United States Africa Command Public Affairs Office 7 September 2011 USAFRICOM related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command and upcoming events of interest for September 7, 2011. Of interest in today's news clips: Al Jazeera reports that according to Reuters, the on-the-run Libyan leader may be on his way to Chad or Niger. BBC highlights Qadhafis history of first identifying with Arab leaders unsuccessfully before he sought recognition as the African King of Kings. Several news services focused on the West African region and how the economic decline in the U.S. is driving Nigerias decision to delink 10 percent of its reserve currency from the dollar to the Chinese yuan. Also in the region, Ghana is developing a social pact between its political leaders and its citizens to ensure that wealth generated by oil will be distributed fairly and evenly throughout the nation. AllAfrica reports on the duel between China and the U.S. for Africas vast natural resources. U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Please send questions or comments to: africompao@africom.mil 4212687 (+497117292687) Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa Gaddafi 'last tracked in southern Libya' (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/20119623851679211.html By Unattributed Author 7 September 2011 --Muammar Gaddafi has probably left the Libyan desert town of Bani Walid and is heading further south with the help of loyalist tribes towards Chad or Niger, Reuters news agency quoted a senior military official in Libya's new leadership as saying. Large Libyan armoured convoy arrives in Niger (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/20119691025123868.html By Unattributed Author 6 September 2011 -- About 250 vehicles enter country, as Libyan fighters hold talks with tribal leaders to peacefully enter Bani Walid.
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Gaddafi: African asylum-seeker? (BBC Africa Service) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14806140 By Farouk Chothia 6 September 2011--Col Gaddafi - after being shunned by Arab rulers - switched his focus to Africa in the 1990s to raise his international profile. Somali leaders adopt plan to end transitional rule (AF Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7850L920110906?sp=true By Unattributed Author 6 September 2011 MOGADISHU--Somali leaders adopted a roadmap on Tuesday designed to lead to elections within a year and end a string of fragile transition governments that have failed to bring peace to the anarchic Horn of Africa nation. West Africa Rising: Nigeria shifting currency reserves from dollars to Chinese yuan (CS Monitor) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0906/West-Africa-RisingNigeria-shifting-currency-reserves-from-dollars-to-Chinese-yuan By Drew Hinshaw 6 September 2011 DAKAR, SENEGAL -- Nigerian Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi said in Beijing today that Africa's top oil exporter will convert as much as 10 percent of its $33 billion in foreign reserves from US dollars into Chinese yuan. Central banks use foreign reserves to manage their own currency's value. West Africa Rising: Ghanaian citizens develop social pact on oil wealth ahead of elections (CS Monitor) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0906/West-Africa-RisingGhanaian-citizens-develop-social-pact-on-oil-wealth-ahead-of-elections By Clair MacDougall 6 September 2011 ACCRA, GHANA -- When the coastal West African nation of Ghana struck upon oil in the waters, hopes for its future were raised high. But how to ensure this resource is used to benefit the nation and citizens of Ghana instead of merely draining into the pockets of a few politically connected members of the elite? Africa: China, U.S. in Stiff Competition Over Untamed Africa (All Africa) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109060180.html By Unattributed Author 6 September 2011 -- Africa has of late remained in the spotlight of the world because of its vast and untapped natural resources, which are critical to global economic turnaround US Embassy disappointed in kaTate http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=40471&title=US%20Embassy%20disappointed %20in%20kaTate
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By Ava Rogers - Charg d'Affaires Sept. 5, 2011 -- The U.S. Embassy was disappointed to read the unsubstantiated allegations Mr Kamati kaTate published in the New Era (Security threat called AFRICOM, August 31, 2011). Rwanda terror trial of Victoire Ingabire to proceed (BBC News) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14789140 By Unattributed Author 5 September 2011 -- A Rwandan judge has ordered the terror trial of opposition leader Victoire Ingabire to proceed. ### UN News Service Africa Briefs http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA (Full Articles on UN Website) Somalia: UN-backed meeting endorses roadmap to end transition, restore stability 6 September Delegates attending a United Nations-backed meeting on ending Somalias transitional period today endorsed a roadmap that spells out priority measures to be implemented before the current governing arrangements end in August next year. DR Congo: UN condemns pre-election violence and urges dialogue 6 September The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today called on all parties in the upcoming elections to avoid actions that could jeopardize the smooth running of the polls following a recent wave of violence. Darfur: UN steps up education after children are killed by unexploded ordnance 6 September Peacekeepers serving with the joint United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID) will hold a public awareness campaign this week about the risks posed by unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the wake of the recent deaths of two children who had been playing with ordnance. More than 80 per cent of Somali refugees in Ethiopia are children UN 6 September Children are bearing the brunt of the Horn of Africa crisis and constitute the majority of all Somali refugees in neighboring Ethiopia, the United Nations reported today. UN agencies dispatching aid as more Sudanese refugees flee to Ethiopia 6 September United Nations agencies are mobilizing to assist at some 20,000 people who have fled the fighting in Sudans Blue Nile state and arrived in neighboring Ethiopia. ### UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST: 8 SEPT 2011
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WHEN: September 8, 2011, 12:00 1:30 p.m. WHAT: Ten Years Later Public Diplomacy and the Arab World, Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School, Conversations in Public Diplomacy WHO: Several Panelists (see website) WHERE: USC; Tutor Campus Center Forum CONTACT: cpdevent@usc.edu <mailto:cpdevent@usc.edu> Media contact: http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/events/events_detail/16973/ <http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/events/events_detail/16973/> WHEN: September 8, 2011, 2:00 4:00 p.m. WHAT: Woodrow Wilson Center Discussion on "Sudan: From the CPA to Separation." WHO: Tim McKulka, UNMISS; Jok Madut Jok; and Nureldin Satti, UNESCO Representative in Ethiopia, Djibouti, the African Union and IGAD. WHERE: WWC, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 5th floor CONTACT: 2026914000; web site: www.wilsoncenter.org WHEN: September 8, 2011, 6:00 8:00 p.m. WHAT: Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Book Discussion on Counterstrike: The Untold Story of Americas Secret Campaign Against al Qaeda. WHO: Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker, New York Times national security reporters and Steve Inskeep, host of NPRs Morning Edition. WHERE: Willard InterContinental Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue CONTACT: www.cnas.org

20 SEPT 2011 WHEN: September 20, 2011, 12:00 p.m. WHAT: Pakistan, the U.S. and Public Diplomacy with Consul General Riffat Masood CPD Conversations in Public Diplomacy WHO: Riffat Masood, the Consul General of Pakistan WHERE: USC; SOS B40 CONTACT : cpdevent@usc.edu <mailto:cpdevent@usc.edu> Media contact: http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/events/events_detail/17070/ <http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/events/events_detail/17070/> ### Full Text Gaddafi 'last tracked in southern Libya' (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/20119623851679211.html By: Unattributed Author 7 September 2011
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Muammar Gaddafi has probably left the Libyan desert town of Bani Walid and is heading further south with the help of loyalist tribes towards Chad or Niger, Reuters news agency quoted a senior military official in Libya's new leadership as saying. Hisham Buhagiar, who is coordinating the National Transitional Council's efforts to find the former Libyan leader, said reports indicate that he may have been in the region of the southern village of Ghwat, some 950km south of Tripoli and 300km north of the border with Niger, three days ago. "He's out of Bani Walid I think. The last tracks, he was in the Ghwat area. People saw the cars going in that direction .... We have it from many sources that he's trying to go further south, towards Chad or Niger," Buhagiar said in an interview late on Tuesday. Gaddafi, who was ousted from power in August after a February uprising against his rule spread to the capital Tripoli, is believed to be travelling in a convoy of some 10 cars and may be using a tent as shelter, Buhagiar said. "It's the tent. We know that he doesn't want to stay in a house, so he stays in a tent. People say the cars came, and then they made a tent," he said, adding that his sources had not seen Gaddafi themselves. Convoy enters Niger Earlier on Tuesday, military sources from France and Niger told Reuters that scores of Libyan army vehicles had recently crossed the desert border with Niger, in what may be a bid by Gaddafi to seek refuge in a friendly African state. Gaddafi has long touted his tribal, desert roots, and even received foreign dignitaries in a tent. He also has portrayed himself as an African leader and has boosted his influence in Africa through loans, aid and diplomatic contacts. The United States said it believed the convoy was carrying senior members of Gaddafi's entourage and urged Niger to detain anyone liable for prosecution for alleged crimes committed during the uprising against the deposed Libyan leader. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Gaddafi was "on the run" but Washington said it had no reason to believe the fugitive leader had left Libya, something his spokesman Moussa Ibrahim confirmed. "He is in Libya. He is safe, he is very healthy, in high morale," he told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location. The convoy included officers from Libya's southern army battalions and pro-Gaddafi Tuareg fighters and is likely to have crossed from Libya into Algeria before entering Niger, sources said.

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Niger's minister of internal affairs, Abdou Labo, however, denied that a Libyan convoy had entered his country. But he confirmed that Niger had given asylum to Gaddafi's internal security chief Abdullah Mansoor on humanitarian grounds. Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Tripoli, said information about the specifics of the convoy were contradictory, but it was certain that a convoy had crossed. "What is significant is that none of the reports we have heard so far says anything about sighting of Gaddafi and his sons in the convoy." A French military source said he had been told the commander of Libya's southern forces, General Ali Khana, may also be in Niger, not far from the Libyan border. He said he had been told that Gaddafi and his son Saif would join Khana and catch up with the convoy should they choose to accept Burkina Faso's offer of exile. Burkina Faso, a former recipient of large amounts of Libyan aid, had reportedly offered Gaddafi exile about two weeks ago but has also recognised the NTC as Libya's government. On Tuesday, however, Burkina Faso's government said it had not received a request for exile from Gaddafi and the ousted leader was not expected in the West African state. "Gaddafi in not in Burkina Faso and we have not been approached for any exile demand. Burkina (Faso) has not been informed of Gaddafi's arrival. We are not expecting him," Communications Minister Alain Edouard Traore said on state television. Surrender talks fail Also on Tuesday, NTC fighters were preparing for an imminent attack on Bani Walid as efforts for a peaceful resolution to a standoff with Gaddafi loyalists seem to have failed. During prolonged negotiations, the NTC tried to convince representatives from Bani Walid, about 150km southeast of the capital Tripoli, that there would be no retributions if the the town surrendered peacefully. But the representatives, upon returning to the town to deliver the message, were fired at and forced to retreat to NTC territory. Al Jazeera's Sue Turton, reporting from north of Bani Walid, said the situation seemed bleak and an attack seemed imminent. "The five Bani Walid representatives went back with the assurances from NTC, but as they approached the city, they were fired upon. They quickly came back to the rebel territory to take shelter for the night," she said.

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"We have talked to commanders and people here. They believe two of Gaddafi sons are still in the city, thats why no negotations work here." Thousands of NTC fighters have been camping outside Bani Walid. They have also built a field hospital and deployed 10 volunteer doctors to prepare for the possibility of a fight. ### Large Libyan armoured convoy arrives in Niger (Al Jazeera) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/20119691025123868.html By: Unattributed Author 6 September 2011 A large convoy containing between 200 and 250 military vehicles Libyan armoured vehicles has crossed into Niger. Military sources from France and Niger told the Reuters news agency that the convoy, escorted by the Niger army, arrived in the northern desert town of Agadez on Monday. Amid the reports about the convoy, Libyan opposition fighters have been holding talks with tribal leaders in Bani Walid to enter the town peacefully. They are also negotiating with some tribes in Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, to lay down arms. Monday's convoy included officers from Libya's southern army battalions and pro-Gaddafi Tuareg fighters, and likely crossed from Libya into Algeria before entering Niger, the sources said. The French military source said he had been told Muammar Gaddafi and his son Saif al-Islam might be considering joining the convoy en route to Burkina Faso, a landlocked West African state which has offered Gaddafi and his family asylum and has a border with Niger. Niger's harbouring of wanted Gaddafi-regime officials is "a breach of the United Nations travel [restrictions] for most of these people", Aly Abuzaakouk, executive director of Libya Human and Political Development Forum, told Al Jazeera. He said Niger should "not side with the enemy of the Libyan people". The French military source said he had been told the commander of Libya's southern forces, General Ali Khana, may also be in Niger, not far from the Libyan border. He said he had been told that Gaddafi and his son Saif would join Khana and catch up with the convoy should they choose to accept Burkina Faso's offer of exile. On Sunday, the head of Gaddafi's security brigades, Mansour Dhao, along with more than 10 other Libyans, crossed into Niger, two Niger officials said earlier on Monday.
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Dhao's departure comes days after Gaddafi's wife and three of his children fled to Algeria and fighters for the National Transitional Council [NTC] arrested his foreign minister outside Tripoli. Burkina Faso offer Burkina Faso, a former recipient of large amounts of Libyan aid, offered Gaddafi exile about two weeks ago but has also recognised the NTC as Libya's government. Yipene Djibril Bassolet, the country's foreign minister, said that Gaddafi could go into exile in his country even though it is a signatory of the International Criminal Court, which has charged him with crimes against humanity. Mansour El Kikhia tells Al Jazeera about the implications if Gaddafi was in the convoy Mansour El Kikhia, chair of the political science department at the University of Texas, told Al Jazeera: "What is bothersome to me more than anything else is that Gaddafi is aided by some of Tuareg supporters." "Gaddafi is going to cause mischief, and it is now imperative that the council [NTC] prepares for these contingencies." Gaddafi has said he is ready to fight to the death on Libyan soil, although there have been a number of reports that he might seek refuge in an African nation. As for the toppled leader, he is reportedly still in Libya. His spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said that Gaddafi "is in a place that will not be reached by those fractious groups, and he is in Libya." Gaddafi is in good health and in good spirits, Ibrahim said in remarks broadcast on Monday. He said Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, was also in Libya, moving around from one place to another. Conflicting messages Thousands of NTC fighters have been camping outside Bani Walid, about 150km southeast of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Abdallah Kanshil, who has been conducting talks for the interim government, said on Monday a peaceful handover of Bani Walid was imminent. Kanshil said: "The surrender of the city is imminent. It is a matter of avoiding civilian casualties. Some snipers have surrendered their weapons ... Our forces are ready." About 20km outside Bani Walid, NTC forces have also built a field hospital and installed 10 volunteer doctors to prepare for the possibility, in case Gaddafi loyalists did not budge.

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Reporting from near Bani Walid earlier on Monday, Al Jazeera's Sue Turton said: "Fighters pushed to within seven kilometres of the centre of the town and exchanged fire with some of Gaddafi's forces. "But they have since retreated a little bit instead of setting up a defensive position there." UK to examine spy ties Against the backdrop of the continuing conflict, David Cameron, the British prime minister, said an inquiry into his country's pursuit of terrorism suspects will examine new allegations about cosy ties between UK intelligence officials and the Gaddafi regime. Security documents discovered after the fall of Tripoli have offered embarrassing examples of the warm relationships that British and American spies had developed with their Libyan counterparts. Cameron said his country's special representative to Libya was moving to Tripoli on Monday to re-establish full diplomatic presence. "Today the UK's Special Representative [John Jenkins] is deploying to Tripoli to re-establish our full diplomatic presence," he told parliament. In another development, media reports on Monday suggested that Chinese arms firms had offered to sell weapons worth about $200m to Gaddafi's forces in July. While China's foreign ministry acknowledged that talks had taken place, it denied prior knowledge. ### Gaddafi: African asylum-seeker? (BBC Africa) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14806140 By: Farouk Chothia 6 September 2011 Col Gaddafi - after being shunned by Arab rulers - switched his focus to Africa in the 1990s to raise his international profile. This was not surprising: Libya's petro-dollars could not buy him influence in the Arab world, but they gave him status and clout in poorer Africa. "Libya is an African country. May Allah help the Arabs and keep them away from us. We don't want anything to do with them," Col Gaddafi said in 2007. Continue reading the main story Start QuoteMuammar Gaddafi, whatever his faults, is a true nationalist. I prefer nationalists to puppets of foreign interests
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End Quote Yoweri Museveni President of Uganda A year later, several African traditional leader declared him "King of Kings", while Africa's politicians - including Nelson Mandela - addressed him as "Brother Leader". Col Gaddafi's government invested heavily in Africa - from building roads to financing the African Union (AU). He saw the African stage as belonging to him, calling for a "United States of Africa" to rival the United States of America and the European Union. Now, his dream lies in ruins - and his latest African convoy could be carrying him as a refugee to escape justice at the International Criminal Court. While African leaders have had many differences with Col Gaddafi, they admired him as a revolutionary who championed Africa's cause since he seized power in a bloodless coup in Libya in 1969. 'Western puppets' As Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni said in February: "In Africa, we have benefited from a number of independent-minded leaders: Col [Gamal] Nasser of Egypt, Mwalimu Nyerere of Tanzania [and] Samora Machel of Mozambique. "Muammar Gaddafi, whatever his faults, is a true nationalist. I prefer nationalists to puppets of foreign interests. Col Gaddafi on Africa 2008: "We want an African military to defend Africa, we want a single African currency, we want one African passport to travel within Africa," after being declared King of Kings by African traditional rulers in Libya. 2010: "We don't know what will happen, what will be the reaction of the white and Christian Europeans faced with this influx of starving and ignorant Africans," after discussing halting the flow of African migrants to Italy. 2007: "Libya is an African country. May Allah help the Arabs and keep them away from us. We don't want anything to do with them." 2009: "I am an international leader, the dean of the Arab rulers, the king of kings of Africa and the imam of Muslims, and my international status does not allow me to descend to a lower level," at an Arab League summit. "Therefore, the independent-minded Gaddafi had some positive contribution to Libya, I believe, as well as Africa and the Third World.
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"We should also remember, as part of that independent-mindedness, he expelled British and American military bases from Libya [after he took power]," Mr Museveni said. African leaders seem to fear that following the offensive by Nato-backed rebels to take power, Libya will again become a "puppet" of the West. For this reason, the AU has refused to recognise the rebel body, the National Transitional Council (NTC), as the new government in Libya. Nor does the AU support Col Gaddafi being hauled before the ICC on war crimes charges. Burkina Faso, which borders Niger, had been said to have offered him asylum but now denies it. The landlocked country is heavily dependent on French aid - and is unlikely to follow through on its offer without approval from Paris, analysts say. An academic at the University of South Africa, Shadrack Ghutto, says Col Gaddafi would be better off if he sought asylum in a powerful African country such as South Africa and Nigeria. "Any country that decides to give him asylum will have to be strong enough to withstand political and economic pressure from the West," Mr Ghutto says. War crimes charges Nigeria gave asylum to ousted Liberian leader Charles Taylor in 2003, but it faced enormous pressure from the US and UK to hand him over to a UN-backed special court to face war crimes charges for his role in Sierra Leone's civil war. Fearing that Nigeria would succumb, Mr Taylor tried to flee by road to neighbouring Cameroon in 2006. Nelson Mandela refers to Col Gaddafi as "Brother Leader" He was arrested and Nigeria handed him over to the court. He is now on trial at The Hague. So where in Africa could Col Gaddafi find shelter? Several members of his family have taken asylum in Algeria, while a convoy - said to include pro-Gaddafi officials - has crossed into Niger. The NTC spokesman in London, Guma el-Gamaty, has warned Niger not to grant Col Gaddafi refugee status. "Niger is a neighbour of Libya from the south and should be considering the future relationship with Libya," Mr Gamaty said. "This - if confirmed - will very much antagonise any future relationship between Libya and Niger."
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Col Gaddafi has strong support among Niger's Tuareg ethnic group. He backed their two-decade long rebellion for more political and economic rights, before brokering a peace deal between them and Niger's government in 2009. Several thousand rebels - including their leader Rissa ag Boula - then went to Libya, either to work or to join Col Gaddafi's army. Risk for Africa They were among the mercenaries who fought for Col Gaddafi as he tried to repel the Natobacked campaign to overthrow him. Mr Boula has now returned to Niger, causing a crisis for the government. The former rebels could either push the government to grant Col Gaddafi asylum or they could harbour him in their desert strongholds along the Libyan border - that is, if Col Gaddafi does not live up to his promise to fight to death in Libya in the hope of being lionised by future generations of Africans as a revolutionary who fought, as Mr Museveni put it, " puppets of foreign interests". But the Libyan rebels were not only backed by Western powers: Arab countries - especially Qatar - played a key role in the campaign to oust Col Gaddafi. Against this backdrop, the new Libya could build strong ties with the Arab world, shunning Africa. This would be disastrous for Africa - not only was Col Gaddafi's Libya a key African financier, it also gave employment to hundreds of thousands of African migrants in the oil and other industries. Denounced by the Libyan rebels as sympathisers of Col Gaddafi, they have been forced to flee, carrying the psychological scars of the conflict and battling to rebuild their lives in their home countries. ### Somali leaders adopt plan to end transitional rule (AF Reuters) http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7850L920110906?sp=true By: Ibrahim Mohamed 6 Sept, 2011 MOGADISHU (Reuters)- Somali leaders adopted a roadmap on Tuesday designed to lead to elections within a year and end a string of fragile transition governments that have failed to bring peace to the anarchic Horn of Africa nation.
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According to the road map, the aim is to hold polls by August 20 next year for members of a revamped federal parliament, local administrations and a president, after adopting a new constitution by July 1. Somalia descended into chaos in 1991 after dictator Siad Barre was ousted. The first internationally backed transitional government was established in 2004. But seven years later, the latest government controls little territory outside the capital, al Qaedaallied rebels hold sway in much of the south and centre, while other regions such as Puntland have established their own administrations. "There is no doubt we are now in a transition period that we hope will lead to an end of the long running crisis in Somalia," President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed said after signing the road map. The U.N.-sponsored talks brought together senior members of the government, parliament, the semi-autonomous regions of Puntland and Galmudug, as well as some representatives from the pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna. They all signed the plan. Also present were representatives from the United Nations, the African Union, Arab League and the east African bloc IGAD. The Security Council has said that future support for the Somali government and parliament would be contingent on the successful implementation of the road map. Augustine Mahiga, the U.N. secretary-general's special envoy on Somalia, said ahead of the meeting that coming up with a new constitution to change the way lawmakers and presidents are elected would be crucial. At the moment, presidents are elected by parliament, which is in turn made up of unelected lawmakers nominated according to a strict formula splitting power between Somalia's major clans, undermining the credibility of transition governments. All of the administrations formed since 2004 have been hobbled by bitter in-fighting and graft, and have failed to establish any effective government control of the country. Besides coming up with a new constitution and reforming parliament, the roadmap lays out timetables for improving security in Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia, reaching out to political foes and tackling rampant graft. ### West Africa Rising: Nigeria shifting currency reserves from dollars to Chinese yuan (CS Monitor) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0906/West-Africa-RisingNigeria-shifting-currency-reserves-from-dollars-to-Chinese-yuan By: Drew Hinshaw
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6 September 2011 DAKAR, SENEGAL -- Nigerian Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi said in Beijing today that Africa's top oil exporter will convert as much as 10 percent of its $33 billion in foreign reserves from US dollars into Chinese yuan. Central banks use foreign reserves to manage their own currency's value. In Nigeria's case, the up to $3.3 billion it may convert to yuan isn't an enormous sum not, at least, for the oil-rich exporter. What is enormous, economists say, is what the bank's decision says: The yuan, pegged to the dollar until not long ago and managed more recently to keep Chinese exports cheap -- is turning into a global reserve currency. Africa particularly West Africa may be China's earliest, easiest zone of success. The rise of China's yuan as a global currency trusted by central banks, accepted by finance ministries, routinely used to purchase raw goods is inevitable, Sanusi said, putting his mouth where his money is. Coming from Africa's most dollar-denominated economy dominated by Western oil companies his vote of confidence is a significant win for the yuan, said Razia Kahn, economist at Standard Chartered-Bank. I don't think the symbolism should be lost on anyone," she says. The fact that you have a major African oil producer saying we're going to diversify our reserves has a significance that can't be ignored. It's a goodwill gesture in the hope that it will lead to more Chinese investment in Nigeria." The bank, Sanusi adds, is likely to orchestrate a currency swap with China, which would allow the Asian power to conduct more of its Nigeria dealings in its own currency, also called the renminbi. That opens up a whole new dimension, Ms. Khan says. Since the end of the second World War, most international commodities from barrels of Bahraini oil to casks of Chilean chardonnay have been priced and sold in dollars, an advantage to US buyers, and the principal reason why dollar-conversions account for 85 percent of foreign exchange transactions in the world. Gingerly, the world's most populous country is attempting to push its currency as a rival for commodity purchases. It will find no greater luck than in Africa, a continent flush with minerals, where China enjoys close ties, says Standard Bank researchers Simon Freemantle and Jeremy Stevens. We, rather conservatively, anticipate that around 40 percent of [Chinese]-African trade would be settled in renminbi by 2015, Mr. Freemantle wrote in an e-mailed statement. That 40 percent would represent $100 billion worth of trade, more than China's entire trade with Africa last year. If successful in Nigeria, they are likely to turn to other financial centers on the continent: South Africa, then Ghana, Angola, and Kenya.
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But, in a sense, Khan says, China has already displaced the dollar in Africa's more blighted corners: Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan. In each, China, is constructing mammoth infrastructure projects -- roads, railways, ports, stadiums -- in return for commodities like cobalt and bauxite. At the end of the day, Khan says. isn't all that infrastructure just a proxy for China's currency? ### West Africa Rising: Ghanaian citizens develop social pact on oil wealth ahead of elections (Christian Science Monitor) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0906/West-Africa-RisingGhanaian-citizens-develop-social-pact-on-oil-wealth-ahead-of-elections By: Clair MacDougall 6 September 2011 ACCRA, GHANA -- When the coastal West African nation of Ghana struck upon oil in the waters, hopes for its future were raised high. But how to ensure this resource is used to benefit the nation and citizens of Ghana instead of merely draining into the pockets of a few politically connected members of the elite? A network of civil society groups thinks it has the answer to this question, one that has bedeviled other oil-rich African nations. The solution is a "social pact" between the nation's leaders and its citizens, committing to an agreement on the governance of national resources such as oil and gas that would be incorporated into the manifestos of major political parties before they head to the polls in 2012. Parties that refuse to adopt the pact could face stiff consequences, including getting boycotted. Ghana has long been the continent's shining example of a relatively functioning democracy, with strong institutions of governance and relatively free of corruption. But even so, many citizens groups say that ordinary Ghanaians have failed to benefit from the country's two economic pillars -- gold and cocoa -- and worry that the discovery of oil could weaken state institutions and increase the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Related: Think you know Africa? Take our geography quiz. The group that spearheaded the project, the Integrated Social Development Center (ISODEC) a network of NGOs and civil society groups, recently held its first meeting that was attended by members of prominent think tanks and Ghanas political parties, including the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP). Steve Manteaw, editor of the advocacy newspaper the Public Agenda and ISODECs campaign coordinator, says the goal of the social pact, the first of its kind in Ghana, is to establish consensus among political parties about the management of natural resources and the nations development.
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The rationale basically is to force some kind of national approach to doing things in this country, says Dr. Manteaw. Resource management and development has always been governed by a winner-takes-all approach, where one party decides how resources should be managed. We cannot leave the management of this countrys destiny entirely in the hands of politicians. At the meeting the group agreed on broad areas around which they need to build consensus, among them a clear vision for how local businesses and workers can participate in the natural resources sector, as well as transparency and accountability in the natural resources sector. At present, the major players in Ghana's oil and gas exploration sector are large foreign-owned exploration firms. The largest of these, Tullow Oil Ltd, is headquartered in London. Analysts have long identified consensus on natural resource management and continuity of development master plans as among the major setbacks that have hindered Ghanas development. These issues were intensely debated at a conference held by Ghanas Constitutional Review Commission earlier this year in which members of the public offered suggestions and ideas for amendments to sections of the 1992 Constitution. Need a stronger mandate Economist and senior fellow at the Accra-based Institute of Economic Affairs John Kwakye said that part of the problem has to do with a lack of clarity in the 1992 Constitution about the role and political independence and neutrality of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), which develops policies in consultation with the president. The Constitution seems to charge individual governments to develop their own plans to be coordinated by the NDPC, says Dr. Kwakye. This has led to haphazard development of halfplans that do not get fully implemented and which are discarded by succeeding governments. Meanwhile, the NDPC lacks the independence and resources to carry out its mandate effectively. IEA and others think tanks have proposed to the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), the need for a long-term coherent national development plan that would extend beyond government terms. They also recommend that the NDPC should function as an autonomous and politically neutral body. Kwakye says that Ghanaians have not sufficiently benefited from mining revenues, particularly due to the high retention benefits granted to the mining companies to attract investment. He says the social pact was a unique and innovative idea that could encourage greater governmental accountability. It will be good to have all governments, notwithstanding their political affiliation, sign on to a pact that commits them to use Ghana's natural resource wealth transparently and accountably for the development of the country for the benefit of all the citizenry, he says.
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While the project is still in its infancy, Manteaw says he is certain that Ghanaians would support the idea. Any divisions that will arise will be over the content of the pact that is developed rather the idea itself, Manteaw says. ### Africa: China, U.S. in Stiff Competition Over Untamed Africa (All Africa) http://allafrica.com/stories/201109060180.html By Professor Achiku Mustafah Haji 6 September 2011 Africa has of late remained in the spotlight of the world because of its vast and untapped natural resources, which are critical to global economic turnaround. This is what has brought competition between China and America as they try to outwit each other and win the hearts of African governments, especially those with vast untapped resources. The United States of America and China in particular are in pitched battle to upstage each other in terms of winning contracts in the mining of oil, diamonds, gold, platinum and uranium among other resources. The protracted struggle to win the heart of African government has become a cold war, in which tactics are changing every minute, every hour and everyday. While the Chinese have emerged smarter, without involving themselves in military conflicts or regime change, the United States has gone for a muscular approach centred of military interventions and economic sanctions. Where the US has failed to use its military mighty, it has tried regime change with opposition political parties that are backed by economic sanctions imposed on the sitting governments. It is categorically clear that the future world economic power is going to be China, given that everyone is looking east, including the Americans themselves with projections that China will eclipse America by 2014, which is just by the corner. US is worried about the rate at which the Chinese are winning contracts in Africa, hence it has established a military outfit called Africom, to elbow out China and other fair players like Russia. The US has sought co-operation with Britain, France and other countries to encircle China and Russia and make sure that they do not easily win contracts in Africa. But the Chinese are tricky, they have identified with the revolutionary and liberation credentials of Africans and hence are more acceptable dealers, who have also brought into Africa affordable goods. Besides Africom, which African liberation movements view as evil and a tool for reenslavement, America and its allies have sought to tarnish Chinese products through a media
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blitz, yet they have starved Africans, like Zimbabweans of goods and trade, under the guise of sanctions. While the US is heckling with Africa's liberation movements, the Chinese are busy cutting deals and assisting African governments develop their capacity to exploit their own resources. To this day, the American and their allies have sponsored a lot of conflicts in Africa and are sponsoring many opposition political parties through Usaid, DFID, Oxfarm, Ford Foundation CIDA and SIDA and so on, yet the Chinese and their Communist Party are giving loans and grants to struggling African government, hence they get contracts, when need arises. US' dilemma is that it is trying to use more of its muscles than its brains in getting to Africa's natural resources, and therein lies its failure to cut an acceptable business figure and fair dealer status in the view of Africa's non-puppetry governments. Even when African governments enjoyed a patch of independence from the 1960s, no one had thought that the countries would until today remain unfree economically. The euphoria, the pomp and fanfare, brought about by the feeling of having finally dethroned colonialism, has now died down as Africa faces a new sad reality, about a more subtle colonial import by the West, led by the United States of America. The same vast natural resources that attracted colonialists to Africa remain in abundance, despite being plundered for decades running into a century and the lot that remains in what America is eyeing and it will do anything to close out other players like the Chinese and Russians. Even if this means regime change and military intervention, the greedy Americans will do it. Having realised that brazen colonialism was untenable in modern day society, America and its allies are now fast identifying natural resource hubs, analysing the governments there and then effecting regime change, replacing them with governments that are compliant to their wish to plunder the natural resources. The Chinese are not by any measure interested in brazen regime change and have not made a single a manouvre for military intervention in Africa like what the US is doing through Africom. Africom was established in 2008 clearly to drive the American agenda in Africa militarily and African governments, especially those with a revolutionary or liberation movement background detest that idea and have been mobilising against housing Africom. The Sadc region has been very strong against this idea and given what happened in Libya recently, the African Union must mobilise and whip everyone alongside Sadc region's Africom stance. It is the way to go and Aferica needs a stance like that. Once Africom sets foot in Africa, no one can stop it. Once Nato set foot in Libya, who could stop it? Knowledge is power and history is a big tool in decision-making. It is a good walking stick into the future. There is an African proverb, which says clever birds build their nests with other birds' feathers and America is quite astute, when it comes to that. American foreign policy has serious predatory instincts, when it comes to plundering oil, platinum, uranium, land, gold etc, and the US will use its military sophistry and mighty to gain access to these resources.

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The west made sure that Africa remained focused on Eurocentric democracy, good governance but not on how to, protect, control, exploit, market and do value addition on the vast natural resources. The supposed democracy, good governance and a myriad of other terms are meant to provide a smokescreen behind which the new generation of imperialists, would hide their regime change antics and remove all African leaders standing as barriers in the resource exploitation chain. The imperialists then formed numerous non-governmental organisations to put pressure of the political leadership, especially that which proves to the vanguard of Africa's dignity and humanity. Any leader who has tried to stand up measure for measure with the imperialists has been gibed a senseless dictator, inhuman and so forth. In this case in point, African leaders like Mohammed Siad Bare, Kenneth Kaunda, Samora Machel, Al Bashir, Mengistu Haile Mariam and President Mugabe among others, have been put under unnecessary pressure to avoid real liberation paths, that would advantage the Africans and disadvantage the Europeans. They had their different approaches to life in their countries and handled situations as best as they could but it was the West's desire to milk those countries that landed these revolutionaries in trouble. In the modern world day politicking, America, Britain and France have emerged among the worst dictatorial governments, trying at every cost to oust all African leaders who protect their natural resources. In fact, African politics are at the mercy of these countries and their allies and African has been reduced to a punch bag. The only strength left is to fight for the control of all natural resources and look for fair dealers, like Russia and China, who are concerned mainly with business deals and not internal politics. Each African country should have an inventory of the natural resources it has put on the AU data base for assistance in proper mining and management, without being subjected to exploitation that is control by US and it allies. For example why should America dictate how Zimbabwe should get and expose its diamonds, when America itself does not produce even 10 percent of the world's diamonds? How can a person without a milking cow try and control the dairy market? It goes to say that Africa has the resources that America and its allies desire and that America should not be allowed to dictate how and who Africa sells the resources to. ### US Embassy disappointed in kaTate (New Era) http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=40471&title=US%20Embassy%20disappointed %20in%20kaTate By: Ava Rogers - Charg d'Affaires Sept. 5, 2011
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 U.S. Embassy responds to AFRICOM article The U.S. Embassy was disappointed to read the unsubstantiated allegations Mr Kamati kaTate published in the New Era (Security threat called AFRICOM, August 31, 2011). Its always dispiriting to read inflammatory language marred by factual inaccuracy. While we respect freedom of opinion and the right of a newspaper to publish articles as it sees fit, we are equally mindful of the need for journalistic integrity and balanced reporting. In that spirit, we are writing to clarify the facts for Namibians who deserve straight talk. The article is riddled with errors and misunderstandings. We cannot address all of them; however, we wanted to point out Mr kaTate incorrectly stated AFRICOMs mission statement. The current statement, strategic objectives, and even personnel strength are all publicly available on its website, for the simple reason that we have nothing to hide. Additionally, General William Ward is not the current commander of AFRICOM, having passed that responsibility to General Carter Ham half a year ago. AFRICOM, as a part of the Department of Defense, represents an element of our foreign policy. As President Obama said in Ghana in 2009, Our Africa Command is focused not on establishing a foothold in the continent, but on confronting these common challenges to advance the security of America, Africa, and the world. AFRICOM values the views of its African government partners and works with them to achieve mutual goals, such as combating destabilizing influences like HIV/AIDS and transnational terrorism. During fiscal year 2010, U.S. Africa Commands military health programs reached over 409,000 African military personnel and family members with prevention messages and preventative methods, and provided counseling and testing services for 210,000 service members and their families. In addition, 1,100 peer educators and 3,000 health care workers across Africa have received HIV/AIDs training, and over 37,000 individuals are on antiretroviral treatment as a result of these collaborative efforts. One way to ensure mutual understanding and build a stronger bilateral relationship is through military-to-military relationships. In Namibia, the USG has worked with the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) to provide critical training to remove mines (known as demining), military professionalization skills, and assistance to test, treat and support Namibian military members affected by HIV/AIDS. Training also includes language training to allow Namibian military personnel to work with other African and international military and relief organizations. Most recently, we concluded a military-to-military workshop for chaplains, the third year we have held this event.
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None of this assistance has ever been imposed on Namibia, but rather all of it has been developed together, in partnership. Overall our foreign assistance in Namibia allows Namibians to define and resolve their own problems. Since 2004, the people of the United States have provided over US$500 million to Namibia in the fight against HIV/AIDS alone. The full figure for direct assistance since 2004, which includes the over US$300 million MCA compact and disaster relief assistance for Namibians affected by flooding, comes to nearly US$ 1 Billion. Mr kaTate denigrates our interaction with several Namibian government officials. We are proud of our partnership with Minister of Health Honorable Richard Kamwi and the Government of Namibia. Together, we have saved tens of thousands of lives, improved peoples ability to work and earn a livelihood despite being HIV positive, and provided tremendous support for children who have been orphaned by AIDS. And while we cannot speak for Minister Kamwi, we imagine that neither he, nor other senior government leaders, would characterize our partnership as a cosmetic initiative as Mr kaTate does. It is true, as Mr kaTate states, that the U.S. supports Namibians through educational initiatives, including building schools. The Millennium Challenge Corporation, working through MCA Namibia, has distributed roughly 700,000 English, math and science textbooks to 951 schools in Namibia. Again, we doubt the learners using these books, their teachers, school administrators or the Honorable Minister Iyambo would detract from our joint educational initiatives by calling them cosmetic, Part of the U.S. Embassys work has been to ask American citizens and Congress for resources to facilitate the Government of Namibia in developing solutions to challenges in the sectors of agriculture, tourism, education and global health. Our job is made that much harder when Americans and Congress discover our cooperative partnership is described by Mr kaTate as a devils initiative. Fortunately, Namibians know that our assistance comes with no request for a payback, no interest charged. It is a gift of the American people to the Namibian people. We look forward to a continuing partnership and friendship between our two governments and peoples. We are confident that the negative views expressed by Mr kaTate will not hold sway.
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### Rwanda terror trial of Victoire Ingabire to proceed (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14789140 By: Unattributed Author 5 September 2011 A Rwandan judge has ordered the terror trial of opposition leader Victoire Ingabire to proceed. She is accused of propagating ethnic hatred and "genocide revisionism" - charges she says are politically motivated. The prosecution wanted the trial to be postponed until more evidence arrived from the Netherlands, where Ms Ingabire lived until January 2010. She was arrested in April and barred from standing in last year's election. She appeared in court in handcuffs, wearing the standard pink Rwandan prison uniform and with her head shaved. The BBC's Geoffrey Mutagoma in Kigali says it is common for Rwandan prisoners to have their heads shaved for hygiene reasons. Her British lawyer Iain Edwards argued for the trial to proceed as planned and judge Alice Rulisa agreed. "The prosecutor has said from the beginning that they were ready to proceed, and that they had all the evidence they needed to prosecute this case," she said. "Now they are saying they need more time." The trial has already been delayed on two occasions. The Unified Democratic Forces party leader is accused of colluding with an ex-officer of a Hutu militia to buy and distribute weapons to threaten national security. Ms Ingabire said the charges were a fabrication and politically motivated. If she is found guilty of all the charges, she is likely to get a life sentence, our reporter says. Ms Ingabire is a Hutu and most of the 800,000 people killed in the 1994 conflict were ethnic Tutsis. President Paul Kagame, the former rebel leader whose Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) put an end to the genocide, won a second term in office in August 2010 with 93% of the vote.
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### END OF REPORT

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