Insecurity in CAR Hampering Access to Civilians Outside Capital

Central African Republic residents cheer interim leader Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet. The new leader has vowed a security crackdown on violence., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Insecurity in Central African Republic hampering access to civilians outside Bangui

United Nations

30 January 2014 – Unless the security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) improves, humanitarian agencies will not have sufficient access to people in the provinces outside the capital Bangui, the United Nations relief arm today warned.

Some 825,000 people are still displaced from their homes across the country, more than 400,000 of them in Bangui alone, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The UN and its partners have requested $152 million to fund an emergency intervention plan, which aims to provide vital relief and protection to 1.2 million people across the country over the next three months.

Targeted attacks against civilians, looting and the presence of armed elements at some displacement sites had severely limited humanitarian agencies’ ability to provide urgent assistance.

“The security situation remains tense, especially in the capital,” a UN spokesperson told journalists in New York, citing OCHA.

UN partner organizations are also working to prevent family separation, as well as to reunite families.

“A comprehensive system in Bangui and other locations is a priority in order to identify, document, trace and reunify unaccompanied and separated children,” according to OCHA reports from aid organizations on the ground.

They have also undertaken public-awareness campaigns on how to prevent care-takers and children from losing each other.

Thousands of people in CAR are estimated to have been killed in the crisis, which began when the mainly Muslim Séléka rebels launched attacks a year ago, and has recently taken on increasingly sectarian overtones as militias known as anti-Balaka (anti-machete), who are mainly Christians, take up arms.

Earlier this month, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said more than 6,000 child soldiers may now be involved in the conflict, with their numbers growing as fighting pits community against community.

UNICEF today said that its work on identifying and verifying boys and girls associated with armed groups led to the release of 23 children this week. Since May of last year, a total of 229 children have been released, according to the UN agency.

Somalia Government Releases Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys From Detention

Somali leader Dahir Aweys was falsely reported wounded or killed in fighting in the capital of Mogadishu some years back. Hisbul Islam and al-Shabab merged and vowed to topple the Transitional Federal Government that is backed by the US and AMISOM., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Somali government releases Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys from the Jail

Posted on January 30, 2014

Reports coming to Raxanreeb online news desk tonight are stating that Shiekh Hassan Dahir Aweys was released from the jail that he was in since his detention in June last year of the Federal government of Somalia.

Shiekh Hassan Dahir Aweys escaped from Al-Qaida-Linked militants Al-shabab in Barawe, Lower Shabelle taking route on the sea to the central regions coasts.

He was later under the custody of peace keeping Somali police unit centre at Shibis district, Banaadir.

Hassan Dahir Aweys was the leader of the Religious militants group, Hisbul Islam.

This officer is said to have taken to a house that was arranged for him by the federal government of Somalia.

The release of Dahir Aweys is coming after earlier talks between the clan this official and the federal government led by president Hassan Sheikh came into an agreement.

RBC RADIO

California State Academic Senate Declares War on Chicana/o, Pan-African and Asian Studies

CSULA Academic Senate votes against merging Ethnic Studies with General Education. A nationwide attack is being carried out against these programs., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

CSULA Academic Senate Declares War on Chicana/o Studies, Black Studies & Asian American Studies

Posted on January 30, 2014

CSULA Academic Senate votes down "Ethnic Studies" becoming part of General Education

Over 100 students, community activists, faculty, staff, and others jammed the Cal State L.A. Academic Senate on January 28, 2014 to demonstrate its strong support for “Ethnic Studies” (i.e. Chicana/o Studies, Pan-African Studies, and Asian American Studies) becoming part of the General Education (GE) program.

GE courses are intended to introduce undergraduates to a broad knowledge base from a wide range of disciplines in the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences. GE courses are important for they help students develop basic problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

As it currently stands now at CSULA, Chicana/o Studies, Pan-African Studies, and Asian American Studies are not fully supported within the GE course structure.

Dr. Melina Abdullah, professor and chair of Pan-African Studies, proposed a remedy to the lack of institutional support of “Ethnic Studies” by including language that essentially “institutionalizes” Chicana/o Studies, Pan-African Studies, and Asian American Studies into the GE structure meaning that every student planning to graduate from CSULA will have as part of their education an “Ethnic Studies” course requirement.

Dr. Abdullah’s motion states: “at least one of the two diversity courses must be taken in one of the four Ethnic Studies/Area Studies Departments/Programs: Asian/Asian American Studies, Chicana/o Studies, Latin American Studies, or Pan African Studies.”

Yet, as the Academic Senate debated, it was evident that there was strong opposition among CSULA faculty to explicitly require “Ethnic Studies” as part of the new GE structure for Fall 2016.

Several CSULA faculty members who spoke made vague references to racist email exchanges they received from “anonymous” faculty.

Other faculty despite publicly stating that they supported “Ethnic Studies” in “principle” still found a way to oppose Dr. Abdullah’s proposal by using coded racist language within the narrative of “reason” “truth” and “objectivity” because for them suddenly “Ethnic Studies” was not inclusive of “others.”

According to the narrative of “reason” offered by some faculty members, it would set a bad precedent to allow “Ethnic Studies” to be part of the GE course requirements because what would keep say “Business Administration” or “Color Theory” advocates from pressuring for inclusion in the GE?

Furthermore, some of these white faculty members had the audacity to question the expertise of “Ethnic Studies” professors because apparently according to these white guardians of academia, they would be left out of teaching “Ethnic Studies” if it was made part of the required GE courses.

These white faculty members somehow felt privileged enough to claim ownership over “Ethnic Studies” essentially admitting their racism by implying that “Ethnic Studies experts” weren’t qualified to teach even in their own area of expertise.

After being subjected to the onslaught of Eurocentric academia, “Ethnic Studies” has allowed communities to “write back” and “talk back” to the racist ivory tower narrative and now some professors at CSULA feel threatened that their monopoly over pedagogy, methodology, and ideology might be in jeopardy.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kevin Baaske, chair of the CSULA Academic Senate, attempted to close the debate on this issue, yet Dr. Abdullah reminded the Academic Senate that there were over 100 students, community activists, faculty, staff, and others who were in attendance and had the right to speak and have their voices heard on this important matter.

In a most undemocratic manner, it was made clear to all of us in attendance, that this was not a public forum, and that it would be up to the Academic Senate to vote on whether to allow public comment or not.

To add insult to injury, for the first-time ever the Academic Senate voted with “clickers,” ensuring that there’d be no accountability or transparency on this matter.

When Dr. Abdullah continued to press for faculty accountability and transparency by calling for a roll call vote, the Academic Senate refused and voted it down with their “clickers.”

So, as of now, we will not know which professors voted for or against Dr. Abdullah’s proposal. However, the final tally to include language that would make Chicana/o Studies, Pan-African Studies, and Asian American Studies part of the GE was voted down 29 to 20.

So where was our prestigious Chicana/o Studies faculty in this debate? SILENT. I repeat they were SILENT. SILENT. SILENT.

When the chair of the Academic Senate asked if there were any other senators wishing to be heard, there was total silence in the room, at which point I shouted “C’mon Chicana/o Studies SPEAK UP!” And the room became tense.

Once again, Chicana/o Studies at CSULA remained SILENT. The opportunity to strengthen “Ethnic Studies” was presented on a platter, and yet Chicana/o Studies remained SILENT and did not raise its voice to persuade any of the faculty who were in opposition to Dr. Abdullah’s proposal to vote in favor of what was on the table.

One can surmise the following: either the Chicana/o Studies department felt threatened by one of our Black sisters for making the initial proposal and got caught up in the old divide and conquer tactic of academia that pits Blacks against Chicanas/os and maybe just maybe Chicana/o Studies was in opposition to including “Ethnic Studies” as part of the GE course requirement or perhaps Chicana/o Studies was afraid to speak up on behalf of the students and community?

Dr. Abdullah’s proposal was a positive step towards ensuring the survival of “Ethnic Studies” at CSULA yet for the Chicana/o Studies department to remain SILENT was unacceptable.

But it shouldn’t be a surprised to any of us who have been following the history of Chicana/o Studies at CSULA or have been struggling to root Chicana/o Studies back to the goals of El Plan de Santa Barbara.

Let me remind you that in early February 2013, MEChA de CSULA called out the Chicana/o Studies department: “While we understand the institutional racist structures in place, MEChA de CSULA also recognizes that Chicana/o Studies has remained silent on many issues impacting students. The lack of Chicana/o Studies accountability is a disservice to those students who created the department in 1968 on behalf of the community.”

And yet we continue to find this situation unacceptable and are compelled to raise our voice again to address the institutional neglect of not only CSULA but the complicity of Chicana/o Studies for its failure to remedy this blatant racist institutional practice of maintaining Chicana/o Studies, Pan African, and Asian American Studies in a state of flux.

As the meeting ended, Mayra Rangel, a MEChA de CSULA member, shouted that not allowing students and community to speak was unacceptable.

Those of us in attendance made it clear that our voices would not be silenced.

I stood up and told the Academic Senate loud and clear that their vote to oppose Chicana/o Studies, Pan-African Studies, and Asian American Studies “was a declaration of war against our community and that we would organize and challenge their decision.”

A white woman professor shouted back to me saying that “this was not a war, and I am not your enemy” but in her anger somehow managed to let out her closeted racism by stating for all to hear that what is she to tell her daughter when she is watching Beyonce on television “gyrating.” WTF?

I yelled back that her comment was racist. At this point, another student indicated that her comment is exactly the reason why we need “Ethnic Studies.”

The room became even more tense, but now other students were saying they would walk-out if they had to and that it was a war. I reminded the faculty present that they are here for the students.

As faculty were scrambling to leave as quickly as possible, Chicana/o Studies professor, Dr. Soldatenko avoided me, but I managed to confront the chair of Chicana/o Studies, Dr. Bianca Guzman. I told her that it was disheartening to know that Chicana/o Studies remained silent on this issue.

I asked her why they as Chicana/o Studies representatives and experts in the field remained silent. All she could say was that “its not so simple.”

I reminded her that for years the institution has denied us a place at the table, and now that we have people inside the ivory tower, we were once again left out because Chicana/o Studies remained silent.

How Chicana/o Studies representatives voted on this matter remains unclear for the moment, and we will follow up on this in a future post as the battle for Chicana/o Studies, Pan-African Studies, and Asian American Studies at CSULA continues.

Chicana/o Studies faculty fail to recognize that it was confrontation that built an infrastructure that created the space necessary for them to be employed in the first place. So their silence speaks volumes.

Demanding that Chicana/o Studies, Pan-African Studies, and Asian American Studies be part of the GE must be done in solidarity with our sisters and brothers from other communities, and to leave the Pan-African Studies department and professors hanging like that is lamentable. It is not out of line to protect the interests of students of color currently on campus nor those who will call CSULA their home in the future, especially in light of the hostilities that have historically existed from CSULA administrators against students and communities.

It is evident that the silence of Chicana/o Studies equates to complicity and as a result its non-confrontational acquiescence have gotten us nowhere.

It should be noted that the dialogue taking place at CSULA on “Ethnic Studies” goes beyond the issue of the GE requirements and the conversion from quarter to semester. In fact, the dialogue on “Ethnic Studies” is part of a larger question involving the 23 campuses of the CSU system.

CSU Chancellor Timothy White has appointed a task force to review the future of “Ethnic Studies” courses. The task force is assigned with probing the enrollment rates and other data for “Ethnic Studies” programs in the CSU system before a recommendation is brought to the Board of Trustees for a vote.

Since their inception, Chicana/o Studies, Pan-African Studies, and Asian American Studies have been marginalized, downsized and even completely eliminated under the guise of “low-enrollment” or “budget cutbacks.”

Across CSU campuses, Chicana/o Studies, Pan-African Studies, and Asian American Studies have been forced to confront what is called a “reign of data terror: a new administrative ideology that privileges the number of majors, course popularity, and fill rates over a broader vision of the CSU’s mission: to prepare students for a multi-cultural society.”

As such, “Ethnic Studies” departments and programs are the first disciplines in the line of fire to face the wrath of administrative austerity measures. These attacks are not new but part of a legacy rooted in the very formation of these programs in the 1960s and 1970s in which administrators used their power to block the creation of “Ethnic Studies” since day one.

CSU Chancellor White has appointed former CSULA President James Rosser to head the “Ethnic Studies” Task Force on this issue.

James Rosser was appointed president of CSULA in 1979 by a vote of 8 to 7 over Chicano educator Julian Nava. At the time, CSU trustees pitted Black and Chicano communities against each other.

Meanwhile, as President of CSULA, Rosser oversaw the growth of financial contributions that saw the modernization of the campus, yet “Ethnic Studies” programs under his watch faced structural failures, such as the inability to retain community activists and scholars like Richard Santillán and Bert Corona.

In addition, the cultural sovereignty of Chicana/o, Black, and Asian student centers were lost as these centers were consolidated under the banner of so-called “pan-unity” with the creation of the Cross Cultural Centers. Also, the Black Student Union (BSU) disappeared under President Rosser’s (who happens to be Black) administration.

Rosser retired in June 2013 after thirty-three years as president of CSULA.

Rosser’s appointment should raise concerns especially when under his administration “Ethnic Studies” programs were essentially kept dysfunctional.

One thing is certain, however, that the very presence of hundreds of students and community activists at the meeting demonstrated that this battle is just beginning and the community is once again ready to mobilize to stop the attacks against Chicana/o Studies, Pan-African Studies, and Asian American Studies at CSULA.

¡La Lucha Sigue!

Chadian President Deby's Misstep in the CAR

Chadian troops opened fire on demonstrators in the Central African Republic capital city of Bangui killing on person and wounding others. The Chad troops are working with France in occupying the country., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

ThinkAfricaPress

Chad: Déby's Misstep in the Central African Republic

BY CELESTE HICKS, 27 JANUARY 2014

By allegedly backing the Séléka rebels in early 2013, President Déby of Chad thought he could finally solve his southern problem. His plan backfired dramatically.

For those who keep an eye on goings-on in central Africa, it came as no surprise that the recent resignation of Michel Djotodia, the Central African Republic's (CAR) short-lived president, came during a regional summit in Chad. As if the extent of Chad's involvement in its southern neighbour wasn't already apparent, the country had also managed to summon the CAR's entire transitional parliament to N'Djamena, Chad's capital, ahead of Djotodia's announcement.

Having influence, however, doesn't mean things will always go your way, and in a sense, Chad has some responsibility in the crisis that has unfolded in the CAR. A year ago, Chad is believed to have given tacit approval to the Séléka rebel alliance - then led by Djotodia - as they embarked on a second push towards Bangui. A number of irregular Chadian soldiers and former Chadian rebels are understood to have been among their ranks, and the Séléka eventually overthrew President François Bozizé. Since then, the situation in the CAR has turned out much worse than anyone could have anticipated at the time.

A history of involvement

Though it ended on difficult note, 2013 had started well for Chad with its swift response to France's call for help in tackling Islamist militants in northern Mali. Around 2,000 Chadian soldiers were sent to Kidal, where their combat experience in the deserts of eastern Chad was invaluable. While northern Mali is far from fully pacified, France's Operation Serval has been broadly seen as a success, and the jewel in the crown was Chad's claim that they had killed one of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's key commanders, Abou Zeid.

Chad's sacrifice in Mali - which included the deaths of over 30 soldiers - was perhaps not as well rewarded as President Idriss Déby Itno would have hoped; the command for the UN's Mali mission (MINUSMA) was given to a Rwandan general rather than a Chadian one. Nevertheless, France, which has around 1,000 soldiers in the Chadian cities of N'Djamena and Abéché as part of its ongoing military presence in the country - known as Operation Épervier - was grateful, and reportedly sent teams to Faya-Largeau in the north of Chad to look for ways to secure the Libyan border. However, it was to events south of Chad, where the CAR was quietly disintegrating, that attention would soon turn.

Chad and the CAR have a long history of involvement, dating back to the 1970s when the CAR's Jean-Bédel Bokassa allowed Libyan forces to establish bases near the border with Chad from which to launch attacks against Hissène Habré, Chad's dictator at the time. More recently, President Déby was involved in the installation of François Bozizé in 2003, giving the renegade general sanctuary during his campaign against then-president Ange-Félix Patassé. And even more recently, Déby made the significant move of withdrawing his support of Bozizé.

Déby shows few signs of stepping back from involvement any time soon. "With the fall of Gaddafi, Chad's Idriss Déby has become the regional kingmaker and shows no sign of leaving CAR alone," writes Keith Somerville, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.

One reason for Chad's interest in its neighbour is the continued activity of Chadian rebels in northern CAR. Many who took part in the attacks from 2008 to 2010 on N'Djamena and Abéché sought shelter in the north-west of the CAR, which was virtually untouched by Bangui's authority. Here they mixed with Central African rebel groups, many of which later joined the Séléka coalition, and which have been operating in the Bria diamond-producing region for many years.

One reading of Déby's decision to back the Séléka over his former protégé Bozizé is that the Chadian president was emboldened by his foreign policy success in Mali and wanted to put an end to the constant rebellions in the CAR. According to a UN security adviser in N'Djamena, it seemed Déby calculated that his former rebel opponents could be drawn into Séléka's fight, pulling them away from Chadian territory.

Déby's miscalculation

It now seems clear that decision to switch allegiance to Séléka was "indeed a miscalculation" as Roland Marchal, a Chad expert at Sciences-Po University in Paris, puts it, adding that it is not clear who among Déby's inner circle actually made the decision.

While Chad cannot be blamed for the sectarian hatred which has ripped the CAR apart, it played a significant role in the lead up to Bozizé's overthrow, and its continued interference has not been welcomed by some of the CAR's political class. "It is vital that our sovereignty is respected," says Martin Ziguélé, an opposition leader currently living in Paris, "we can't keep asking for outside help, we have to sort these problems out for ourselves."

There are further costs associated with Déby's decision to allow Chadian soldiers to move unofficially into the CAR early last year to join the rebels. Indiscipline by Chadian soldiers comprises the reputation of the country's military and has exposed the limits of Chad's foreign policy being exercised through its army. In December, hundreds of Central Africans gathered at the airport to call for Djotodia and the Chadian contingent of the African Union peacekeeping force (MISCA) to leave, accusing the Chadians of supporting the Séléka. The Chadian response was to open fire, killing one person. And a few days later there were reports of Chadian soldiers fighting Burundian peacekeepers in the MISCA barracks. "Important questions have been raised about the actual quality of the chain of command within the Chadian contingent," says Marchal.

Déby's bottom line has always been survival. He came to power through a desert rebellion 23 years ago and is acutely aware that he may leave power in a similar manner. Rather than ending instability, however, his decision to tacitly support the Séléka has made the situation on Chad's southern border worse than ever. The country is now faced with thousands of displaced citizens - some of them Chadians who had lived in the CAR for years, trying to get home - and the prospect of recriminations and violence across the border for months to come.

Celeste Hicks is a freelance journalist specialising in African affairs..

African Union to Mobilize $500 Million for Military Efforts in CAR

Alpha Conde is the newly-elected president of the West African state of Guinea. The country gained independence from France in 1958., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

AU to mobilize $500 mln for peace efforts in Central African Republic

Xinhua | Agencies
Published on January 29, 2014 21:31

The African Union (AU) seeks to mobilize 500 million US dollars to support military operations by the International Support Mission for Central African Republic (MISCA) authorized by the UN to restore peace in the country.

A source in Addis Ababa told Xinhua on Tuesday the funds will be mobilized at a donors' conference scheduled to take place in the Ethiopian capital on Saturday.

According to the official agenda, the crisis in Central African Republic will be one of the key issues to be discussed during the 22nd AU summit that will begin on Wednesday evening with a crisis session of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), which is currently chaired by Guinean President Alpha Conde.

Wednesday's mini-summit will examine the latest developments in the political transition process in Central African Republic, especially the election of Catherine Samba Panza as the transition president to replace Michel Djotodia, ex-Seleka rebel chief.

Djotodia together with his prime minister Nicolas Tiangaye were forced to resign on Jan. 10 during an extraordinary summit of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in N'Djamena, for their inability to end a cycle of violence in the country.

The director for the AU's peace and security department, El Ghassim Wane, told Xinhua that the AU was seeking 500 million dollars to support activities of MISCA, which is under its command for the next 12 months.

The AU force, which is charged with the mandate of securing the entire Central African Republic territory, took over duty in Bangui on Dec. 19, 2013 from the Central Africa Multinational Force (FOMAC), which had been deployed to the country by the ECCAS.

With two generals at the top, Republic of Congo's Jean Marie Mokoko and Cameroon's Martin Tumental, MISCA is seen by AU officials as the only hope of ending Central African Republic's crisis, with the support of French troops.

With a figure of about 5,300 out of the expected figure of 6, 000 officers, the AU hopes to increase its numbers in the near future, Wane said.

"We shall succeed in this mission. The only challenge is the financial means. Such challenges are always there, just as the case was in Somalia," he said.

Currently, the force is being funded by foreign powers, with the European Union contributing 50 million euros and the US providing support worth 100 million dollars, Wane said.

Besides the 54 AU member states, 60 other countries and organizations are expected at the donors' conference on Saturday.

Central African Republic's conflict erupted in December 2012, when ex-Seleka rebels launched an offensive against the regime of ex-president Francois Bozize. Violence escalated after Djotodia toppled Bozize on March 24, 2013. The flare became an interethnic and interreligious clashes between ex-Seleka rebels (Muslims) and the anti-Balaka militia (Christians), sparking worldwide concern about another genocide after the 1994 Rwanda massacre.

French Troops Kill Ten Africans in the CAR

Central African Republic citizens demonstrating against French imperialist intervention in their country. France and allied states are occupying the mineral-rich state., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Central African Republic: French Troops Kill 10 Séléka, Report

29 JANUARY 2014

French troops killed about 10 members of the Séléka militia in the Central African Republic (CAR) capital, Bangui, on Wednesday, according to diplomatic sources. A local councillor from a town near Paris has been named communication minister in the new government appointed by Prime Minister André Nzapayeke.

French armoured cars responded when their troops were fired on by members of the Islamic former rebels holed up in the RDOT military camp, the diplomatic source told the AFP news agency, adding that about 10 of the fighters were killed.

Muslims have accused the French military of being biased against the Séléka and not clamping down on Christian anti-balaka armed groups.

Earlier on Wednesday the mayor of Bussy-Saint-Georges, a town near Paris, announced that a member of his local council had left France to become the CAR's communications minister.

Antionette Montaigne, who has joint French-CAR nationality, left to take up her new post on Tuesday after being picked by Nzapayeke, whose cabinet includes seven women.

Montaigne is a member of the right-wing UMP and a representative of the Council of CAR citizens Abroad.

Neo-Colonial Regimes Request US Weapons

Clashes continue in eastern Libya between the rebel army and rebel militias. The militias who are allied with the puppet General National Congress are also being attacked., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

UAE, Libya Request US Arms Purchases

Jan. 29, 2014 - 12:49PM
By AWAD MUSTAFA
Defense News

DUBAI — While Iraq’s request to purchase Apache attack helicopters and Hellfire missiles has garnered headlines this week, two other regional countries have received approval to buy US military equipment.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DCSA) has notified Congress that it has approved key foreign military sales to the United Arab Emirates and Libya last week, bring the total worth of approvals to $7.1 billion.

According to the agency, the UAE has requested the purchase of 30 F-16 Block 61 aircraft and the upgrade of its existing F-16 Block 60 fleet at the estimated cost of $270 million. Libya has requested personnel training for 6,000 to 8,000 troops at an estimated cost of $600 million. Iraq’s request to purchase and lease equipment of Apaches attack helicopters and equipment along with Hellfire missiles for its counterinsurgency operations is worth about $6.9 billion.

The UAE request also includes 40 20mm M61A guns and 40 embedded GPS inertial navigation systems.

“Also included: are Identification Friend or Foe equipment; joint mission planning systems; night vision devices; cartridge activated device/propellant activated devices; weapons integration; spare and repair parts; tools and test equipment; personnel training and training equipment; publications and technical documentation; international engine management program-component improvement program; repair and return; aerial refueling support; ferry maintenance and services; site surveys; US government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support,” according to the DSCA.

According to Matthew Hedges, military analyst at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, the announcement of the additional F-16 Block 61 deal to the UAE highlights an important point.

“The upgraded avionics and communications systems, specifically to enable the upgraded UAE Air Force and air defense, [will allow the UAE] to not only efficiently communicate with next generation fighters such as the F-35 and F-22 Raptor, but also streamline operational effectiveness when part of an international coalition, something [they] have had previous problems with,” he said. “This suggests that the UAE will stick with an enlarged F-16 fleet until the F-35 becomes available for export as other options put forward to the UAE have failed to meet their operational requirements.”

This fleet expansion allows the UAE Air Force to further expand its capabilities, both operationally and mechanically on the craft and enlarge its indigenous maintenance, repair and operations market, he added.

On Iraq, Hedges said the sale of Hellfire missiles suggests a greater urgency by the US to enable regional armed forces to combat sources of regional instability.

“Hellfire missiles suggests a steep increased in lethality for the Iraqi armed forces and the sale of these from the US will encourage tighter relations between the two nations,” he said.

According to the DSCA, the Iraqi government requested 500 AGM-114K/R Hellfire missiles, Hellfire missile conversion, blast fragmentation sleeves, and installation kits, containers, transportation, spare and repair parts, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical documentation in addition to US government and contractor technical, engineering and logistics support services.

“Iraq will use the Hellfire missiles to help improve the Iraq Security Forces’ capability to support current on-going ground operations,” the agency said.

Furthermore, the purchase request of 24 AH-64E Apache Longbow attack helicopters, and a further 480 Hellfire missiles and over 60 missile launchers reflects the struggle for influence in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq between the US and Iran, Hedges said.

“This deal can also be seen in light of the struggle the Iraqis have given the resurgence of al-Qaida in the form of the [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] specifically in the Anbar province.”

The agency last week also announced the Libyan government has requested a sale of training equipment and expertise for 6,000 to 8,000 forces.

“The training includes services for up to eight years for training, facilities sustainment and improvements, personnel training and training equipment, 637 M4A4 carbines and small arms ammunition, US government and contractor technical and logistics support services, organizational clothing and individual equipment, and other related elements of logistical and program support,” the DSCA said.

“The request by the Libyans to enhance long term capabilities through a long term training contract with the US will help the Libyans stabilize their conflict-ridden nation,” Hedges said.

The training and logistical support will help discipline and professionalize an armed forces, which in post-Gadhafi Libya has been rife with tribal squabbling, he added. “The Libyan armed forces can help unite the country, which in recent times was increasingly looking like a potential split between the east and west.”

According to the DSCA, the implementation of this sale will require the assignment of 350 US government and contractor personnel for up to eight years at the Novo Selo training site in Bulgaria.

“The expansion of a formally trained armed forces will have to be managed carefully as the Libyan armed forces was often used as a tool of repression by Qadaffi and deemed to be biased towards certain tribal affiliations.

“If a neutral Libyan military can positively grow, then it can be a uniting force for the country,” Hedges said.

Email: amustafa@defensenews.com.

France Pulls Back on Ground Intervention in Libya

Thousands of Libyans stand as human shields against the U.S./European imperialist bombing of that North African state. The NATO forces are continuing their onslaught on this country., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

No possibility of intervention in Libya, says France

By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, 29 January 2014:

France has firmly rebuffed suggestions that it should join an international force and intervene in the south of Libya to end instability there and prevent it becoming a regional base for Al Qaeda.

On Monday, the France’s Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Edouard Guillaud stunned the French government, shocked Libyans, and angered French companies doing business in Libya by stating at a press conference that an international operation should be mounted to put an end to instability in the south of the country.

Reaffirming French policy towards Libya, the French Foreign Ministry today put out a statement saying that “no military intervention is envisaged there”. The only way to reestablish security in Libya was by strengthening Libyan security forces, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

He was speaking in response to a question whether France would take part in a new international operation in Libya.

He pointed out that, far from envisaging an international force being sent to Libya, France was collaborating with the Libyan authorities and its international partners on helping the country itself build up its security. France was merely helping. It was ready to train a thousand Libyan policemen and, separately, an EU mission was already in Libya to advise and train officials on border security, particularly in the south.

The spokesman added that France hoped that the Libya security conference planned in Rome in March would see the international community mobilise to help the Libyan authorities reestablish security throughout the country.

Admiral Guillaud headed the France’s involvement in the international operation to help remove the Qaddafi regime. He retires on 15 February.

Read more: http://www.libyaherald.com/2014/01/29/no-possibility-of-intervention-in-libya-says-france/#ixzz2rrArdyDM

Occupied Libya Official Survives Assassination Attempt

The United Arab Emirates building in Tripoli, Libya was shelled on July 25, 2013. The incident illustrates the insecurity of the North African state., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

29 January 2014
Last updated at 11:48 ET
BBC World Service

Libya minister survives assassination attempt

Libya's acting interior minister has escaped an assassination attempt in the capital,
Tripoli.

Al-Sidik Abdul-Karim was on his way to a meeting when his car came under fire from unknown gunmen.

Earlier this month, deputy industry minister Hassan al-Droui was shot dead, in the first killing of a member of the interim government.
Libya has suffered chronic lawlessness since the CIA-Pentagon-NATO overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011.

The transitional government has been struggling to assert itself over up to 1,700 different armed militias, each with their own goals.

'Not intimidated'

After the attack, Al-Sidik Abdul-Karim said in a statement: "Libya's men will not be intimidated by bullets, bombs or rockets."

The minister added that he would not abandon Libya's sovereignty or dignity.

It was the second attack this month on a government official.

On 12 January, gunmen killed the deputy industry minister during a visit to his hometown of Sirte, east of the capital.

No group has said it was behind the attack.

Dozens of military and police officers have been assassinated since the end of the civil war in the eastern part of the country, the BBC's Rana Jawad, in Tripoli, reports.

Local officials in other regions of Libya have also been killed.

Most cases remain unsolved and only few arrests have so far been made, our correspondent says.

Last week, the political instability worsened when the second largest party in the interim administration said it was quitting the government.

The Islamist Justice and Construction Party made the announcement after it failed to win sufficient support for a motion to censure Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.

Correspondents said the resignations would deepen the deadlock in the interim parliament, which has so far made little progress because of political infighting.

'Our Views Are Far Apart: German Chancellor Slams US, UK Over Spying

German newspapers and electronic media has condemned the United States spying on governmental officials and civilians. The scandal has strained transatlantic relations., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

‘Our views are far apart’: German chancellor slams US, UK over spying

Published time: January 29, 2014 23:54
Rt.com

Countries spying on their allies sow distrust that could result in less, rather than more security, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned. She particularly referred to the surveillance and spying activities by the US and the UK.

"But does that make it right for our closest allies, like the United States or Britain, to access all imaginable data - arguing that it helps their own security and that of their partners?" Chancellor Angela Merkel told the Parliament in the first major policy speech of her third term.

Merkel, who herself was a target of US eavesdropping on her personal phone calls, warned that using “everything that is technically do-able" to obtain information leads to mistrust between allies, which would eventually undermine their mutual security.

The US, however, says its surveillance practices are focused on threats to national security, including terrorism. In its recent interview, US President Barack Obama assured Merkel that she does not need to worry about NSA surveillance, even though the Agency would continue surveillance on foreign governments.

"Can it be right that it's not just about defending against terrorist threats but also to gain advantage over their allies, for example, in negotiations at G20 summits or UN sessions?""Our answer can only be: 'No, that cannot be right'."

Merkel is set to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Berlin on Friday to discuss "on the transatlantic partnership and global political issues". The NSA and its surveillance practices are expected to be on the agenda.

“Our views are today far apart," Merkel said.

In October, Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, where phone tapping was common practice, compared the NSA’s spying to that of the Stasi secret police in the former German Democratic Republic. Following the revelations, Merkel accused the US of a grave breach of trust.

The Chancellor has reiterated that Berlin was now driving efforts for “a European no spying” agreement and new rules to safeguard data privacy.

Since reports about spying emerged, Merkel’s government has been pressing for a “no spying” agreement with Washington. However, the US seems to be reluctant to sign such deal, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported in mid-January, citing a Federal Intelligence Service (BND) employee as saying: "We're getting nothing."

Negotiations on an anti-spying agreement began in August last year, after whistleblower Edward Snowden started leaking classified data in June. In her Wednesday speech Angela Merkel still vowed to continue negotiations.

"Many say the attempts for such an agreement are doomed to failure from the outset, an unrealistic endeavour. That may be," Merkel said. "Certainly the problem won't be solved by just one visit."

State of Missouri Executes African American Man

In this Dec. 13, 2011 file photo released by the Missouri Department of Corrections is death-row inmate Herbert Smulls who is scheduled to die by injection one minute after midnight Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014 for killing St. Louis County jeweler Stephen Hon, a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Missouri executes man for jeweler's 1991 death

By JIM SALTER, Associated Press
Wednesday, January 29, 2014

BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man has been executed for fatally shooting a jeweler during a 1991 robbery, marking the state's third lethal injection in as many months.

Herbert Smulls was executed Wednesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre and pronounced dead at 10:20 p.m.

The U.S. Supreme Court had granted a temporary stay late Tuesday, which halted Smull's scheduled 12:01 a.m. execution. The high court eventually cleared all delays late Wednesday evening.

Smulls' attorneys had filed several appeals, mostly challenging the state's refusal to disclose the name of the compounding pharmacy that supplies its execution drug.

Smulls was convicted of killing Stephen Honickman during a robbery at his jewelry shop in suburban St. Louis on July 27, 1991. Honickman's wife was badly injured but survived.

The attorney for a Missouri death row inmate Herbert Smulls filed a new appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court about two hours before the execution deadline of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.

Attorney Cheryl Pilate again challenged the state's refusal to reveal the origin of its execution drug, pentobarbital. She contends that the state's secrecy makes it impossible to know whether the drug could cause pain and suffering during the execution process.

The attorney general's office responded to Pilate's last-minute filing, saying previous court rulings have sided with the state's position.

Smulls, 56, was sentenced to death for killing a suburban St. Louis jeweler and badly injuring his wife during a 1991 robbery.

The U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay late Tuesday, shortly before the scheduled 12:01 a.m. Wednesday execution, after Smulls' attorneys filed an appeal challenging the state's refusal to disclose where it obtained its execution drug. The high court lifted that stay without explanation around 5 p.m., and did the same with the appeals court stay about 4 hours later. After that, Pilate filed another round.

Among the appeals Pilate made was one focusing on the state's refusal to disclose the name of the compounding pharmacy that produces the pentobarbital used during executions. State prison officials maintained that the compounding pharmacy is part of the execution team and therefore its name cannot be released to the public.

St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch has said talk about the drug was a smoke screen aimed at sparing the life of a cold-blooded killer. He noted that several courts had already ruled against Smulls, including the U.S. District Court in Kansas City and the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Gov. Jay Nixon denied clemency Tuesday evening.

"It was a horrific crime," McCulloch said on Tuesday. "With all the other arguments that the opponents of the death penalty are making, it's simply to try to divert the attention from what this guy did, and why he deserves to be executed."

Smulls had already served prison time for robbery when, on July 27, 1991, he went to F&M Crown Jewels in Chesterfield and told the owners, Stephen and Florence Honickman, that he wanted to buy a diamond for his fiancee. He took 15-year-old Norman Brown with him.

Once in the shop, Smulls began shooting. The robbers took rings and watches, including those that Florence Honickman was wearing.

She was shot in the side and the arm, and feigned death while lying in a pool of her own blood but survived. Her 51-year-old husband died.

Police stopped Smulls 15 minutes later, and they found stolen jewelry and weapons in his car. Florence Honickman identified the assailants.

Brown was convicted in 1993 of first-degree murder and other charges, and sentenced to life without parole. Smulls got the death penalty.

Missouri had used a three-drug execution process since 1989, until the drug makers stopped selling those drugs for executions. Missouri eventually switched to pentobarbital, which was used to execute two Missouri inmates late last year. Neither inmate showed visible signs of distress.

Compounding pharmacies custom-mix drugs for clients and are not subject to oversight by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, though they are regulated by states.
___
Associated Press writers Justin Juozapavicius in Tulsa, Okla., and Chris Blank in Jefferson City, Mo., contributed to this report.

Zimbabwe President Mugabe in Ethiopia for 22nd African Union Summit

Republic of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe receives flowers from Ethiopian child when arriving for the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 28, 2014., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

President in Ethiopia for 22nd AU Summit

January 29, 2014
From Morris Mkwate in ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Zimbabwe Herald

President Mugabe arrived here yesterday to attend the 22nd Ordinary Summit of the African Union General Assembly expected to formulate strategies to promote agricultural production and ensure food security on the continent.The summit will also assess the security situation on the continent.

President Mugabe; who was accompanied by Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made and his Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development counterpart, Dr Olivia Muchena; was welcomed at Bole International Airport by senior Ethiopian government officials, ambassador to Ethiopia Andrew Mtetwa, and foreign affairs minister Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, who arrived earlier.

Running under the theme “2014 Year of Agriculture and Food Security, Marking 10th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)”, the summit will host a side luncheon where Zimbabwe will participate in discussions on the African World Heritage Fund.

The main plenary will consider reports on the continent’s peace and security situation; fragile states and assess the African Standby Force.

It is expected to operationalise the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises. A draft African post-2015 Development Agenda position and the implementation of a resolution on Africa’s relationship with the International Criminal Court are also among the key points of discussion.

On agriculture, the Heads of State and Government are expected to review progress towards meeting targets that were set when they met in Mozambique in 2003 to adopt CAADP. The programme focuses on improving food security, nutrition and reducing poverty. It has an agriculture production growth target of six percent per annum and seeks to increase public investment in the sector to 10 percent of national budgets annually.

By next year, the leaders expect to see dynamic agricultural markets within and between countries and regions. In an interview on Monday, Dr Made said Zimbabwe was already running several initiatives that feed into AU objectives of increased farming output.

He said the massive agricultural input support rolled out to 1,6 million households countrywide; the Food and Nutrition Policy as well as the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset) indicated progress.

“What is critical is that CAADP is based on the Maputo Declaration because the African Union will be marking the 10th anniversary of the programme. However, remember that Zimbabwe has been moving with a number of programmes and more recently Zim Asset, which encapsulates food security and nutrition.

“We also have a policy on that subject, a Cabinet committee chaired by the Vice President. When you look at the 10 percent, Zimbabwe has in some years exceeded that percentage. But, of course, in the years that we had other parties in Government, the allocations were not as firm as now.

“This year, with Zim Asset and the emphasis on the inputs programme, it is very significant. We are now going to a stage where rains are falling; this is one of the factors that determine output and obviously the rains have been assisted by our cloud-seeding programme.

“Much more critical is the inputs programme. You can imagine the impact and this is tied to the AU objectives and the wisdom of His Excellency, President Mugabe, that focus must be on households so that they can have food security.”

At the African World Heritage Fund luncheon, the leaders are scheduled to examine ways of meeting the objectives of conserving and managing the continent’s natural and cultural resources.

The Fund is an inter-governmental organisation supported by the AU and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

It was created in 2006 to address Africa’s challenges in implementing the 1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; the under-representation of African sites on the Unesco World Heritage List and the need to strengthen conservation and management practices at these sites.

Its objectives are ensuring good conservation practices, building capacity, increasing the number of African properties on the World Heritage List and ensuring the removal of African sites from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The Fund prepares African states for World Heritage Site nomination and also helps financial contributors to conserve their respective sites.

Zimbabwe has been moving with the rest of the world to strengthen the management systems to protect its cultural heritage through domestic legislation and institutional structures as well as international conventions. Working via the Zimbabwe National Commission for Unesco, the country seeks to derive maximum benefits from being a Unesco member and contributing to the organisation’s global policies and programmes.

Zimbabwe’s world heritage sites include the Victoria Falls; Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas, Mana Pools; Matobo Hills Cultural landscape; Great Zimbabwe and Khami Ruins.

Commenting on the luncheon, Dr Muchena said: “It is an interactive session, looking at how we are managing our heritage sites in terms of conservation and management. I look forward to this session as we have a lot to share. It is important that the luncheon is being hosted to highlight the importance of the African World Heritage Fund.

“There is a programme on African heritage sites. For instance, in Zimbabwe, we have the Great Zimbabwe and as a ministry, we want to commission a programme that looks at the Great Zimbabwe from a technical, political and historical point of view.

“Great Zimbabwe was built centuries ago before technology became what it is now and it still stands. This says a lot about our scientific DNA and genes in Zimbabwe. While we appreciate it, we are saying that appreciation should be deeply rooted in us at home. Unesco is saying take Great Zimbabwe and put it in your curricula, hence this Fund to conserve heritage sites.”

President Mugabe Leaves for African Union Summit

Republic of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe bids farewell to ZDF Commander Constantine Chiwenga before leaving for an African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on January 28, 2014., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

President leaves for AU Summit

January 28, 2014
Morris Mkwate
Zimbabwe Herald

President Mugabe left the country today for Ethiopia to attend the 22nd Ordinary Summit of the African Union expected to formulate strategies to promote agricultural production and ensure food security on the continent. The summit is also expected to assess the security situation on the continent.

President Mugabe is accompanied by Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made and his Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development counterpart, Dr Olivia Muchena.

Running under the theme “2014 Year of Agriculture and Food Security, Marking 10th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)”, the summit will host a side luncheon where Zimbabwe will participate in discussions on the African World Heritage Fund.

The main plenary will consider reports on the continent’s peace and security situation; fragile states and assess the African Standby Force.

It is expected to operationalise the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises.

A draft African post-2015 Development Agenda position and the implementation of a resolution on Africa’s relationship with the International Criminal Court are also among the key points of discussion.

On agriculture, the Heads of State and Government are expected to review progress towards meeting targets that were set when they met in Mozambique in 2003 to adopt CAADP.

The programme focuses on improving food security, nutrition and reducing poverty. It has an agriculture production growth target of six percent per annum and seeks to increase public investment in the sector to 10 percent of national budgets annually.

By next year, the leaders expect to see dynamic agricultural markets within and between countries and regions; a more equitable distribution of wealth in rural populations and Africa as a strategic player in agricultural science and technology.

They also hope farmers will become active on the market economy; Africa will evolve into a net exporter of agricultural products and promote environmentally-sound agricultural production and sustainable management of natural resources.

CAADP homes in on four major pillars of sustainable land and water management; market access; food supply and hunger; and agricultural research, all of which overarch initiatives working to achieve the targets.

In an interview on Monday, Dr Made said Zimbabwe was already running several initiatives that feed into AU objectives of increased farming output.

He said the massive agricultural input support rolled out to 1, 6 million households countrywide; the Food and Nutrition Policy as well as the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset) indicated progress.

Dr Made revealed that an on-going crop and livestock assessment exercise shows the hectarage of maize planted this season surpasses that recorded during the same period last season.

“What is critical is that CAADP is based on the Maputo Declaration because the African Union will be marking the 10th anniversary of the programme. However, remember that Zimbabwe has been moving with a number of programmes and more recently Zim Asset, which encapsulates food security and nutrition.

“We also have a policy on that subject, a Cabinet committee chaired by the Vice President. When you look at the 10 percent, Zimbabwe has in some years exceeded that percentage. But, of course, in the years that we had other parties in Government, the allocations were not as firm as now.

“This year, with Zim Asset and the emphasis on the inputs programme, it is very significant. We are now going to a stage where rains are falling; this is one of the factors that determine output and obviously the rains have been assisted by our cloud-seeding programme.

“Much more critical is the inputs programme. You can imagine the impact and this is tied to the AU objectives and the wisdom of His Excellency, President Mugabe, that focus must be on households so that they can have food security.”

At the African World Heritage Fund luncheon, the leaders are scheduled to examine ways of meeting the objectives of conserving and managing the continent’s natural and cultural resources.

The Fund is an inter-governmental organisation supported by the AU and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

It was created in 2006 to address Africa’s challenges in implementing the 1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; the under-representation of African sites on the Unesco World Heritage List and the need to strengthen conservation and management practices at these sites.

Its objectives are ensuring good conservation practices, building capacity, increasing the number of African properties on the World Heritage List and ensuring the removal of African sites from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The Fund prepares African states for World Heritage Site nomination and also helps financial contributors to conserve their respective sites.

Zimbabwe has been moving with the rest of the world to strengthen the management systems to protect its cultural heritage through domestic legislation and institutional structures as well as international conventions.

Working via the Zimbabwe National Commission for Unesco, the country seeks to derive maximum benefits from being a Unesco member and contributing to the organisation’s global policies and programmes.

Zimbabwe’s world heritage sites include the Victoria Falls; Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas Mana Pools; Matobo Hills Cultural landscape; Great Zimbabwe and Khami Ruins.

Commenting on the luncheon, Dr Muchena said: “It is an interactive session, looking at how we are managing our heritage sites in terms of conservation and management. I look forward to this session as we have a lot to share. It is important that the luncheon is being hosted to highlight the importance of the African World Heritage Fund.

“There is a programme on African heritage sites. For instance, in Zimbabwe, we have the Great Zimbabwe and as a ministry, we want to commission a programme that looks at the Great Zimbabwe from a technical, political and historical point of view.

“Great Zimbabwe was built centuries ago before technology became what it is now and it still stands. This says a lot about our scientific DNA and genes in Zimbabwe. While we appreciate it, we are saying that appreciation should be deeply rooted in us at home. Unesco is saying take Great Zimbabwe and put it in your curricula, hence this Fund to conserve heritage sites.”

South Sudan's Former Vice President, Six Others to Face Treason Charges

Riek Machar Teny, the former vice-president the Republic of South Sudan, has been accused on being behind a coup plot in Juba. He has denied the charges., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2014

South Sudan’s ex-VP, six others to face treason charges

January 28, 2014 (JUBA) – South Sudan government on Tuesday slapped treason charges against seven of its senior politicians implicated in last year’s alleged coup attempt in the country.

13 politicians were arrested in connection with the violence that erupted in the county on December 15, but three others, including former vice-president Riek Machar are still at large.

The country’s justice minister, however, said rebel leader Machar, former Unity state governor Taban Deng Gai and ex-environment minister Alfred Lado Gore would be tried for treason in absentia. Also to be tried are Pagan Amum, Majak D’Agoot, Oyai Deng Ajak and Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth.

“We believe the three principle people participated in the fight on the [December] 15th and on 16th [2013]”, Paulino Wanawilla told reporters in the capital, Juba.

“These people have a case to answer before the court for planning and carrying out the coup. Anybody who intends to change a constitutional government or to suspend the constitution or abrogate the constitution by force commits treason,” he added.

Machar’s has dismissed the allegation, saying the incident was a move by President Salva Kiir and his allies to silence opposition within the country’s ruling party (SPLM) leadership.

South Sudan warring parties on Thursday last week signed a ceasefire deal that sought to end six weeks of fighting in the country. Over 1,000 people have died and more than half a million displaced in the worst-ever outbreak of violence in the country’s post-independence era.

Minister Wanawilla further said seven other detained politicians who allegedly planned “mobilise the public to bring down the government” would be freed and sent to a neighbouring country for safety concerns. These politicians include, John Luk Jok, Peter Adwok Nyaba, Kosti Manibe, Madut Biar Yel, Deng Alor Kuol, Ciruno Hiteng and Gier Chuang Aluong.

“Because we did not have enough evidence to prosecute these people, we are going to release them on bail,” said Wanawilla, a day after the government announced it had completed investigating the political prisoners.

CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS

On Monday, an adviser to President Kiir said South Sudan’s constitution authorises the country’s leader to release political detainees, whose continued detention had drawn international attention at the height of the rebellion.

"It is necessary to implement the law first," said Telar Riing Deng, adding "because it is the same law and the constitution which enables the president to order their release and to pardon them".

In a separate deal on the political detainees, the two sides had agreed that they all had a role to play in the political process, which is expected to start on 7 February. The agreement does not, however, mention anything to do with the detainees.

Telar, who was in the Sudanese capital to deliver President Kiir’s message to his Sudan counterpart Omer al-Bashir, also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the cessation of hostilities agreement signed on 23 January in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and called on the rebels to observe it.

(ST)

South Sudan Opposition Parties Consider United Front Ahead of 2015 Elections

South Sudan tank during attempted coup on December 17, 2013. Reports indicate that more than 500 have been killed., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2014

South Sudan opposition parties consider forming single party ahead of 2015 elections

January 28, 2014 (JUBA) - At least thirteen South Sudanese political parties are discussing the possibility of forming a single party ahead the general elections schedule for 2015, an opposition figure said on Tuesday.

"We have been holding [a] series of serious discussions over the past months from which we came out with a consensus to emerge and form a single political party. What we are still discussing is the name of the party and who should be the flag bearer to contest the next general elections", said the member of the opposition who spoke on condition of anonymity.

South Sudan has several opposition parties but they have almost no political influence and power. The ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) - the political wing of the rebel movement that fought various Khartoum governments for over a decade until a 2005 peace deal paved the way for South Sudan’s secession from Sudan in 2011 - dominates the political landscape.

Although opposition parties are allowed, they are widely considered to having little chance of gaining political influence. There are presently more than 23 political parties, according to the registry with political parties’ council office, most of which do not have offices.

The SPLM is still not registered as a political party as it has failed to agree on its constitution and other vital documents as its national convention has been repeatedly delayed.

Tensions within the ruling party centre around at at least three senior figures who wished to challenge President Salva Kiir for the chairmanship of the party. The issues came to a head in a meeting on December 15 after which fighting broke out with the South Sudanese army, triggering the current conflict which has displaced over half a million people and killed some 10,000 people according to the International Crisis Group.

The second largest party, judging by the result of the 2010 general election, is the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) led by Lam Akol, which broke away from the SPLM in 2009. The SPLM-DC won five seats compared to the SPLM’s 160. Seven seats went to independents.

Other political parties include; The South Sudan Labour Party, United Democratic Front, South Sudan Democratic Forum, South Sudan Democratic Front, South Sudan African Party, Sudan African National Union, South Sudan Community Party, United Democratic Party, United South Sudan Party, United Democratic Salvation Front among others.

Opposition figures do not want to announce the names of the parties in the new coalition because they were still conducting consultations over the name of the new group and deciding on a leader who will be able attract voters.

Once identified, he said, the presidential candidate would contest the presidential election on behalf of the coalition parties. In the 2010 election the SPLM incumbent Salva Kiir won almost 93% of the vote. The SPLM-DC’s Lam Akol was his only challenger.

Since the peace deal in January 2005 and the death of the SPLM’s founder and chairman John Garang six months later, observers say that the former rebel movement has struggled to evolve into a political party within a democratic system and detach itself from its armed wing, the SPLA, which is now South Sudan’s national army.

"The death of John Garang has changed many things for our people and the country (South Sudan)," said Abraham Jok, native of Abyei, an oil-producing area that remains contested between Sudan and South Sudan.

"It has caused us to reflect on our journey over the last eight years on the progress we have made, and on the opportunities utilised and lost. We lost a great and visionary leader that the South, and indeed Africa, will take time to [re]produce", he said.

Analysts say the performance of President Salva Kiir’s administration has led to a draining of support from the SPLM because of a corruption, unemployment, failure to deliver basic services, and abuses at the hands of the police, army and security services.

Despite these factors the SPLM would still be favourites to win the 2015 elections due their legacy as the party that brought independence, funding and their dominance in South Sudanese media.

However, the political infighting that led to the catastrophic current conflict will mean that "some South Sudanese will be forced to forgive the SPLM many things," Daniel Garang, a political science student at Nkumba University in Kampala, Uganda, told Sudan Tribune.

Some observers say the SPLM will win the next election, but with a smaller majority.

The opposition, Garang said, will look to make inroads into the SPLM’s support in six states which constitute the Equatoria and Upper Nile regions.

He argues that "old political formations" and the legacy of liberation were becoming obsolete, and that many people in the SPLM already oppose South Sudan’s repressive system, regardless of their tribal and regional backgrounds.

The 2015 elections, the first since independence, are likely to be much tighter contest that in 2010.

(ST)

Over 200 Dissidents Surrender to SPLA in Unity State

South Sudanese dissident Gen. James Koany Chuol of Unity state has announced his support for the opposition and the appointment of an interim administration. The rebellion is calling for the removal of President Salva Kiir., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

TUESDAY 28 JANUARY 2014

Over 200 rebels surrender in Unity state: SPLA

January 27, 2014 (RUMBEK) – At least 200 rebels surrendered to the South Sudanese army (SPLA) in Unity state on Saturday, days after losing control of the capital, Bentiu to the latter.

Mabek Lang, the deputy caretaker governor said majority of those who surrendered were initially part of the army’s fourth division, which was headed by Maj-Gen. James Koang Chuol.

“Many of them did not have the destructive intentions and are welcome back. We received 250 on Thursday, including 32 armed personnel who surrendered on Friday,” said Lang.

“We welcome them back and [the] military is taking care of those army personnel who put down their arms”, he added.

A military official told Sudan Tribune that the army was still pursuing those rebelling against government, including its dissent commanders like Peter Gadet Yaak.

“We appreciate Unity state leaders for their support to South Sudan army, we will protect them. If we need to kill Peter Gadet, it is easy, but we need him to surrender otherwise, he will face tough decision,” said the officer, who preferred anonymity.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the army said those who deserted, having been misled to take part in the rebellion, would be accepted back into active service.

“We welcome those soldiers returning back to SPLA army. In fact there were those soldiers who joined the rebellion due to fear of unknown, some joined when they saw their colleagues joining the rebellion, but their aims were not clear,” said Phillip Aguer.

“They are welcomed back to join the service of the nation,” he added.

South Sudan’s warring parties on Thursday signed a ceasefire agreement to end six weeks of fighting, in which over 1,000 people have died and half a million displaced.

(ST).


TUESDAY 28 JANUARY 2014

S. Sudan army killing civilians in Malakal: rebel sources

January 28, 2013 (ADDIS ABABA) – The South Sudanese army (SPLA) and its allied northern rebels from Sudan’s Blue Nile state have been carrying out “systematic indiscriminate” killing of vulnerable civilians in the Upper Nile state capital, Malakal, following the recapture from the rebels of the strategic town, rebel sources say.

The killing, allegedly by forces loyal to South Sudan president Salva Kiir, reportedly targets civilians perceived to support dissident rebels led by the former vice-president, Riek Machar.

Machar’s spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune on Monday that pro-government soldiers and their allies were allegedly killings civilians in a manner similar to what happened when the conflict started out in the capital, Juba, on 15 December.

“We have been receiving disturbing reports from Malakal that the pro-Kiir forces have resorted to mass murder of civilians in Malakal. This is similar to the criminal episode Kiir’s so-called presidential guards carried out in the capital Juba when thousands of Nuer civilians were targeted, killed in cold blood”, Dak said.

He claimed that this time the “evil forces” in Malakal extended their criminal acts allegedly by targeting not only the Nuer civilians, but also members of Shilluk community and those from Greater Bor counties, particularly members of the Twic East and Duk counties.

“There has been door-to-door search of Nuer, Shilluk and Dinka Bor by these forces, majority of which come from the rebels of Southern Blue Nile across the border from the neighbouring Sudan. They indiscriminately drag out civilians from their houses and shoot them point blank, some church pastors were killed too”, he said.

He said Pastor Daniel Giel Pal, a former moderator of South Sudan Presbyterian Church in Upper Nile state, was among the spiritual leaders dragged out and killed.

Dak further said hundreds of women, children and men were believed to have been lynched and shot dead in the last few days allegedly by pro-Kiir forces in Malakal.

The same scenario, he stressed, occurred in Bor and in the Unity state’s capital, Bentiu, where the army allegedly burnt down to ashes most of the town, killing civilians who could not escape.

ARMY DISMISSES REBEL CLAIMS

The spokesperson for the South Sudanese army, Phillip Aguer, has dismissed the rebel claims as lies, saying they were committed to the cessation of hostilities deal signed last week.

“Whatever the rebels are saying is not true. The SPLA is mandated to protect its people, not kill them. I can tell you we are committed to the cessation of hostilities agreement reached between the two parties last week”, Aguer said .

KIIR NOT IN CONTROL OF MULTIPLE ARMIES

Meanwhile, the military spokesperson of the SPLA in Opposition, Brig. Gen Lul Ruai Koang, confirmed the Malakal incidences, accusing government’s troops and their allies of “committing crimes against humanity”.

Koang further claimed Kiir, who is also commander-in-chief of the army, and his key security ministers had lost control and command of the multiple armies supporting his grip on leadership.

“Kiir’s ability to exercise command and control over his forces and ministers had been greatly affected by the existence and presence on the ground of three armies, namely: his private and tribal army, national army and the Ugandan Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF)”, he claimed.

Currently, Koang said, the thousands of the UPDF troops deployed in South Sudan to fight for Kiir’s leadership are the ones in charge of the operations around in Greater Equatoria and Jonglei states, while Sudanese rebels are pushing for military operations in Unity and Upper Nile states.

“Kiir and his Chief of General Staff [Gen James Hoth Mai] are literally receiving operational orders from UPDF’s Colonel in charge of operations in the country and this partly explains the breakdown in command & control and in the chain of command,” he said.

The rebels also questioned why it was the Ugandan army and not their South Sudanese counterparts who first announced the recapture of Bor town from rebel forces a week ago.

“It was the UPDF spokesperson who first announced arrogantly that the Ugandan forces had recaptured Bor town”, Dak told Sudan Tribune.

The rebels have largely blamed the recent violations by the government of the cessation of hostilities agreement on the presence of the UPDF troops, which they directly accused of carrying out military offensives on the rebels positions near Bor, just few hours after the signing of the agreement in the Ethiopian capital.

The two sides accuse each other of violating the deal less than a week after it was reached.

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Can South Sudan Rebuild Embattled Economy?

Map of South Sudan where fighting has taken place between SPLA forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those aligned with Riek Machar., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Can South Sudan rebuild embattled economy?

By Oliver Joy, for CNN
January 27, 2014 -- Updated 1304 GMT (2104 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

South Sudan's government and rebels agreed on a cease-fire

Oil accounts for almost all of the country's exports

Uganda and Kenya vital to South Sudan trade

South Sudan's economy grew by 24.7% in 2013

CNN Marketplace Africa is a weekly show offering a unique window into African business on and off the continent.

(CNN) -- The South Sudanese government and rebels signed a ceasefire deal last Thursday after more than a month of fighting that forced more than 600,000 people from their homes. But both sides have reported violations of the ceasefire, and it remains unclear if the truce will hold.

The country erupted into violence on December 15 when rebels loyal to ousted Vice President Riek Machar tried to stage a coup. Violence quickly spread, with reports of mass killings emerging nationwide.

The conflict has been a huge blow for South Sudan, a far cry from the country President Salva Kiir declared in early December to be "open for business."

The world's youngest nation remains under construction and as it tries to maintain a fragile peace it will also need to reassure investors and get its economy back on track.

These are a few of the pivotal economic issues likely to affect South Sudan's trade and investment in the future.

Conflict hurting South Sudan business

Oil industry

South Sudan is the world's most oil-dependent nation, according to the World Bank, accounting for almost all of the country's exports and 80% of GDP.

The Chinese government has invested heavily in the South Sudanese oil industry and in 2012, China pledged $8 billion in development loans for hydroelectricity and infrastructure projects following Kiir's visit to Beijing.

Figures from the International Monetary Fund reflect South Sudan's rapid rise. Last year, the country, with an estimated population of 10.3 million, experienced astonishing growth of 24.7%. Before the conflict the economy was projected to grow 43% in 2014.

However, much of South Sudan's new-found wealth is yet to filter down to its people and after 20 years of civil war much of the population remains impoverished and half living below the poverty line, surviving in a subsistence economy.

Trade with neighbors Uganda and Kenya
South Sudan has four major trading partners in the East African community -- Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan.

Following a 2005 peace deal in Sudan between the country's government and the separatist movement in the south, trade began to increase between Southern Sudan -- then a region -- and neighboring Uganda.

Today, South Sudan is Uganda's biggest export market with cement, vehicles, iron and steel making up the bulk of trade while in 2010 and 2011, coffee generated revenues of $51.1 million, according to the African Development Bank.

The country has also applied to join the East African Community, a regional economic body, which encourages free trade between its members.

One month into South Sudan's crisis
John Small, chief executive of the Eastern African Association, an organization that represents foreign investors in the region, said that other countries were beginning to look to South Sudan as a strong trading partner.

Violence continues as peace talks begin Thousands seek refuge from Sudan fighting Chaos continues to unfold in South Sudan
He said: "It's a growing market for Kenyan goods. Pretty much everything you get there is imported from or through Kenya" including tobacco and tea.

LAPSSET Corridor

The LAPSSET project, first conceived in 1975 could help solve South Sudan's oil transportation problems, which are steeped in its hostile relations with Sudan.

LAPSSET -- or Lamu Port and Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor -- is part of Kenya's Vision 2030 plan and will include a network of roads, railway lines, oil refineries and pipelines running between South Sudan and Kenya's Lamu Port, on the Indian Ocean.

South Sudan took 75% of Sudanese oil when it gained independence in 2011, but much of the infrastructure needed to transport the oil for export remains under the control of the government in Khartoum. This has stifled production and sparked disputes over revenues.

Small said regional cooperation, particularly with Sudan, is still the "single biggest challenge" South Sudan faces in exploiting its oil reserves.

"A pipeline takes a lot of time and money," he said, "but with an agreement with Sudan, at least that gives you revenues, which you can then borrow against to build another pipeline."

The LAPSSET links would open up a vital artery for landlocked South Sudan to export its oil to the coast and offer a viable alternative to the current terminal at Port Sudan.

Mustafa Biong, director general of information for the government of South Sudan, believes it will take "up to five years" before the country can export through Uganda and Kenya.

Kiir's government is also planning to construct 4,000 kilometers of new roads throughout the country and 248 kilometers of rail lines to connect the most remote areas, including Juba, with Ugandan and Kenyan networks.

Inflows of foreign investment

Foreign investors have flocked to the country in recent years, attracted by its vast untapped resources including oil and minerals.

In South Sudan's investment report, the government states that it is aiming to diversify the nation's economy away from oil as much as possible by investing in financial services, agriculture and fisheries.

Biong said any investors deterred by the violence will not stay away for long.

"Investors will come back," he said, "they have made commitments here and they can see they can see the potential."

But South Sudan will have its work cut out regaining their trust and reassuring them that the country is a secure place to do business.

Debate Continues Over Uganda Army Role in South Sudan Conflict

SPLA troops guarding Bentiu, Unity State. The area is a large oil-producing center in the Central African state., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

January 27, 2014

Debate Continues Over Uganda Army Role in South Sudan Conflict

by Reuben Kyama

Speakers at a Nairobi forum sponsored by the Rift Valley Institute expressed concern for the future of South Sudan following a ceasefire agreement brokered in Addis Ababa late last week. Participants also raised issues concerning the presence of Ugandan forces in the conflict.

The negotiations were held by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the regional body that was drawn into the brutal conflict following reports that Ugandan troops were battling alongside government forces loyal to President Silva Kiir.

Rev. James Ninrew of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan questions the neutrality of the peace process, if Uganda - a key member of the IGAD – takes sides in the conflict.

"As civil society organizations, we condemn negative intervention into the South Sudanese affairs because that is inviting further crisis rather than solving the problem," says Rev. Ninrew.

Is Uganda's military playng a neutral role?

"So for that, we are not for it. We are even questioning the role of Uganda or any other country from East Africa that is taking sides and also wants to sit at the table to mediate people.

"Is IGAD the only body that can do that? If IGAD continues doing that, getting involved in the war and at the same time sitting at the table, I think the voice of the South Sudanese will say no."

But Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Amina Mohamed, says Ugandan troops are deployed in South Sudan to provide security for the troubled country at vital state installations, such as airports. She said the IGAD negotiating team was credible enough to carry on with the peace talks between President Salvar Kiir and his former vice-president, Riek Machar.

"On the presence of Ugandan troops in South Sudan, what I can tell you is this…when we had the IGAD summit here - if you look at the communiqué - the efforts to protect major installations such as airports were efforts that were welcome because we felt that they would provide an opportunity to take humanitarian assistance into South Sudan…

"That if those installations weren’t protected, it would be very difficult to convince flights into South Sudan. It was only when after these major installations were safe, they were secure that’s the only time planes could land."

Is the conflict ethnic or political?

Pundits say that violence sparked a political dispute between Mr. Kiir and his former deputy on Dec. 15 that escalated into full-scale ethnic conflict.

Jok Madut Jok, co-founder of Sudd Institute, an independent research organization based in South Sudan, says the issues and the solution are complex. Jok said the parties need to "build into that final agreement a lot of mechanisms that will ensure crafting the country together …

"You need to give room to justice and accountability for acts of violence committed during this war. You need to address the injuries inflicted upon various ethnic communities so that as to repair the ethnic relations….

"That way people will invest in the idea that they are citizens of the nation not citizens of their communities. You need to build on the constitution so that the people’s voices and aspirations can be represented through it."

The world's newest nation may be fallign apart, cautioned Ms. Apuk Mayen, a South Sudanese diplomat working to increase women’s participation in formal peace processes.

"We are almost repeating the same mistakes that other African countries have made," she said. "I think we have failed because we fail to recognize that our tribes are actually political organizations. They have their own super structures.

"We have elements within our culture to govern ourselves, to mobilize ourselves to war. We are seeing this in some of the things happening."

If yoi feel threatened, she said, "you have mechanisms on how to protect and defend yourself.

"Unfortunately, in this construct of a state, it doesn’t work because we haven’t reconciled the state to this existing political organization that we have. I feel there are real questions that we need to ask ourselves."

The United Nations say thousands of people were killed in the fighting, and hundreds of thousands have been driven from their homes.

http://www.voanews.com/content/debate-continues-over-uganda-army-role-in-south-sudan-conflict/1838597.html