Africa Week in Review January 10th 2012
Below is a roundup of some of the top articles and news highlights from around Africa over the last week.
- Fighting continues in South Sudan, with clashes intensifying after mediation talks froze. Delegations of South Sudan’s President Salva Kiik and supporters of former Vice President Riek Machar started meeting on Saturday in Addis Ababa, but by Wednesday, the mediation talks stalled over the President’s refusal to release high-level political prisoners. The U.S. government commended the beginning of the mediations, and urged the South Sudanese government to “release political detainees immediately.” In a statement today, the White House called for a cessation of all hostilities without preconditions.
- The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing yesterday on “The Situation in South Sudan.” Linda Thomas-Greenfield (PDF), Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Nancy Lindborg (PDF), Assistant Administrator, Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID, testified on the government panel.
During her testimony, Asst. Secretary Thomas-Greenfield outlined U.S. efforts to resolve the conflict, including its high-level engagement in mediation efforts, its emphasis on accountability for crimes, and its support for doubling the number of authorized UN peacekeeping troops. In response to questioning, Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said that the U.S. has no evidence that a coup attempt caused the conflict, and instead pointed to longstanding political divisions between Machar and Kiir.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) raised questions around the administration’s security assistance to South Sudan, as the government is using its weapons against its own population.
Ms. Thomas-Greenfield responded:
Our security assistance, I think, raises some serious questions on how we will implement programs that provide training to the Sudanese military after some of these actions…My view is South Sudan — we are suspending right now the implementation of all of those programs — we will be looking very closely at any kind of support we provide the South Sudanese military in the future.
- The conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) remains ongoing, with UN officials warning the Security Council that CAR is on the “brink of a catastrophe.” Nearly a million people have fled the fighting. As the UN Security Council considers increasing UN peacekeeping troops, France announced that it will not send more troops until African Union peacekeepers are fully deployed. The European Union is debating a possible EU military mission to reinforce the French presence. Deutsche Welle reports that without a political solution to the conflict, French peacekeeping troops have had no measurable effect on the violence. CAR’s transitional assembly flew to Chad to join a summit on the crisis convened by the Economic Community of Central African States. Amidst growing international pressure, coup leader Francois Bozize stepped down.
Quick Hits Across Africa:
- Worried about South Sudan’s instability, neighboring Uganda deployed troops and provided military assistance in support of President’s Kiir’s government. A Ugandan military spokesperson said that this assistance is to provide security at the request of Kiir, and that Ugandan troops are not active participants in the conflict. Uganda’s parliament summoned the defense minister over the lack of parliamentary approval in this matter.
- South Sudanese rebel forces and the government battled over oil fields in the Upper Nile state. Concerned over the South Sudan conflict’s implication on oil production, Sudan’s President al Bashir travelled to South Sudan’s capital Juba on Monday, January 6th. Sudan’s foreign minister indicated that the visit was aimed to talk about “a mixed force to protect the oil fields in the South,” a claim that the Sudanese government later denied. Sudan announced that it would not support the rebels.
- Democratic Republic of Congo remains volatile despite M23 defeat. Fighting in the east continued and army colonel Mamadou Ndala, who led the military advances against M23 rebels, was killed. In the South, the Mai Mai Kata Katanga launched a new offensive.
- Foreign Policy wrote a review of Kenya’s police reform, concluding that despite periodical troubling human rights abuses, Kenya has made progress towards increased police professionalism and accountability.
- After a land mine explosion near Kenya’s Dadaad refugee camp, which hosts Somali refugees, Kenya conducted an airstrike into Somalia, bombing an al-Shabab training camp.
- Al-Shabab issued a directive threatening companies providing Internet services, and called for an Internet blackout. Shortly thereafter, an al-Shabab faction in Somalia’s region Shabelle called for a renewed rebellion.
- Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland conducted elections. Abdiweli Ali Gas, an economist educated in the U.S., was elected President of Puntland.
- Time Magazine reported record lows for piracy off the coast of Somalia in 2013. The shipping industries’ better security practices together with increased stability on-shore contributed to the decline.
- Washington Post examined why, despite record number of peacekeepers in Africa, violence continues. The Post points to a slow political and diplomatic response to looming crises, a lack of emphasis on political solutions, and insufficiently strong mandates and troops for peacekeeping missions.
- As Tanzanian security forces step up enforcement of a ban on elephant and rhinoceros poaching, allegations of human rights abuses, including torture, murder and disappearances abound.
- Security forces in Djibouti shut down peaceful opposition gatherings, arresting nine.