadian troops have been hunting AQIM fighters in the mountains on the border to Algeria after a lightning campaign to dislodge them from northern Mali.  France's Elysee presidential palace has declined to comment on the AQIM leader, but a French army official confirmed that about 40 Islamists had been killed in heavy fighting over the last week in the mountainous Tigargara region.
> 
> The official said 1,200 French troops, 800 Chadian soldiers and some elements of the Malian army were still in combat to the south of Tessalit in the Adrar mountain range.  Ten logistics sites and an explosives factory had been destroyed in the operation as well as 16 vehicles, she said.
> 
> France launched the assault to retake Mali's vast desert north from AQIM and other Islamist rebels after a plea from Mali's government to halt the militants' drive southward.  The intervention swiftly dislodged rebels from northern Mali's main towns and drove them back into the surrounding desert and mountains, particularly the Adrar des Ifoghas.
> 
> Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2287152/Al-Qaeda-leader-Mokhtar-Belmokhtar-killed-Mali-Chadian-armed-forces-destroy-terrorist-base.html#ixzz2MQvNLvnE
> Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook


----------



## tomahawk6

In other news Chad lost 13 troops including many senior officers when the tango's they captured blew themselves up with suicide belts. Another French soldier Caporal Charenton was killed in action. The tango's are dug into caves and other hard to get at places protected by anti-aircraft MG's.More Tiger attack helos and Caesar 155mm artillery are needed. What the French need are laser guided bombs for those hard to reach places.Maybe some MK-77's on loan from the US ?


----------



## Edward Campbell

This is not about a military crisis but this report, which is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act, explains that some Africans are waking up to the fact that they - or at least their resources - are being exploited by others, for the benefit of others:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/brics-chafe-under-charge-of-new-imperialists-in-africa/article10338663/


> BRICS chafe under charge of ‘new imperialists’ in Africa
> 
> PASCAL FLETCHER
> DURBAN, South Africa — Reuters
> 
> Published Tuesday, Mar. 26 2013
> 
> “BRICS, Don’t Carve Africa” reads a banner in a church hall in downtown Durban where civil society activists have gathered to cast a critical eye at a summit of five global emerging powers.
> 
> The slogan evokes the 19th century conference in Berlin where the predominant European colonial states carved up the African continent in a scramble historians see as epitomizing the brash exploitative capitalism of the time.
> 
> Decades after Africans threw off the colonial yoke, it is the turn of the blossoming BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa to find their motives coming under scrutiny as they proclaim an altruistic-sounding “partnership for development, integration and industrialization” with Africa.
> 
> Led by that giant of the emerging powers, China, the BRICS are now Africa’s largest trading partners and its biggest new group of investors. BRICS-Africa trade is seen eclipsing $500-billion by 2015, with China taking the lion’s share of 60 per cent of this, according to Standard Bank.
> 
> BRICS leaders persist in presenting their group – which represents more than 40 per cent of the world’s population and one fifth of global gross domestic product – in the warm and fuzzy framework of benevolent South-South co-operation, an essential counterweight to the ‘old’ West and a better partner for the poor masses of the developing world.
> 
> In his first trip to Africa as head of state, China’s new president Xi Jinping expounded this line in Tanzania on Monday, saying his country wanted “a better life for African people” and was offering a relationship of equals.
> 
> “We think there’s too much back-slapping,” said Patrick Bond of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s centre for Civil Society, who helped to organize an alternative “BRICS-from-below” meeting in Durban to shadow the BRICS summit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
> 
> Bond and other critics of the BRICS’ South-South pitch say developing countries that receive investment and assistance from the new emerging powers need to take a hard, close look at the deals they are getting.
> 
> Beneath the fraternal veneer, Bond sees “incoherent imperial competition” not unlike the 19th Century scramble, saying that BRICS members are similarly coveting and exploiting African resources without sufficiently boosting industrialization and job creation, all much needed on the continent.
> 
> This view has gained some traction in Africa as citizens from Guinea and Nigeria to Zambia and Mozambique increasingly see Brazilian, Russian, Indian, Chinese and South African companies scooping up multibillion-dollar oil and mining deals and big-ticket infrastructure projects.
> 
> Many of these deals have come under scrutiny from local and international rights groups. More than a few have faced criticism that they focus heavily on raw material extraction, lack transparency and do not offer enough employment and developmental benefits to the receiving countries – charges often levelled against corporations from the developed West.
> 
> Anti-poverty activists say the profit motivation of large BRICS corporations working in Africa is no different from that of Western companies.
> 
> “Matters of greed are universal and their actors come from both the North and the South,” said Wahu Kaara, a Kenyan social justice campaigner and co-ordinator of the Kenya Debt Relief Network who attended the “BRICS-from-below” meeting.
> 
> This wariness of the new players in Africa has even permeated some government circles on the continent.
> 
> Warning Africa was opening itself up to “a new form of imperialism”, Nigerian central bank governor Lamido Sanusi accused China, now the world’s No. 2 economy, of worsening Africa’s deindustrialization and underdevelopment.
> 
> “China takes our primary goods and sells us manufactured ones. This was also the essence of colonialism,” Sanusi wrote in a March 11 opinion column in the Financial Times.
> 
> “Africa must recognize that China – like the U.S., Russia, Britain, Brazil and the rest – is in Africa not for African interests but its own,” Sanusi added.
> 
> Chinese and other BRICS leaders indignantly reject the criticism their group represents a kind of “sub-imperialism” in their growing economic and political engagement with Africa.
> 
> Zhong Jianhua, China’s special envoy to Africa, told Reuters that China and Africa’s common history of resisting colonial pressure put their relationship on a different level.
> 
> “China was bullied by others in the past, and so was Africa. This shared experience means they have a lot in common. This is China’s advantage and the reason why many Western countries are at a disadvantage,” he said in an interview with Reuters.
> 
> Zhong added that China should encourage its companies to train and employ more African workers, responding to complaints that Chinese investors often brought in their own work forces.
> 
> Catherine Grant-Makokera of the South African Institute of International Affairs said BRICS governments did noticeably operate differently from the West in the way they offered financing and aid to nations in Africa.
> 
> “You’ve seen a greater willingness from the newer players to invest in things like hard infrastructure, either through financing mechanisms, or simply grants or gifts,” said Grant-Makokera, SAIIA’s program head for economic diplomacy.
> 
> But she acknowledged the BRICS development aid approach, while offering faster turnaround times for projects, was often less restrained by labour and environmental considerations.
> 
> This has opened BRICS companies up to charges that in their haste to develop resource projects in Africa they flaunt local communities’ rights and ride roughshod over the environment.
> 
> Brazilian mining giant Vale, named in 2012 by the Swiss non-profit group Public Eye as the corporation with the most “contempt for the environment and human rights” in the world, defends its record in Mozambique, where it is investing billions of dollars to develop coal deposits and infrastructure.
> 
> It has faced violent demonstrations from Mozambicans protesting forced relocations and demanding greater benefits.
> 
> Vale’s head of Africa operations, Ricardo Saad, said the fact the company had experienced “problems” did not mean it could be accused of “neo-colonial” behaviour in Africa.
> 
> He said colonial powers just came and took the continent’s resources, without asking its people, whereas contracts today were closely negotiated with governments and communities.
> 
> “From the moment that I seek a licence to operate, where you talk to a community, where anything you do has authorization and previous planning with the government, I can’t say that’s neo-colonialism,” Saad told Reuters.
> 
> Development analysts say the BRICS, with their radically different economies, governments and competing priorities, still need to demonstrate that they can change global power structures to the benefit of the world’s poor and underprivileged.
> 
> “The fact that they are pressing for a new balance of power in the world has to be stressed as a positive thing...they have new voices,” said Nathalie Beghin of the Brazilian pro-democracy and rights organization INESC.
> 
> But she added in a jab at what activists say is the BRICS’ leadership-focused, top-down mode of operating so far: “They say they are the voices of the poor. But where are the poor?”
> 
> SAIIA’s Grant-Makokera says the BRICS offer developing states other options for aid and investment as an alternative to the old Western partners.
> 
> “At least you’ve got a diversity now, I don’t think that can be underestimated,” she said.




The Chinese may be indignant at these charges but they need to accept they there is some truth in them. To their credit, the Chinese (I don't know enough about what the others are doing to comment) are _*investing*_ rather than colonizing but they demand, properly, a return on their investment which means that the fruits of Africa's resources and labour will flow to the Chinese, not the Africans.

What should we do about this? Nothing ... it's just Africa.


----------



## Humphrey Bogart

Coup D'Etat in Central African Republic, France sends in forces to secure the airport

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/03/201332317421513356.html


> French troops secure CAR capital airport
> 
> Paris also calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting after rebels attacked Central African Republic's Bangui.
> 
> Last Modified: 23 Mar 2013 23:39
> 
> 
> France has sent soldiers to Central African Republic to secure the airport of the capital Bangui, a diplomatic source said, after rebel forces entered the north of the city.
> 
> "A company of troops has been sent to secure the airport. The airport is now secure," said the source on Saturday. "We have asked our citizens to remain at home. For the time being, there is nothing to be worried about. There is no direct threat to our citizens at the moment."
> 
> A second diplomatic source said that Paris had requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss a
> solution to the crisis in the landlocked former French colony at the heart of Africa.
> 
> Nelson Ndjadder, a spokesman for the Seleka rebel coalition, said earlier on Saturday that his fighters entered the capital and were heading to the presidential palace in the centre of town.
> 
> He also said they had shot down a government military helicopter which had been attacking their forces since Friday.
> 
> The Seleka rebels resumed hostilities this week in the mineral-rich former French colony, vowing to topple
> President Francois Bozize whom it accuses of breaking a January peace agreement to integrate its fighters into the army.
> 
> 
> 
> Speaking to Al Jazeera from Bangui, Central African Republic's Deputy Prime Minister Parfait Mbaye, said the rebel advance "should be condemned by the African union".
> 
> "The coup d’etat attempt by Seleka rebels is still ongoing. Fighting is now taking place on the outskirts of Bangui. We can only condemn this attempt to take power by force... We are very sorry to see what is happening in our country."
> 
> The rebels are said to have driven back government forces and taken control of the neighbourhood around Bozize's private residence. Officials said Bozize was in the presidential palace in the town centre.
> 
> Speaking to Al Jazeera from Bangui, Sylvain Groulx of Doctors without Borders, said the fighting has not yet reached to centre of the capital.
> 
> "We are about two-to-three kilometres from the centre of Bangui and we cannot hear any shooting but we have heard the same information that a group of rebels has entered the capital," Groulx said.
> 
> "There has been some fighting in different places in and around Bangui throughout the day," Groulx added.
> 
> "It seems that the rebels have taken control of a town called bouali where there is a hydro-electric dam, the main power source for Bangui. All the power in the capital was cut. The hospitals we are supporting have been provided with fuel for generators."
> 
> South African troops
> 
> The violence is the latest in a series of rebel incursions, clashes and coups that have plagued the landlocked nation in the heart of Africa since its independence from France in 1960.
> 
> Pretoria has sent some 400 soldiers to train Bozize's army, joining hundreds of peacekeepers from the Central African regional bloc.
> 
> Regional peacekeeping sources said the South Africans had fought alongside the Central African Republic's army.
> 
> "I don't understand why we are making such a big deal about the presence of South African troops," Mbaye told Al Jazeera.
> 
> "We have an agreement with South Africa, a member of the African union and they are currently helping Central African forces. We salute South African forces and the South African people."
> 
> State radio announced late on Friday that South Africa would boost its troop presence after Bozize met his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma in Pretoria.
> 
> Captain Zamo Sithole, senior operations communications officer at South Africa's National Defence Force said: "We are there in the CAR to protect our properties there, and our troops there."
> 
> A South African Defence Ministry spokesman declined to comment.
> 
> 634
> 
> 
> Source: Al Jazeera And Agencies


----------



## CougarKing

Wouldn't China's development of the Y20 transport, a C17 clone, allow Beijing to turn Africa into more of a sphere of influence? Perhaps we will see Y20s transporting Chinese soldiers on more blue-helmet missions similar to the one they recently had in Sudan.

post on Y20 aircraft at China superthread

Excerpts from the AFP article:



> (...)
> 
> The state-run Global Times hailed the "significant milestone", saying China needed the planes,* which can carry a load of 66 tonnes over distances of up to 4,400 kilometers (2,700 miles), to "enhance its global power projection ability."*
> 
> The aircraft *will allow China's military to end its dependence on the Russian-made Il-76*, a mainstay of humanitarian and disaster relief around the world, the Global Times quoted a military expert as saying.
> 
> more here: link


----------



## Edward Campbell

There is an interesting, and somewhat frightening article on the World Economics website. 

Here is the crux of it:

*By 2030*
     •   Asia Pacific to account for over 56% of world population and 52% of GDP
     •   Americas to account for 14% of world population and 24% of GDP
     •   Europe to account for 10% of world population and 20% of GDP
     •   Africa to account for 20% of world population and 4% of GDP

*By 2050*
     •   Asia Pacific to account for over 52% of world population and 64% of GDP
     •   Americas to account for 13% of world population and 19% of GDP
     •   Europe to account for 9% of world population and 12% of GDP
     •   Africa to account for 25% of world population and 5% of GDP

This graphic, from the article, shows the projections:





Source: http://www.worldeconomics.com/papers/World%20Markets%20of%20Tomorrow_e461fcda-c623-4f09-8189-c18c94b624ea.paper?PaperID=E461FCDA-C623-4F09-8189-C18C94B624EA

The most important measure - real per capita GDP measured in $(PPP) - is shown here:





Source: http://www.worldeconomics.com/papers/World%20Markets%20of%20Tomorrow_e461fcda-c623-4f09-8189-c18c94b624ea.paper?PaperID=E461FCDA-C623-4F09-8189-C18C94B624EA

As you can see most people in the Americas, Europe and Asia are, by 2050 ~ when most of you will still be alive - clustered around a common per capita GDP of $40,000/year. Africa will be different: the average African will have a GDP of only ¼ of that. That's a recipe for despair and all its attendant dangers. Further, much of Africa is Muslim.


----------



## Inquisitor

To add on to ERC's last post, more cheery news, this from Chris Hedges,  bio herehttp://www.truthdig.com/chris_hedges#bio,  reproduced under the fair dealings provision of the copyright act, from Truthdig

Murdering the Wretched of the Earth

Radical Islam is the last refuge of the Muslim poor. The mandated five prayers a day give the only real structure to the lives of impoverished believers. The careful rituals of washing before prayers in the mosque, the strict moral code, along with the understanding that life has an ultimate purpose and meaning, keep hundreds of millions of destitute Muslims from despair. The fundamentalist ideology that rises from oppression is rigid and unforgiving. It radically splits the world into black and white, good and evil, apostates and believers. It is bigoted and cruel to women, Jews, Christians and secularists, along with gays and lesbians. But at the same time it offers to those on the very bottom of society a final refuge and hope. The massacres of hundreds of believers in the streets of Cairo signal not only an assault against a religious ideology, not only a return to the brutal police state of Hosni Mubarak, but the start of a holy war that will turn Egypt and other poor regions of the globe into a caldron of blood and suffering.  

The only way to break the hold of radical Islam is to give its followers a stake in the wider economy, the possibility of a life where the future is not dominated by grinding poverty, repression and hopelessness. If you live in the sprawling slums of Cairo or the refugee camps in Gaza or the concrete hovels in New Delhi, every avenue of escape is closed. You cannot get an education. You cannot get a job. You do not have the resources to marry. You cannot challenge the domination of the economy by the oligarchs and the generals. The only way left for you to affirm yourself is to become a martyr, or shahid. Then you will get what you cannot get in life—a brief moment of fame and glory. And while what will take place in Egypt will be defined as a religious war, and the acts of violence by the insurgents who will rise from the bloodied squares of Cairo will be defined as terrorism, the engine for this chaos is not religion but the collapsing economy of a world where the wretched of the earth are to be subjugated and starved or shot. The lines of battle are being drawn in Egypt and across the globe. Adli Mansour, the titular president appointed by the military dictator of Egypt, Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, has imposed a military-led government, a curfew and a state of emergency. They will not be lifted soon.  

The lifeblood of radical movements is martyrdom. The Egyptian military has provided an ample supply. The faces and the names of the sanctified dead will be used by enraged clerics to call for holy vengeance. And as violence grows and the lists of martyrs expand, a war will be ignited that will tear Egypt apart. Police, Coptic Christians, secularists, Westerners, businesses, banks, the tourism industry and the military will become targets. Those radical Islamists who were persuaded by the Muslim Brotherhood that electoral politics could work and brought into the system will go back underground, and many of the rank and file of the Muslim Brotherhood will join them. Crude bombs will be set off. Random attacks and assassinations by gunmen will puncture daily life in Egypt as they did in the 1990s when I was in Cairo for The New York Times, although this time the attacks will be wider and more fierce, far harder to control or ultimately crush.

What is happening in Egypt is a precursor to a wider global war between the world’s elites and the world’s poor, a war caused by diminishing resources, chronic unemployment and underemployment, overpopulation, declining crop yields caused by climate change, and rising food prices. Thirty-three percent of Egypt’s 80 million people are 14 or younger, and millions live under or just above the poverty line, which the World Bank sets at a daily income of $2 in that nation. The poor in Egypt spend more than half their income on food—often food that has little nutritional value. An estimated 13.7 million Egyptians, or 17 percent of the population, suffered from food insecurity in 2011, compared with 14 percent in 2009, according to a report by the U.N. World Food Program and the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Malnutrition is endemic among poor children, with 31 percent under 5 years old stunted in growth. Illiteracy runs at more than 70 percent.

In “Les Misérables” Victor Hugo described war with the poor as one between the “egoists” and the “outcasts.” The egoists, Hugo wrote, had “the bemusement of prosperity, which blunts the sense, the fear of suffering which is some cases goes so far as to hate all sufferers, and unshakable complacency, the ego so inflated that is stifles the soul.” The outcasts, who were ignored until their persecution and deprivation morphed into violence, had “greed and envy, resentment at the happiness of others, the turmoil of the human element in search of personal fulfillment, hearts filled with fog, misery, needs, and fatalism, and simple, impure ignorance.”


The belief systems the oppressed embrace can be intolerant, but these belief systems are a response to the injustice, state violence and cruelty inflicted on them by the global elites. Our enemy is not radical Islam. It is global capitalism. It is a world where the wretched of the earth are forced to bow before the dictates of the marketplace, where children go hungry as global corporate elites siphon away the world’s wealth and natural resources and where our troops and U.S.-backed militaries carry out massacres on city streets. Egypt offers a window into the coming dystopia. The wars of survival will mark the final stage of human habitation of the planet. And if you want to know what they will look like, visit any city morgue in Cairo. "

Comment:  I found the first few paragraphs helpful trying to understand the  Radical Mindset. I seem to recall reading that by 20nn this type of situation will be the norm for much of the world, for reasons as above, plus conflict over dwindling resources.  Trying to find something positive  to say.  It seems to me that this not a deniable problem, such as global warming. It's a powder magazine and it seems that the inhabitants in the northern part of the continent have gotten a bit too comfortable smoking in it. 

One solution advocated by the like of  P.M. Barnett would be to withdraw into Fortess zones.  A better solution might be a new "Manhatten" type of project to accelerate technologies that might minimize the downsides, just a couple of examples "Frankenmeat", mass water desalinzation, mass indoor farming.  The latter approach seems worthwhile, and perhaps attainable. 

I like Chris but a little of his content goes a looong way.  I find even his optimism gloomy. The challenge is to find the  bright side /rambling discourse off


----------



## Edward Campbell

An interesting _factoid_ from Ian Bremmer, of the Eurasia Group, a credible source of insights into why things works, or not:

     The Dallas Cowboys Stadium uses more electricity than the entire grid capacity of Liberia.

*Liberia*                                     *AT&T Stadium (Home of the Dallas Cowboys)*
Population: 4.1 Million              Seating capacity: 105,000
GDP per capita: $436.00          Cowboys ticket price: $30 to $24,132


----------



## Edward Campbell

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_ is a sad story that illustrates what's wrong with Africa and the United Nations, too:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/world-insider/a-handful-of-troops-from-nepal-all-that-stands-between-south-sudan-and-imminent-disaster/article16362672/#dashboard/follows/


> A handful of troops from Nepal: All that stands between South Sudan and imminent disaster
> 
> SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
> 
> Geoffrey York
> JOHANNESBURG — The Globe and Mail
> 
> Published Thursday, Jan. 16 2014
> 
> After a month of brutal fighting in South Sudan that has killed an estimated 10,000 people so far, the United Nations peacekeepers have finally got their first reinforcements: a small advance party of 25 soldiers from Nepal.
> 
> The cavalry was supposed to be charging into South Sudan to rescue it from imminent disaster, but it now seems that its arrival will be slow and much delayed. And even when the soldiers are all in the country, they are unlikely to be numerous enough to make a big difference.
> 
> The UN had been hoping to get 5,500 fresh troops into South Sudan by mid-January to reinforce its beleaguered mission of 7,000 troops – a peacekeeping mission that has the impossible task of trying to protect civilians across a vast and chaotic country as big as France, with poor transportation links and few paved roads.
> 
> Instead, due to a lengthy process of bureaucratic and political approvals, those military reinforcements are now expected to be delayed until March. The small unit of two dozen Nepalese soldiers, who arrived on Wednesday, are the only reinforcements on the ground so far.
> 
> While the UN peacekeepers have been slow to materialize, the intervention from the African Union has been even slower and weaker. Despite its rhetoric about African solutions for African crises, the AU has done little to help South Sudan during the latest bloodshed, aside from issuing an occasional statement deploring the violence and pleading with the two sides to stop fighting.
> 
> The AU has long promised to create an “African Standby Force” and a rapid-reaction system to ensure that it can send troops swiftly into any war zone on the continent to defuse the fighting. Countries such as the United States, Britain and Canada have poured tens of millions of dollars into the training of African troops for duties in the “Standby Force” and other peacekeeping missions.
> 
> Yet the African force is still nowhere to be seen. African defence ministers discussed the Standby Force at meetings at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia this week, but they talked vaguely about trying to have the force operational by next year.
> 
> Instead, in major crises such as Mali and the Central African Republic over the past year, it has been the neo-colonial power, France, that has sent troops into the war zones to stabilize the situation. France has responded much faster than the UN or the AU, but its rapid troop deployment has caused much unease about neo-colonial intervention.
> 
> In South Sudan, while the UN and the AU are dithering and delaying, the quickest intervention has come from two authoritarian governments: Uganda and Sudan, two neighbours with a financial and economic interest in the stability of the fledgling nation.
> 
> Uganda confirmed this week that it has already sent its troops into South Sudan to fight on the side of government troops against rebel fighters. Khartoum, meanwhile, has promised 900 technicians to help run the oil fields near the Sudan border that are crucial to the economies of both countries. But because of their financial interests, neither Uganda nor Sudan are properly neutral forces for protecting civilians and stabilizing the country.
> 
> The UN, to be fair, has protected thousands of civilians by allowing them to take shelter inside the walls of UN compounds across South Sudan. After four weeks of fighting, some 65,000 civilians are still inside the UN bases, their lives protected by the UN presence – although gunfire did blast through the walls of a UN camp in the town of Malakal during clashes this week, killing one civilian and injuring dozens of others.
> 
> The UN compounds are not enough to protect most of the fleeing civilians, however. More than 400,000 civilians have fled from their homes in South Sudan because of the fighting in the past month, and only a small fraction of them can shelter at the UN bases. Many have scrambled into the mountains or the bush, where nobody knows if they are safe.
> 
> There is perhaps some irony that the UN is struggling with its responses to South Sudan and the Central African Republic on the 20th anniversary of its shameful inaction during the terrible events at the beginning of the Rwandan genocide.
> 
> It was 20 years ago this week when Canadian general Romeo Dallaire, military commander of the UN mission in Rwanda, sent a fateful fax to the UN headquarters in New York to warn of the growing signs of an impending catastrophe. He noted that Tutsis were being forced to register themselves in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, and a source feared that their “extermination” was being planned. The fax was largely ignored, and the genocide erupted.
> 
> At a sombre event at the UN on Wednesday to mark the Rwanda anniversary, Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson said the UN had drawn lessons from its “collective failure” in Rwanda in 1994.
> 
> “The United Nations must respond early to the risk of mass atrocities so as to prevent their occurrence,” he said. “We already have grave violations of human rights in the Central African Republic and South Sudan. We must stop them from turning into mass atrocities.”
> 
> Mr. Eliasson acknowledged that the lessons of Rwanda have not always led to action. “Since the tragedy in Rwanda, hundreds of thousands of people have died in mass atrocities and tens of millions have been displaced,” he said.
> 
> “Over the last few weeks alone, men, women and children have been slaughtered not only in South Sudan but also in the Central African Republic and in the nightmare of Syria.”
> 
> He warned of the “deeply worrying” ethnic and religious divisions that seem to be growing in many nations. “The demonization of people of different faiths or ethnic belonging is one of the most toxic deeds of which human beings are capable,” he said.
> 
> The rhetoric at the UN this week was lofty, and the sentiments were noble. The question now is whether the world community can support stronger action by the UN to ensure that civilians are protected from ethnic and religious killings and the rampages of brutal fighters in South Sudan and elsewhere.




Mr York's question ~ can "the world community ... support stronger action by the UN to ensure that civilians are protected from ethnic and religious killings and the rampages of brutal fighters in South Sudan and elsewhere"? ~ can be easily answered: "Yes, it can." If you rephrase the question to replace "can" with "will" then, as we are seeing right now, the answer is "No!"

Why not?

Africa doesn't matter - it has little, almost no strategic significance. Yes, it has some oil and some important minerals but they can be got at despite wars and revolutions. Africa is irredeemably corrupt ~ it makes China look like a bunch of _Quakers_ ~ and someone is always willing to sell something, anything, to anyone (even slaves to the Saudis and Gulf States) for a price.

What about the people? The poor, innocent people?

Graves registration is a combined engineer and logistical task ... maybe we can send some help with that.


----------



## Edward Campbell

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_ is a sad story that illustrates what's wrong with Africa and the United Nations, too:
> ...




This not, apparently, a bad joke.

The Guardian, a respectable, albeit left wing, journal reports that "Despite that fact [President Robert] Mugabe, 88, is under a travel ban, he has been honoured as a "leader for tourism" by the UN's World Tourism Organisation, along with his political ally, Zambian president Michael Sata, 75. The pair signed an agreement with UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai at their shared border at Victoria Falls on Tuesday."

I can only hope that *a)* Canada was never dumb enough to help fund this organization, or *b)* if we did (and Jean Chrétien used to love these sorts of gangs of thugs, mugs and plugs) then we stop, immediately.


----------



## OldSolduer

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> This not, apparently, a bad joke.
> 
> The Guardian, a respectable, albeit left wing, journal reports that "Despite that fact [President Robert] Mugabe, 88, is under a travel ban, he has been honoured as a "leader for tourism" by the UN's World Tourism Organisation, along with his political ally, Zambian president Michael Sata, 75. The pair signed an agreement with UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai at their shared border at Victoria Falls on Tuesday."
> 
> I can only hope that *a)* Canada was never dumb enough to help fund this organization, or *b)* if we did (and Jean Chrétien used to love these sorts of gangs of thugs, mugs and plugs) then we stop, immediately.



Only in Africa....... :facepalm:


----------



## TSpoon

Would anyone have any info on going to South Sudan as part of the UN mission ? I've seen openings for it on my unit's OTSUM but they were all for majors and above. Any info would be appreciated.


----------



## George Wallace

TSpoon said:
			
		

> Would anyone have any info on going to South Sudan as part of the UN mission ? I've seen openings for it on my unit's OTSUM but they were all for majors and above. Any info would be appreciated.



Those have been in CFTPO for several years.  Officer positions to go as Observers/Monitors/etc.  Most of those who filled those positions trained to deploy, but never left Canada due to South Sudan not agreeing to accept Non-African Union troops into their country.

Basically, those positions for the most part are contingency planning.


----------



## TSpoon

Understood, Thanks for the quick reply.


----------



## Sythen

Congo and the General



> The Democratic Republic of Congo has been engulfed in conflict of one sort or another since 1996.
> 
> The fighting, between the government and a complex, ever-shifting array of rebel militias, has resulted in the deaths of an estimated six million people and the injury, rape and forced displacement of a great many more.
> 
> The international community has tried many times to help the country resolve some of these problems - or at least to mitigate their consequences - with the United Nations maintaining a peacekeeping presence since 1999. Known as MONUSCO (United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DR Congo), it is currently the largest and most expensive such mission in the world, comprising 21,000 uniformed personnel from 50 different nations with a budget of just under $1.5bn.
> 
> But for all its size and resources, the force has frequently been criticised in the past for being ineffectual, overcautious and for failing to meet its responsibility to protect the country's vulnerable citizens from harm.



More on link. It seems someone in a position to make a change is realising spending over $1 billion a year with no noticeable improvements is not sustainable. I wonder if this new policy will be effective, or if as soon as casualties happen if they will be back to hiding behind the walls?


----------



## Edward Campbell

Part 1 of 2

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the _Globe and Mail_, is a sad, but sadly predictable report that suggests that Africa's deep socio-cultural problems are unchanged since Rwanda in the 1990s and, indeed, in my own personal experience, Congo in the 1960s:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/what-happened-in-rwanda-is-happening-again-in-africa/article17835328/#dashboard/follows/


> What happened in Rwanda is happening again in Central African Republic
> 
> GEOFFREY YORK
> BOALI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC — The Globe and Mail
> 
> Published Saturday, Apr. 05 2014
> 
> Drive north from the capital, and you soon discover why relief workers call the Central African Republic a post-apocalyptic country. After a year of mass murder, the villages are abandoned and the roads eerily empty and desolate.
> 
> The checkpoints are controlled by cold-eyed men from largely Christian militias who brandish knives, machetes, swords and other crude weapons. Occasionally, a decrepit taxi comes barrelling down the road, ludicrously overloaded with 15 or 20 refugees, some piled on the roof. At times, a slow-moving convoy appears – busloads of terrified Muslims, with an escort of heavily armed peacekeepers to protect them from slaughter.
> 
> They represent 15 per cent of the country’s 4.5 million people, but even where they were a substantial minority, almost all Muslims have been killed or forced to flee. The last ones in the impoverished town of Boali were removed a month ago, and a local administrator admits it is still too dangerous for her Muslim husband and children to visit, let alone come back for good.
> 
> Last year, when largely Muslim rebel forces seized power, it was the Christians who fled for their lives even though the two communities had lived peacefully side by side for decades.
> 
> A horrifyingly bureaucratic term, “ethno-religious cleansing,” has been invented to describe the massacres in the CAR. While experts argue over whether it qualifies as genocide, those inside the country know only that the killing is endless. In the capital, Bangui, bodies still pile up in the morgues, mosques and streets.
> 
> What began as a political struggle has become sectarian. “One group is trying to exterminate the other,” says Dr. Jean Chrysostome Gody, director of Bangui’s pediatric hospital. “It’s about extreme brutal revenge. They are trying to eradicate a race.”
> 
> This wasn’t supposed to happen. “Never again,” the world said after 800,000 died in Rwanda. Yet two decades later – Monday marks the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the 100-day carnage – the killing continues. It continues in terrible wars such as the conflict in Syria, but also much closer to the scene of the tragedy that shocked the world in 1994.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tens of thousands have been butchered in the CAR as well as its neighbour to the east, South Sudan, where a few months ago a dispute between the president and vice-president erupted into mass bloodshed.
> 
> As in Rwanda, politicians and military leaders in both countries have whipped up hatred and turned it deadly. And as in Rwanda, there was plenty of warning. Academics, aid workers and analysts had pointed to the danger signs for months, even years. Yet little was done.
> 
> Preventing genocide has been an official goal of the United Nations since 1948 – four years after the term was coined at the height of the Holocaust. Genocide was banned in international criminal law, enforced later by tribunals investigating the mass killings in Rwanda and Darfur. According to the world’s new moral code, enshrined by the UN as the “responsibility to protect” doctrine, any mass atrocity was never to be ignored.
> 
> African countries, motivated by altruism but also by a cold calculation of their regional security interests, have sent thousands of peacekeepers to Bangui, including 850 from Rwanda. The European Union’s contribution, however, has been slow to materialize. And Canada, despite its proud tradition of UN service, has refused for years to send substantial forces to any African hot spot.
> 
> The current carnage has provoked plenty of high-level hand-wringing. This week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fretted that the international community has failed to “prevent the preventable.” And in Brussels, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird called the CAR a prime example of how efforts to save lives have been “inadequate” and the world “lacking” in resolve.
> 
> Why has the response been so minimal?
> 
> The bloodshed in South Sudan has left a landscape depressingly similar to that of the CAR. Malakal, the strategic capital of oil-rich Upper Nile province, is now a ghost town of abandoned markets and looted compounds. Thousands have fled, fearing attack by government or rebel forces, while thousands more have taken shelter at the local UN base.
> 
> “Many people were killed in front of us,” says Robert Okeng, a 30-year-old student. “The rebels burned our houses and killed many people, even small children. They shot them and beat them with sticks.”
> 
> The growing risk of mass violence had been clear for years. A Canadian member of the peacekeeping force, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the UN troops received intelligence briefings last August about the potential for large-scale violence as a result of the deep political split between President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar. Similar warnings had been issued privately by relief agencies even earlier, last June, due to tensions in the army, badly divided because regional and tribal militias had been poorly integrated.
> 
> Then in July as the feuding intensified, the Sudd Institute, a widely respected think-tank in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, issued a stark warning: “A violent split in the [ruling] party may lead to spontaneous rebellions and possibly a civil war. If the cracks take ethnic lines and violence ensues as a result, the state may become dysfunctional, giving way to a large-scale ethnic violence.”
> 
> Instead of heeding these grim warnings, the world clung to the blithe optimism of South Sudan’s birth, when it won independence from Khartoum in 2011 after decades of civil war. It seemed to be an irresistibly happy ending to an often-tragic story.
> 
> But there had been warnings signs. Even before South Sudan became the world’s newest independent country. Despite massive support from the United States, Canada and other Western countries, it was a tinderbox. About 2,500 people were killed in inter-communal clashes in 2009, and several armed rebellions erupted in 2010. Corruption was widespread, ethnic resentments were festering, dissent was often crushed rather than addressed, and the military was factionalized on ethnic lines.
> 
> Yet, even after the dangerous feuding between the top rulers last year, diplomats failed to apply strong pressure on Mr. Kiir, and the UN did not significantly increase its peacekeeping force of 7,000, far too small for a sprawling country with few paved roads. Large-scale fighting erupted in mid-December, including the deliberate targeting of ethnic groups – exactly as the Sudd Institute had warned just five months earlier – and by January more than 10,000 people had been killed.
> 
> “Both sides were preparing for violence – it was just a question of when,” says Abraham Awolich, a policy analyst who helped to found the Sudd Institute. “But nobody paid any attention. It was avoidable, but it slipped away.”
> 
> In the Central African Republic, the world has ignored warning signs much longer. This remote corner of Africa has been neglected and persecuted for more than a century, beginning with the slave traders and colonialists who depopulated much of what is now the CAR as forced labour. French colonial policy kept it weak and divided, and further damage was inflicted in the 1970s by the delusional fantasies of the self-proclaimed “emperor” Jean-Bedel Bokassa.
> 
> Since 1998, the UN has organized or endorsed an alphabet soup of peacekeeping and peace-building missions, with acronyms from MINURCA to BONUCA to today’s MISCA.
> 
> This means that UN officials have been receiving daily “sit-reps” (situation reports) on the country for the past 16 years.
> 
> But when the mass killings began last year, the world was unprepared and unable to intervene. Only a few thousand peacekeepers were in the country – not nearly enough to stop the massacres – and most were from neighbouring countries and primarily in the CAR to defend their own national interests, rather than to build a self-sufficient government in Bangui.
> 
> “The international community has been watching the CAR for a long time – and not doing much about it,” says David Smith, a Canadian who served on one of the earliest UN missions in the late 1990s.
> 
> “There are no surprises in the CAR, only inaction. We’ve sent a lot of people, but we’re not sending them to do the right thing. It’s not just about boots on the ground – it’s about nation-building.”
> 
> Because of a lack of personnel and resources, the UN peacekeepers could do little more than patrol the streets, observe the clashes and guard the key buildings. What was badly needed was a bigger long-term commitment, in order to create a proper army and police force, build a functioning justice system and rescue a failed state.
> 
> The violence escalated last March, when the rebels swept into Bangui, and has continued, on and off, in plain sight of the foreign observers, diplomats, peacekeepers and aid workers.
> 
> The disaster can even be seen from the air. Satellite photos show the destruction of villages and a massive camp for displaced people has sprung up on the edge of Bangui’s international airport – clearly visible to passenger jets that arrive every day. Not even a fence separates the planes from the estimated 60,000 people who live in appalling conditions, with children routinely dying of easily preventable diseases.
> 
> “They don’t die of bullets – they die because of a lack of will to help them,” says Dr. Tahir Wissanji of Médecins sans frontières (Doctors Without Borders) who worked in Bangui for two months. “This isn’t a situation where people can say, ‘Oh, we didn’t know.’ They’re at the airport when you land. You can’t miss them.”
> 
> The camp gets so little support that many residents don’t even have tents. “We have to use palm leafs,” says Joseph Mboris, a 54-year-old teacher who has been there since December. “When the rain falls, it’s terrible.”
> 
> Mr. Mboris onced lived side by side with Muslim friends and neighbours. Now the neighbours have lost contact and the friendships destroyed. “Things have become like that,” he says. “It’s too dangerous to go home. People have taken up machetes, and they want revenge.”
> 
> Four days before Christmas, his pregnant daughter’s husband was caught and killed by a local militia when he went home to collect their belongings. “He was too young to die,” Mr. Mboris says. Eight days later, his daughter gave birth to son who will never know his father.
> 
> The UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, visited the Central African Republic late last month, and says she is deeply concerned by the slow response of the international community, which so far has provided only one-fifth of the funds needed.
> 
> The world seems to have forgotten the lessons of Rwanda, she told reporters in Bangui. “I cannot help thinking that, if the Central African Republic were not a poor country hidden away in the heart of Africa, the terrible events that have taken place – and continue to take place – would have stimulated a far stronger and more dynamic reaction.
> 
> “How many more children have to be decapitated, how many more women and girls will be raped, how many more acts of cannibalism must there be, before we really sit up and pay attention?”
> 
> MSF is one of the biggest aid agencies on the ground, and Joanne Liu, its international president, says years of struggling to call attention to the disaster have produced no “traction.”
> 
> “A lot of people say they don’t even know where the CAR is – it’s always been a second-class crisis,” Dr. Liu says, noting that the country has few people and few natural resources.
> 
> And what could have been done?



End of Part 1 of 2


----------



## Edward Campbell

Part 2 of 2



> In both CAR and South Sudan, the world had leverage if it had wanted to act: There were peacekeepers in position, diplomats watching, and United Nations operations on the ground. As well , both countries were recipients of foreign aid, another potential tool to influence key players.
> 
> As the atrocities mounted in the CAR, foreign armies eventually responded, but never with an adequate effort. There are about 8,000 French and African peacekeeping troops there today – not enough to stop the killings or disarm the militias or prevent the “ethno-religious cleansing.” The European Union has promised another 1,000 troops but its commitment has wavered after the Ukraine crisis and its troops repeatedly delayed.
> 
> The UN estimates that a force of at least 12,000 – including 2,000 police – is needed in CAR alone. But even this is probably far too few: On a per capita basis, it is barely one-tenth the number of peacekeepers sent to Bosnia and Kosovo.
> 
> The UN doesn’t deserve all the blame. Countries like Canada, active supporters of peacekeeping until the past decade or so, have failed to make more than a token contribution. Even modest assistance – helicopters, communications equipment, airlift or other resources – could make a substantial difference.
> 
> If the problem in CAR is sheer neglect because it lacks strategic importance, South Sudan is more complex. The West has never neglected the newly independent country, providing much aid and other support. If anything, it was over-confident in South Sudan’s capacity to avoid mass violence, and failed to pressure the government to prevent it.
> 
> Conversations with South Sudanese political leaders and human-rights activists make it clear that they were fully aware of the dangerous splits in the army and the repressive tactics that were inflaming tensions. Yet donor nations essentially gave the government “a blank cheque,” one aid worker says, admitting that “maybe we could have been tougher.”
> 
> Deng Athuai Mawiir, a Canadian citizen who heads the South Sudan Civil Society Alliance, was kidnapped and beaten for three days in 2012 after he organized a march to demand action against 75 officials suspected of involvement in a $4-billion corruption scandal.
> 
> He says the military’s heavy involvement in politics is crucial to the persistent repression. “You can’t fire people in the ministries because you’re afraid the soldiers from their region will kill you. They are hungry for the war to continue, because they want to keep their positions forever. Everyone is hungry for power, and they don’t want to hear any opposition.”
> 
> When the rebellion erupted and the slaughter began, the international response – just like in the CAR – was too little and too late. In key cities like Malakal, the UN peacekeepers could do little more than protect VIPs and guard their base. This allowed the rebels and army to keep fighting, with hundreds of deaths over a period of weeks. The Canadian peacekeeper recalls how ending up flat on the ground in a bunker, trying to escape a hail of bullets from both the rebels and government forces.
> 
> There is no sign of a rapprochement between Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar, and their followers. The tensions between the feuding leaders and the two main ethnic groups, the Dinka and the Nuer, will fuel the risk of mass violence for years to come.
> 
> Is it too late to act? The clashes in South Sudan and the CAR have left such deep social wounds and such yearning for vengeance that it will be nearly impossible to prevent further massacres – unless there is a huge ramping-up of the peacekeeping effort.
> 
> The killing could also heighten the danger that both countries will plunge back into dictatorship. It was the genocide in Rwanda, and the world’s inaction in the sight of the genocide, that paved the way for the iron-fisted regime of President Paul Kagame, who tolerates no dissent.
> 
> At Dr. Gody’s hospital in Bangui, injured Muslim and Christian children lay side-by-side, united by their pain. Yet their parents can barely conceal their rage against people who were once their neighbours.
> 
> “We can’t live together again,” says Stella, 22. Her uncle was killed by Muslim rebels and her infant son later hit by a stray bullet.
> 
> “I consider the Muslims my enemies now,” she confesses as she tends to her bandaged child. “ If my life is worse, it is because of them.”
> 
> It’s a long way from the horrors of Bangui to a bland conference hall in Brussels, where Canada’s foreign minister was lecturing on genocide prevention this week.
> 
> “As leaders, this is our time,” Mr. Baird said in Brussels. “Let us not look back when it’s too late and wonder if we really did enough.”
> 
> His speech was an echo of the burning questions that tormented the world after Rwanda. It’s an extraordinary irony that the same questions are still being asked 20 years later.
> 
> *CONVENTIONAL TACTICS*
> 
> Since coming to the fore in the aftermath of the Holocaust, the United Nations has taken measures to anticipate and, in theory, thwart genocide.
> 
> 1948: The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide is passed, since ratified by 144 nations including Canada (1952) and the U.S. (46 years later).
> 
> 2004: A decade after Rwanda, a special adviser is appointed to collect information on “massive and serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law” and be “a mechanism of early warning.” The post’s first full-time
> occupant (2007-2012) is from South Sudan.
> 
> 2008: An associate adviser is appointed to focus on the UN’s subsequent edict that all states must actively protect their citizens “from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.”
> 
> 2013: The task is given to Jennifer Welsh, a Canadian specialist in international affairs and ethics then teaching at Oxford.
> 
> _The cutting edge_
> 
> More recently, science and technology have been recruited to the cause.
> 
> Mathematics: Australian researchers have developed a math-based model using variables ranging from political assassinations to a high rate of infant mortality (which shows state institutions have broken down). In 2012, they compiled a list
> of high-risk countries led by the Central African Republic, until then on no one’s radar.
> 
> Database: A Swiss sociologist has sifted through a century of news articles to develop a system for predicting when war will break out – between countries and within them.
> 
> Software: Duke University researchers have designed a computer program they say can be used to forecast insurgencies.
> 
> Tweet tips: A team assembled by the Holocaust Museum is mining hate speech on Twitter as a way to anticipate outbreaks of political violence. It will be rolled out next year for the elections in Nigeria, which have frequently been marred by
> violence. Developed by a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Twitter tool will operate in real time, and Nigeria has agreed to let researchers be in election security headquarters when voters go to the polls, mining social media
> for hate speech – smoke signals that may help authorities nip violence in the bud.
> 
> _Sources: United Nations, The New York Times_




It's a pretty sad state of affairs but even if there was political will in the West, and there isn't, there is nothing much to be done ... yet. Black Africa remains committed to addressing its own problems in its own ways ~ indifferently and ineffectually. The US led West or India or China, all by themselves, could bring order and peace to Black Africa but that would mean neocolonialism, and that's not happening any time soon.


----------



## Edward Campbell

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Part 2 of 2
> 
> 
> It's a pretty sad state of affairs but even if there was political will in the West, and there isn't, there is nothing much to be done ... yet. Black Africa remains committed to addressing its own problems in its own ways ~ indifferently and ineffectually. The US led West or India or China, all by themselves, could bring order and peace to Black Africa but that would mean neocolonialism, and that's not happening any time soon.








Need I say more?


----------



## CougarKing

Wasn't there was a Chinese PLA engineer unit working with UN/African Union forces in Sudan?



> *In South Sudan Conflict, China Tests Its Mediation Skills *
> 
> [thediplomat.com]
> Driven by commercial interests, China is taking the unusual step of mediating between rival South Sudanese factions.
> June 06, 2014
> 
> When asked why China was taking “a more proactive role” in the South Sudan crisis, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that China was acting with the goal of “maintaining regional peace and creating enabling conditions for local development.”* Of course, this doesn’t answer the fundamental question — there are many other internal crises where Beijing has chosen not to get involved, despite threats to “regional peace” and “local development.”*
> 
> China’s involvement in South Sudan recognizes the substantial commercial interests Beijing has at stake — most notably in the oil industry. According to Reuters, before the conflict began in December, *South Sudan was providing five percent of China’s oil imports. Now, oil production in the country has been slashed by one-third.* Chinese workers have also been evacuated from South Sudan due to the threat of violence. Principles aside, *China had every reason to push hard for a swift resolution to the crisis.*
> 
> Perhaps even more importantly, other major world powers, including the U.S., have far less reason to take proactive action in South Sudan. Other countries have fewer interests in the new nation,and were unlikely to get involved to the extent Beijing has. China stepped into the void, taking up a rare role as a mediator. “We have huge interests in South Sudan so we have to make a greater effort to persuade the two sides to stop fighting and agree to a ceasefire,” Ma Qiang, the Chinese ambassador to South Sudan, told Reuters


----------



## OldSolduer

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Need I say more?



Dr. Evil would like it.....except it might be worth nothing......


----------



## CougarKing

China continues to expand its footprint in Africa:



> *China to reopen Somalia embassy, sees strong ties*
> 
> BEIJING (Reuters) - China will reopen its embassy in Somalia after signs the East African country was making progress in its efforts to restore peace decades after the end of its civil war, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
> 
> Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China will send a team to Somalia on July 1 to reopen the embassy, which was closed in 1991 as Somalia descended into chaos.
> 
> "China's reopening of the embassy in Somalia is a signal that China attaches great importance to relations with Somalia," Hong said at a daily briefing.
> 
> (...EDITED)
> 
> *China has made major investments in Africa, mainly in the natural resources sector. *Africans broadly see China as a healthy counterbalance to Western influence but, as ties mature, there are growing calls from policymakers and economists for more balanced trade relations.
> 
> /snip
> 
> 
> Yahoo News


----------



## a_majoor

Ebola is apparently out of control. If this outbreak spreads to the densly populated cities and shanty towns of Africa, the outcome will make thje Black Plague or Spanish Flu look like child's play:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/guinea/10942598/Ebola-out-of-control-in-West-Africa-as-health-workers-rush-to-trace-1500-possible-victims.html



> *Ebola 'out of control' in West Africa as health workers rush to trace 1,500 possible victims*
> 
> Fear, mistrust of Western medicine and difficulties reaching remote areas mean hundreds of potentially infected people have not yet been found
> 
> By Mike Pflanz, West Africa Correspondent
> 
> 9:18AM BST 03 Jul 2014
> 
> Hundreds of West Africans could be carrying the deadly Ebola virus and not know it, potentially infecting hundreds more, as cash-strapped governments and overwhelmed aid agencies struggle to contain the virus's spread.
> 
> At least 1,500 people have not yet been traced who are known to have come into contact with others confirmed or suspected to be infected with the haemorrhagic fever, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) told The Telegraph.
> 
> Many more could be moving freely in the three countries battling the virus, Guinea,Liberiaand Sierra Leone, but fear of the illness and mistrust of Western medicine means they refuse to come forward to speak to doctors.
> 
> The current outbreak is the worst ever. So far 467 people have died and health staff have identified at least 292 other suspected or confirmed cases.
> 
> Ebola is transmitted by coming into contact with bodily fluids of an infected person. It has no cure and as many as 90 per cent of its victims die, often from uncontrollable internal and external bleeding.
> 
> Related Articles
> 
> West African Ebola epidemic 'out of control'
> 24 Jun 2014
> 
> Ebola rap warns West Africans of virus's dangers
> 28 May 2014
> 
> Mob attacks Ebola treatment centre in Guinea
> 05 Apr 2014
> 
> 'Isolated' Liberian Ebola case raises fears of fresh outbreaks across West Africa
> 04 Apr 2014
> 
> Mali reports three suspected Ebola cases
> 04 Apr 2014
> 
> 
> Health authorities in Glasgow and organisers of the Commonwealth Games, which start in the city on July 23, said they were "monitoring the situation on a daily basis" because a team from Sierra Leone was coming to compete.
> 
> "Based on current advice from the World Health Organisation, we estimate the risk to the delegates from Sierra Leone is extremely low," the statement said.
> 
> The outbreak was now "out of control" in the three affected countries and could quickly spread across West Africa, according to MSF, which is leading efforts to deal with cases.
> 
> The virus's spread appeared to have been cut off in late April, when 74 people had died and Alpha Conde, Guinea's president, said the situation was "well in hand" and "touch wood there won't be any new cases".
> 
> But a rare mix of highly mobile populations, mistrust of outsiders, a fear of being diagnosed and treated, traditional burial practices, and a lack of funding all mean Ebola flared again.
> 
> The number of cases jumped by 129, or 38 per cent, in the week from June 25 to July 2, the WHO said.
> 
> Health staff have even been attacked. The Red Cross in Guinea said it had been forced to temporarily suspend some operations in the country's southeast after staff working on Ebola were threatened on Wednesday.
> 
> "Locals wielding knives surrounded a marked Red Cross vehicle," a Red Cross official said, asking not to be named. An MSF centre elsewhere in Guinea was attacked in April by youths saying the charity brought Ebola into their country.
> 
> "I have covered six previous Ebola outbreaks and this is unprecedented," said Michel Van Herp, an epidemiologist with MSF in Belgium, who spent two months in the region in March and April and is returning again shortly.
> 
> "It is unique in terms of the number of cases, where they are and how they are spread, the difficulty of putting enough treatment centres where they are needed, and the fact that these people move about so much."
> 
> MSF and other organisations including the British Red Cross are focused on treating those cases that come to their specialised isolation wards, but more needed to be done to reach out to the rest of the population, Mr Van Herp said.
> 
> West African health ministers on Wednesday began a two-day emergency summit in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, to improve co-ordination of their responses to Ebola.
> 
> Money was needed urgently for drugs, basic protective gear and staff pay, said Abubakarr Fofanah, Sierra Leone's deputy health minister.
> 
> "In Liberia, our biggest challenge is denial, fear and panic. Our people are very much afraid of the disease," Bernice Dahn, Liberia's deputy health minister, told Reuters on the sidelines of the Accra meeting.
> 
> "People are afraid but do not believe that the disease exists and because of that people get sick and the community members hide them and bury them, against all the norms we have put in place," she said.
> 
> The virus remains contagious even if the person it infected dies.


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Just had tea with a couple that had come back from a church mission in Sierra Lorne where they spent 2 months working at a hospital, they have been doing such for 20 years. He said that he never sees anyone from the WHO and in fact at one hospital it was 2 years before they discovered that the WHO had an office around the block and never once did they visit. He seriously doubted WHO's statistics.


----------



## Edward Campbell

*Breaking news*: "Air Algerie plane disappears from radar". "There were 116 people on board. Ouagadougou, where the plane took off is in a nearly straight line south of Algiers, passing over Mali where unrest continues in the north."

Let's hope this is an equipment malfunction, or an accident, but ...


*----------*

Edit to add:


Apparently the plane has crashed but there are no indications as to why, other than that there was a sandstorm on the flight path.


Further edit to add:

It appears to have been an accident. But, the proliferation of increasingly sophisticated weapons ( from where?)* means that terrorists - and nationalists and rebels and, and , and - have capabilities that might allow them to impose _isolation_ on some regions. 

_____
* That's not a rhetorical question; I don 't follow the arms trade


----------



## The Bread Guy

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> *Breaking news*: "Air Algerie plane disappears from radar". "There were 116 people on board. Ouagadougou, where the plane took off is in a nearly straight line south of Algiers, passing over Mali where unrest continues in the north."
> 
> Let's hope this is an equipment malfunction, or an accident, but ...
> 
> *----------*
> 
> Edit to add:
> 
> Apparently the plane has crashed but there are no indications as to why, other than that there was a sandstorm on the flight path.


More bad scoobies ....

1)  Attached FAA NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) re:  MANPAD threat up to 24,000 feet over Mali.
2)  Attached map shows northbound flight path over Mali (in darker yellow with black border).

And it didn't take long for a Wikipedia page (usual GIGO caveats) to pop up.


----------



## a_majoor

More on the Ebola outbreak. Evidently the setup for the worst case scenario is now in play; the disease has turned up in a megacity, and a large number of potential carriers are at large:

http://hotair.com/archives/2014/07/28/summertime-blues-maybe-we-need-to-talk-about-ebola/



> *Summertime blues: Maybe we need to talk about Ebola*
> 
> posted at 9:21 pm on July 28, 2014 by Mary Katharine Ham
> 
> News of an Ebola outbreak in Western Africa has been simmering beneath the rest of the world going to hell this summer, but the news, and the disease itself, may have boiled over this weekend. The outbreak has now touched four African nations, killed one doctor tending the sick, and two infected Americans are getting treatment in Liberia—one doctor and one missionary.
> 
> Ebola, according to the World Health Organization, is a disease with a “case fatality rate of up to 90 percent,” passed through close contact and bodily fluids. It has claimed more than 600 lives in Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Guinea in an outbreak that health officials believe may have originated in the latter country as early as January, according to AP reporting.
> 
> Dr. Kent Brantly of Franklin Graham’s North Carolina-based aid organization Samaritan’s Purse, is in stable condition after contracting the disease while treating patients in Liberia, according to the organization.
> 
> 
> [A Samaritan's Purse spokesperson] cautions that Brantly, 33, is “not out of the woods yet.” She says patients have a better chance of survival if they receive treatment immediately after being infected, which Brantly did.
> 
> The Associated Press found a prescient quote of Brantly’s from earlier this year:
> 
> 
> Health workers are among those at greatest risk of contracting the disease, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids.
> 
> Photos of Brantly working in Liberia show him swathed head-to-toe in white protective coveralls, gloves and a head-and-face mask that he wore for hours a day while treating Ebola patients.
> 
> Earlier this year, the American was quoted in a posting about the dangers facing health workers trying to contain the disease. “In past Ebola outbreaks, many of the casualties have been health care workers who contracted the disease through their work caring for infected individuals,” he said.
> 
> Nancy Writebol, a missionary from North Carolina, is very ill and in isolation according to the pastor of her church.
> 
> But here’s the pair of headlines that made me start wondering where this is headed:
> 
> 
> Nigeria government confirms Ebola case in megacity of Lagos
> 
> A Woman With Ebola Escaped Quarantine And Is On The Run In A City Of 1 Million
> 
> Lagos is a city of 21 million people, the largest on the continent of Africa. The city has shut down the hospital in which he died for decontamination and identified 59 people with whom he had contact, though the airline on which he flew doesn’t seem to have yet provided a list of passengers, whom a virologist interviewed by Reuters deemed in “pretty serious danger.”
> 
> 
> The Nigerian city of Lagos shut down and quarantined on Monday a hospital where a man died of Ebola, the first recorded case of the highly infectious disease in Africa’s most populous country.
> 
> Patrick Sawyer, a consultant for the Liberian finance ministry aged in his 40s, collapsed on arrival at Lagos airport on July 20. He was put in isolation at the First Consultants Hospital in Obalende, one of the most crowded parts of a city that is home to 21 million people, and died on Friday.
> 
> “The private hospital was demobilized (evacuated) and the primary source of infection eliminated. The decontamination process in all the affected areas has commenced,” Lagos state health commissioner Jide Idris told a news conference.
> 
> Some hospital staff who were in close contact with the victim have been isolated. The hospital will be shut for a week and all staff closely monitored, Idris added.
> 
> Reuters also reports doctors in Nigeria, one of the African countries better positioned to control an outbreak, are on strike over pay issues and have no plans at this point to call off the work stoppage. Liberia is reportedly locking down its border crossings, but many health officials remain concerned most of the countries where outbreaks are occurring simply don’t have the security or the infrastructure to really prevent spread.
> 
> And, now a final headline to chill your blood.
> 
> 
> Ebola only a plane ride away from the U.S.: Ebola could easily arrive in the USA on board a plane, but wouldn’t spread far, experts say.
> 
> So, we got that going for us, which is nice.


----------



## dapaterson

And the World Health Organization has officially declared the ebola outbreak to be a public health emergency.



> The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is an international public health emergency that demands an extraordinary response, the World Health Organization declared Friday.
> 
> The outbreak has killed at least 961 people as of Aug. 6 and "is moving faster than we can control it," WHO’s director-general Margaret Chan told reporters from Geneva.
> 
> “The possible consequences of further international spread are particularly serious in view of the virulence of the virus,” the UN health agency said in a statement.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/ebola-outbreak-is-a-public-health-emergency-who-says-1.2730931


----------



## a_majoor

Some more "cheerful" news on the Ebola outbreak, and why this time it may not be stopped. (Once again, culture matters):

http://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2014/08/08/viral/



> *Viral*
> 
> August 8th, 2014 - 11:49 am
> 
> The man who brought the Ebola virus to Nigeria probably knew he was infected.  Surveillance video of Patrick Sawyer before boarding his flight at Liberia’s James Sprigg Payne’s Airport showed “Mr. Sawyer lying flat on his stomach on the floor in the corridor of the airport and seemed to be in ‘excruciating pain.’ The footage showed Mr. Sawyer preventing people from touching him.”
> 
> He collapsed upon arrival in Nigeria, after a layover in Togo and was rushed to a Nigerian hospital.  Upon being told he had Ebola, he acted with what the Nigerians called “indiscipline”; a burst of rage and despair against the world and everyone in it.
> 
> Upon being told he had Ebola, Mr. Sawyer went into a rage, denying and objecting to the opinion of the medical experts. “He was so adamant and difficult that he took the tubes from his body and took off his pants and urinated on the health workers, forcing them to flee.
> 
> Amazingly, he was even then in the process of being sprung by his political connections before death intervened.  Had he lived Sawyer might have gotten out and protected by the juju of expensive watches and status symbols, mingled among the muckety-mucks of ECOWAS.
> 
> 
> “The hospital would later report that it resisted immense pressure to let out Sawyer from its hospital against the insistence from some higher-ups and conference organizers that he had a key role to play at the ECOWAS convention in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
> 
> In fact, FrontPageAfrica has been informed that officials in Monrovia were in negotiations with ECOWAS to have Sawyer flown back to Liberia.
> 
> Eight of the Nigerian hospital workers are now infected with Ebola, including the doctor who attended Sawyer. One, a nurse, has already died. The Liberian president, Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, apologized to Nigeria for the incident. She said “Patrick Sawyer was on surveillance, but he sneaked out of Liberia”. Sneaked out, presumably, to hobnob with the big shots of the region.
> 
> Ken Isaacs of Samaritan’s Purse told a Congressional Hearing that the WHO is underreporting the Ebola epidemic. “Ken Isaacs, a vice president with Samaritan’s Purse, a North Carolina-based Christian humanitarian organization, also said the number of Ebola cases and deaths reported by the World Health Organization are probably 25 percent to 50 percent below actual levels.”
> 
> 
> Isaacs told of a prominent Liberian doctor who “openly mocked the existence of Ebola” by trying to enter a hospital isolation ward with no gloves or protective clothing. He and another man who accompanied him to the hospital both died within five days, Isaacs said.
> 
> At one point, Isaacs even disputed the earlier testimony of a physician from the U.S. Agency for International Development, who said his agency had provided 35,000 protective suits for health care workers in West Africa.
> 
> Isaacs told lawmakers he had received an email in the last 90 minutes from a hospital in Liberia “asking us for more personal protection gear. This a problem everywhere,” he said.
> 
> Equipment might not be a problem for much longer. Finding people to wear them will. Ebola is rapidly killing off the medical personnel and shutting down the hospitals. The dead are being left to die in the street, where with a last effort, some of them crawl out to expire.
> 
> Adam Nossiter of the NY Times stalked the empty wards of hospitals.  It was infest with fear.
> 
> 
> patients have fled the hospital’s long, narrow buildings, which sit silent and echoing in the fading light. Few people are taking any chances by coming here.
> 
> “Don’t touch the walls!” a Western medical technician yelled out. “Totally infected.”
> 
> The Telegraph says authorities have warned people against bring the sick to churches. “According to Dr Bernice Dahn, Liberia’s chief medical officer, three of the victims passed away while they were being sheltered in a local church – a sign of how many some people believe the disease is a curse that can be cured by prayer or witchcraft.” But in a situation where medical science is equally helpless, many people, as the Daily Telegraph notes, have simply fled to the bars and honky-tonks.
> 
> 
> People don’t die here now,” said the deputy chief of the hospital’s burying team, Albert J. Mattia, exasperated after a long day of Ebola burials. “They are dying in the community, five, six a day.” Mr. Mattia was particularly disturbed that many of the bodies his team were putting in the ground had come from outside the hospital, thwarting attempts to isolate patients and prevent them from passing the disease to others.
> 
> “It’s very, very dangerous, very hazardous; it is contributing to the Ebola dead,” he said as his two deputies nodded glumly in agreement. “You go to the wards, there are no patients.”
> 
> When they’re not in denial,  they’re angry. A crowd approached the journalist’s group threateningly.
> 
> 
> “A crowd gathered, and some accused us health workers of spreading the disease ourselves. They even began touching a local journalist we had brought with us, saying: ‘if you think it is us spreading it, then here you are, we will infect you’.”
> 
> In places where villagers see a doctor, they flee into the bush, shouting “Ebola! Ebola!” You can see why Sawyer freaked out like he did. He was in the grip of some nameless devil and lashed out at anything and everything.
> 
> The received  Western wisdom is that an Ebola epidemic is best controlled by quarantine and contact monitoring. You know, with isolation wards and databases and non-available disposable protective clothing in 110 degree heat. In a word, through a program of action which Africa is singularly unable to carry out. African officialdom lives by lies, faking documents and jumping the queue.  Like some American political parties, that is how they handle crisis. That’s how they’ll handle this one.
> 
> With the hospitals gone, they are now “sending troops” to isolate the disease. More likely than not the troops will themselves carry the virus and since no one can stop armed men, they will go where they like.
> 
> Much of the coverage has centered on the epidemic in Liberia and Nigeria, because these countries are relatively accessible to English speaking journalists. But  we have no idea what is happening in Sierra Leone or Guinea, which is one of the most corrupt countries on earth. Officials claim only about 1,000 people have died from Ebola in West Africa so far, ‘not many’ in such a vast region. But this completely underrates the real danger. The relevant population against which such casualties must be measured are the medical personnel. They are being wiped out. Africa has a very limited store of scientific, medical and technical human capital and once these irreplaceables are killed or intimidated then the man issuing the medical exit visas will be an illiterate with a rubber stamp.
> 
> And then anyone can get on a plane. Maybe anyone already can — providing he’s official.
> 
> Culture is the key to survival, not just in Africa but also in the West. The prosperity of the last 70 years has made us forget that exact knowledge matters, not for any reasons of social status, but for survival. Nature doesn’t care what you think. It doesn’t care about spin doctors say or what someone said in a speech. The virus is a physical information object, which given input, produces output. “Don’t touch the walls!” applies as much to presidents as to villagers.
> 
> Perhaps Ebola will stay in Africa. But one shouldn’t count on it. Readers will recall reports Libyan hospital systems are collapsing as expatriate health workers, who make up 80% of medical personnel, evacuate. The hospital systems in Syria and Iraq are probably highly degraded by now.  Two days ago, a Saudi businessman died after returning from West Africa, after exhibiting Ebola-like symptoms, but the diagnosis has not been confirmed.  The wars of the region have created an extraordinary fertile ground for epidemic. If Ebola should get to Mecca then we will rediscover the truism that no man is an island, especially not in our globalized world.


----------



## a_majoor

With the population seemingly unwilling or unable to comprehend what Ebola is and responding in the manner of the article below, I will expect Ebola to start consuming the shantytowns and megacities of Africa, as well as leaking out into other parts of the world. Cutting off air and sea access to the affected areas would be a good way of maintaining a firebreak, but no one is working on that to my knowledge right now:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jinamoore/two-days-after-it-opens-mob-destroys-ebola-center-in-liberia#3myciat



> *Mob Destroys Ebola Center In Liberia Two Days After It Opens*
> Fear and denial of the deadly virus are pervasive in Liberia. The mob exponentially increased the risk in one of the country’s biggest Ebola hot spots.
> 
> posted on Aug. 16, 2014, at 5:43 p.m.
> Jina Moore
> BuzzFeed Staff
> 
> MONROVIA, Liberia — This morning Makasha Kroma shivered with fever. Her head still hurt; that hadn’t gone away. And she was vomiting a lot.
> That’s why she’d ended up here, at a holding center where people suspected to have Ebola wait, in a dark classroom, for the results of their tests. These things — headache, fever, vomiting — are the early signs.
> 
> Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids. It has no treatment, besides hydration, no cure, no proven vaccine. Since February, it’s ravaged West Africa, infecting more than 2,000 people in four countries and killing more than 1,100.
> 
> Kroma came to the West Point holding center with her sister, her three children, a cousin named Bindu, and two other family members. They are all women, or girls — most caregivers in Liberia are — and they washed Kroma’s clothes, fed her rice, wiped down her body, and cleaned up her vomit with a rag and some chlorine.
> 
> Those are the kinds of chores that give you Ebola. And the girls had no gloves. All the gloves the Ministry of Health brought this place when it opened yesterday, all 150 of them, were gone by the middle of the night.
> 
> That’s when three people escaped. Because Sam Tarplah and his staff didn’t have any gloves, they couldn’t restrain the patients who wanted to flee. They could only plead.
> 
> “We begged them, told them people are coming tomorrow to help you,” Tarplah said. “But there was no way we could fight them.”
> 
> Two escaped by climbing the back wall, according to health care workers in a clinic next door. Another, a woman with five children, simply took off, Tarplah said.
> 
> Tarplah is a registered nurse who’s worked in health care in Liberia since 1989; he opened this holding center for the Ministry of Health on Thursday, and had eight patients. On Friday, before the escape, he had 29.
> 
> West Point is becoming a hot spot in a hot spot in the biggest Ebola outbreak in history. It’s an informal community, a “slum,” with no running water or toilets. People can live seven or more to a single dwelling, and the density is dangerous: A positive Ebola patient disappearing into the maze of metal shacks can be a public health horror story.
> 
> Today, things got even worse.
> 
> A mob descended on the center at around 5:30 p.m., chanting, “No Ebola in West Point! No Ebola in West Point!” They stormed the front gate and pushed into the holding center. They stole the few gloves someone had donated this morning, and the chlorine sprayers used to disinfect the bodies of those who die here, all the while hollering that Ebola is a hoax.
> 
> They ransacked the protective suits, the goggles, the masks. They destroyed part of Tarplah’s car as he was fleeing the crowd.
> 
> Jemimah Kargbo, a health care worker at a clinic next door, said they took mattresses and bedding, utensils and plastic chairs.
> 
> “Everybody left with their own thing,” she said. “What are they carrying to their homes? They are carrying their deaths.”
> She said the police showed up but the crowd intimidated them.
> 
> “The police were there but they couldn’t contain them. They started threatening the police, so the police just looked at them,” she said.
> And then mob left with all of the patients.
> 
> “They said, ‘The president says you have Ebola, but you don’t have Ebola, you have malaria. Get up and go out!’” Kargbo said.
> “What’s going to happen when they come to our clinic? In two to five days?” Kargbo asked, referencing the early period when newly infected patients begin to show their first symptoms. “We’re going to turn them around” and send them to a different hospital, she said.
> 
> Kargbo said the staff at the clinic have no protective gear. They were already afraid about treating possible Ebola patients, and the riot means more infections as escaped sick patients infect their families, and as looters sleep on mattresses where the Ebola-infected have died.
> 
> “We can’t let them turn around and come back and infect us,” Kargbo said. “I have four sons. I am a single mother. I’m not going to let that happen to my children. I’m not going to let anybody infect me, to die of the disease and leave my children.”
> 
> Tolbert Nyenswah, the assistant minister of health, told BuzzFeed on Thursday they intend to quarantine all of West Point, a serious measure that would require meticulous planning and heavy security.
> 
> Nyenswah could not be reached for comment on today’s riot or its effect on the quarantine plan.
> 
> Bindu, the 22-year-old who had been quarantined in the center while caring for her dying cousin, told BuzzFeed this morning that the family wouldn’t leave before Kroma got her results. They wanted to follow the rules and stay as safe as possible.
> 
> But that didn’t mean they wanted to be stuck in there — no cell phone, no electricity, no visitors, surrounded by strangers vomiting and collapsing and dying on the floor in front of them.
> 
> “We just want to go home,” she said through a window.
> Now nobody knows where she, or the dying Kroma, has gone.


----------



## Infantryman2b

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/nigeria-boko-haram-declares-sharia-law-beheads-christian-men-forces-women-into-islam-gwoza-1463185

Boko Haram has gone full sharia law, and is still beheading Christians. There getting stronger and extending there deadly reach beyond rural areas. Looks like there turning into an IS style extremist group. Hopefully they stay contained to Nigeria and aren't thinking of building the "caliphate" in Africa.


----------



## CougarKing

The US military doing its part to stop Ebola:

Military.com



> *US Sending 3,000 Troops to Africa to Battle Ebola*
> 
> Sep 16, 2014 | by Richard Sisk
> The U.S. military will send 3,000 troops to the heart of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia and devote air assets to delivering medical supplies and personnel as part of a stepped up effort to battle the epidemic that has claimed more than 2,100 lives in West Africa, the White House announced late Monday night.
> U.S. Africa Command will coordinate the response that will be led by a general officer from U.S. Army Africa and will operate from a Joint Force Command to be set up in Monrovia, the Liberian capital. The general who will lead the effort was not named Monday night.
> 
> (...EDITED)


----------



## Edward Campbell

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> The US military doing its part to stop Ebola:
> 
> Military.com




Good! Dr Chan (WHO's Director General) has been asking begging for urgent international support in the form of doctors, nurses, medical supplies and aid to the worst-affected countries. Australia, Britain, *Canada*, China, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealnd, Norway and, and, and ... should also step up with similar offers. _This_, Ebola, is a war we can win and should fight ... leave Ukraine and the entire bloody _Islamic Crescent_ to their sad, messy and bloody fates.


----------



## The Bread Guy

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Good! Dr Chan (WHO's Director General) has been asking begging for urgent international support in the form of doctors, nurses, medical supplies and aid to the worst-affected countries. Australia, Britain, *Canada*, China, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealnd, Norway and, and, and ... should also step up with similar offers. _This_, Ebola, is a war we can win and should fight ... leave Ukraine and the entire bloody _Islamic Crescent_ to their sad, messy and bloody fates.


And here's a summary what Canada's doing to help so far ....


> .... To date, Canada's financial contribution totals $5,195,000 in support of humanitarian and security interventions that are addressing the spread of the Ebola virus in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone ....


----------



## a_majoor

An ominous warning:

http://www.wired.com/2014/09/r0-ebola/



> Superbug
> *The Mathematics of Ebola Trigger Stark Warnings: Act Now or Regret It*
> BY MARYN MCKENNA   09.14.14  |   12:07 PM  |   PERMALINK
> 
> The Ebola epidemic in Africa has continued to expand since I last wrote about it, and as of a week ago, has accounted for more than 4,200 cases and 2,200 deaths in five countries: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. That is extraordinary: Since the virus was discovered, no Ebola outbreak’s toll has risen above several hundred cases. This now truly is a type of epidemic that the world has never seen before. In light of that, several articles were published recently that are very worth reading.
> 
> The most arresting is a piece published last week in the journal Eurosurveillance, which is the peer-reviewed publication of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (the EU’s Stockholm-based version of the US CDC). The piece is an attempt to assess mathematically how the epidemic is growing, by using case reports to determine the “reproductive number.” (Note for non-epidemiology geeks: The basic reproductive number — usually shorted to R0 or “R-nought” — expresses how many cases of disease are likely to be caused by any one infected person. An R0 of less than 1 means an outbreak will die out; an R0 of more than 1 means an outbreak can be expected to increase. If you saw the movie Contagion, this is what Kate Winslet stood up and wrote on a whiteboard early in the film.)
> 
> The Eurosurveillance paper, by two researchers from the University of Tokyo and Arizona State University, attempts to derive what the reproductive rate has been in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. (Note for actual epidemiology geeks: The calculation is for the effective reproductive number, pegged to a point in time, hence actually Rt.) They come up with an R of at least 1, and in some cases 2; that is, at certain points, sick persons have caused disease in two others.
> 
> You can see how that could quickly get out of hand, and in fact, that is what the researchers predict. Here is their stop-you-in-your-tracks assessment:
> 
> In a worst-case hypothetical scenario, should the outbreak continue with recent trends, the case burden could gain an additional 77,181 to 277,124 cases by the end of 2014.
> 
> That is a jaw-dropping number.
> 
> What should we do with information like this? At the end of last week, two public health experts published warnings that we need to act urgently in response.
> 
> First, Dr. Richard E. Besser: He is now the chief health editor of ABC News, but earlier was acting director of the US CDC, including during the 2009-10 pandemic of H1N1 flu; so, someone who understands what it takes to stand up a public-health response to an epidemic. In his piece in the Washington Post, “The world yawns as Ebola takes hold in West Africa,” he says bluntly: “I don’t think the world is getting the message.”
> 
> He goes on:
> 
> The level of response to the Ebola outbreak is totally inadequate. At the CDC, we learned that a military-style response during a major health crisis saves lives…
> 
> We need to establish large field hospitals staffed by Americans to treat the sick. We need to implement infection-control practices to save the lives of health-care providers. We need to staff burial teams to curb disease transmission at funerals. We need to implement systems to detect new flare-ups that can be quickly extinguished. A few thousand U.S. troops could provide the support that is so desperately needed.
> 
> Aid ought to be provided on humanitarian grounds alone, he argues — but if that isn’t adequate rationale, he adds that aid offered now could protect us in the West from the non-medical effects of Ebola’s continuing to spread: “Epidemics destabilize governments, and many governments in West Africa have a very short history of stability. U.S. aid would improve global security.”
> 
> Should we really be concerned about the global effect of this Ebola epidemic? In the New York Times, Dr. Michael T. Osterholm of the University of Minnesota* — an epidemiologist and federal advisor famous for inadvertently predicting the 2001 anthrax attacks — says yes, we should. In “What We’re Afraid to Say About Ebola,” he warns: “The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has the potential to alter history as much as any plague has ever done.”
> 
> He goes on:
> 
> There are two possible future chapters to this story that should keep us up at night.
> 
> The first possibility is that the Ebola virus spreads from West Africa to megacities in other regions of the developing world. This outbreak is very different from the 19 that have occurred in Africa over the past 40 years. It is much easier to control Ebola infections in isolated villages. But there has been a 300 percent increase in Africa’s population over the last four decades, much of it in large city slums…
> 
> The second possibility is one that virologists are loath to discuss openly but are definitely considering in private: that an Ebola virus could mutate to become transmissible through the air… viruses like Ebola are notoriously sloppy in replicating, meaning the virus entering one person may be genetically different from the virus entering the next. The current Ebola virus’s hyper-evolution is unprecedented; there has been more human-to-human transmission in the past four months than most likely occurred in the last 500 to 1,000 years. Each new infection represents trillions of throws of the genetic dice.
> 
> Like Besser, Osterholm says that the speed, size and organization of the response that is needed demands a governmental investment, but he looks beyond the US government alone:
> 
> We need someone to take over the position of “command and control.” The United Nations is the only international organization that can direct the immense amount of medical, public health and humanitarian aid that must come from many different countries and nongovernmental groups to smother this epidemic. Thus far it has played at best a collaborating role, and with everyone in charge, no one is in charge.
> 
> A Security Council resolution could give the United Nations total responsibility for controlling the outbreak, while respecting West African nations’ sovereignty as much as possible. The United Nations could, for instance, secure aircraft and landing rights…
> 
> The United Nations should provide whatever number of beds are needed; the World Health Organization has recommended 1,500, but we may need thousands more. It should also coordinate the recruitment and training around the world of medical and nursing staff, in particular by bringing in local residents who have survived Ebola, and are no longer at risk of infection. Many countries are pledging medical resources, but donations will not result in an effective treatment system if no single group is responsible for coordinating them.
> 
> I’ve spent enough time around public health people, in the US and in the field, to understand that they prefer to express themselves conservatively. So when they indulge in apocalyptic language, it is unusual, and notable.
> 
> When one of the most senior disease detectives in the US begins talking about “plague,” knowing how emotive that word can be, and another suggests calling out the military, it is time to start paying attention.
> 
> *Disclosure: From 2006 to 2010, I worked part-time at the disease news site, CIDRAP, that Osterholm founded. For that matter, I used to be in a book club with Besser, too.


----------



## Edward Campbell

Here is an example of US foreign policy that is working:






US troops working, today, on the construction of a 25-bed Ebola clinic near Monrovia (Liberia) airport
Source: Geoffrey York (@geoffreyyork) Africa correspondent for The Globe and Mail

This is GREAT use of a hard power component (the Army) to make vital *soft power* gains.


----------



## a_majoor

The mathematics of disease outbreaks are not favourable:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/10/ebola-numbers-show-response-is.html



> *Ebola numbers show response is currently inadequate to achieve containment*
> 
> Global health officials are looking closely at the Ebola Virus “reproduction number,” which estimates how many people, on average, will catch the virus from each person stricken with Ebola. The epidemic will begin to decline when that number falls below one. A recent analysis estimated the number at 1.5 to 2.
> 
> To bring the epidemic under control, officials should ensure that at least 70 percent of Ebola-victim burials are conducted safely, and that at least 70 percent of infected people are in treatment, within 60 days, he said
> 
> In 60 days there will be about 100,000 cases so there need to be about 70,000 beds. The 17 facilities being built by the US military will be able to handle 1700.
> 
> Sierra Leone desperately needs 750 doctors, 3,000 nurses, 1,500 hygienists, counselors and nutritionists.
> 
> The reproduction number, or "R nought," is a mathematical term that tells you how contagious an infectious disease is. Specifically, it's the number of people who catch the disease from one sick person, on average, in an outbreak.
> 
> Even modest gains in lowering that reproduction number could give health officials and the military a better chance of controlling the epidemic. “Maybe we can bring it from two to 1.2 or 1.3, which would indicate that the number of new cases will be dramatically reduced, and that will give you time,” he said.
> 
> As the number of infections increases, so does the possibility that a person with Ebola will carry it to another country. This is known as an export.
> 
> “So we had two exports in the first 2,000 patients,” Frieden said in a recent interview. “Now we’re going to have 20,000 cases, how many exports are we going to have?”
> 
> Conventional methods of containing Ebola — isolating patients and doing contact tracing of people who might be exposed — lower the rate of new infections until finally the epidemic burns itself out. That has been the case in all previous outbreaks of Ebola, although no outbreak has ever been nearly as extensive as this one.
> 
> More trained people are needed to enable effective isolation, contact tracing and containment.
> 
> Mobilization should target the numbers in 60 days. Assume 100,000-200,000 cases need to be contained and get ramped up for that number. The current identified cases are an underestimate because people do not show symptoms for 4-21 days. There is widespread under-reporting of new cases, and that the situation in Liberia, and in Monrovia in particular,
> continues to deteriorate from week to week.
> 
> PLOS - Estimating the Reproduction Number of Ebola Virus (EBOV) During the 2014 Outbreak in West Africa
> 
> The 2014 Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak in West Africa is the largest outbreak of the genus Ebolavirus to date. To better understand the spread of infection in the affected countries, it is crucial to know the number of secondary cases generated by an infected index case in the absence and presence of control measures, i.e., the basic and effective reproduction number. In this study, I describe the EBOV epidemic using an SEIR (susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered) model and fit the model to the most recent reported data of infected cases and deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The maximum likelihood estimates of the basic reproduction number are 1.51 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50-1.52) for Guinea, 2.53 (95% CI: 2.41-2.67) for Sierra Leone and 1.59 (95% CI: 1.57-1.60) for Liberia. The model indicates that in Guinea and Sierra Leone the effective reproduction number might have dropped to around unity by the end of May and July 2014, respectively. In Liberia, however, the model estimates no decline in the effective reproduction number by end-August 2014. This suggests that control efforts in Liberia need to be improved substantially in order to stop the current outbreak.


----------



## CougarKing

As if some of their current activities (e.g. Chinese troops in Sudan, Chinese companies bringing their own legions of rural Chinese migrant workers to various African nations) on the continent couldn't be seen as a form of colonialism. 

Reuters



> *China will not take path of 'Western colonists' in Africa: foreign minister*
> Mon Jan 12, 2015 12:18am EST
> 
> BEIJING (Reuters) - China will not follow the path of "Western colonists" in Africa, its foreign minister said during a five-nation tour of the continent, parrying criticism that his country's hunger for resources has led to one-sided policies and damaging projects.
> 
> China is Africa's biggest trade partner, and has sought to tap the region's rich resources to fuel its own economic growth over the past two decades.
> 
> *But Beijing's involvement has been called "neo-colonial" by some African leaders, who fear projects bring little benefit to local people, with materials and even labor being imported from China.
> 
> "We absolutely will not take the old path of Western colonists, and we absolutely will not sacrifice Africa's ecological environment and long-term interests,"* Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Chinese Central Television while in Kenya.
> 
> His comments were published on the ministry's website late on Sunday.
> 
> Beijing has previously said its cooperation with African nations covers farm, health and infrastructure-related projects.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## Edward Campbell

Everyone _believes_ that their motives and actions are "pure," in colonialism.

There are reputable scholars, e.g. Niall Ferguson who will argue that British Imperialism was, actually, good for the "lesser breeds without that law," and others, like Victor Davis Hanson who will argue that there is no American imperialism because there are no (more) "proconsuls" and "governors general" out in the colonies.

The Chinese tend to see themselves the way Hanson sees America ... friendly helpers in a big, bad, dangerous world with no ulterior motives at all.  :


Edit: typo


----------



## a_majoor

More specifically, VDH acknowledges that America is a "commercial empire", and that Americans would rather be CEO's rather than CBE's.

I personally see America as following more in the path of the _Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta_, where the flag essentially follows trade (rather than the usual formulation of trade following the flag), but like the _Serene Republic_ America has become rather overstretched by following interests both on _Terra firma_ as well as the more traditional focus on Sea power to maintain trade links. (This is arguably the true reason for the long term decline of Venice as well; starting to become deeply involved on the Italian mainland and fighting wars with traditional powers like Milan and Florence as well as trying to maintain her trade empire in the Aegean and Mediterranean agains the Ottoman Empire).

So long as America is persuing American interests in maintaining freedom of the seas and free trade, then the idea of an American Empire is askew.


----------



## Edward Campbell

I would have agreed with you until about 1960, Thucydides, and America might have changed course then, but, 25 years later, by 1985 (after the _Grenada_ fiasco invasion) it seemed pretty clear that America was more like 19th century France and Germany, plundering the "leftovers." A further 25 years on, by 2010, the die was cast ... America is, now, the very face (a _hated_ face) of modern, 21st century imperialism.


----------



## Armymedic

http://nypost.com/2015/02/07/niger-reports-109-boko-haram-fighters-killed-in-attacks/

NIAMEY, Niger — A total of 109 Boko Haram fighters were killed by soldiers responding to attacks on two towns in Niger near the border with Nigeria on Friday, Niger’s defense minister said.

In a statement read out on state television late Friday, Mahamadou Karijo said four soldiers were killed and 17 wounded in fighting in the towns of Bosso and Diffa. He said two soldiers were missing and a civilian was also killed.

“Calm has returned to the two localities and the situation is under control,” Karijo said.

Chadian troops supported Niger’s soldiers in Bosso, and Boko Haram suffered “heavy casualties” in Diffa, he said. It was not possible to verify the figures he provided.

Boko Haram has openly threatened to attack other countries taking part in the military effort against their insurgency, which is blamed for 10,000 deaths over the past year. Niger has joined Cameroon, Chad and Benin in pledging to send troops to fight the extremists, who have waged a five-year rebellion against the Nigerian government.

Niger is already home to tens of thousands of refugees who have fled the terror group’s attacks in Nigeria.


----------



## Armymedic

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/boko.haram.attacks.repulsed.as.fighting.spreads.to.niger/47615.htm


Boko Haram attacks repulsed as fighting spreads to Niger

Niger's forces killed 109 fighters from the Islamist militant group Boko Haram on Friday as they repulsed attacks on Bosso and Diffa, two southeastern towns near the Nigerian border, Niger state television said.

Four Niger soldiers were killed, 13 were wounded and two are missing after the fighting in Bosso against Boko Haram, whose five-year insurgency is spreading from Nigeria to neighbouring states. Four Niger soldiers were wounded in Diffa.

"At around 9 am elements of the Boko Haram terrorist group launched two simultaneous attacks at Bosso and Diffa. At Bosso, Niger's defence forces helped by Chadian troops neutralised the assailants," said the statement by Defence Minister Karidio Mahamadou on state television.

Chad deployed war planes to repulse the attack, military officials in Niger said earlier.

There was no independent confirmation of the numbers killed.

General Yaya Doud, commander of Chadian forces deployed north of Lake Chad, was shot in the stomach in Bosso, a Chadian security source said. He has been evacuated to hospital in N'Djamena for treatment.

"The Boko Haram attack from Malam Fatori (in Nigeria) against the town of Bosso and the bridge at Doutchi in the Diffa region has been repulsed. We have Chadian planes bombarding the locality," said a Niger military source.

Boko Haram has seized territory in northeastern Nigeria as part of a five-year insurgency for an Islamist state. Around 10,000 people were killed last year and the militants increasingly stage cross border attacks.

The insurgency is the worst threat to Nigeria's security as the nation, Africa's top oil producer and biggest economy, heads to a presidential election on February 14.

The militants are also increasingly threatening neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, prompting regional leaders to come up with a joint plan to defeat them.

Chad has deployed some 2,500 soldiers to neighbouring Cameroon and Niger as part of this effort. Niger's parliament is due to vote on Monday on a proposal by the government to send its troops into Nigeria to fight Boko Haram.


----------



## CougarKing

And the siege is over after a horrendous toll on life:

Reuters



> *Al Shabaab kills at least 147 at Kenyan university; siege ends*
> 
> By Edith Honan
> 
> GARISSA, Kenya (Reuters) - Gunmen from the Islamist militant group al Shabaab stormed a university in Kenya and killed at least 147 people on Thursday, in the worst attack on Kenyan soil since the U.S. embassy was bombed in 1998.
> 
> The siege ended nearly 15 hours after the Somali group's gunmen shot their way into the Garissa University College campus in a pre-dawn attack, sparing Muslim students and taking many Christians hostage.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## The Bread Guy

And in Mali ....


> French special forces on Monday freed a Dutchman held hostage since being kidnapped in 2011 by extremists in Mali, the military said. There was no immediate word on the fate of two men abducted at the same time.
> 
> The military said the rescue of Sjaak Rijke took place at 5 a.m. Monday in far northern Mali, and that several militants were captured. Monday's statement did not identify who was holding Rijke, but the Dutchman appeared in a video posted in November by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
> 
> Some 3,000 French forces are taking part in the mission to stabilize Mali, which was overrun by al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremists until French troops came to the aid of Malian soldiers in January 2013.
> 
> Rijke was abducted by extremists in November 2011 from a hostel in Timbuktu along with Swede Johan Gustafsson and South African Stephen Malcolm, who holds dual British citizenship. A German died in the attack. Officials in France and the Netherlands did not say whether there was (any) news of Gustafsson or Malcolm.
> 
> France said Rijke was safely evacuated to a French operating base in Tassalit ....


----------



## Edward Campbell

This, from Ian Bremmer, requires no comment, I hope.


----------



## CougarKing

China's interests in Africa highlighted again:

Defense News



> *Djibouti President: China Negotiating Horn of Africa Military Base*
> 
> DJIBOUTI — China is negotiating a military base in the strategic port of Djibouti, the president told AFP, raising the prospect of US and Chinese bases side-by-side in the tiny Horn of Africa nation.
> 
> "Discussions are ongoing," President Ismail Omar Guelleh told AFP in an interview in Djibouti, saying Beijing's presence would be "welcome."
> 
> Djibouti is already home to Camp Lemonnier, the US military headquarters on the continent, used for covert, anti-terror and other operations in Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere across Africa.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## Edward Campbell

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> China's interests in Africa highlighted again:
> 
> Defense News




It makes good sense as part of the so-called _string of pearls_ that links Quandong province's seaports (and the domestic road/rail network) to Africa's East coast ports.






Note, too, please that the _Kra Canal_ idea may also be part of this "project."


----------



## The Bread Guy

Busted!


> Ali Omar Ader, a Somali national alleged to have been part of the 2008 kidnapping of Canadian freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout and her Australian colleague, was arrested in Ottawa by RCMP, police said today.
> 
> (....)
> 
> Ader was arrested on June 11 by the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET.)
> Amanda Lindhout
> 
> The RCMP allege he was the "main negotiator" in the hostage-taking of Lindhout and Nigel Brennan.
> 
> Ader, 37, has been charged with Sec. 279.1(2) under the Criminal Code, and is in custody in Ottawa. He will make a court appearance by videoconference sometime after 11:30 a.m. ET.
> 
> An indictable offence for kidnapping and forcible confinement under this section carries a maximum sentence of ten years.
> 
> Lindhout and Brennan were held near Mogadishu on Aug. 23, 2008. The RCMP said Friday it began a criminal investigation named Project Slype at that time.
> 
> Lindhout was released on Nov. 25, 2009, after more than a year in captivity. She has written and spoken extensively about the abuse she endured during that time.
> 
> The RCMP investigation located Ader in Somalia. Undercover operations, surveillance and wiretaps followed.
> Ali Omar Ader
> 
> The RCMP did not disclose how or why Ader was in Ottawa. He was not living in Canada at the time of his arrest, but had been in the Canadian capital for a few days, RCMP said ....


The wheels grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small ....


----------



## Edward Campbell

I think that this, by Celestine Wamiru, Chief Editorial Cartoonist at _The People_ newspaper in Kenya, just about captures Africa's relations with the USA vs China, even as President Obama visits ...


----------



## Edward Campbell

This chart, which is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from _The Economist_ might not spell _crisis_ but
it may bring on that old Chinese curse about living in "interesting times:"


----------



## Edward Campbell

The long term growth projections (just above) mean that Africa needs money for development. Experience has taught Western banks and investors that Africa is 99% risk and 1% return ~ a deadly mix of corruption (which is far worse than China's, I have been told by people I trust) and political/bureaucratic ineptitude are the problem. But Nobel laureate Joseph E Stiglitz (who some will scorn, incorrectly,* as a left winger) disagrees in this article which is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from _Project Syndicate_:

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/us-international-development-finance-by-joseph-e--stiglitz-2015-08


> America in the Way
> 
> Joseph E Stiglitz
> 
> Aug 6, 2015
> 
> 
> NEW YORK – The Third International Conference on Financing for Development recently convened in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The conference came at a time when developing countries and emerging markets have demonstrated their ability to absorb huge amounts of money productively. Indeed, the tasks that these countries are undertaking – investing in infrastructure (roads, electricity, ports, and much else), building cities that will one day be home to billions, and moving toward a green economy – are truly enormous.
> 
> At the same time, there is no shortage of money waiting to be put to productive use. Just a few years ago, Ben Bernanke, then the chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board, talked about a global savings glut.
> And yet investment projects with high social returns were being starved of funds. That remains true today. The problem, then as now, is that the world’s financial markets, meant to intermediate efficiently between savings and investment opportunities, instead misallocate capital and create risk.
> 
> There is another irony. Most of the investment projects that the emerging world needs are long term, as are much of the available savings – the trillions in retirement accounts, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds. But our increasingly shortsighted financial markets stand between the two.
> 
> Much has changed in the 13 years since the first International Conference on Financing for Development was held in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2002. Back then, the G-7 dominated global economic policymaking; today, China is the world’s largest economy (in purchasing-power-parity terms), with savings some 50% larger than that of the US. In 2002, Western financial institutions were thought to be wizards at managing risk and allocating capital; today, we see that they are wizards at market manipulation and other deceptive practices.
> 
> Gone are the calls for the developed countries to live up to their commitment to give at least 0.7% of their GNI in development aid. A few northern European countries – Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and, most surprisingly, the United Kingdom – in the midst of its self-inflicted austerity – fulfilled their pledges in 2014. But the United States (which gave 0.19% of GNI in 2014) lags far, far behind.
> 
> Today, developing countries and emerging markets say to the US and others: If you will not live up to your promises, at least get out of the way and let us create an international architecture for a global economy that works for the poor, too. Not surprisingly, the existing hegemons, led by the US, are doing whatever they can to thwart such efforts. When China proposed the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to help recycle some of the surfeit of global savings to where financing is badly needed, the US sought to torpedo the effort. President Barack Obama’s administration suffered a stinging (and highly embarrassing) defeat.
> 
> The US is also blocking the world’s path toward an international rule of law for debt and finance. If bond markets, for example, are to work well, an orderly way of resolving cases of sovereign insolvency must be found. But today, there is no such way. Ukraine, Greece, and Argentina are all examples of the failure of existing international arrangements. The vast majority of countries have called for the creation of a framework for sovereign-debt restructuring. The US remains the major obstacle.
> 
> Private investment is important, too. But the new investment provisions embedded in the trade agreements that the Obama administration is negotiating across both oceans imply that accompanying any such foreign direct investment comes a marked reduction in governments’ abilities to regulate the environment, health, working conditions, and even the economy.
> 
> The US stance concerning the most disputed part of the Addis Ababa conference was particularly disappointing. As developing countries and emerging markets open themselves to multinationals, it becomes increasingly important that they can tax these behemoths on the profits generated by the business that occurs within their borders. Apple, Google, and General Electric have demonstrated a genius for avoiding taxes that exceeds what they employed in creating innovative products.
> 
> All countries – both developed and developing – have been losing billions of dollars in tax revenues. Last year, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released information about Luxembourg’s tax rulings that exposed the scale of tax avoidance and evasion. While a rich country like the US arguably can afford the behavior described in the so-called Luxembourg Leaks, the poor cannot.
> 
> I was a member of an international commission, the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation, examining ways to reform the current tax system. In a report presented to the International Conference on Financing for Development, we unanimously agreed that the current system is broken, and that minor tweaks will not fix it. We proposed an alternative – similar to the way corporations are taxed within the US, with profits allocated to each state on the basis of the economic activity occurring within state borders.
> 
> The US and other advanced countries have been pushing for much smaller changes, to be recommended by the OECD, the advanced countries’ club. In other words, the countries from which the politically powerful tax evaders and avoiders come are supposed to design a system to reduce tax evasion. Our Commission explains why the OECD reforms were at best tweaks in a fundamentally flawed system and were simply inadequate.
> 
> Developing countries and emerging markets, led by India, argued that the proper forum for discussing such global issues was an already established group within the United Nations, the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, whose status and funding needed to be elevated. The US strongly opposed: it wanted to keep things the same as in the past, with global governance by and for the advanced countries.
> 
> New geopolitical realities demand new forms of global governance, with a greater voice for developing and emerging countries. The US prevailed in Addis, but it also showed itself to be on the wrong side of history.



With regard to this: "The US is also blocking the world’s path toward an international rule of law for debt and finance. If bond markets, for example, are to work well, an orderly way of resolving cases of sovereign insolvency must be found. But today, there is no such way. Ukraine, Greece, and Argentina are all examples of the failure of existing international arrangements. The vast majority of countries have called for the creation of a framework for sovereign-debt restructuring. The US remains the major obstacle," see the article abour Prof Anne Krueger in the Failure of Imagination thread.

Africa is going to grow ... demographics is destiny as journalist/commentator/white supremacist Arthur Kemp said, and it just remains to be seen who (the West or China) will fund that growth and reap the profits.

_____
* Porf Stiglitz is a proponent of the _third way_ which posits that unfettered free markets don;t work well enough for enough people (a _utilitarian_ notion) but that government don't work well, at all, at correcting and controlling markets. Stiglitz believes in a few, strong and consistently enforced, regulations for markets and, then, generally leaving people to make the best decisions they can. This flies in the face of the IMF's penchant for dictating harsh austerity measures for poor countries.


----------



## Edward Campbell

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> This chart, which is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from _The Economist_ might not spell _crisis_ but
> it may bring on that old Chinese curse about living in "interesting times:"




Here is another interesting graphic, also from _The Economist_, illustrating the same thing:


----------



## CougarKing

Speaking of East Africa...did China bribe Djibouti's govt. to kick the U.S. Military out so the PLA can take over their base?

Diplomat



> *Will China Take Over US Military Facility in Djibouti?*
> 
> By Shannon Tiezzi
> August 21, 2015
> 
> Want China Times has the juiciest story of the week, with its report that the United States is being ordered to vacate the town in Djibouti that China is eyeing for a military base. Citing Global Times and Counter Punch, Want China Times says that “Djibouti reportedly ordered the U.S. to vacate the Obock military base so that it can be turned over the People’s Liberation Army.” The United States’ actual permanent base in Djibouti is at Camp Lemonnier; Obock is a port city with an existing airport and naval pier.
> 
> Washington is reportedly deeply concerned about the move, which would give China its first-ever overseas base — one that incorporates U.S.-built facilities. In 2009, the U.S. unveiled a new, $14 million naval pier facility in Obock, with both civilian and military sections. “The military portion includes a 90-meter maritime platform, a head office, an administrative and berthing structure, fully-automated gas and firefighting systems as well as water and fuel storage facilities,” the U.S. Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa reported at the time.
> 
> Neither this report nor earlier ones have been confirmed by official government sources from either China or the United States – in fact, China has repeatedly refused to confirm reports that it is seeking an overseas military base – so take this with a grain of salt. Our most official confirmation came in May, when reports cited Djibouti’s president as saying that China is in talks with the African country regarding basing arrangements.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Islamic extremists in as far as South Africa as well?

Reuters



> *U.S. warns of possible attack in South Africa targeting Americans*
> Tue Sep 8, 2015 3:30pm EDT
> JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The United States warned its citizens on Tuesday of a possible attack by "extremists" against U.S. facilities or interests in South Africa, a rare security alert in a stable democracy seldom associated with Islamist militancy.
> 
> In a statement on its website, the U.S. Embassy said it had no information about a specific target or timing, but advised Americans to review their personal security plans and maintain their vigilance.
> 
> In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said he could not elaborate on what prompted the move. "The embassy had information indicating a potential terrorist threat and they acted on that," he said.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## The Bread Guy

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> Speaking of East Africa...did China bribe Djibouti's govt. to kick the U.S. Military out so the PLA can take over their base?
> 
> Diplomat


It doesn't appear to be the case - this piece says a base is being _built_ ....


> The People’s Republic of China is setting up its first military base in Africa as it continues its evolution into a global superpower. Beijing has signed a ten-year leasing agreement with Djibouti to build a logistical hub in that nation, which is located in the Horn of Africa.
> 
> “They are going to build a base in Djibouti, so that will be their first military location in Africa," U.S. Army Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of U.S. Africa Command, recently told defense reporters according to The Hill’s Kristina Wong ....


More here.


----------



## Edward Campbell

Africa is, _potentially_, rich beyond belief. It has some of the world's best stocks of critical resources and it has a young and growing population.

Two things Africa doesn't have are:

     1. Good governments in 45+ of the 50_ish_ countries on the continent; and

     2. Decent _mentors_ from the US led West ... we have conceded the field to China.

Young Africans, the very young people who should be receiving good educations in African universities, are abandoning their countries because they can see no hope. Young people who should be doctors and lawyers and engineers and scientists in Brazzaville and Bakau are going to be waiters and taxi drivers in Berlin, Boston and Brampton ... and the Chinese are going to make do with what's left.

Our inadequately aimed "aid," described by very smart (African) economist Dambisa Moyo as Dead Aid, was a failure, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be _engaged_ in Africa. We just need to be smarter and to do things that help both Africa, not just the governing strong men, and us.


----------



## The Bread Guy

And, not surprising, a bit of pre-narrative, so to speak, to pave the way for Canadian Blue Berets into Africa?


> Just two weeks ago, in the Throne Speech that set out his agenda, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeated his election pledge that Canada will boost its support for the United Nations peacekeeping operations that were long-neglected under the previous Conservative government.
> 
> His resolve is about to be tested. Civilians are dying in brutal violence in Burundi and South Sudan, with no end in sight, and they desperately need soldiers to protect them. Without military intervention, more atrocities are looming.
> 
> In South Sudan, where war has raged for two years now, there is already a UN peacekeeping force – with just a dozen Canadian soldiers serving on it. The peacekeepers are severely understaffed and underfunded. They struggle to protect the 185,000 civilians who have sought shelter behind the fences of their military bases, and they lack the resources to protect the millions of civilians outside those fences.
> 
> In Burundi, where at least 400 civilians have been killed since a political conflict began in April, the African Union is planning to deploy a protection force of 5,000 troops, with the UN’s approval. The UN has warned that Burundi is on the brink of full-scale civil war. Some observers have even warned of the threat of genocide.
> 
> The war in Syria might overshadow these countries and push them to the margins of the global spotlight, but these African crises are within Canada’s ability to help ...


Some of the latest from Burundi (EU news aggregator) here and South Sudan here.
op:


----------



## The Bread Guy

Someone in the GoC Info-machine is taking note of this and passing this along ...


> Members of the Burundian community in Regina braved the cold to send a message this weekend: they marched and sang in front of Legislature to honour and remember the 79 victims massacred by the African country's military on Dec. 11.
> 
> The unrest in the small African country began when the president, Pierre Nkurunziza, announced a third term of office, which goes against the country's constitution, according to one of the protestors in front of the Legislature.
> 
> "The government didn't want anybody to come in to the country. But people need to be protected. The civilians need to be protected, and this is the message we want to send out: 'please help,'" said Valery Mucowintore, one of the marchers bundled up on Saturday afternoon.
> 
> Mucowintore said he hopes the march raises knowledge about the human rights violations happening in his home country, which is located in central Africa ...


----------



## CougarKing

Perhaps it's only a matter of time before China's other African allies adopt the yuan as their currency as well? 

Dambisa Moyo should have tweeted something about this by now. 

Diplomat



> *Zimbabwe: China’s ‘All-Weather’ Friend in Africa
> 
> While many worry about China’s economy, Zimbabwe adopts the yuan as its international currency.*
> By Samuel Ramani
> January 11, 2016
> 
> China’s currency has certainly been in the news so far this year, but one milestone of sorts at the end of 2015 attracted relatively little attention*. On December 22, Zimbabwe became the first foreign country to adopt the Chinese yuan as its primary international currency. Zimbabwe’s Finance Ministry announced this decision after the Chinese government agreed to cancel $40 million in Zimbabwean debt. *While critics of Beijing have described this move as neocolonial, Zimbabwean officials have insisted that the adoption of the yuan did not come from Chinese pressure but was instead the natural progression of Robert Mugabe’s “Look East” foreign policy strategy.
> 
> Zimbabwe’s isolation from Western markets due to its extreme economic volatility and Robert Mugabe’s authoritarian system has caused China to become its primary international ally in recent years. Chinese president Xi Jinping’s December 1 state visit to Harare reaffirmed China’s commitment to investing in Zimbabwe by announcing multi-billion dollar energy and infrastructure deals.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Seems not all is gloom and doom from the African continent's news today:

Source: AFP



> *WHO due to announce end of Ebola outbreak on Thursday*
> by Agence France-Presse
> January 13, 2016
> 
> The World Health Organization is due to announce the end of the two-year Ebola outbreak on Thursday, when Liberia is expected to get the all clear.
> 
> The announcement in Geneva will “mark 42 days since the last Ebola cases in Liberia were tested negative,” the UN agency said in a statement, after Guinea and Sierra Leone were previously declared free of the virus.
> 
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## The Bread Guy

Interesting times ...


> Turkey has started to build a military training base in Somalia as part of its pledge to build up the national army for the Somali government, a senior Turkish diplomat has said.
> 
> Emel Tekin, the head of the Foreign Ministry department responsible for Somalia, stated that Turkey is establishing a military base in Mogadishu, a first for Turkey, to train Somali soldiers. She said the initiative is part of a framework agreement between the two countries on military cooperation.
> 
> “This military training facility will also be an important base for [providing] military training for the entire [continent of] Africa,” she added.
> 
> The Turkish diplomat's remarks were delivered during deliberations of Parliament's Defense Commission, where the agreement on defense industry cooperation between Turkey and Somalia was approved on Dec. 9, 2015. The agreement was signed on Jan. 25, 2015, in Mogadishu.
> 
> Col. Murat Yaman said at the commission meeting that the agreement is a framework deal to boost defense cooperation between the two countries. He noted that it built on two earlier agreements signed with Somalia in 2010 on military financial cooperation and military training. Turkey has been providing defense assistance to Somalia since then to shore up Somalia's security forces.
> 
> The Turkish military is also building a military school in Somalia to educate and train both officer corps and noncommissioned officers ...


----------



## a_majoor

In a rather strange reversal, conservative African (and by extension other third world) Bishops are resisting trends to "liberalize" the Anglican church. I have also read that condervative American congregations are joining with conservative diocese's under conservative third world bishops (The Next Christianity). This has interesting implications, since large numbers of people in the third world are identifying as both Christian and conservative (at least according to Western interpretations of the term). This article also implies that this is a process we should not attempt to interrupt, as the social structures being built on the conservative and christian models are key in allowing millions of Africans to rise out of poverty.

http://www.the-american-interest.com/2016/01/27/african-bishops-against-sexual-liberation/



> *African Bishops Against Sexual Liberation*
> Peter Berger
> Will the Archbishop of Uganda excommunicate the Archbishop of Canterbury by 2019?
> 
> The World Missionary Conference met in Edinburgh in 1910. The delegates were in a triumphalist mood. The official purpose  of the meeting was “Carrying the Gospel to all the Non-Christian World”. The twentieth century saw this project successful to a degree that could not have been foreseen by those who formulated it in the Scottish capital in 1910. If they could have foreseen this success, they might have heeded the advice to be careful what you wish for. Not that anybody gave them such advice.
> 
> Just what kind of Gospel was envisaged in this missionary project? First of all, it was uniformly Protestant; no Catholics or Eastern Orthodox attended. I don’t know the theological character of the assemblage, but I am inclined to think that it was broadly Evangelical among those from English-speaking countries, broadly Pietist among the continental Europeans. The Protestants from the different countries were not theologically monolithic, but they were probably Evangelical/Pietist in the main; the others were less ready to go to places with crocodiles and hostile savages. The theology meant taking seriously the Great Commission, supposedly made by Jesus himself just before he left this world, to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). With the theology went a morality, taken just as seriously, which in English has been called “Victorian” and which in the United States reached its triumphal climax (soon to be regretted) with Prohibition. This kind of Protestantism still has a strong foothold in the United States, especially in the so-called Bible Belt—much less so in Europe; but remarkably so where it was established by the Protestant missionary enterprise in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America (no longer characterized by Catholic hegemony), and in parts of Asia.
> 
> Africa is today an area of frequently bloody confrontation between Christianity and Islam. But south of the Sahara there is a strong Protestantism very similar theologically and morally to the one energizing the 1910 conference, even though the religious landscape of western Europe and northern America has changed dramatically since then. The former is now the most secularized region in the world. The latter still contains a robust Evangelical subculture, but with its mainline Protestant churches (including the Presbyterians who were hosts in Edinburgh) greatly liberalized both theologically and morally.
> 
> The slowly unfolding schism in the Anglican Communion can be seen as a late (and rather ironic) fruition of the great missionary success of Protestantism. The incipient schism, mainly pitting African bishops against those in the English-speaking world, has focused on what I Iike to call issues south of the navel (sexuality and gender). But there are underlying theological issues, especially based on different views of the authority of Scripture. The schism is on a slow fuse. But it has recently accelerated.
> 
> It is important to understand both the demographic and the financial resources of the two parties. The total number of Anglicans in the world is generally estimated as between seventy and eighty million. The website of the Anglican Communion tries to be very careful to distinguish between official numbers (that is, individuals formally on parish rolls, some of whom rarely if ever show up in church) and “realistic” numbers (those who participate in the life of the church with some regularity). Even with the best of intentions, the latter are quite unreliable estimates. There is no central headquarters comparable to the Vatican (though recent revelations about its finances do not suggest confidence in its statistics): Each national church is autonomous under its own “primate” (an unfortunate term, since zoologists use it to refer to the big apes); the Archbishop of Canterbury is no pope, but simply presides over meetings of all the other bishops; the mother church, the Church of England, is still a state establishment headed by the monarch (thus its membership figures mean very little indeed—you stay listed unless you make the effort to opt out); finally, many government censuses do not ask questions about religion, as for example in the U.S.). Nevertheless, the discrepancy between the main Anglican churches in Western countries and those in Africa (now the demographic center of the Anglican Communion) is instructive. The Church of England has 44 dioceses with 26 million official members, 1.2 million “realistic” ones. The Episcopal Church in the U.S. has 111 dioceses with 2.4 million official members, 800,000 “realistic” ones. Nigeria and Uganda are the largest churches in Africa, the website does not differentiate between the two categories of members; be this as it may, in Nigeria there are over 100 dioceses with over 17 million members, in Uganda 32 dioceses with over 9 million members. It’s clear who has the numbers. Needless to say, the financial resources of the Western churches are much superior to the African ones.
> 
> The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has been trying hard to avoid an outright schism. A recent event, which he himself caused for this end, has made his task more difficult. The leaders of African Anglicans, along with those in other non-Western countries, have been particularly shocked as the Episcopal Church in the U.S. sequentially consecrated an openly gay bishop, then ordained gay and lesbian priests, and most recently authorized priests to conduct same-sex weddings. Welby had adopted a relatively moderate position after the Westminster parliament legislated same-sex marriage. He said that this was now the law of the land, and the C.of.E. (unlike, he, implied, Rome) would not fight it. But it continues to consider marriage as between one man and one woman, and would only bless such unions. He pointed out that individuals wanting other arrangements would have no difficulty finding churches happy to accommodate them.
> 
> Unfortunately for Welby’s peace-making efforts, the General Convention (the annual legislative authority of the Church) made just this accommodation. (The Archbishop of Canterbury is not even a mini-pope in England!) The Africans were now fully enraged. Welby had already cancelled one Lambeth Conference (the body in which all primates meet every ten years) because he feared that the meeting would lead to the schism becoming unavoidable. He now convoked an extraordinary gathering of the same group, even adding the bishop presiding over the rather small group of American dioceses that had seceded from the Episcopal Church for the same reasons that troubles the Africans. Welby was in favor of remaking the international Anglican Communion into a much looser federation, allowing its member churches much wider divergences of doctrine. Only he did not persuade the majority of the assembled bishops, who instead voted to impose sanctions for three years on the Episcopal Church. It was made clear that this time limit was until the next meeting of the General Convention, giving it a (presumably last) chance to recant its vote on same-sex nuptials. The sanctions now imposed sharply limit the American participation in Anglican Communion affairs.
> 
> The chances of a recantation are slim; the Americans were put on probation—a kind of suspended excommunication. This did not please all the conservatives. Stanley Ntagali, the Archbishop of Uganda, walked out of the conference when it did not endorse his proposal to immediately demand that the Americans (and the Canadians who went almost as far as their coreligionists to the south) be required to repent and “voluntarily withdraw” (whatever that means). Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S., predicted that his church would not reverse its decision on same-sex marriage, though he held out a signal of hope: “If this is of God, things will change in time”. Susan Russell, associate rector of All Saints Church in Pasadena, was more unbending in her reaction to the majority vote for sanctions: ”As a lifelong Episcopalian and a married lesbian priest, I think [the vote in favor of same-sex marriage] it’s not only an acceptable cost, it’s a badge of honor in some ways”. After a week of meetings the primates ceremonially washed each other’s feet (I don’t think that this was a gesture toward Pope Francis). Now everyone can exhale with some relief that the worst was avoided, and then hold their breath until 2019. The Diocese of Massachusetts, ever in the progressive forefront, stated that “We re-affirm our commitment to the full inclusion of all Christian persons, including LGBTQ Christians, in the life of the church”.
> 
> There is profound irony in what is happening here. The Protestant missionary enterprise in Africa did convert large numbers of people to Christianity and with it to a morality which was then closely linked to the Christian message. The whole enterprise has in recent years been criticized as having been an exercise in cultural imperialism, directly or indirectly in the service of political and economic imperialism. Cultural influences from one region to another can, if one likes this term, be called “imperialism”. Was it “imperialism” when, starting with the evangelism of the Apostle Paul, early Christianity made ever deeper inroads into the Roman Empire (despite the many Christians who were martyred for refusing to pay obeisance to the imperial cult)?
> 
> As far as Anglican missions in Africa were concerned, the British colonial authorities had mixed feelings about missionaries, because the modus operandi of the British Empire was to be respectful of indigenous culture and religion as pillars of social order, and because the pukka sahibs suspected (with good reason) that the network of mission schools would make the “natives” uppity and eventually endanger imperial rule. And so it happened: As the Union Jack was ceremonially lowered and the flags of newly independent African nations fluttered in the breeze, the leaders of the resistance movements took over, dressed in business suits and speaking fluent English. (I imagine that colonial officials learned early to prefer untamed “savages” to Africans who quoted Shakespeare.) But the new African elites who celebrated the end of the Victorian Raj had been successfully indoctrinated with Victorian morals—and those turned out to be very functional to poor people trying to get out of poverty (if you will, the Max Weber effect), even if the elite (like elites everywhere) only paid lip service to moral principles while enjoying the hedonism supported by the privileges of power. But Anglican bishops are not part of the elites in Africa: When they uphold good Protestant values, in the best Evangelical tradition, this is no mere lip service—they really mean it! And so the Archbishop of Uganda may by 2019 excommunicate the Archbishop of Canterbury!
> 
> One way of looking at what is happening here is as an international extension of the American culture war. America is at the heart of the Anglican crisis. It is the Episcopal Church of the U.S. that is specially sanctioned by the angry African bishops; even the Canadians have thus far avoided sanctions (they have only allowed some local variations on same-sex marriage while the Americans have formulated a policy for everyone). The Church of England has offended the Africans by allowing women into the clerical hierarchy, but Archbishop Welby has been much more cautious on gays (he even said that the sanctions were justified to make clear that the consensus of all in the Anglican Communion must be respected; on the other hand he apologized to gays for any hurt they incurred by past policies). The American mass media, especially Hollywood, have weighed in heavily on the progressive side; sitcom after sitcom has portrayed gays in a favorable light, spreading this image of sexually liberated America throughout the world. On the conservative side Evangelicals have been active both in the U.S. and in Africa; Evangelical visitors from the U.S. went to Uganda and preached on the evils of homosexuality in a crusade that supported the draconic anti-gay legislation in that country. Evangelical theology emphasizes the continuing authority of the Old Testament, including the ferocious penalties for gay activities in Leviticus (mandating the death penalty for both men). I think that in an African contest between Hollywood and Nashville (headquarters of the Southern Baptist Convention), Hollywood has the stronger hand.
> 
> It is instructive to compare the contrasting cultural developments in the Western and in the developing worlds. In the former the 1960s and 1970s saw a powerful sexual revolution that by now is largely victorious. In the same period the developing countries have been undergoing an accelerating modernization process. In the nightclubs of Nairobi and Lagos American films, music and sexual liberalism have been fully adopted. But there is a deep class divide: Most Africans are still poor; they don’t dance in classy nightclubs; they try desperately to get out of extreme poverty and secure a better future for their children. And here Hollywood is an elusive mirage of frustrated aspirations; Nashville is of more practical help in getting out of poverty—the “good old religion” is also the good old Protestant ethic.
> 
> The wider African cultural change is very relevant. Traditional African culture was certainly not ascetic, if anything hedonistic, but with men getting most of the fun. As long as this culture was polygamous, it put women into an inferior status, but even so it provided a certain order for them and the children. Modernization broke down this order, as it was based on kinship and tribe. This was enhanced by men employed in migrant labor in the cities, their families left behind in the villages for long periods of time–lives of these women certainly not enhanced by sexual liberation. Instead they wished, not for the old polygamous order (many of their men were already in serial polygamy), but precisely for the bourgeois family propagated by the good old Protestant ethic. Women play an important role in African Protestant churches in the cities, and they often succeed in “domesticating” their men. Using a lot of historical sources, Brigitte Berger has shown how what she calls the “conjugal nuclear family” (husband and wife living with their children in a household separate from wider kin) played an important causal role in European modernization (The Family in the Modern Age, 2002).  She also argued that the same arrangement has a modernizing effect in developing societies today, particularly in Africa. This is the real liberation for women and children in the slums of what used to be called the “Third World”, and the ensuing domesticity can be attractive for men as well in the midst of rapid and tumultuous social change, where all the traditional sources of stability–village community, tribe and extended kin–have weakened or disappeared. The British sociologist David Martin has shown in a series of studies how the Protestant congregation, especially in its rapidly growing Pentecostal version, fills this gap.
> I think that the African bishops understand this very well. This helps explain their visceral reaction against the sexual revolution as it has affected Anglicans, especially in America and the English mother church. Economic and political developments will certainly affect this particular contestation. But theological reflection in both camps could lead to some compromises. I don’t think that rigorous neo-Puritanism has a bright future: If you let children eat as much candy as they want, they will be furious if you take away the candy again. On the other hand, gorging on candy can become boring or lead to stomach troubles. Since Anglicanism originated historically in the sweaty bed of Anne Boleyn, it has mellowed and developed a culture of moderation – its legendary via media. It is conceivable that this genius will re-assert itself.


----------



## Edward Campbell

I have heard from a couple of friends/acquaintances (including one who is a quite well known scholar of church history) that this _will_ split the global Anglican communion.

The Church of England is already on the verge of a split within itself and with the Africans, and this could be the tipping point. Ditto, I'm told, for the Episcopal church in America where the social issues already are deeply divisive.

I rather hope it happens sooner rather than later so they can put themselves out of their misery.

There are, I'm told, no issues of real theological difference ~ there are different interpretations of social issues upon which the scriptures barely touch at all and, when they do, are frequently ambiguous.

(It reminds me of the splits and schisms in the 4th and 5th centuries that were, essentially, over the exact meanings of Greek texts ... as written and later understood by people who neither spoke nor read Greek with any fluency at all.)


----------



## YZT580

Actually there are serious doctrinal differences and as far as the African Bishops are concerned there is nothing ambiguous about them.  They believe in a literal interpretation of what they read and they won't tolerate those who don't stand firmly on those same statements.  In all truth it is the Church of England and Episcopal branches that have permitted liberalism to erode their beliefs in their desires to be something for everyone. In so doing they have become nothing for anybody.  Sad.  And yes they will implode, eventually.  Look at the history of the United church here in Canada.  They are no more than a social organisation and their members have discovered that their country clubs have better company and that Tim Hortons serves better coffee so they have stopped attending in droves.  The Anglican church is chasing them in this regard and the same results will occur.  No beliefs, no need to go.


----------



## Edward Campbell

YZT580 said:
			
		

> _Actually there are serious doctrinal differences_ and as far as the African Bishops are concerned there is nothing ambiguous about them.  They believe in a literal interpretation of what they read and they won't tolerate those who don't stand firmly on those same statements.  In all truth it is the Church of England and Episcopal branches that have permitted liberalism to erode their beliefs in their desires to be something for everyone. In so doing they have become nothing for anybody.  Sad.  And yes they will implode, eventually.  Look at the history of the United church here in Canada.  They are no more than a social organisation and their members have discovered that their country clubs have better company and that Tim Hortons serves better coffee so they have stopped attending in droves.  The Anglican church is chasing them in this regard and the same results will occur.  No beliefs, no need to go.



Scholars, like Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford, say there is nothing theological at stake, only social _doctrine_. Now that is, possibly, splitting hairs, but I think it does matter. There is no real theological foundation, in so far as I can understand Christianity, for excluding homosexuals (or women) from anything. Homosexuality may (or may not) be a sin, but all Christians, archbishops or architects or artists, are sinners, aren't they? Some, by the public record, are guilty of sins that seem, to me anyway, much more harmful to children than sex between consenting men or women.

I have no dog in this fight ... just a very few friends ~ including the wife of a member here ~ who are concerned about the fate of their community.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Just a reminder to those aching to send troops into "peacekeeping" missions in Africa ...


> Malian Islamist militant group Ansar Dine said it carried out a suicide and rocket attack on a U.N. base in Kidal, north Mali on Friday that killed six peacekeepers, the SITE Intelligence Group said.
> 
> Ansar Dine, led by Tuareg commander Iyad Ag Ghali, briefly seized the desert north alongside al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in 2012 and the two groups are involved in an intensifying insurgency that has spilled over Mali's borders.
> 
> In its statement, Ansar Dine named the suicide bomber who blew himself up with a truck bomb as Muhammad Abdullah bin Hudhayfa al-Hosni from Mauritania. Heavy weapons fire ensued.
> 
> It was not immediately clear if Ansar Dine was also responsible for an ambush on Malian soldiers near Timbuktu on Friday that killed three.
> 
> "The (Kidal) operation is a message to the Crusader invaders and all those who support them and promise to send their soldiers to us, like the German President said in his current visit to Bamako," according to the statement sent late on Friday.
> 
> Germany has pledged to send 650 soldiers to help support a U.N. peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) and President Joachim Gauck visited Mali's southern capital Bamako on Friday.
> 
> As well as U.N. peacekeepers, militant strikes have targeted hotels popular with Westerners, killing 30 in Ouagadougou in January, and Malian army checkpoints ...


How Canada's helped the French in this part of the world in the not-too-distant past.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Only just spotted this piece on protecting civilians in special camps in South Sudan -- U.N. peacekeepers have been killed trying to keep outside forces out, while keeping factions inside the camp from killing each other.


> Since the beginning of South Sudan’s civil war, U.N. troops have been sheltering civilians inside their bases from marauding bands of soldiers and militias battling throughout the country. Both sides of the war regularly rob, murder and rape civilians in their path.
> 
> The U.N. has come to call its facilities “Protection of Civilian” sites, or POCs. The U.N. mission estimates blue helmets are responsible for protecting as many as 200,000 people.
> 
> But on Feb. 18, the U.N. Malakal POC — home to 48,000 refugees — erupted in violence. According to witnesses, government troops descended on the camp while armed militiamen inside began fighting each other.
> 
> Several sections of the camp burned down and thousands fled ...


Just a warning/reminder to those aching to send Canadian troops on "non-combat" peacekeeping missions ...


----------



## MilEME09

> *Defeated Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh made off with government money, luxury cars
> *
> Exiled Gambian ruler Yahya Jammeh stole millions of dollars in his final weeks in power, plundering the state coffers and shipping out luxury vehicles by cargo plane, a special adviser for the new president said Sunday.
> 
> Meanwhile, a regional military force rolled in, greeted by cheers, to secure this tiny West African nation so that democratically elected President Adama Barrow could return home. He remained in neighbouring Senegal, where he took the oath of office Thursday because of concerns for his safety.
> 
> At a press conference in the Senegalese capital, Barrow's special adviser Mai Ahmad Fatty told journalists that the president "will return home as soon as possible."
> 
> Underscoring the challenges facing the new administration, Fatty confirmed that Jammeh made off with more than $11.4 million US during a two-week period alone. That is only what they have discovered so far since Jammeh and his family took an offer of exile after more than 22 years in power and departed late Saturday.
> GAMBIA-POLITICS/
> 
> People celebrate the arrival of the regional ECOWAS force in Banjul, Gambia, on Sunday. The soldiers are clearing the way for newly elected President Adama Barrow to arrive. (Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters)
> 'Gambia is in financial distress'
> 
> "The Gambia is in financial distress. The coffers are virtually empty. That is a state of fact," Fatty said. "It has been confirmed by technicians in the ministry of finance and the Central Bank of the Gambia."
> 
> Fatty also confirmed that a Chadian cargo plane had transported luxury goods out of the country on Jammeh's behalf in his final hours in power, including an unknown number of vehicles.
> 
> Fatty said officials at the Gambia airport have been ordered not to allow any of Jammeh's belongings to leave. Separately, it appeared that some of his goods remained in Guinea, where Jammeh and his closest allies stopped on their flight into exile.
> 
> Fatty said officials "regret the situation," but it appeared that the major damage had been done, leaving the new government with little recourse to recoup the funds.
> Exiled in Equatorial Guinea
> 
> The unpredictable Jammeh, known for startling declarations like his claim that bananas and herbal rubs could cure AIDS, went into exile under mounting international pressure, with a wave to supporters as soldiers wept. He is now in Equatorial Guinea, home to Africa's longest-serving ruler and not a state party to the International Criminal Court.
> 
> Jammeh's dramatic about-face on his December election loss to Barrow, at first conceding and then challenging the vote, appeared to be the final straw for the international community, which had been alarmed by his moves in recent years to declare an Islamic republic and leave the Commonwealth and the ICC.
> 
> Barrow's adviser disavowed a joint declaration issued after Jammeh's departure by the United Nations, African Union and the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) that bestowed a number of protections upon Jammeh, his family and his associates — including the assurance that their lawful assets would not be seized.
> 
> "As far as we're concerned, it doesn't exist," Fatty said.
> 
> The declaration also said Jammeh's exile was "temporary" and that he reserved the right to return to Gambia at the time of his choosing.
> 
> Although the declaration was written to provide Jammeh with maximum protection, it doesn't give him amnesty, according to international human rights lawyer Reed Brody.
> 
> "Under international law in fact you can't amnesty certain crimes like torture and massive or systematic political killings," he said in an email. "Depending where Jammeh ends up, though, the real obstacles to holding him accountable will be political."
> Clearing the way for Barrow
> 
> Barrow will now begin forming a cabinet and working with Gambia's national assembly to reverse the state of emergency Jammeh declared in his final days in power, said Halifa Sallah, spokesman for the coalition backing the new leader.
> 
> The president's official residence, State House, needs to be cleared of any possible hazards before Barrow arrives, Sallah added.
> 
> The regional military force that had been poised to force out Jammeh if diplomatic efforts failed rolled into Gambia's capital, Banjul, on Sunday night to secure it for Barrow's arrival.
> 
> Hundreds greeted the force's approach to State House, cheering and dancing, while some people grabbed soldiers to take selfies.
> Truth and reconciliation
> 
> Defence chief Ousmane Badjie said the military welcomed the arrival of the regional force "wholeheartedly." With proper orders, he said, he would open the doors to the notorious prisons where rights groups say many who have disappeared over the years may be kept.
> 
> "We are going to show Barrow we are really armed forces with a difference, I swear to God," Badjie said. "I have the Qu'ran with me."
> 
> Some of the 45,000 people who had fled the tiny country during the crisis began to return. The nation of 1.9 million, which promotes itself to overseas tourists as "the Smiling Coast of Africa," has been a major source of migrants heading toward Europe because of the situation at home.
> 
> "I think it will be safer now," said 20-year-old Kaddy Saidy, who was returning to Banjul with her three young children.
> 
> Barrow, who has promised to reverse many of Jammeh's actions, told The Associated Press on Saturday he will launch a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate alleged human rights abuses of Jammeh's regime. Rights groups say those include arbitrary detentions, torture and even killing of opponents.
> 
> "After 22 years of fear, Gambians now have a unique opportunity to become a model for human rights in West Africa," Amnesty International's deputy director for West and Central Africa, Steve Cockburn, said in a statement Sunday.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/gambia-yahya-jammeh-money-cars-1.3947489

never a dull day in African politics


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Hopefully with a little carefully applied help from the west to keep things moving and functioning.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Bumped with the latest bit of analysis from New Jersey's Department of Homeland Security & Preparedness ...


> ISIS West Africa’s tactical successes and support in Nigeria have given the group the ability to expand its influence throughout the Sahel in the coming months, threatening US economic interests in the region, including direct investment opportunities. ISIS West Africa, formed in 2016 following a split with Boko Haram, operates primarily in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region and maintains an estimated 5,000 fighters, according to open-source reporting ...


More @ link or in attached NJSHDP one-pager.


----------



## CBH99

With the amount of SOF activity in the area, along with air strikes & other activities...surely ISIS can't be expanding that much?

Kill a good chunk of them, seize their weapon caches.  Can't be too effective if a chunk of their manpower & weapons are gone.  And recruiting online can't be hugely successful given the lack of reliable internet/cell phone providers in the area.  (Almost a decade ago I worked in Africa, and unless things have DRASTICALLY changed in west Africa, can't imagine electronic communication is very robust...)


----------



## daftandbarmy

CBH99 said:
			
		

> With the amount of SOF activity in the area, along with air strikes & other activities...surely ISIS can't be expanding that much?
> 
> Kill a good chunk of them, seize their weapon caches.  Can't be too effective if a chunk of their manpower & weapons are gone.  And recruiting online can't be hugely successful given the lack of reliable internet/cell phone providers in the area.  (Almost a decade ago I worked in Africa, and unless things have DRASTICALLY changed in west Africa, can't imagine electronic communication is very robust...)



Ideas are hard to kill.... even harder if they're the ideas of fanatics.


----------



## PuckChaser

CBH99 said:
			
		

> With the amount of SOF activity in the area, along with air strikes & other activities...surely ISIS can't be expanding that much?
> 
> Kill a good chunk of them, seize their weapon caches.  Can't be too effective if a chunk of their manpower & weapons are gone.  And recruiting online can't be hugely successful given the lack of reliable internet/cell phone providers in the area.  (Almost a decade ago I worked in Africa, and unless things have DRASTICALLY changed in west Africa, can't imagine electronic communication is very robust...)



So as you've said, you were there a decade ago. Much like Afghanistan, West Africa has tons of cell towers. Cheaper than running copper landlines. The place is also desolate, with only a few MSRs that are paved, so pretty easy to hide in the desert or among local populace. You're searching for a needle in a haystack.


----------



## CBH99

Ah.  A decade ago it was much different, with the only cell communication available usually privy to foreign oil & gas workers, and the cellular infrastructure that came with the oil & gas sites, or provided by the oil & gas companies.

Times really have changed there.  Thanks for the update.


----------



## PuckChaser

One thing that probably hasn't changed, is the stark contrast between haves and have nots. People living in a trash pile right outside a compound with manicured grass and marble floors... never seen anything like it.


----------



## daftandbarmy

PuckChaser said:
			
		

> One thing that probably hasn't changed, is the stark contrast between haves and have nots. People living in a trash pile right outside a compound with manicured grass and marble floors... never seen anything like it.



Except in Florida...


----------



## blacktriangle

PuckChaser said:
			
		

> One thing that probably hasn't changed, is the stark contrast between haves and have nots. People living in a trash pile right outside a compound with manicured grass and marble floors... never seen anything like it.



Come on buddy, give em a couple C8s, some 117s and MBITR and they are basically on our level, right? 

 ;D


----------



## The Bread Guy

Bumped with the latest affecting Canadians ...


> Thirty-seven civilians were killed and more than 60 wounded when gunmen ambushed a convoy transporting workers of Canadian gold miner Semafo in eastern Burkina Faso, regional authorities said on Wednesday.
> 
> The attack is the deadliest in recent years as the military struggles to contain Islamist violence that has overrun parts of Burkina Faso, located in west Africa. Semafo tightened security last year following armed incidents near two of its mines in the country.
> 
> Semafo said in a statement earlier that the attack on a convoy of five buses with military escort took place on the road to its Boungou mine in the eastern region of Est, about 40 kilometres from Boungou, and that there were several fatalities and injuries.
> 
> The Est governor’s office later gave more details, saying “unidentified armed men laid an ambush for a convoy transporting Semafo workers,” giving a provisional civilian death toll of 37 with over 60 wounded.
> 
> That toll does not include an unknown number of the security forces who may have been killed in the attack. The toll was likely to rise as there are a large number of people still unaccounted for, according to a security source.
> 
> Two security sources said the military vehicle leading the convoy was struck by an IED on a stretch of road where there is no cellphone network.
> 
> Shortly after the initial explosion, an unknown number of gunmen opened fire. One of the sources said it appeared that they targeted the buses as well as the military escort, which was unusual ...


More @ Reuters link here.  This, from the company ...


> *SEMAFO: Attack on the Road Between Fada and Boungou in Est Region*
> November 06, 2019
> 
> MONTREAL, Nov. 6, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - SEMAFO Inc. (TSX: SMF) (OMX: SMF) ("SEMAFO") regrets to report there was an attack on the road between Fada and the Boungou Mine site in the Est region of Burkina Faso. The incident happened approximately 40 kilometers from the Boungou Mine. The convoy, escorted by military personnel,  comprised five buses transporting  SEMAFO national employees, contractors and suppliers. Information currently has several fatalities and injuries. We will issue a more fulsome statement when complete details are known.
> 
> Boungou mine site remains secured and our operations are not affected. We are actively working with all levels of authorities to ensure the on-going safety and security of our employees, contractors and suppliers.
> 
> The Company would like to express its sincere sympathy to families of the victims in addition to its firm support of Burkina Faso's security forces.
> 
> _About SEMAFO
> 
> SEMAFO is a Canadian-based intermediate gold producer with over twenty years' experience building and operating mines in West Africa. The Corporation operates two mines, the Mana and Boungou Mines in Burkina Faso. SEMAFO is committed to building value through responsible mining of its quality assets and leveraging its development pipeline._


More via Google News here.


----------



## daftandbarmy

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Bumped with the latest affecting Canadians ...More @ Reuters link here.  This, from the company ...More via Google News here.



Horrific.

Apparently they fly the ex-pats back and forth by helicopter, but transport the local employees via escorted convoy. Most of these casualties will likely be local people.


----------



## The Bread Guy

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Apparently they fly the ex-pats back and forth by helicopter, but transport the local employees via escorted convoy. Most of these casualties will likely be local people.


Ouch!

Here's the latest from the company ...


> MONTREAL, Nov. 7, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - SEMAFO Inc. (TSX: SMF) (OMX: SMF) ("SEMAFO") provides an update on yesterday's attack on the public road between Fada and the Boungou Mine site in the Est region of Burkina Faso. The incident happened approximately 40 kilometers from the Boungou Mine. The convoy, escorted by military personnel, comprised five buses transporting SEMAFO national employees, contractors and suppliers. Information from Burkina Faso authorities, currently has 37 fatalities and 60 wounded.
> 
> Benoit Desormeaux, President and CEO of SEMAFO, states: "We are devastated by this unprecedented attack. Our sincerest sympathies go out to the families and colleagues of the victims. Our priority is their safety, security and well being. Given the scale of the attack it will take some time to properly deal with it and we will do our utmost to support all those affected."
> 
> Boungou mine site remains secured, but we have suspended operations out of respect to the victims and those impacted and to ensure the highest levels of operational safety. We continue to actively work with all levels of authorities to ensure the ongoing safety, security and well-being of our employees, contractors and suppliers.
> 
> The Company would like to express again its sincere condolences to families of the victims in addition to its firm support of Burkina Faso's security forces ...


----------



## daftandbarmy

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Ouch!
> 
> Here's the latest from the company ...



For 'national employees' read, local people. 

Too bad they didn't have a Chinook, or something, on the payroll to shift those poor folks around.


----------



## MilEME09

https://www.660citynews.com/2020/11/15/canada-faces-fresh-calls-to-help-fight-terrorism-facilitate-peace-talks-in-mali/

Canadian press is reporting the French are courting us to return to mali and provide assistance. With this government it would probably be a token support effort. Though with the situation destabilizing, a battle group would be more appropriate.


----------



## CBH99

MilEME09 said:
			
		

> https://www.660citynews.com/2020/11/15/canada-faces-fresh-calls-to-help-fight-terrorism-facilitate-peace-talks-in-mali/
> 
> Canadian press is reporting the French are courting us to return to mali and provide assistance. With this government it would probably be a token support effort. Though with the situation destabilizing, a battle group would be more appropriate.




IF we went back to Mali, it best be part of the French counter-terrorism mission there.  NOT for the UN.

That would allow us to contribute in far more meaningful ways (I have no idea what that might look like, but my main point is we would have more flexibility outside of the UN)



Sad thing is, with this government, they'd probably insist that it be under the UN flag.  Look how streamlined that was for the Chinook crews  :


----------



## daftandbarmy

CBH99 said:
			
		

> IF we went back to Mali, it best be part of the French counter-terrorism mission there.  NOT for the UN.
> 
> That would allow us to contribute in far more meaningful ways (I have no idea what that might look like, but my main point is we would have more flexibility outside of the UN)
> 
> 
> 
> Sad thing is, with this government, they'd probably insist that it be under the UN flag.  Look how streamlined that was for the Chinook crews  :



Based on the fact that one side keeps attacking the other, I doubt this would be a great 'peacekeeping' option:

Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Mali, including in the capital Bamako.

UK Counter Terrorism Policing has information and advice on staying safe abroad and what to do in the event of a terrorist attack. Find out more about the global threat from terrorism.

Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners. You should be especially vigilant in places such as hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, shopping areas, markets, public areas such as tourist attractions, transport hubs, places of worship and businesses with western interests.

Avoid all large gatherings, including music festivals, sporting events and any public marches or demonstrations. The Festival au Désert in Timbuktu was cancelled in January 2017 and has not taken place since due to security concerns. Festivals in other parts of the country are also vulnerable to attack. There may be a heightened risk of attack during election periods.

During public holidays and festivals, including New Year celebrations, security measures in Mali can be heightened due to the ongoing threat posed by terrorist organisations. During such periods you should exercise increased vigilance, limit your movements and continue to avoid large gatherings. If you think a particular venue would present a good target for terrorist activities then you should consider whether you need to visit it.

Notable attacks include:

- On 14 June 2020, terrorists attacked a Malian military convey approximately 160km north of Segou town, killing 24 soldiers.
- On 6 June 2020, terrorists conducted an attack in the area of Sarakala, Segou region, resulting in Malian Army vehicles and weapons being stolen.
- On 6 April 2020, terrorists attacked a Malian military base in Bamba, Gao region, killing 25 soldiers.
- On 26 January 2020, terrorists attacked a Malian military camp in Sokolo, Segou region, killing 20 soldiers
- On 24 February 2019, insurgents attacked the Koulikoro Training Centre, the main training base in Mali for the European Union Training Mission, approximately 55km northeast of Bamako. Four Malian military personnel were injured
- In June 2017, terrorists attacked Le Campement resort in Kangaba, on the outskirts of Bamako, which resulted in a number of deaths
- In March 2016, gunmen attacked the headquarters of the European Union Training Mission in the centre of Bamako
- In November 2015, terrorists attacked the Radisson Hotel in Bamako, killing a number of hostages including foreign nationals.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/mali/terrorism


----------



## CBH99

Totally agree with you daft.  


Just to be clear, I didn't mention 'peacekeeping' once in my post.

IF we decided to get involved, I believe it should be in support of the French counter terrorism mission there.  Plenty of lessons to be crossed over from Afghanistan, our kit is more or less optimized for that kind of warfare, and we would have the potential to have a far greater impact than if we deployed under the UN.


Let the 3rd world countries who use the UN peacekeeping operations as a fundraiser continue to do that.  If we were to get involved, I'd prefer it be under our own flag.   :2c:


----------



## daftandbarmy

CBH99 said:
			
		

> Totally agree with you daft.
> 
> 
> Just to be clear, I didn't mention 'peacekeeping' once in my post.
> 
> IF we decided to get involved, I believe it should be in support of the French counter terrorism mission there.  Plenty of lessons to be crossed over from Afghanistan, our kit is more or less optimized for that kind of warfare, and we would have the potential to have a far greater impact than if we deployed under the UN.
> 
> 
> Let the 3rd world countries who use the UN peacekeeping operations as a fundraiser continue to do that.  If we were to get involved, I'd prefer it be under our own flag.   :2c:



Agreed. However, the list of 'short and successful' counter-insurgency/terrorist campaign is terribly short.

Once we go through that looking glass we should be prepared to stay for a decade or so...


----------



## MilEME09

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Agreed. However, the list of 'short and successful' counter-insurgency/terrorist campaign is terribly short.
> 
> Once we go through that looking glass we should be prepared to stay for a decade or so...



Agreed especially if we only commit some token force. A full battle group, with air support including fast air would be the minimal in my opinion to be effective.


----------



## daftandbarmy

MilEME09 said:
			
		

> Agreed especially if we only commit some token force. A full battle group, with air support including fast air would be the minimal in my opinion to be effective.



Unlike France, our national interests as they relate to Mali are nowhere near the levels that would justify that deep a commitment, I'm thinking.


----------



## Humphrey Bogart

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Unlike France, our national interests as they relate to Mali are nowhere near the levels that would justify that deep a commitment, I'm thinking.



France's campaign isn't Counter-Insurgency. Sure it has elements of counter-insurgency but the reality is it's a Colonial Policing Action that is designed to preserve French business interests in the region.  France doesn't care who they support, they will flip the switch on who they support at the drop of a hat if they think one of the many sides involved in the conflict(s) in the region will give them a better deal.


----------



## CBH99

The French 'seem' to have the resources they need on the ground, all on their own.  Despite the constant WW2 jokes by folks who don't really know their history all too well, France is a pretty capable country militarily & quite capable of executing operations independently.  

Perhaps some ISR assets, or an air-to-air refueller would be a useful contribution that is also safe for the Liberals politically.


----------



## daftandbarmy

Humphrey Bogart said:
			
		

> France's campaign isn't Counter-Insurgency. Sure it has elements of counter-insurgency but the reality is it's a Colonial Policing Action that is designed to preserve French business interests in the region.  France doesn't care who they support, they will flip the switch on who they support at the drop of a hat if they think one of the many sides involved in the conflict(s) in the region will give them a better deal.



Well, some are calling it a Counter-Insurgency which, IIRC, is far more widespread and difficult to root out than 'only' terrorism. In general, this seems more 'peace making' than 'peace keeping', and we've been caught out by that before, haven't we?  


Counterinsurgency in Mali: The Case for a Surge    

Following former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s resignation and dissolution of his government after a military coup, the challenge of waging counterinsurgency against jihadist groups will pass to Mali’s next leaders, whoever they may be. The Keita government’s failure to provide adequate security in many communities after nearly a decade of conflict contributed to the popular calls for changes in leadership and allowed insurgent movements to metastasize. Despite enthusiasm for political change in the months preceding the coup, the same grievances that undermined Keita’s government will soon return if counterinsurgency efforts remain ineffective. For Mali to emerge from this transition with a viable chance of improving security, Bamako should pursue a troop surge as the means of prosecuting a more robust counterinsurgency campaign.

https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/counterinsurgency-mali-case-surge

Mali's New Leadership Raises Questions About French Counterinsurgency Mission

https://www.voanews.com/africa/malis-new-leadership-raises-questions-about-french-counterinsurgency-mission


----------



## Colin Parkinson

and our army for the most part is tuned for this mission in regards to training and equipment. The TAPV's would likley come into their own their. The Griffons and Chinooks would be welcome, as would the C130J and C17's. No worries about dodging counter battery fire.

In Northern Mali, the key to control is controlling the water sources, which can be few and far between. We would need to boost our support fleet to provide coverage across the enormous distances.


----------



## MarkOttawa

Key points from the story: talks look like have been had with French; either this is a trial balloon with Canadian agreement or a French effort publicly to pressure us:



> Canada facing calls to step up amid violence, instability in Mali
> ...
> French Brig.-Gen. Cyril Carcy, who until August commanded Operation Barkhane, thanked Canada for that contribution during the CDAI conference even as he hinted at talks between Ottawa and Paris around the provision of more assistance.
> 
> “I do believe that discussion is already underway to ask for additional contributions,” Carcy said in French before listing several ways in which the Canadian military can help French and local African forces fighting terrorist groups in the region .
> 
> Those include more intelligence and sensors to help locate and identify Islamic militant forces as well as air-to-air refueling to support French fighter jets operating in the region.
> 
> “The Canadians can therefore participate without necessarily being present in Mali in the combat sense,” said Carcy, who is now the French defence attache in Washington, D.C....


https://globalnews.ca/news/7464112/canada-military-mali/

Giving direct, even if low-risk, assistance to the French anti-jihadist Op _Barkhane_ would be quite a _volte-face_ for this government (it is noteworthy that France is now also asking for more military help from fellow EU members https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/6/france-to-reduce-troop-presence-in-conflict-hit-sahel ). Perhaps the government has decided, in these uncertain times for relations with the US–even with a Biden administration, and with a UK in rather a bit of a Brexit bother, that now is the time to strengthen ties with our most important partner on the continent as several elements of our foreign policy are coming under review.

And, in relation to strengthening relations with France, it is noteworthy that on November 13 our foreign minister, François-Philippe Champagne, tweeted this ( https://twitter.com/FP_Champagne/status/1327319167259832323 ) after the French had taken out a senior al Qaeda leader in Mali:



> Canada welcomes the success of the French Armed Forces’ operation. This news is particularly important for the security of civilians & the stability in #Mali.



I cannot recall a previous similar congratulation for a hit job on a terrorist by our government (well, maybe bin Laden) so maybe we were signalling a more “muscular” attitude in the French context.

Other factors, er, enabling taking part in _Barkhane_: Britain has been supporting the operation with three large RAF transport helicopters in Mali for over two years ( https://www.forces.net/news/uk-extends-military-support-counter-terrorism-mission-mali ) so the Canadian Armed Forces would be working alongside two very familiar allies and sharing a common (if different) language with both. 

_On verra_ if the air comes out of the balloon soon.

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Wonder if we are getting any pressure to redeploy? 


			UK may ask France to return Chinook helicopters


----------



## The Bread Guy

Colin Parkinson said:


> Wonder if we are getting any pressure to redeploy? ....


So far, all we can do is declare these bad guys and these other bad guys terrorists according to The List.


----------



## CBH99

Colin Parkinson said:


> Wonder if we are getting any pressure to redeploy?
> 
> 
> UK may ask France to return Chinook helicopters


The UN really does like to kneecap itself, doesn't it?


----------



## Good2Golf

🤔 

...so the French are one of the few nations in the world with a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and they don’t have enough transport helicopters of their own to support a mission in their colonial backyard?


----------



## Rifleman62

Consider that the WTO considers China as a developing nation. A nation with nucs, ICBM's, moon shots, hugh Army, Navy, and Air Force. No climate change for them.


----------



## Blackadder1916

CBH99 said:


> The UN really does like to kneecap itself, doesn't it?



You can't tell the players without a programme, or at least the color of their caps.  The British Chinooks are in support of the French Operation BARKANE (_also has contingents from some African countries and a couple of Europeans_) but it is not part of MINUSMA which was the UN mission that Canada supported with its Chinooks.  BARKANE is headquartered in Chad where most of its operations are, whereas MINUSMA's mandate is limited to operations in Mali.




Good2Golf said:


> ...so the French are one of the few nations in the world with a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and they don’t have enough transport helicopters of their own to support a mission in their colonial backyard?



Likely the Chinook has a quality that supersedes the Gallic opinion that things designed and built in France by Frenchmen are superior.






						Defense World
					

View News at Defense World




					www.defenseworld.net


----------



## daftandbarmy

Good2Golf said:


> 🤔
> 
> ...so the French are one of the few nations in the world with a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and they don’t have enough transport helicopters of their own to support a mission in their colonial backyard?



It's more likely that they've bitten off more than they can chew. The enfor numbers are impressively large, as is the geography:

G5 force too small to curb militancy in Sahel​This is a huge region. You are talking about distances of hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. 5,000 soldiers in the G5 joint force operating in the border areas is really quite a small number of people. Even if you then add in the other detachments of the Sahel armies and the French military with four and half thousand troops, it is still a relatively small number of soldiers to engage in operations to try and tackle the jihadists.









						G5 force too small to stabilize Sahel – DW – 11/20/2019
					

The killing of 24 soldiers by Islamist militants in Mali has called to questioning the strength of the G5 Sahel troops. Paul Melly of Chatham House says they are insufficient to curb militancy in the region.




					www.dw.com


----------



## Weinie

daftandbarmy said:


> It's more likely that they've bitten off more than they can chew. The enfor numbers are impressively large, as is the geography:
> 
> G5 force too small to curb militancy in Sahel​This is a huge region. You are talking about distances of hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. 5,000 soldiers in the G5 joint force operating in the border areas is really quite a small number of people. Even if you then add in the other detachments of the Sahel armies and the French military with four and half thousand troops, it is still a relatively small number of soldiers to engage in operations to try and tackle the jihadists.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> G5 force too small to stabilize Sahel – DW – 11/20/2019
> 
> 
> The killing of 24 soldiers by Islamist militants in Mali has called to questioning the strength of the G5 Sahel troops. Paul Melly of Chatham House says they are insufficient to curb militancy in the region.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.dw.com


There might be a lesson from the not too distant past where nations continued to build up troop numbers to deal with an insurgency.


----------



## MilEME09

Ethiopian C-130 Shot Down By Tigray Rebels
					

Video has surfaced showing the Jun. 23, 2021 incident in which Tigrayan rebels shot down an Ethiopian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft near Mekelle. The video also contains aftermath footage, showing complete destruction of the aircraft.




					funker530.com
				




Crazy video emerging from Ethiopia yesterday of rebels shooting down a C-130.


----------



## daftandbarmy

MilEME09 said:


> Ethiopian C-130 Shot Down By Tigray Rebels
> 
> 
> Video has surfaced showing the Jun. 23, 2021 incident in which Tigrayan rebels shot down an Ethiopian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft near Mekelle. The video also contains aftermath footage, showing complete destruction of the aircraft.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> funker530.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Crazy video emerging from Ethiopia yesterday of rebels shooting down a C-130.



My aircraft recognition is awful, but that aircraft doesn't look like a C-130.


----------



## Blackadder1916

ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules registration unknown Gijet
					

A Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules plane,  registration unknown, was destroyed in  an accident  near Gijet, Ethiopia.



					aviation-safety.net
				





> Narrative:
> A Lockheed Hercules of the Ethiopian Air Force has been destroyed in an accident near Gijet, Ethiopia. Unconfirmed reports suggest the aircraft was downed by the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) during the armed conflict known as the Tigray War that started in November 2020 between Ethiopia and the Tigray Region.
> 
> The aircraft was a Hercules, formerly operated by Ethiopian Airlines as ET-AJK, was seen in an all white colour scheme at Addis Ababa - Bole International Airport in 2006 without any serial number.
> 
> . . . identification from the C-130 that was shot down  . . .


----------



## MilEME09

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/soldiers-takeover-guinea-government-gunfire-1.6165536
		


And this edition of coup of the month club  Guinea falls to a military coup


----------



## daftandbarmy

I wonder if China's efforts to build an iron ore economy in Guinea had anything to do with the recent coup:

*China determined to build iron ore hub in Africa as Australia goes Quad*

There was a time when Japan, like China today, was the rising power in the East that kept military planners in the West awake at night.

"It is very certain that no other nation at the present time is spending so large a part of its revenue on naval preparations," military author Hector Bywater wrote in the 1921 book "Sea-Power in the Pacific -- A Study of the American-Japanese Naval Problem."

But Japan had a critical weakness: a lack of steel.

"Since the close of the Great War, shipbuilding in Japan has been seriously hampered by the difficulty of obtaining steel," Bywater wrote, referring to World War I. His book accurately predicted a naval conflict between Imperial Japan and the U.S. two decades later.

Japan had previously imported large quantities of American steel under a special agreement between the two governments. But in 1917, the U.S. imposed a steel embargo which stemmed the flow to the Asian country.

"So serious has the shortage become of late that the output of tonnage in Japan during 1920 was 25% short of the forecast of 800,000 tons which had been made in January of that year," Bywater wrote. "This scarcity of steel reacted on the naval program, delaying the launch and completion of ships."

Chinese state planners looking to learn from history would quickly notice that the glaring vulnerability for Beijing today is its dependence on iron ore from Australia. While Beijing has tried to squeeze and punish Canberra for proposing an international investigation into the roots of COVID-19, it has been unable to wrestle itself away from Australian iron ore, which accounts for over 60% of China's imports.


China determined to build iron ore hub in Africa as Australia goes Quad


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Opportunity or crisis?








						6,000 Boko Haram Terrorists Surrender to Nigeria - What Now?
					

The Nigerian government faces a dilemma over accepting the surrender of Boko Haram fighters as society's anger remains.




					sofrep.com
				




_Nearly 6,000 fighters from the Boko Haram Islamist terrorist group in northeast Nigeria have surrendered to the Nigerian military in recent weeks, the Nigerian armed forces said on Thursday.

Brigadier General Bernard Onyeuko, a spokesman for the Nigerian military said, “Within the last few weeks, more than 5,890 terrorists comprising foot soldiers and their commanders have surrendered with their families to own troops in the North East Zone.”

He added that 565 of the surrendered fighters had been handed over to the government of northeastern Borno State for “further management after thorough profiling,” but gave no further details.

While that is a feather in the cap of the military’s counter-insurgency efforts, it presents an entirely new set of challenges for the Nigerian government and citizens. Nearly 350,000 people have died in the fight against Boko Haram during the past dozen years. Further, more than two million citizens have been displaced. The violence spilled over to neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. So, although the former terrorists have seemingly renounced their ways and are controversially seeking to re-enter mainstream society, the distrust among parts of the population is well-founded.

Even the Nigerian government’s program, Operation Safe Corridor (OSC), aimed at deradicalizing low-risk former insurgents, is controversial among citizens. _


----------



## CBH99

Colin Parkinson said:


> Opportunity or crisis?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 6,000 Boko Haram Terrorists Surrender to Nigeria - What Now?
> 
> 
> The Nigerian government faces a dilemma over accepting the surrender of Boko Haram fighters as society's anger remains.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> sofrep.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Nearly 6,000 fighters from the Boko Haram Islamist terrorist group in northeast Nigeria have surrendered to the Nigerian military in recent weeks, the Nigerian armed forces said on Thursday.
> 
> Brigadier General Bernard Onyeuko, a spokesman for the Nigerian military said, “Within the last few weeks, more than 5,890 terrorists comprising foot soldiers and their commanders have surrendered with their families to own troops in the North East Zone.”
> 
> He added that 565 of the surrendered fighters had been handed over to the government of northeastern Borno State for “further management after thorough profiling,” but gave no further details.
> 
> While that is a feather in the cap of the military’s counter-insurgency efforts, it presents an entirely new set of challenges for the Nigerian government and citizens. Nearly 350,000 people have died in the fight against Boko Haram during the past dozen years. Further, more than two million citizens have been displaced. The violence spilled over to neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. So, although the former terrorists have seemingly renounced their ways and are controversially seeking to re-enter mainstream society, the distrust among parts of the population is well-founded.
> 
> Even the Nigerian government’s program, Operation Safe Corridor (OSC), aimed at deradicalizing low-risk former insurgents, is controversial among citizens. _


Be very very skeptical of such claims coming from the Nigerian military.  More often than not, it is for local or regional PR purposes or to regain lost trust by the local governments/civilians?

Remember those 250 school girls that were allegedly kidnapped from school at gunpoint, by Baka Harem fighters?  The international community raced to offer whatever help they could - even Transport Canada offered to deploy its high-tech wizard plane to assist.

Yet, not much of that help ever materialized…

The media portrayed it as yet another example of empty promises from the west. A racist world system in which Africa is neglected and forgotten, and western powers are all talk with no walk.  

Turns out, after some very aggressive intelligence gathering by several affiliated agencies/countries, there were substantial doubts as to whether or not that had even happened at all.  Doubts shared even by the locals.  

And in the 24hr news cycle, and some dumb nonsense they need to waste people’s time with… that story faded into the ether…


Or when another Nigerian general said they had completely defeated Boko Harem.  Completely.  All gone.  Done.  Dead or fled!!   Turns out…naaahhhhh…not really….


This news?  Hope it is true, genuinely.  But best to see how it turns out a week or two from now.

0.02


----------



## daftandbarmy

CBH99 said:


> Be very very skeptical of such claims coming from the Nigerian military.  More often than not, it is for local or regional PR purposes or to regain lost trust by the local governments/civilians?
> 
> Remember those 250 school girls that were allegedly kidnapped from school at gunpoint, by Baka Harem fighters?  The international community raced to offer whatever help they could - even Transport Canada offered to deploy its high-tech wizard plane to assist.
> 
> Yet, not much of that help ever materialized…
> 
> The media portrayed it as yet another example of empty promises from the west. A racist world system in which Africa is neglected and forgotten, and western powers are all talk with no walk.
> 
> Turns out, after some very aggressive intelligence gathering by several affiliated agencies/countries, there were substantial doubts as to whether or not that had even happened at all.  Doubts shared even by the locals.
> 
> And in the 24hr news cycle, and some dumb nonsense they need to waste people’s time with… that story faded into the ether…
> 
> 
> Or when another Nigerian general said they had completely defeated Boko Harem.  Completely.  All gone.  Done.  Dead or fled!!   Turns out…naaahhhhh…not really….
> 
> 
> This news?  Hope it is true, genuinely.  But best to see how it turns out a week or two from now.
> 
> 0.02



An interesting example of how to play the international media for your own purposes, leading to (false as it turned out) claims that there were no kidnappings at all:

Viewpoint: Global media's Nigeria abductions coverage 'wrong'​
Some international security experts suggested that while direct Boko Haram involvement seems to have been discounted, Boko Haram training, help and encouragement were involved.

Many Nigerians believe that Boko Haram took interest only after the international media covered the story. The government insisted no ransom was paid to the kidnappers, who it continued to describe as "bandits".

Media coverage of such heinous acts is important: governments need to be encouraged to act, victims need to be remembered and memorialised and the public needs to be warned.

But all this can be done without inspiring more criminals and without providing them tutorials.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Mali:  Welcome, Russian friends!


> A deal is close that would allow Russian mercenaries into Mali, extending Russian influence over security affairs in West Africa and triggering opposition from former colonial power France, seven diplomatic and security sources said.
> 
> Paris has begun a diplomatic drive to prevent the military junta in Mali enacting the deal, which would permit Russian private military contractors, the Wagner Group, to operate in the former French colony, the sources said.
> 
> A European source who tracks West Africa and a security source in the region said at least 1,000 mercenaries could be involved. Two other sources believed the number was lower, but did not provide figures.
> 
> Four sources said the Wagner Group would be paid about 6 billion CFA francs ($10.8 million) a month for its services. One security source working in the region said the mercenaries would  train Malian military and provide protection for senior  officials ...


----------



## The Bread Guy

Like the song says, another one bites the dust ...

_*"French troops kill leader of Islamic State group in Sahel, Macron says"*_
_*"France says leader of ISIL group in Sahel has been killed"*_
_*"France calls killing of Islamic State leader big victory"*_
More on the latest guy taken out of the command chain here (usual Wikipedia caveats apply).


----------



## OldSolduer

The Bread Guy said:


> Like the song says, another one bites the dust ...
> 
> _*"French troops kill leader of Islamic State group in Sahel, Macron says"*_
> _*"France says leader of ISIL group in Sahel has been killed"*_
> _*"France calls killing of Islamic State leader big victory"*_
> More on the latest guy taken out of the command chain here (usual Wikipedia caveats apply).


Good. I'm not fretting one bit about this. Go France!!


----------



## daftandbarmy

Meanwhile, in Ethiopia:

U.N. plane aborts landing as air strike hits Ethiopia's Tigray​

Summary

Friday's strike hits university campus, say humanitarian sources
Strike forced government U.N. plane to abort landing in city
Air campaign comes amid heavy fighting in Amhara region
Nearly a year of war has killed thousands
Thousands fleeing fighting in Amhara
ADDIS ABABA, Oct 22 (Reuters) - An Ethiopian government air strike on the capital of the northern Tigray region on Friday forced a U.N. flight carrying aid workers to abort a landing there, the United Nations said.
Humanitarian sources and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the area, said a university in Mekelle was hit by the strike.

Government spokesperson Legesse Tulu said a former military base occupied by TPLF fighters was targeted, and he denied the university was hit.
Reuters was not able to independently confirm either account. Tigrai TV, controlled by the TPLF-led regional administration that is not recognised by Addis Ababa, reported that 11 civilians were wounded in the air strike. It was the fourth day this week that Mekelle had been attacked.

The U.N. suspended all flights to Mekelle after Friday's incident. U.N. global aid chief Martin Griffiths said the U.N. had not received any prior warning of the attacks on Mekelle and had received the necessary clearances for the flight.
The incident raises serious concerns for the safety of aid workers trying to help civilians in need, Griffiths said in a statement, adding that all parties to the conflict should respect international humanitarian law including protecting humanitarian staff and assets from harm.

The 11 passengers on board Friday's flight were aid workers travelling to a region where some 7 million people, including 5 million in Tigray, need humanitarian help, another U.N. official told reporters in New York.

TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda accused the government of putting the U.N. plane in harm's way. "Our air defence units knew the UN plane was scheduled to land (and) it was due in large measure to their restraint it was not caught in a crossfire," he said in a tweet.

Legesse, the government spokesperson, rejected the TPLF accusation. "I can assure you that there is no deliberate or intended act that put the efforts of UN humanitarian staff and their plan of delivering aid to the disadvantage (sic) group," Legesse said in a text message to Reuters.
Ethiopian army spokesperson Colonel Getnet Adene did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

PEOPLE FLEEING IN AMHARA

The two sides have been fighting for almost a year in a conflict that has killed thousands of people and displaced more than two million amid a power struggle between the TPLF and the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's central government.

The TPLF dominated Ethiopia's ruling party for decades before Abiy, who is not a Tigrayan, took office in 2018.

The government has stepped up air strikes on the Tigray capital as fighting has escalated in Amhara, a neighbouring region where the TPLF has seized territory that the government and allied armed Amhara armed groups are trying to recover.

Residents in Dessie, a city in Amhara, told Reuters people were fleeing, a day after a TPLF spokesperson said its forces were within artillery range of the town.

"The whole city is panicking," a resident said, adding that people who could were leaving. He said he could hear the sound of heavy gunfire on Thursday night and into the morning, and that the bus fare to the capital Addis Ababa, about 385 km (240 miles) to the south, had increased more than six-fold.

There are now more than 500,000 displaced people in the Amhara region and that number is growing rapidly due to the latest fighting, the National Disaster Risk Management Commission told Reuters.
Seid Assefa, a local official working at a coordination centre for displaced people in Dessie, said 250 people had fled there this week from fighting in the Girana area to the north.

"We now have a total of 900 (displaced people) here and we finished our food stocks three days ago."









						U.N. plane aborts landing as air strike hits Ethiopia's Tigray
					

An Ethiopian government air strike on the capital of the northern Tigray region on Friday forced a U.N. flight carrying aid workers to abort a landing there, the United Nations said.




					www.reuters.com


----------



## Colin Parkinson

An interesting talk arguing the lack of harbours and navigable impacting the development of Africa.


----------



## Humphrey Bogart

Colin Parkinson said:


> An interesting talk arguing the lack of harbours and navigable impacting the development of Africa.


It's not only lack of harbours, it's also lack of any real infrastructure.  This is a picture of Africa's railway network:







Not only is it not comprehensive, many of the railroads don't share the same gauge and those outside South Africa have fallen in to disuse.

Now compare this to other systems and places:


----------



## Colin Parkinson

He does touch on railways as well


----------



## Humphrey Bogart

Things are getting really interesting!









						French ambassador expelled from Mali
					

A row erupts over comments by the foreign minister of France, which has troops deployed in the country.



					www.bbc.com
				






> French ambassador expelled from Mali​31 January 2022
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IMAGE SOURCE,AFP
> Image caption,
> A French soldier on patrol in Gao, Mali, last month





> *Mali's military leaders are expelling the French ambassador over what they called "outrageous" comments made by the French foreign minister about the transitional government.*


The French missions in Africa appear to be Collapsing.  The new Junta in power in Mali is being backed by Russian Mercenaries.


----------



## KevinB

Humphrey Bogart said:


> Things are getting really interesting!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> French ambassador expelled from Mali
> 
> 
> A row erupts over comments by the foreign minister of France, which has troops deployed in the country.
> 
> 
> 
> www.bbc.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The French missions in Africa appear to be Collapsing.  The new Junta in power in Mali is being backed by *Russia*


FIFY


----------



## Halifax Tar

Why do we (the west) keep putting any effort into Africa ?


----------



## Eaglelord17

Halifax Tar said:


> Why do we (the west) keep putting any effort into Africa ?


Maybe because we created a good number of their problems in the first place?


----------



## Halifax Tar

Eaglelord17 said:


> Maybe because we created a good number of their problems in the first place?



It doesn't seem like they are interested in us helping to fix thing no matter how much "guilt" some may have.  Leave them to their own devices I say.


----------



## Humphrey Bogart

Halifax Tar said:


> Why do we (the west) keep putting any effort into Africa ?


The answer is because of Mining, Oil & Gas


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Eaglelord17 said:


> Maybe because we created a good number of their problems in the first place?


There were a lot of problems before the Europeans arrived, their big problem is that Tribalism has not been broken and ground into the dust, which is what happened in Europe.


----------



## KevinB

Halifax Tar said:


> It doesn't seem like they are interested in us helping to fix thing no matter how much "guilt" some may have.  Leave them to their own devices I say.





Humphrey Bogart said:


> The answer is because of Mining, Oil & Gas


Well the Chinese are quite willing to "help" them with that.


----------



## Altair

Halifax Tar said:


> Why do we (the west) keep putting any effort into Africa ?


Some of the biggest populations and economic growth are going to be coming from Africa in the next 30-50 years, and those best positioned to exploit it are going to have the advantage.


----------



## Humphrey Bogart

KevinB said:


> Well the Chinese are quite willing to "help" them with that.


TBH, I think the French are "tired" of Africa.  A lot of the historic connections are gone, the average French person wouldn't be able to point out the Sahel on a map and probably thinks it's another variant of COVID if you asked them about it.  They are also overwhelmed with domestic issues.

I also get the distinct feeling that US/Canadian Interests in the region aren't exactly in step with the French/Europeans and that it might actually be some Mining Companies that are pulling the strings in West Africa.  I've seen a bunch of jobs pop up for security gigs with Mining Companies in Mali, Burk Faso, etc.

Barrick Gold, as well as other major mining companies, have major interests in the region and operations have been seemingly unaffected by these Coups.  In fact, some have even boosted production since the various Juntas seized power in West Africa.

Having these Military Dictatorships in power clearly benefits the mining industry and undermines the ability of these Countries to have free and fair elections.  Consequently, they are unable to track where exactly all the money is going.


----------



## KevinB

Humphrey Bogart said:


> TBH, I think the French are "tired" of Africa.  A lot of the historic connections are gone, the average French person wouldn't be able to point out the Sahel on a map and probably thinks it's another variant of COVID if you asked them about it.  They are also overwhelmed with domestic issues.
> 
> I also get the distinct feeling that US/Canadian Interests in the region aren't exactly in step with the French/Europeans and that it might actually be some Mining Companies that are pulling the strings in West Africa.  I've seen a bunch of jobs pop up for security gigs with Mining Companies in Mali, Burk Faso, etc.
> 
> Barrick Gold, as well as other major mining companies, have major interests in the region and operations have been seemingly unaffected by these Coups.  In fact, some have even boosted production since the various Juntas seized power in West Africa.
> 
> Having these Military Dictatorships in power clearly benefits the mining industry and undermines the ability of these Countries to have free and fair elections.  Consequently, they are unable to track where exactly all the money is going.


There are always jobs for guys with guns in Africa...

  Most aren't the type of jobs that require a great deal of ethics -- I wonder if they are hiring CAF GOFO's


----------



## daftandbarmy

Things are looking up. in some ways, for the African economy:



*Africa is projected to recover in 2021 from its worst economic recession in half a century.*

Economic activity in Africa was constrained in 2020 by an unprecedented global pandemic caused by COVID–19. Real GDP in Africa is projected to grow by 3.4 percent in 2021, after contracting by 2.1 percent in 2020. This projected recovery from the worst recession in more than half a century will be underpinned by a resumption of tourism, a rebound in commodity prices, and the rollback of pandemic-induced restrictions. The outlook is, however, subject to great uncertainty from both external and domestic risks.









						African Economic Outlook 2022
					

The theme of the 2022 African Economic Outlook is Supporting Climate Resilience and a Just Energy Transition in Africa. The theme highlights climate change as a growing threat to lives and livelihoods in Africa and mirrors the theme of the 2022 Annual Meetings. Despite having 17% of the current...




					www.afdb.org


----------



## Blackadder1916

KevinB said:


> There are always jobs for guys with guns in Africa...
> 
> Most aren't the type of jobs that require a great deal of ethics -- I wonder if they are hiring CAF GOFO's



At least one.



			https://ca.linkedin.com/in/daniel-m%C3%A9nard-8b0a1226
		

Managing Director, Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
May 2014 - Sep 2015 1 year 5 months
Dubai, UAE
Oversees all of GardaWorld’s ongoing operations in the region, including existing and new contracts with the O&G industry, the governmental and commercial clients in GardaWorld’s fast-paced growth in the region.


----------



## Good2Golf

Ahhhh, so Dan Menard isn’t available? 😉


----------



## Humphrey Bogart

KevinB said:


> There are always jobs for guys with guns in Africa...
> 
> Most aren't the type of jobs that require a great deal of ethics -- I wonder if they are hiring CAF GOFO's


They would need to be actually good at the whole gun thing, don't know if you've seen our senior officers in Ottawa but.... 

If bureaucratic paper pushing were the requirement  though, sign them up!


----------



## daftandbarmy

I doubt this coming population/ density explosion will help that 'crisis' thing:


Mapped: The World’s Population Density by Latitude​
Looking ahead to 2100, the UN projects that the global population will rise to almost 11 billion. This would increase global population density from 59.11 people per square kilometer in 2022 to 80.82 per square kilometer in 2010.

However, the projections show that Asia will not be the biggest contributor to this growth. Instead, the most considerable jump in population is predicted for Africa, set to grow by almost 200% from almost 1.5 billion people today to 4.3 billion in 2100.

The equator runs right through the middle of Africa and crisscrosses countries like the Congo (both the Republic and DRC), Kenya, Gabon, Uganda, and Somalia.

As Africa’s population expands, this means that at latitudes near the equator, there could be even higher population densities coming. Or course, this largely depends on how the world’s fastest growing cities⁠—most of which are in Africa⁠—shape up over the coming decades.










						Mapped: The World’s Population Density by Latitude
					

How much of the Earth’s population is located near the equator? This map visualizes the world’s population density by latitude.




					www.visualcapitalist.com


----------

