DTN News - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IN DAKAR, SENEGAL: Obama Offers Africa Closer Business Ties, Urges Tolerance for Gays

DTN News - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IN DAKAR, SENEGAL: Obama Offers Africa Closer Business Ties, Urges Tolerance for Gays

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Drew Hinsaw - The  Wall Street Journal
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 27, 2013: (DAKAR, Senegal) President Barack Obama Thursday called for broader commercial engagement with Africa, but also touched on the continent's more sensitive issues such gay rights and the failing health of former South African leader Nelson Mandela.

"The reason I came to Africa is because Africa's rising," President Obama told reporters, after an hourlong talk with Senegal's President Macky Sall, to mark the start of his second trip to the continent as president.

The two presidents said they hope to sign new trade agreements between the U.S. and the West African Community of Economic States, a bloc of 15 countries whose economies are picking up pace. Mr. Obama also said he'll ask Congress to renew and expand on the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a 2000 law that allows African democracies to export manufactured goods to the U.S. duty free.

"We historically have been an enormous provider of aid to Africa—food, medicine—but what I want us to do is have a shift in paradigm, where we start focusing on trade, development, partnerships," Mr. Obama said. "This is going to be a continent that is on the move. It is young, it is vibrant and full of energy," he added.

Mr. Obama's trip highlights budding ties between the growing club of African democracies and a U.S. administration that sees room to champion democracy and investment on the world's poorest region. Mr. Obama next heads to South Africa, the continent's biggest economy, and Tanzania, a fast-growing East African economy, where he is expected to discuss U.S. investment and then wrap up his first extended presidential trip to the continent.

In 2009, President Obama made a short stop in Ghana to deliver a speech on democracy.

On Thursday, Mr. Obama also touched on issues that divide the U.S. and Africa, such as gay rights. One day after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a historic ruling that broadly cleared the way for an expansion of same-sex marriage, Mr. Obama addressed an African crowd that represents what many gay rights activists see as a next frontier. In almost every African nation, homosexuality is illegal, punishable by jail time and even death in several states.

As Mr. Obama pressed African countries to decriminalize homosexuality, Senegalese members of the audience murmured and muttered. "The issue of gays and lesbians and how they're treated has come up and has been controversial in many parts of Africa, so I want the African people to hear just what I believe," Mr. Obama said. "People should be treated equally. And that's a principle that I think should be applied universally."

In recent years, Senegalese gays who've attempted to live openly have suffered police crackdowns and even killed. "Senegal, as far as we are concerned, is a very tolerant country which doesn't discriminate against the inalienable rights of people, but we are not still ready to decriminalize homosexuality," said Senegal's President Macky Sall in response to Mr. Obama. "This doesn't mean that we are all homophobic."

In part to press his case for equality, Mr. Obama, the son of a Kenyan father, referenced a leader admired across the continent: South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela, currently in critical condition in a South African Hospital.

Mr. Obama had hoped to meet Mr. Mandela during his next stop in South Africa, although that meeting appears unlikely, as the former South African leader remains hospitalized in critical condition. "He's a personal hero, but I don't think I'm unique in that regard," said Mr. Obama. "I think he's a hero for the world, and if and when he passes from this place, I think we all know his legacy is one that will carry on throughout the ages."

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Drew Hinsaw - The  Wall Street Journal
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DTN News: China's Unusual Deals Working To Grow African Arms Presence

DTN News: China's Unusual Deals Working To Grow African Arms Presence

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Defense Media

(NSI News Source Info) HONG KONG - October 13, 2009: In recent past, “Africa: The Next Defense Market Opportunity?” looked at projected trends, and discussed the reasons behind China’s resurgent status as an arms vendor to those states. The trainer was built through joint cooperation between the governments of Pakistan and the PRC. Initially, the aircraft was to feature many American parts, but due to political developments at the end of the 1980s, this plan was scrapped. The first prototype was built in 1989, with the first flight taking place at the end of 1990. *The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) first received fourteen jets in 1994 after which it decided to order 75 more to replace its fleet of Cessna trainers. *The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) received its first six jets in 1998. Later Chinese upgrades included indigenous engines. The PLAAF is anticipated to continue adding the trainer to its fleet in order to replace older trainers that are now obsolete. Other nations have shown interest in the trainer, and it now also serves in the air forces of *Egypt, *Sri Lanka and *Zimbabwe. While the plane primarily serves as a trainer, it can also be used in the ground-attack role. In 2008, the point was underlined by sales like the deal with Zimbabwe for 12 K-8/JL-8 jet trainers and light attack aircraft, but a number of deals are reportedly pending with various countries. These reportedly include everything from K-8 Karakorum jets and FC-1/JF-17 fighters, to WMZ-551 wheeled APCs, artillery, and of course the usual set of small arms and ammunition deals.

One of the challenges that the July 2008 Forecast International report had discussed is the region’s economic weakness, but UPI Asia notes that China has a solution. Zambia has used its copper resources to pay China in a number of military deals, Kenya has been negotiating with China to trade fishing rights for arms, and similar deals are under discussion elsewhere. While China’s economy has cooled as a result of the global recession, long-term, secure access to the resources needed to supply its growing economy is one of the regime’s top strategic priorities. Africa is poor by policy, but the continent has rich resources of oil and key industrial metals. This Chinese arms thrust is one component of a unified strategy that bundles weapon sales and economic ties.

Other building blocks include soft-power approaches, and a key component block was added recently with the launch of a PLAN hospital ship. Few countries own dedicated hospital vessels, which can serve in quasi-diplomatic goodwill roles, or function in their traditional role as high-capacity medical support for amphibious assaults. A combination of arms sales, naval activities, and economic ties is promising, but it will also require other forms of local relationship-building and military presence, in order to give China the full range of tools for influencing African regimes.

Oddly, none of these sales, deal structures, or strategic considerations were even mentioned in a recent SIPRI analysis of China’s stepped-up deployment of peacekeeping troops. Troops whose chosen missions appear to have a strong focus on African operations.

DTN News: Uganda Troops Catch Top Rebel In Central African Republic

DTN News: Uganda Troops Catch Top Rebel In Central African Republic

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) NAIROBI, Kenya - September 11, 2009: The Ugandan military said on Thursday it had captured a feared senior rebel from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) who is accused of leading the massacre of 250 villagers more than 14 years ago. Okot Atiak was apparently detained last month during a campaign against the guerrillas by Ugandan forces in southeast Central African Republic (CAR). Uganda's army spokesman said he was providing intelligence to troops in the field. Atiak is not one of three top LRA commanders wanted for war crimes by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, but he has held several senior positions in one of Africa's most brutal rebel movements. (Image: Uganda troops catch top rebel in Central African Rep.) He is blamed for leading the fighters who slaughtered 250 civilians at Atiak village in northern Uganda's Gulu District in April 1995. The attack was seen as an LRA reprisal against fellow ethnic Acholis who failed to support their rebellion.

The multinational assault on Kony's fighters has only served to sow more chaos, with fleeing rebels attacking more villages and kidnapping hundreds of children, mostly to serve as porters. Kulayigye said most civilians rescued by the military from the LRA in recent weeks were from Congo, CAR and southern Sudan. "(Kony's guerrillas) have been trying to look for survival by spreading their tentacles in the region," he said. "Our forces came into contact with the rebels in CAR and we captured him in action," Ugandan army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Felix Kulayigye told Reuters by telephone from Kampala. The militaries of Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been fighting the LRA in remote south Sudan, northeastern DRC and southern CAR since two years of peace talks collapsed last year. The negotiations stalled amid mutual mistrust after Joseph Kony, the rebels' elusive leader, refused to sign a final peace agreement that the Ugandan government said would have given him and his top deputies immunity from ICC prosecution. More than two decades of rebellion by the LRA have killed tens of thousands of civilians and a large swathe of central Africa has been destabilised by marauding LRA guerrillas who are notorious for slicing off body parts and abducting children.

DTN News: German Ship Released By Pirates Arrives In Kenya

DTN News: German Ship Released By Pirates Arrives In Kenya

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MOMBASA, Kenya - August 9, 2009: A German container ship held for four months by Somali pirates arrived in the Kenyan port of Mombasa late Friday after being ransomed, a port official said. Kenya police patrol the Indian Ocean waters as German container ship Hansa Stavanger arrives at the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, August 8, 2009. Hansa Stavanger, which was held by Somali pirates for four months, arrived at Kenya's Mombasa port on Saturday after a $2.7 million ransom was paid for the release of its 24 crew. "The German ship with 24 crew members is in Mombasa but has to be cleared to dock at the port, and that must be done tomorrow morning," he told AFP. Pirates released the Hansa Stavanger and its 24-strong crew on Monday after being paid 2.7 million dollars in ransom, according to Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based Seafarers Assistance Programme. The 20,000-tonne vessel was seized in April around 400 nautical miles from the Somali coast, between Kenya and the Seychelles. Some 200 sailors from at least 11 ships are still being held in the region. Somali pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships last year, more than twice as many as in 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Rough seas and international navy patrols have curbed pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean recently, but experts have warned the end of the monsoon season could see a fresh flurry of hijackings over the next few weeks.

DTN News: Drug Trafficking In Africa

DTN News: Drug Trafficking In Africa

*Source: DTN News

(NSI News Source Info) BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau - July 6, 2009: People gather around a speedboat believed to be used by drug traffickers in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.Drawn by its vast coastline, limited law enforcement capacity and weak governance, Latin American drug traffickers in recent years have turned West Africa into a major transshipment point for cocaine and other illegal drugs.

People gather around a speedboat of a type believed to be used by drug traffickers, as it unloads cargo at a quay in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. Cocaine trafficking could become the biggest source of income in impoverished Guinea-Bissau, dwarfing all other economic sectors combined, a top U.N official said, adding the influx of drug money could destabilize the coup-prone West African country.

It's estimated that 60% of the cocaine sold in Europe now passes through nations such as Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Ghana and Senegal. That's an alarming trend for both international counternarcotics efforts and the stability of the countries affected.

The United States is coordinating the work of 3 government departments to work with nations in the region and other international partners to confront the problem, which in the near term is expected to get worse before it gets better.

Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson told Congress recently that the U.S. State, Justice and Defense Departments are united in their understanding of the threat drug trafficking poses not only to the nations of West Africa, but to U.S. interests as well.

Guinea has had only two presidents since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the first president, Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003. Unrest in Sierra Leone and Liberia has spilled over into Guinea on several occasions over the past decade, threatening stability and creating humanitarian emergencies. In 2006, declining economic conditions prompted two massive strikes that sparked urban unrest in many Guinean cities.

The problem is not isolated to West Africa alone. Kenya and Ethiopia have become major transshipment routes for heroin coming out of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The impact this has is seen in crime and corruption in the affected countries and ultimately an increase in drug use by people in the transshipment points.

The U.S. is working with the European Commission and United Nations to help nations in the region, with intelligence gathering, maritime patrol and assistance in the criminal justice sector. Ghana, Togo, and Sierra Leone have already demonstrated willingness to working closely with the U.S. and other countries have expressed interest.

DTN News: Al-Qaeda Threat To Peace In East Africa Region

DTN News: Al-Qaeda Threat To Peace In East Africa Region

*Sources: DTN News / The Citizen, Dar Es Salaam ~ Tanzania

(NSI News Source Info) LONDON - June 24, 2009: An Al-Qaeda force fighting alongside Somali extremists against the transitional government has sent ripples through regional capitals. Commanded by a Kenyan, the group, called Al-Muhajirun, has 180 well-trained and battle-hardened fighters, some who have seen action in Afghanistan, Pakistan and possibly Iraq.

Al-Shabaab, the Somali militant group which has threatened to annex Kenyan territory, is not itself considered a serious threat to Kenya, a ministry of Internal Security official told the Nation, "not in the conventional sense" and because its main concerns are domestic.

Al Qaeda mastermind Osama Bin Laden

But Al-Qaeda, whose dream is to create a Taliban-type super-state running from Mozambique to the north, has the potential to destabilise East Africa. Al-Muhajirun has also internationalised the conflict and brought some of the most dangerous terrorists in the world to East Africa?s front door, said the official, who can not be named because of government secrecy laws.

"The extent to which Kenyans are being exposed to these kinds of terrorist things is a major concern," said a senior police officer who asked not to be named so as to comment freely. The emergence of a large and well-trained and armed group reflects a dynamic which could have disastrous consequences for Kenya?s future security.

The group is headed by Kenyan Saleh Nabhan, an old Al-Qaeda hand, and many of its members are Kenyan, some of them young people who have been recruited, turned into radicals and sent to fight in the Somali "jihad", said a regional conflict and peace expert, who declined to be named because of his work with the security services. Security and defence bosses are concerned that Somalia could become East Africa?s Afghanistan, a country that attracts extremists who are trained in terrorism but who return to their own countries to set up Al-Qaeda networks.

They fear that the war in Somalia will spawn a new breed of war-hardened Al-Qaeda terrorists. The other members of Al-Muhajirun are Ugandans, Americans, Europeans and Saudis. Others are from other parts of the Middle East and Asia, said the Internal Security official, who is privy to intelligence reports.

A Mr Abu Mansur al-Meriki, a US citizen, is Nabhan?s deputy in the Al-Muhajirun chain of command. On Saturday, the Speaker of the Somali Transitional Federal Parliament, Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur, also known as Sheikh Aden Madobe, issued an urgent appeal for Yemen, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia to send forces in Somalia within 24 hours to fight off an invasion by Al-Qaeda jihadists and save the fledgling government.

Speaking at a press conference at Villa Somalia, the State House in Mogadishu, Sheikh Madobe said the Transitional Federal Government was fighting against "international jihadists who have come to Somalia from all the five continents of the globe". He claimed that a "general" from Pakistan was now in Somalia and directing the Al-Qaeda.

He did not name him but said he was operating out of Bakara market, the biggest trading centre in Mogadishu and around Sana'a, a strategic junction in north Mogadishu. "This terror will pass on to the rest of the world, especially to neighbouring countries, if not confronted," he warned. On Thursday, suspected terrorists killed Somali National Security minister Omar Hashi Aden and 24 others. A day before, Mogadishu?s police chief was killed during a fight with insurgents. On Sunday, Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang?ula said the government would not respond to statements made by the insurgents.

However, he assured the public that Kenya?s national and strategic interests would be protected at all costs. Nominated MP Sheikh Mohamed Dor dismissed threats from the Al-Shabaab group and said Kenya and other regional countries had a duty to intervene in Somalia to restore peace. "Al-Shabaab should not issue threats, especially against Kenya, that has hosted a lot of Somali leaders," he said on the phone.

Sheikh Dor warned that the escalating situation in Somalia will affect its neighbours and urged members of the African Union or Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) to move in and restore order. Ethiopia, which fought and routed the extremists in 2006, rejected the call for armed intervention and government spokesman Bereket Simon told the Nation in Addis Ababa that Ethiopia would not deploy its armed forces in Somalia without "a clear and approved mandate by the international community". "Any further action from Ethiopia will be done according to the international community's reaction," said Mr Simon.

Mr Simon, a minister in the Ethiopian government, said helping Somalia was not the responsibility of neighbouring countries, alone but of the international community. There has been heightened diplomatic activity in Addis Ababa, with Western diplomats reportedly trying to get Ethiopia, an influential nation in the region because of its huge military, to intervene again in Somalia.

The view in Addis Ababa is that the insurgency in Somalia is largely supported by Eritrea and some Arab states. Eritrea, Ethiopia?s bitter enemy, is reported to have put thousands of troops on alert, possibly with the intention of sending them in to back up the extremists should Ethiopia respond to the call for help.

Ethiopian withdrew its troops from Somalia early this year after a tough, two-year campaign. Defence assistant minister David Musila declined to comment on the deployment on grounds that such matters cannot be discussed in public. But he echoed Mr Wetang?ula?s statement and said Kenya?s national interests will be protected. "It is not in our normal tradition to discuss matters on national security publicly," he said.

There has been some speculation that some form of military action was in the offing, possibly under AU or Igad auspices. But Kenya, which has a relatively large and influential Somali population of its own, has been reluctant to play the aggressor in Somalia and might not attack unless attacked.

But Kenyan security officials appeared to support the Ethiopian position that a multi-lateral, rather than unilateral approach, is the only hope for Somalia.

DTN News: Somalia's al Shaabab Islamists Vow To Fight Any Foreign Troops In The Country

DTN News: Somalia's al Shaabab Islamists Vow To Fight Any Foreign Troops In The Country *Sources: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MOGADISHU, Somalia - June 22, 2009: Somalia's hardline al Shaabab Islamists will fight any foreign troops that come to the aid of the Horn of African government, a spokesman for the insurgent group said on Sunday. A Islamic fighter is seen through a hole caused by shrapnel in a wall, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday, June 18, 2009, as he man a checkpoint. A suicide bombing outside a hotel in western Somalia killed at least 20 people Thursday, including the national security minister. The Somali president accused al-Qaida of being behind the attack. Somali parliament speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Madobe on Saturday called upon neighboring countries such as Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia to send military help to ward off a raging rebellion. The African Union already has 4,300 peacekeepers in Somalia, but they are under constant attack by the Islamists that want to dislodge the government and impose a strict form of sharia, Islamic law. "We tell our enemy that we do not fear any invasion from outside. We forced Ethiopia to withdraw from Somalia early this year and we shall do the same again," al Shabaab's Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage told a press conference. "We, the Somali young mujahideen, shall fight against any troops deployed here to help the government until our last holy fighter passes away. This is a clear signal that the so called government established by the enemy had totally failed." Ethiopia, which had troops in Somalia for two years but withdrew them in January, said on Saturday it would only send in help under a mandate from the international community. But residents close to the border with Ethiopia say their neighbor already has troops in their country. Kenya said on Friday it would not sit by and allow the situation in its neighbor to deteriorate further because it would destabilize the region. Somali government soldiers ride on the back of an armed pickup truck next to the frontline where government troops are still fighting with hardline Islamist insurgents for the capital Mogadishu on June 21, 2009. Somalia's radical Islamist Shebab armed group warned on June 21 against any foreign military intervention after the government pleaded for help. Somalia's Parliament Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur on June 20 urged neighboring countries to send troops to his country within 24 hours to prop up the government. Countries in the region as well as Western nations fear that if the chaos continues in Somalia, groups with links to al Qaeda will become entrenched and threaten the stability of neighboring countries. The U.S. has al Shaabab on its list of terror organizations. "God will help us to overcome all enemies and we believe we shall defeat them. We are not worried about their quantity and whatever weapons they have," Rage said. His group has intensified attacks against the government since May and killed two legislators this week, including the security minister. Some 300 people have been killed since May 7, in fighting residents say is the worst for years. The Horn of Africa country has experienced violence for close to two decades.

DTN News: U.S. Navy Hands Over 17 Suspected Somali Pirates To Kenya

DTN News: U.S. Navy Hands Over 17 Suspected Somali Pirates To Kenya

*Sources: Int'l Media / AFP (NSI News Source Info) MOMBASA, Kenya – June 11, 2009: The US Navy on Wednesday handed over 17 suspected Somali pirates to Kenya, taking the total number held in the east African nation to 101, police said. Some of the seventeen suspected Somali pirates outside the Port police station in Mombasa, Kenya, after they had been disembarked from an American naval warship the MV Frigate Gettysburg Wednesday June 10, 2009, following their apprehension by American naval officers in the dangerous waters off Yemen. The suspected Somali pirates were arrested on May 13, 2009 as they attempted to hijack a merchant cargo ship which was headed to Alexandria port in Egypt. The pirates were armed with six AK47s, one pistol, one Somali sword and one rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher at the time of arrest. They will be charged in a court in Malindi town, 120km north of Mombasa. The suspects were detained in the Gulf of Aden in a joint operation by US and South Korean navies on May 13 as they tried to attack an Egyptian vessel, the MV Amira. "The suspects resisted arrest but the US marines managed to overpower them," said Sebson Wandera, a Coastal province criminal investigation officer. Wandera said the latest group brought the total number of suspected and convicted Somali pirates on Kenyan soil to 101. Over the past year, Nairobi has signed deals with several major naval powers to allow the transfer of suspected Somali pirates to Kenyan courts. The American naval warship Frigate MV Gettysburg as it docks at the Kilindini port of Mombasa, Wednesday June 10, 2009 with seventeen suspected Somali pirates on board who were arrested by the American naval officers. The suspected Somali pirates were arrested on May 13, 2009 as they attempted to hijack a merchant cargo ship which was headed to Alexandria port in Egypt. The pirates were armed with six AK47s, one pistol, one Somali sword and one rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher at the time of arrest. They will be charged in a court in Malindi town, 120km north of Mombasa. Ten out of the 101 pirates have already been convicted and sentenced to a seven year jail each. With holding cells running out of space in the port city of Mombasa, the new arrivals will be transferred to Malindi, a coastal town north 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of Mombasa. Up to 20 foreign warships patrol the pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast to safeguard major shipping lanes at any given time. Pirates currently hold at least 14 ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, along with more than 200 seamen.

DTN News: African Largest Trading Bloc COMESA Kicks Off Summit In Zimbabwe

DTN News: African Largest Trading Bloc COMESA Kicks Off Summit In Zimbabwe

*Source: COMESA

(NSI News Source Info) VICTORIA FALLS - June 10, 2009: The 13th summit of Africa's largest trading group COMESA started in the Zimbabwean resort town of Victoria Falls on Sunday, with the long-anticipated official launch of a regional customs union topping the agenda. Madagascar's ousted President Mark Ravalomanana chats with Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on the second day of the two-day African trade summit Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in Victoria Falls on June 8, 2009. The group, consisting of 19 member countries, has passed a resolution to intervene in Madagascar's political problems to 're-establish constitutional order'. COMESA consists of Burundi, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

It will be the second crucial step taken by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in its process of economic integration after the 19-member bloc established the first free trading area in Africa in 2000 The important move had been confirmed again by COMESA secretary general Sindiso Ngwenya before the summit.

The COMESA chief announced that the customs union will be launched next Monday when the summit came to an end. "The Common Tariff Nomenclature and the Common Customs Documentation (CCD) are in place and what remains is the COMESA Regional Policy still under negotiation," he had said.The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa - promoting regional economic integration through trade and investment.With its 19 member states, population of over 389 million and annual import bill of around US$32 billion with an export bill of US$82 billion COMESA forms a major market place for both internal and external trading. Its area is impressive on the map of the African Continent covering a geographical area of 12 Million (sq km). Its achievements to date have been significant. See the comprehensive statistics At the opening ceremony of the summit, outgoing chairman of COMESA Authority, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki gave a report on progress made since the last summit in Nairobi in 2007, including the movement towards harmonization of policies between COMESA and the other economic blocs of the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community towards an African Economic Community. He said he was encouraged by the fact that intra-COMESA trade had 52 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, up from three billion dollars the previous year.

"As we collectively position ourselves to ushering the next milestone on our regional agenda, let us also remain fully aware of the broader agenda on the integration of the African continent. It is necessary that we focus on the bigger picture by strengthening our relations with other regional blocs," Kibaki said.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni thanked the Zimbabwean political leadership and people for coming up with an inclusive government and averting a potentially serious conflict. He also said COMESA should push for first world status and look at how it can take advantage of the current global economic crisis.

"We need to find how best we can survive and even how best we can take advantage of it," he said. Vice Chairman of African Union Commission Erastus Mwencha decried the fact that although Africa was represented at the last G20 summit, it was still to remove a stimulus package as pledged there. He stressed the need for Africa to consolidate its strategies with climate change, whose effects he said could affect the lives of its citizens.

The customs union aims to lift tariffs among member states while harmonizing barriers with third parties through the Common External Tariff, which the community's heads of state and government adopted in May 2007.

With the theme of "Consolidating Regional Integration through Value Addition, Trade and Food Security", the summit followed a meeting of the Council of Ministers from Tuesday to Thursday and talks of COMESA foreign ministers on Friday and Saturday. The summit, which had originally been set for last year, has been postponed twice.

The COMESA made a put-off decision first to allow the host country Zimbabwe to complete its electoral process which finally gave birth to the formation of an all inclusive government. The meeting was later postponed again as organizers took into account the need to begin the process of implementing the decisions of the summit of three trading blocs held in Uganda last year regarding the harmonization of Free Trade Areas and common external tariffs.

COMESA, headquartered in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, was formed in 1994 to replace its forerunner, the Preferential Trade Area. It enjoys an aggregate population of about 400 million and combined GDP of over 360 billion U.S. dollars.

Somali Pirates Seize Another Boat

Somali Pirates Seize Another Boat

(NSI News Source Info) April 12, 2009: Somali pirates have hijacked a tugboat in the Gulf of Aden with 16 crew members on board - 10 of them Italians. Maritime industry sources say the tug was towing two barges at the time of the attack at 0800 GMT. The crew are said to be unharmed. The US merchant ship Maersk Alabama steers past a ferry boat at the entrance of the port of Mombasa on April 11, 2009. The US-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama and its American crew, seized briefly by Somali pirates earlier in the week, docked in Mombasa, its original destination in Kenya. Meanwhile pirates holding a US captain hostage have warned that using force to rescue him could result in "disaster". They said they hoped to put Capt Richard Phillips on a larger vessel. US ships are on their way to the area. He is being held by four pirates in a lifeboat hundreds of kilometres off Somalia. In other developments: *Sailors on a Panama-flagged bulk carrier repulsed a pirate attack with water hoses. Nato officials on a nearby Portuguese warship said an unexploded rocket-propelled grenade landed in the commanding officer's cabin *On Friday, one Frenchman and two pirates were killed in a rescue operation by French troops on another vessel captured off Somalia. Four others, including a child, were freed from the yacht Growing concern Earlier reports suggested that a group of Somali elders were preparing to mediate between American officials and the pirates for Capt Phillips' release, but there has been no news of any progress. The US national was taken hostage on Wednesday after pirates hijacked his ship, the Maersk Alabama, as it sailed towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa carrying food aid.

After a long struggle, crew members regained control of the ship. It is thought Capt Phillips offered himself as a hostage in order to save his crew. The Maersk Alabama arrived in Mombasa late on Saturday. "He's a hero," one crew member shouted as the ship moored, referring to Capt Phillips. The BBC's Karen Allen at the port says there is unprecedented security. FBI agents are on board the ship. Maersk President and Chief Executive Officer John Reinhart told journalists the ship was now a crime scene and the crew would have to stay on it during the investigation. They would all be repatriated as soon as possible, he added. There has been rising concern in the US over the fate of the captain - Defence Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Washington on Friday that his safe return was a "top priority". FBI experts are helping negotiate his release, but analysts have said the process could be lengthy. Capt Phillips tried to escape on Friday by jumping overboard and swimming towards a nearby US ship, but was recaptured. Reports in the US say the pirates are demanding a ransom of $2m for his safe release. The US Navy destroyer, USS Bainbridge, is at the scene of the confrontation with other American warships on the way. Stories circulating in Somalia claim that extra pirate ships are also making their way towards the area. The pirates say they hope to transfer Capt Phillips to a bigger and better-protected vessel. The Pentagon is also said to be considering other options, including possible military force, US sources say. But the Somali pirate commander warned against any forcible intervention. "I'm afraid this matter is likely to create disaster because it is taking too long and we are getting information that the Americans are planning rescue tricks like the French commandos did," Abdi Garad said. French ordeal The attacks have renewed international focus on hijackings in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Florent Lemacon, the owner of the French yacht and father of the child who was on board, was killed during the rescue operation. French Defence Minister Herve Morin said on Saturday that officials "cannot rule out" that Mr Lemacon was killed by French fire. But he said the raid was "the best possible decision," and that an investigation would determine what happened on board the Tanit. The four released hostages - Mr Lemacon's wife Chloe, their three-year-old son Colin, and two other adults - are due to arrive in Paris on Sunday, he said. Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, fuelling the lawlessness which has allowed the pirates to thrive. Pirates typically hold the ships and crews until large ransoms are paid by the shipping companies. Last year the firms handed over about $80m (£54m). Efforts to stop the pirates have so far had only limited success, with international naval patrols struggling to cover the vast areas of ocean where pirates operate.

U.S. Crew Regain Control Of Hijacked Ship, Negotiate Captain's Release

U.S. Crew Regain Control Of Hijacked Ship, Negotiate Captain's Release

(NSI News Source Info) April 9, 2009: American crew members aboard a U.S.-flagged ship hijacked by Somali pirates Wednesday were able to regain control of the vessel, but the ship's captain is still being held hostage, FOX News confirms. A defense official said the Maersk Alabama's captain is being held captive on board a lifeboat belonging to the sihp.

Wednesday April 8, 2009 by Maersk Line, shows the 17,000-ton container ship Maersk Alabama, when it was operating under the name Maersk Alva, which has been hijacked by Somalia pirates with 20 crew members aboard while sailing from Salalah in Oman to the Kenyan port of Mombassa via Djibouti. Four pirates are in the lifeboat and according to the official there is no clear evidence that a pirate remains captive with the U.S. crew. Speaking on the ship's satellite phone, one of the 20 crew members said they had been taken hostage but managed to seize one pirate and then successfully negotiate their own release. He said negotiations are under way for the captain's release. "All the crew members are trained in security detail in how to deal with piracy," Maersk CEO John Reinhart told reporters. "As merchant vessels we do not carry arms. We have ways to push back, but we do not carry arms." John Harris, CEO of HollowPoint Security Services, which specializes in maritime security, said that the crew's overtaking the pirates could help prevent future hijackings, especially since the military can't protect the entire high seas.

"Any time you can get intel from them, they can give you any kind of significant information, they more than likely will not, but anything we can get will always help us in the future," Harris told FOX News. "Naval vessels ... can't be everywhere at one time, just like law enforcement," he said, noting that the U.S. Navy has been protecting the most vulnerable shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean. "If you saturate an area long enough in the shipping lanes, if you saturate it with war ships long enough, they venture out. In this case that's what they did. They want 350 miles out of the coast where no Naval vessels were present," he said. As for the boldness of the pirates taking a ship operating under a U.S. flag, Harris said pirates don't care which ship they grab. "We have not seen it matters at all. This is a business to them. They are not intended on carrying what cargo we're carrying. All they want to do is see a dollar figure. They know if they catch a big ship, they get big money. All they want is ransom out of this. They are not worried about crew or cargo," Harris said. Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman said earlier Wednesday he has "no information to suggest the 20 crew members of the Maersk Alabama have been harmed by the pirates." During its one communication with the ship, Maersk was told the crew was safe, Reinhart said. He would not release the names of the crew members. Cmdr. Jane Campbell, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said that it was the first pirate attack "involving U.S. nationals and a U.S.-flagged vessel in recent memory." Wednesday's incident was the first such hostage-taking involving U.S. citizens in 200 years. In December 2008, Somali pirates chased and shot at a U.S. cruise ship with more than 1,000 people on board but failed to hijack the vessel. The top two commanders of the ship graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the Cape Cod Times reported Wednesday. Andrea Phillips, the wife of Capt. Richard Phillips of Underhill, Vt., said her husband has sailed in those waters "for quite some time" and a hijacking was perhaps "inevitable." The Cape Cod Times reported his second in command, Capt. Shane Murphy, was also among the 20 Americans aboard the Maersk Alabama. Capt. Joseph Murphy, a professor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, says his son is a 2001 graduate who recently talked to a class about the dangers of pirates. The newspaper reported the 33-year-old Murphy had phoned his mother to say he was safe. The 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama was carrying emergency relief to Mombasa, Kenya, at the time it was hijacked, for the Copenhagen-based container shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk. Robert A. Wood, Deputy State Department Spokesman, told reporters the ship was carrying "vegetable oil, corn soy blend and other basic food commodities bound for Africa."

RAF Ground Crews Keep Pumas Flying Over Kenya

RAF Ground Crews Keep Pumas Flying Over Kenya

(NSI News Source Info) April 7, 2009: A team of RAF ground crew with a whole range of specialist skills are currently deployed to Kenya where they are supporting a Puma helicopter Force on a British Army training exercise. 230 Squadron who are known as "The Tigers", are based at RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland. They have taken three of their Puma helicopters to Kenya for Exercise Grand Prix 6 which sees the 1st Battalion the Grenadier Guards carry out training in preparation for a future deployment to Afghanistan. The squadron is based at a private airfield right on the Equator, a ten minute drive from the town of Nanyuki where British forces control the exercise. The airfield sits on the border between the Rift Valley and Central Province of Kenya at an altitude of 6,000 feet (1,829m) and with Mount Kenya towering some 16,000 feet (4,877m) above as a backdrop. The Squadron's main role on the exercise is to support the Grenadier Guards with casualty evacuation. The main Exercise area, Archers Post, is a five-hour drive from Nanyuki and with soldiers on the ground for weeks at-a-time it is inevitable that some will need medical treatment that cannot be dealt with in the arid bush conditions where temperatures reach up to 50 degrees. A Puma from 230 Squadron RAF engaged in underslung load training. The Ground Crew conduct safety checks on a Puma before flying takes place. The Puma force is there to fly the casualties either to base camp at Nanyuki or on to a hospital in Nairobi. The Squadron also helps with troop movement to and from the exercise area. This allows the aircrew to test their flying skills and aircraft capability in a completely different flying environment and to gain further flying qualifications and experience for future deployments. On a visit to the squadron in Kenya Wing Commander Richard Madison, Commanding Officer, said: "The training in Kenya is very different to the training we do in Northern Ireland. At home our training takes pilots up in their core skills of low, night and instrumental flying. In Kenya they are flying at 6,000 feet and above in really hot conditions pushing the aircraft to the edge of its performance - it's much more advanced flying." The aircrew are important to the exercise, but their job would be impossible without a highly trained and skilled ground crew. To get the Puma off the ground takes personnel skilled in various avionic trades and other skills, so a team of 45 from 230 Squadron are deployed to keep the crew and aircraft ready for any eventuality. Among them are Acting Warrant Officer Kevin Sturdy who is detachment engineering officer for the Exercise and is in control of the engineers doing maintenance for the Puma. He said: "I work with roughly ten engineers per shift, they have different trade disciplines, mechanical which covers the airframe engines aspect of the aircraft and avionics which covers the electrical and avionics equipment on the aircraft. "I also have armourers, ground equipment fitters, safety equipment fitters and suppliers. I'm here to manage the team and see the Exercise through to the end and to get the aircraft back to Aldergrove." Corporal Shaun Miles has been stationed in RAF Aldergrove for over two years and is a weapons technician. During the exercise he manages weapons on the aircraft. He said: "The aircraft is fitted with a general purpose machine gun, the loadmaster, that is the crew member in the back of the aircraft, mans the gun. It's there for the sole purpose of protection against wild animals, so if there's a fault with the aircraft and they have to land somewhere where there is no support they have protection. There are some pretty big cats out there! "Back at home in Northern Ireland there is little need for weapons technicians so it's good to brush up on my skills." Cpl Miles has been working with Pumas for five years and is confident with the aircraft: "When an aircraft lands it's all hands on to do an after flight servicing which takes two guys about an hour. The main checks are on consumables, that's the oil and hydraulic fluids and the rotor tail is greased after every flight. Landings out here are very dusty and that erodes all the blades and our most time consuming job is changing, tuning and balancing the blades. "It's like your car when you've got your new tyres on you need to balance the wheels, we have to put weights on the blades to make them smooth. There's quite a lot to getting the aircraft in the air!" Senior Aircraftman Jay Thompson is a survival equipment fitter. He said: "What I do is look after pilots flying helmets, clothing, night vision goggles, infrared equipment, life support jerkins and life rafts. Everything they might need if they end up in the worst situation and the aircraft comes down, our kit keeps them alive. We check the equipment before and after flying, there are routine services carried out and items fixed and changed regularly. "I did nine months training specifically for my trade. The equipment differs for different types of aircraft, I have worked with Hercules, fast jets and I did a year with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight on their 50th anniversary and have flown on the Lancaster and the Dakota, it's a great job." Senior Aircraftman Darren Bain is an Avionic Technician, he has been in the RAF for eight years and stationed at RAF Aldergrove for the last 18 months. He said: "My job is to service avionic and electrical systems of the Puma which are mainly to do with navigation and communications, that kind of thing. It can be a challenge to chase down faults in these areas but that keeps it interesting. I did a 14-month electrical course to specify in my trade". As well as the highly skilled ground crew preparing and maintaining the aircraft and equipment on Exercise with 230 Squadron are communications, operations, transport and administration staff and chefs. Lance Corporal Leba Draunidalo is a chef normally based at RAF Aldergrove. She is on Exercise cooking for the Squadron in a joint Army and RAF kitchen: "We can be feeding up to 350 people for lunch and up to 250 at dinner time," she said. "We prepare similar food to home but the conditions are not as good. We don't have as much equipment out here and everything has to be done from scratch, there is no air conditioning so it's really hot. I would love to try some of the local dishes but time doesn't really allow for it. "I work alongside some locally employed civilian staff, one guy, Daniel, had worked in the kitchen at a local five-star hotel but finds the working conditions and pay is better with us. He is giving us some idea of local cuisine." Nanyuki is a market town with most of the members of the population earning their money through trade. Shops in the town supply many farms, ranches and game parks in a wide circle. The presence of the Military at the Nanyuki Show Grounds (NSG) has brought employment to some 2,000 locally employed civilians who fulfil various roles at the NSG. The jobs here are highly sought after and bring benefits both financially and educationally to the area. 230 Squadron have also become involved in supporting Nanyuki Children's home during their time in Kenya. The home has 120 full time residents with various backgrounds. The staff also work in the community running, health and sex education programmes and supporting vulnerable children within extended families. Hellen, the manager of the Children's home, said: "We are very grateful for all the work the RAF are doing for us, they have already negotiated payment for a new kitchen and got it up and running for us, they come on their days off, work and paint, clean and clear up what they can. "We rely totally on donations to keep running and any help is most appreciated. We spend so much money on medication, food and keeping the children in school, it's hard to get the more practical stuff done. It's also great to see the children joining in football games with the RAF guys, it gives them contact with adults and a real sense that someone cares enough to spend some time with them."

G20 Summit To Tackle Global Financial Crisis, But Consensus On Solution Uncertain

G20 Summit To Tackle Global Financial Crisis, But Consensus On Solution Uncertain

(NSI News Source Info) Washington D.C - March 31, 2009: The G20 summit in London April 1st and 2nd aims to reach a consensus on how to solve the global economic crisis. However, there are many challenges that must be met first. Professor John Kirton, director of the G20 Research Group at the University of Toronto, says world leaders face "a very big job across a very broad agenda." "The first thing they have to do is to make sure that the fiscal and monetary stimulus that the G20 countries are injecting into their economies to get growth back, to provide jobs for their citizens, is enough. That it's working well. That it's targeted in the areas that will really help the most. Secondly, they've got to make sure that the financial system is working by unblocking the credit channels," he says. That means comprehensive and up-to-date supervision and regulation of the financial industry. Kirton also warns against a knee-jerk reaction to the global recession. He says, "They have to make sure that we don't see an outburst of vicious trade protectionism, which everyone knows punishes all concerned. But [it] is such a temptation for politicians to engage in to appear to be doing something for their voters back home." Other challenges include meeting the Millennium Development Goals and modernizing major financial institutions. "We need to reform the global financial architecture, particularly the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, international institutions that were designed in and for a world of 1944, but really need to be changed for the 21st Century global economy we now have," he says. However, although the problems are shared by all at the G20 summit, getting them all to agree still won't be easy. "When you have up to 28 leaders from very diverse parts of the world, levels of development, culture, it's very difficult to get consensus - far more difficult than it is to get in the old G8 club," he says. Kirton also says that the current financial crisis is "characterized by a degree of complexity and uncertainty that's never been seen before." "So in some sense, they're all in this together searching in the dark for a common answer. And I think that is a unifying bond that will pull them together," he says. At last November's summit in Washington, the G20 did set the groundwork for modernizing the financial structure. This includes assessing financial risks not just at individual institutions, but across the whole financial sector. Kirton also says financial institutions must end a typical cycle of economic behavior. "So, for example, when times are good and banks are making a lot of money, they should set aside more capital for a rainy day (bad times). At present of course, when times are good, they think they don't need that safety net so they put aside less. Then when times are bad, of course, they realize they need it so they start hoard their cash – exactly the wrong thing to do," he says. Into this crisis steps the new US President, Barack Obama, who, Kirton says, carries with him great hopes and expectations. But he'll face European leaders, who may disagree with his economic stimulus plans. The unknown factor at the G20 summit is China, which has plenty of money at its disposal. "It's difficult to imagine that even if the United States and the Europeans come to a strong consensus that they can actually solve the global problem unless China shares in that leadership," he says. The director of the G20 Research Group expects the summit to address the needs of developing countries for at least two reasons. One is the long-standing commitment of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to helping poor countries. And the other, Kirton says, is the understanding Barack Obama has, from personal experience, of how the crisis could affect such countries as Indonesia and Kenya. The unanswered question is: Will parliaments and congress back home follow through and release the money needed to help poor countries?

Counterterrorism Funding: Old Fears and Cyclical Lulls

Counterterrorism Funding: Old Fears and Cyclical Lulls

By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart STRATFOR

(NSI News Source Info) March 19, 2009: Two years ago, we wrote an article discussing the historical pattern of the boom and bust in counterterrorism spending. In that article we discussed the phenomenon whereby a successful terrorist attack creates a profound shock that is quite often followed by an extended lull. We noted how this dynamic tends to create a pendulum effect in public perception and how public opinion is ultimately translated into public policy that produces security and counterterrorism funding. In other words, the shock of a successful terrorist attack creates a crisis environment in which the public demands action from the government and Washington responds by earmarking vast amounts of funds to address the problem. Then the lull sets in, and some of the programs created during the crisis are scrapped entirely or are killed by a series of budget cuts as the public’s perception of the threat changes and its demands for government action focus elsewhere. The lull eventually is shattered by another attack — and another infusion of money goes to address the now-neglected problem. On March 13, The Washington Post carried a story entitled “Hardened U.S. Embassies Symbolic of Old Fears, Critics Say.” The story discussed the new generation of U.S. Embassy buildings, which are often referred to as “Inman buildings” by State Department insiders. This name refers to buildings constructed in accordance with the physical security standards set by the Secretary of State’s Advisory Panel on Overseas Security, a panel chaired by former Deputy CIA Director Adm. Bobby Inman following the 1983 attacks against the U.S. embassies in Beirut and Kuwait City. The 1985 Inman report, which established these security requirements and contributed to one of the historical security spending booms, was also responsible for beefing up the State Department’s Office of Security and transforming it into the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). It has been 11 years since a U.S. Embassy has been reduced to a smoking hole in the ground, and the public’s perception of the threat appears to be changing once again. In The Washington Post article, Stephen Schlesinger, an adjunct fellow at the Century Foundation, faults the new Inman building that serves as the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York for being unattractive and uninviting. Schlesinger is quoted as saying: “Rather than being an approachable, beckoning embassy — emphasizing America’s desire to open up to the rest of the globe and convey our historically optimistic and progressive values — it sits across from the U.N. headquarters like a dark, forbidding fortress, saying, ‘Go away.’” When opinion leaders begin to express such sentiments in The Washington Post, it is an indication that we are now in the lull period of the counterterrorism cycle. Tensions Over Security There has always been a tension between security and diplomacy in the U.S. State Department. There are some diplomats who consider security to be antithetical to diplomacy and, like Mr. Schlesinger, believe that U.S. diplomatic facilities need to be open and accessible rather than secure. These foreign service officers (FSOs) also believe that regional security officers are too risk averse and that they place too many restrictions on diplomats to allow them to practice effective diplomacy. (Regional security officer — RSO — is the title given to a DSS special agent in charge of security at an embassy.) To quote one FSO, DSS special agents are “cop-like morons.” People who carry guns instead of demarches and who go out and arrest people for passport and visa fraud are simply not considered “diplomatic.” There is also the thorny issue that in their counterintelligence role, DSS agents are often forced to confront FSOs over personal behavio r (such as sexual proclivities or even crimes) that could be considered grounds for blackmail by a hostile intelligence service. On the other side of the coin, DSS agents feel the animosity emanating from those in the foreign service establishment who are hostile to security and who oppose the DSS efforts to improve security at diplomatic missions overseas. DSS agents refer to these FSOs as “black dragons” — a phrase commonly uttered in conjunction with a curse. DSS agents see themselves as the ones left holding the bag when an FSO disregards security guidelines, does something reckless, and is robbed, raped or murdered. It is most often the RSO and his staff who are responsible for going out and picking up the pieces when something turns bad. It is also the RSO who is called before a U.S. government accountability review board when an embassy is attacked and destroyed. In the eyes of a DSS special agent, then, a strong, well-protected building conveys a far better representation of American values and strength than does a smoldering hole in the ground, where an “accessible&# 8221; embassy once stood. In the mind of a DSS agent, dead diplomats can conduct no diplomacy. This internal tension has also played a role in the funding boom and bust for diplomatic security overseas. Indeed, DSS agents are convinced that the black dragons consistently attempt to cut security budgets during the lull periods. When career foreign service officers like Sheldon Krys and Anthony Quainton were appointed to serve as assistant secretaries for diplomatic security — and presided over large cuts in budgets and manpower — many DSS agents were convinced that Krys and Quainton had been placed in that position specifically to sabotage the agency. DSS agents were suspicious of Quainton, in particular, because of his history. In February 1992, while Quainton was serving as the U.S. ambassador to Peru, the ambassador’s residence in Lima was attacked by Shining Path guerrillas who detonated a large vehicular-borne improvised explosive device in the street next to it. A team sent by the DSS counterterrorism investigations division to investigate the attack concluded in its report that Quainton’s refusal to follow the RSO’s recommendation to alter his schedule was partially responsible for the attack. The report angered Quainton, who became the assistant secretary for diplomatic security seven months later. Shortly after assuming his post, Quainton proclaimed to his staff that “terrorism is dead” and ordered the abolishment of the DSS counterterrorism investigations division. Using a little bureaucratic sleight of hand, then-DSS Director Clark Dittmer renamed the office the Protective Intelligence Investigations Division (PII) and allowed it to maintain its staff and function. Although Quainton had declared terrorism dead, special agents assigned to the PII office would be involved in the investigation of the first known al Qaeda attacks against U.S. interests in Aden and Sanaa,Yemen, in December 1992. They also played a significant role in the investigation of the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993, the investigation of the 1993 New York Landmarks Plot and many subsequent terrorism cases. Boom-and-Bust Funding One of the problems problem created by the feast-or-famine cycle of security funding is that during the boom times, when there is a sudden (and often huge) influx of cash, agencies sometimes have difficulty spending all the money allotted to them in a logical and productive manner. Congress, acting on strong public opinion, often will give an agency even more than it initially requested for a particular program — and then expect an immediate solution to the problem. Rather than risk losing these funds, the agencies scramble to find ways to spend them. Then, quite often, by the time the agency is able to get its act together and develop a system effectively to use the funds, the lull has set in and funding is cut. These cuts frequently are accompanied by criticism of how the agency spent the initial glut of funding. Whether or not it was a conscious effort on the part of people like Quainton, funding for diplomatic security programs was greatly reduced during the lull period of the 1990s. In addition to a reduction in the funding provided to build new embassies or bring existing buildings up to Inman standards, RSOs were forced to make repeated cuts in budgets for items such as local guard forces, residential security and the maintenance of security equipment such as closed-circuit TV cameras and vehicular barriers. These budget cuts were identified as a contributing factor in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. The final report of the Crowe Commission, which was established to investigate the attacks, notes that its accountability review board members “were especially disturbed by the collective failure of the U.S. government over the past decade to provide adequate resources to reduce the vulnerability of U.S. diplomatic missions to terrorist attacks in most countries around the world.” The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi was known to be vulnerable. Following the August 1997 raid on the Nairobi residence of Wadih el-Hage, U.S. officials learned that el-Hage and his confederates had conducted extensive pre-operational surveillance against the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, indicating that they planned to attack the facility. The U.S. ambassador in Nairobi, citing the embassy’s vulnerability to car bomb attacks, asked the state department in December 1997 to authorize a relocation of the embassy to a safer place. In its January 1998 denial of the request, the state department said that, in spite of the threat and vulnerability, the post’s “medium” terrorism threat level did not warrant the expenditure. Old Fears The 1998 East Africa embassy bombings highlighted the consequences of the security budget cuts that came during the lull years. Clearly, terrorism was not dead then, nor is it dead today, in spite of the implications in the March 13 Washington Post article. Indeed, the current threat of attacks directed against U.S. diplomatic facilities is very real. Since January 2008, we have seen attacks against U.S. diplomatic facilities in Sanaa, Yemen; Istanbul, Turkey; Kabul, Afghanistan; Belgrade, Serbia; and Monterrey, Mexico (as well as attacks against Ameri can diplomats in Pakistan, Sudan and Lebanon). Since 2001, there have also been serious attacks against U.S. diplomatic facilities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Karachi, Pakistan; Damascus, Syria; Athens, Greece; and Baghdad, Iraq. Even if one believes, as we do, that al Qaeda’s abilities have been severely degraded since 9/11, it must be recognized that the group and its regional franchises still retain the ability to conduct tactical strikes. In fact, due to the increased level of security at U.S. diplomatic missions, most of the attacks conducted by jihadists have been directed against softer targets such as hotels or the embassies of other foreign countries. Indeed, attacks that were intended to be substantial strikes against U.S. diplomatic facilities in places like Sanaa, Jeddah and Istanbul have been thwarted by the security measures in place at those facilities. Even in Damascus, where the embassy was an older facility that did not meet Inman standards, adequate security measures (aided by poor planning and execution on the part of the attackers) helpe d thwart a potentially disastrous attack. However, in spite of the phrase “war on terrorism,” terrorism is a tactic and not an entity. One cannot kill or destroy a tactic. Historically, terrorism has been used by a wide array of actors ranging from neo-Nazis to anarchists and from Maoists to jihadists. Even when the Cold War ended and many of the state-sponsored terrorist groups lost their funding, the tactic of terrorism endured. Even if the core al Qaeda leaders were killed or captured tomorrow and the jihadist threat were neutralized next week, terrorism would not go away. As we have previously pointed out, ideologies are far harder to kill than individuals. There will always be actors with various ideologies who will embrace terrorism as a tactic to strike a stronger enemy, and as the sole global superpower, the U.S. and its diplomatic missions will be target ed for terrorist attacks for the foreseeable future — or at least the next 100 years. During this time, the booms and busts of counterterrorism and security spending will continue in response to successful attacks and in the lulls between spectacular terrorist strikes like 9/11. During the lulls in this cycle, it will be easy for complacency to slip in — especially when there are competing financial needs. But terrorism is not going to go away any time soon, and when emotion is removed from the cycle, a logical and compelling argument emerges for consistently supplying enough money to protect U.S. embassies and other essential facilities.

Somalia's Islamist Insurgent Adopting Sharia Law For Country / Somalia One Step Nearer To Sharia Law

Somalia's Islamist Insurgent Adopting Sharia Law For Country / Somalia One Step Nearer To Sharia Law

(NSI News Source Info) March 16, 2009: The fighting in Somalia is coming down to a battle between traditional Islamic practices (the mystical Sufi form) and the more radical Wahhabi version, imported from Saudi Arabia and concentrated in the al Shabaab group. Wahhabi Moslems consider Sufi to be a heresy (Wahhabi tends to consider any form of Islam other than theirs to be heresy). Al Qaeda is heavily influenced by Wahhabism.

The name of Somalia's Islamist insurgent group al-Shabab - it means "The Lads" - may conjure images of a lovable band of rogues. But the radical militia is a fiercely secretive and ruthless organisation with alleged links to al-Qaeda. The leaders of the group - which has taken over swathes of central and southern Somalia - are unknown to their subordinates.

The traditionalists were behind the formation of the Islamic Courts, and currently control the Transitional National Government (TNG). It's not unusual for religious leaders to play a prominent role in Somali politics. It's happened before when secular leaders were not up to the task. New ideas and practices imported from across the Gulf of Aden in Arabia is also a common part of Somali culture.

In fact, many aspects of Somalia culture were imported from Arabia. So Wahhabism is just another cultural artifact that came over, and landed with uncertain results. Along with Wahhabism came al Qaeda, violent intolerance, suicide bombers and the generally self-destructive tactics that have led to al Qaeda failing everywhere it tried to take up residence. Kenya now has arrangements with the European Union, as well as the United States, to try and, if convicted, incarcerate Somali pirates captured by the international anti-piracy patrol. Since World War II, international law has eliminated most of the traditional practices for dealing with pirates, largely on the premise that traditional piracy was gone forever. This proved to be incorrect. The showdown between the moderate Moslems, as represented by the Islamic Courts (who currently control the government, such as it is), and the Islamic radicals (al Shabaab) is basically about traditional Somali practices (the Islamic Courts) and the new ideas (al Qaeda and the effort to conquer the world for Islam).

However, al Shabaab does represent one practice found often in Somali history; being a bully. Somalis are big on intimidation and getting their way. That's the main reason why Somalia has had no government for the last 18 years. The Islamic Courts, now in control of the government, are imposing Sharia (Islamic) law throughout the country (or wherever they control the population).

Al Shabaab also is imposing Sharia, but favors a much stricter form, which is less popular. But al Shabaab is also more ruthless, having been accused of murdering four more moderate clerics recently. Off the north coast, the pirate attacks continue, but are much less successful because of all the foreign warships. The U.S. has also brought in a large (40,000 ton) amphibious ship, carrying helicopters, landing craft and a thousand marines. March 15, 2009: Al Shabaab and Islamic Courts gunmen fought for control of the town of Wabho, north of Mogadishu. Eleven people died, most of them Al Shabaab, and the radicals retreated. But al Shabaab are bringing in reinforcements, for another try. The new government is massing gunmen in Mogadishu, in an attempt to restore order to the city. The Somali economy has survived without a government since 1991, but has not thrived. A third of the population survives on foreign aid, mainly free food. But this is imperiled by the chronic crime. More and more of the food aid is being stolen. The only businesses that can survive are those that obtain the protection of a warlord.

Many merchants and professionals are not able to work with this (often because warlords don't want to deal with a bunch of businesses, and eliminate competition by not protecting a large number of suppliers of goods and professional services. That means most of the lawyers and technical specialists have fled the country. Even many medical personnel have gone, frightened by the violence and lawlessness. Thus the Somali economy has become very basic, but evolved so that it can thrive in a violent and unpredictable environment. March 12, 2009: Al Shabaab gunmen in Mogadishu again attacked Burundi peacekeepers. One al Shabaab man was killed. March 8, 2009: Al Shabaab has warned Kenya to not interfere with its gunmen operating along the border. This is a seemingly bold, but typically Somali, attitude towards Kenyans. In this case, Kenya has a lot of powerful allies, like the United States, and is not that intimidated. But the Somalis militants are violent and unpredictable, so the Kenyans are braced for anything. For the last two years, Kenya has officially closed the border, but Somalis continue to use it (for fleeing as refugees, or smuggling both ways). March 6, 2009: For the eighth time in the last six months, Somali pirates attempted to seize a ship off the Kenyan coast, in this case 480 kilometers east of Mombassa. One of those attacks succeeded, and a Saudi tanker was seized. Since then, crews of large ships headed to and from the southern tip of Africa, are on high alert as the pass Kenya and Somalia. March 5, 2009: An Egyptian ship, held two months by pirates in Puntland, was released after the payment of a million dollar ransom. The pirates still hold ten ships, while random negotiations continue.

Pakistani Officials On Board For Drone Attacks: Reports

Pakistani Officials On Board For Drone Attacks: Reports/WSJ

(NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK - February 19, 2009: Although Pakistan's leaders have publicly denounced US missile strikes as an attack on the country's sovereignty, but privately Pakistani military and intelligence officers are aiding these attacks and have given significant support to recent US missions, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday quoting officials from both countries. Tribesmen gather at the site of a drone missile attack in Tappi, a village 20 km east of Miramshah. American unmanned Predator aircraft have killed scores of militants in Pakistan in more than 30 missile strikes since August, provoking outrage in the South Asian nation. Two in the past four days have killed more than 50 suspected militants. Yet, with the Taliban pushing deeper into the country, Pakistan's civilian and military leaders, while publicly condemning the attacks, have come to see the strikes as effective and are passing on intelligence that has helped recent missions, say officials from both countries. As a result, ‘the Predator strikes are more and more precise,’ a Pakistani official told WSJ. The newspaper said that eleven of al Qaeda's top 20 commanders have been killed or captured since August because of the Predator missions conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency, according to the Pakistani official, and current and former US intelligence officials. Dennis C. Blair, the new US director of national intelligence, said last week that ‘a succession of blows’ to al Qaeda in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas have thrown the group off balance, forcing it to promote inexperienced operators to leadership posts. The Journal said among those killed include al Qaeda military's chief, Khalid Habib; Abu Layth al-Libi, whom US officials described as ‘a rising star’ in the group; Abu Khabab al-Masri, al Qaeda's leading chemical-weapons expert; and Usama al-Kini, who was believed to be involved in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and later planned attacks in Pakistan. Drones help in surveillance and target identification as well as strikes. On Jan. 22, Pakistani paramilitary forces arrested Zabu ul Taifi, a Saudi national and alleged al Qaeda operative, in an operation described by a Pakistani intelligence officer as ‘a direct result of better cooperation’ with the US. An officer from Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's premier spy agency, said Mr. Taifi was located at a safe house in the Khyber Agency, one of the tribal areas that run along the border with Afghanistan, through a combination of human intelligence from Pakistani agents, informants on the ground and aerial surveillance by US drones. Once authorities were confident Mr. Taifi was in the walled, mud compound, Pakistani paramilitary forces backed by helicopters grabbed him, the officer said. Throughout, Predator drones hovered overhead and would have attacked if Mr. Taifi or other suspects had tried to escape, the officer said. In all, Mr. Taifi and six other men —Afghans and Pakistanis —were nabbed in the raid. Maj. Gen Akhtar Abbas, a spokesman for the military, said Pakistan and the US ‘has a long history of military cooperation and intelligence sharing.’ But he said it doesn't include the missiles strikes. ‘We have made our opposition clear,’ he said. ‘The strikes are counterproductive.’

Kenya: Cargo Unloaded From Ukrainian Ship MV Faina

Kenya: Cargo Unloaded From Ukrainian Ship MV Faina(NSI News Source Info) February 16, 2009: Military vehicles are seen after they were unloaded from the MV Faina, at the port of Mombasa, Kenya, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009. Somali pirates seized the Faina, laden with several dozen tanks and other heavy weapons off the Horn of Africa on Sept. 25, 2008. The ship and crew were released only last week, after pirates sped off in skiffs with a USD 3.2 million (euro 2.48 million) ransom that had been dropped to the ship's deck by parachute.Port workers look on as a military vehicle is unloaded from the MV Faina and loaded onto a rail wagon at the port of Mombasa, Kenya, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009. Somali pirates seized the Faina, laden with several dozen tanks and other heavy weapons, off the Horn of Africa on Sept. 25, 2008.

Freed Faina Unloads Tanks In Kenya, Crew Return Home

Freed Faina Unloads Tanks In Kenya, Crew Return Home

(NSI News Source Info) Kiev, Ukraine - February 15, 2009: Twenty joyful but exhausted sailors stepped off a plane and into the arms of their loved ones — a happy ending to an emotionally searing four-month hijack drama off the coast of Somalia. A Kenyan soldier pushes military equipment as the recently freed Ukrainian cargo ship, the MV Faina, is unloaded in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009. Pirates seized the Faina off the Horn of Africa on Sept. 25 and released it last week, speeding off in skiffs with a US$3.2 million ransom dropped on to the deck by parachute. Embracing sobbing wives and parents in the freezing cold outside Kiev's Boryspil Airport on Friday, the crew of the MV Faina — 17 Ukrainians, two Russians and a Latvian — recounted how they were crammed into a tiny room and haunted by the fear of never seeing their families again. Somali pirates seized the Faina, laden with several dozen tanks and other heavy weapons, off the Horn of Africa on September 25. The ship and crew were released only last week, after pirates sped off in skiffs with a $3.2 million ransom that had been dropped to the ship's deck by parachute. In between, hunger, fear, worry and sadness gnawed at the Faina's crew. Looking tired and frail, most clad in green camouflage-patterened coats, the suntanned sailors said their diet consisted almost exclusively of rice or noodles only once or twice a day. They spent most of their 18-week ordeal caged up elbow-to-elbow in a small cabin, and were seldom allowed walks on the deck. "They put us in a cage like this was a safari and nobody came to us, nobody talked to us," said Atrium Girzhev, a skinny 22-year-old mechanic whose mother, Olga, had trembled with anxiety as she waited for him to disembark the plane. Girzhev said the crew tried to keep their spirits up by reading and rereading a small collection of books on the ship. Olexandr Prisukha, 44, said the pirates treated them roughly for the first month or so, but then eased up after some crew members made progress learning Somali and helped the pirates recover when they fell ill. "We wanted to live, and we survived," a smiling Prisukha said after embracing his wife, Olena, 41. "We're grateful to everyone who took part in our rescue." Still, he complained that the arms-laden ship was sent into dangerous waters with no military escort and no means of protection against pirates. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko joined family members who greeted the sailors, even though many relatives had accused him of ignoring their plight. "What is most important is that human losses were avoided," Yushchenko told relatives at the airport. But a life was lost — the Faina's Russian captain Vladimir Kolobkov died of a suspected heart attack shortly after the hijacking. The sailors praised Kolobkov's compatriot Viktor Nikolsky, who took over as acting captain. Nikolsky sought to lower the ransom demands and thereby hasten the crew's freedom by explaining to the pirates that the ship's military cargo was old, Prisukha said. The seizure of the Faina raised fears that its cargo of 33 T-72 tanks and other weapons could fall into the hands of pirates or al-Qaida-linked terrorists in the failed African state of Somalia. With that in mind, US Navy warships quickly surrounded the Faina to stop any unloading of the weapons. Support vessels from Russia, China, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and South Korea soon arrived to help. The nature of the cargo also raised questions about its destination. Ukrainian and Kenyan officials, as well as the ship's Ukrainian owner, say the cargo belongs to Kenya and have vehemently denied diplomatic reports that it was destined for southern Sudan. Back at the airport, Tetyana Pylypenko, 34, smoked nervously as she waited for her husband, Oleh, 41. Pylypenko, driven to despair after ransom negotiations stalled, had gone to see a fortune teller to seek advice. "She promised me good news at the end of January and she was right," Pylypenko said. "All that matters now is that they are alive and they are coming home." Most sailors said the hijacking had not sparked thoughts of a career change but added they would not be hurrying back to work. Asked what he planned to do upon arrival, Prisukha said with a broad grin, "Now? Now I will love my wife."