Due to an assignment overseas this blog will be closed for a few weeks. I apologise for the inconvenience.
En raison d’une mission a l’etranger ce blog sera ferme pour quelques semaines. Je m’excuse de cet inconvenient.
William Lacourneuve
Source: US Africom
MONROVIA, Liberia – A Liberian soldier practice nonlethal striking techniques with a U.S. Marine, February 21, 2012 aboard a training base in Monrovia, Liberia. The Marines were working in Liberia as part of Onward Liberty, a State Department-sponsored initiative aimed at strengthening Liberia’s military. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Corporal Jad Sleiman)
A handful of U.S. Marines taught more than 220 Liberian soldiers non-lethal weapons skills February 17-March 18, 2012.
The three Marines built on an ongoing State Department-sponsored mission aimed at rebuilding Liberia’s military called Operation Onward Liberty. They and around 16 Liberian instructors went over intermediate riot control and peacekeeping techniques meant to restore control without causing fatalities.
Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 12, the Marines’ unit, is charged with sending small security and logistics cooperation teams into Africa to partner with local militaries facing regional terror threats or instability. Liberia was one of a half dozen countries the task force visited over the course of their six month deployment in support of U.S. Marine Forces Africa.
“You’re going to use lethal force in combat, but you’re not going to use lethal force in a riot,” explained Gunnery Sergeant Robert Navarro, team non-commissioned officer in charge, adding that deadly measures can sometimes lead to more chaos instead of restoring order.
Sergeant Mark Benz, who earlier taught SPMAGTF-12 Marines nonlethal weapons techniques, had to mold his curriculum to fit the Liberian soldiers’ work schedules and available training materials, but said he was none the less impressed by his students’ enthusiasm.
“They were pumped the whole time,” he said. “They had really good
energy.”
The team’s hard work paid off at the end of the training evolution when their students put on a large-scale demonstration of their new skills for Burundi’s defense minister.
The team conducted the second of a three phase nonlethal weapons training program with the Liberians, said Navarro, building on Onward Liberty’s progress. Future training teams will move into the third and final phase of the training. A major focus of the mission was making sure the small group of Liberian instructors the Marines worked with could continue training their own men after the Marines left, he added.
Source: AlJazeera
South Sudan’s army spokesman has said Sudan has attacked a disputed oil-producing border region with warplanes and artillery.
Philip Aguer said Tuesday’s clashes erupted when troops from Sudan entered the Heglig region which they held for sometime before they were driven out.
“They launched a new attack, and occupied southern territory until the SPLA [Sudan People's Liberation Army] repulsed them,” said Aguer. “Fighting continued today and is still ongoing.”
He said the Sudanese ground forces had started their attack from the disputed area of Heglig, where Sudan controls an oil field that accounts for roughly half of its daily 115,000 barrel output.
Barbana Benjamin, South Sudan government spokesman, told Al Jazeera that four civilians, including a small child, were wounded in the fighting.
He said two brigades from the Sudanese army accompanied by “mujahedeen and other militias” took part in the attack.
Al Jazeera’s Hytham Owait, reporting from South Sudan’s capital Juba, said: “The SPLA offensive is expected to impact future relations between the two countries, along with the currently stalled negotiations.”
The fighting is the the latest flare-up of violence that has delayed a summit between the former civil war foes.
The SPLA said the town of Teshwin in the border area had come under attack late on Monday and that fighting was continuing on Tuesday.
Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad, Sudan’s armed forces spokesman, could not immediately be reached for comment on his mobile phone.
South Sudan, which seceded in July, has been locked in a bitter dispute with Khartoum over oil payments and other issues, and clashes in the ill-defined border region last month raised concerns they might escalate into full-blown war.
Source: The New Vision Uganda
President Yoweri Museveni has said the success registered by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) contingent that is serving in Somalia is due to Uganda’s ideology, discipline, training and political solidarity.
President Museveni, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, was yesterday passing out soldiers who had concluded a seven month peace support operations course at Singo Training Centre in Nakaseke district.
The soldiers are due to leave for peacekeeping duties in Somalia.
Museveni observed that the officers who are serving with the African Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) have recorded tremendous success due “to our ideology of Pan-Africanism”.
He said Somalia is part of the African continent, adding that when Ugandans were fighting the dictatorship in their country, they got support from Tanzania and Mozambique.
“It is on this note that we could not ignore our brothers, the Somalis,” the President said.
Museveni said the UPDF troops were sent to Somalia under the policy that Africa is one and that we are all Africans.
He added that the NRM Government rejects traits of sectarianism based on tribe or religion.
Museveni told the participants that during the liberation struggle, operational etiquette never tolerated members of the force who spoilt the dignity of women, never condoned killings or used bad language.
He reminded the soldiers that the UPDF contingent in AMISOM has had good training and maintained combat readiness.
The President, therefore, advised the soldiers to be systematic and fully alert in their operations, taking particular care of their own lives, especially in the event of encountering suicide bombers.
He commended the political solidarity in Africa that is geared towards addressing the Somalia issue.
Museveni also lauded the international support extended to AMISOM by the US, Great Britain and other countries signified by their provision oflogistics. He urged the soldiers to be vigilant and desist from engaging in extra-marital affairs while in Somalia.
The President commended the UPDF leadership for their role in training the soldiers.
Source: Africa Review
Kenya’s Maj. Gen. S. N. Karanja has been appointed deputy commander of the African Union (Amisom) peacekeepers in Somalia.
The appointment is, however, subject to approval by AU Commission on Thursday, official said.
Maj Gen Karanja’s appointment was contained in a statement from Kenya’s Presidential Service (PPS) sent to media houses Tuesday.
The statement said that the appointment was made by President Mwai Kibaki following recommendations of the Defence Council.
Several other changes were also made in the different departments of the Kenyan Armed Forces.
Several officers were promoted, redeployed and others retired.
Ugandan Major General Fred Mugisha is the Amisom commander.
Source: Creamer’s Media
South African Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has confirmed that the country will increase its naval budget.
Answering a question from Engineering News Online at a press conference at the 2012 Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in Cape Town on Wednesday, Sisulu stated that the amount would be announced in her department’s budget.
“When we adopted the [Southern African Development Community (SADC)] Maritime Security Strategy, we committed ourselves to giving more money to the navy. This is a top priority for us.”
SADC heads of State adopted the SADC Maritime Security Strategy in Angola on August 9, 2011.
This comes against the backdrop of growing SADC concern about piracy and other forms of maritime crime and insecurity.
In her keynote address opening the conference, Sisulu pointed out that African countries were “particularly reliant on the sea and thereby vulnerable”.
She highlighted that, in 2006, the global total of people taken hostage at sea was 186, but that in 2010 the figure for the Indian Ocean alone was 1 016.
She affirmed that the SADC was expecting increased pirate operations off its east coast.
During the 12 months from March 2011 to the end of February 2012, there were 57 pirate attacks in Tanzanian territorial waters, reported Sisulu, citing her Tanzanian counterpart. This was “an unprecedented number, but one that is indicative of the relocation of piracy to the SADC ocean”.
She further reported that foreign, particularly European, States were asking South Africa to allow merchant ships with armed guards to enter this country’s ports. “The world is taking to the option of onboard [armed] security,” she said. “We are grappling with this development.”
Sisulu appealed to the IONS delegates, who come from 86 countries (both Indian Ocean rim States and observer nations) to advise the South African government on the issue.
South Africa now has a trilateral agreement with Mozambique and Tanzania, which allows the South African Navy (SAN) to undertake operations in their waters. “This agreement allows us to conduct all activities aimed at strengthening SADC on the east coast,” explained SAN Chief Vice-Admiral Johannes Mudimu to the press conference.
He gave the assurance that the anti-piracy operation, codenamed Copper, (and which involves the South African Air Force, Special Forces and South African Military Health Services as well as the SAN) is continuing uninterruptedly.
“Currently, in the Mozambique Channel, the SAS Drakensberg is taking over from the SAS Isandlwana,” he revealed.
“The navy is tasked to patrol the northern Mozambique Channel ….[but] we can go all the way to Tanzania.”
Although the SAS Drakensberg is primarily a tanker – it is officially designated a combat support ship by the SAN – Mudimu gave the assurance it would be effective in fulfilling the mission.
“The Drakensberg has been the workhorse of the navy,” he highlighted. “Drakensberg will give us equal [anti-piracy] capability as the frigates.”
All four of the SAN’s frigates have now done anti-piracy patrols in the northern Mozambique Channel. “We’re trying to involve as many assets as possible,” said Mudimu.
By Keith Campbell
Source: Reuters
Nigeria’s army chief told his soldiers they needed to be in “war mood” to fight the Islamist sect of Boko Haram, suggesting that peace talks with a sect that has killed hundreds of people this year were not on the government’s agenda.
Nigeria’s attempts at mediated dialogue with the group have repeatedly failed. The latest talks broke off last month after details of negotiations were leaked to the media.
In Boko Haram’s home town of Maiduguri in the remote northeast, five sect members and one policeman were killed on Wednesday in an attack on a police station, authorities said.
“It is high time for you and your men to be in war mood to be able to deal with the current challenges,” Azubuike Ihejirika, Chief of Army Staff, told soldiers at an army workshop in the northern city of Kaduna.
He said more resources would be given to the army to help it combat what he described as terrorism. He expected the army to have “a better deal within this budget year”, which would mean “a lot more equipment being put back into service”.
On Easter Sunday, a car bomb near a church in Kaduna killed at least 36 people and another large undetonated bomb was found in Kano, Nigeria’s second largest city and scene of Boko Haram’s most deadly attack that killed over 180 people in January.
Source: BBC News
Al-Shabab militants have moved north to semi-autonomous Puntland after being pushed out of central Somalia, Puntland President Abdirahman Farole says.
They are there to strengthen ties with al-Qaeda in Yemen, which lies a short distance across the sea, he told the BBC.
Al-Shabab, hardline Islamists, merged with al-Qaeda in February.
They are under pressure on a number of military fronts in the south of Somalia – but still mount frequent attacks.
The leader of Puntland says al-Shabab fighters and commanders have been arriving over the past few days.
Security threat
The president says they are gathering in Puntland’s Galgala mountains and the Golis range that borders the self-declared republic of Somaliland.
“We believe that these militants and their senior officials are a threat to the security of our region,” President Farole said, adding that he is ready to deploy troops against them.
Puntland and Somaliland are relatively peaceful, and have avoided the bulk of the fighting that has racked southern Somalia since its last effective national government was toppled 21 years ago.
Correspondents say the move of some members to Puntland could signal a significant regrouping for al-Shabab, which has lost control of several key strongholds in central and southern Somalia in recent months.
Ethiopian and Somali government forces, backed by African Union troops, pushed al-Shabab out of the capital Mogadishu in August last year and the central town of Baidoa in February.
But the bombing earlier this month of the newly re-opened national theatre in Mogadishu – in which the head of Somalia’s Olympic committee and its football chief were killed – shows al-Shabab remains a potent force.
Source: Global Post
A lawsuit alleging that Africa’s biggest cell phone company conspired to help Iran obtain South African weapons and government support for its nuclear program has drawn fresh scrutiny to Pretoria’s close ties with the Islamic Republic.
Cell phone company MTN, in exchange for a license to operate in Iran, allegedly said it would persuade the South African government to vote in favor of Iran’s nuclear program at the UN and to sell it heavy weapons prohibited by international sanctions.
The accusations of bribery and corruption against MTN are made in a lawsuit by a rival mobile firm that was also vying for the Iranian operating license. The suit was filed in a US court under the Alien Tort Statute.
Johannesburg-listed MTN Group Ltd.’s stock price sank by 7 percent in the week that followed the allegations, even though legal experts don’t give Turkcell much chance of winning in the US.
The lawsuit — along with separate accusations that South African front companies peddle influence and defy sanctions to do business with Iran — comes while the United States is ramping up efforts to isolate Iran financially. President Barack Obama is pushing to cut off Iran’s oil revenue, which the United States and European Union countries say could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
South Africa, already under pressure from the US over its substantial Iranian oil imports and historic friendship with Tehran, could face new strain over the allegations, which involve one of the country’s highest-profile companies and several top political and business figures.
MTN was established with government support as the first major black-owned firm in post-apartheid South Africa, and since 2005 has owned a 49 percent stake in MTN Irancell, which controls about half of Iran’s mobile market.
The company has denied the accusations made in the $4.2 billion lawsuit launched in a US federal court by Turkcell, a Turkish company initially awarded the Iranian cellular license, declaring the claims to be “without legal merit.” MTN has commissioned its own investigation under a committee led by a South Africa-born retired senior British judge.
The accusations in court documents filed by Turkcell on March 28 are chockablock with political intrigue, implicating high-level government officials and business leaders in using bribes and political influence to help secure the license.
Internal MTN memos attached to the lawsuit describe a code name, “Project Snooker,” given to the company’s alleged efforts to thwart Turkcell’s deal. Iran’s former deputy foreign minister and South Africa’s ambassador to Iran are referred to as “Long J” and “Short J” in correspondence about payments of bribes.
The lawsuit alleges that MTN struck a deal to deliver a large shipment of military arms and technology, code named “The Fish,” to Iran’s defense ministry in 2004. This was to include Rooivalk helicopters, based on the US-made Apache, sniper rifles, G5 howitzers, canons, radar technology and other defense equipment barred by international sanctions.
The promised arms sale never took place, angering Iranian officials, according to documents filed by Turkcell.
According to court documents, politically connected MTN executives also offered to influence South Africa’s votes at the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear agency, on Iran’s nuclear weapons program in the company’s pursuit of an Iranian GSM operating license. The lawsuit alleges that MTN prevailed upon South Africa to abstain from three IAEA votes on Iran.
“MTN created a scheme to displace Turkcell as the license holder by leveraging political tensions in Iran and taking advantage of its political connections within South Africa and Iran,” the court papers say.
Other accusations charge that MTN allegedly offered the Iranian defense ministry access to its devices to “facilitate installation of eavesdropping technology on MTN devices.”
Obama, in a message on the Iranian New Year holiday last month, spoke of an “electronic curtain” around Iran, noting that “the regime monitors computers and cell phones for the sole purpose of protecting its own power.”
On this point, MTN is being pressured to abandon its business in Iran from lobby groups such as United Against Nuclear Iran, which has petitioned the US Congress to back efforts to encourage divestment.
Avi Jorisch, a former US Treasury Department official, accused MTN of following Iranian government instructions to suspend text-messaging services and block Skype, used heavily by Iran’s opposition movement during protests following the 2009 presidential election.
MTN has a corporate responsibility to stop “colluding with a state sponsor of terror that uses its technology to track, silence and kill its people,” wrote Jorisch, who is now with the Washington, DC-based think tank American Foreign Policy Council.
The lawsuit filed by Turkcell comes on the heels of a report in South Africa’s Sunday Times describing how local front companies are used in attempted schemes to sell US-made helicopters and spare parts to Iran in defiance of sanctions.
The newspaper report alleged that the partner of Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, Gugu Mtshali, attended a meeting during which a bribe was solicited to facilitate government support for a planned Iran deal. The claims are now under investigation by South Africa’s public protector, who has a role similar to that of an ombudsman.
On the issue of a nuclear Iran, South Africa has repeatedly emphasized Iran’s right to nuclear enrichment for energy purposes, while strongly opposing nuclear proliferation.
But the government has so far been unclear about whether it will participate in sanctions against Iranian oil exports. Senior government officials have sent contradictory messages, typical of Pretoria’s recent foreign policy on issues such as Libya.
South Africa relies on Iran for more than 25 percent of its annual crude oil imports. Their friendly relationship dates back to the apartheid era, when Tehran supported the liberation movement, but Pretoria is under mounting American pressure to sever ties or else lose access to the US financial system.
Deputy foreign minister Ebrahim Ebrahim told reporters last month that South Africa intended to follow the US request, and had already suspended almost all of its oil imports from Iran. But South Africa’s department of energy later corrected his statement, saying that no decision has been taken, and South Africa will not decide whether to reduce Iranian oil imports until the end of May.
South Africa imported $364 million worth of crude oil from Iran in February, up from zero oil in January, according to customs data.
South Africans are already facing gas price increases, and a switch to non-Iranian oil would potentially require a $40-million cost of converting refineries. Higher prices at the pumps could lead to revolt at home.
COSATU, the South African trade union group and an alliance partner of the ruling African National Congress, railed at the US for “its attempts to bully countries to cut imports of Iranian oil,” on the basis of “unproven allegations.”
The South African government must “stop this kowtowing to the US imperialists,” COSATU spokesman Patrick Craven said.
South Africa’s main opposition party has called on the police to investigate the claims that MTN tried to influence the national position on Iran’s nuclear weapons program at the IAEA.
“These very serious allegations cannot simply be investigated by an independent committee within MTN,” said David Maynier, the shadow defense minister for the Democratic Alliance. “We have to be absolutely sure that South Africa’s nuclear policy is not for sale.”
By Erin Conway-Smith Link
Source: African Arguments/allAfrica
Ethiopian troops have played a crucial role in liberating parts of Somalia from Al Shabaab, but their time there will be limited.
Somalia’s Islamist militia, al Shabaab, is on the back foot. Each week brings news of another town seized. The forceful departure of al Shabaab however does not necessarily imply victory for the inhabitants of the ‘newly liberated areas’.
In late 2011 Ethiopian forces together with pro-government Somali militias captured Beledweyne, not far from the Ethiopian border. Eight weeks later Baidoa, a strategically important city in the south, fell to Ethiopian troops and pro-government militias. In late March Ethiopia overran El Bur, one of the group’s main bases in central Somalia. Kismayo, on the southern coast, is now the last major city held by al Shabaab.
The mission to remove al Shabaab’s black flag from Somalia’s urban centres throughout the south-central region is advancing more rapidly than many thought possible. But ridding a town of one militia is just the beginning. Filling the power vacuum left behind by al Shabaab unearths a new set of problems underscored by one key factor – a willing, capable and legitimate alternative remains elusive.
It comes as no surprise that Ethiopian forces are making the greatest headway in south-central Somalia. The Ethiopian military is well trained, well equipped and one of the largest on the continent. It has more experience in Somalia than all other forces currently fighting put together. Ethiopia however has made clear that it does not intend to hang around. Nor, if it did, would it be welcome.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is developing plans to replace troops in Ethiopian held towns throughout south-central Somalia. Baidoa is now host to the first contingent of AMISOM troops outside of Mogadishu. 2,500 troops will be deployed in phases to strengthen and later replace Ethiopian forces. Another contingent is expected to arrive in Beledweyne in the coming weeks.
It has taken AMISOM four years to build a fragile trust with Mogadishu’s residents. Outside of the capital, winning the ‘hearts and minds’ of a population who are understandably dubious of (if not openly hostile towards) external interventions will be a challenge for troops from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Djibouti.
How local residents in Baidoa and Beledweyne receive them will provide some indication of the extent of the challenges that lie ahead. According to @HSMPress, Al Shabaab intends to “employ every available avenue in the fulfillment of its objectives.” Those thought to be siding with or facilitating the “African invaders” and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) are also considered legitimate targets. Open support of AMISOM during this uncertain phase of expansion presents a formidable risk to local populations.
Even if welcomed, AMISOM’s capacity to secure the ‘newly liberated areas’ is questionable. Despite Kenya’s recent integration into the mission and new commitments made at the London Conference, AMISOM is overstretched. Despite al Shabaab’s ‘tactical withdrawal’ from Mogadishu in mid-2011, 12,000 AMISOM troops supported by the TFG’s own forces still struggle to secure the city. Last week’s suicide bombing at the newly re-opened National Theatre serves as a reminder that al Shabaab is still able to penetrate supposedly safe areas of the city with devastating consequences.
UN Security Council Resolution 2036 (2012) requested the African Union increase AMISOM’s force strength to a maximum of 17,731 uniformed personnel. This leaves less than half the force strength currently unable to secure Mogadishu to defend the south-central towns and cities from al Shabaab. Even if successful, foreign troops holding towns surrounded by vast tracts of ungoverned land is not a durable solution. The legitimacy and capability of whoever eventually governs and administers the ‘newly liberated areas’ will determine whether they can break free from the cycle of instability and violence that has characterised the last two decades.
The TFG Prime Minister Abdiwali Mohamed Ali has announced that his government intends to create regional administrations for all ‘newly liberated areas’. Already the appointment of new regional administrators has become another source of contestation. Following the capture of Beledweyne, the TFG officially declared a new administration in the Hiraan region and appointed Abdifatah Hassan Afrah, President of the Shabelle Valley Administration (SVA), as TFG provisional regional chairman. By doing so, the TFG publicly snubbed the moderate Sufi group Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa (ASWJ) who, alongside the Ethiopians and SVA, captured Beledweyne from al Shabaab.
Fighting has since broken out between ASWJ and SVA in Beledweyne. Human Rights Watch has accused both ASWJ and SVA of summary executions of civilians in the town, naming SVA militias as the worst offenders. Unsurprisingly the TFG has denied the claims. Al Shabaab has been able to take advantage of hostility between ostensibly ‘allied’ forces within the town with a series of low-level attacks targeting military bases.
The TFG’s mandate expires in August, terminating its official engagement with ‘newly liberated areas’ sooner than AMISOM’s. How Mogadishu engages with the local administrations and how they in turn engage with local residents in post-TFG Somalia will at least partly determine what comes next.
However, in light of the uncertainty surrounding the political structure of Somalia after August, competition for authority is set to intensify in the coming months. Leadership battles, both local and national, may well receive greater attention among the political elite than the establishment of a viable constitution.
Ousting al Shabaab from towns throughout south-central Somalia is widely perceived as a major step forward for the country. Optimism abounds that this will prove to be a defining moment. Without a lasting political solution however the Ethiopian and ‘allied’ forces’ take-over of towns throughout the country is just the latest in a seemingly endless series of occupations.
By James Smith
James Smith is the Horn of Africa Project Manager for the Rift Valley Institute in Nairobi. The views in this article are his own, and do not represent a collective position on the part of the Institute.
Source: Ministere de la Defense Tunisie
Le ministère de la défense nationale dément les rumeurs faisant état de l’intention de l’institution militaire d’organiser une campagne pour l’enrôlement des salafistes.
Le ministère précise que les rumeurs véhiculées par certains quotidiens sur l’intention de l’institution militaire d’organiser une campagne d’enrôlement visant le salafistes sont infondées et que certaines parties cherchent à faire croire à l’opinion publique que le service national est une sanction et une véritable épée de Damoclès au-dessus de la tête des citoyens alors qu’elle représente un devoir commun pour l’ensemble des Tunisiens, afin qu’ils contribuent à la protection du pays et à la préservation de son indépendance, de sa souveraineté et de l’intégrité de son territoire.
Le service nationale est un devoir sacré et ne couvre qu’une courte période de la vie de chaque jeune au cours de laquelle il est initié au patriotisme, à la discipline, à la défense de la patrie et au sens du sacrifice et à l’abnégation au service du drapeau national.
Source: Ministry of Defence Rwanda
The first contingent of Rwandan peacekeepers, April 6th, returned home from the volatile Darfur region of western Sudan in jubilant mood as the rotation phase, expected to last a month. First to arrive were 135 soldiers of the 69th battalion stationed in Zalingei, western Darfur. “Up to now, the reports we have received indicate that you did a very good job and we thank you,” Lt. Gen. Caesar Kayizari, the Army Chief of Staff, told the euphoric peacekeepers.
Rwanda has four battalions deployed under the United Nations/African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Earlier in the morning, an equal number of the 63rd battalion had left to replace them. According to the acting army and defence spokesperson, Maj Rene Ngendahimana, the rotation exercise, which started early yesterday, is scheduled to end on May 5.
Rwandan peacekeeping troops were first deployed in Darfur in 2004 and currently, the UNAMID Force Commander is a Rwandan – Lt. Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba. UNAMID officials say that Rwandan peacekeepers are exemplary. Apart from helping provide physical security for the people of Darfur, Rwandan troops have also worked to ensure that the social status of the Darfur community improves by introducing Rwandan community outreach programmes.
Early last month, a contingent of Rwandan peacekeepers based in Zamzam, a few kilometres south of the provincial capital, El Fasher, officially handed over to the local community a fully furnished school they helped build. Work to construct the school in Turba village was started by a different contingent – RwanBatt23 (37 infantry battalion), with participation from the local community last year.
Source: US Africom
AGADIR, Morocco – Col. Roger Garay, Joint Task Force Commander, Exercise Africa Lion 12, speaks with service members at the Sea Port of Debarkation in Agadir, Morocco, April 7, 2012. During his visit, he and the mobility and logistics team there discussed their feat of off-loading more than 200 primary items from multiple transport vessels, conducting more than 20 convoys over hundreds of miles, and stationing wash racks for re-deployment purposes all in less than two days. AL-12 is an annual exercise conducted in various regions of the Kingdom of Morocco, designed to improve interoperability and mutual understanding of each nation’s military tactics, techniques and procedures. (Photo by Tyler Main, Marine Corps Forces, Pacific)
Nearly 200 Marines from 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, arrived in Agadir, Morocco, April 7 to support the field training exercise portion of Exercise African Lion 2012.
Approximately 1,200 U.S. military personnel arrived in various regions of the Kingdom of Morocco to take part in the annual exercise, designed to improve interoperability and mutual understanding of each national military tactics, techniques and procedures.
Marines of Battery M and Headquarters Battery will work beside Moroccan counterparts to conduct events such as small-arms weapons training, infantry tactics training, battle tank operations, combat engineering operations, artillery operations and light-armored reconnaissance training.
All of these events will be bilateral with our Moroccan partners,,â? said Maj. Stephen Sarnecky, operations officer, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marines. We are looking forward to seeing what the Marines and Moroccans can accomplish working side-by-side.
The end result of this training will prepare participants to successfully conduct a mechanized, motorized, helo-born, combined arms assault.
The Marines said they look forward to this rigorous training schedule and learning about the Moroccan way of life.
“We all definitely look forward to liberty and getting the opportunity to get out and learn about the culture,Lance Cpl. Michael Fisher said, a combat engineer with 3rd Battalion, 14th Marines. I am also excited to work with the Moroccan military and see how they operate.
They will be assisted by Marines from 4th Combat Engineering Battalion, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine regiment infantrymen, 4th Combined Anti-Armor Team and 4th Marine Logistics Group, along with multiple sub-units.
It’s pretty amazing, considering we’ve taken reservists from all across the United States and combined them to ensure this event is successful, Sarnecky said.
AL-12 is a U.S. African Command-sponsored, Marine Forces Africa-led exercise that involves various types of training including command post, live-fire and maneuvering, peace support operations, an intelligence capacity building seminar, aerial refueling/low-level flight training, as well as medical and dental assistance projects.
By Tyler Main
Marine Corps Forces, Pacific
Source: Daily Monitor
The Uganda Peoples Defence Forces has given the people of northern Uganda one month to surrender illegal firearms in their possession.
Civilians are expected to hand over illegal arms to authorities for forwarding to police stations.
Regional Police Commander Martin Amoru said with civilians still in possession of illegal arms in the region, conflicts, especially land wrangles are fought using guns.
“We receive many cases of illegal possession of firearms, which are being misused in escalating crime in the region,” said Mr Amoru.
According to statistics from Gulu Central Police, at least five cases of illegal possession have been reported this year, with at least two murders by shooting reported.
The UPDF 4th Division Commander, Col. Innocent Oula, last week said after more than two decades of insurgency in the region, illegal arms are in circulation and in the hands of many civilians.
Bill in offing
He said guns were given by the military officials for protection at the peak of the insurgency, some are owned by former combatants and military deserters, while others were acquired by civilians through gun trafficking at the borders.
“Now that there’s peace, our priority is to get the guns back from the hands of the civilians despite how they acquired them,” said Col. Oula. He said with successful disarmament, the army will have track records of the number of guns and military equipment in the region.
The exercise follows government’s plans to draft a Bill to regulate firearms held by security agencies and civilians to harmonise existing laws governing possession of guns, including the Firearms Act 1970.
After the expiry of the ultimatum, the army will forcibly disarm civilians as it is doing in Karamoja.
Source: Liberte Algerie
“Celui qui s’aventure ici (dans la région nord bouclée par l’armée), c’est sûr qu’il va au suicide”, c’est la devise de l’armée nigérienne, franchement engagée dans la lutte contre le terrorisme, les trafics et le crime transnational. À Tilabiri, Agadez ou Arlit, le mot d’ordre est le même derrière une mobilisation accrue en raison de la détérioration de la situation sécuritaire chez le voisin, le Mali. Un sujet qui retiendra l’attention et reviendra souvent dans les discussions tant il ajoute à la préoccupation quant à la menace d’Aqmi et de Boko Haram. Cela est remarquable à Alfari, où tous les moyens sont mis pour accueillir les réfugiés maliens. Des ONG humanitaires sont déjà actives sur place. “Il en arrive à un rythme régulier ; au moins chaque deux jours nous recevons des réfugiés maliens”, a indiqué un officier affecté à cette mission
La mission d’information de l’UFL (Unité de fusion et de liaison – mécanisme de renseignement des pays du champ) entame ainsi au Niger une nouvelle étape de sa mission d’information dans la région avant le lancement de son programme. Passé Tilabiri, chef-lieu de la deuxième région, qui a placé en alerte un détachement pour faire face à la fois à la menace d’Aqmi et Boko Haram ainsi qu’à l’arrivée massive des réfugiés. Concernant ces derniers, tous les services coopèrent pour leur prise en charge. Situé à 22 km de la frontière malienne, ce poste n’est cependant pas directement menacé par les groupes terroristes, reconnaît l’officier, qui estime que cela est dû au dispositif mis en place. “Peut-être alors qu’ils sont en train de nous observer”, dit-il sur une pointe d’humour. La zone est couverte par des patrouilles mixtes ainsi qu’un travail de terrain impliquant la population, les chefs de village. Des compagnies sont installées tout au long de la frontière avec une couverture de reconnaissance aérienne.
Fardeaux libyen et malien
Les émigrés revenus de Libye, suite à la crise, ont été autorisés à rentrer au pays à condition de déposer les armes. L’aventure continue sous un magnifique soleil à 40°, tranchant nettement avec la température d’Alger quittée la veille. Mais on n’est pas dépaysé en voyant s’étaler le long du chemin des dos d’âne et des ralentisseurs, tout comme en Algérie. Il faut dire aussi qu’en ce désert, les chauffards rivalisent haut la main avec ceux d’Algérie. Des postes de contrôle également. Des postes de la police, de la gendarmerie et des douanes. Au poste avancé de Yacen, tout est mis à la disposition des soldats pour les maintenir au top de la combativité. Pour les relâches, ils disposent également de moyens pour décompresser sans avoir à aller en ville. Ce poste a été créé après la dégradation de la situation sécuritaire, notamment en Libye, et le flux de migrants de retour dans leurs pays au Sahel. Alentour, sur un corridor de collines, sont installés des miradors pour surveiller tout ce qui vient de l’autre côté de la frontière. Le dispositif est une boucle d’abord, qui vient en appoint aux postes avancés en cas de besoin, a expliqué le colonel-major de la région.
Les petites agglomérations qui bordent la route sont très animées. Plusieurs marchés sont ouverts, alors que toutes les maisons (maisonnettes) disposent de silos en forme de huttes construits avec du bois et de la terre glaise pour éviter l’infiltration des termites. “Ce sont des greniers où l’on garde les céréales”, nous explique-t-on. La situation des villages donne un équilibre de l’occupation du territoire. La population vit en majorité d’agriculture et d’élevage. Mais cela dépend de la pluviosité. Ce qui fait que certaines années, comme l’année passée, la sécheresse a touché quasiment toutes les régions du pays. D’où le problème alimentaire. La période de l’hivernage a été tellement courte que la famine est aux portes du pays. Selon l’Unicef, au moins 15 millions de personnes sont menacées par la famine dans la région du Sahel. Le Niger est le plus touché. Les organismes internationaux ont lancé un appel pour venir en aide à ce pays. L’Algérie a déjà pris l’initiative d’envoyer des denrées alimentaires dans toute la région.
La sécheresse, ennemi N°1
Alors que la population prépare le prochain hivernage, les discussions se concentrent particulièrement sur la situation au Mali. Le sujet est omniprésent tout au long du périple qui nous conduira vers le nord, un aller- retour de 3000 km sous un soleil de plomb. Un magnifique soleil de 40° qui nous accompagne alors que l’environnement offre un air de plaine semi-désertique.
On suit les derniers développements au Mali comme par concomitance avec la mission d’information de l’UFL. On quitte alors le 2e bataillon et ses batteries d’artillerie, avec en tête l’image d’une troupe fermement déterminée à nettoyer le pays de ce phénomène nuisible. Même décor sur les bords de la route. De petites villes et villages très animés, commerçants, des animaux qui traversent et qui sont souvent percutés par les véhicules. Et rares s’en sortent indemnes. Après la sécheresse qui décime les troupeaux, les accidents sont la seconde cause de la mort des animaux. Ce n’est donc pas le climat caniculaire qui est agressif — hommes et bêtes s’y sont d’ailleurs bien adaptés — mais l’homme avec sa folie et sa démesure.
Le chemin est encore long. Sous le radieux soleil, dans le brouillard de poussière, apparaît enfin Tahoua. Petite ville sympathique presque à mi-chemin entre Niamey et Agadez. Escale pour découvrir ces gens au contact très facile. Encore des questions à n’en plus finir sur le Mali. Un peu plus loin, on nous informe à un point de contrôle que la route sera fermée à partir de 18h. Pour des raisons sécuritaires, le passage est bouclé. Avant, nous informe-t-on, on organisait des convois escortés après qu’on ait signalé la présence de voleurs qui agressaient les automobilistes. Désormais, les services de sécurité occupent le parcours et ferment l’accès le soir et se tiennent prêts à intervenir à tout moment. La population, consciente de la menace, signale de son côté toute présence étrangère dans les localités. On arrive à Agadez à la tombée de la nuit, après une journée de route “cahoteuse”, sous un impitoyable soleil.
Devant le gouverneur à double casquette, il est administratif et officier militaire, un membre de l’UFL explique dans le détail la mission de l’unité. En plus du renseignement, l’unité se charge également de la sensibilisation et de la définition des projets de développement dans la région du Sahel. Dans ce cadre, l’unité va bientôt distribuer des postes radio alimentés à l’énergie solaire. Ces transistors serviront à la réception des programmes de la chaîne radio spécifique à la région qui est en cours de lancement.
Pas de paix sans sécurité
Devant les responsables des services de sécurité, le colonel-major-gouverneur évoque le dispositif mis en place pour éviter que sa région et son pays ne deviennent le sanctuaire d’Aqmi. “Ou un pôle d’attraction pour tout genre de trafics”, a-t-il dit. Une cellule antiterroriste a été mise en place au niveau central, alors que dans les régions tous les services de sécurité coopèrent dans cette mission. La couverture sécuritaire va de la frontière avec le Mali jusqu’à celle avec le Tchad, représentant 53% du territoire nigérien.
La surveillance de cette longue frontière est assurée par les bataillons et compagnies terrestres mais aussi par l’aviation pour la reconnaissance. L’officier reconnaît que ses “moyens ne sont pas grands mais que ses unités réussissent à contrôler le flux.” Il considère que les résultats sont satisfaisants compte tenu du fait que le Niger est entouré de pays instables, la Libye et le Mali. Le premier maillon de la chaîne demeure, dit-il avec conviction, le citoyen lui-même, qu’il considère comme “un moyen de lutte contre le terrorisme”. Dans ces conditions, le citoyen est un soldat.
Après un tour dans l’Aïr, le trajet à Arlit s’annonce encore plus ardu. La chaleur est toujours présente. La route est entièrement dégradée. Elle devrait être refaite. Cela d’autant plus qu’elle mène vers le pôle le plus riche et industrialisé du pays, Arlit et ses mines d’uranium. L’arrivée est comme un atterrissage dans cette ville qui ne ressemble en rien aux autres villes du pays. Elle est vaste, avec de petites constructions modernes, mais les habitants semblent vivre séparément, chacun dans son univers. Ils disposent de toutes les commodités, mais chacun doit sortir de la ville après un temps en raison du risque des radiations.
Depuis l’enlèvement des sept travailleurs d’Areva (deux ont été libérés), la sécurité a été renforcée dans toute la région. La garnison d’Arlit est en état d’alerte permanent. Avec les événements survenus en Libye, les services de sécurité ont déclenché l’opération Malibero, du nom d’un fondateur d’une tribu qui a régné dans un territoire englobant une partie du Mali et du Niger. Il est appelé aussi le Germain. Cette opération est décidée par l’état-major de l’armée pour faire face à la situation qui se caractérise par la prolifération des trafics ainsi que les activités terroristes. Le commandant de l’opération, une autre double casquette, colonel-major et conseiller à la sécurité auprès du Premier ministre, tranche d’emblée la question de la coopération internationale dans la lutte contre ces phénomènes. “Les pays qui nous aident n’ont jamais fait de rapport entre la paix et la sécurité”, dit-il. Cela d’autant que les criminels occupent le territoire où ces pays ont des intérêts. “La lutte doit être globale”, dit-il en appelant à la “mutualisation des moyens”. L’opération est venue en réponse à la crise libyenne et ses conséquences. Avec son expérience, l’armée nigérienne est en mesure d’occuper tout le terrain. Elle a d’ailleurs réussi à contrôler la zone, 1800 km de long sur 600 km de large, soit 1/3 du territoire nigérien, en 90 jours. Des troupes et des moyens, notamment aéroportés, sont mis à sa disposition pour “restreindre les mouvements de l’ennemi en occupant les points clés”. L’officier étale les résultats de cette opération. Des saisies d’armes, de munitions, d’explosifs, interceptions et neutralisation de terroristes.
Malibero, l’ancêtre “germain”
L’armée a fait également des prisonniers parmi les terroristes. Pour lui, Malibero est une réussite, dans la mesure où il n’y a pas eu de résurgence de rébellion, d’autant qu’il n’a été permis à aucun Nigérien de retour de Libye d’entrer au pays avec des armes. Ce que les autorités maliennes n’ont pas fait avec leurs ressortissants revenus de Libye.
Le 23e bataillon interarmes grouille de monde et de véhicules tout-terrain qui arrivent et partent. Ravitaillement, relève… Le bureau du colonel-major est en “session ouverte”. La mine à ciel ouvert est à proximité de la caserne, l’autre est située un peu plus loin, une mine couverte, toutes les deux exploitées par Areva. L’officier a affirmé que ses troupes sont également à la disposition du Cemoc si elles sont sollicitées. La nuit commence à étaler son sombre voile sur la ville, et les rares piétons ont l’air de simples silhouettes, des ombres indifférentes pressées de rentrer à la maison. Et pour nous, le plus dur reste à faire. Le chemin du retour. Tout au long de l’itinéraire, le même décor défile, ponctué de villes et villages très animés. Des motos, des voitures, autobus, gros camions et charrettes tirées par des zébus ou des ânes et des troupeaux de chèvres, moutons ou bovins occupent l’espace dans le déferlement de bruit et de poussière, alors qu’un magnifique soleil commence à darder dès le matin. Arrivés à Koni, un moment de frisson, à trois kilomètres du Nigeria. Le fantôme de Boko Haram plane dans l’atmosphère. Tout est sous contrôle, nous rassure-t-on. Le Niger a pris ses dispositions pour surveiller toutes ses frontières. Enfin, apparaît Niamey comme un signe de soulagement. 3000 km de parcouru sous 40°, ce n’est pas une mince affaire. Mais l’enjeu vaut ce sacrifice.
Par Djilali Benyoub Lien
Source: AGI.IT
Photo REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
Seven persons, including a 7-year-old girl, were killed in a new wave of attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria.
During the night in the north-eastern city of Dikwa, the Islamic terrorists killed a policeman, a civilian and a local politician the Nigerian army reported. The command attacked a police station, a bank and a hotel but was repelled by soldiers, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, a spokesman for the Combined Task Force for the state of Borno explained. Three of the attackers are dead, others, though wounded, managed to escape. Again in the north-east, in the city of Potiskum, Boko Haram opened fired on the home of a police sergeant. “They shot him while he was seated next to his family.” The officer managed to avoid being hit by fire, which instead hit his small seven year old daughter, killing her. Two sons, 12 and 10, were also wounded and immediately taken to hospital. The new wave of violence comes the day after the bloody Easter executed by Boko Haram leaving at least 38 dead following a car bomb explosion near two churches in the city of Kaduna, an important economic center in the Muslim north in Nigeria. . .
Source: Wikipedia/Mahindra
| Type | Armored vehicle |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |  India |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2009 – Present |
| Used by | Mumbai police, Force One, Delhi Police SWAT Team |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Mahindra Defence Systems |
| Designed | 2006 |
| Manufacturer | Mahindra & Mahindra Limited |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 4.39 m |
| Width | 1.863 m |
| Height | 2.030 m |
| Diameter | 23.75 m |
| Crew | 6 [2 (driver, co–driver) + 4(rear)] |
|
|
|
| Armor | Variable level armor kits |
| Main armament |
remote weapon station |
| Engine | 2.49 L CRDE BS-3 |
| Suspension | 4×4, wheeled |
| Ground clearance | 2.40 m |
| Speed | 120 KM/H |
Mahindra Marksman is India’s first armoured capsule-based light bulletproof vehicle to provide protection to the personnel of Defence, Paramilitary and Police forces against small arms fire and grenade attacks. It has capability to be used in counter terrorist as well as conventional roles.
The Mumbai Police’s Force One is the first police force in India to be equipped with the Marksman.
Design
- Sides – Can withstand three direct hits of 7.62 X 51mm NATO Ball M80, 7.62 X 39mm Ball PS and 5.56 X 45mm Ball M 193 at a distance of 10m at 90° angle attack.
- Top – Can withstand three direct hits of above ammunition at a distance of 10m at 45° angle attack.
- Floor – Protection against two DM 51(German norm) hand grenades detonated under the vehicle simultaneously.
- Additional protection – All joints and welding have overlap. The rear stowage boxes provide protection to crew when using the rear door.
- Cuppola has an machine gun mount with 270° traverse and protection.
- Seven crew firing ports.
- Outward facing configured rear seat and wide bulletproof windows allows total operational orientation of the crew sitting at the rear.
- Search light mounted on top of the vehicle controlled from inside the vehicle by the driver/co driver.
- Rear view camera and a TV screen for the driver and co driver to see the dead zone behind the vehicle.
Specification
The Marksman uses a 2.5L CRDE engine which is BS3 compliant. With 105bhp of power on tap at 3800rpm and 228Nm of torque between 1800-2200rpm the engine is good enough to haul the 3200kg (2600kg unladen + 600kg of payload) vehicle. The car can seat 6 [2 (driver, co–driver) + 4 (rear)]. The car has a 5 speed manual gearbox and 4 wheel drive along with power steering. Air conditioning is available as an option. The independent suspension (front) and rigid leaf spring along with shock absorber (rear) ensure this heavy vehicle will stay put on the road on any conditions. Its tires run flat system. All vehicles come with standard alloy wheels. The Marksman can hit a top speed of 120 km/h.
Operational Role
- Counter Terrorist Operations
- Patrolling in high intensity areas
- Special Forces operations
- Quick Reaction Teams
- Mobile Check Points
- Mob Dispersion
- Conventional Operations
- Convoy protection and escort
- Armed reconnaissance
- Raids/road blocks in open/desert terrain
For any inquiry about this vehicle please contact: Gupta Rajiv 00 971 55 22 84 584
Source: The Associated Press/The New York Times
Emma Kayode/Associated Press
A suicide car bomber struck on a busy road Sunday morning after apparently turning away from attacking Nigerian churches holding Easter services, killing at least 38 people in a huge blast that rattled a city long at the center of religious, ethnic and political violence in the nation.
The blast struck Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna state, leaving charred motorcycles and debris strewn across a major road in the city where many gather to eat at informal restaurants and buy black market gasoline. Nearby hotels and homes had their windows blown out and roofs torn away by the force of the explosion, which engulfed a group of motorcycle taxis.
The explosion badly damaged two nearby churches during an Easter service. Witnesses said it appeared the explosive-laden car attempted to go into the compound of the churches before it detonated, but was blocked by barriers in the street and turned away by a security guard as the police approached.
“We were in the holy communion service and I was exhorting my people, and all of a sudden we heard a loud noise that shattered all our windows and doors, destroyed our fans and some of our equipment in the church,” Pastor Joshua Raji said.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and the authorities said they had no immediate suspects, though a radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram has claimed similar attacks in the past. Some fear the bombing could further inflame tensions around Kaduna, a region on the dividing line between Nigeria’s largely Christian south and Muslim north.
At least 38 people were killed in the blast, said Abubakar Zakari Adamu, a spokesman for the Kaduna state Emergency Management Agency. Others suffered serious injuries and were receiving treatment at local hospitals.
A witness, Augustine Vincent, said he was riding a motorcycle just behind the car when it exploded. “God saw our heart and saved us,” he said.
Churches have been increasingly targeted by violence on holy days in Nigeria, a nation of more than 160 million people. A Christmas Day suicide bombing in Madalla, near Nigeria’s capital, killed at least 44 people.
In his Easter speech at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI mentioned the continuing violence in Nigeria. Catholic churches have been targeted in previous attacks.
“To Nigeria, which in recent times has experienced savage terrorist attacks, may the joy of Easter grant the strength needed to take up anew the building of a society which is peaceful and respectful of the religious freedom of its citizens,” he said.
Britain’s Africa Minister Henry Bellingham condemned the attack, calling it a “horrific act.”
Kaduna, on Nigeria’s dividing line between its largely Christian south and Muslim north, was at the heart of postelection violence in April 2011. Mobs armed with machetes and poison-tipped arrows took over streets of Kaduna and the state’s rural countryside after election officials declared President Goodluck Jonathan the winner. Followers of his main opponent, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim, quickly alleged the vote had been rigged, though observers largely declared the vote fair.
Across the nation, at least 800 people died in that rioting, Human Rights Watch said. In the time since, heavily armed soldiers have remained on guard on roadways throughout Kaduna. In December, an explosion at an auto parts market in Kaduna killed at least seven people. Though authorities said it came from a leaking gas cylinder, the Nigerian Red Cross later said in an internal report the blast came from a bomb.
In February, bombs exploded at two major military bases near the city, injuring an unknown number of people.
Source: Rewmi/APA
Les chefs d’état-major de la Communauté économique des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO) ont proposé jeudi à Abidjan un mandat pour l’envoi de la force en attente de la CEDEAO (FAC) au Mali, en proie à une rébellion armée depuis la mi-janvier et un coup d’Etat depuis le 22 mars dernier.
‘’Nous avons proposé au comité des chefs d’Etat de la CEDEAO un mandat pour l’engagement de la FAC ‘’ a déclaré le général Soumaïla Bakayoko, chef d’état-major des forces républicaines de Côte d’Ivoire (FRCI) après les travaux des chefs d’Etat major de la CEDEAO qui se sont achevés tard dans la nuit.
‘’ Nous attendons un retour afin d’engager la FAC au Mali’’, a conclu le patron de l’armée ivoirienne se félicitant de la volonté manifeste des Etats membres de la CEDEAO de circonscrire la situation grave au Mali.
Des officiers américains et français ont participé à ces travaux d’Abidjan dont les résultats étaient très attendus.
Quelques 3000 soldats pourraient former ce contingent de la force de la CEDEAO au Mali.
Source: El Watan
Hier, le consul d’Algérie et six diplomates algériens ont été enlevés à Gao, au nord-est du Mali, par un groupe armé. La junte et le MNLA, qui accuse AQMI, condamnent cet enlèvement. Nos reporters sur la route de Gao et à Bamako ont vécu l’événement en direct.
Le consul d’Algérie, Boualem Sias, et six diplomates algériens ont été kidnappés hier lors d’une attaque du consulat à Gao, dans le nord-est du Mali. D’après des témoins, l’assaut aurait été mené par des islamistes armés qui ont brûlé le drapeau algérien et hissé le leur. Hier soir, l’enlèvement n’était pas encore revendiqué. Alors que pour des sources maliennes, il serait signé Ançar Eddine, les combattants du MNLA accusent AQMI et l’AFP souligne que le contrôle de la ville est revendiqué par le Mouvement pour l’unicité et le jihad en Afrique de l’Ouest (Mujao). Considéré comme une dissidence d’AQMI, le Mujao a revendiqué l’attentat de Tamanrasset en mars dernier et l’enlèvement des humanitaires occidentaux à Rabouni en octobre 2011.
Mourad Medelci, le ministre algérien des Affaires étrangères, a précisé dans la journée d’hier que les diplomates étaient «actuellement sous la responsabilité de parties que nous ne connaissons pas». «Ils ont été conduits vers une destination inconnue. Une cellule de crise a été mise en place pour suivre l’évolution de cette affaire et afin que tout soit mis en œuvre pour le retour sain et sauf de nos nationaux. Le gouvernement algérien est totalement mobilisé pour assurer dans les plus brefs délais leur libération», a-t-il ajouté en condamnant «cet acte avec fermeté».
Déclaration de guerre
Tarik Mira, membre de la commission des Affaires étrangères au Parlement algérien, qui parle de «déclaration de guerre à l’Etat algérien», estime que les groupes armés «anticipent éventuellement un rôle d’intermédiation de l’Etat algérien au Mali. Les Occidentaux, pour des raisons évidentes, ne voudront pas s’impliquer militairement. Ils pousseront l’Algérie, qui a la plus grande frontière terrestre avec le Mali et une expérience éprouvée en matière antiterroriste, à s’impliquer dans la gestion de la crise malienne.» Pour rappel, cette semaine, deux hauts responsables américains, le haut commandant des forces armées américaines en Afrique (Africom), Carter Ham, et le sous-secrétaire d’Etat adjoint chargé de l’Afrique, Johnnie Carson, ont fait un déplacement hors agenda à Alger pour rencontrer Abdelkader Messahel, le ministre algérien délégué aux Affaires africaines et maghrébines, et parler de la situation de crise au Sahel.
Une visite qui confirme le rôle de médiateur que Washington veut donner à Alger, seul pays de la région à avoir une armée organisée et formée et une expérience dans la lutte antiterroriste. «Les islamistes armés lancent un message clair pour que l’Etat algérien ne se mêle par de leur entreprise d’affaiblissement du pouvoir central de Bamako, poursuit Tarik Mira. Car c’est tout bénéfice pour eux si le Mali reste dans cette situation.»
D’après notre reporter à Bamako, citant des sources algériennes, «une telle attaque était prévisible. D’autant que le consul avait reçu des menaces et des informations selon lesquelles une attaque était prévue. Mais il est très difficile d’évacuer Gao, car l’armée ne contrôle plus la situation et il est quasiment impossible d’entrer ou de sortir de la ville sans tomber dans une embuscade». Le Mouvement national de libération de l’Azawad (MNLA), qui a décidé unilatéralement de proclamer la fin des opérations militaires à compter de jeudi minuit, a condamné cet enlèvement de diplomates algériens à Gao «et tous les actes de vandalisme et d’agression contre les populations civiles dans les villes libérées». «Le Mouvement national de libération de l’Azawad se désolidarise de toutes les organisations mafieuses s’étant introduite ces jours-ci dans l’Azawad, contribuant à instaurer un climat de chaos et de désordre, après la libération du territoire», ajoute Bakaye Ag Hamed Ahmed, chargé de la communication.
Le dernier enlèvement de diplomates algériens remonte à juillet 2005 : Ali Belaroussi et Azzedine Belkadi avaient été enlevés le 21 juillet 2005 en Irak puis assassinés le 28 juillet. Le groupe armé Al Qaîda de l’organisation du djihad au pays des deux fleuves, dirigé par le Jordanien Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, avait revendiqué l’enlèvement et l’assassinat des deux diplomates qu’il considérait comme «deux émissaires de l’Etat algérien qui n’applique pas la charia et s’est allié aux juifs et aux chrétiens».
Source: CNN
The Sudanese Defence Minister
Sudan is denying that the South Sudanese military shot down a Sudanese fighter jet.
In a dangerous escalation of border violence, South Sudan accused rival Sudan of war mongering Wednesday and said it had shot down a fighter jet sent to bomb the oil-rich Pan Akuac region.
Sudan was orchestrating fresh attacks against its southern neighbor, according to Pagan Amum, a South Sudan chief negotiator.
South Sudan officials said the nation’s military shot down the MiG-29 jet fighter in its territory of Unity state.
But Sudan called the claims false.
“There were attacks by some groups on our military positions and we responded with artillery,” said Al-Sawarmi Khalid, a Sudan military spokesman. “Claims that a plane was shot down are nonbefitting since we haven’t used planes they claim to have shot down.”
The latest hostilities put a bitter note on negotiations between the two nations at an African Union meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who heads a mediation panel, said both parties had laid out a six-point plan to reduce escalating tensions that included an immediate cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of armed forces from each other’s territory.
The South Sudan delegation was ready to sign, but Khartoum declined and said President Omar al-Bashir would have to review the agreement.
Amum called on his counterpart to come back to the table to finalize the agreement. But the Sudanese defense minister and his delegation left Ethiopia and Amum said he received word about the Unity state attacks Wednesday afternoon. The Addis Ababa talks have been marred all along with fresh border violence.
Upon independence last year, South Sudan took 75% of the formerly united country’s oil reserves, and oil accounts for 98% of the new state’s revenues.
Both countries are suffering economically since an oil production shutdown began in January. Border and citizenship agreements could open the way to a deal to resume oil production.
Recent clashes, however, cast doubt on whether either country would honor any agreements.
Aside from clashes between government forces, both countries accuse each other of supporting militia or rebel forces in their territories.
In a statement Wednesday, the African Union expressed concern for the escalating violence along the 1,200 mile border and in Southern Kordofan state.
An African Union panel will travel to both Khartoum and Juba — the South Sudan capital — to meet with al-Bashir and South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit before the two leaders attend a summit.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland urged South Sudan last month to cease military support for rebels fighting the Khartoum government in the states of Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan. Southern officials have repeatedly denied providing support to the rebels.
Nuland also demanded that Khartoum “end aerial bombardments of civilian areas.”
The war has already sent more than 100,000 refugees across the border into South Sudan, and the United States and United Nations have warned that hundreds more could follow, fleeing hunger and violence.
Source: Leadership/allAfrica
The State Security Service (SSS), in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, has arrested five suspects with about 60 explosive devices at Yaranguruza and Burinde areas within the Gombe State capital.
Disclosing this to journalists yesterday in Gombe, the state director, SSS, Mr. B. Asha, said the all-explosive devices were packaged in the empty tins of soft drinks meant to be planted in some strategic areas in the state.
He further explained that it was the SSS, through the security report, that discovered the movement of some explosive devices within the city town, and acted immediately in collaboration with army and anti-bomb Squad, and discovered a hideout of the bomb devices.
He stated that, after the security operatives discovered where the devices were packed, they also took all to the outside town where they would be disposed of opposite the Federal College of Education, Gombe.
But, according to a source close to security agencies, most of the devices had been recovered at Katako Market in Anguwar Burindi and Yalanguruza areas within Gombe metropolis, saying that some of the suspects were also arrested in the same area.
By Yau Waziri
Source: New York Times/Denver Post
West Africa’s regional trade bloc began drawing up plans for military action to tackle the twin crises of a coup and a rebellion in Mali, as Tuareg rebels who have seized control over much of the north of the country declared a cease-fire in their drive to create an independent homeland.
In Bamako, the capital, Mali’s main political parties refused to participate in a national conference called by the military junta that toppled the country’s democratically elected president last month.
In an interview with the French newspaper Liberation, the leader of the junta, which has said it seized power because of the civilian government’s ineffective handling of the Tuareg uprising in the north, pleaded for international help in fighting the Tuaregs.
“If the great powers were able to cross oceans to fight against the Islamists, what prevents them from coming to us?” said the leader, Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, alluding to the war in Afghanistan.
But such assistance is unlikely. On Thursday France ruled out a “military solution” in Mali, a former French colony, to counter the Tuareg rebels, who announced that they had achieved their territorial objectives and were seeking outside backing for a breakaway state they call Azawad.
The declaration by the main Tuareg rebel group on its website came after other rebel fighters, who helped seize the ancient city of Timbuktu over the weekend, were quoted by local officials as saying they planned to impose Islamic law there.
The Tuareg rebels have taken advantage of the military coup in Bamako to press their separatist campaign, seizing a string of settlements in the northern desert with lightning speed.
Source: EMA France
Du 19 au 23 mars 2012, des militaires des FAZSOI (Forces armées en zone sud de l’Océan Indien) ont suivi un stage d’aguerrissement au Centre national d’entrainement commando de Madagascar, aux côtés de militaires malgaches, à l’occasion du 25ème anniversaire de ce centre.
10 militaires malgaches du 1er régiment des forces d’intervention (1er RFI) d’Ivato et 10 marsouins du 2ème régiment de parachutistes d’infanterie de marine (2ème RPIMa) ont participé à ce stage qui se déroule à Ambatolaona, à l’est de la capitale Tananarive.
Il comprend des pistes d’audace individuelles, collectives et aquatiques.
Il comporte également des entraînements aux techniques d’action immédiates, combat au corps-à-corps ainsi que des mises en situation et des marches de nuit.
L’instruction était assurée conjointement par l’encadrement du Centre d’aguerrissement tropical de la Réunion et les instructeurs malgaches du centre d’Ambatolaona.
La remise des brevets s’est déroulée le 23 mars dans une véritable ambiance de fraternité d’armes en présence du général André Ndriarijaona, chef d’état-major général des armées malgaches (CEMGAM) qui avait invité à l’occasion de cet anniversaire le général Jean–François Hogard, commandant supérieur des Forces armées de la zone sud de l’Océan Indien (FAZSOI).
Cette instruction s’inscrit dans le cadre de la coopération militaire régulière entre les militaires français des FAZSOI et les forces armées malgaches et témoigne de l’excellence de ces relations militaires et humaines.
Source: Agence France Presse
Le chef de l’armée nigériane Oluseyi Petinrin (g), et l’ivoirien Soumahila Bakayoko (AFP/Archives, Sia Kambou)
Les chefs d’état-major de la Communauté économique des Etats d’Afrique de l’Ouest (Cédéao) se sont réunis jeudi à Abidjan pour étudier l’éventuel déploiement d’une force militaire régionale déjà en alerte afin de faire face à la crise au Mali, a constaté l’AFP.
Les chefs des armées d’une dizaine de pays de la Cédéao (dont le Mali a été suspendu après le putsch du 22 mars) se sont retrouvés vers 11H00 (locales et GMT) pour une réunion présidée par le ministre ivoirien délégué à la Défense, Paul Koffi Koffi.
Les chefs d’état-major de la Côte d’Ivoire, du Nigeria et du Niger participent notamment à cette “réunion d’urgence”, à laquelle assistent des officiers américains et français.
Evoquant à l’ouverture la “feuille de route” des responsables militaires, M. Koffi leur a demandé “d’imaginer les voies et moyens, en complément des actions diplomatiques et politiques”, pour “aider à sécuriser le retour à la légalité constitutionnelle” et “stopper l’avancée de la rébellion” au Mali.
La rencontre doit permettre d’élaborer “un plan d’action opérationnel de la force en attente de la Cédéao, assorti d’un calendrier et d’un budget pour les actions concrètes qui seront menées”, a-t-il poursuivi.
“Cela suppose qu’il faudra préciser les effectifs à déployer, la répartition des effectifs par pays, la taille des unités à composer, les moyens logistiques à mobiliser et les délais d’une telle campagne”, a détaillé le ministre.
La situation “alarmante” au Mali “préoccupe au plus haut niveau toute la sous-région”, “il y a urgence” à “sauver ce pays”, a insisté le chef de l’armée ivoirienne, le général Soumaïla Bakayoko, avant le début du huis-clos.
A l’issue d’un sommet lundi à Dakar, le chef de l’Etat ivoirien Alassane Ouattara, président en exercice de la Cédéao, avait annoncé “la mise en place immédiate de la force d’attente” régionale et indiqué que les chefs d’état-major devaient se réunir cette semaine à Abidjan “pour voir les modalités d’activation de cette force”.
La Cédéao avait auparavant mis en état d’alerte sa force de quelque 2.000 hommes.
L’organisation ouest-africaine a invoqué la nécessité de rétablir l’ordre constitutionnel après le coup d’Etat militaire à Bamako et de restaurer l’intégrité territoriale du Mali, dont le nord est passé en quelques jours sous le contrôle de la rébellion touareg du Mouvement national pour la libération de l’Azawad (MNLA) et de groupes islamistes armés.
La Cédéao a également décrété un “embargo total”, économique, financier et diplomatique, contre la junte au pouvoir à Bamako.
Dans un entretien publié jeudi dans la presse française, le chef de la junte, le capitaine Amadou Sanogo, a appelé les Occidentaux à intervenir militairement dans le nord du Mali face aux rebelles touareg et aux islamistes.
“Il n’y aura pas de solution militaire pour les Touareg”, a estimé de son côté jeudi le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, Alain Juppé. “C’est une solution politique qu’il faut”, a-t-il ajouté, précisant que la Cédéao, l’Algérie et la Mauritanie devaient y contribuer.
Pour stopper la progression des islamistes d’Al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique (Aqmi) et aider les autorités légitimes de Bamako, le ministre a précisé qu’une force d’intervention de la Cédéao pourrait alors bénéficier d’un soutien logistique de la France, ex-puissance coloniale.
“Nous soutenons tous les efforts de la Cédéao, y compris les préparatifs d’une action militaire”, a déclaré pour sa part le porte-parole du ministère français, Bernard Valero.
Source: Le Quotidien Mutations
General Hogg in Algeria
Le ministre algérien délégué aux Affaires Africaines et Maghrébines Abdelkader Messahel s’est entretenu mercredi à Alger avec deux hauts responsables américains de la lutte contre le terrorisme et de la situation au Mali, a indiqué l’agence APS.
Le haut commandant des forces armées américaines en Afrique (Africom) Carter Ham et le sous-secrétaire d’Etat adjoint chargé de l’Afrique Johnnie Carson ont évoqué avec M. Messahel le phénomène du terrorisme et les questions liées à l’Afrique, a précisé APS.
Le patron de l’Africom s’est également entretenu avec le président algérien Abdelaziz Bouteflika, en présence du ministre délégué auprès du ministre de la Défense Abdelmalek Guenaizia, du ministre des Affaires étrangères Mourad Medelci, de M. Messahel et du chef d’état-major de l’armée algérienne Ahmed Gaïd Salah, a ajouté l’APS.
Nous avons eu une discussion très approfondie sur la situation sécuritaire au Mali. L’élément essentiel est le retour à un gouvernement civil dans ce pays, a déclaré à la presse le général Carter Ham, à l’issue de cet entretien.
Il apparaît clairement qu’il y a dans les positions des Etats-Unis d’Amérique et de l’Algérie beaucoup de points communs, a-t-il poursuivi.
M. Messahel a évoqué pour sa part avec les deux responsables américains la coopération bilatérale notamment en matière de lutte contre le terrorisme, ainsi que la situation au Mali, en Libye, Somalie et au Soudan, selon la même source.
La visite des deux responsables américains à Alger intervient quelques jours après la prise par la rébellion touareg et des groupes islamistes des trois capitales régionales du nord du Mali, Kidal, Gao et Tombouctou.
L’Algérie avait condamné le coup d’Etat militaire au Mali et exprimé sa grande préoccupation devant la situation dans ce pays avec qui Alger coopère contre les violences au Sahel.
Source: El Watan
L’Algérie a reçu, mardi, une visite aussi surprenante qu’inattendue. L’allusion est faite, bien entendu, à celle que vient d’effectuer le chef d’état-major des forces armées du Qatar, le général-major Hamad Ben Ali Attiya.
Et ainsi qu’il fallait sans doute s’y attendre, la dépêche rachitique de l’APS annonçant sa venue ne donne aucune information susceptible d’en saisir les tenants et les aboutissants. Comme d’habitude en pareil cas, le sujet est très vite noyé dans une formule alambiquée et passe-partout évoquant le souhait de l’ANP et de l’armée du Qatar de «renforcer» les relations de «fraternité» et de «coopération».
En réalité, exit la relation personnelle qu’entretient le président Bouteflika avec l’émir du Qatar et que tout le monde qualifie volontiers de bonne, voire même d’excellente, cette visite est d’autant plus étonnante que les armées des deux pays n’ont pas pour habitude de collaborer. L’armée algérienne et celle du Qatar n’ont pas grand-chose en commun, si ce n’est peut-être un partenaire identique : les Etats-Unis. Au-delà, un fossé abyssal sépare leur doctrine, cela pour reprendre le jargon militaire. Contrairement au voisin marocain, l’ANP n’a par ailleurs besoin ni des pétrodollars qataris ou saoudiens pour s’équiper en armes ni de leur expertise militaire.
Le constat est pour ainsi dire le même concernant le plan politique.
Au moment où l’Algérie milite pour donner encore un sens à la notion de souveraineté des Etats et fonde son action sur le droit international, le Qatar apparaît comme un fervent interventionniste et s’investit pleinement et de manière cynique dans une redéfinition musclée de la carte de l’aire arabo-musulmane. L’information sur la venue du général-major Hamad Ben Ali Attiya à Alger laisse aujourd’hui d’autant plus perplexe que les capitales des deux pays soutiennent encore des positions différentes, pour ne pas dire complètement antagoniques sur les révoltes arabes et sont donc logiquement (en dépit des apparences) directement ou indirectement en situation de confrontation.
Le Qatar et le chaos libyen
La remarque se tient dans le cas du Maghreb où le Qatar, après avoir pris pied en Libye par l’entremise des salafistes locaux et d’une partie des notables de Benghazi – qui viennent d’ailleurs de déclarer la Cyrénaïque région autonome – entreprend actuellement d’étendre son influence. Et cela quitte à déstabiliser et précipiter dans le chaos toute la région. A ce propos, le très sourcé journal français Le Canard Enchaîné a révélé, la semaine dernière dans ses colonnes, que le Qatar est sur le point de supplanter l’Arabie Saoudite en matière de financement des groupes extrémistes salafistes qui activent de la Somalie au Sahel en passant par la Libye. Les shebabs somaliens et le Libyen Abdelhakim Belhadj, intronisé chef militaire de Tripoli, en sont d’ailleurs la parfaite illustration. En outre, inutile de parler des tentatives d’immixtion de Doha dans le jeu politique tunisien. Des tentatives auxquelles, d’ailleurs, le président Marzouki a répondu sèchement.
Sachant tout cela et sans une explication franche entre Alger et Doha, il est difficile de voir les services de sécurité algériens s’accoquiner avec un Etat qui, disons-le clairement, soutient des terroristes. L’autre grand objet de discordances entre Alger et Doha porte bien évidemment sur le dossier syrien. Là encore, alors que la diplomatie algérienne prône un règlement pacifique à la crise, le Qatar milite en faveur d’une réédition du scénario libyen. En d’autres termes, la monarchie du Golfe – dont l’hyperactivité diplomatique trahit l’ambition de l’émir Cheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani d’arracher le flambeau du leadership arabe aux Saoudiens et aux Egyptiens – cherche encore désespérément l’occasion d’armer davantage l’opposition afin de mettre le feu aux poudres en Syrie et renverser le régime de Bachar Al Assad. Mais pour cela, il faudrait faire sauter le verrou russe et, accessoirement, algérien.
L’alignement de l’Algérie sur la position qatarie pourrait en effet permettre au Qatar de recoller les morceaux du consensus arabe et de brandir un argument valable à la face de Moscou pour poursuivre sa guerre contre les chiites syriens. Le général-major Hamad Ben Ali Attiya, qui paraît également avoir enfilé une casquette de diplomate, vient-il à Alger pour justement sonder sur la question le président Bouteflika, qui l’a reçu hier en grande pompe ? Rien n’interdit de le penser, lorsque l’on sait que l’Algérie contrarie actuellement assez les plans du Qatar. Mais il n’est pas interdit de supposer aussi que cette visite énigmatique n’a pas de lien avec l’autre grand cauchemar de Cheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, l’Iran… un autre pays qu’Alger à l’avantage de bien connaître.
Par Zine Cherfaoui
Source: The Associated Press/The Washington Post
South Sudan says it shot down a Sudanese fighter jet Wednesday after two military planes dropped bombs around its oil fields, but Sudan denied it had lost such an aircraft.
Military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said the downed plane was a Sudanese MiG-29 jet fighter flying in South Sudan’s Unity State, but Sudan’s army spokesman denied any Sudanese jets were downed, saying the claim by the south lacked evidence.
“This is not right, and a claim that lacks evidence and proof. We affirm this is talk for media consumption only,” Col. Sawarmy Khaled said.
He later told the official Sudan news agency that his forces came under attack, but they had not been using MIG jets.
“We would like to stress here that we have been the subject of attack by (southern) military groups, attack on our positions and we dealt with (the source) of the attack by artillery shelling,” he said. “Talk about downing a plane is out of the question, because we did not use such a (MIG) plane which they say they have shot down.”
Aguer said he had seen the confrontation and the downed Sudanese MiG was one of two flying over the Naar and Toma South oil fields. He said the two MiGs had dropped “many” bombs since morning.
South Sudanese forces shot down the MiG with an anti-aircraft gun, he said.
The Sudanese “don’t know that we have the capacity. They underestimate the SPLA,” he said, referring to South Sudan’s forces, the Southern People’s Liberation Army.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner urged both sides to stop fighting, ensure the safety of civilians, and let the African Union negotiate an end to their dispute. “We’re obviously very concerned,” Toner said when asked about the downing of the warplane.
South Sudan split from Sudan last year after decades of civil war. But the two sides never agreed on where exactly the two countries’ border is and how to share oil revenues. The south now has most of the oil but must pump it through a pipeline that runs through Sudan.
South Sudan says that Sudan stole much of its oil, and the south shut down production earlier this year, depriving both countries of needed government revenue.
Hostilities between the two sides have grown in recent months, even as the south has said it is trying to avoid a return to war. A planned meeting between the presidents of Sudan and South Sudan scheduled for Tuesday was canceled by Sudan.
Aguer was part of a delegation led by South Sudanese Oil Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau to see a tie-in pipeline allegedly being built by Sudan. The south says the tie-in pipeline is a way for Sudan to steal South Sudan’s oil.
Dau said the incomplete pipeline would be able to pump between 15,000 and 30,000 barrels of oil per day if linked up to Sudan’s oil fields.
“They want take our oil even when we are shut down,” Dau said.
This is not the first tie-in pipeline that has been unilaterally built by Khartoum. Another was built in January to link a pipeline in South Sudan operated by oil-consortium PetroDar to refineries in Khartoum. The pipeline was revealed shortly after Khartoum announced it would take oil “in kind” from South Sudan in lieu of an agreement on how much South Sudan should pay to use Sudan’s pipelines.
In late January South Sudan accused Khartoum of stealing nearly all of its oil and ordered oil fields to halt operations.
According to Dau, the new tie-in pipeline was discovered just over a week ago during the border clashes between the two nations. Dau said SPLA forces found the pipeline when they pushed Sudanese Armed Forces back from Teshwin into the Heglig area on March 26.
“The pipeline was less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from being complete,” said Dau.
Wednesday’s bombings are the latest in a series of open confrontations between Sudanese and South Sudanese troops that have world leaders on edge. President Barack Obama urged South Sudanese President Salva Kiir earlier this week to exercise maximum military restraint.
But according to Aguer, the fighting has been “a daily thing here on the front line” since the initial confrontation. Aguer said that almost 80 people have been killed — mostly military forces — since the fighting began.
While the region has been quiet since the downing of the MiG plane earlier, the border is tense. According to Aguer, South Sudan is “expecting ground troops to attack at any time.”
Moahmed Osman in Khartoum, Sudan Link
Source: The Associated Press/The Washington Post
A U.S. Embassy statement says an American military drone used to monitor piracy off the East African coast has crashed at an airport on the island nation of Seychelles.
A U.S. statement said the unmanned, unarmed Air Force drone crashed Wednesday near the Seychelles International Airport runway.
A drone crashed at the same airport in December when it wasn’t able to stop before the end of the runway.
Wednesday’s statement did not speculate on the cause of the most recent crash.
The U.S. military has a small team in the Seychelles to operate a drone program.
Source: The Associated Press
Two weeks ago, Somalia’s National Theater reopened for the first time in 20 years for a concert that drew an audience in festive colors in a city trying to rise above war.
On Wednesday, the theater was turned into a scene of chaos and blood when a suicide bomber attacked another high-profile event, killing 10 people, wounding dozens and shattering a tentative peace in the capital of Mogadishu.
The blast occurred as Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali stood to deliver a speech. He was, however, unharmed, said government spokesman Abdirahman Omar Osman.
The Islamist militant group al-Shabab used its official Twitter feed to claim responsibility for the bombing.
The al-Qaeda-linked organization said explosives had been planted in the theater before the event, but an Associated Press journalist at the scene said there was no large blast crater, making a suicide bombing more likely.
“It was a cowardly act and that will not deter the government from performing its national duties,” Osman said.
Fighters belonging to al-Shabab were pushed out of Mogadishu in August by government and African Union troops after two decades of violence that have gripped the Somali capital.
Source: Radio France international
Des manifestants répondant à l’appel de l’opposition bissau-guinéenne se sont regroupés ce 4 avril devant l’ambassade d’Angola à Bissau. Les manifestants scandaient des slogans hostiles aux soldats angolais présents sur le territoire au titre de la coopération militaire dont ils exigent le départ. La crise entre la mission angolaise d’assistance technico-militaire et l’armée bissau-guinéenne prend désormais des tournures politiques. Elle divise le gouvernement et l’armée. L’opposition soutient la décision de l’armée qui exige la révision de la coopération militaire entre Bissau et Luanda.
Ils étaient quelques centaines devant la mission diplomatique angolaise pour exiger le départ des soldats angolais. « Nous manifestons pour exiger le départ du contingent angolais de la Guinée-Bissau », explique Fernando Mansonts, responsable de la jeunesse du Parti africain pour l’indépendance et le développement (PRID), une formation dans l’opposition.
Cette manifestation a eu lieu au lendemain de l’arrivée à Bissau du ministre angolais de la Défense, Cândido Pereira Van-Dúnem, porteur d’un message du président José Eduardo dos Santos. Le contenu du message n’a pas été révélé mais selon une source proche du dossier, il s’agit du départ du contingent angolais basé à Bissau dans le cadre d’une mission technique d’appui à la réforme dans le secteur de la défense et de la sécurité.
Ce contingent est aujourd’hui au cœur d’une polémique entre l’armée et le gouvernement. L’armée guinéenne souhaite son départ alors que le gouvernement accuse certains politiciens d’être derrière cette agitation. Carlos Gomes Junior, Premier ministre sortant, candidat du parti au pouvoir : « A cause de faux politiciens, un émissaire du président de l’Angola est venu nous dire que malheureusement le contingent angolais s’en va. Tout cela est l’oeuvre de politiciens sans cervelle, sans programme, qui veulent à tout prix déstabiliser la Guinée Bissau.»
Le gouvernement angolais a investi plus de 300 millions de dollars dans le secteur minier et pris en charge la réhabilitation et l’équipement de plusieurs casernes. Avec le départ des Angolais, ce sont tous ces projets qui tombent à l’eau.
Source: Afrique en Ligne
Déroute de l’Armée malienne au nord du pays – Décidément, rien ne va plus au sein des forces armées et de sécurité du Mali. La situation va de mal en pis. Les déroutes survenues à Tessalit, Kidal, Gao et Tombouctou expliquent, en partie, la nature des hommes qui sont chargés d’assurer notre sécurité et de préserver l’intégrité du territoire national. Aujourd’hui, il y’a une unanimité: le peuple malien n’a plus confiance en son armée, les porteurs d’uniforme ayant perdu toute crédibilité au sein de l’opinion nationale.
Le Mali est victime d’une rébellion touarègue débutée depuis mi janvier. Plusieurs groupes rebelles sont au nord du pays pour faire la guerre à l’armée malienne. L’Etat, en son temps, avait mobilisé les fonds nécessaires pour y faire face. Très rapidement, les troupes sur le terrain ont rouspété face à leur sort, en demandant la mise à leur disposition des moyens nécessaires pour faire face aux rebelles, dit-on lourdement armés. Une marche a été organisée par les femmes du camp de Kati. Elles s’inquiétaient du sort de leur mari et fils présents au front. Et du coup, la tension avait monté dans la garnison de Kati, les rumeurs d’un éventuel coup d’état animaient souvent les conversations dans les grins.
Au fil du temps, l’armée perdait du terrain face aux rebelles. Les tueries d’Aguelhok en sont la parfaite illustration. C’est la goutte d’eau qui fera déborder le vase. Les critiques étaient de plus en plus virulentes contre le régime. Le régime d’ATT s’affaiblissait, comme lui-même d’ailleurs. Des déclarations du président qui laissaient à désirer et souvent à la limite de l’intolérable.
En fin de mandat, ATT a été abandonné par les partis politiques qui ont contribué à sa réélection. Ceux-ci avaient les yeux tournés ailleurs, notamment vers la présidentielle du 29 avril et au 08 juin 2012, date d’investiture du nouveau locataire de Koulouba. ATT, lui-même rongé par le stress et les maladies de la vieillesse, ne maitrisaient plus rien. Ce régime étant dès lors fragile, un coup de force est intervenu le 21 mars 2012 et y a mis fin avant terme.
Les putschistes ont dénoncé l’incapacité et l’incompétence du régime défunt régime à combattre les rebelles. Cette déclaration a suscité de l’espoir chez certains de nos compatriotes. Très vite, ils vont se rendre à l’évidence que les nouvelles autorités ne valent pas mieux que l’équipe d’ATT. Pire, l’armée est désorganisée, il n’y a plus hiérarchie. Cela se fera sentir à travers les piètres prestations de nos forces armées et de sécurité qui se traduit par la démotivation, la démobilisation, le manque de conviction et la peur au ventre d’affronter les rebelles. En un mot, la crainte de perdre sa vie.
Pour un rien, ils détalent comme des lapins. Ce que la junte qualifie de repli stratégique. Oh! Le ridicule ne tue pas. A travers ce comportement de nos forces armées et de sécurité, ils ont perdu la confiance de la majorité de nos populations. Plus grave encore, en Afrique de façon générale et particulièrement dans la sous-région ouest africaine, l’armée malienne ne signifie plus rien. Aucun Malien ne peut se vanter de son armée compte tenu de son incapacité à soulever les petits obstacles. Personne ne peut convaincre un autre ressortissant d’un pays étranger face à la perte successive de toutes les régions nord du pays.
L’arrivée d’Amadou Haya Sanogo a tout remis en cause. Il n’y a plus de commandement. Les soldats ont fui le front et regagnent Bamako par petits groupes, la tête baisée. C’est une vraie désolation à laquelle nous assistons depuis la fin de la semaine dernière. Lui qui était censé nous amener la victoire n’est pas mieux que le Président Amadou Toumani Touré. C’est d’ailleurs tout à fait le contraire: la situation d’antan était meilleure que celle que nous vivons actuellement. Il ne faut plus se voiler la face : Il n’y a plus d’armée au Mali. Notre sort passe par l’envoi de la force Ecomog de la Cedeao pour chasser la bande des orgues.
Il faut le dire, le mode de recrutement au sein des forces armées et de sécurité laisse à désirer durant ces 20 dernières années. Ne sont recrutés que ceux qui ont des parents officiers ou ceux qui mettent la main à la poche. C’est un secret de polichinelle. Donc les gens viennent dans le corps par nécessité et non par conviction. Le recrutement est devenu tout simplement un moyen d’absorber le chaumage. «Avec la désertion de nos forces armées et de sécurité, le nord est devenu un grand boulevard pour les rebelles » me disait en causerie un parent très remonté contre nos soldats qui venaient de fuir le champ de bataille. Comment voulons-nous que ces gens-là parviennent à assurer notre sécurité et défendre l’intégrité du territoire national ? Chacun a sa part de responsabilité. Il faut vaincre le mal avant la gangrène.
Par Birama FALL
Source: BBC News
Mali’s Tuareg separatist rebels have declared an end to military operations, a statement on their website says.
The Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) say they have captured enough territory to form their own state.
But the position of Islamist insurgents, who fought alongside the Tuareg in northern Mali, is unclear.
West African military leaders are due to meet to discuss possible intervention to force Mali’s military leaders to give up power.
But France’s Foreign Minister Alain Juppe called for negotiations with the rebels, saying there could be no military solution, the AFP news agency reports.
A group of army officers seized power last month, saying that the civilian government had been too soft on the rebels.
But the MNLA and the Islamist group Ansar Dine took advantage of the military being distracted to take control of the whole of northern Mali, including the historic city of Timbuktu.
In another development, a political convention the junta had called for Thursday to discuss restoring civilian rule has been cancelled after political parties refused to take part.
Looting
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council called for an end to the fighting in Mali – a request heeded by the MNLA.
“After the complete liberation of the Azawad territory and given the strong request by the international community”, the MNLA “decides unilaterally to declare the end of military operations from midnight Thursday”, a statement on the group’s website says.
In New York, the Security Council said it “strongly condemns the continued attacks, looting and seizure of territory carried out by rebel groups in the north of Mali and demands an immediate cessation of hostilities”.
Journalist Martin Vogl in Bamako says the situation in the northern town of Gao is particularly tense – and people are continuing to flee the north.
Buses to the capital are packed and people are desperate to get out, even jumping onto the backs of transport trucks, he says.
The UN also voiced alarm at the presence of Ansar Dine, which has links to al-Qaeda and wants to impose Islamic law, or Sharia, across the whole of the West African state.
Unlike the MNLA, Ansar Dine is not in favour of an independent northern state.
The MNLA was formed last year, partly by well armed Tuareg fighters returning from Libya, where they had backed former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The UN also backed the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) to restore order in Mali.
Mali’s borders have been closed to trade, the country’s access to funds at the central bank for the region’s common currency frozen and travel bans slapped on coup leaders and their supporters.
West Africa’s senior military officials are meeting on Thursday in the main city of Ivory Coast, Abidjan, to discuss the possibility of sending in a 2,000-strong force to Mali.
Former colonial power France said earlier it would not intervene but it could provide logistical support, if any Ecowas operation gained international approval.
Junta head Capt Amadou Sanogo has said the army is not leaving power, but has promised to consult local political forces to set up a transition body “with the aim of organising peaceful, free, open and democratic elections in which we will not take part”.
Thursday’s conference has been postponed “in order to better organise”, said Col Moussa Coulibaly, an adviser to the coup leader.
A new date has not been set – and correspondents say the coup leader had no choice but to call off the meeting because political parties and civil society groups had rejected the invitation to the event, saying they do not recognise the junta’s legitimacy.
Speaking after the UN Security Council passed its statement, Malian envoy Oumar Daou said his country was in an unprecedented crisis.
“People are divided, our country is threatened with partition, northern Mali is today occupied by Tuareg rebels and Salafists [Islamist militants], hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs [internally displaced persons] are currently living in unimaginable conditions,” he said.
“How is it that a country just weeks ago that was known and recognised as a benchmark, a country in which the democratic model had taken route… is finding itself before the international community needing its help?” he asked.
The coup and Tuareg rebellion have exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in Mali and some neighbouring countries, with aid agencies warning that 13 million people need food aid following a drought in the region.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is attempting to open a dialogue with the rebels so that it can recommence its aid operations in remote parts of the north.
It said it had had to withdraw its international staff after its warehouses were looted in the northern town of Gao, which has been seized by the rebels.
Source: Ministry of Defence South Africa
Formerly known as 43 Mechanised Headquarters, the 43 SA Brigade celebrated its 15th birthday after successfully conducting various course support and force preparation exercises. The event took place at the 43 SA Brigade HQ at Walmansthal on 30 March 2012 to mark the brigade’s achievement.
The history of the brigade dates back to the late 1990’s when the 43 Mechanised Brigade HQ provided the Headquarters of the Combined SADC Task Force and commanded the intervention stage of Ops BOLEAS in the Kingdom of Lesotho in September 1998.
The year 2009 was also one of the highlights in the Southern SADC region when 43 SA Brigade provided the Military Component Force HQ for the SADC Standby Force during Exercise GOLFINHO. It still has this responsibility as well as that of providing the headquarters of the Chief of The SANDF Rapid Force.
“The birth process of 43 SA Brigade HQ was a long and painful event. It developed out of the virtual rapid deployment force established in 1990 at the then Army Combat School.” These were the words of the General Officer Commanding, Brig Gen Lawrence Smith when he addressed guest and members on parade during the 43 SA Brigade 15th celebrations.
“It was later designated as 43 Mechanised Brigade HQ under the command of Col Izan Leibrandt, also at the Army Combat School. The HQ was formally established as a tactical brigade HQ on 2 April 1997 at Wallmansthall,” He said.
By Itumeleng Makhubela
Source: Ministry of Defence Rwanda
The Army week that was launched on Monday March 26th, 2012 was closed on Friday March 30th, 2012. Throughout the week, health personnel from Rwanda Military Hospital dedicated their services, free of charge, to 31 young people with mental and/or physical disabilities, sheltered at Inshuti Zacu Centre, in Kicukiro District, Kigali City.
While officiating the closing ceremony, the guest of honor of the day, Col Dr Eugene Twagirumukiza pointed out that during the just concluded army week military doctors carried out an extensive medical diagnostic for all cases and will produce reports that will easy the follow up. Col Dr Eugene further promised that RMH will provide whatever possible to help those examined, noting that some cases will have definitely to be transferred to main hospitals such as Rwanda Military Hospital and King Faycal.
On her side, Sister Catherine Mujawamariya, the founder of Inshuti Zacu Centre couldn’t hide her joy and appreciation towards RDF .” You are giving a message of hope to these children living with disabilities, a message that the country is taking care of them”, she gratefully declared. Kicukiro District’s Authorities pledged to Inshuti Zacu Centre cows and a portion of the district budget, respectively to improve the nutrition and the general welfare of the children.
Source: US Africom
CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa Command Senior Enlisted Leader, U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant James E. Davis, Kenya Air Force Base Sergeant Major Maurice Atsango Matwang’a (right) and Kenya Army Weapons Training Sergeant Major David Karisa Barisa discuss a personnel inspection they just completed at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, March 27, 2012 during a visit with Task Force Raptor soldiers from U.S. Army 3rd Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, Texas Army National Guard. CJTF-HOA hosted the four Kenyan Ministry of Defense senior enlisted leaders to exchange best practices and enhance understanding of the enlisted leadership roles and responsibilities that affect mission execution. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Maria R. Escamilla)
Kenyan Ministry of Defense senior enlisted personnel participated in a key leader engagement at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, March 26-29, 2012 hosted by Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa Command Senior Enlisted Leader Chief Master Sergeant James E. Davis.
The four guests were Kenya Army Qualified Senior Master Instructor Josphat Muthama King’ori and Weapons Training Sergeant Major David Karisa Barisa, Kenya Navy Base Sergeant Major Boniface Munyili Ndana and Kenya Air Force Base Sergeant Major Maurice Atsango Matwang’a.
Davis said the purpose of the visit was to build partner nation capacity with Kenya’s senior enlisted leadership by demonstrating how U.S. enlisted members use their roles and responsibilities and the chain of command to execute the mission and take care of their people.
“In everything we do and in every process that takes place, we want to show how our senior enlisted lead from the front,” said Davis. “That’s the message that we want to relay–that we empower our senior enlisted leaders to take care of the mission.”
During visits to commands from various military branches, including Djiboutian and Japanese coalition partners, the Kenyan guests interacted and observed first-hand senior enlisted leadership in action.
“We were very welcome here,” said Matwang’a. “This is true sharing. It allows us to enhance partnership between our forces so we can work toward aiming at one goal–security. This kind of partnership should be enhanced because it can improve our common security. Anything good comes through partnership.”
After an initial visit and discussion with U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Eugene Haase, CJTF-HOA deputy commander, March 27, the Kenyan leaders met with Camp Lemonnier’s U.S. Navy Command Master Chief Petty Officer Loretta Glenn, who briefed the camp mission and took them on a tour of the base.
Next the guests visited with U.S. Air Force senior enlisted leaders, as well as members of Task Force Raptor, U.S. Army 3rd Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, Texas Army National Guard, who invited them to participate in an enlisted personnel inspection.
On March 28 the Kenyan senior enlisted leaders visited U.S. Army Civil Affairs Team 4903 in Ali Sabieh, Djibouti, to learn how the enlisted team there helps to build community relations and maintain stability in that region.
During the visit, Matwang’a realized U.S. and Kenyan militaries share much in common and face similar issues. For example, he said, “Like the American military, we deal with issues such as fraternization and how to counsel subordinates with their problems. Morale must be maintained at all levels.”
King’ori agreed with Matwang’a's assessment, noting good morale is the key to developing and maintaining an effective enlisted force.
“We must go a mile further to know what it is the soldier wants and what it is he does,” said King’ori.
Matwang’a also mentioned the importance of continuing to build friendship between his country Kenya, the U.S. and the partner nations.
“This allows us not only to take care of our country, but of the world,” he said. “We need to live in peace as human beings. What we are doing here is not to make other people suffer, but to help them live better.”
Source: EMG Togo
Du 12 au 23 mars 2012, s’est tenue à Accra (GHANA) une conférence de l’African Partner Flight (APF), une première du genre, entre les Armées de l’Air de cinq pays de la sous-région ouest africaine : Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Sénégal et Togo. Cet événement a bénéficié de l’appui logistique et technique de l’armée de l’air américaine.
Le programme APF est une initiative de l’Armée de l’Air Américaine financé par le gouvernement américain. Il a pour objectif d’enseigner et de permettre aux aviateurs des pays précités d’échanger dans un environnement convivial sur plusieurs domaines de l’aéronautique à savoir : sécurité sol et air, relations publiques, recherche et sauvetage, soutien au déploiement, escale aérienne, entretien aéronefs, physiologie aérospatiale et aumônerie militaire. Les échanges et informations en matière de savoir-faire ont été édifiants et très enrichissants surtout avec l’apport de l’expérience des facilitateurs américains pendant les séances en salle et pratiques sur terrain.
Ce raffermissement de coopération technique s’est illustré à la fin par une « VIP Day » au cours de laquelle, les stagiaires ont pu démontrer en présence de leurs différents Chefs d’Etat Major et de la responsable Air de l’AFRICOM venue spécialement pour l’événement, tout ce qu’ils ont appris au cours des deux semaines de cours. Les différents participants ont, à travers des témoignages reconnus avoir rafraichi leurs connaissances et savoir-faire. La fin de la formation a été marquée par la remise de certificat de participation.
Le témoin de la prochaine réunion a été remis au Chef d’Etat Major de l’Armée de l’Air de l’Ouganda. Il appartient aux autorités ougandaises de prendre toutes les dispositions pour relever le défi de la prochaine conférence qui se tiendra en 2013 à Kampala.
Les FAT y sont représentées par une délégation de 24 militaires commandée par le lieutenant colonel Bararmna Boukpessi. Elle est composée de 01 soldat, 10 sous/officiers 07 officiers tous de l’armée de l’air ; à eux s’ajoutent 03 officiers aumôniers et 03 officiers interprètes de l’armée de terre invités pour faciliter les échanges en anglais et français.
La mission dans sa globalité a été une réussite car tous les participants à chaque niveau de responsabilité ont pu tirer un grand profit de leur séjour au Ghana.
Source: AFP
The British military has launched an urgent investigation into a bar brawl involving its troops on exercise in Kenya, in which several soldiers were admitted to hospital, officials said Tuesday.
The local Daily Nation newspaper said about 200 soldiers were involved in the fight in a hotel in Nanyuki in central Kenya where British troops often train, and at least five people had to be airlifted to a Nairobi hospital.
“We can confirm that an incident involving British military personnel, in a secure location in Nanyuki, resulted in some injuries on Friday evening,” a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said in London.
“The incident was dealt with by the British army, and was over within 20 minutes.
“The British army is sorry for this incident, and takes such matters extremely seriously. Military police have already started an urgent investigation.”
She said “quite a lot of people” were involved in the incident, which took place in a bar in a compound, but said the exact number was subject to the investigation.
The Ministry of Defence also had no details on the number of personnel hurt, but said there were no life-threatening injuries, and that everyone had now been discharged from hospital.
“All those who are found to fall short of the army’s high standards or who are found to have committed an offence under the Armed Forces Act are dealt with administratively (up to and including discharge) or through the discipline process, as appropriate,” the spokeswoman added.
The Daily Nation reported local police chief Joshua Lutukai as saying that the soldiers had broken windows, bottles, glasses and furniture during the fight.
It said Irish soldiers were pitted against Scottish troops in a brawl sparked by taunts of bad driving following a vehicle accident. Riot police were called but a British army unit soon took control, it reported.
Source: Ennahar Online/Algerie Soir
Près de trois millions de mines sur un total de 11 millions posées par l’armée française, sont toujours enfouies le long des frontières est et ouest de l’Algérie, a indiqué mardi un responsable de l’armée algérienne. L’armée a “depuis 1963 enlevé plus de 8 millions de mines dans le cadre des opérations de déminage des régions situées sur les frontières algéro-marocaines et dans l’est du pays sur un total de 11 millions de mines posées par le colonialisme français au début de l’an 1956″, a déclaré le colonel Hocine Hamel, chargé des opérations de déminage dans l’est du pays.
“Le colonialisme français avait posé plusieurs types de mines, dont celles antipersonnel tout au long de 1.710 km dans les wilayas (départements) de Tébessa, Souk Ahras, El Tarf et Guelma dans l’est du pays et les wilayas de Bechar, Naama et Tlemcen dans l’ouest”, a précisé le colonel Hamel lors d’une rencontre organisée par le quotidien gouvernemental El-Moudjahid. Selon cet officier, l’Algérie a commence à nettoyer en 1963 ses frontières de mines posées par l’armée française durant la Guerre d’Algérie (1954-1962). “Les opérations de déminage menées par l’armée ont permis la destruction de 8 millions de mines” entre 1963 et 1988″, a-t-il précisé. L’armée a entamé une nouvelle opération de déminage qui a permis jusqu’à présent la destruction de de “772.157 mines”, après la ratification par l’Algérie en 2004 de la convention d’Ottawa sur l’interdiction des mines antipersonnel, a ajouté le colonel Hamel. La France a officiellement remis en 2007 à l’Algérie les plans de pose des mines placées le long des lignes “Challe” et “Morice” entre 1956 et 1959. La ligne Challe avait été installée à l’est du pays, entre l’Algérie et la Tunisie, à partir de juillet 1957. Elle doublait la ligne Morice destinée à empêcher les infiltrations de combattants de l’Armée de libération nationale (ALN) depuis le Maroc et la Tunisie.
Source: The New Times/allAfrica
Cornered fugitive rebel leader Joseph Kony has increased the number of attacks in the central Africa leading to the displacements of thousands of people just a week after a four-nation joint military task force to pursue him was launched.
The attacks by the much-detested Lord’s Resistance Army have taken place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan, an alert from the UN High Commission for Refugees, which was received by The News Times, has stated.
Efforts by the Rwandan government to secure its border have paid off forcing the LRA to move further into the interior of neighbouring DRC.
Since early March when the regional initiative to confront the Ugandan rebel leader was initiated, a desperate Kony has launched as many as 13 attacks in the DRC, which resulted in two killings and 13 abductions, and the displacement of 1,230 people. These are mostly from the Dungu territory in the country’s north-east. In CAR, LRA attacks have resumed after a lull since April last year, with 11 attacks recorded this year.
“The security situation in south-eastern CAR remains extremely fragile,” said the statement, adding that the one exception is the city of Obo, where United States special agents were deployed in October 2011 to bolster efforts by the joint CAR-Ugandan armed forces to hunt down the LRA and its leadership.
“Our staff on the ground says that patrols around Obo by the two national armies supported by the US military advisers have enabled local authorities to ensure security within a 25-kilometre radius from Obo, compared to five kilometres before patrols were instituted,” it noted. “The extended security is allowing residents to tend their farms.”
Last week, the four countries most affected by LRA activities – CAR, DRC, South Sudan and Uganda – announced that they would launch a joint military task force backed by the UN and the African Union to pursue the rebel fighters and its leader, Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Regional security heads have welcomed the regional and international initiatives aimed at ending LRA’s atrocities and urged all actors to respect human rights and minimise risk to civilian populations.
High powered joint military operation
The regional meeting in Entebbe decided that both the United Nations and the African Union (AU) contribute a contingent of 5,000 soldiers to set up the high- powered joint military operation which will hunt down the rebel group. It will include the technical support of 100 US special agents.
The LRA was formed in the 1980s in Uganda and for over 15 years its attacks were mainly directed against Ugandan civilians and security forces. In 2002 Uganda dislodged the rebels who then exported their barbaric activities to Uganda’s neighbouring countries, which include the recruitment of children, rapes, killing and maiming, and sexual slavery.
The LRA has also conducted attacks in South Sudan, which last year led to 7,382 people fleeing their homes. Although no attacks have been registered this year, UNHCR noted that South Sudan’s Western and Central Equatorial states host more than 22,000 refugees from the DRC and CAR.
The LRA assaults in these three countries have led to a total of 440,000 internally displaced persons or people living as refugees, of which 335,000 are found in the DRC alone.
“The idea is to put in place a strategy, which has been discussed in Entebbe and then move to Juba in the Republic of South Sudan to launch the joint operations tasks force composed of Ugandan forces, Central African Republic forces, South Sudan and DRC ,” the AU Special Envoy for the LRA issue, Francisco Madeira, said in a statement received by this newspaper.
But the flare up of hostilities between Sudan and Southern Sudan have somewhat deflected the focus of the regional assault on the elusive rebels.
Current estimates suggest that the LRA comprises less than 500 combatants operating under Mr. Kony’s leadership, its capacity to attack and terrorise and harm local communities remains, according to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
After a lull in LRA raids in the second half of last year that resulted in improved security in the DRC’s north-east, new attacks on civilians have been reported during the past few weeks in the DRC’s territories of Dungu, Faradje, Watsa, Niangara, Bondo and Ango.
Brutal rebel without a cause
Joseph Kony is one of the most vilified rebel leaders on the planet and stands accused of committing the kidnapping countless children in northern Uganda and neighbouring countries. He is said to have turned the girls into sex slaves and the boys into prepubescent killers, in a most heartless manner that has shocked the world.
His so-called Christian movement has terrorised villagers in at least four countries in central Africa for nearly 20 years, killing tens of thousands of people, burning down huts and hacking off lips. Kony has been a fugitive of the International Criminal Court since 2005.
His followers believe he is a prophet, rarely appears in public which has only added to his brutal mystique.
The United States government has joined the so far futile efforts to crush him, the current administration sending in 100 armed military advisors to help regional forces combat Kony.
Source: Agence de Presse Senegalaise
Debout dans son véhicule, suivi des éléments de la sécurité et du chef d’état-major général des armées, Macky Sall a solennellement procédé à la revue des troupes en tant que chef suprême des armées, mercredi à la Place de l’indépendance lors de la cérémonie de prise d’armes marquant le 52-ème anniversaire de l’accession du Sénégal à la souveraineté internationale.
Ce cérémonial comme les autres qui ont suivi ont été organisés dans la sobriété, mais n’en étaient pas moins marqués par la solennité que revêt pareil évènement.
De nombreux invités civils et militaires, des diplomates, le président de la commission de l’Union africaine (UA), Jean Ping, etc., étaient venus communier autour du thème : ’’Forces de défense et de sécurité et coopération internationale’’ axé sur la formation, l’entraînement et les attachés de défense.
Le thème a été illustré par les 27 drapeaux représentant les attachés militaires au Sénégal et dans le monde.
Si le Sénégal est aimé et respecté au plan international, il le doit à la valeur de ses ressources humaines, expliquent les autorités. ‘’Notre outil de défense est ouvert aux expertises étrangères dans le souci de parfaire les ressources humaines, afin de se mettre au diapason d’un monde qui bouge’’, ajoutent-elles.
Démarrée tôt dans la matinée, la cérémonie a été d’abord marquée par l’arrivée du commandant de la zone militaire N°1, suivie de celle des généraux, venus en groupe, de celles du Haut commandant de la gendarmerie, du chef d’état-major général des armées et du Grand Chancelier de l’ordre national.
Il s’en suivi les arrivées des présidents du Conseil économique et social, de l’Assemblée nationale et du Sénat du Premier ministre, respectivement Ousmane Masseck Ndiaye, Mamadou Seck, Pape Diop et Abdoul Mbaye.
Macky Sall, arrivé à la place de l’Indépendance à 10 heures 4, a été accueilli par le Premier ministre, le CEMGA, le Haut commandant de la gendarmerie nationale et le commandant de la zone militaire N°1.
Après l’exécution de l’hymne national, le chef de l’Etat a procédé, à pied, à la revue des troupes de la garde présidentielle, puis à bord de son véhicule, la revue de l’ensemble des troupes en position à la place de l’Indépendance.
Macky Sall a ensuite a décoré le directeur du prytanée militaire Charles Ntchororé, le Colonel Gora Mbaye. D’autres décorations ont été remises par le Premier ministre par le Haut commandant de la gendarmerie et par le CEMGA.
Au total 1.252 hommes ont participé au défilé militaire et paramilitaire, conduit par le commandant de la Zone N°1, le Colonel Mamadu Samb. Le défilé a été ouvert par la musique principale des forces armées, suivie des écoles de formation (prytanée militaire, école militaire de santé, l’ENOA, l’école des Officiers de la gendarmerie nationale, ENSOA).
Il y a eu ensuite le passage du détachement de la gendarmerie nationale, la garde présidentielle, le détachement inter-armes, la marine nationale, l’armée de l’air, les sapeurs pompiers, la police, le détachement de l’administration pénitentiaire, la douane, les eaux et forêts, le service d’hygiène.
Le passage des anciens combattants a mis fin à la cérémonie de prise d’armes vers 11 heures.
Chef suprême des armes, selon la Constitution, Macky Sall a promis mardi d’apporter son ‘’soutien nécessaire’’ à l’armée sénégalaise, afin d’améliorer ses ‘’conditions matérielles et d’existence’’.
‘’Je mesure mon devoir, en ma qualité de chef suprême des armées, de vous apporter le soutien nécessaire pour améliorer vos conditions matérielles et d’existence, donc le moral’’, a déclaré le chef de l’Etat, lors de son premier discours à la nation prononcé à la veille de la célébration du 52ème anniversaire de l’Indépendance du Sénégal.
‘’Forces de défense et de sécurité et coopération internationale’’, le thème du 52-ème anniversaire de l’Indépendance, ’’donne la pleine mesure des exigences que doit remplir une armée républicaine et moderne’’, a souligné M. Sall.
‘’Ces exigences se déclinent en termes de formation, d’entrainement, d’équipement et d’infrastructures de qualité, pour que notre armée réponde de manière efficace à ses missions fondamentales’’, a-t-il expliqué.
Il a annoncé que son gouvernement procédera à ‘’une plus juste réparation en faveur des mutilés et blessés de guerre, par un relèvement conséquent du taux de base de [leur] pension’’.
‘’J’attache aussi une grande importance à la poursuite diligente des programmes sociaux et d’équipement des Forces armées’’ sénégalaises, a-t-il ajouté.
Source: Vanguard/ allAfrica
The General Officer Commanding, GOC, First Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, Major-General Garba Wahab, yesterday defended the arrest of 33 suspected Boko Haram adherents in Kaduna, saying the suspects had perfected plans to cause havoc in the state.
Kaduna State Information Commissioner, Alhaji Saidu Adamu had protested arrest of the suspects, pointing out that those detained by the military were not members of the Islamic sect.
Adamu said, “we want to state that there is no truth in that assertion that soldiers arrested 33 Boko Haram members in Kaduna. We find it necessary to make this clarification to put the records straight and calm down unnecessary tension.”
But in an interactive session with community leaders and newsmen, General Wahab argued that the suspects had prepared to strike Kaduna had they not been arrested, noting that the Army had no reason to arrest innocent Nigerians.
“We want to assure everybody that the troops were deployed to do what they ought to have done. The arrests were made after 10pm that fateful day and 13 of those arrested were from Niger Republic. We will not just pick anybody to detain if we did not have facts at our disposal. Before effecting the arrest, we were sure of our facts and that was why it took us three weeks of surveillance before those people were arrested.
“Information gathered revealed that the arrested suspects were hiding weapons in an unknown destination which prompted their arrest. We want to assure residents of Kaduna that the Army will not go out of its way to pick innocent persons.
“What we are doing is for the safety of the people in the state and not to gain favours from other sources.
On the day of the raid we arrested 100 people but after interrogation, 67 of them were released since investigation proved they were innocent. However, 33 others are still in our custody out of which 13 are Nigeriens.”
Also speaking, the District Head of Barnawa, Alhaji Kabiru Zubairu, said the community had a committee whereby all Nigeriens in its domain were screened and registered, adding that they were not visitors to the area.
Zubairu said “nine of the people arrested were commercial motorcyclists from Malumfashi in Katsina State and we have been living peacefully until this incident; even one of my brother’s sons is among the people arrested.
“I even tried to convince them that government cannot come and arrest people without having concrete evidence. I cannot give 100 percent assurance that the people arrested are not linked with the sect, but I am pleading with the government to ensure justice because it is a security issue.”
He then appealed to the authorities to carry out investigation and release the innocent ones as according to him, “we want Kaduna to remain a place people can live without fear of discrimination.”
By Luka Binniyat
Source: China Defense Mashup
More than ten Namibians have graduated in space science. This comes after the government signed a cooperation agreement with China in 2000 to establish a tracking, telemetry and command station in Namibia.
The two countries agreed for Namibians to be trained in China in the area of space science and technology, after which they will be employed at the Swakopmund TT&C station.
This week, at a signing of an employment agreement which will ensure employment for the graduates, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education, Alfred Ilukena thanked the Chinese government for the good collaboration and assistance in education as well as science and technology.
Ilukena said that Africa is poorly represented in the area of space science and technology and its applications with most African countries lacking the human, technical and financial resources to utilise in existing space-based infrastructure for even the most basic applications in meteorology, communications and natural resource management.
“It is against this background that there is a need to promote and coordinate cross-cutting multidisciplinary research and applications in space science and technology to address the development needs on the African continent,” added Ilukena.
Also speaking at the same event, Dong Weidong, director of China Space TT&C Station, who spoke through an interpreter, said the agreement will play a positive role in cultivating the space science and technology talents in Namibia.
Weidong assured the Namibian government that the Namibian technicians will be supplied with appropriate work, study and living conditions.
“We believe that through this cooperation, the Namibian technicians will be more aware of operation and management mode of the world’s advanced space TTC Station, learn and master the advanced technology of manned space engineering, and become talents of space science and technology in Namibia,” he said.
Five Namibians, composed of men only, received their Master’s Degrees, with the rest receiving certificates.
Source: Service de Communication Ministere de la Defense de Madagascar
Une cérémonie de remise de Certificat a été célébrée ce matin au CEMES Fiadanana afin de clôturer le stage de perfectionnement des 107 Officiers issues DU 20ème CFCO 1 et 6ème CFCO 2. Après 5 mois de formation les 72 officiers dont 65 issus du rang des sous-Officiers et 7 issus des écoles de formation d’officiers à l’étranger qui forment le 20ème Cours de Formation Complémentaire des Officiers N°1 (20°CFCO1), vont suivre leur carrière militaire dans différents Corps de troupe de l’Armée Malagasy. Le Sous-Lieutenant RANDRIAMITANTSOA, major de cette promotion a reçu son certificat de la main du Secrétaire Général du Ministère des Forces Armés, le Général de Division RANDRIAMAHARO Claris qui a patronné cette cérémonie. La 6ème Promotion du Cour de Formation Complémentaire des Officiers N°2 (6°CFCO2) composée de 35 Officiers stagiaires spécialistes issues du 18ème Promotion de Peloton de Formation Militaire des Cadres Spécialiste de l’Académie Militaire d’Antsirabe a passé 2 mois de formation au sein de ce centre. La promotion est composée d’Officiers médecins généralistes, dentistes, professeurs, économistes, médecins vétérinaires, ingénieurs, spécialistes en droits… . La major de Promotion le Médecin-Lieutenant RAKOTOMANGA Norosoa Mauricette a reçu son certificat de la main du Général de Division NDRIARIJAONA André, Chef de l’Etat-Major Général de l’Armée Malagasy qui a présidé cette cérémonie. Dans son allocution le CEMGAM n’a pas oublié de féliciter les Officiers stagiaires tout en louant les efforts que les personnels d’encadrement, de direction ainsi que les instructeurs ont consenti pour mener à bien la formation malgré le contexte difficile que traverse le pays. Le CEMGAM a remercié particulièrement la coopération militaire française qui ne ménage pas leur effort pour soutenir en logistique et en matériels pédagogiques la formation des cadres militaires Malagasy. En 39 ans d’existence le Centre de Perfectionnement des Officiers à Fiadanana à déjà formé 1585 Officiers nationaux et étrangers.
Source: US Africom
COTONOU, Benin – Nigerian Navy Rear Admiral E.O. Ogbor, chief of Training and Operations, Naval Headquarters, reviews a Memorandum of Understanding while other delegates look on during the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Maritime Safety and Security Conference held in Cotonou, Benin, March 28-29, 2012. More than 250 representatives from more than 20 African nations attended the conference, which was held to facilitate cooperation between both African communities in order to provide regional maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. The event was organized and facilitated by U.S. Africa Command and Africa Center for Strategic Studies. (U.S. AFRICOM photo by Staff Sergeant Olufemi A. Owolabi)
More than 250 representatives from more than 20 African nations attended the official opening ceremony of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Maritime Safety and Security Conference held on March 28, 2012.
Top military officials, distinguished diplomats, and civilian ministers of agencies with maritime security authorities from ECCAS and ECOWAS attended the opening ceremony, which began with the host nation of Benin’s military band playing their national anthem. Other guests representing the United Nations, the African Union, Europe and the United States were also in attendance. The event concluded with ECOWAS and ECCAS signing a communiqué agreeing on the submission of the draft Memorandum of Understanding and Operational Agreement to the respective Regional Economic Community Secretariats.
The U.S. Africa Command and Africa Center for Strategic Studies organized and facilitated the seminar.
The seminar was held to charter a way for cooperation between both African communities to provide regional maritime security in the central and western African regions and among member states to combat piracy, robbery at sea, and other illicit activities at sea in the Gulf of Guinea.
“This is a meeting of technical experts from West and Central Africa on ways to achieve strategic synergies in the maritime domains of two regional economic communities,” said Lieutenant Colonel Abdourahmane Dieng, head of ECOWAS security. “This initiative comes at a time when the menace of and threat posed by piracy is touching the pillars of the economy of both the coastal and land locked states in our region. Within West Africa, and the Gulf of Guinea in particular, we can identify a series of trans-border crimes such as hijacking, armed robbery, illegal migration, illicit fishing, toxic waste dumping, human trafficking, illegal drug trafficking, piracy and hostage taking.”
These security threats have economic, political, and environmental impacts that require regional cooperation to resolve.
It is in this vein that the initiative was taken by ECOWAS and ECCAS to explore possibilities of developing a Memorandum of Understanding to suppress piracy, armed robbery and other illicit maritime activities committed at sea in the area off the coast of West and Central Africa.
With 58 incidents of maritime crime in the first 10 months of 2011, the West African coast is rated in the top ten of piracy hotspots in the world. Last year, the Benin coast had 44 attacks, according to an ECOWAS official.
This prompted Benin’s President Boni Yayi to call on the international community to focus on the Gulf of Guinea, according to Dieng. This request led to the provision of U.N. Resolution 2018, which encouraged the states of ECOWAS and ECCAS and the Gulf of Guinea Commission to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat illicit activities at sea.
According to Ambassador Robert D. Zontan, director of International Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (M.F.A) for Strategic Studies in Benin, the seminar was a meeting to discuss strategic ideas.
“This is a meeting that is strategically paramount for us because the issue of piracy is focal for Benin,” said Zontan. “This meeting of a huge interest to ECOWAS, ECCAS and the world.”
Zontan said the negative effect of piracy and armed robbery at sea initially prompted Benin to establish Operation Prosperity, an ongoing partnership with Nigeria and Togo to fight piracy and other illegal activities in their coastal areas by providing joint counter-piracy patrols. Having enjoyed the success of the operation, they could move forward in another way by establishing a framework for multilateral cooperation, he said.
“For Benin, we’ve been challenged by piracy situations,” said Erick Franck Saizonou, director of United Nations liaison office for Benin’s M.F.A. “Piracy has been a challenge for us, and has impacted negatively on our economy. Thus, we opened up to more communities for cooperation.”
Rather than fighting illegal maritime issues single-handedly, ECOWAS and ECCAS officials came together to focus on providing unified enforcement efforts and agreement, which also allows the two African economic communities to respond to U.N. Security Council Resolutions 2018 and 2039 regarding maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
“This initiative, which has been put in place by ECOWAS in collaboration with ECCAS, and of course supported by the government of United States, is quite laudable,” said Colonel Austin Anyalechi, of the Nigerian Army Engineers and the defense attache to Cotonou. “It is laudable in the sense that in recent time, the menace of piracy and armed robbery at sea has continued to create a lot of concern to the world and the West African regions. All efforts have been made by individual nations, but no single nation can combat the problem of piracy alone. That’s why it calls for the need for synergy. With the two economic communities coming together under this kind of arrangement, I am very optimistic that it is actually going to yield the desired result of curbing the menace of piracy and sea robbery, and other related forms of maritime insecurity, arising from various criminalities. “
This is why the seminar put together by U.S. Africa Command and ACSS is very timely and helpful, Anyalechi said.
“I believe once the member states collaborate, synergy will be achieved as an approach to combating piracy at sea,” he said.
According to Anyalechi, the potential benefits of this agreement and collaborative efforts cannot be overemphasized.
“It will make our maritime domain safe and secure, because its benefits come with economic growth and national development,” Anyalechi said. “Without security we cannot talk about development, so maritime security should be a concern for any nation that is being disturbed by the activities of pirates and sea-borne criminals. And I believe that at the end of this seminar a very fruitful deliberation would have been made that would give us the directions to actually combat this menace.”
This Important conference resulted in a communiqué signed by both Regional Economic Communities to recommend that ECCAS, ECOWAS and their member states continue to develop the Memorandum of Understanding and a multi-lateral agreement for submission and eventual adoption by the States.
By Staff Sergeant Olufemi A. Owolabi
Source: UN News Centre
UNAMID troops on patrol in North Darfur. Photo: UNAMID/Albert Gonzalez Farran
A United Nations-African Union assessment team will be sent shortly to a North Darfur community that was the scene of clashes this week between Sudanese national security forces and civilians that resulted in the deaths of three people, it was announced today.A joint investigation with the Sudanese authorities will also be conducted into the incident in Kabkabiya, in which three people died, according to a statement issued by the joint UN-AU peacekeeping force in Darfur, known by the acronym UNAMID.
Violence erupted during demonstrations in Kabkabiya on Tuesday over the planned relocation of a local market, reportedly without prior consultations with the concerned communities, said the mission.
Later in the day, demonstrators gathered again outside the UNAMID compound, where the situation grew “tense” as some individuals attempted to force their way into the camp. As a result, three civilians, one UN national staff member and one peacekeeper are currently being treated in UNAMID’s hospital.
During a visit to Kabkabiya yesterday, the Joint Special Representative and head of UNAMID, Ibrahim Gambari, offered his condolences for the loss of life as a result of the clashes as well as the mission’s mediation support to resolve the conflict.
He also expressed his sadness at the violence that took place in what he described as an otherwise peaceful and diverse community.
“The authorities of the Kabkabiya area must be more sensitive to the needs of the various communities who deserve to lead productive and secure lives,” the mission’s head said, adding that any decisions which may affect how people live should be taken with care and after consultations with those affected.
Mr. Gambari also regretted statements attributed today to the North Darfur government and other parties, alleging that UNAMID had a role in the deaths of civilians during the Kabkabiya incident.
“UNAMID has confirmed that it did not attempt to harm any member of the population during the demonstrations in front of its camp this past Tuesday and Wednesday,” the mission stated.
Deployed at the beginning of 2008, UNAMID is tasked with protecting civilians, promoting an inclusive peace process and helping ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance across Darfur, an arid region on Sudan’s western flank that has been the scene of fighting between Sudanese Government troops and their allied militias and rebels for over eight years.
Source: Atlas Info
Deux éléments armés ont été tués samedi par l’armée algérienne dans la localité de Aïn El-Hamra, wilaya de Boumerdès (50 km à l’est d’Alger), rapporte dimanche la presse locale.
Lors de cette opération, deux armes de type Kalachnikov ont été récupérées par les militaires algériens, précise la même source, ajoutant que les corps des deux éléments armés ont été transférés à la morgue de l’hôpital de Bordj Menaïel relevant de la même wilaya.
Source: Alwidahinfo
Les Toubous qui vivent à cheval sur la Libye, le Tchad et le Niger sont impliqués depuis février dans des affrontements avec des tribus arabes à Koufra et Sebha. La déclaration, la semaine dernière, de M. Issa Abdelmadjid, le leader Toubou libyen, est jugée inquiétante par tous les pays frontalier de la Libye. Abdelmadjid a brandit la menace d’un Etat autonome.
lus de 150 morts et 500 blessés dans des affrontements tribaux dans le sud de la Libye. Depuis la chute du régime de Kadhafi en 2011, plusieurs tribus et habitants ont eu accès à l’arsenal militaire hérité et n’hésitent pas à recourir aux armes pour régler leurs différends datant quelque fois de longtemps. Les affrontements opposent les Toubou à Welad Suleimane ont repris dimanche après l’échec d’une trêve. Les Toubou ont accusé les tribus arabes de vouloir les exterminer. Ils ont appelé, vendredi, les Nations unies et l’Union européenne à intervenir pour arrêter ce qu’il qualifie de « nettoyage ethnique », qui serait cautionné par les autorités.
Les Toubous qui vivent à cheval sur la Libye, le Tchad et le Niger sont impliqués depuis février dans des affrontements avec des tribus arabes à Koufra et Sebha. La déclaration, la semaine dernière, de M. Issa Abdelmadjid, le leader Toubou libyen, est jugée inquiétante par tous les pays frontalier de la Libye. Abdelmadjid a brandit la menace d’un Etat autonome.
D’autre part, les autorités libyennes qui ne finissent pas de doigter le Tchad, ont déclaré, cette fois ci, que leur aviation a bombardé une colonne de Toubou venant en renfort pour rejoindre la ville de Sebha. Une information que certains qualifient de fantaisiste.
Pour organiser son armée, le ministère de la Défense a procédé au recrutement d’environ 8000 ex-combattants rebelles. L’objectif, selon le ministère, est de les former à la protection des frontières et des sites stratégiques.
Par Djamil Ahmat/M. Abdelsalam
Source: Daily Trust/allAfrica
The apparent insecurity in Borno State and some states of the North East parts of Nigeria occasioned by the activities of Boko Haram terrorists led to the establishment of a Joint Task Force codenamed JTF Operation Restore Order 1 in June 2011.
The mandate of the task force is to restore law and order to the north eastern part of Nigeria and Borno state in particular. The task force is composed of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Security, Nigerian Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service and Defence Intelligence Agency.
In the composition and mandate of the task force lie the endemic problems of command and control, logistics, welfare and the inherent danger of fighting in built-up areas, or what is often referred to in the military as urban warfare or operations.
It is likely that the Nigerian Army’s first major encounter with urban warfare at home was in the Niger Delta, South East kidnapping saga and, currently in Maiduguri and some states of north eastern Nigeria. Initially, it was obvious that the nation and its security agencies were unprepared to tackle contemporary security challenges, particularly terrorism.
However, things have changed as training in the Nigerian Army in particular is fashioned to combating current and emerging challenges.
Training and re-training in the Nigerian Army on anti- and counter- terrorism, special reconnaissance, information operation, management and training of personnel and associated equipment in close quarter combat, urban warfare, intelligence operation, amphibious operation, demolition and explosive breaching, tactical communication and civil/ military- relations are on the increase.
Moreover, the act of restoring law and order in trouble spots in itself is part of a training period for the participating troops.
Fighting in built-up areas is tasking, cumbersome and hazardous. There is limited view of space and fire, visibility and manoeuvrability is limited and ambush attrition loses are high. I was on patrol with JTF troops in Maiduguri aimed to fish out suspected members of Boko Haram and to recover arms, ammunition and explosives.
It was then I had a clear perception of how difficult and dangerous it is for troops to fight in built-up areas. Some of the terrorists hid in mosques, planted Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by the sides of the mosques or inside churches, hid on rooftops, planted IEDs on our routes and shot through loopholes.
They clearly seemed to be conscious of our vehicle columns, are good flame throwers, have Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), General Purpose Machine Guns and Alexander Kalashnikov (AK 47) rifles in their inventory. Buildings provide good sniping posts, while alleys, refuse dumps and sand filled streets are ideal for booby-traps. The nature of Maiduguri houses built close to each other with strong gates, tall walls serves as a parapet for the terrorists and a fort onto itself. There are also religious and cultural taboos where most of the houses are locked with “BA SHIGA (No Entry) inscription – a terrorist can easily mask himself with “abaya”, the long flowing gown that covers the entire body.
As we tactically moved round the city, we could not see the men hiding inside the houses, behind the walls or rooftops. Efforts to insert the hard skin fighting vehicles could not hit the terrorists; moreover, collateral damage could not be eliminated when used, and so we jettisoned the idea. A few days later, we approached the targeted areas from two flanks and this time we assaulted differently and two notorious commanders of the terrorists were ambushed in the process.
The JTF understood that it now needed to “mouse hole “through each or most of the houses suspected of harbouring Boko Haram terrorists and root them out in close combat. The successes recorded were unimaginable as many obvious (because they were caught with weapons) and suspected terrorists were arrested and thousands of assorted ammunition and some arms and quantities of IEDs were recovered.
Our saving grace lies on the organization, quality and discipline of our troops. Despite obvious danger, troops remain solid, organised and nationalistic. Seeing us on the streets and corners of Baga Road, Budum, Bulunkutu, Dendal, Hausari, Jejeri, Monday Market, Pompomari, Railway
Quarters, Shehuri and Timber Market will make no one in doubt that we are determined to achieve the mission of the task force. Despite occasional skirmish, members of the public still go about their normal activities as the situation is under control. I am optimistic if the momentum is maintained and the government and Boko Haram terrorists commence frank and meaningful discussion, the crisis will soon end.
Lt Col Musa is the spokesman for Operation Restore Order 1, Borno State.
By Sagir Musa
Source: L’Expansion
L’appui de la France à l’armée malienne empêche donc Bamako d’accuser ouvertement Paris sur des sujets fâcheux.
Entre bruyants appels à un «dialogue inter-malien inclusif»et soutiens du bout des lèvres, il faut dire qu’il n’y a aucun geste concret de la part de la communauté régionale ou internationale à la rescousse d’un pays désormais engagé dans une crise multidimensionnelle. Un Mouvement séparatiste au Nord, le renforcement des capacités d’action d’Aqmi sur le sol malien à la suite de la crise libyenne et un coup de force contre le président Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT) commis par la junte militaire l’accusant de mal gérer le dossier de la rébellion Touareg. C’est dire que le bateau malien prend eau de tous les côtés et risque de couler à un mois de l’élection présidentielle.
Au Mali, la presse accuse ouvertement la France de vouloir déstabiliser le Mali et de s’immicer profondément dans les affaire internes du Mali, notamment depuis que le président malien Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT) a refusé à Nicolas Sarkozy l’installation d’une base militaire française à Mopti dans le cadre de la lutte contre Al Qaîda au Maghreb islamique (Aqmi). Un refus qui a été formulé officiellement par le ministre malien des Affaires étrangères, Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, lequel été accusé d’être un anti-français proche de l’Algérie. Le froid diplomatique entre Alger et Bamako, ayant sévi deux ans durant, s’est effacé avec le retour de Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga au gouvernement, qui a, de prime abord, tendu sa main à l’Algérie.
En effet, il est considéré comme l’un des artisans de l’axe Alger-Bamako et l’un des pionniers, du Comité d’état-major opérationnel conjoint des pays du champ, installé à Tamanrasset. «Il y a 3 ans les relations entre l’Algérie et le Mali étaient très mauvaises, puis il y a eu un net réchauffement grâce au nouveau ministre malien des Affaires étrangères, Soumeilou Maïga», a déclaré dans une précédente interview à L’Expression, Alain Antil, chercheur et responsable du programme Afrique subsaharienne à l’Institut français des relations internationales(Ifri).
Par ailleurs, Bamako suspecte Paris d’avoir conclu un «deal» avec le Mnla (Mouvement national de libération d’Azawed). Cette rébellion a été aussitôt condamnée par la Cedeao, l’Union africaine (UA) et les États-Unis. Mais pas explicitement par la France ni par l’Union européenne (UE). En outre, alors que de violents combats avaient lieu au Nord-Mali, le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, Alain Juppé, déclarait le 7 février devant le Sénat français: «La rébellion touarègue a remporté récemment d’importants succès militaires au nord du fleuve Niger. (…) Un cessez-le-feu immédiat est pour nous impératif».
Dès le lendemain de cette déclaration pour le moins maladroite, la presse malienne se déchaînait contre la France. «La manière dont les médias français traitent le dossier des rebelles touareg n’est pas juste, car ce sont des bandits armés», estime une source proche du gouvernement malien. En outre, un haut gradé de l’armée malienne, un habitué de la présidence malienne, a déclaré à la presse malienne: «Pour nous, Mohamed Ag Najem, chef d’état-major de la rébellion touarègue, (Ndlr) a fait un compromis avec l’Otan et la France en abandonnant El Gueddafi en pleine crise libyenne.»
Le marché était que s’il quittait le sud de la Libye, la France, a-t-il dit, l’aiderait au mieux dans ses revendications au Mali. En plus, Paris a fait en sorte que Niamey ferme les yeux sur le passage du convoi de Ag Najem en direction du Nord-Mali. Outre la presse malienne, nombre de spécialistes soulignent que les desseins français au Mali sont confrontés à la politique extérieure du président du Mali, mais surtout menacés par Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, pressenti favori pour remporter l’élection présidentielle du 27 avril prochain. «La rébellion et la gestion du dossier du terrorisme ne justifient pas objectivement ce putsch, se déroulant à «deux» mois de l’élection présidentielle malienne, prévue pour le 29 avril prochain», a précisé M’hend Berkouk, avant de poursuivre: «Il y a sûrement des desseins inavoués derrière cette nouvelle crise constitutionnelle à laquelle fait face le Mali».
