africom related news clips 22 aug 2011

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United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office22 Aug 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

TOP NEWS RELATED TO U.S. AFRICA COMMAND AND AFRICA

White House releases Obama reaction to developments in Libya (USA TODAY)21-22 AUG 2011 - Pres. Obama, "Tonight, the momentum against the Gadhafi regimehas reached a tipping point. Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. The Gadhafiregime is showing signs of collapsing. The people of Libya are showing«..

World leaders urge Gadhafi to surrender (USA TODAY)22 Aug 2011 - With the 42-year regime of Libya's Moammar Gadhafi on the verge ofcollapse Sunday, world leaders urged the embattled leader to immediately surrenderwhile pledging their support to the North African country in what could be a difficulttransition to democracy.

NATO racing to wrap up campaign (Associated Press)22 Aug 2011 - BRUSSELS - With NATO·s bombing of Libya now in its sixth month, anew sense of urgency is gripping the alliance as two crucial deadlines loom next month.

Libya's gritty mountain rebels may have turned tide in Tripoli (LA Times)21 Aug 2011 - With attention focused on important cities and bigger battles to the east,Moammar Kadafi may have underestimated the tenacity of the uprising in the westernmountains.

Tunisian forces clash with Libyan infiltrators (Reuters) 20 Aug 2011 - Tunisian forces clashed with a group of Libyan gunmen overnight Fridayand into Saturday in a desert area near the border, resulting in several casualtiesaccording to Tunisian security forces.

South Sudan attacks 'leave 500 dead'(BBC)

20 Aug 2011 - At least 500 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in the eastern stateof Jonglei, according to the South Sudanese authorities.

Many killed in South Sudan tribal clashes (Al Jazeera) 20 Aug 2011 - Nearly 60 members of rival tribes have been killed in disputes overlivestock in South Sudan, officials said. Fifty-eight bodies were found in two separatelocations and«.



Somalia famine: Turkish PM Erdogan visits Mogadishu (BBC)19 Aug 2011 - Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family have

arrived in Somalia's capital to highlight the need for greater famine relief.

Turkish PM visits famine-hit Somalia (Al Jazeera)19 Aug 2011 - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been visiting refugeecamps and hospitals in Somalia to witness the devastation caused by a severe droughtthat has left about 12 million people in the Horn of Africa facing starvation.

S.Africa to exceed mine transformation target: minister (Reuters)21 Aug 2011 - JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Mines Minister SusanShabangu said she is confident that a government-set ownership target for blacks in themining sector would be exceeded and, if the process was done right, the policy may nolonger be needed.

Mugabe urges peace after Zimbabwe general's death (Reuters)21 Aug 2011 - HARARE (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe appealed for toleranceand peace between Zimbabwe's leading political parties on Saturday after the death of aretired army general sparked speculation he was murdered.

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UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website

Somalia: ¶Disaster fatigue· must not dull compassion for starving children ² UN 19 August ² The head of the United Nations Children·s Fund (UNICEF) today made animpassioned appealed to the world to save an estimated 390,000 starving children infamine-ravaged regions of Somalia, saying the international community must not let theso-called ́ disaster fatigueµ numb compassion and generosity.

UN boosts children nutrition to prevent stunted growth in drought-hit Horn of Africa19 August ² In an effort to tackle high levels of malnutrition among children in areas ofthe Horn of African affected by the severe food crisis, the United Nations reported

today it had launched programmes to boost nutrition by providing special products toprevent damage to children·s physical and mental development.

Security Council calls for concerted efforts to enhance stability in Central Africa18 August ² The Security Council today encouraged the United Nations Regional Officefor Central Africa (UNOCA) to form partnerships with other organizations to helpcountries in the region to address peace and security challenges, particularly the flow of



illicit small arms, border security and the threat posed by the marauding Lord·sResistance Army (LRA).

UN gathering stresses relief and investment to tackle hunger in Horn of Africa18 August ² A United Nations-convened meeting on hunger in the Horn of Africa today

called for a twin-pronged approach to tackle the food crisis, stressing immediate reliefand the strengthening of the resilience of affected communities to enable them to copewith future shocks in the drought-prone region.

Ban welcomes ¶step towards dialogue· following deadly violence in Malawi17 August ² Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the signing of a jointcommuniqué by the Malawian Government and civil society organizations in a meetingfacilitated by the United Nations following deadly clashes last month.------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

1 SEPT 2011

WHEN: September 1, 2011, 5:45 p.m. ² 7:30 p.m.WHAT: The Long Shadow of 9/11: America·s Response to TerrorismWHO: Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior Adviser to the President of RANDWHERE: RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St., Santa Monica, CACONTACT: [email protected]. Media contact: http://www.rand.org/events/2011/09/01.html

8 SEPT 2011

WHEN: September 8, 2011, 12:00 p.m. ² 1:30 p.m.WHAT: Ten Years Later ² Public Diplomacy and the Arab World, Center on PublicDiplomacy at the Annenberg School, Conversations in Public DiplomacyWHO: Several Panelists (see website)WHERE: USC; Tutor Campus Center ForumCONTACT: [email protected] Media contact:http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/events/events_detail/16973/

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White House releases Obama reaction to developments in Libya (USA TODAY)

21-22 AUG 2011 - "Tonight, the momentum against the Gadhafi regime has reached atipping point. Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. The Gadhafi regime is



showing signs of collapsing. The people of Libya are showing that the universal pursuitof dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator.

"The surest way for the bloodshed to end is simple: Moammar Gadhafi and his regimeneed to recognize that their rule has come to an end. Gadhafi needs to acknowledge the

reality that he no longer controls Libya. He needs to relinquish power once and for all.Meanwhile, the United States has recognized the Transitional National Council as thelegitimate governing authority in Libya. At this pivotal and historic time, the TNCshould continue to demonstrate the leadership that is necessary to steer the countrythrough a transition by respecting the rights of the people of Libya, avoiding civiliancasualties, protecting the institutions of the Libyan state, and pursuing a transition todemocracy that is just and inclusive for all of the people of Libya. A season of conflictmust lead to one of peace.

"The future of Libya is now in the hands of the Libyan people. Going forward, the

United States will continue to stay in close coordination with the TNC. We will continueto insist that the basic rights of the Libyan people are respected. And we will continueto work with our allies and partners in the international community to protect thepeople of Libya, and to support a peaceful transition to democracy."-------------------------------------------------------------

World leaders urge Gadhafi to surrender (USA TODAY)By Kathy Chu

22 Aug 2011 - With the 42-year regime of Libya's Moammar Gadhafi on the verge of

collapse Sunday, world leaders urged the embattled leader to immediately surrenderwhile pledging their support to the North African country in what could be a difficulttransition to democracy.

Sunday, rebel forces from the Transitional National Council swept into Tripoli andseized symbolic Green Square. Gadhafi's whereabouts were unknown, although Libya'sstate TV channel quoted the leader as saying he planned to stay "until the end."

It's a power reversal that a few weeks ago seemed far from the rebels' grasp, asGadhafi's forces fended off repeated attacks around the capital city.

Reacting to the events, President Obama said that "momentum against the Qadhafiregime has reached a tipping point," and "Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant."

In London, 10 Downing Street released a statement saying the "end is near" for Gadhafi,whom the U.K. said has "committed appalling crimes against the people of Libya."



Earlier, as rebel forces surrounded Tripoli, French President Nicolas Sarkozy urgedGadhafi to "spare his people further useless suffering" by stepping down. He also saidthat France would give its "full support to complete the liberation of their country fromoppression and dictatorship."

Gadhafi's allies, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad, have criticized the air strikes in Libya by the North AtlanticTreaty Organization.

Chavez blasted the West Sunday for "destroying Tripoli with their bombs," AgenceFrance-Presse reported.

Gadhafi is the Arab world's longest-ruling, most erratic, most grimly fascinating leader-- presiding for 42 years over this North African desert republic with vast oil reservesand just 6 million people. For years, he was an international pariah blamed for the 1988

bombing of a Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people. Afteryears of denial, Gadhafi's Libya acknowledged responsibility, agreed to pay up to $10million to relatives of each victim, and declared he would dismantle all weapons ofmass destruction.

If Gadhafi is ousted, it could provide "renewed momentum (to) push Syria and Yemenpast the threshold to more democratic regimes," said Daniel Serwer, a professor at JohnHopins' School of Advanced International Studies. "That could inspire serious reformelsewhere as well."

Syrian President Bashar Assad has said his regime is in no danger of collapse andwarned against any foreign military intervention in his country as the regime tries tocrush a 5-month-old popular uprising. In his fourth public appearance since the revoltagainst his family's 40-year rule erupted in mid-March, Assad insists that security forcesare making inroads against the uprising. Rights groups charge Assad's forces routinelyopen fire on unarmed protesters, killing more than 2,000.

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NATO racing to wrap up campaign (Associated Press)By Slobodan Lekic

22 Aug 2011 - BRUSSELS - With NATO·s bombing of Libya now in its sixth month, anew sense of urgency is gripping the alliance as two crucial deadlines loom next month.

After months of combat stalemate, the insurgents have made dramatic gains in recentweeks against Moammar Khadafy·s forces and have encircled Tripoli. The rapid



advance offers NATO the chance to bring to a conclusion a campaign that has drawnincreasing international criticism and caused serious rifts within the alliance.

NATO jets have flown nearly 20,000 sorties in the past month, including about 7,500strike attacks.

Alliance officials deny there has been a fundamental shift in tactics in recent days toprovide close air support to the advancing rebels, saying they continue to be focused onthe protection of civilian populations as mandated by a UN Security Council resolution.

But they acknowledge that in response to new developments, alliance bombers arepummeling Khadafy·s troops holding defensive positions around government-heldtowns and villages, under attack from the advancing rebel forces.

Italy·s defense minister, Ignazio La Russa, defended NATO·s operations, saying its

mission is to protect civilians. ´Thus all its targets are military targets,·· La Russa toldSky TG24 TV.

Alliance military planners are racing against a deadline next month, when memberstates must vote on a second three-month extension of the mission. Approval for anextension may prove problematic, since support for the bombing campaign has erodedamong allies, who say it detracts resources from NATO·s main mission, the 10-year warin Afghanistan.

Also in September, the UN General Assembly is due to debate the airstrikes, with many

members critical of NATO for overstepping the original UN mandate in March whichUN authorized a no-fly zone and the protection of civilians caught up in the civilunrest.

A NATO official said that early in the campaign NATO airstrikes focused on preventingKhadafy·s troops from reoccupying rebel-held towns. Such attacks on regime forcesdestroyed hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, and guns.

But within a few weeks, Khadafy·s soldiers switched tactics, abandoning theirvulnerable heavy weaponry in favor of civilian trucks armed with machine guns orrecoilless rifles, which proved difficult to identify and destroy from the air.

´Now the rebel offensive has put them on the defensive, and they are again bringingout their tanks and heavy artillery,·· said the official, who could not be named understanding rules.

´This is why we·ve been attacking them even when they are trying to beat back rebeladvances,·· he said.



But analysts counter that NATO·s claims of simply protecting civilians strains credulity,saying the direct tactical air support to the rebel forces is enabling their battlefieldvictories.

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Libya's gritty mountain rebels may have turned tide in Tripoli (LA Times)By Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times

21 Aug 2011 - With attention focused on important cities and bigger battles to the east,Moammar Kadafi may have underestimated the tenacity of the uprising in the westernmountains.

The revolt against Moammar Kadafi was born in the eastern city of Benghazi, long a

caldron of discontent with the autocratic ruler.

The uprising gained traction during bloody spring battles in coastal Misurata, Libya'sthird-largest city, where residents barricaded streets with shipping containers inferocious urban warfare.

But it was a rebel thrust from the west that may prove decisive in bringing an end toKadafi's more than four-decade reign.

The push by guerrilla fighters from Libya's isolated Berber highlands, the rugged

Nafusa Mountains near the Tunisian border, was one front too many for Kadafi'sdepleted and sometimes demoralized forces.

Before the mountain fighters made major gains, Kadafi's troops were already facinggrave threats in the east, as well as intensive NATO bombardment that targeted thecapital, other key locations and equipment.

NATO bombings made it almost impossible for the government to move largeconcentrations of troops. Airstrikes by the alliance on Kadafi's armored units in Marchprevented government forces from retaking Benghazi.

The regime successfully managed to thwart rebel advances into the cites of Port Bregaand Zlitan, east of Tripoli, but its ranks were stretched thin, despite reported additionsof young conscripts.

That was partly the result of Kadafi's own choices. His army never reached the size ofthose of fellow Middle Eastern autocrats like Iraq's Saddam Hussein or the Assad



dynasty in Syria. Rebels often said that Kadafi, who led a coup as a junior officer, didn'ttrust military commanders.

It now seems possible that Kadafi's government, its forces overtaxed, lackingcoordination and without any centralized command and control, underestimated the

threat from a western rebel force that for weeks has been no more than 50 miles fromthe capital.

The uprising in the Nafusa Mountains was so little noticed early on that the fightingoften barely merited mention as the world focused on dramatic events in and aroundBenghazi and Misurata.

In the end, however, the western rebels' tenacity and proximity to Tripoli seemedcrucial in breaking down what the government had long boasted was a virtuallyimpregnable wall of security around the capital.

As insurgent offensives stalled near Benghazi and Misurata, a mixture of Arabs andethnic Berbers, or Amazigh, tenaciously gained ground in the west. There is noindication the western fighters possessed superior firepower or were better trained thantheir undisciplined comrades in the east. But geography was certainly an ally.

In the east, rebels struggled to move forward in flat desert terrain that provedadvantageous for Kadafi's artillery and rocket launchers, often well concealed fromallied aircraft. In contrast, the western fighters engaged in a classic guerrilla war on turfthat was intimately familiar to them. Supplies arrived via a captured post on the

Tunisian border.

By June, the mountain fighters had largely gained control of the highlands and werefiltering into the plains that led to the coast and the capital, the ultimate prize. Triballinks to lowland populations likely aided their advance. Government officials in Tripolibetrayed no sense of alarm.

The western insurgent ranks bulged with new volunteers from places like Zawiya, acity just west of Tripoli that sits astride the crucial supply route between Tripoli and theTunisian border. Kadafi's troops had brutally crushed a rebellion there in March.

In June, when renewed fighting broke out again near Zawiya, the governmentdismissed the clashes as the work of a handful of mountain infiltrators who would findno allies in the more heavily populated coastal areas.

It appears the opposite happened. Volunteers from Zawiya and other towns andvillages joined the advancing mountain fighters. And the recent capture of Zawiya,which severed Kadafi's supply line, signaled that his days were probably numbered.



Throughout the conflict, Kadafi's government seems to have rejected the notion that amotley group of mountain dwellers could move on the leader's inner sanctum.

"We're not worried about these so-called 'rebels,' " Mussa Ibrahim, the government's

chief spokesman, told reporters in June after clashes with western rebels erupted anewnear Zawiya. "What is a problem for us is NATO."

Still, the NATO strikes near Benghazi and Misurata ultimately did not trigger whatseems to be the final assault on the capital. That task would fall to the fighters fromLibya's rugged west.

[email protected]

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Tunisian forces clash with Libyan infiltrators (Reuters)

20 Aug 2011 - Tunisian forces clashed with a group of Libyan gunmen overnight Fridayand into Saturday in a desert area near the border, resulting in several casualtiesaccording to Tunisian security forces.

REUTERS - Tunisia·s armed forces fought through the night against a group of armedLibyans who had infiltrated into Tunisia, Tunisian security sources said on Saturday.

One security source said the group were driving vehicles with weapons and had beenintercepted in the desert on Friday night. The fighting, which was continuing onSaturday, had caused several casualties.

A military source confirmed that the armed men were Libyans. He did not say whetherthey were supporters of leader Muammar Gaddafi or rebels fighting to topple him.

The military source said a Tunisian military helicopter had crashed on Saturdaymorning in the border area, killing the pilot and co-pilot. He did not say whether thecrash, blamed on a mechanical fault, was linked to fighting with the infiltrators.

The Tunisian army has reinforced its presence and intensified its operations in theborder area in recent days.

Libya·s rebels have advanced this week, cutting off Gaddafi·s forces near the Tunisianborder from their supply lines to Gaddafi·s capital Tripoli.

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South Sudan attacks 'leave 500 dead'(BBC)

20 Aug 2011 - At least 500 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in the eastern stateof Jonglei, according to the South Sudanese authorities.

A senior official told the BBC hundreds of people had been wounded and more than200 abducted, mainly children.

The clashes took place on Thursday when members of the Murle group are said to haveattacked the majority Lou Nuer, stealing nearly 40,000 cattle.

Jonglei is one of the newly-independent country's least safe areas.

The fighting took place, according to several sources including the state governor, when

young Murle men attacked several locations inhabited by the Lou Nuer in and aroundthe town of Pieri. Much of the town has apparently been burnt down.

The Murle were apparently seeking revenge for a recent attack by the Lou Nuer.

Security challenges

The state's minister for law enforcement, Gabriel Duot Lam, also said an estimated38,000 cows had been stolen by the Murle.

Earlier, state governor Kuol Manyang told the BBC the attack was a cattle raid, and aconsequence of poverty and competition over resources.

"People need cattle for their own survival, for food security and for marriages - andthere is competition over land and water resources, because of underdevelopment," saidMr Manyang.

The BBC's James Copnall, in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, says cattle rustlingfrequently leads to bloody clashes in the state and elsewhere in South Sudan.

The attack is the latest in a string of deadly incidents between the Murle and the LouNuer. Hundreds of people die in inter-ethnic clashes in Jonglei each year.

The Murle are often accused of stealing children, allegedly because they do not havemany of their own.

South Sudan has been independent for just over a month, and faces serious securitychallenges, particularly in Jonglei.



Many civilians are armed and the poor roads make it difficult for the security forces tomove around the state.

But a representative of the Lou Nuer community has expressed his anger, saying the

government of South Sudan was failing to provide security for its people.-----------------------------------------------------

Many killed in South Sudan tribal clashes (Al Jazeera)

20 Aug 2011 - Nearly 60 members of rival tribes have been killed in disputes overlivestock in South Sudan, officials said.

Fifty-eight bodies were found in two separate locations and a number of burnt tukuls,or huts, were identified, a United Nations spokesman told Reuters on Saturday.

The deaths were believed to be a result of clashes that broke out on Thursday betweenthe Murle and Lou Nuer tribes in the Bier sub-county of the state of Jonglei, accordingto the UN and South Sudan government officials.

"There were several other locations that the UN has not been able to get to. We arerelieved that calm appears to be prevailing," the spokesman said.

Kuol Manyang Juuk, the governor of Jonglei, gave a different figure, saying 38 bodies,including those of women and children, were found in Bier. Local media put the

number of killed in the hundreds.

Juuk told the AFP news service further investigations could see the number ofcasualties rise as high as 50.

Murle tribe members were suspected of attacking five villages of the Lou Nuer tribe inBier and burning down some homes, the governor told AFP.

"They have gone away with cattle. Some children were also abducted, and women," hesaid.

"It's known that Jonglei state tribes have been fighting [among] themselves and mainlyfor cattle."

The violence signals further instability in South Sudan, the world's youngest country,which gained independence on July 9.



South Sudan's government has accused the north of arming rival tribes and provokinginsurgencies to undermine the region and keep control of its oil. Khartoum has deniedthe charge.

Ethnic groups in South Sudan have fought each other over cattle - a vital part of the

indigenous economy - for centuries.

The numbers of casualties has increased in recent years after decades of civil war leftthe territory awash with small arms.

Between January and the end of June, 2,368 people have been killed in 330 violentincidents across South Sudan, according to UN data released in July.

Source: Agencies

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Somalia famine: Turkish PM Erdogan visits Mogadishu (BBC)

19 Aug 2011 - Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family havearrived in Somalia's capital to highlight the need for greater famine relief.

The visit to war-torn Mogadishu is the first by a leader from outside Africa in almost 20years.

The Turkish foreign minister, part of a delegation accompanying Mr Erdogan, told theBBC they wanted to break the idea that the city was a no-go area.

East Africa is suffering from its worst drought in 60 years.

The UN estimates that some 12 million people have been affected.

Somalia, where five districts have been suffering from famine, has been worst hit. Muchof the country is controlled by the Islamist al-Shabab group. Al-Shabab, which is linkedto al-Qaeda, has banned many aid agencies from its territory.

Foreign visitors to Mogadishu are a rarity, but since al-Shabab recently made what itcalled a tactical withdrawal from the capital, a few international politicians have cometo see for themselves the thousands of famine victims pouring into the city.

'Test for civilization'



Mr Erdogan is the most high-profile figure so far to visit Mogadishu, which is nowcontrolled by the weak interim government and by a 9,000-strong African Union force(Amisom).

Correspondents say Turkish flags are flying at the airport, the port and on one of the

capital's main thoroughfares.

He travelled through the city in a bullet-proof car, in contrast to the armouredpersonnel carrier usually used by Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.

Mr Erdogan, accompanied by his wife, daughter and an entourage consisting of cabinetmembers and their families, said Turkey would open an embassy in Mogadishu to helpdistribute aid for famine victims.

"The tragedy going on here is a test for civilization and contemporary values," Mr

Erdogan told reporters, AFP news agency reports.

His trip comes days after Turkey and other Muslim countries pledged $350m (£212m)for famine relief.

"We came to Somalia to show our solidarity with the brothers and sisters of Somalia,but this is not just for one day, we will continue to work for our brothers and sisters andwe will never leave them alone," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the BBC'sFocus on Africa programme.

The purpose of the visit was first symbolic, he said.

"There was a perception that nobody can go to Mogadishu; we try to destroy theperception. We came - many others can come."

The second aim was to provide humanitarian assistance and during this Muslim holymonth of Ramadan the Turkish public had so far raised $115m for Somalia, he said.

"We are here to make a call to all leaders, to all states that they should do their part aswell and not only for short-term humanitarian assistance but the long-term economicdevelopment of Somalia."

The visitors observed the distribution of Turkish aid in the internally displaced people'scamps.

It was also announced that Turkey would rebuild the road to Mogadishu airport,restore a hospital, build schools and drill water wells.



Disease warning

Meanwhile, the UN is warning of an outbreak of cholera among Somali famine victims.

One hospital in Mogadishu has registered more than 4,000 cases.

Extended drought is causing a severe food crisis in the Horn of Africa, which includesKenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. Weather conditions over the Pacific means therains have failed for two seasons and are unlikely to return until September.

An estimated 12.5 million people in the region are affected by the drought. The UN hasdeclared a famine in five areas of southern Somalia, where 50% of children are acutelymalnourished and four children out of every 10,000 are dying daily.

The humanitarian problem is made worse by ongoing conflicts. Militants had lifted a

ban on aid agencies operating in parts of southern Somalia, but now say reports offamine are exaggerated and have again limited access.

Since the beginning of 2011, around 15,000 Somalis each month have fled into refugeecamps in Kenya and Ethiopia looking for food and water. The refugee camp at Dadaab,in Kenya, has been overwhelmed by an estimated 400,000 people.

Farmers unable to meet their basic food costs are abandoning their herds. High cerealand fuel prices had already forced them to sell many animals before the drought andtheir smaller herds are now unprofitable or dying.

The refugee problem may have been preventable. However, violent conflict in theregion has deterred international investment in long-term development programmes,which may have reduced the effects of the drought.

Development aid would focus on reducing deforestation, topsoil erosion andovergrazing and improving water conservation. New roads and infrastructure formarkets would help farmers increase their profits.

The result of climate conditions, conflict and lack of investment is that 6.7 millionpeople in Kenya and Ethiopia are currently existing on food rations, and relief agenciesestimate 2.6 million in Somalia will need assistance a new emergency operation.

"The situation at the moment is pretty critical," said Nancy Balfour of the UN children'sagency, Unicef. "The combination of diarrhoeal disease and malnutrition is absolutelydeadly for children."



"Normally, diarrhoea would not kill children, but children in as malnourished a state aswe have in Somalia cannot stand the disease, and many, many will die if this outbreakgets out of control," she told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

Ms Balfour said she feared that there were many more cases in the interior of Somalia,

which Unicef was having difficulty in reaching.

Before the main cholera season had even started in October, the conditions are alreadyin place for the disease to spread rapidly, she said.

"The conditions are perfect for disease transmission: people are living in crowdedconditions, they're using unprotected water sources - usually shallow wells that areopen and easily contaminated - and people are very weak from the malnutrition."

More than 100,000 people have arrived in Mogadishu in the last two months in search

of food.

The UN says 3.2 million people - almost half the population - are in need of immediatelife-saving assistance in Somalia, which has been wracked by civil war for two decades.-----------------------------------------------------------------

Turkish PM visits famine-hit Somalia (Al Jazeera)

19 Aug 2011 - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been visiting refugeecamps and hospitals in Somalia to witness the devastation caused by a severe drought

that has left about 12 million people in the Horn of Africa facing starvation.

Erdogan, who was accompanied on the trip by his family and four ministers, promisedhelp to build a major hospital, six field hospitals and a road from the airport toMogadishu, the capital.

His visit was the first by a non-African leader to the conflict-torn Somali capital innearly two decades.

Somalia is the worst affected East African country in the region, hit hard by theprolonged drought that has sparked famine in five areas in the south of the war-ravaged nation.

Friday's visit follows Wednesday's meeting in Istanbul by members of the Organisationof Islamic Co-operation (OIC), who pledged to donate $350m to assist the drought- andfamine-stricken Somalis.

'Litmus test'



Ahead of the visit, security was tightened in Mogadishu, a city which has been batteredby al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab rebels fighting to overthrow the Western-backedSomali government, a rebellion that has driven the chaotic country deeper into anarchy.

Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri, reporting from the Somali capital, said Erdogan hascalled the disaster a "litmus test" for all humanity.

"Erdogan would say he is here to help a fellow Muslim country," he said.

"He spoke of how the West hasn't helped Somalia and it's up to Muslim countries tocontribute.

"Erdogan is here amid heavy security, although the Islamist Somali group al-Shabab haspulled out of the capital, things are extremely tense here and it is not common for a

high-profile leader like the Turkish prime minister to come here."

Al-Shabab earlier this month withdrew from Mogadishu in what they said was atactical move, but vowed to continue fighting.

The rebel fighters, hostile to any Western intervention, have blocked humanitariandeliveries in the past, saying aid creates dependency.

The UN's World Food Programme said on Friday it was still unable to reach 2.2 millionhungry people living in areas of southern Somalia controlled by al-Shabaab, whose

bloody campaign to topple the government has cost more than 20,000 lives.

'Momentous visit'

"Prime Minister Erdogan's visit tells us the Turkish people are closer to us than anyother Muslim nation on earth," said local resident Abdirashid Ali Omar.

"The Turkish people are here to share with us in our time of need. It is momentous."

Turkey, a rising political and economic power that straddles East and West, is farbehind other emerging powers such as China, Brazil or India in the race for newmarkets in Africa.

However, under Erdogan's ruling AK Party government, Turkey has expandedcommercial ties in Africa, as well as in the Middle East and Asia, and opened severalnew embassies in Africa.



On Thursday, hundreds of Somali refugees streamed into a controversial camp inKenya that has been lying empty for several months.

The government had halted work on preparing the Ifo II site in Dadaab because manylocal people resented the permanent buildings being handed over to Somalis.

The Dadaab area of northeastern Kenya is now home to 400,000 Somali refugees.

The UN's food monitoring unit has described Somalia as facing the most severehumanitarian crisis in the world and Africa's worst food security crisis since thecountry's 1991 to 1992 famine.

Aid agencies say that while droughts are a natural phenomenon, this famine is largelydown to conflict and bad governance.

"Droughts will happen. They always will, but they don't have to be disasters. They canbe managed," said Philippa Crosland-Taylor, head of Oxfam, the British aid agency, inneighbouring Kenya.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

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S.Africa to exceed mine transformation target: minister (Reuters)By Ed Stoddard

21 Aug 2011 - JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Mines Minister SusanShabangu said she is confident that a government-set ownership target for blacks in themining sector would be exceeded and, if the process was done right, the policy may nolonger be needed.

The government's mining charter calls for 26 percent of the mining industry in Africa'slargest economy to be transferred to black owners by 2014 as part an empowermentdrive to rectify the disparities of white apartheid rule.

"I am confident that we will exceed the 26 percent by 2014... We have seen progress,"Shabangu told Reuters on Saturday on the sidelines of a mining conference.

Investors have been unnerved by nationalization talks by radical elements in the rulingAfrican Nation Congress, which has focused attention on issues such as profits, safetyand racial imbalances in ownership.



The industry has in the past made scant progress on the transformation process and anannual review of the industry on this score is currently taking place, a processShabangu said was helping to keep companies on track.

"What we are saying is that every year we have got to go and do reviews," she said.

Only 8.9 percent of mines were owned by blacks in 2009, well below a target of 15percent.

Shabangu said changing or raising targets was not on the cards, but she wanted to seeblack-owned mining companies that were sustainable. If this was achieved, theempowerment policy in the industry might no longer be needed, she said.

"It's about making sure whatever companies are there, are sustainable. As soon as theybecome sustainable they can roll on their own without necessarily setting targets,"

Shabangu said.

One problem has been companies that got into the sector with little or no experience,that were not been viable or that were seen as fronts for white capital.

Mine safety is another major issue and Shabangu on Thursday said the pursuit ofprofits was behind amounting death toll in the industry.

The minister said she planned to publicly comment on a report submitted by theplatinum industry on rock falls and fatalities.

"On the basis of that report we have to take steps to put into place to avoid or minimiserock falls in the platinum sector," she said.

South Africa is the worlds largest platinum producer and a major supplier of gold andcoal.-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Mugabe urges peace after Zimbabwe general's death (Reuters)By Cris Chinaka

21 Aug 2011 - HARARE (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe appealed for toleranceand peace between Zimbabwe's leading political parties on Saturday after the death of aretired army general sparked speculation he was murdered.

Speaking at the burial of General Solomon Mujuru, 67, who was burnt to ashes in abizarre fire at his home, Mugabe urged Zimbabweans to accept the death as anunfortunate and painful tragedy.



Mujuru, a leading figure in Mugabe's ZANU-PF party for nearly four decades, wasmarried to Vice-President Joice Mujuru, who was backed by one faction in the party tosucceed Mugabe as party and state president.

Mugabe praised Mujuru, popularly known by his guerrilla name Rex Nhongo, as a

great soldier and freedom fighter whose legacy would be defended by his comradesand a strong security service.

"We don't want any violence. Please, no violence, no violence. Let's organise ourselvesand campaign in our different parties peacefully," he said, adding they should build ona lull in violence between ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

The MDC led by Mugabe's rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says war veteransand ZANU-PF's youth brigades are behind the violence. ZANU-PF denies the charges.

The veteran leader told thousands of people at the funeral, including members of bothparties, that the MDC and ZANU-PF must co-exist, but made no reference to mediareports that his party is increasingly divided over who will eventually succeed him.

General Mujuru headed the ZANU-PF faction that supported Joice Mujuru to succeedMugabe. It had jostled against another faction led by Defence Minister EmmersonMnangagwa.

AN INGLORIOUS DEATH

Mugabe appeared to dismiss suggestions that Mujuru's death was suspicious.

"It is hard to imagine that such a glorious soldier died in such an inglorious way, souneventfully. But this is how God willed it and we cannot do anything about it, exceptto grieve, to ask so many questions and finally accept his demise even though it willalways hurt," Mugabe said in a statement.

There has been no suggestion either by the authorities or Mujuru's wife of foul play, butprivate media reports say some family members believe the general was murdered.

Mujuru was Zimbabwe's first black army commander after independence in 1980, afterserving for some months under Rhodesia's last white general Peter Walls, retiring in1992 and becoming a member of ZANU-PF's top organ, the politburo.

Political analysts say Mujuru's death could lead to some bruising battles over thesuccession, but may nudge Mugabe to tackle the problem.



Many analysts say Mugabe, in power for 31 years and currently his party's presidentialcandidate for elections expected in the next two years, is likely to have a big say on whosucceeds him if and when he decides to step down.

There are unconfirmed reports that General Mujuru was pressing Mugabe to step down

before the next poll.

Mugabe was forced to form a unity government with Tsvangirai's MDC after disputedelections in 2008. But their fragile coalition is haggling over democratic reforms.

At the funeral, Mugabe said Zimbabweans should defend Mujuru's contribution tofreedom by pursuing economic empowerment policies, including a drive to forceforeign firms to sell majority shares to blacks over the next five years.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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