Africa Week in Review – March 21, 2014

03/21/14
Natalie Chwalisz
Africa
U.S. Policy, Military and Police Aid, U.S. Policy, Security

The United States reaffirmed its support for African Union peacekeepers in Somalia and the Somali National Army. Regarding South Sudan, the U.S. expressed disappointment both sides of the conflict for violations of the ceasefire, and is considering targeted sanctions. Read about this and other security news in the region this past week.

United States Policy in the region

  • The U.S. Department of State praised the new joint AMISOM-Somali National Army offensive against al-Shabab. The State Department affirmed continued U.S. support for both AMISOM and the Somali Army, reiterating that the U.S. “obligated over $512 million since 2007 to support AMISOM, and over $171 million to build a more effective and professional Somali National Army.” Violence escalated in Somalia this week, where al-Shabab attacked a central hotel and an African Union convoy. The Economist wrote that the new offensive is a “sideshow” to distract from an internal political struggle, poor governance and the central governments’ lack of legitimacy, which continue to undermine progress in Somalia.
  • The conflict in South Sudan continues: U.S. Special Envoy Donald Booth and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations publically affirmed that thousands have died since the official, yet widely ignored, ceasefire signed on January 24, 2014 and expressed disappointment in both parties for failing to abide by the agreement. The U.S. and the European Union are also considering targeted sanctions against both sides in the conflict.
  • U.S. Army Africa is training militaries from across Africa in Central Accord 14, an annual joint-aerial delivery exercise. The exercise is taking place in Cameroon, with additional participation from Burundi, Chad, Gabon, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Netherlands.
  • U.S. annual multinational exercise, Saharan Express 2014 concluded last Friday. The exercise involved seven African nations as well as five European partners and focused on maritime cooperation.
  • The U.S. Department of State announced awards of up to $3 million each for information leading to the arrest or conviction of three alleged al-Shabab members: Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, Jafar, and Yasin Kilwe.

 

Security news across the region

  • Boko Haram successfully attacked a well-guarded military prison in Nigeria. As prisoners fled, Nigeria’s military, reinforced by a military plane, used deadly force. Of the 500 people that died in the ensuing battle, most were inmates who had been rounded up during Nigeria’s counterterrorism sweeps criticized by human rights groups as indiscriminate. The attack reinforced fear in the North of the country, and Borno state closed all schools to shield students from potential attacks. Time Magazine wrote an analysis of Nigerian tactics against Boko Haram, writing that Nigeria “[wields] the military as a blunt and ineffective instrument, alienating local civilians while failing to protect them.”
  • The Associated Press examined the performance of Kenya’s Anti-Terror Police Unit, which has historically received U.S. assistance. AP concluded that the police unit is at least partially corrupt, which it attributed to underfunding.
  • Central African governments are planning to create a joint task force to combat arms trafficking, terrorism and cross-border attacks. Chad, Cameroon, Libya, Niger, Nigeria and the Central African Republic (CAR) are set to join.  Cameroon committed 700 soldiers already. The task force is recognition that both Nigeria’s conflict with Boko Haram and the sectarian violence in CAR are spilling across borders and affecting their neighbors.  
  • Kenya and Uganda were on high terror alert this week, after Kenya’s police intercepted a car laden with explosives in Mombasa.
  • Foreign Policy outlined how South Sudan’s military repeatedly attacked and intimidated United Nations personnel in violation of the status of forces agreement.
  • Voice of America wrote an analytical piece examining how Nigeria’s insurgency may affect the upcoming 2015 presidential elections.
  • The European Union’s upcoming peacekeeping mission to stabilize the CAR is delayed due to troop and equipment gaps.
  • In an effort to improve its image and diplomatic relations with the U.S., South Sudan hired KRL International, a Washington-based public relations firm.