AFRICOM Related-News clips 12 January 2012

8/3/2019 AFRICOM Related-News clips 12 January 2012

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U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 [email protected]

United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office12 January 2012

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command andAfrica, along with upcoming events of interest for January 12, 2012.

Of interest in todays clips:

-- AllAfrica.com writes that seven Al-Shabaab recruits were arrested in Kenya-- VOA reports that Ghana seizes arms believed to be bound for Nigeria-- All Africa says the rumors of Liberian V. P.'s death were quelled

-- Al Jazeera reports that eight people were killed in the north as a fuel strike rattlesNigeria-- CNN reports that Swedish journalists held in Ethiopia hope for pardon

Provided in text format for remote reading. Links work more effectively when thismessage is viewed as in HTML format.

U.S. Africa Command Public AffairsPlease send questions or comments to:[email protected] (+49-711-729-2687)

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Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa

Seven Al-Shabaab Recruits Arrested (All Africa)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110199.html11 January 2012By Peter Leftie, Patrick Mayoyo and Fred MukindaSeven foreigners including a former US soldier have been arrested in Kenya in the lasttwo weeks over links to Al-Shabaab. Kenyan soldiers also killed six of the militants inSomalia on Tuesday.

Ghana Seizes Arms Believed Bound for Nigeria (Voice of America)

http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/01/11/ghana-seizes-arms-believed-bound-for-nigeria/11 January 2012Police in Ghana say they have seized a truckload of weapons believed to be headed toNigeria, where the government is struggling to contain sectarian violence and protests


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over rising fuel costs.

Rumors of Liberia V. P.'s Death Rubbished (All Africa)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110929.html\11 January 2012

Since Sunday, January 8, 2012 up to yesterday, rumors had it that Vice President Boakaiis dead. But the Vice President Chief of Office Staff has quelled what seems to be a fastgrowing rumors in Monrovia and its environs that his boss is dead, stating that V.P.Boakai is alive and sound.

Rwandan President Cleared in 1994 Air Crash (Al Jazeera video)

http://allafrica.com/view/resource/main/main/id/00030314.html10 January 2012By Jacky RowlandA French investigation has found that the missile which brought down the Rwandanpresident's aircraft in 1994 and prompted the country's genocide, was not fired by circles

close to the current Rwandan president, Paul Kagame.

Nigerian unions blame president of using 'thugs' to quash protests (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/11/world/africa/nigeria-strike/index.html?hpt=iaf_c111 January 2012Two Nigerian trade unions accused the country's president of using "armed thugs" toattack protesters, and urged demonstrators to continue their nationwide strike against fuelprices on Wednesday and beyond.

Swedish journalists held in Ethiopia will not seek appeal; hope for pardon (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/10/world/africa/ethiopia-swedish-journalists/index.html?hpt=iaf_c211 January 2012By Per NybergThe two Swedish journalists convicted as terrorists in Ethiopia have opted to seek apardon rather than appeal the verdict and their 11-year sentences, a Swedish official saidTuesday.

Deaths in Nigeria as tensions sharpen (Al Jazeera)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/20121102242998110.html11 January 2012Eight people killed in the north and an Islamic school burnt down in the south, as a fuelstrike rattles the country. Gunmen have shot eight people dead in northern Nigeria and amob torched an Islamic school in the south, as a nationwide fuel strike and growingreligious tension rattled Africa's top oil producer.

Kampala shops shut over Uganda interest rates (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1650882511 January 2012Businesses in Uganda's capital, Kampala, have closed their shops and are boycotting


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banks to protest at high interest rates. Uganda's central bank raised rates last year wheninflation hit more than 20%. Shopkeepers in Kampala say interest rates of up to 27% arecrippling their businesses.

Israel adopts harsher penalties for African migrants (San Francisco Chronicles)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/10/MNPK1MNABQ.DTL11 January 2012By Amy Teibel, Associated PressIsrael's parliament on Tuesday approved harsh new penalties on illegal migrants andIsraelis who help them, building on other contentious measures designed to stanch theflood of Africans seeking sanctuary here. The bill allows imprisonment of illegalmigrants for an unlimited time without trial. People caught helping them could faceprison terms of up to 15 years.

Arab Spring momentum in Middle East, North Africa (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/11/us-mideast-spring-

idUSTRE80A0RX2012011111 January 2012Here you can see the latest details of the revolts in the Middle East and North Africa andtheir aftermath, such as in EGYPT: A final phase of voting began on Tuesday in electionsto the lower house, with Islamists emerging as major winners.

Assessing Obamas Africa Policy, Looking at 2012 and Beyond (Voice of America)

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Butty-Africa-Obama-Second-Term-Kimenyi-11january12-137073473.html11 January 2012By James ButtThe Washington-based Brookings Institution said Africa, to benefit from developmentopportunities in 2012, must prioritize regional integration efforts and manage a growingyouth population. The public policy organization said the continent will have to increasethe profile of organizations, such as the African Union, to sustain advancements in publichealth and increase the African voice in global governance. Wednesday, the groupsAfrica Growth Initiative hosts a discussion to identify top priorities for Africa for thecoming year and beyond.

Hungry African leaders 'had to buy own food' at ANC centenary celebrations (The

Guardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/11/african-leaders-nandos-anc-centenary?newsfeed=true11 January 2012By David Smith in JohannesburgThey are often accused of living like kings while their impoverished peoples suffer. Notthis time, it would seem. African leaders who attended last weekend's centenarycelebrations of the African National Congress (ANC) had to embark on some hastyshopping when they found no food or bedding at their accommodation, according to anewspaper report.


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S.Africa's Transnet launches $2.9 bln fuel pipeline (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/11/safrica-transnet-idUSL6E8CA5NL2012011111 January 2012By Agnieszka Flak

South African logistics group Transnet started operating a new multi-product fuelpipeline on Wednesday, the company's single biggest capital project to date, although itwill take until 2013 to reach intended capacity. The 24-inch pipeline running over 550km replaces an old 12-inch multi-product line from Durban to Johannesburg, built in1965, which is nearing the end of its life.

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UN News Service Africa Briefs

http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA

Developments in Nigeria top discussions between UN chief and foreign minister

10 January Recent developments in Nigeria, including progress in the investigation oflast years bomb attack against the United Nations offices in the capital, Abuja, toppeddiscussions today between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Nigerian ForeignAffairs Minister Olugbenga Ayodeji Ashiru. Twenty-five people, including 13 UN staff,died in the attack on 26 August last year.

Liberian cocoa and coffee farmers to benefit from UN financing

10 January The United Nations rural development arm is to provide a $24.9 millionloan to Liberia to improve the West African countrys cocoa and coffee production in aneffort to alleviate poverty among rural communities recovering from the effects of pastconflicts.

Libya: UN and Government sign status of mission agreement

10 January The United Nations and the Libyan authorities today signed an agreementestablishing the legal framework under which the UN mission set up last year to supportthe countrys post-conflict reconstruction efforts will operate.

Security Council presses for ethnic reconciliation in troubled area of South Sudan

10 January Security Council members have called on warring ethnic communities inSouth Sudan's Jonglei state to engage in reconciliation and end the cycle of conflictthat has claimed an unknown number of casualties in recent weeks.In a press statement, issued yesterday by Ambassador Baso Sangqu of South Africa,which holds the Council presidency this month, the 15-member panel voiced deepconcern at the situation in Jonglei.

African States and UN agree to beef up measures against Lords Resistance Army

9 January Central African countries affected by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) and


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the United Nations agreed to toughen up measures against the notorious rebel group tostop its deadly activities on the continent.

DR Congo: UN mission condemns killing of dozens of civilians in South Kivu

9 January The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo (DRC) today strongly condemned attacks against civilians by members of anarmed group in remote villages in South Kivu province last week, during which at least45 people were killed.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming Event of Interest:

12 January 2012Symposium on Emerging Land Issues in African Agriculture: Impacts on Poverty

Reduction and Food Policy

WHO: Thom Jayne, Professor of International Development at Michigan State

University; and Derek Byerlee (commentator), Independent Scholar and Director, WorldDevelopment Report, 2009WHERE: Stanford University Bechtel Conference Center, Encina Hall, 616 Serra StreetCONTACT: Kate Johnston, 650-724-3723 or e-mail: [email protected]

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Seven Al-Shabaab Recruits Arrested (All Africa)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110199.html11 January 2012By Peter Leftie, Patrick Mayoyo and Fred Mukinda

Seven foreigners including a former US soldier have been arrested in Kenya in the lasttwo weeks over links to Al-Shabaab.

Kenyan soldiers also killed six of the militants in Somalia on Tuesday.

The seven were arrested as they tried to enter Somalia to join the militant group fortraining.

Other suspects were from other European countries, said police spokesman Eric Kiraithe.

Mr Craig Benedict Baxam, the ex-US soldier was charged in an American court onMonday with attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group, CNN reported.

The TV station said he was arrested by Kenyan authorities on December 23.

A British national, Mr Jermaine Grant was also charged at a Mombasa court for being inillegal possession of explosive materials.


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Mr Kiraithe said that police were on the trail of 10 Shabaab members who they believedwere planning deadly attacks in Kenya.

"There are so many people who have had contact with Al-Shabaab in the past andchanged. But the 10 are dangerous."

The spokesman spoke amid reports of an impending terror attack that was spread throughSMS.

Mr Kiraithe said the SMS is neither from the UN or the police and termed it as fake.

Meanwhile, Kenyan troops yesterday killed six Al-Shabaab fighters as they intensifiedthe military operation to dismantle the militant group.

One Kenyan soldier was killed in the operation and two others sustained injuries.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) reported that they encountered the militants as theyconducted routine patrols between Tabda and Beles Qooqani, two towns which used to beAl-Shabaab bases but have since been captured by the Kenyan troops.

"Other militants escaped with injuries and are likely to seek medical attention at nearbyrefugee camps," says a statement signed by the military spokesman, Major EmmanuelChirchir.

Al-Shabaab however boasted that they had killed seven Kenyan soldiers and destroyedtwo armoured personnel carriers belonging to KDF.

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Ghana Seizes Arms Believed Bound for Nigeria (Voice of America)

http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/01/11/ghana-seizes-arms-believed-bound-for-nigeria/11 January 2012

Police in Ghana say they have seized a truckload of weapons believed to be headed toNigeria, where the government is struggling to contain sectarian violence and protestsover rising fuel costs.

Authorities say they found double-barrel guns and ammunition inside a truck markedwith the name of a soft drink company. Police say the items were hidden beneath a metalplate in the truck.

The seizure took place in Ghana's capital, Accra, on Tuesday after authorities received atip.

Police arrested five people, including two Nigerian nationals and three suspects from


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Ghana.

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Rumors of V. P.'s Death Rubbished (All Africa)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110929.html\11 January 2012

Liberia's Vice President Joseph N. Boakai is alive and sound; contrary to wide spreadrumors in Monrovia and its environs that the #2 man in government is dead. SinceSunday, January 8, 2012 up to yesterday, rumors had it that Vice President Boakai isdead. But the Vice President Chief of Office Staff has quelled what seems to be a fastgrowing rumors in Monrovia and its environs that his boss is dead, stating that V.P.Boakai is alive and sound.

Mr. Sam Steve Quiah disclosed that he was constrained to dispel the rumors being

circulated by some unknown persons in the Liberian society, adding that he hadcontinued to receive persistent telephone calls from several individuals, whom he said,were calling to authenticate the veracity of the Vice President's alleged death news.

The Vice President's Chief of Office Staff, who spoke Tuesday on the Truth FM's TruthBreakfast Show, wondered that he could not understand why some individuals, whosenames he did not disclose, would even call him on Monday, January 9, 2011, whenaccording to him, Vice President Boakai was at the Capitol performing his officialfunction at the time.

He indicated that the source of the rumors is unknown, stressing that the Vice President isin a stable medical condition, and there was no need for panic.

However, he added that such false rumors of a person's death news in the Liberiansociety usually turn out mean such person would live long.

At the same time, this paper yesterday gathered that Vice President Boakai is indeed aliveand well; contrary to the wide spread rumors that he is dead.

According to this paper's investigation, Vice President Boakai showed up for workyesterday at the Capitol Building-the seat of the Legislature where carried out his normalduties. This paper also verified account by Mr. Quiah that Vice President Boakai indeedshowed up to work at the Capitol Building on Monday, January 9, 2011 and heperformed his duty as usual.

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Rwandan President Cleared in 1994 Air Crash (Al Jazeera video)

http://allafrica.com/view/resource/main/main/id/00030314.html10 January 2012


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By Jacky Rowland

A French investigation has found that the missile which brought down the Rwandanpresident's aircraft in 1994 and prompted the country's genocide, was not fired by circlesclose to the current Rwandan president, Paul Kagame.

The findings essentially clear several people close to Kagame, who was the leader of theTutsi fighters at the time of the assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu.

Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports from Paris, France.

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Nigerian unions blame president of using 'thugs' to quash protests (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/11/world/africa/nigeria-strike/index.html?hpt=iaf_c111 January 2012

(CNN) -- Two Nigerian trade unions accused the country's president of using "armedthugs" to attack protesters, and urged demonstrators to continue their nationwide strikeagainst fuel prices on Wednesday and beyond.

"In a Mubarak-style response to the peoples' protests, the Jonathan administrationbrought into Abuja, thugs armed with various weapons including guns," the NigeriaLabour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria said in a joint statement lateTuesday night.

The unions were comparing President Goodluck Jonathan to former Egyptian PresidentHosni Mubarak's alleged response to anti-government protests last year.

Bonfires were set ablaze by protesters outside Lagos State University. iReporter LawalAdekunle Olusegun said: "I know a lot of people around are suffering and going througha hard time the fuel subsidy is only making things worse for a lot of people."

Occupy Nigeria protests "Labour warns the Presidency that it will be held responsible forwhatever atrocities these thugs commit," the statement said. "We call on Nigerians tocontinue the strikes, rallies and protests ... Wednesday ... and subsequent days until theJonathan government listens to the voice of the Nigerian People."

Wednesday will mark day 3 of the strike spurred by a government decision that has morethan doubled fuel prices in the largely impoverished country.

So far, clashes have left at least 16 people dead and 205 injured, according to a tallycollected by the Nigerian Red Cross Tuesday.

The strike, continued religious violence in the north and a long-simmering separatistmovement are all issues that have created growing problems for Jonathan and fueled


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tensions on the street.

The southern state of Edo was a focus for much of the violence, according to the RedCross figures, with five people killed and 83 injured.

"Revolution has come to Nigeria and the youth will spearhead it. Until our demands aremet, we are ready to protest every day and make sacrifice," said Eromo Egbejule, aNigerian freelance journalist.

In a recent address, Jonathan tried to explain the need for the end of subsidies, tellingNigerians that the government would invest the money in the country's crumblinginfrastructure.

"My fellow Nigerians, the truth is that we're faced with two basic choices with regards tothe management of the petroleum sector," Jonathan said. "Survive economically orcontinue with a subsidy regime that will continue to undermine our economy."

Some analysts say the changes could help Nigeria in the future.

"If they're prepared to try this petroleum subsidy removal then perhaps they can pushthrough electricity reform too. If they do that, Nigeria's growth can be instead of 7%-8%a year, 10% or 11%," said Charlie Robertson, a chief economist at the global investmentfirm Renaissance Capital.

But assurances from the president did not allay fears from many Nigerians who do nottrust the government to use the money to improve the country's infrastructure.

Many Nigerians view the subsidy as the only benefit of living in an oil-producing countrythat has little infrastructure, poor roads, high unemployment and intermittent electricpower.

"Though we know that in the long run, removal of (the) subsidy will help the economy,for now it is a high-profile lifestyle that is unbearable for most Nigerians, and soon thepoorer ones will die out," said protester Diane Awunah.

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Swedish journalists held in Ethiopia will not seek appeal; hope for pardon (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/10/world/africa/ethiopia-swedish-journalists/index.html?hpt=iaf_c211 January 2012By Per Nyberg

The two Swedish journalists convicted as terrorists in Ethiopia have opted to seek apardon rather than appeal the verdict and their 11-year sentences, a Swedish official saidTuesday.


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Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson were convicted in December by a court in AddisAbaba after being accused of helping the Ogaden National Liberation Front, whichEthiopia has labeled a terrorist organization, and for entering Ethiopia illegally.

The decision to try for a pardon "does not mean any change in our view that they werethere working as journalists and that they should be released as soon as possible," KentOberg, spokesman for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told CNN.

Ethiopian troops captured Persson and Schibbye in July during an exchange of gunfirewith the rebel group in the Ogaden, a prohibited region along the nation's border withSomalia, according to state media.

Sweden reacts to journalist sentencing

Swedish journalists get 11 years

Swedish journalists jailed in Ethiopia In a short statement provided to CNN bySchibbye's mother, Karin, the two journalists said: "There is a tradition of mercy andforgiveness in Ethiopia and we choose to rely on this tradition."

The Swedish Union of Journalists reiterated that Persson and Schibbye were in Ethiopiaworking as journalists.

"It will always be a defeat for press freedom when journalists are prosecuted, imprisonedand convicted when they are performing their job as journalists," Jonas Nordling,president of the Swedish Union of Journalists, said in a statement on the union's website.

Karin Schibbye said in a phone call with CNN that this has been a difficult time for thefamily.

"I'm very shaken, but I'm starting to get used to it," she said. "We live day by day. Thefirst big shock came when they were prosecuted. The next devastating moment was whenthe judge found them guilty of terrorism."

She said the two men deny that they were in Ethiopia to support terrorism.

"They are innocent. They had no intention of disrupting anything in Ethiopia, no badintentions at all, but now it is like they are in a trap," she said.

"The fact that they chose not to appeal means they now have to figure out exactly howthis process of seeking a pardon will work, if they have to admit to the crimes or justapologize."

The pair sought "the best possible advice," she said, adding that "most experts have saidthat seeking a pardon is the best way forward."


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After the trial, she said, "They felt that their defense arguments didn't have much impact"and "They felt that it was very unlikely that another judge would see it any different."

"This may take a long time, but they are ready for it," she said.

Karin Schibbye last saw the two journalists just before Christmas, and she said the pairfeels that they have great support from home.

"They are happy that their case has put a spotlight on press freedom and human rights inEthiopia and that their ordeal isn't in vain."

Schibbye and Persson are being held under harsh circumstances at the Kality prison,Karin Schibbye told CNN.

"The prison is divided into zones with about 1,000 people in each zone," she said. "In

each zone there are small huts, with between 150 and 250 people in each, where they arelocked up at night. In each hut there are only about 100 beds, so most people sleep on thebare floor. At one point Martin told me there were so many prisoners in the hut that theyhad to sleep stacked next to each other on the floor."

But now Schibbye and Persson have advanced in the prison's "inner hierarchy," KarinSchibbye said, and they share a bed that is 90 centimeters wide. "They have also sewn,like, a tent to give them a little bit of privacy," she said. "But the light is never turned offand it is never quiet at night, so I think that is the hardest thing for them."

The men have put themselves on a daily schedule of eating and exercising to try to stayhealthy," she said. "But there is no room to exercise, so they jump up and down rightwhere they are to at least do something."

The family is paying a hotel across the street to bring them lunch packets each day, "andwe've given them some dry food to cook at night," she said. "But they have to hang it upin the roof so that the rats don't eat it. ... We should have given them metal cans instead ofplastic ones since the rats can eat through the plastic cans."

Schibbye and Persson have also persuaded the prison warden to allow them to startsetting up a library in the prison, she said.

"Now every time we go down there from now on we will bring a suitcase full of Englishbooks. So if anyone wants to help out and send down English books to their new librarythat would be great," Karin Schibbye told CNN.

When the process of seeking a pardon can start is still unclear, the Swedish Ministry ofForeign Affairs said.

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Deaths in Nigeria as tensions sharpen (Al Jazeera)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/20121102242998110.html11 January 2012

Eight people killed in the north and an Islamic school burnt down in the south, as a fuelstrike rattles the country.

Gunmen have shot eight people dead in northern Nigeria and a mob torched an Islamicschool in the south, as a nationwide fuel strike and growing religious tension rattledAfrica's top oil producer.

The two-day general strike has not yet affected oil output but it has paralysed the country,already battling a brutal campaign by Boko Haram, an Islamist group who are suspectedto be behind the gunning down of eight people in a pub on Tuesday.

A doctor in Potiskum, a town in the northern state of Yobe, said eight bodies werebrought to the mortuary after gunmen stormed a pub and opened fire before speedingaway on a motorcycle.

"The bodies included five policemen, a bartender, a customer and a 10-year-old girl," thedoctor said. The police confirmed the shooting but did not provide a casualty toll.

Earlier, attackers burnt part of the central mosque complex in the southern city of Benin,where clashes earlier killed five, bringing to 11 the number of people killed in incidentsrelated to the strike over two days.

"We have recorded so far five deaths -- on both sides, those that have been attacked andthe attackers," said Dan Enowoghomwenwa, secretary-general of the Nigerian Red Crossin Edo state, told AFP news agency.

He said 10,000 people were also displaced by the violence.

Witnesses said an Islamic school adjacent to the mosque was burnt on Tuesday as was abus parked next to it.

The attacks in Benin started on Monday amid street protests against soaring fuel prices,when a crowd separated from the main demonstration to attack another mosque andterrorised residents of mainly Hausa neighbourhoods.

Hausas are the largest ethnic group in Nigeria's north and are overwhelmingly Muslim.

The Red Cross official could not specify who was behind the attacks, only saying therewere "indigenes" targeting northerners.

The attacks blamed on the Boko Haram have raised tensions between Christians and


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Muslims. Africa's most populous nation is roughly divided between a predominantlyChristian south and mainly Muslim north.

Fuel protests

Nigerians took to the streets in growing numbers against a sharp increase in petrol prices,increasing pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan to reverse his removal of fuelsubsidies on January 1 that more than doubled petrol prices to at least $3.50 per gallon.Many citizens see the fuel subsidy as their only welfare benefit.

Tuesday's protests were bigger than those on Monday in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, andin the capital, Abuja.

But Jonathan's resolve in the face of the kind of protests that have derailed past attemptsto scrap the fuel subsidy showed no sign of weakening.

Activists wore shirts bearing symbols for a loose-knit group called "Occupy Nigeria",inspired by those near Wall Street in New York.

Anger extended to government corruption in Nigeria, a nation beset by politicians andmilitary rulers who have stolen billions of dollars in oil revenues over the years.

Protesters also demanded a stronger government response to ongoing religious violencein Nigeria that, according to an Associated Press news agency count, killed at least 510people last year alone.

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Kampala shops shut over Uganda interest rates (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1650882511 January 2012

Businesses in Uganda's capital, Kampala, have closed their shops and are boycottingbanks to protest at high interest rates.

Uganda's central bank raised rates last year when inflation hit more than 20%.

Shopkeepers in Kampala say interest rates of up to 27% are crippling their businesses.

A BBC correspondent says most shops are closed, leaving customers who travel toKampala from across east Africa unable to stock up.

The Kampala City Traders' Association - which called the strike after two days ofnegotiations with the government broke down - say shops will stay closed for three days.


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"We are not saying they should not increase interest rates," the traders' spokesperson IsaSsekito told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

"What we are saying is that they should not increase rates on old loans," he said.

Business owners also say for the next three days they will withdraw all their savings fromcommercial banks and stop making any deposits into their accounts.

The Bank of Uganda increased its base rate last year in response to soaring inflation,prompting banks to increase rates on new and old loans and pushing up the cost of doingbusiness.

Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi says the government is looking at ways to help peoplestruggling to repay loans because of the rate hikes, but says striking may aggravate theproblem.

"I don't think striking will save [traders'] property; I don't think striking will save yourbusiness," Mr Mbabazi told the BBC.

"In fact, striking will hurt you and hurt all of us as a country," he added.

The BBC's Ignatius Bahizi in Kampala says hundreds of people are standing around onstreet corners, with the police monitoring the situation.

Kampala is an east African trading hub and many of the people unable to shop have comefrom other parts of Uganda, as well as eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and SouthSudan.

City traders have used this tactic before, in July last year, to protest over the country'sweakened currency and the presence of cheap goods in Chinese shops.

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Israel adopts harsher penalties for African migrants (San Francisco Chronicles)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/10/MNPK1MNABQ.DTL11 January 2012By Amy Teibel, Associated Press

Israel's parliament on Tuesday approved harsh new penalties on illegal migrants andIsraelis who help them, building on other contentious measures designed to stanch theflood of Africans seeking sanctuary here.

The bill allows imprisonment of illegal migrants for an unlimited time without trial.People caught helping them could face prison terms of up to 15 years.

Critics deplore the new law as an unconstitutional trampling of human rights. They


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accuse the government of failing to formulate a coherent, humane policy on illegalmigration that would address an issue that has become increasingly urgent over the years.

"I am not familiar with a Western country that allows such a law," said Asaf Weipzen, a

lawyer for the Hotline for Migrant Workers, an advocacy group. Detentions in othercountries are finite, and the European Union, for example, has an 18-month limit onincarceration, Weipzen said.

Africans began trickling into Israel through its porous southern border with Egypt's Sinaidesert after Egyptian security forces violently quashed a demonstration by a group ofSudanese refugees in 2005.

The number of migrants surged as word spread of safety and job opportunities in therelatively prosperous Jewish state. The government estimates 50,000 Africans - theoverwhelming majority from Sudan and Eritrea - have illegally entered Israel since.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called the swelling number of illegalmigrants a "national scourge," voted for the bill.

His spokesman, Mark Regev, called the legislation part of a "multi-tiered strategy to dealwith the challenge of illegal immigration to Israel." He would not comment on critics'concerns about the new law.

Israel already has repatriated hundreds of Africans and Netanyahu has said he wouldexplore the possibility of repatriating others when he visits Africa this year.

Last month, the Cabinet voted to finance a $160 million program to finish building a 150-mile border fence along the Egyptian border and expand detention facilities to holdthousands of new arrivals. Employers who hire illegal migrants now face stiffened finesof up to $18,000.

Migrant advocates contend the Africans are bona fide refugees and should be grantedasylum.

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Arab Spring momentum in Middle East, North Africa (Reuter)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/11/us-mideast-spring-idUSTRE80A0RX2012011111 January 2012

(Reuters) - Here are the latest details of the revolts in the Middle East and North Africaand their aftermath:

EGYPT: A final phase of voting began on Tuesday in elections to the lower house, with


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Islamists emerging as major winners.

- Banned under ousted President Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood has saidEgyptians of all persuasions will have their say. They say the ruling military council muststick to the timetable for ceding power but also indicated it would not immediately seek

to replace a council-appointed government.

- Some presidential powers were handed to prime minister, Kamal al-Ganzouri, whosecabinet was sworn in on December 7.

- Mubarak is still on trial, accused of conspiring to kill protesters; 850 people were killedin the uprising that ended on February 11 with Mubarak stepping down. A judge onTuesday gave lawyers until February 16 to make their cases in the trial.

YEMEN: Yemen's cabinet proposed a immunity law on January 8 to speed President'sAli Abdullah Saleh exit from office in line with a Gulf-brokered plan to end protests that

paralyzed the country for most of 2011.

- Saleh signed the deal in November, having backed out of it three times before, butquestions remain over the intentions of the veteran leader, who last week said he wouldstay in Yemen, reversing a pledge to travel to the United States.

- Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi issued a decree on December 7, paving theway for a unity government to be sworn in to prepare for the presidential election set forFebruary 21, 2012.

- Gunmen, believed to be militants linked to al Qaeda, attacked a minibus carryingintelligence officers in southern Yemen on Wednesday, an official and medics said,killing at least one person before fleeing.

- Washington and Riyadh are keen for the power transfer deal to work, fearing that apower vacuum may give militants space to thrive near key oil and cargo shipping lanes inthe Red Sea.

BAHRAIN: A Bahraini appeal court has ordered the retrial of two men sentenced todeath for running over and killing two policemen during the 2011 pro-democracyprotests.

- Bahrain remains in crisis after the Sunni Muslim monarchy repressed the protests led bymajority Shi'ites by force. Demonstrators continue to clash daily with police in smallprotests in the Gulf island state.

- The government has now proposed giving more powers to the elected chamber andallowing it to question ministers, as part of constitutional reforms following the protests.

- The proposed reforms were the result of talks between some of Bahrain's opposition and


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pro-government groups which began in July, aimed at healing the rifts opened theprotests and the government response. Bahrain's largest Shi'ite opposition group Wefaqwithdraw from the "national dialogue."

LIBYA: Libya risks sliding into civil war unless it cracks down on the rival militias

which filled the vacuum left by Muammar Gaddafi's downfall, the head of the interimadministration said after an outbreak of violence in Tripoli.

- Months after the anti-Gaddafi fighters captured and killed the former dictator, Libya'snew rulers are still struggling to exert their authority as rival militia leaders refuse to cedecontrol of their fighters and hand in their arms.

TUNISIA: An uprising in January 2011 forced Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to leave Tunisiaafter almost 24 years in power, sparking the "Arab Spring" revolts that swept the MiddleEast.

- But the protests and strikes that followed forced some businesses to close and droveaway foreign tourists, on whom Tunisia relies for much of its revenue.

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Assessing Obamas Africa Policy, Looking at 2012 and Beyond (Voice of America)

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Butty-Africa-Obama-Second-Term-Kimenyi-11january12-137073473.html11 January 2012By James Butt

The Washington-based Brookings Institution said Africa, to benefit from developmentopportunities in 2012, must prioritize regional integration efforts and manage a growingyouth population.

The public policy organization said the continent will have to increase the profile oforganizations, such as the African Union, to sustain advancements in public health andincrease the African voice in global governance.

Wednesday, the groups Africa Growth Initiative hosts a discussion to identify toppriorities for Africa for the coming year and beyond.

Senior Fellow Mwangi Kimenyi, director of the Africa Growth Initiative, said, if re-elected in November, President Barack Obama must take a pro-active policy position thatencourages more engagement with Africa.

What we are seeing is sort of what we may call a decline of the United States in Africabecause it is being edged out slowly by China, Brazil, Russia, and others. And so, wewould like to see President Obama take a very pro-active policy position with regards toAfrica, he said.


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Kimenyi said Obama, in his first term, maintained funding for programs initiated andpromoted by his predecessor, George W. Bush, including HIV and AIDS treatment andresearch funding.

He also said while the president introduced his own initiatives, such as the Feed theFuture program and the Global Climate Initiative, such initiatives are small in scale andscope.

In a recent opinion article in the British Guardian newspaper, Kimenyi argued that, ifObama is re-elected, he should advocate for more U.S. investment in Africa.

He said US and African economies would benefit by prioritizing trade and investmentover foreign aid.

I have to say that the president has done well in terms of programs like food and health.

But, what Africa needs is economic growth. Africa needs to create jobs and get out ofthis idea of dependence, and we think that the best way to do that is through investment,Kimenyi said.

He said, while aid is important, partnerships based on trade, investment, and jointventures are much more important.

Kimenyi said the US must do more to combat what he calls its declining commercialrelationship in Africa and Chinas growing influence.

The US has been a partner in Africa in terms of investment and development programs.But, when you compare what has happened in the last five to ten years, what you see isthat China has literally invaded Africa in all aspects. So, if you compare Chinas rise inAfrica in terms of involvement, you find that actually the United States influence inAfrica, particularly commercial relations, is declining, he said.

Obama visited Egypt and Ghana soon after he was elected in 2008. Kimenyi said, if re-elected, the president should visit a number of Africa countries, this time accompanied bybusiness executives

What we would like to see is that he should visit several African countries; he shouldnot go there with just government officials; he should go there with investors, he said.

He said the priorities will remain the same whether Obama is re-elected or not.

We have looked at these priorities from the perspective of Africa. So, whoever iselected as president, what we want [is to] engage Africa, what we want to communicateis that Africa is not a basket case; Africa should not been seen from the eyes of just aid.We should look at Africa as an opportunity for the United States to grow, Kimenyi said.


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He said Obama still has a chance to leave a US legacy in Africa, particularly if he followsthe vision he articulated for the continent during his 2008 visit.

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Hungry African leaders 'had to buy own food' at ANC centenary celebrations (TheGuardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/11/african-leaders-nandos-anc-centenary?newsfeed=true11 January 2012By David Smith in Johannesburg

They are often accused of living like kings while their impoverished peoples suffer. Notthis time, it would seem.

African leaders who attended last weekend's centenary celebrations of the African

National Congress (ANC) had to embark on some hasty shopping when they found nofood or bedding at their accommodation, according to a newspaper report.

Such was the indignity that the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, was apparentlyforced to dispatch security guards to fetch him some grilled chicken from Nando's.

The heads of state, including some of the continent's most feared autocrats, were "angryand disappointed" by the gaffe, an article in Volksblad said. But the South Africangovernment disputes the report and says it has received no complaints. It didacknowledge, however, that Museveni may have decided to order food in addition to thatprovided.

There was no shortage of logistical hiccups during the events in Bloemfontein marking100 years of Africa's oldest liberation movement. More than 40 heads of state were putup at the Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate on the edge of the city which might haveproved less luxurious than it first appeared.

"The leaders allegedly had to buy their own bedding, food, pots, pans, glasses and bottledwater because the ANC had ordered the owners of the houses it rented at Woodland HillsWildlife Estate to remove all their possessions," Volksblad claimed. "There wasapparently only liquor provided."

At least 15 women hired as housekeepers, waitresses and cleaners at the estate cameforward to reveal how foreign dignitaries were treated, the paper said. MamphoMmelaedi, who was working at the house used by Museveni, was quoted as saying:"Ugandan officials had to leave Woodlands to go and buy duvets, food and othernecessities for the president as there was a bed without linen."

Motladi Metsing added: "Namibian officials went to buy food, pots, plates and glasses tocook for the president. I could see he was angry and disappointed."


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Kenalemang Pula claimed the Nigerian delegation arrived on Sunday morning and hadpacked their bags by lunchtime. And President Thomas Boni of Benin allegedly "stormedout" of Woodlands Hills immediately.

Paul Kagame from Rwanda, Teodoro Obiang from Equatorial Guinea, Bingu waMutharika from Malawi and Namibia's Hifikepunye Pohamba were also denied thehospitality to which they have become accustomed, Volksblad added.

"They kept asking us if we worked for the ANC or for the South African government,"one of the women told the paper. "Understandably, they kept shouting at us. We wereembarrassed to be there."

Around 55 houses owned by private individuals had been rented out for an estimated50,000 rand (3,997) a day.

Valentine Rantsoareng, joint owner of the Rantsoareng hotel group, which wascontracted to equip the houses, denied there had been a failure. "I think people who makethese allegations are somewhat dissatisfied because they haven't been paid yet, but I haveonly now received the receipt for it," he told Volksblad. He added that some of the headsof state had deviated from the menu and "asked for chicken".

A spokesman for Nando's said: "The Nando's restaurant in question was very busythroughout the weekend. Although a number of VIPs, dignitaries and security personnelpurchased meals from the franchise during this time, neither the franchisee nor Nando'sSouth Africa can confirm that they were linked to the Ugandan president."

The South African government denied it had committed a diplomatic blunder. ClaysonMonyela, South Africa's spokesman for international relations, said: "We don't knowwhat these people are referring to. The African heads of state in Bloemfontein werelooked after in terms of the standard protocol courtesies extended to heads of state.

"We have not received any official complaint from any of them. Some of them stayedover until Monday and had bilateral meetings with President [Jacob] Zuma. This is just amalicious thing and we don't know where it came from."

He added: "They may have requested one or two things that were not provided in thestandard hospitality. It's not unexpected. If President Zuma wants something that isn'tprovided he sends his staff out to get it. That's standard."

The ANC's centenary celebrations were marred by technical hitches: accreditation waschaotic for many; a golf tournament teed off late after a mix-up over the deputypresident's diary.

African heads of state missed Zuma lighting the "centenary flame" in the church wherethe ANC was founded because they arrived well after midnight. The president had to


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rand)

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END REPORT

Documents

AFRICOM Related-News clips 12 January 2012