africom related news clips 7 nov 2011

8/3/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 7 NOV 2011

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U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 [email protected]

United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office7 November 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command andAfrica, along with upcoming events of interest for November 7, 2011.

Of interest in todays clips:

In Nigeria: Foreign and domestic press report on the numbers of dead and woundedfollowing terrorist attacks in northern Nigeria. Responsibility for the attacks has been

claimed by Boko Haram which has threatened to continue the violence.

In Liberia: The U.S. Department of State has issued a statement expressingdisappointment in the Congress for Democratic Change's (CDC) intent to boycott thepresidential run-off election on November 8. Al Jazeera reports that President EllenJohnson-Sirleaf is urging Liberians to ignore the boycott.

In Kenya: Reuters reports that Eritrea has rejected Kenyan suspicions that it may bearming Islamist Al Shabaab rebels in Somalia, as a diplomatic row between the twocountries intensifies. Al Jazeera and the BBC report on violence in a Kenyan gamereserve and a grenade attack on a church that killed two.

U.S. Africa Command Public AffairsPlease send questions or comments to:[email protected] (+49-711-729-2687)

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Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa

At least 150 dead in wave of terror attacks in northeast Nigeria (AFP)http://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobe5 November 2011At least 150 people died in a wave of overnight attacks that started on Friday in northeastNigeria. Islamist group Boko Haram claimed responsibililty Saturday for the attacks.

Nigerian forces hunt killers, locals demand security (Reuters)http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobehttp://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobehttp://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobehttp://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobehttp://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobemailto:[email protected]


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6 November 2011By Mike ObohNigerian security forces said on Sunday they were hunting for Islamist militants behind acoordinated attack in the north that killed at least 65 people, as shocked residentsdemanded the government do more to protect them.

Nigeria group threatens more deadly attacks (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111169858380467.html6 November 2011Nigeria's Boko Haram has threatened to carry out more attacks, a day after a series ofblasts and gun battles claimed by the group killed more than 100 people in the country'snortheast, the Nigerian Red Cross has said.

Warning issued for Americans in Nigeria (CNN)http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/06/world/africa/nigeria-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t26 November 2011

By Christian PurefoyFollowing an outbreak of violence that left more than 100 people dead, the U.S. Missionin Nigeria issued a warning to Americans on Sunday, saying more attacks may beimminent in the northeastern part of the nation.

Liberia's Presidential Elections (Department of State Press Statement)http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/11/176709.htm5 November 2011Victoria Nuland, U.S. Department of StateThe United States is deeply disappointed by the decision of the Congress for DemocraticChange (CDC) to boycott Liberias presidential run-off election on November 8. TheCDCs charge that the first-round election was fraudulent is unsubstantiated.

Challenger to boycott Liberia run-off vote (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011114124736670129.html5 November 2011Liberia's presidential challenger has said he will not take part in Tuesday's scheduled

run-off vote against President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Liberia president asks voters to ignore boycott ( Associated Press)http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2011/11/06/liberia_president_asks_voters_to_ignore_boycott/6 November 2011By Jonathan Paye-LaylehLiberia's president urged voters to go to the polls this week and to ignore a boycott by theopposition.

Kenya-Eritrea row over arms to Somalia grows (Reuters)http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A5023201111066 November 2011
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111169858380467.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111169858380467.htmlhttp://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/06/world/africa/nigeria-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t2http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/06/world/africa/nigeria-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t2http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/11/176709.htmhttp://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/11/176709.htmhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011114124736670129.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011114124736670129.htmlhttp://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2011/11/06/liberia_president_asks_voters_to_ignore_boycott/http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2011/11/06/liberia_president_asks_voters_to_ignore_boycott/http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2011/11/06/liberia_president_asks_voters_to_ignore_boycott/http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A502320111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A502320111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A502320111106http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2011/11/06/liberia_president_asks_voters_to_ignore_boycott/http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2011/11/06/liberia_president_asks_voters_to_ignore_boycott/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011114124736670129.htmlhttp://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/11/176709.htmhttp://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/06/world/africa/nigeria-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t2http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111169858380467.html


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By Richard Lough and Abdi SheikhEritrea has rejected Kenyan suspicions that it may be arming Islamist al Shabaab rebels inSomalia, as a diplomatic row between the two countries intensifies.

Deadly attack in Kenyan game reserve (Al Jazeera)

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011114121757315615.html4 November 2011Gunmen have attacked a safari vehicle in a north Kenyan game reserve, killing theKenyan driver and wounding a Swiss tourist, according to local police.

Kenya: Grenade attack on Church in Garisssa kills two (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-156121626 November 2011Two people have been killed in a grenade attack on a church in an eastern Kenyan town.At least three others were injured after the grenade was thrown into the compound of theEast African Pentecostal Church in Garissa.

Sudan oil state rebels claim to destroy tanks (Reuters)http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A500P201111066 November 2011Rebels in Sudan's main oil-producing state claimed on Saturday to have destroyed fourtanks during fighting near the state's capital, drawing a denial from the country's army.

South Sudan rejects Sudan's complaint to UN over rebels (Reuters)http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A5003201111066 November 2011By Hereward HollandSouth Sudan on Sunday rejected allegations it was arming insurgents in two conflict-stricken border regions in Sudan after its old civil war foe brought the charges to theUnited Nations Security Council.

Pirates release Halifax tanker off Nigeria (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-156090125 November 2011An oil tanker seized by pirates off the coast of the Niger Delta last week has beenreleased, officials in Nigeria say.

UN begins return of Angolan refugees from DRC (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111156648182694.html5 November 2011The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has resumed a voluntary repatriation programme fortens of thousands of Angolan refugees after their displacement into the DemocraticRepublic of Congo (DRC) during the civil war that ended in 2002.

Will this year's Hajj have an Arab Spring effect? (CNN)
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011114121757315615.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011114121757315615.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15612162http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15612162http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A500P20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A500P20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A500320111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A500320111106http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15609012http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15609012http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111156648182694.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111156648182694.htmlhttp://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111156648182694.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15609012http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A500320111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A500P20111106http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15612162http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011114121757315615.html


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http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/04/huge-hajj-gathering-comes-against-backdrop-of-arab-spring/?hpt=hp_c26 November 2011By Dan Gilgoff and Dan Merica, CNN(The annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the world's largest gathering of

Muslims - the biggest annual gathering of humanity, period.

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UN News Service Africa Briefshttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA

Ban and Security Council strongly condemn terrorist attacks in Nigeria5 NovemberSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council have strongly

condemned Friday's terrorist attacks in Nigeria which led to numerous deaths andinjuries, and underlined the need to bring those responsible to justice.

Security Council deplores failure by Sudan and South Sudan to withdraw forces from

Abyei4 NovemberThe Security Council today deplored the failure by the governments ofSudan and South Sudan to redeploy their troops from the disputed Abyei area and urgedthe two countries to do so immediately and without preconditions.

Ban urges Liberians to maintain peace despite electoral disagreement4 NovemberSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the people of Liberia torefrain from violence despite political disagreement, and encouraged them to ensure thatpeace is maintained during the second round of presidential elections scheduled forTuesday.

UN peacekeeping chief discusses human rights, democracy with South Sudaneseleader4 NovemberProtecting human rights, enshrining democracy and improving inter-Sudanese relations topped the agenda today during talks today between the new chief ofUnited Nations peacekeeping chief and South Sudans President.

UN refugee agency restarts repatriation of Angolans from DR Congo4 NovemberThe United Nations refugee agency today resumed the repatriation ofAngolan refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after a four-yearhiatus, aiming to help more than 40,000 people go home.

(Full Articles on UN Website)

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https://c-owa.africom.mil/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/04/huge-hajj-gathering-comes-against-backdrop-of-arab-spring/?hpt=hp_c2https://c-owa.africom.mil/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/04/huge-hajj-gathering-comes-against-backdrop-of-arab-spring/?hpt=hp_c2https://c-owa.africom.mil/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/04/huge-hajj-gathering-comes-against-backdrop-of-arab-spring/?hpt=hp_c2http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40319&Cr=terrorist&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40317&Cr=abyei&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40317&Cr=abyei&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40316&Cr=liberia&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40315&Cr=south+sudan&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40315&Cr=south+sudan&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40311&Cr=angola&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40311&Cr=angola&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40315&Cr=south+sudan&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40315&Cr=south+sudan&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40316&Cr=liberia&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40317&Cr=abyei&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40317&Cr=abyei&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40319&Cr=terrorist&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttps://c-owa.africom.mil/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/04/huge-hajj-gathering-comes-against-backdrop-of-arab-spring/?hpt=hp_c2https://c-owa.africom.mil/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/04/huge-hajj-gathering-comes-against-backdrop-of-arab-spring/?hpt=hp_c2


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Upcoming Events of Interest:

7 NOV 2011

WHEN: 9:30 a.m.4:00 p.m.WHAT: Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns HopkinsUniversity Conference on The Five Elements of Civil Society: A New Approach to

Participation in Combating Trafficking in Persons. For a full conference agenda, visithttp://www.sais-jhu.edu/events/pdf/2011-11-07_protectionprojectagenda.pdf.WHERE: SAIS, Kenney Auditorium, Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.CONTACT: Felisa Neuringer Klubes at [email protected] or 202-663-5626; web site:www.sais-jhu.eduSOURCE: SAISevent announcement at:www.sais-jhu.edu

WHEN: 10:00 a.m.12:00 p.m.WHAT: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) Discussion on China's Rise andInternational Order. Speakers: Yan Xuetong, Douglas H. Paal.WHERE: CEIP, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NWCONTACT: 202-483-7600; web site: www.carnegieendowment.orgNOTE: Register at:http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/forms/?fa=registration&event=3437SOURCE: CEIPevent announcement at:http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/china-s-rise-and-international-order/6b3m

WHEN: 12:001:30 p.m.WHAT: Woodrow Wilson Center (WWC) Discussion on Measuring Progress: A Launch andDiscussion of the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2011. Speakers: JeniKlugman, Director, Gender and Development, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management,The World Bank; Laura Liswood, Secretary General, Council of Women World Leaders SeniorAdvisor, Goldman Sachs; and Saadia Zahidim, Senior Director, Head of Constituents, WorldEconomic Forum.WHERE: WWC, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWCONTACT: 202-691-4000; web site: www.wilsoncenter.orgSOURCE: WWCevent announcement at:http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/measuring-progress-launch-and-discussion-the-world-economic-forum-global-gender-gap-report-0

WHEN: 12:002:00 p.m.WHAT: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) Discussion on Will EconomicDisruption Derail the Arab Spring? Speakers: Masood Ahmed, Caroline Freund, Robert

Hormats, Marina Ottaway, and Uri Dadush.WHERE: CEIP, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NWCONTACT: 202-483-7600; web site: www.carnegieendowment.orgNOTE: Register at:http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/forms/?fa=registration&event=3434SOURCE: CEIPevent announcement at:http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/will-economic-disruption-derail-arab-spring/68dj
http://www.sais-jhu.edu/http://www.sais-jhu.edu/http://www.sais-jhu.edu/http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/china-s-rise-and-international-order/6b3mhttp://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/china-s-rise-and-international-order/6b3mhttp://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/measuring-progress-launch-and-discussion-the-world-economic-forum-global-gender-gap-report-0http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/measuring-progress-launch-and-discussion-the-world-economic-forum-global-gender-gap-report-0http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/measuring-progress-launch-and-discussion-the-world-economic-forum-global-gender-gap-report-0http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/measuring-progress-launch-and-discussion-the-world-economic-forum-global-gender-gap-report-0http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/will-economic-disruption-derail-arab-spring/68djhttp://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/will-economic-disruption-derail-arab-spring/68djhttp://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/will-economic-disruption-derail-arab-spring/68djhttp://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/will-economic-disruption-derail-arab-spring/68djhttp://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/will-economic-disruption-derail-arab-spring/68djhttp://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/will-economic-disruption-derail-arab-spring/68djhttp://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/measuring-progress-launch-and-discussion-the-world-economic-forum-global-gender-gap-report-0http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/measuring-progress-launch-and-discussion-the-world-economic-forum-global-gender-gap-report-0http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/07/china-s-rise-and-international-order/6b3mhttp://www.sais-jhu.edu/


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WHEN: 4:30 p.m.WHAT: Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns HopkinsUniversity Discussion on Tunisians and Their Hopes for Democracy: Toward Democracy.Speaker: Hatem Bourial, Tunisian TV personality and author.WHERE: SAIS, Room 500, Bernstein-Offit Building, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.CONTACT: Felisa Neuringer Klubes at [email protected] or 202-663-5626; web site: www.sais-

jhu.eduSOURCE: SAISevent announcement at:www.sais-jhu.edu

8 NOV 2011

UNITED STATES SENATE - COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICESThere will be a meeting of the Committee on ARMED SERVICESTuesday, November 8, 2011 9:30 AMRoom SD-G50Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington D.C.Meeting is OPEN to the public

To receive testimony on the Committees investigation into counterfeit electronic parts inthe Department of Defense supply chain.

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New onwww.africom.mil

Botswana Defence Force Combats HIVhttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7400&lang=0

4 November 2011By Vince Crawley, U.S. AFRICOM Public AffairsGABORONE, Botswana, Nov 4, 2011With assistance from the U.S. military, theBotswana Defence Force plays a leading role in helping to combat HIV/AIDS infectionrates in the southern African country of 2 million people, where more than 20 percent ofadults carry the deadly virus. The U.S. military health program supports a much largerU.S. government effort that since 2005 has invested more than $450 million to fightHIV/AIDS in Botswana.

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FULL TEXT

At least 150 dead in wave of terror attacks in northeast Nigeria (AFP)http://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobe5 November 2011
http://www.sais-jhu.edu/http://www.sais-jhu.edu/http://www.sais-jhu.edu/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7400&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7400&lang=0http://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobehttp://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobehttp://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobehttp://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobehttp://www.france24.com/en/20111105-scores-dead-wave-terror-attacks-northeast-nigeria-boko-haram-yobehttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7400&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/http://www.sais-jhu.edu/


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At least 150 people died in a wave of overnight attacks that started on Friday in northeastNigeria. Islamist group Boko Haram claimed responsibililty Saturday for the attacks.AFP - At least 150 people died in a "heinous" wave of gun and bomb attacks in northernNigeria that were on Saturday claimed by the Islamist Boko Haram sect.

President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the assaults which officials said included atleast five suicide bomb blasts and "directed security agencies to ensure the arrest ofperpetrators of these heinous acts," said a statement from his spokesman Reuben Abati.

As corpses piled up in the morgue, a rescue agency official told AFP the body countstood at 150.

"I was involved in the evacuation of corpses to the morgue. I personally counted 150bodies," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at the hospital. He saidsome families had already collected their loved ones for burial, reducing the number to97 by end of the day.

An AFP reporter counted 97 corpses still in the mortuary.

The Red Cross earlier said the death toll stood at 63, while police spoke of 53, of whom11 were members of its force.

"From our inventory, 53 people have so far been killed in the attack," said local policechief Suleimon Lawal.

The 15-nation UN Security Council released a statement saying it "condemned in thestrongest terms" the attacks in Nigeria. The council expressed condolences to thefamilies.

A member of Nigeria's Boko Haram sect on Saturday claimed responsibility.

"We are responsible for the attack in (northeastern) Borno (state) and Damaturu," AbulQaqa told an AFP correspondent by phone.

"We will continue attacking federal government formations until security forces stoppersecuting our members and vulnerable civilians," Qaqa warned.

The Friday bomb and gun attacks targeted police stations, an army base and churches inthe cities of Damaturu, Maiduguri and two other small towns.

Jonathan's spokesman said the attacks had forced him to skip his brother's wedding whichtook place in his village in southern Nigeria on Saturday.

The military deployed to curb the violence in Maiduguri said there were four suicidebomb attacks in parts of the city, including an army base and on the outskirts ofMaiduguri.


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The attackers bombed their targets then took on the security forces in gun battles inDamaturu. Residents said gunfire rang out for several hours across the city after theexplosions.

"It was a suicide bomb attack at one of our buildings. The attacker came in a Honda CRVand rammed into the building and explosives exploded," Lawal told AFP.

An AFP reporter said no office was still standing at the police HQ which was stillsmouldering some 24 hours after the attack. Three burnt cars lay in front of the building.

A journalist described scenes of chaos and destruction in Damaturu.

"In fact, Damaturu is looking just like Libya... burnt cars and buildings."

In a mainly Christian neighbourhood of Damaturu called Jerusalem, six churches were

bombed in addition to a police station.

"A police station and a mechanical workshop of the police were attacked. Six churches inthe area were also bombed," said resident Edwin Silas, adding: "The whole city istraumatised."

The string of attacks came two days ahead of the annual Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.

Police have been placed on red alert nationwide.

Militants from Boko Haram, whose name means "Western Education Is Sin" in theregional Hausa language, have in the past targeted police and military, community andreligious leaders, as well as politicians.

The sect, which wants to see the establishment of an Islamic state in northern Nigeria,staged an uprising which was brutally put down by security forces in 2009.

Nigeria's more than 160 million people are divided almost in half between Muslims andChristians, living roughly in the north and south of the country respectively. Regionswhere they overlap are prey to frequent tensions.

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Nigerian forces hunt killers, locals demand security (Reuters)http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U201111066 November 2011By Mike Oboh
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A503U20111106


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KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian security forces said on Sunday they were huntingfor Islamist militants behind a coordinated attack in the north that killed at least 65people, as shocked residents demanded the government do more to protect them.

The Boko Haram Islamist sect claimed responsibility for multiple gun and bomb attacks

in the city of Damaturu on Friday evening that left bodies littering the streets and policestations, churches and mosques reduced to smouldering rubble.

"We are ready for them, we are going to comb every place in the state to until we findand deal with them. Our men are ready," the police commissioner for Yobe state, ofwhich Damaturu is the capital, told Reuters.

He gave the official death toll as 53, less than the tally of 65 sent to Reuters by anemergency relief agency that counted bodies in the morgues -- 63 from the Damaturuattack and another two from a strike on a neighbouring village.

Bewildered residents questioned how the gunmen were able to take over the city andwreak havoc with apparent ease.

"I am a Muslim but what is happening in Nigeria now is unacceptable. President Jonathanand his security chiefs should take control of the situation. We are tired of these terroristacts," said Abdulgafar Bello, 48, a market trader.

In a statement, the U.N. Security Council said it "condemns in the strongest terms theterrorist attacks that occurred in Damaturu and Potiskum," and it called for global"measures to combat terrorism."

GROWING MILITANT THREAT

Boko Haram is growing in sophistication, and the increasing audacity and deadliness ofits attacks, two of which struck the capital Abuja this year, have evolved into a bigsecurity headache for President Goodluck Jonathan's administration.

Boko Haram deems all who do not follow its strict ideology as infidels, whether they areChristian or Muslim. It demands the adoption of sharia, Islamic law, in all of Africa'smost populous country, which is split roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims.

Friday's violence, which included a spate of bomb attacks in the northeastern city ofMaiduguri, was some of the worst on record by the group, whose name means "Westerneducation is forbidden" in the northern, Hausa language.

The president rarely comments on frequent attacks in the north. But on Saturday, he saidin a statement he had "directed security agencies to ensure the arrest of perpetrators ofthese heinous acts and assures Nigerians that all necessary will be done to ensure safetyof lives and properties".


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Many Nigerians were unimpressed.

"How can the president use the same cliche to address another mass murder of Nigerianshe swore an oath to protect? Why not declare war on Boko Haram? What is wrong withhis executive powers? What is wrong with Nigeria?" wrote a blogger called Ken on the

website of the Nigerian daily This Day.

But efforts to make war on Boko Haram in the past have done little to quell theinsurgency and heavy-handed police tactics in the remote northeast have radicalisedyouths against the state -- creating a fertile breeding ground for more militancy.

The conflict has heightened rifts between Nigeria's increasingly prosperous, oil-rich southand its economically deprived, semi-arid north. Boko Haram appears to be growing insophistication, and security analysts believe it has made links with al Qaeda's northAfrican affiliate.

Apart from a greater presence of security on the streets of Damaturu, residents said, lifewas slowly returning to normal as Muslims there slaughtered sheep to celebrate the Eid alAdha, the festival of sacrifice.

Nigeria, with a population of 150 million, is mostly peaceful but growing militancy in thenorth and spasms of violence in the ethnically and religiously mixed "Middle Belt" are anincreasing worry.

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Nigeria group threatens more deadly attacks (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111169858380467.html6 November 2011

Nigeria's Boko Haram has threatened to carry out more attacks, a day after a series ofblasts and gun battles claimed by the group killed more than 100 people in the country'snortheast, the Nigerian Red Cross has said.

Ibrahim Bulama, an official from the humanitarian organisation, said on Sunday that thedeath toll is expected to rise as local clinics and hospitals tabulate the casualty figuresfrom Friday's attacks in Damaturu, the capital of rural Yobe state.

A spokesman for the Islamist armed group, using the name Abul-Qaqa, promised "moreattacks are on the way", speaking hours after witnesses reported "scenes of carnage".

Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sacrilege", has claimed responsibilityfor previous attacks and the latest was the deadliest since the group attacked a UNbuilding in the capital Abuja in August, killing at least 20 people.
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"We will continue attacking federal government formations until security forces stoptheir excesses on our members and vulnerable civilians," Abul-Qaqa said in an interviewwith the the Daily Trust, the newspaper of record across Nigeria's Muslim north.

Suleimon Lawal, the police commissioner of Damaturu, told Al Jazeera a suicide bomber

drove a vehicle apparently laden with explosives into a building housing the anti-terroristcourt.

Lawal said the attack killed 53 people but he did not disclose how many among thecasualties were security officials.

"I know for a fact that there're Nigerian groups in and outside the government, includingthe media, who are suggesting that the government should try to talk to Boko Haram, butmy own impression is that they don't seem to be particularly ready or inclined to talk."

Lawal insisted the group was not gaining an upper hand and vowed that it would be

crushed.

"My strategy is a security strategy [that] I cannot disclose on air. So as they're not [BokoHaram] disclosing their security strategy, I don't think it is safe for me to tell the wholeworld what I am doing," he said.

The violence followed a series of attacks reported in the neighbouring cities of Maiduguriand Potiskum on Friday afternoon.

"There's that fear that something might possibly happen again," Ibrahim Bulama, aspokesman for the Nigerian Red Cross, said.

Security vehicles torched

News agencies, quoting officials, said after the attack on the building, armed men wentthrough Damaturu, blowing up a bank and attacking at least three police stations and fivechurches, leaving behind their rubble.

People began hesitantly leaving their homes on Saturday morning, after seeing thedestruction left behind, which included military and police vehicles burned by the armedmen, with the burned corpses of the drivers who died still in their seats.

Boko Haram wants the strict implementation of Islamic law across the nation of morethan 160 million people, which has a predominantly Christian south and a Muslim north.

Nii Akuetteh, a former executive director of Africa Action, a Washington-based rightsgroup, said the group appeared to be growing strong.

"The government has been saying that it will deal with them and that it will get a handleon the problem, but it's not been able to," he told Al Jazeera.


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"Previously, the attempt made was to try and fight them militarily - to send the secuirtyforces after them - but that has created its own problem.

"I know for a fact that there're Nigerian groups in and outside the government, including

the media, who are suggesting that the government should try to talk to Boko Haram.

"But my own impression is that they don't seem to be particularly ready or inclined totalk."

Split into factions

The AP news agency, quoting a diplomat, said the government was facing anincreasingly dangerous threat from Boko Haram, adding that the group had split intothree factions, one allied with al-Qaeda's North Africa branch.

It said one faction remains moderate and welcomes an end to the violence while anotherwants a peace agreement with rewards similar to those offered to MEND, which has beenfighting for a greater share of Nigeria's oil wealth.

The attacks occured just before Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice, celebrated byMuslims around the world.

Police elsewhere in Nigeria had warned of violence in the run-up to the celebration in thecountry that has previously been rocked by religious violence.

Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's Christian president who took office amid religious andpolitical rioting that saw at least 800 die in April, cancelled a trip to his home state ofBayelsa for his younger brother's wedding on Saturday.

His spokesman, Reuben Abati, said the president did not consider those who launched theattacks "true Muslims," as the assault came during a holy period.

Abati also promised that "every step will be taken" to arrest those responsible - the samepledge made again and again as Jonathan has visited other sites bombed by Boko Haram.

"The security agencies will tell you that what happens on this scale is even a fraction ofwhat could have happened considering the scope of the threat," Abati said.

"The security agencies are busy at work trying to make sure the will of the majority of theNigerian people is not subverted by a minority [group] with a suicidal streak."

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

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Warning issued for Americans in Nigeria (CNN)http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/06/world/africa/nigeria-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t26 November 2011From Christian Purefoy

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Following an outbreak of violence that left more than 100people dead, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria issued a warning to Americans on Sunday,saying more attacks may be imminent in the northeastern part of the nation.

"Following the recent Boko Haram, aka Nigerian Taliban, attacks in Borno and YobeState, the U.S. Embassy has received information that Boko Haram may plan to attackseveral locations and hotels in Abuja, Nigeria, during the Sallah holiday," the missionsaid. Sallah is the Nigerian name for the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday.

The Muslim militant group Boko Haram's stated goal is to establish a state based onSharia, or Islamic law, in the predominantly Muslim states of northern Nigeria. Loosely

translated, the group's name means "Western education is sinful."

According to the U.S. mission, other potential targets may include the Nicon Luxury, theSheraton Hotel and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. U.S. government personnel wereinstructed to avoid those locations, and any previously scheduled events were canceled.

"American citizens should expect additional police and military checkpoints, additionalsecurity and possible road blocks in Abuja for the foreseeable future," the missionstatement said.

Attacks have targeted police stations, mosques and churches in northeastern Nigeria, theRed Cross said. There was no official claim of responsibility from Boko Haram.Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called for an end to the violence during his weeklySunday Angelus prayer.

"I am following with apprehension the tragic episodes that have taken place in Nigeriaover the last days," the pope said. "While I pray for the victims, I invite an end to theviolence, which doesn't resolve the problems but increase them, sowing hatred anddivisions even amongst the faithful."

Scores of people, potentially more than 100, were injured in a three-hour rampage in theYobe state city of Damaturu, according to Ibrahim Bulama of the Red Cross. More than100 people died in what he described as "a very bad scene." Bulama initially said 63people died, but revised the death toll upward Sunday.

Gunmen first attacked the police headquarters and the anti-terror office before moving tochurches and mosques, he said. Most of the casualties were police officers.

In Potiskum, also located in Yobe state, gunmen attacked a book shop near the policestation, killing two and injuring five, the Red Cross said.
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Nigeria's main opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, said in a statementSunday it was "horrified" at the attacks.

"It is now apparent that those saddled with ensuring the security of lives and property in

the country are grossly incapable of doing so, hence the need to shake up the securityagencies and put more capable men and women in charge," the statement said. "Theshake up must not spare any of the security chiefs. This is about taking responsibility."

The Friday attacks came the same day that suicide bombers suspected of belonging toBoko Haram targeted a military base in nearby Maiduguri.

Three suicide bombers drove a stolen black SUV toward a Joint Task Force headquarters,but could not get through the gate, military spokesman Lt. Col. Hassan Mohammed said.The blast damaged the roofs and walls of the base.

Mohammed said two other simultaneous explosions took place at other military facilities.An unspecified number of Nigerian soldiers suffered injuries.

Saturday evening, a suicide bomber launched another attack in Maiduguri, Mohammedsaid. No casualties were reported except for the bomber. He also blamed Boko Haram forthe attacks.

The Red Cross official said Boko Haram is suspected in the Damaturu attack as well.CNN's Hada Messia in Rome and Marilia Brocchetto in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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Liberia's Presidential Elections (Department of State Press Statement)http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/11/176709.htm5 November 2011Victoria Nuland, Department Spokesperson

The United States is deeply disappointed by the decision of the Congress for DemocraticChange (CDC) to boycott Liberias presidential run-off election on November 8. TheCDCs charge that the first-round election was fraudulent is unsubstantiated. Asevidenced by international and domestic observers, Liberias October 11 first-roundpresidential and legislative elections were fair, free and transparent.

We are supportive of moving forward with the November 8 election as called for by theNational Elections Commission. Participation in elections is a fundamental part ofdemocracy. We commend all Liberians for their peaceful participation in the elections,and encourage all Liberians to exercise their political voice and vote on November 8.

The United States commends the leadership of ECOWAS, notes the importantcontributions of UNMIL in promoting security during the electoral period, for working
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with all sides to protect the integrity of Liberias democracy. The international

community, including the United States, will again send observers to monitor the electionprocess. Resorting to violence is unacceptable.

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Challenger to boycott Liberia run-off vote (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011114124736670129.html5 November 2011

Liberia's presidential challenger has said he will not take part in Tuesday's scheduled run-off vote against President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Winston Tubman said his Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party refused to"grant legitimacy to a corrupt political process", the Reuters news agency reported.

Tubman, a lawyer educated at Harvard and Cambridge who worked at the UnitedNations, called on supporters to take part in a peaceful protest on Saturday and to boycottthe vote next week.

Sirleaf called on voters to ignore the poll boycott, saying the move was illegal andintended to intimidate Liberians.

"Do not succumb to fear and intimidation. Do not allow any politician to hold ourcountry hostage," she said in a radio address to the nation on Saturday.

"Do not allow Mr Tubman to falsely claim boycott when what he is doing is forfeitingthe rights of the finals because he fears defeat," she added.

Liberia's election commission said the vote would still take place as planned.

Election machinery 'flawed'

Tubman said he would not recognise any government formed as a result of the polls. Hetold The Associated Press on Friday "the election machinery is still flawed as it was inthe first round".

Speaking to Al Jazeera from the capital Monrovia on Saturday, Tubman said the CDCcame to the decision because the party "does not feel that we will be treated fairly in therun-off if we are still using mechanisms and procedures that we used in the first one".

"All we are asking for is that we be allowed to have a closer involvement and being ableto monitor and watch the process in the run-off and those requests have not been grantedand becuase of that our people have decided that we should not participate in the run-off," he said.


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"In order to have democracy in Liberia, we need opposition parties to exist and be viable.And the way this whole process has gone on, our party feels that we are not getting a fairhearing and a fair chance."

The US state department on Saturday said it was disappointed by the CDC's decision and

encouraged Liberians toparticipate in the run-off election.

"The CDC's charge that the first-round election was fraudulent is unsubstantiated," statedepartment spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

Leadership change

Tubman previously threatened to withdraw from the run-off unless there was a change ofleadership at the election commission.

His party complained of fraud and irregularities, saying the commission was biased. Theallegations led to the resignation of election body's director, James Fromayan, last week.

"I chose to step down for the sake of Liberia and so that [Tubman's] CDC would not havean excuse not to participate in the run-off," Fromayan told the Reuters news agency onSunday.

Fromayan, who denied any wrongdoing, was replaced by his deputy Elizabeth Nelson.He said he did not know if it would be a permanent arrangement.

"Nothing will stop the elections from going ahead as planned," Nelson told Reuters onFriday.

In the first round of voting on October 11, Sirleaf won 43.9 per cent of the vote. Tubman,her closest rival, won 32.7 per cent.

Sirleaf, who won this year's Nobel Peace Prize along with compatriot Leymah Gboweeand Tawakul Karman of Yemen, is a strong favourite for the run-off, having secured thebacking of a former rebel leader, Prince Johnson, who was third in the earlier poll withabout 11.6 per cent.

Sirleaf was Africa's first democratically elected female president. She is viewed abroad asa Harvard-trained reformer, but Tubman's camp portrays her as out of touch with theimpoverished population.


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Liberia president asks voters to ignore boycott ( Associated Press)


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http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2011/11/06/liberia_president_asks_voters_to_ignore_boycott/6 November 2011By Jonathan Paye-Layleh

MONROVIA, LiberiaLiberia's president urged voters to go to the polls this week andto ignore a boycott by the opposition.

Tweet Be the first to Tweet this!ShareThis Campaigning for the Nov. 8 presidentialrunoff ends at midnight Sunday, and incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is likelyto remain unopposed. Her supporters drove around Monrovia Sunday calling for supportover amplifiers mounted on pickups.

Liberia's leading opposition candidate Winston Tubman had said he was pulling out ofthe presidential runoff election. He told The Associated Press Friday that he wasboycotting the runoff because he was not convinced the process would be fair.

President Sirleaf accused Tubman of violating the constitution as she spoke to her UnityParty supporters in an address carried lived on radio and television Saturday.

"On Nov. 8, I urge you to go out and cast your vote for your favorite candidates," shesaid. "Do not succumb to fear and intimidation. Do not allow any politician to hold ourcountry hostage."

"If this is how they run their party, think of how they would run this country," she said ofTubman and his Congress for Democratic Change party.

This is not the first time that Tubman's party has threatened a boycott. When it becameclear in October that incumbent President Sirleaf was leading the first round of votingwith over 45 percent, the Congress for Democratic Change joined seven other oppositionparties in signing a statement saying they were pulling out of the presidential poll.

They rejoined the electoral process days later, after the chairman of the NationalElections Commission resigned following allegations he favored Sirleaf, the country'sHarvard-educated president who was just awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Sirleafwon the first round of voting but failed to reach the threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

Tubman's decision to boycott the runoff would guarantee victory for the country's rulingparty but would rob the electoral process of its legitimacy.

"The election machinery is still flawed, as it was in the first round," Tubman said.

The U.S. State Department said it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision of the CDCto boycott the runoff election.
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"Participation in elections is a fundamental part of democracy," a statement attributed toState Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Saturday. "We commend allLiberians for their peaceful participation in the elections, and encourage all Liberians toexercise their political voice and vote."

It said the CDC's charges that the first round was fraudulent were "unsubstantiated." Theinternational community, including the United States, will send observers to monitor theelection process, it said.

Sirleaf is expected to address a rally before her house in the Sinkor district of MonroviaSunday evening.

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Kenya-Eritrea row over arms to Somalia grows (Reuters)http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A502320111106

6 November 2011By Richard Lough and Abdi Sheikh

NAIROBI/MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Eritrea has rejected Kenyan suspicions that it maybe arming Islamist al Shabaab rebels in Somalia, as a diplomatic row between the twocountries intensifies.

Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula said on Friday he had summoned theEritrean ambassador and "raised concerns about intelligence that we have andinformation available that there is a possibility that arms supplies are flowing from hiscountry to al Shabaab".

He said Kenya, whose troops are fighting the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militant insouthern Somalia, had "a series of options", which he did not specify, to deal with thealleged arms supplies.

"The Government of Eritrea finds extremely regrettable the remarks attributed to theforeign minister of Kenya ... regarding the fabricated story of Eritrean arms shipments toal Shabaab in Somalia," Eritrea's foreign ministry said in a statement dated November 5.

Eritrea denies arming the fighters and says such allegations are stirred up by regionalrivals to sully its reputation.

It described Kenya's implied threat of action as "unfortunate" ahead of an anticipated visitto Kenya by its own foreign minister.

Kenya deployed troops inside Somalia three weeks ago to crush the al Shabaab militantsit blames for a wave of kidnappings in Kenya and frequent cross-border attacks.
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Nairobi has warned of air strikes on a number of rebel bases across southern and centralSomalia in response to what is said were reports Eritrea had flown consignments ofweapons into the militant enclave of Baidoa.

One of al Shabaab's top commanders told worshippers on Sunday the insurgents would

not surrender their key strongholds, even if subjected to aerial bombardments.

"Kenya's fighter jets will never seize our towns, but they may injure or kill a few people,"Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys said in Almada, in the outskirts of the capital Mogadishu,after leading prayers to mark the Muslim festival of Eid.

Kenya has long cast a wary eye at its lawless neighbour, awash with weapons and miredin conflict since the overthrow of a dictator in 1991.

The region's biggest economy is so worried by the anarchy in Somalia, where firstwarlords then Islamist insurgents have stepped into a political vacuum, that it has quietly

supported the birth of a semi-autonomous Somali province dubbed 'Jubaland', comprisingthe three Somali regions bordering Kenya.

The status of Jubaland, also sometimes called Azania, is not clear. Somalia's governmentsays it does not support the Jubaland initiative.

Kenya's military has denied its incursion was carefully planned for years with a view toannexing Somali territory that could act as a buffer zone between the two countries.

Al Shabaab thinks otherwise.

"Let them not deceive you with Azania. It is a Christian state, take care," said Aweys,whose militants are fighting to impose a hardline version of Sharia law on Somalia.

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Deadly attack in Kenyan game reserve (Al Jazeera)http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/2011114121757315615.html4 November 2011

Gunmen have attacked a safari vehicle in a north Kenyan game reserve, killing theKenyan driver and wounding a Swiss tourist, according to local police.

Friday's incident in the Shaba National Reserve, 300 kilometres north of Nairobi, thecapital, comes with the country watchful following several attacks and abductionstargeting tourists and aid workers near Kenya's border with Somalia.

A policeman told the AFP news agency that two groups had carried out the attack.


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"The information we have is that the (first group of) attackers came from the forest andopened fire at the vehicle; it sped off and another group a few metres away, also from theforest, shot at it, fatally wounding the driver," he said.

The Swiss embassy in Nairobi said that one female Swiss citizen was wounded and was

receiving medical care. Another Swiss national, a male, was not injured.

Marcus Ochola, a police commander, said the injured woman had sustained gunshotwounds and that a manhunt for the perpetrators of the attack was under way.

The previous attacks, taking place near the Somali border in the last two months, left twodead and three Western Europeans abducted and taken across the border into Somalia.

A British man was killed and his wife abducted from a beach resort in northern Kenya onSept. 11. The gunmen fled to Somalia where the woman is still being held hostage.

A French woman was kidnapped nearby in the Lamu archipelago three weeks later andtaken to Somalia. She subsequently died. Two Spanish aid workers were snatched fromthe Dadaab refugee camp later in October and also abducted across the border.

Those attacks were cited by Nairobi as one of the reasons it sent troops into Somalia lastmonth to pursue al-Shabab fighters which it blamed for the abductions.

Source: Agencies

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Kenya: Grenade attack on Church in Garisssa kills two (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-156121626 November 2011

Two people have been killed in a grenade attack on a church in an eastern Kenyan town.

At least three others were injured after the grenade was thrown into the compound of theEast African Pentecostal Church in Garissa.

Another bomb was placed near a military base in the town earlier on Saturday, but failedto detonate.

Police suggested the attack could have been carried out by Islamist extremistssympathetic to Somalia-based al-Shabab.

Accusations

Ibrahim Makunyi, head pastor of the church in Garissa, said a house near the entrance ofthe church that belonged to a church elder had been bombed.
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"One of the dead is a member of the choir, and the other is the son of the church elder,"he was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

Kenyan police chief Leo Nyongesa said that a woman and her two grandchildren were

also injured, AP reports.

Mr Nyongesa said another bomb was thrown at a busy taxi circle frequented by militaryofficers also on Saturday, but failed to explode.

Kenya sent its troops into Somalia last month to establish a buffer zone following a spateof kidnappings blamed on al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab denies involvement and accuses Kenya of planning a full-scale invasion ofSomalia.

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Sudan oil state rebels claim to destroy tanks (Reuters)http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A500P201111066 November 2011

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Rebels in Sudan's main oil-producing state claimed onSaturday to have destroyed four tanks during fighting near the state's capital, drawing adenial from the country's army.

Fighting has raged across the South Kordofan border state since June, stoking tensionsbetween Sudan and its old civil war foe South Sudan and complicating talks over the oilindustry, the disputed Abyei territory and other unresolved issues.

Qamar Dalman, spokesman for the insurgent Sudan People's Liberation Army-North(SPLA-N) in South Kordofan, said rebel fighters engaged Sudan's army on Friday nearthe town of al-Hamra in an area about five kilometres (3 miles) from the state capital,Kadugli.

"The SPLA (in South Kordofan) destroyed four modern tanks and a large number ofmilitary vehicles in fighting throughout the day yesterday in the area of al-Hamra," hesaid in an emailed statement.

Al-Sawarmi Khalid, Sudan's army spokesman, denied the claim, saying the area wasquiet. "There is not any fighting in the al-Hamra area," he said.

Both sides claimed to have killed hundreds of their opponents in heavy fighting near thetown of Taludi further to the south on Monday.
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Sudan's army said it repulsed the attack, while the rebels have claimed to continue toadvance on Kadugli -- a potentially major prize for the insurgents if it is taken.

Events in the state are difficult to verify independently because access for journalists islimited.

STRAINED TIES

Thousands of fighters in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile border states sided with thesouth during Sudan's decades-long civil war, but were left north of the border when SouthSudan became independent in July.

Both Khartoum and Juba have accused the other of backing rebels on their side of theborder, and both have denied the others' claims.

Sudan's army pushed rebels out of their Blue Nile stronghold of Kurmuk on Thursday,

although insurgents there vowed to continue fighting.

Dalman also accused Khartoum of arming tribes to fight rebels in South Kordofan,echoing accusations in other Sudan conflicts such as the western Darfur region that thegovernment has denied.

South Sudan seceded after voting overwhelmingly for independence in a Januaryreferendum promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended one of Africa's longest anddeadliest civil wars.

Border violence since then has worsened ties between Sudan and Western powers. U.S.President Barack Obama extended trade sanctions this week that have been in place since1997.

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South Sudan rejects Sudan's complaint to UN over rebels (Reuters)http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7A5003201111066 November 2011By Hereward Holland

JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan on Sunday rejected allegations it was arming insurgents intwo conflict-stricken border regions in Sudan after its old civil war foe brought thecharges to the United Nations Security Council.

South Sudan became the world's newest country in July after a referendum agreed undera 2005 peace deal that ended decades of war with Khartoum, but violence along thepoorly-drawn border has strained relations between the two since then.
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The two countries -- which have yet to agree on issues such as how to manage theformerly integrated oil industry -- have accused each other of supporting rebellions intheir territory. Some analysts say the conflicts risk sliding into a proxy war.

This week, Khartoum submitted its second complaint to the Security Council, accusing

South Sudan of supplying anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, ammunition, landmines andmortars to the insurgent Sudan People's Liberation Army North

(SPLA-N).

"This accusation is false. (We) are not supplying anybody. The north are supportingrebels in the south and they want to cover it up," South Sudan's army spokesman PhilipAguer told Reuters by telephone.

"It should be the other way round. We should be complaining to the Security Council.We don't even have anti-aircraft missiles ourselves."

The SPLA-N forces in Sudan's Blue Nile and South Kordofan states served as the 9th and10th divisions of the southern rebel forces during the civil war, but the peace agreementplaced the areas they fought for in the north.

Many SPLA-N fighters' uniforms still show the flag of the former rebel group that wonindependence and now control South Sudan, although they severed formal ties in July.

BASHIR IN KURMUK

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir visited the former SPLA-N Blue Nile stronghold ofKurmuk to mark the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on Sunday, after thecountry's army ousted rebels on Thursday.

Bashir presented a "strongly worded message" to South Sudan to refrain from supportingthe rebels, Sudan's state news agency SUNA said, adding that Bashir called on residentsto return to Kurmuk now that it was "purified" of SPLA-N forces.

Both South Sudan and the SPLA-N have denied the accusations of support.

"After separation of the south, the rebels in the SPLA-N in Blue Nile and South Kordofanbecame independent and got new leadership," Suleiman Osman, SPLA-N spokesman forBlue Nile, said by telephone.

"We are fighting our own war in our own way. We are not being supported by anybodyin the south."

Sudan and South Sudan have yet to agree on a raft of sensitive issues, such as who shouldcontrol the disputed Abyei region and how much South Sudan should pay to use Sudan'soil pipelines and facilities.


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Osman accused Sudan's army of attacking and burning villages around Kurmuk over theweekend to prepare for Bashir's visit.

"According to the commissioner of Kurmuk, 27,000 people have fled southwards into the

forests," he said.

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Pirates release Halifax tanker off Nigeria (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-156090125 November 2011

An oil tanker seized by pirates off the coast of the Niger Delta last week has beenreleased, officials in Nigeria say.

The vessel - the MT Halifax - was attacked near the oil city of Port Harcourt.

The crew of 25, mainly Filipinos, were said to be safe and accounted for.

The area has seen an increase in the number of hijackings of tankers as pirates target oilshipments moving out of Nigeria.

In most cases the cargo of fuel is taken off before the ship and crew are releasedunharmed - unlike in Somalia where crews and their ships are held until ransoms arepaid, often after several months.

"The vessel is presently being escorted to Port Harcourt harbour by Nigerian Navy PatrolTeam," a spokeswoman for the Nigerian Maritime Administration said.

"Part of the cargo was siphoned," she said.

The Halifax is operated by the Greek-based Ancora Investment Trust Inc and is flaggedout of Malta.

Piracy surge

Ancora lost contact with the tanker on 30 October, according to the InternationalMaritime Bureau (IMB).

An official said it was located about 100km (60 miles) off Port Harcourt before it washijacked.

The United Nations this week urged West African nations to increase naval patrolsfollowing a surge of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15609012http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15609012http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15609012


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West Africa has seen a growing number of oil tanker hijackings in recent months aspirates target oil shipments from Nigeria, one of the world's biggest producers.

Over the last eight months, piracy there has escalated from low-level armed robberies tohijackings and cargo thefts.

In August, London-based Lloyd's Market Association - an umbrella group of insurers -listed Nigeria, neighbouring Benin and nearby waters in the same risk category asSomalia.

On Monday, a top UN official, Taye-Brook Zerihoun, said that Somali pirates wereinspiring copycat attacks in other parts of Africa.

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UN begins return of Angolan refugees from DRC (Al Jazeera)

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/11/20111156648182694.html5 November 2011

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has resumed a voluntary repatriation programme fortens of thousands of Angolan refugees after their displacement into the DemocraticRepublic of Congo (DRC) during the civil war that ended in 2002.

On Friday, 252 refugees were transported in the first convoy of the repatriationprogramme jointly organised by the UNHCR, host countries and the Angolangovernment.

The UN agency estimates that 113,000 Angolans remain in exile as a result of 27-yearconflict.

"Their interest in returning is driving this programme. They say they feel safe to return,and that they have family back home they could rejoin and that their future lies inAngola"- Celine Schmitt, UNHCR

The civil war left an estimated 500,000 refugees in countries including Zambia, Namibia,Botswana and South Africa, as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

About 57,000 Angolans returned home from the DRC between 2003 and 2007, but theprogramme was stopped due to logistical problems.

Some 80,000 refugees were left behind in the country, many of them living in camps anddependent on aid.

Celine Schmitt, external relations officer for the UNHCR in Kinshasa, told Al Jazeerathat the programme had restarted following a survey with Angolan refugees still in theDRC.


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"Last year we did a survey among the refugees and found that there were still around80,000 Angolan refugees in the country and from our survey we found that 43,000 wantto go back," she said.

"Their interest in returning is driving this programme. They say they feel safe to return,and that they have family back home they could rejoin and that their future lies inAngola."

'No deadline'

A new agreement between the UNHCR and the two governments was signed in June and20,000 refugees have so far signed up for help with returning, the UN agency said in astatement.

"We are planning to send two convoys per week, which each convoy carrying a

maximum of 290 returning refugees," Schmitt said.

"There is no deadline for this project and it will continue until we are able to transportthose who want to return home."

Friday's convoy of seven buses departed from the Congolese city of Kimpese andtravelled 80km to cross theAngolan border.

"Today, my dream to go back home comes true," the UNHCR cited one of the Angolansas saying.

The Angolan government has said it welcomes all refugees who want to return and willoffer them conditions needed for their reintegration, including housing, schools and landfor farming.

'Weak response'

Joao Kussuma, the social reintegration minister, said last month that the government hashad to pay repatriation logistics costs as "UNHCR's financial contribution, in the currentinternational situation, has not met expectations given the weak response from the donorcommunity".

Schmitt said that there are financial and logistical obstacles, but the priority was to restartthe project and get the refugees home.

"We launched an appeal with the International Organisation for Migration for thisoperation and we still need more funds and of course this is one of the challenges sincethis type of transportation is extremely expensive," she said.


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"Also repairing bridges and roads are ongoing and it will be difficult, now that the rainyseason has begun, but we needed to start this project as soon as we could."

The UN agency said it has received just $8m of its $21m appeal to help Angolan refugeesreturn home.


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Will this year's Hajj have an Arab Spring effect? (CNN)http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/04/huge-hajj-gathering-comes-against-backdrop-of-arab-spring/?hpt=hp_c26 November 2011By Dan Gilgoff and Dan Merica, CNN

(CNN)The annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the world's largest gatheringof Muslims - the biggest annual gathering of humanity, period.

So it's no surprise that Middle East experts expect this year's pilgrimage, the first tohappen since the Arab Spring began last year, to be different.

The pilgrimage, called the Hajj, happens in the same global neighborhood as countriesthat have been roiled by protests, revolutions and war over the last 11 months.

But there's uncertainty about exactly how this Hajj, which officially begins Friday, willbe different.

Some experts are watching for potential flare-ups in Saudi Arabia, a country governed byan unelected royal family and where freedoms are limited. They note that ordinary Saudiswill be rubbing shoulders with Arabs making pilgrimages from countries that have stagedanti-government demonstrations and have unseated long-entrenched regimes.

"This idea of freedom and dignity is spreading like wildfire, and at a gathering like theHajj it's conceivable that the electricity coming from these ideas will be picked up," saysAkbar Ahmed, the chair of Islamic Studies at American University. "This is what scaresthe Saudi bureaucracy."

"There are thousands of pilgrims who want to topple the established order of the Saudimonarchy," he says.

But Ahmed and others say the Hajj's effects on the Arab Spring are just as likely to bemuch broader, as many pilgrims share notes on uprisings and overthrows before returninghome to countries ruled by despots.
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"This is a venue where you can come into contact with hundreds of thousands of people,so for people who are coming from these newly liberated lands, it is a bit much to ask tosay absolutely nothing about it," says Kelly Pemberton, an assistant professor at TheGeorge Washington University who studies Islamic reform movements.

"Many people are going to see this (Arab Spring) as a sign of God's favor," she says.

At the same time, experts on the region note that the Hajj is a solemn religious event thatis physically and spiritually demanding and that affords little time for politicking, raisingdoubts in some scholars' minds about the magnitude of a Hajj effect on the Arab Spring.

The Saudis haven't announced special security measures for this year's Hajj.

But the event, which draws roughly 2.5 million pilgrims, has long been managed withmilitary precision, and scholars say the government there has been preparing for monthsfor its first Arab Spring-era Hajj.

"They'll be on guard for a flashpoint moment or a riot, something that flares up andbecomes something," says Ahmed, referring to Saudi security forces. "In Tunisia, oneman set himself on fire and three months later the Egyptian president is toppled."

There has been political violence during the Hajj in the past, most notably in the 1980s,on the heels of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini's followers attempted to disrupt the pilgrimagethroughout the '80s, though their plots were repeatedly quashed by Saudi security forces.

In 1987, however, Iranian pilgrims incited a riot that killed more than 400 people,according to globalsecuity.org, a stark illustration of the rift between Shiite-ruled Iran andSunni dominated Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has not seen the kind of protests now roiling countries like Syria, Yemenand Bahrain, but people there lack many basic freedoms. Political participation is limited.

The Saudi government has been politically sensitive to its people since the outset of theArab Spring, spending billions on domestic programs aimed at improving the lot of itscitizenry.

And scholars say that Saudi Arabia has supported anti-government forces in some Arabcountries, including rebels in Libya and protestors in Syria.

"I can't image anybody is going to show up in Mecca denouncing the royal family," saysJuan Cole, a Middle East specialist at the University of Michigan. "A lot of people goingto Hajj will be connected with the (Egypt-based) Muslim Brotherhood, which haslongstanding good relations with the Saudis."


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Some experts speculate that Saudi Arabia, which tightly controls the numbers of pilgrimsallowed to attend Hajj from each country, is reducing its quotas from certain politicallyunstable countries to curb the influence of would-be revolutionaries.

The U.S. embassies in Egypt and Tunisia, two countries that have seen their governments

overthrown this year, did not immediately reply to requests Thursday for statistics onslots for pilgrims granted by Saudi Arabia.

Some scholars say the governments of other Arab countries are likely to be reducing thenumber of pilgrims allowed to attend Hajj in Saudi Arabia this year.

"The leaders of Syria, Yemen, Iran and Saudi Arabia are somewhat worried about theHajj providing a forum for people to trade ideas and strategies and coming home to pickup protests and really find the momentum to get things going," says Pemberton of GeorgeWashington University.

Since late last year, some Muslim religious happenings in the Arab world have becomeforums for anti-government activity.

In Egypt, Friday afternoon prayers - the most significant prayers of the week for Muslims- served as catalysts for the biggest anti-government demonstrations of the revolution.

When Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in Egypt, the announcementcame on a Friday, hours after Egypt's Muslims had observed afternoon prayers.

In Libya, rebels reached a turning point in a six-month old civil during Ramadan of thisyear, when evening prayers at mosques helped ordinary people organize againstMoammar Gadhafi's regime.

With Gadhafi dead, more Libyans may get to attend this year's Hajj than in years past.Other post-revolution Arab countries may send a more diverse mix of pilgrims.

"The biggest effect is the allocation of Hajj visas," said Asim Khwaja, a HarvardUniversity professor specializing in international development. "Some countries did alottery, some did rationing, and with the government changes, if countries were doingrationing in the past, you can imagine they were sending friends and officials."

"Now there may be a more egalitarian mix," Khwaja says. "This will be a moredemocratic Hajj for the Arab world."

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END REPORT

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