AFRICOM Related News Clips 31 May 2011

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office31 May 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

TOP NEWS RELATED TO U.S. AFRICA COMMAND AND AFRICA

Fresh Strikes in Libya as Zuma says Gadhafi is ready for cease-fire (CNN)(Libya) Fresh explosions rang out early Tuesday near Tripoli, hours after South AfricanPresident Jacob Zuma held talks with Moammar Gadhafi and signalled he was ready toaccept an African Union plan for a cease-fire.

South Africa's Zuma Meets Gadhafi Amid Defections (WSJ)(Libya) South African President Jacob Zuma arrived in Tripoli on Monday fornegotiations with Col. Moammar Gadhafi that appeared to yield no definitive headwayon brokering a peace deal, hours after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization'ssecretary-general said the Libyan leader's "reign of terror" was coming to an end.

McCain: U.S.-Led Operation Would Have Gotten Rid of Qaddafi by Now (Fox)(Libya) The United States should be running military operations in Libya, not leaving itto NATO, Arizona Sen. John McCain said Sunday, arguing that U.S. forces would havebeen much more expedient about getting rid of Libyan despot Muammar al-Qaddafi.

North, south Sudan discuss Abyei as tension simmers (Reuters)(Sudan) North and south Sudan have agreed to negotiate an end to the crisis in thedisputed Abyei region, the southern vice president said Monday, in an effort to defusetensions ahead of the south's scheduled secession.

Thousands flee Sudanese bombing amid food and fuel shortages (Washington Post)(Sudan) As the rainy season begins in this tiny rural village in South Sudan, thousandsof frightened women and children are seeking cover under makeshift shelters ofbedsheets and rugs, strung up between tree branches lodged in the mud.

5 blasts strike Nigeria following president's inauguration (CNN)(Nigeria) Two more blasts struck Nigeria on Monday, bringing the total to five sincePresident Goodluck Jonathan was inaugurated Sunday.

10 th Somali pirate pleads guilty to yacht hijacking (AFP)


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(Somalia) A tenth Somali man arrested on charges related to the hijacking of a yacht offthe coast of Oman in February pleaded guilty Thursday to piracy charges for the attackthat left four Americans dead, US prosecutors said.

Jihad and the Jolly Roger: Piracy, Terrorism & Transnational Crime (Family SecurityMatters)(Pan-Africa) Recently I had the privilege of meeting with and talking to Capt. RichardPhillips the merchant marine captain of the Maersk Ship Alabama the first hijackedUS ship in over 200 years. His ordeal unfolded on the world stage, and became a globalstory as he demonstrated great courage under fire as a prisoner at the (often brutal)hands of Somali based pirates. Thankfully the United States utilized the surgical arm ofdiplomacy and sent the Navy SEALS to rescue him. Throughout this article I willinclude thoughts and insights from my discussion with this amazing man of faith.

Ex-VP Bukenya faces corruption charges (The Monitor)(Uganda) Former Vice President Prof. Gilbert Balibaseka Bukenya is set to be chargedbefore the anti-corruption court in relation to the procurement of the executive cars forthe 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala.

UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website

y UN expert urges Ghana to tackle health funding, maternal mortalityy D elegates gather in Qatar for UN-backed consultations on D arfur peace processy S udan: UN deplores looting of humanitarian supplies in Abyeiy

UN resumes repatriation of Liberian refugees from Cte dIvoirey D isplaced villagers in eastern Chad make their way home with UN help

-------------------------------------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - 09:00 - Thursday, June 2, 2011 - 18:00 ;Westin City Center Hotel, 1400 M St, NW, Washington, D.C. 20005WHAT: Evidence Summit on Agricultural Technology Adoption and Food Security inAfricaWHO: Technology and agricultural expertsInfo: http://www.partnership-africa.org/content/usaid-atai-evidence-summit-agricultural-technology-adoption-and-food-security-africa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Fresh Strikes in Libya as Zuma says Gadhafi is ready for cease-fire (CNN)By Unattributed AuthorMay 30, 2011


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Tripoli, Libya - Fresh explosions rang out early Tuesday near Tripoli, hours after SouthAfrican President Jacob Zuma held talks with Moammar Gadhafi and signalled he wasready to accept an African Union plan for a cease-fire.

Around 12:45 a.m. Tuesday, a pair of large blasts were heard about five minutes apart,as jets flew over the capital of Tripoli.

A Libyan government official said the first strike hit Abu Sita, a former military turnedconstruction site about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the city center. There was noimmediate indication of where the second explosion occurred. Nor was there animmediate response from NATO, which has conducted regular strikes as part of itsstated mission to halt Libyan leader Gadhafi's forces from killing innocent civilians.

Hours before the blasts, Zuma emerged from a meeting with the longtime Libyanstrongman convinced that Gadhafi was ready for an end to hostilities, including such

airstrikes and the ongoing fight with the Benghazi-based opposition movement. But hegave no indication that Gadhafi was prepared to step aside, as rebel leaders haveinsisted is their primary demand.

"Brother leader took the position today that he is ready to implement the decision of theAU (that) there must be a cease-fire," Zuma told a scrum of reporters on the tarmac atTripoli's Mitiga International Airport before boarding a jet. "The view is that that mustinclude -- bombing by NATO must also come to an end," he said in the newsconference, which was broadcast on Libyan state television.

Zuma added that Gadhafi said any cease-fire must apply to all parties, "but also, hemakes the point that: Let the Libyan people be given a chance to talk amongthemselves. And therefore, he's ready to implement the road map of the AU."

Unlike some other world leaders, Zuma has not called for the longtime Libyan leader tostep down. Neither has Zuma's African National Congress party nor the African Union,which he was representing and which Gadhafi once led. In fact, the AU has criticizedthe NATO airstrikes.

In April, Zuma led an AU delegation to Tripoli, where hopes were raised briefly whenit was announced that Gadhafi had agreed, in principle, to the African Union's "roadmap" proposal for peace.

But Gadhafi continued his attacks and the Libyan opposition rejected the proposalbecause it did not meet its demand that he give up the power he has held for 42 years.

A government official said Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmudi alsoattended Monday's meeting. Baghdadi greeted Zuma upon his arrival at the airport,


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where dozens of Gadhafi supporters carried posters, some of which said, "May theleader be victorious" and "Thanks for great Africa."

The African Union has helped mediate peace talks before, including ones in Kenya andZimbabwe that left the ruling powers in control.

It was not clear whether Zuma used the opportunity to press Gadhafi for informationon the whereabouts of South African freelance photographer Anton Hammerl.Hammerl has been missing in Libya since April and is believed dead.

South Africa has said it got assurances from Libya that the journalist was alive. But aLibyan government spokesman has said his whereabouts were unknown.

"We never had him with us at any stage," spokesman Musa Ibrahim has said.

The meeting came as Gadhafi's grip on power appeared to continue to loosen. Eightgenerals from his army have defected to Italy, the Italian Foreign Ministry told CNNMonday.

The generals were accompanied by more than 100 Libyan soldiers, a senior Italianofficial with firsthand knowledge of, and responsibility for, the operation said.

The Libyans crossed their country's border into Tunisia, where they were met by Italianintelligence agents, the official said.

Italy announced Monday that it will open a consulate Tuesday in the rebel-held easterncity of Benghazi.

Also Monday, the first locally based television station to operate in Libya since the startof the revolution was to begin broadcasting from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Thestation was founded by Momammed Nabus, who later was one of five journalists killedin the conflict.

"Gadhafi forces assassinated him for highlighting to the rest of the world the atrocitiescommitted by the Gadhafi regime," said Zuheir Al-Barasi, who was to open the station'sbroadcast from the city's courthouse.

In recent weeks, Gadhafi has been seen in public only rarely as NATO has stepped upattacks against his sprawling Bab el-Azizia compound.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Monday that Gadhafi's "reign ofterror is coming to an end."


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"He is increasingly isolated at home and abroad," Rasmussen said during a speech inBulgaria. "Even those closest to him are departing, defecting or deserting."

Rasmussen also said NATO has made "significant progress" in its Libya operation.

NATO said Monday it has conducted 3,385 strike sorties in Libya since March.

"We have seriously degraded Gadhafi's ability to kill his own people," Rasmussen saidin his speech. "We have prevented more massacres in Misrata and elsewhere across thecountry, and we are saving lives every day."

The NATO-led bombing campaign began in March after the U.N. Security Councilauthorized the use of any means necessary -- short of occupation -- to protect civiliansfrom attacks by Gadhafi's forces.

On Sunday, Libyan opposition forces continued to fend off attacks near the rebel-heldport city of Misrata.

But rebel leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil said over the weekend that the oppositionmovement is running out of money even as it has achieved key victories militarily anddiplomatically.

"We are going through a financial crisis," said Jalil, chairman of the Benghazi-basedNational Transitional Council.

In a speech in Geneva, Switzerland, the United Nations' top human rights official notedMonday "the brutality and magnitude of measures" taken by the Libyan government.

The government's actions have been "shocking," United Nations High Commissionerfor Human Rights Navi Pillay said, criticizing the "outright disregard for basic humanrights."----------------------South Africa's Zuma Meets Gadhafi Amid Defections (WSJ)By Joe ParkinsonMay 31, 2011TRIPOLI - South African President Jacob Zuma arrived in Tripoli on Monday fornegotiations with Col. Moammar Gadhafi that appeared to yield no definitive headwayon brokering a peace deal, hours after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization'ssecretary-general said the Libyan leader's "reign of terror" was coming to an end,underlining that the window for a diplomatic solution to Libya's three-month conflictappeared to be closing.


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The news came as eight Libyan army officers including five generals appeared at anews conference arranged by the Italian government in Rome, saying they were part ofa group of as many as 120 military officials and soldiers who defected from the Gadhafiregime in recent days.

The generals appealed to remaining Gadhafi loyalists in the army and security servicesto abandon the regime "in the name of the martyrs who have fallen in the defense offreedom" and alleged that Libyan forces fighting in cities including Misrata hadperpetrated atrocities against civilians.

The defections came after the rebels' political leadership offered an amnesty over theweekend to all those who would abandoned the regime.

The latest defections follow a trend of top Libyan officials who have abandoned theregime as sanctions and relentless NATO bombing campaign, now into its third month,

have raised pressure on Col. Gadhafi's embattled government. Gadhafi's military isnow fighting rebel forces on three frontsin the enclave around rebel-held Misrata, tothe west in the Nafusa mountains and against the main opposition forces in Brega andAjdabiya in Libya's east.

In Tripoli, Mr. Zuma told South African and Libyan media that Col. Gadhafi wouldaccept an African Union proposal to broker an immediate cease-fire including an end toNATO strikes in support of rebel forces. Those terms, proposed last month during anearlier mediation mission by Zuma were rejected by the rebel as they didn't include Col.Gadhafi's exit from power.

"He is ready to implement the road map," Mr. Zuma said, adding that Col. Gadhafiinsisted; "all Libyans be given a chance to talk among themselves" to determine thecountry's future. Mr. Zuma did not mention whether Col. Gadhafi is ready to stepdown, the key demand of the rebels.

There was no immediate reaction from rebel leaders in their stronghold of Benghazi ineastern Libya but the head of the rebels' National Transitional Council said over theweekend that all cease-fire initiatives not predicated on the departure of Col. Gadhafi,his family and senior regime figures would be rejected.

Libyan state television broadcast footage of Col. Gadhafi welcoming Mr. Zuma, the firstpublic appearance of the Libyan leader since May 11, when he was shown meetingtribal chiefs. In Benghazi, crowds gathered Monday night in front of the centralcourthouse, site of nightly rebel-organized concerts and speeches, started throwingshoes against a wall on which a news bulletin showing Col. Gadhafi meeting with Mr.Zuma was being projected.


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Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at a Monday meeting of Nato'sparliamentary assembly in Bulgaria also sought to maintain pressure on the Gadhafiregime, stressing that the military alliance's campaign was achieving its objectives andthat the Gadhafi regime's "reign of terror is coming to an end." "He is increasinglyisolated at home and abroad. Even those closest to him are departing, defecting ordeserting....It is time for Gaddafi to go as well," the NATO chief said.

Libyan officials have insisted Mr. Zuma's meeting with Col. Gadhafiunder theauspices of the African Unionwould offer a "breakthrough" that would aid theregime's efforts to halt the NATO bombing campaign. But optimism over the prospectof an African Union-backed cease-fire deal has been dimmed by Russia's shift to joincalls for Col. Gadhafi to leave power. Moscow had previously criticized NATO'scampaign even though it refused to veto the United Nations resolution authorizing theuse of force to protect civilians. But President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday backed aGroup of Eight statement calling for Col. Gadhafi's ouster, appearing to further limit the

diplomatic options available to Libya's strongman after 42 years in power.

Flanked by a contingent of heavily armed South African troops in armored jeeps,President Zuma was met by Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi and a hostof dignatries on arrival at Mitega airport on the outskirts of Tripoli. Flag-wavingGadhafi loyalists chanting pro-regime slogans mobbed the president, but Gadhafihimself was absent, as he has been since March 11 when he appeared on Libyan statetelevision meeting tribal elders.

The South African president briefly sat down with the Libyan prime minister before

being whisked to meet Col. Gadhafi at an undisclosed location. President Zuma alsovisited the site of the house where Col. Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Arab, and three grandsonswere killed by a Nato airstrike earlier this month, Libya's state news agency Janareported.

Sam Dagher in Benghazi, Libya, and Nathania Zevi in Rome contributed to thisarticle.----------------------McCain: U.S.-Led Operation Would Have Gotten Rid of Qaddafi by Now (Fox)By Unattributed AuthorMay 29, 2011The United States should be running military operations in Libya, not leaving it toNATO, Arizona Sen. John McCain said Sunday, arguing that U.S. forces would havebeen much more expedient about getting rid of Libyan despot Muammar al-Qaddafi.

McCain said President Obama this week did expand the purpose of the NATO mission-- saying that civilian protection cannot be accomplished with Qaddafi in power -- buthis position is too slowly evolving.


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"As he is gradually changing, people are dying on the ground in Libya and theywouldn't have to if we were using all of U.S. airpower and the abilities and the uniquecapabilities that the United States military has. And, unfortunately, we are not," McCaintold "Fox News Sunday."

"Qaddafi may crack. He may crack. But this could have been over a long time ago if wehad brought the full weight of the American airpower to bear on him," McCain added.

McCain said he's also in disagreement with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who saysit's premature to entirely trust Libya's Transitional National Council since the groupdoes contain extremist elements. McCain said it makes more sense to help the councilbecause by giving it strong backing, extremists won't have the room to win overmoderates.

"The best way to get extremist elements in the lead amongst the rebels there, theliberation forces, is a stalemate. That's the way extremists come into power," he said,adding that there are parties in the fight who are not U.S. favorites but they all agree towork together to get rid of Qaddafi.

McCain added that the "anti-spending sentiment" in Washington that opposes pledgingtens of millions of dollars to Egypt and Tunisia to help with democratic reform andeconomic stability are missing a golden opportunity.

"I think we can do things like debt relief, like matching grants, stimulation, business

and job opportunity," he said. "We also have to do a better job of convincing Americanpeople that a smooth transition to democracy in the region of the best guarantee of usnot having to spend a lot of money in the future if the wrong people get in power.

McCain also encouraged private U.S. businesses to make their own pledges to invest ifcorruption-free governments emerge in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere.

"I think that could be one of greatest incentives rather than just throwing money atthem," McCain said.------------------------North, south Sudan discuss Abyei as tension simmers (Reuters)By Alex Dziadosz and Jeremy ClarkeMay 30, 2011 4:01pm EDTKHARTOUM/JUBA - North and south Sudan have agreed to negotiate an end to thecrisis in the disputed Abyei region, the southern vice president said Monday, in aneffort to defuse tensions ahead of the south's scheduled secession.


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Khartoum moved tanks and soldiers into the fertile, oil-producing Abyei region on May21, causing tens of thousands of people to flee and stoking fears the two sides couldreturn to full-blown conflict.

South Sudan's Vice President Riek Machar flew to Khartoum this week to meet with hisnorthern counterpart following the northern advance. He said the two sides wouldform a committee to "resolve the issue of Abyei," but did not give details.

His visit came after Khartoum threatened to clear southern-allied armed groups fromSouthern Kordofan and Blue Nile, raising the specter of fresh conflict.

The two areas are inside the north's territory but are home to thousands of fighters thatfought against Khartoum during the last civil war. They lie near a 1956 internal borderdrawn shortly before Sudan became independent.

"We are committed to imposing security and law north of the 1956 line, and we will notpermit the presence of any forces on northern land," Ismat Abdel Rahman Zein al-Abdin, chairman of the northern joint chiefs of staff, said last week.

Officials with the southern ruling party, known as the Sudan Peoples' LiberationMovement (SPLM), say troops in those areas are northerners, and so Juba cannot askthem to withdraw.

"Even if we told them, 'Come back,' they would not accept to go to the south, becausethey are foreign there," Machar said.

Popular consultations are planned to decide the two regions' relationship withKhartoum, but they have yet to take place. Machar said joint north-south military unitsshould be allowed to operate in the regions until consultations are held.

Southerners voted overwhelmingly for independence in a January referendumpromised by a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war, but issues such as theposition of the shared border and oil-sharing have not been settled yet.

TENSIONS RISING

Analysts say the northern government could be trying to secure a strong bargainingposition in talks over oil-sharing and other issues ahead of the split.

"They (the north) are trying to corner the SPLM. They are putting the SPLM in a verydifficult situation in Abyei, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile," Fouad Hikmat of theInternational Crisis Group said.


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Tensions were ignited in oil-producing Abyei, also coveted for its fertile grazing land,after an attack on a convoy of northern troops and U.N. peacekeepers that was blamedon southern forces on May 20.

Khartoum occupied the town the following day and has since defied calls by the UnitedNations, United States and southern Sudanese officials to withdraw, saying the landbelongs to the north.

Abyei was a major battleground during the last civil war between north and south. It isused all year round by the south-linked Dinka Ngok people and part of the year bynorthern Arab Misseriya nomads.

The south has so far sought to downplay tensions over Abyei. Kiir said Thursday therewould be no war over the incursion and that it would not derail independence.--------------------------

Thousands flee Sudanese bombing amid food and fuel shortages (Washington Post)By Rebecca HamiltonMay 30, 2:11 PMTURALEI, Sudan As the rainy season begins in this tiny rural village in South Sudan,thousands of frightened women and children are seeking cover under makeshiftshelters of bedsheets and rugs, strung up between tree branches lodged in the mud.

They fled their homes in the contested north-south border region of Abyei a little morethan a week ago, as the Sudanese government began bombing the area, and most aredehydrated and hungry after days in the bush. Despite an enormous United Nations

humanitarian presence in South Sudan, basic necessities such as food and shelter arenot yet reaching most of the displaced.

The new humanitarian crisis comes just weeks before southern Sudan formally breaksfrom the north. Some analysts say the invasion of the region, and the seizure of thelargest town in the area, also called Abyei, marks an effort by the Sudanese governmentto strengthen its hand in talks over how to share oil revenues and divide debt onceSudan splits July 9. Others argue it is the act of a regime struggling to maintain its owndomestic support and seeking to unify its opponents through the call to war.

Here in Turalei, Aker Chol Deng, 20, sits under a tree, holding her leg in pain. She fellas she was running to escape the assault on Abyei, and, like many in this camp, stillnurses the injury she sustained along the way.

I was preparing food, she recalls. I heard gunshots, so I grabbed my children. Fromplanes they were shooting at us. Deng says it took her and her two children three daysto reach Turalei, 70 miles from Abyei. Like many families who fled in panic, she becameseparated from her mother and younger sister during the journey.


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Turalei is one of five towns across the northwestern states of South Sudan that hasbecome a hub for those displaced from Abyei over the past week. The U.N. estimatesthat 40,000 people fled the town of Abyei, and South Sudanese officials put the totalpopulation displaced from the town and surrounding areas at more than 80,000.

A near-total cessation in the flow of goods from the north into South Sudan ishampering the effort to get relief to them.

South Sudan officials say Khartoum imposed an embargo on goods entering the south amonth ago. The Sudanese government denies there is any formal ban on cross-bordertrade. But severe fuel and food shortages are apparent in the areas south of Abyei.

Cut off from aid

South Sudan holds more than 80 percent of Sudans oil. But once the oil is drilled, it issent to refineries in the north before being transported back to the south for use. Thecurrent trade blockage has left oil-rich South Sudan with almost no fuel supply.

That lack of fuel is limiting the U.N.s ability to transport vital goods and services.

If we dont have fuel, it is almost impossible to conduct operations on the scale weneed, said Lise Grande, U.N. coordinator for humanitarian affairs in South Sudan.

In the days since the Sudanese government seized Abyei, pro-northern militias

ransacked stockpiles of food at a World Food Program warehouse, which the U.N. sayscould have fed 50,000 people for three months. Witnesses say the rampage appears tohave had the support of the Sudanese government, with trucks of the Sudanese armedforces waiting to collect the stolen goods.

The communities that have become temporary home to the displaced are alsostruggling to provide assistance. They were already accommodating an influx ofsoutherners who returned from the north in advance of the formal independence ofSouth Sudan in July after an overwhelming vote for secession in a January referendum.

Warrap state, where Turalei is located, has received more than 30,000 returnees fromnorthern Sudan since late last year, according to the U.N. Even before the crisis inAbyei, our resources were stretched beyond capacity, said the governor of Warrapstate, Nyan Deng Malek.

Ninety-nine percent of the goods in our markets come from the north, so now we havenothing left in terms of food, said Malek. How can you host when you yourself havenothing? she asked.


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Seasonal challenge

The health conditions of the displaced, particularly the children, as the rainy seasonbegins are a growing concern for aid workers.

We are very worried about respiratory infections and watery diarrhea, said RaphaelGorgeu, the head of Doctors Without Borders in Abyei, who is now treating thedisplaced in the neighboring town of Agok. Like all the other aid organizations in theregion, MSF had to relocate because of the fighting.

The hunger gap at this time of year is another problem, Gorgeu said, referring to theperiod between the exhaustion of the previous seasons food supply and the nextseasons harvest. Even before the displacement, our hospital in Abyei was full ofmalnutrition cases.

The rainy season also creates a transportation challenge because of the poor condition ofthe areas limited road network. Getting supplies in by road is going to be almostimpossible soon because of the rains, said Deng Arop, the chief southern official for theAbyei area.

Arop fears that unless the fuel crisis is resolved quickly, the rains will turn the roads tomud and it will be impossible to deliver relief supplies to those who have fled thebombing. In a worst-case scenario, the bulk of the displaced will be cut off, he said.At that point it will be very difficult to get them humanitarian assistance.

-----------------------5 blasts strike Nigeria following president's inauguration (CNN)By Christian PurefoyMay 30, 2011Lagos, Nigeria - Two more blasts struck Nigeria on Monday, bringing the total to fivesince President Goodluck Jonathan was inaugurated Sunday.

One blast Monday was directed at a military patrol in Maiduguri, in northern Nigeria,military spokesman Mohammed Yerima said. No casualties were reported.

The other was in Zaria, also in northern Nigeria. It was the second blast in Zaria in lessthan a day. On Sunday, an explosion struck a beer parlor in Zaria, wounding twopeople, National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushau Shauib said.There were no casualties reported in the bombings Monday.

The other two blasts Sunday were at a market in Bauchi, east of Zaria, and a beer hall inZuba, on the outskirts of the Nigerian capital of Abuja.


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In the Bauchi explosion, at least 13 people were killed and 20 were wounded, Shauibsaid. In the Zuba blast, two people were killed and 11 others were hospitalized, Shauibsaid.

In recent weeks, the African nation has been rocked by a series of bombings thought tobe engineered by Boko Haram, an Islamic group that has challenged Nigeria'sgovernment.

Explosions in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno killed a few and wounded dozens inlate April in the days leading up to the national governorship elections. Police describedthe attacks as attempts to intimidate voters who had picked Jonathan.

Northern Muslims in some areas charged that the presidential election was rigged.Armed protesters in the region took to the streets chanting the name of former militaryruler Muhammadu Buhari, the main opposition front-runner.

This is Jonathan's first full term. As vice president, he took over the presidency in May2010 upon the death of then-President Umaru Yar'Adua, who had suffered from a heartcondition.------------------------10 th Somali pirate pleads guilty to yacht hijacking (AFP)By Unattributed AuthorMay 27, 2011WASHINGTON A tenth Somali man arrested on charges related to the hijacking of ayacht off the coast of Oman in February pleaded guilty Thursday to piracy charges for

the attack that left four Americans dead, US prosecutors said.Mahdi Jama Mohamed was latest of the 15 individuals -- 14 from Somalia and one fromYemen -- arrested after the attack for their roles in the kidnapping and killings, to pleadguilty in a federal court in the eastern state of Virginia.

"The pirates' greed for tens of thousands in ransom money ultimately led to the cold-blooded murder of the four US hostages off the coast of East Africa, said US attorneyNeil MacBride in a statement.

"Modern-day pirates are dangerous criminals, not the swash-buckling rogues portrayedin Hollywood movies, and this latest guilty plea shows that attacks against Americanvessels will be met with swift justice in an American courtroom."

Mohamed, according to the FBI, was a "willing conspirator in the planned attack tohijack a vessel for ransom," and it was his own "avaricious behavior" that led to hisinvolvement in the plot.


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The owners of the yacht Quest, Jean and Scott Adam, were Christian missionaries basedin California who were sailing around the world at the time of the hijacking.

They were shot to death, along with their companions Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macayfrom Seattle, Washington, several days after being taken hostage and as negotiationswere taking place with US Navy officials.

The guilty announcement are part of plea agreements that will allow them to avoid thedeath penalty, but face life in prison.

According to Mohamed's plea agreement, US prosecutors said he admits joining thepirates that took the vessel, but said "he did not personally shoot any of the fourAmericans, nor did they instruct any other person to shoot the hostages."

Plea deals allow defendants to seek reductions in their sentences.

Accused Somali pirate Mohammad Saaili Shibin, said to have been the chief negotiatorin the hijacking, was indicted on charges related to the killings earlier this year.

US service members, who had been trailing the yacht during the hostage drama,boarded the vessel after hearing gunshots and discovered the Americans' bodies,according to US officials.

The US military said it had undertaken negotiations, led by Shibin, to secure the releaseof the hostages at the time the pirates fatally shot their captives.

--------------------------- Jihad and the Jolly Roger: Piracy, Terrorism & Transnational Crime (Family SecurityMatters)By Dr. Robin McFeeMay 30, 2011Recently I had the privilege of meeting with and talking to Capt. Richard Phillips themerchant marine captain of the Maersk Ship Alabama the first hijacked US ship inover 200 years. His ordeal unfolded on the world stage, and became a global story as hedemonstrated great courage under fire as a prisoner at the (often brutal) hands ofSomali based pirates. Thankfully the United States utilized the surgical arm ofdiplomacy and sent the Navy SEALS to rescue him. Throughout this article I willinclude thoughts and insights from my discussion with this amazing man of faith.

As an aside, it is a fitting response sending the SEALS, considering one could arguepiracy gave birth to the US Navy. So great was the burden placed upon our fledglingnation in the 18th century by Barbary Pirates (North Africa) that the great nations of theMediterranean met to discuss ransoms and other methods to contain the problem. TheBarbary nations made off like bandits if you will excuse the pun. Their pirates were


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profitable. Ransom, tribute, or baksheesh, it is all the same to them the cost of doingbusiness in the region. And a significant revenue source for North African nations. Itwas Thomas Jefferson, who opposed paying tribute. He wrote to President Adams Ivery early thought it would be best to effect a peace thro the medium of war. Payingtribute will merely invite more demands, and even if a coalition proves workable, theonly solution is a strong navy that can reach the pirates. He then wrote to JamesMonroe the states (Barbary Nations) must see the rod; perhaps it must be felt by someone of themevery national citizen must wish to see an effective instrument of coercionand should fear to see it on any other element than the water. A naval force can neverendanger our liberties. In a letter to the president of Yale College it will be more easyto raise ships and men to fight these pirates into reason than money to bribe them.Where is Thomas Jefferson when we need him? The current patchwork coalition is noteven holding the pirates at stalemate 2011 is starting off even better for them than2010 which was a banner year! Jefferson was correct that a strong approach withconsequences making the act of piracy far more painful than it is worth is the only

reasonable approach.

Thomas Jefferson was correct when he warned that you just cant do business withpirates. Unfortunately many companies and nations are doing just that. They payransom modern day tribute. They stop, catch and release without punishment. Fewpirates have been kept in jail and even fewer prosecuted or jailed. Such an anemicresponse by the Western powers once again emboldens a region of terrorists andcriminals who have little respect for our resolve, let alone capabilities to keep law andorder. The West for a variety of reasons has treated this as a nuisance, ignored it as thenatural offspring of poverty or opted to pay its way out of the problem especially in

the early days when hostages were not murdered. That is no longer the case. As ofFebruary four American hostages were killed, murdered by Somali pirates. This shouldhave been the game changer and the US strategy should have been one that said OKthe gloves are off that has not occurred.

Since December 2008 the US National Security Council has raised the issue. In theExecutive Summary of the 12/08 document maritime piracy is a universal crime underinternational law which places the lives of seafarers in jeopardy and affects the sharedeconomic interest of all nations. The United States will not tolerate a haven wherepirates can act with impunity; it is therefore in our national interests to work with allStates to repress piracy off the Horn of Africa.The NSC goals:

1.Prevent pirate attacks by reducing the vulnerability of the maritime domain to piracy,2.Disrupt acts of piracy consistent with international law and the rights andresponsibilities of coastal and flag States, and


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3.Ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their actions byfacilitating the prosecution of suspected pirates by flag, victim and coastal States, and inappropriate cases the United States.Unfortunately not much has changed since that document was printed.

Piracy is on the rise, ransoms on the increase, murders on the high seas growing.According to international maritime authorities and resources over 601 mariners and 25ships are being held hostage off the coast of Somalia. What are the consequences to thatharboring nation? If you have to ask! There are at least 7 attack groups (think mininavies or corporations) in the Arabia Sea. 2010 saw a 10% increase over 2009 in pirateattacks according to the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre.

Nations have yet to fully agree on a strategy. Secretary of State Clinton weighed in onthis we have put together an international coalition, but frankly were not in my viewgetting enough out of itmany foreign naval vessels now patrolling the area were not

effective. She continues to counsel that the issue requires a more comprehensiveapproach by agencies including the Defense Department.

The maritime industry has yet to establish a set of best practices in vesseltraining/preparedness let alone the overarching issue of piracy.

Some shipping lines have hired armed security, others unarmed expertise. Some haveresigned themselves to paying ransom. As Secretary Clinton recently reported one ofour big problems is that a lot of major shipping companies in the world think its theprice of doing businessthey pay ransom and they just go on their merry way. That

has been a huge problem.Others are equipping their ships with countermeasures changing the speed andfreeboard of the vessels where possible to make them harder to catch and board, orplacing long range acoustic devices (LRADS) which emit incredibly noisy/painfuldecibel level sound to ward off attackers before they can get close to the ship. It hasworked in one high profile case. But as security professionals, seafarers including CaptPhillips have warned, the pirates can purchase hearing protection, and most ships withLRADs can only aim it in one direction at a time pirates increasingly are attackingwith multiple vessels from multiple directions.

Most of these are a patch work of band aid approaches to a far larger problem thatrequires a complex, well defined and stronger response to the issue of piracy. We aredeluding ourselves if we think military action is not the approach. The baby nationknown as the United States created a navy to handle the problemand it worked.Theres a lesson for our current leadership.


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Given Somalia has little to commend itself to the community of nations barbarictreatment of its people at the hands of lawless warlords, disease, poverty, politicalcorruption, no real industry, no commercial ventures, no academic, historic or culturallegacy the only revenue sources being pursued are criminal. Sanctioned tacitly or byaffirmation the pirates based in Somalia are effectively an industry, an economicgenerator, in a sense privateers of that country. And Somalia has long been a hot bed ofcriminal activity, weapons smuggling, human trafficking, drug, terrorist/militant/rebeltraining ground and place of human misery. Al Qaeda is there; to suggest otherwise isfoolishness. Al Qaeda is everywhere! Either directly or as franchisees, affiliates,suppliers to, or sympathizers AQ has allies, cells, financial interests worldwide,including inside the US. The point being why are we handling Somalia with gentlegloves?

Many of us in the security arena have long been concerned that the Somali pirates are orwill become more entrenched with terrorists either as a funding source, ersatz nautical

FEDEX if not navy, and potential weapon for Jihad. Based out of the failed nationknown as Somalia a monument to the ineffectiveness of the United Nations thepirates operate at will, face few consequences if caught, reap significant financial benefitfor minimal investment, provide employment for impoverished people, and haveturned the waterways between the East coast of Africa to the shores off of Oman into asignificant danger zone for the maritime industry. One could argue that piracy isamong the leading industries in Somalia the revenue stream from ransoms isestimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Not bad considering the start up costsare some high speed boats, a few assault rifles, maybe an RPG or two, and young menwith nothing to lose.

Piracy off the Horn of East Africa has made a 2.5 million square mile portion ofcommercial waterways among the most dangerous places in the world. From the Gulfof Aden where ~12% of the worlds oil passes, to the Seychelles, Somali and EastAfrican pirates have become the scourge of the seas and made commercial shippingeven more dangerous than merely dealing with rough seas and the many otherhazards associated with the maritime industry.

Piracy is nothing new. It is one of the oldest professions dating back to the days whenman first plied the seas commercially. It is a profitable enterprise filled with adventureand fraught with varying degrees of risk. Few nations shipping have escaped the reachof piracy.

Lets be clear piracy affects all of us. It is not a regional issue. If we enjoy relativelylow cost goods, thank the shipping industry for bringing those products from theremote corners of the world to our local stores. There will be a tipping point when themagnitude of piracy is so large that we feel the ripple effects in the US.


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Add to this Mexico, the Caribbean, the California and Florida coasts - virtually allwaterways face some degree of piracy in jet set regions, pirates usually target wealthypleasure boaters. In other areas the targets are commercial vessels with cargos rangingfrom weapons to raw materials. And we would do well to recognize pirates are not Johnny Depps Captain Jack Sparrow a bunch of lovable rogues out singing yo ho yoho a pirates life for me a la Disneys Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates are part of anorganized crime cartel be it drugs or weapons or terrorists or warlords. The guyshoisting the Jolly Roger are not lone bandits. They are dangerous criminals, andemployees they live on a small percent of the take the big dollars going to the headsof the organizations.

Discussion

The pirates of most concern to date are those in the East Africa/Middle East region. Fora variety of reasons:

First the elephant in the room the link with Jihad. Virtually nothing occurs in theMiddle East without some terror faction being aware of, instigating or benefiting fromit. Jihad and terrorism in that region are not easily separable.

Initially the UN and many nations for years denied there was any connection betweenthe pirates and Al Qaeda or other terror organizations. Perhaps the diplomats ought toleave their ivory towers and talk with people in the trenches or on the high seas such asCapt. Phillips who in a recent talk at Mystic Seaport was frank about the link betweenAl Qaeda and piracy in the region. Hes not alone in that assessment. Not too long ago

at a security roundtable in the Middle East I met with an expert in maritime security.His take on the pirates echoed mine and others in the preparedness arena. He suggestedthat there are factions that financially support terror groups, while other pirates are theequivalent of FEDEX they transport terrorists and weapons virtually unimpeded. Heargues that the pirates are the underworlds own commercial shipping either asprotectors or outright haulers.

A viable threat, and chilling reality to anyone capable of reading a map of the Gulfregion, and one that many maritime security experts, terrorism preparedness folks likeme, Capt Philips as well as other merchant marines Ive spoken with have expressed taking an oil tanker or other large vessel and using it as a floating weapon to block anarrow strait or damage military vessels, destroy a port or create an intentionalenvironmental disaster a la Exxon Valdez. It can be done. A few years ago a Saudi oiltanker was hijacked. If a speedboat packed with nasty people and nasty stuff candamage the likes of the USS Cole, imagine what an oil tanker or LPG carrier could do inthe hands of terrorists? Dont think it can happen too many variables, the need forintelligence, timing, daring, equipment and trained personnel which is beyond thescope of Somali Pirates? Really? Need I remind you of four airliners nearly


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simultaneously hijacked from different US airports, and flown into WTC 1 and 2, thePentagon and en route to Washington DC at the hands of Jihadists.

While the East Africa region has become increasingly dangerous because pirates overthe last five years, amazingly it has only taken that long for the UN to finally getengaged. In an April 12, 2011 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)brief the UN states UNODC will continue to build on our counter piracy successes inthe region of East Africa. One of the authors of the brief opined as I (Lynn Pascoe) sawfor myself on my recent mission to East Africa, piracy is no longer loose bands of youngmen in fishing boats but a highly sophisticated form of transnational organized crime.No s _ _ t Sherlock! He continues I fully realize the complexity of the task. He goes onto admit pirates are professionalizing. They have access to maritime intelligence andmoney laundering channels. Their attacks are becoming more violent. We (the UN) alsoknow that piracy has links to terrorism.

Finally the elephant in the room has been named! The link between Jihad and the JollyRoger.

Sophisticated transnational criminals they are indeed. At first pirates stayed within afew hundred miles from Somali and East African bases attacking Kenyan vessels andother nearby waterways usually with speedboats outfitted with high speed motors anda variety of weapons. Then as their plundering grew more profitable, the consequencesnear nonexistent the pirates kept the ships they attacked. They retrofit the stolen vessel,which being larger, provides shelter, the ability to store multiple small attack boats andgives the pirates greater range to venture from their home ports. Smart, adaptive,

effective bad guys! As a result of their adaptive strategy and the mostly anemicresponse from industrial military nations what started as a coastal threat has nowbecome 2300 mile coast and 2.5 million square miles of ocean under threat of piracy.

The UN is correct about the tools available to pirates. Technology and intelligencenetworks for starters. The good guys arent the only ones with spies, surveillance andan international law enforcement/info sharing organization such as INTERPOL. Thebad guys are well connected thank you facebook, satellite phones, state sponsors ofterrorism that share their intelligence apparatus (Iran), a powerful underground ofcartels, warlords and the black-market.

Secondly - Trading safety for security.

Most ships use AIS (automatic information system) which allows real time mapping ofships traffic. Since Ive spent more time flying planes and sailing local waters thannavigating ocean waterways, I got a quick tutorial from Capt Phillips on some of therisks merchant mariners face from the very technologies designed to protect them fromcollisions at sea, or being lost to contact. Today between radar and AIS, a smart pirate


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using a large mother ship can venture thousands of miles from Somalia, picking andchoosing which vessel to attack. AIS allows tracking vessels. Oh if only the Titanic hadthis! But while it allows the rescue folks to know where you are, it also allows thepirates to know who, what and where you are name, speed, heading, cargo, location.Dont believe me? Do an Internet search and with a few keystrokes you can find outwhat ships are off the coast of California, what general cargo type, and where they areat the moment. Other locations are available worldwide! Most block law enforcement ormilitary but if you know how to navigate the AIS and other maritime searches, you canget by that, too. As a result, some captains in the East Africa region are turning their AISoff.

The UN document talks about promoting more interaction with member states. Thatwill require more teeth and less talk. One of the creations to address the piracy issue is aPiracy Call Center to the uninitiated it would seem to be a nautical 911 call forhelp and a warship shows up chasing away the bad guys. Not the case at all. And there

is nothing a nautical 911, yet. Hopefully that will change, but hope is not a strategy.

Captain Phillips told the audience that there is a Piracy Center basically a clearinghouse staffed by 3 Britts housed in the UAE. As his ship is being stalked by pirates, hecontacts this Center and, well, the rest is history. As he recalls, there is no cavalry. Noone is coming to rescue you. You call in, tell your story and are largely on your own.

To backtrack a bit Capt Phillips has the instincts for security and preparedness in anindustry that has yet to fully realize an appropriate adaptation or strategy against 21stcentury Somali pirates. From the moment he took command of the Alabama, he

implemented security drills, piracy evasion exercises, and safe room protocols. Heunderstood the concept not if, but when - a mindset we would do well in the US toreclaim, given our current state of 911 Amnesia the capture of OBL notwithstanding.By the time the pirates were upon his vessel, his crew, now well practiced, were able torun the ship from a secure location. That notwithstanding, he sacrificed himself, andtaking the ships lifeboat, got the pirates away from Alabama. In typically humblefashion the Captain resists the concept of self sacrifice and claims it was a practicalsolution. I call it courage even if it is his job to do so.

The UN rightly talks about increasing Somalian infrastructure, especially legal, judiciary and law enforcement. And they spend a fair amount of time in the brieftalking about their successes. How they can say that with a straight face given 2010piracy has net over $200 million, with some ships resulting in over $10 in ransom apiece, is beyond me. Yes the UN has increased Somalias legal capacity. Wow, Im surethat will scare the pirates. Ask Capt Phillips and the hundreds of other ships captainswho have been capture by or had to evade pirates if they think the UN has beensuccessful? They will tell you what anyone doing a Google search will tell you thepirates are ahead in the 3rd period and it will take some fancy offense to change the


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score. So if the UN thinks building a jail and sending law books to Somaliland, andhelping with legislative reform are the answersthe UN demonstrates it is still infantasyland, and their preference for diplomacy over reality.

No one can argue Somalia needs to be rebuilt from the bottom up and top down.Somalia is not a country, should not be treated as a sovereign nation; it is a criminalenterprise, human rights disaster and cesspool of human misery of epic proportions.Terrorists who have committed deadly acts against the West emerged from Somalia.Weapons, drugs, kidnapping and piracy are their exports and industry. Piracy is the tipof the iceberg in that region, a symptom of a greater disease. If one of the most powerfulnations in the world sending its vaunted military the US military - into Somalia,resulted in a serious humiliation, can one expect diplomats and lawyers to have greatersuccess? It is not a zero sum game. Humanitarian, diplomatic, legal and yes militarymeasures must all be on the table and simultaneously. Unfortunately the strategyagainst piracy and Somalia is catch and release.

According to Fox and ABC news reports in 2010 over 1100 mariners were captured bypirates from 52 ships. The average hostage spends about 7 months in brutal piratecaptivity. Capt Phillips in his book A Captains Duty refers to being assaulted by theterrorists. His captivity did not include a parrot, music and a cameo from KeithRichards. Most navies, including our own, will only deal with pirates and dole outconsequences when their respective nations ships or interests are involved. Forexample, a Danish frigate captured a mother ship and freed the fishing vessel crew thathad been held hostage, even used for slave labor. The 2 attack boats were sunk. But thepirates were set free. Capture, hold, return to native countries for prosecution is

tantamount to letting the students run the after school detention program. Oncereturned to Kenya or Somalia, the pirates buy their freedomjustice NOT served!

Commerce

The products that we enjoy are often transited through this region. If hoisting the JollyRoger continues to be a profitable industry unabated pirates will continue theirpractice of attacking farther from their home bases. And the farther out into theshipping lanes, the more diverse the cargo. We all will be paying a surcharge asshipping companies pass along to the consumers their piracy costs increasedinsurance or ransom, security costs. Add to this the human toll; the maritime industry,the number of US merchant marines working around the world is staggering; they areour friends and neighbors. They signed on for weather and sea risks, not piracy. Wehave an obligation as a nation to recreate a form of Pax Romana and protect ourcitizens abroad certainly our flagged ships abroad.

Conclusion


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up the Security Council and put some muscle into the problemnot that it would havethe stomach to do it or the ability to send more than a group of Barney Fifes to cleanup the mess. So once again the responsibility will rest upon the Freedom Trio the US,British, French to solve that which the UN ought to be doing.

Suggested Strategies

Some would argue just pay up and move along. It is the cost of doing business. Andsome companies are doing just that. Others would argue to just blow the pirates out ofthe water and call it a day.

A more moderated approach may be required. The following are some suggestions bymaritime attorneys, security and seafarers:

Change the legal approaches to piracy

o Try pirates in nations other than their country of origin (something that the UN isopposed to they think returning Somali pirates to Somalia is a good idea)o Allow prosecution in domestic courts for violators of laws regarding piracy

Coalition of Nations that will uphold the following

o Allow Navy captains to seek out, capture and/or destroy mother shipso Blockade pirate bases off the Coast of Africao Allow military action to prevent pirates from returning home, and/or raiding pirate

baseso Closer integration of Navies w/commercial vesselso Piracy 911 Response Team

Develop best practices in protective/defensive strategies

o Make Piracy Preparedness Drills mandatory universal standards/benchmarkso Use of armed security and/or escort vessels

While there remains controversy on many of the following suggestions, they are allworth considering.

Moreover, as a nation, we must decide if it is acceptable for our merchant marine tohave a target painted on their vessels, their uniforms? Going out to sea is a dangerousenough enterpriseiron men in wooden ships is an apt description of those whomade and make their living on the water. We have one of the most vaunted navies inthe world and as a nation that increasingly must rely upon trade and imports for ourdaily commerce and the transportation means to get these onto our shores, including


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the petroleum we so vitally require.it is high tide and high time we get aggressivewith the pirates. Somalia is not a country it is a criminal enterprise. So lets stoptreating it as a sovereign entity and stop permitting the use of her shores as safe havensfor marauders and murderers who use the seas as an industry of death and disruption.

Piracy, like other human travails can never be completely stopped. Most of us eitherbecause of our professions or the luck of the draw will face challenges; some we thinkare beyond our capability to handle. Although this article is about piracy and terrorism arenas those of us in the preparedness business focus on a daily basis, some moreglobal truths are put into specific relief, based upon my conversation with Capt. Phillipsother FSM writers and my own perspective, and well spoken in the book A CaptainsDuty - In his book he writes The thing I saw the clearest was the lesson I learned onthe lifeboat: we are stronger than we think we are. what happens when things aretaken away from you? Your freedom, your dignity, even things we take forgranted..even your life? You find that you are a larger and a stronger personality than

you ever imagined you were. That your strength and your faith dont depend on howsecure you are. Theyre independent of those things.

Memorial Day is a time to recognize people who served their nation (uniformed andmerchant marine), went to a dangerous place because they were told to do so in orderto protect the United States, and paid for our blessings with their lives. Yes, they likelywere stronger than they thought they were and that their strength and faith dontdepend on how secure they were or were not. And today there are men and womenacross the globe who are a split second away from dying for the US, and beingremembered in next years ceremonies. Faith and courage go hand in hand weather in

uniform, in the merchant marines or in our daily lives. Jihad and the Jolly Roger

Today, piracy involves the region between East Africa and Oman. It is a growingproblem. How far remains to be seen. So far Al Qaeda has not been the major player.But it is a player. Terrorism benefits from the pirate industry funding, transportation,and as a weapon. Our ports are not secure or armed enough to counter a major threat.Our ships remain vulnerable. The shipping lanes pass through narrow waterways thatcould easily be occluded by a well planned attack. Our merchant mariners are thecommercial lifeline between the United States and our global partners. They are ourneighbors when not out to sea. Mostly unarmed and unprotected 1000s of miles fromimmediate aid or rescue. It is time that we change the game plan and adapt our currentmaritime strategy to meet the challenges of 21st century maritime risks for the sake ofcommerce, homeland security and because it is the right thing to do.--------------------------Ex-VP Bukenya faces corruption charges (The Monitor)Ephraim Kasozi and Richard Wanambwa


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30 May 2011Former Vice President Prof. Gilbert Balibaseka Bukenya is set to be charged before theanti-corruption court in relation to the procurement of the executive cars for the 2007Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala.

Prof. Bukenya is facing two charges of abuse of office and acting fraudulently,according to a charge sheet presented to the court this morning by the InspectorGeneral of Government.

Consequently, the anti-corruption court Grade One magistrate Ms Sarah Langa has onMonday morning issued criminal summons for Prof. Bukenya to appear in Court on June 16, at 9 a.m.The former Vice President is jointly charged with Motorcare (U) Ltd, the company thatsupplied of the 204 executive vehicles.

The IGG says the Shs9.4 billion Chogm car deal was awarded to Motorcare (U) Ltdunder the 'personal' influence of Prof. Bukenya without proper tendering. There werevibes early this morning that Prof. Bukenya, who chaired the cabinet sub-Committee onChogm was set to be arrested this afternoon, but with the court summons, the formervice president will now have his day on Thursday, June 16 - on charges that are notbailable in the lower courts.

But Prof. Bukenya had earlier this this afternoon told our reporter that the latest IGG'saction has taken him by surprise because no summons have been sent to him."I am surprised," he said.

The New Vision

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni gestures as Vice President Bukenya and PrimeMinister Nsibambi ,right, look on."I got to know about it from your newspaper's website. I am at my village home inKakiri. It's a battle," Prof. Bukenya this afternoon.

The charges come 3 days after the president's release of new cabinet dropping ProfBukenya as V.P, a position he had held for 8 years.

The tender:

The tender for the supply of the 204 executive cars to transport heads of state attractedcontroversy after it was first awarded to Spear Motors Ltd for outright purchase butlater reversed and awarded to Europcar/ Motorcare (U), a company linked to Kampalabusinessman Bob Kabonero for rental.


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The Chogm transport evaluation committee had on May 8, 2007 selected Spear MotorsLtd, but later the decision was reversed after Prof. Bukenya insisted that the awardshould be cancelled and the deal should be for renting.

Prof. Bukenya reasoned that the country could not afford the outright purchase butaccording to documents presented to the committee yesterday, the Chogm transportevaluation committee rejected the joint bid of Europcar/Motorcare (U) Ltd because therental option was "found to be much expensive and a waste of public funds".-------------------------UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website

UN expert urges Ghana to tackle health funding, maternal mortality30 May An independent United Nations human rights expert today commended theGovernment of Ghana on its commitment to realizing the right to health while

underscoring key challenges regarding maternal mortality, mental health and adequatefunding.

D elegates gather in Qatar for UN-backed consultations on D arfur peace process27 May United Nations-backed consultations aimed at resolving the conflict in theSudanese region of Darfur began today in the Qatari capital, Doha, with more than 500people representing the parties to the dispute, as well as civil society and politicalleaders.

S udan: UN deplores looting of humanitarian supplies in Abyei27 May United Nations agencies in Sudan have deplored the ransacking ofhumanitarian premises and looting of emergency relief supplies in the disputed area ofAbyei, which was last week taken over by Sudanese Government troops, and urged allparties to respect the property and assets of aid groups.

UN resumes repatriation of Liberian refugees from Cte dIvoire27 May The United Nations refugee agency said today it has resumed the repatriationof Liberian refugees who had been stranded in Abidjan, Cte dIvoire, during the recentpost-election violence there.

D isplaced villagers in eastern Chad make their way home with UN help27 May Villagers uprooted by violence in eastern Chad several years ago have begunreturning to their homes with the help of the United Nations refugee agency now thatsecurity has improved in the region.

Documents

AFRICOM Related News Clips 31 May 2011