Commentary by M. Eaton on Obama Administration's Outlook on Africa, Posted by Meosha Eaton

It's an interesting position our President must find himself. It's a true case of damned if you do and damned if you don't! There are two very interesting perspectives being perpetuated as it relates to not only Libya, but Africa today and beyond. What is the policy on Africa? Is there a foreign policy that can include human rights as a means to use descretion on when to implement such interfreances? Is it possible one will come out of the recent crisis that has rocked North Africa? It's unfortunate that President Obama finds himself facing significant critisicm which ever way he were to go on the decision to implement intervention with Libya by whatever means necessary. But if you reflect on the overall tone of the administration over the years...it can be rather confusing and misleadingly what is the strategy and how we go about implementing these changes when everywhere you turn with, the exception of a few countries that has made significant strides with very little intervention from United States, there seems to be historic institutionalized corruption? Is the current theme of democracy overthrow the government or just a necessary evil needed to ignite real change? After all the Civil Rights Movement right here on our own soil was rather bloody and ugly and all in the name of equality and democracy. 

In all of the remarks and speeches I have come across I have not seen any indications of intervening from a military perspective, but we do see clear acknowledgement that corruption in leadership is not a mere conspiracy theory, but an unfortunate, historic reality.
 

2009:

Remarks by
President Barrack Obama
African Affairs

article appeared in print on July 12, 2009, on page WK3 of the New York edition.

“To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent,” the new president said, “know that you are on the wrong side of history.” 

This, of course, could apply to a large chunk of the world. But in Africa, where Big Men still rule for decades, and corruption leaves the children sick and the schools bare, and government soldiers rape and kill with impunity, those words seemed to have extra resonance. Olara A. Otunnu, a former Ugandan foreign minister, remembered how that single line from the inaugural speech was “cheered throughout Africa and people were texting it to each other over their phones.” 


2010 

Remarks by,

Johnnie Carson
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs

remarks taken from a speech conducted at

Harvard University Africa Focus Program

Washington, DC

April 5, 2010

• "Last August, Secretary Clinton and I embarked on an 11-day, seven-country trip across the continent. And in January Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero headed the U.S. delegation to the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, where she met with dozens of leaders and discussed a range of issues including democracy and governance, climate change, and food security.

• "President Obama has said that the United States views Africa as our partner and as a partner of the international community. While Africa has very serious and well-known challenges to confront, the President and Secretary Clinton are confident that Africa and Africans will rise to meet and overcome these challenges."

• "I echo the President’s sentiment that U.S. policy must start from the simple premise that Africa’s future is up to Africans.

• The Obama Administration is committed to a positive and forward looking policy in Africa."

• "It is committed to substantial increases in foreign assistance for Africa, but we know that additional assistance will not automatically produce success across the continent. Instead, success will be defined by how well we work together as partners to build Africa’s capacity for long-term change and ultimately the elimination of the continued need for such assistance. As Africa’s partner, the United States is ready to contribute to Africa’s growth and stabilization, but ultimately, African leaders and countries must take control of their futures."

• Some scholars and political analysts are saying that democracy in Africa has reached a plateau, and that we may be witnessing the beginning of a democratic recession. They point to flawed presidential elections in places like Kenya, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe; the attempts by leaders in Niger, Uganda, and Cameroon to extend their terms of office; and the re-emergence of military interventionism in Guinea-Conakry, Madagascar, and just last week in Niger."

• "Moreover, democracy remains fragile or tenuous in large states like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and arguably Africa’s most important country, Nigeria."

Remarks

James Michel, Counselor, U.S. Agency for International Development

Diplomacy Briefing Series: Conference on sub-Saharan Africa

Washington, DC

June 14, 2010

---

• Ultimately, the success of U.S. policy toward Africa will be measured by the success of Africans in – with respect to those four shared priorities. Development is at the heart of their effort and development cooperation based on mutual interests, mutual respect, and mutual accountability is at the heart of our policy.

• I want to say a word about the concept of development. It’s not a matter of measuring how much aid we provide. Development in its essence is the process by which nations become stable, just, and prosperous, and people benefit from increased freedom and security and rising standards of living. And while international support can support – can accelerate positive outcomes, development comes from within. It’s a complex process with economic and social and political, environment, and security dimensions.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

President Obama’s Engagement in Africa
Highlights actions Obama administration has taken to support Africans



THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
August 3, 2010

Fact Sheet: The President’s Engagement in Africa

“I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world, as partners with America on behalf of the future we want for all of our children. That partnership must be grounded in mutual responsibility and mutual respect.”
President Obama, Accra, Ghana, July 2009

In 2010, seventeen countries across sub-Saharan Africa celebrate fifty years of independence. In honor of this important historic moment, in acknowledgement of the extraordinarily young demographic profile of the region, and as part of an effort to forge strong, forward-looking partnerships in the years ahead, President Obama is hosting a forum for young African leaders in Washington, D.C., from August 3–5. These 115 young leaders come from civil society and the private sector and represent more than forty countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

In Accra, the President highlighted a “simple truth” about our country’s connections with Africa: Africa’s prosperity can expand America’s prosperity. Africa’s health and security can contribute to the world’s health and security. And the strength of Africa’s democracy can help advance human rights for people everywhere.

He emphasized that “this mutual responsibility must be the foundation of our partnership.” And over the past year and a half, we have been focused on four areas that are critical to the future of Africa: strong and sustainable democratic governments, opportunity and development, strengthening public health, and the peaceful resolution of conflict. Here are some examples of actions the Administration has taken:

Addressing Global Issues

The Administration’s approach to development addresses issues at the core of Africa’s agenda.

• Feed the Future: In 2009, President Obama announced a $3 billion global food security initiative that has the support of the world’s major and emerging donor nations. To date, the United States has led international efforts to review nine comprehensive country strategies, commit new resources in support of those strategies, collaborate in the establishment and initial capitalization of the World Bank-led Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, and launch a new research and development program.

• Global Health Initiative: In May 2009, President Obama announced the Global Health Initiative (GHI), a six-year, $63 billion initiative which builds on the progress and success of PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Program on AIDS Relief) and also expands our global health effort and impact by including investments to strengthen health systems, improve maternal child health, address neglected tropical diseases, and foster increased research and development.

• Climate Change: The United States and nations across Africa are addressing the challenge of global climate change through the Copenhagen Accord and a range of international partnerships promoting clean energy technologies and climate-resilient development for Africans. The United States has more than tripled climate assistance this year. Support for international climate adaptation has increased tenfold, with a focus on helping the most vulnerable nations in Africa and around the world. U.S. climate-related appropriations for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 total $1.3 billion, and the Administration has requested $1.9 billion in appropriations for FY 2011.

Strengthening our Partnerships

The United States has elevated engagement with emerging and existing African powers, and has recently launched three new Strategic Dialogues to that effect:

• The United States and Angola have signed a new Trade and Investment Framework Agreement and have launched a new Strategic Partnership Dialogue, setting the stage for improved cooperation on energy, trade, security, and agriculture.

• Over the past year and a half, the U.S. relationship with South Africa has gone from strained to sound. We have institutionalized the new era of cooperation in a formal, ongoing U.S.-South Africa Strategic Dialogue and are working together on a range of issues from nonproliferation to agricultural development.

• April 2010 saw the formal establishment of the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission, a high-level mechanisms to address issues surrounding governance and transparency (including preparing for upcoming elections), energy and power, food security, and regional security.

Throughout the region, through diplomatic engagement and support to key institutions and civil society organizations, the United States has promoted good governance as a critical priority for the region.

• In Kenya, the United States has led international efforts to support Kenyan civil society and the reform agenda developed in the wake of early 2008 post-election violence.

• The administration launched the first ever high-level bilateral discussions with the African Union. In April of this year, Secretary of State Clinton and National Security Advisor General Jones, Ret., welcomed African Union leaders to Washington to hold the first annual high-level consultation with the AU. Attorney General Eric Holder followed up on this initiative by addressing the AU Summit in Kampala in July. At the ninth U.S.-sub Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum, also known as the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), being held in Washington this week, USAID will sign a new partnership agreement with the African Union to advance prosperity, peace and stability.

Crisis Prevention and Response

• The Obama administration conducted a comprehensive review of our policies in Sudan and developed a strategy focused on addressing our multiple policy objectives in Sudan and the region, including resolution to the crisis in Darfur and implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We have named a full-time Special Envoy who has re-energized and broadened the multilateral coalition addressing Sudan’s challenges.

• Following a comprehensive review of our policies on Somalia earlier this year, the President issued Executive Order 13536, the first E.O. focused on addressing the underlying factors contributing to instability in Somalia. The Administration’s policy on Somalia is the first comprehensive approach to addressing the counterterrorism, counterpiracy, humanitarian, and security and political concerns facing the beleaguered state.

• In central Africa, Secretary Clinton has elevated the issue of sexual and gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to a top priority, personally visiting eastern Congo in August, 2009, and directing that additional resources and innovative approaches be employed to combat this violence, end impunity and assist those affected.

• In Guinea, the United States was an international leader in condemning the September 28 massacre, supporting a return to constitutional order, and assisting in the electoral process that gave Guineans their first opportunity to vote in credible elections since their country became independent in 1958.

Encouraging Private Sector Growth

The United States is currently hosting the ninth United States - Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum (AGOA Forum) in Washington, D.C., from August 2-3. Unlike previous Forums, this will be held not only in Washington but also in Kansas City, Missouri, from August 5-6, to allow for a deeper focus on agri-business. We are also emphasizing the role of women through a two-week AGOA Women’s Entrepreneurship Program to provide tools to better integrate African women into the global economy. In addition, as a follow up to President Obama’s Entrepreneurship Summit this past April, the Board of Directors of the United States Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) approved on June 24 up to $150 million in financing to support the establishment of a private equity investment fund designed to invest in companies in West Africa.

High-Level Engagement

The most senior representatives of the Obama Administration have actively engaged on African issues.

President Obama directly laid out a comprehensive vision for U.S.-African engagement in Accra, Ghana, in 2009 during the earliest visit to sub-Saharan Africa by any President in his first year in office. In addition to holding a meeting with 25 African heads of state and African Commission Chairperson Jean Ping at the United Nations General Assembly last year, President Obama has also held bilateral meetings with President Zuma of South Africa, President Kikwete of Tanzania, President Mills of Ghana, President Jonathan of Nigeria, Prime Minister Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe, President Khama of Botswana, and President Sirleaf of Liberia.

Last summer, Secretary Clinton traveled to seven African countries (Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Liberia, and Cape Verde). She continues to host and reach out to African leaders on a regular basis.

In June 2010, Vice President Biden traveled to Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa to address important bilateral issues in addition to holding numerous in-depth discussions on looming challenges in Sudan and Somalia.

Department of State Speaks on Upcoming Nigerian Elections, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By Williams Ekanem for MACTV News

Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador Johnnie Carson is to speak on the upcoming Nigerians elections on Tuesday March 29,2011.

Nigeria is on the march again looking for Mr. President. Come April this year, Elections into the various constitutional elective positions which include state house of Assemblies, Representatives, Senate, the states gubernatorial elections and the Presidential election would be held.

The umpire for the elections the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had completed the Voters’ registration Exercise which will usher in the elections which commences on April 2 with elections into state governors, April 9 for the presidency and April 16 for lawmakers at the federal level.
Meanwhile, key contenders in the electioneering campaigns, the Action Congress of Nigeria and the Congress for Progressive Change have expressed their support for the decision of the electoral body, INEC to allow voters witness the counting of votes at polling centers.

Reports monitored from Lagos say the ruling Peoples Democratic Party faulted the decision, saying it was not only dangerous, but that it contradicted Section 62 (2) of the amended Electoral Act 2011.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had a week ago told civil society groups in Abuja that voters would be allowed to stay till the end of voting to witness the counting of votes.

Jega explained that under the new system, accreditation of voters would start at 8am and end at 12noon. He added that before voting, the actual number of accredited voters would be determined.
He stated that the result of a polling unit would be annulled, if the number of votes cast exceeded the number of accredited voters.

But last Friday, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, said voters would only be allowed to “stay at a reasonable distance from the voting centres.”

“I want to assure all Nigerians that every vote will count. But we will not allow a situation where people will vote, stay around and cause problems,” Ringim said during his meeting with assistant inspectors- general of police and commissioners of police in Abuja.

In the elections conducted since 1999, voters were asked to leave the polling units after casting their votes. Reacting to the development, the CPC, through its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Fashakin, said INEC had the final say on the procedure for the 2011 elections. The party said that it would abide by INEC’s instructions and direct its supporters to act accordingly. voters during the elections.


Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said INEC’s latest directive was the best under the present circumstance. He argued that with the decision, the electorate would be able to police votes and reduce electoral fraud.

Mohammed said, “This is a welcome decision. Let voters stay and protect their votes. This is the best for the system at the moment. You see, the electorate must know the results and go home with the knowledge of how the result went in their respective polling units.

“This again, too should make the Police be on the alert to protect the people. If everybody is waiting to hear the results of the units where they have voted there will be little room for violence. Since voting will start and end at the same time, I think it will create room for better policing of the peoples votes cast.”

However, the Director of Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Mallam Abba Dabo, accused Jega of pandering to the wish of the CPC. He said, “Jega should tell us what Paragraph 62 (2) of the amended Electoral Act 2011 says. What is the provision of that section? Does it say that voters should wait after casting their votes?”

Quoting the section, Dabo said, “After the declaration of the close of polls, no voter already inside the polling unit shall be permitted to remain in the polling unit unless otherwise authorised under this Act.”
“Clearly, those who vote are supposed to leave the polling unit. Jega is attempting to legalise the slogan of the CPC. That is a very dangerous development .

“The CPC has adopted a slogan. It has been asking people to remain at polling units after voting and even cause some actions to be taken. Even the leader of the party has been saying that people should lynch or kill whoever they think is tampering with votes.

“If Jega decides to ignore section 62 (2) what he is doing in effect is attempting to adopt the slogan of the CPC as that of INEC. It is quite unfortunate. We are interested in following the rules as agreed to by all. These rules as agreed to by all are in the amended electoral act 2011.”

He said that Jega’s position was a recipe for chaos, adding that the PDP was uncomfortable with it.
ACN youths had converged on Abuja on Wednesday to map out strategies to prevent rigging during the general elections which commence on April 2.

At the meeting, the party said it would not tolerate “incidents of massive vote theft, snatching of ballot boxes and falsification and alteration of election results right from the polling units.”  The ACN added that it would not allow what happened in 2007 to repeat itself.

The party’s National Youth Leader, Mr. Miriki Ebikibina, explained that the meeting was to strategise ahead of the challenges of the general elections.

Ebikibina said it was part of the preparation and demonstration of the ACN’s readiness for the election.

“We are going to strategise on how to enthrone a strict compliance for free, fair and credible polls at all levels,” he said.

He said the ACN was concerned about the deteriorating political situation ahead of the elections.
“With the April elections just by the corner, it is worrisome and disheartening to note the unacceptable level of political violence, killings and unnecessary intimidation of opposition parties by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, especially candidates and members of the ACN across the country. It is condemnable and speaks volume of a failed government.” Ebikibina said.

UAE art shows coloured by Mideast upheaval, Posted by Meosha Eaton

Libya rebels advance, Russia criticises airstrikes, POSTED BY MEOSHA EATON

REBELS RATHER SEE GADDAFI DEAD.....,


* Gaddafi's birthplace Sirte is rebels' next target

* Russia says intervening on rebel side breaches U.N. terms

* Qatar recognises rebels as representatives of Libya

(Updates situation in Sirte)

By Angus MacSwan

BIN JAWAD, Libya, March 28 (Reuters) - Rebels advanced towards the birthplace of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Monday, streaming west along the the main coastal road in pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns.

Russia criticised the Western-led air strikes that have turned the tide of Libya's conflict, saying these amounted to taking sides in a civil war and breached the terms of a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Qatar became the first Arab country to recognise the rebels -- now in the sixth week of their uprising against Gaddafi's 41-year rule -- as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

Al Jazeera said the rebels had seized the town of Nawfaliyah from forces loyal to Gaddafi, extending their advance westwards towards his hometown of Sirte, about 120 km (75 miles) away.

Emboldened by the Western-led air strikes against Gaddafi's forces, the rebels have quickly reversed earlier losses and regained control of all the main oil terminals in the east of the OPEC member country.

"We want to go to Sirte today. I don't know if it will happen," said 25-year-old rebel fighter Marjai Agouri as he waited with 100 others outside Bin Jawad with three multiple rocket launchers, six anti-aircraft guns and around a dozen pick-up trucks with machineguns mounted on them.

A Reuters correspondent who was about 15 km (10 miles) west of Bin Jawad on the road to Nawfaliyah heard a sustained bombardment on the road ahead.

"This is the frontline. The army has stopped over there, we are stopping here," Mohammed al-Turki, 21, a fighter at a rebel checkpoint, told Reuters, pointing to the road ahead where the sounds of blasts were coming from.

Western-led air strikes began on March 19, two days after the U.N. Security Council authorised "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from Gaddafi's forces. But since the outset, the mission has faced questions from critics about its scope and aims, including the extent to which it will actively back the rebel side and whether it might target Gaddafi himself.

Russia, which abstained in the U.N. vote, said Western attacks on Gaddafi's forces amounted to taking sides with the rebels.

"We consider that intervention by the coalition in what is essentially an internal civil war is not sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council resolution," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference.

Russian oil company Tatneft is expected to book $100 million of losses on capital expenditure in Libya as a result of the conflict, a company source told Reuters.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the BBC: "We are there to protect civilians -- no more, no less."

Contradicting a rebel claim to have captured Sirte, Reuters correspondent Michael Georgy reported from the city that the situation was normal. He had seen some police and military, but no signs of any fighting.

Soldiers were manning checkpoints and green Libyan flags flapped in the wind. Militiamen fired AK-47 rifles defiantly into the air. "If they come to Sirte, we will defend our city," said Osama bin Nafaa, 32, a policeman.

As Gaddafi's hometown and an important military base, Sirte -- about half-way along the coast from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to Tripoli -- has great symbolic and strategic value.. If it fell, the rebels would gain a psychological boost and the road towards the capital would lie open.

As the rebels pressed forward in the east, they reported attacks by Gaddafi's forces in the west. One rebel spokesman told Al Jazeera that loyalist forces bombarded the rebel-held city of Misrata again on Monday, and snipers were on rooftops. Another told Al Arabiya television that eight people had been killed and more than 24 injured in clashes.

A rebel spokesman in another western town, Zintan, said forces loyal to Gaddafi bombarded the town with rockets early on Monday, Al Jazeera reported.

Libya's state news agency Jana said Western forces bombed the southern city of Sabha at dawn on Monday, leading to several casualties.

TRIPOLI BLASTS

At least six blasts resonated in Tripoli on Sunday night, followed by long bursts of anti-aircraft fire by Libyan forces. Libyan television said there had been air strikes on the "civilian and military areas" in the capital.

Libyan state TV broadcast what it said was live footage of Gaddafi in a car in his Tripoli compound where hundreds of supporters waved green flags and chanted slogans. Gaddafi could not be seen in the white car but the TV said he was in it.

On Sunday, NATO agreed to take full command of military operations in Libya after a week of heated negotiations, officials said. The United States, which led the initial phase, had sought to scale back its role in another Muslim country after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Western air strikes had "eliminated" Gaddafi's ability to move his heavy weapons.

Gates also raised the possibility that Gaddafi's government could splinter and said an international conference in London on Tuesday would discuss political strategies to help bring an end to Gaddafi's rule.

Libya accused NATO of "terrorising" and killing its people as part of a global plot to humiliate and weaken the North African country.

The government says Western-led air attacks have killed more than 100 civilians, a charge denied by the coalition which says it is protecting civilians from Gaddafi's forces and targeting only military sites to enforce the no-fly zone.

"The terror people live in, the fear, the tension is everywhere. And these are civilians who are being terrorised every day," said Mussa Ibrahim, a Libyan government spokesman.

"We believe the unnecessary continuation of the air strikes is a plan to put the Libyan government in a weak negotiating position. NATO is prepared to kill people, destroy army training camps and army checkpoints and other locations."

Britain's Guardian newspaper quoted Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as saying his country was ready to act as mediator and broker an early ceasefire.

Erdogan said if the parties to the conflict requested Turkey to mediate, "we will take steps to do that" within the framework of NATO, the Arab League and the African Union. (Additional reporting by Alexander Dziadosz, Edmund Blair, Maria Golovnina, Michael Georgy, Ibon Villelabeitia, Tom Pfeiffer, Lamine Chikhi, Mariam Karouny, Joseph Nasr, Marie-Louise Gumuchian, David Brunnstrom and Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Tunisian youth volunteer at border refugee camp, Posted by Meosha Eaton

Tunisian youth volunteer at the Ras Jdir camp, where Libyans fleeing violence in their country have taken refuge, to entertain them with games, sport and music, in an effort to alleviate the refugees' hardship.

SHOWS: RAS JDIR BORDER REFUGEE CAMP, TUNISIA (MARCH 21, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF REFUGEES PLAYING GAMES

2. MORE OF REFUGEES GATHERED

3. REFUGEES DRAWING

4. MORE OF REFUGEES PLAYING AND DANCING

5. A REFUGEE WATCHING THE ENTERTAINMENT

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) TUNISIAN VOLUNTEER, NAHED JAMAL, SAYING:

"We're here with the aim to hold activities for those here in this camp, and to lighten their mood against the terrible things that are happening in this region. Our programme is going on for two days, it started yesterday, and we had different activities, and there was a group of journalists from the Tunisian press, and we showed a comedy (film).''

7. MORE OF DANCING WITH AUDIENCE CLAPPING

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) REFUGEE FROM NIGER, TENA, SAYING:

"About five days ago we are here, so trying to help everybody who will be going home time by time - eat, bathe, come here to listen to music or do something else. Nigeria, Ghana, Niger - many of them are here to dance, to play games, to win a prize so we are happy."

9. TENTS ON THE CAMP

10. MORE OF PEOPLE DANCING

STORY: A group of Tunisian youth volunteered at the Ras Jdir border refugee camp, where scores of people fleeing from violence in Libya have sought refuge in recent weeks.

The Tunisian youth, who stayed at the camp for two days entertained refugees with games, sport and music in an effort to alleviate the hardship migrants are undergoing said volunteer Nahed Jamal.

"We're here with the aim to hold activities for those here in this camp, and to lighten their mood against the terrible things that are happening in this region. Our programme is going on for two days, it started yesterday, and we had different activities, and there was a group of journalists from the Tunisian press, and we showed a comedy (film)," added Nahed Jamal.

The lively music and laughter coming from the stalls set up by the Tunisian youth drew large crowds who participated in the games and cheered their friends along in the range of activities.

Tena who is an evacuee originally from Niger said the games had made people in the camp happy.

"Nigeria, Ghana, Niger - many of them are here to dance, to play games, to win a prize so we are happy," Tena said.

Some 200,000 migrant workers have crossed from Libya into Tunis in the wake of widespread violence. Many were Egyptian workers most whom have been repatriated.

Now, thousands of Bangladeshi, Sudanese, Malians, Ghanaians, Somalis and Nigerians await in the camp near the border for their repatriation.

Nigerian president promises jobs, electricity, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Jonathan holds final rally before April 9 vote

* State governors line up to pledge support

* Opposition candidate in Akwa Ibom charged with treason

(Adds quotes from president, details)

By Joe Brock

ABUJA, March 26 (Reuters) - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan promised thousands of his supporters on Saturday he would create jobs, improve infrastructure and give women a larger role in government if he wins elections in two weeks.

Addressing a crowd bussed into the capital Abuja for his final campaign rally, Jonathan pledged a rapid improvement in electricity supply in Africa's most populous nation, which is beset by chronic power shortages, and a greater role for Nigerian companies in the OPEC member's oil and gas industry.

"I will clear out any vested interests that stand in the way of rapid policy implementation and quick economic transformation," Jonathan said, in a speech that was heavy on sweeping promises but light on detail.

Nigeria's presidential election is due on April 9.

Large inflatable balloons of Jonathan dressed in his traditional kaftan floated over Eagle Square as state governors and officials from the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) lined up to deliver speeches praising him and pledging loyalty.

Security forces set up metal detectors around the square and police helicopters buzzed overhead to try to control the crowds. A group of women fought over free PDP T-shirts and hats.

The PDP has dominated Nigerian politics since the end of military rule 12 years ago, winning every presidential race since then. It controls around two thirds of the 36 states and commands a strong majority in parliament.

Jonathan, the first president from the southern Niger Delta, is considered to be the front runner in the election, although his main challenger former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, is hoping to force a run-off.

Jonathan inherited the presidency when his predecessor, Umaru Yar'Adua, died last year and he is seeking what would have been Yar'Adua's second term. Buhari is hoping to capitalise on northern resentment over his candidacy from voters who feel it deprives their region of another four years in power.


PLEDGES OF ALLEGIANCE

To win in the first round, Jonathan needs to secure 25 percent of the vote in at least two thirds of the states, or else he will face a run-off with his nearest rival.

Buhari -- a disciplinarian who ruled between December 1983 and August 1985 and is best remembered for his "War Against Indiscipline", a campaign against corruption -- is expected to win strong support in parts of the north.

A poll published this week by the This Day newspaper carried out with global research group Ipsos put support for Jonathan at just over 60 percent, with Buhari on 22 percent.

For several hours, state governor after state governor, including from parts of the north, lined up to pledge allegiance to Jonathan at an event which laid bare how patronage rather than public service lies at the heart of Nigerian politics.

The governors, who rely on their share of federal oil revenues for their budgets, are expected to deliver support from their states for Jonathan at the presidential vote.

"Rest assured, this is a one-party state," said Rivers state Governor Rotimi Amaechi, echoing similar pledges to deliver votes for Jonathan from his peers.

Jonathan dubbed the PDP "the only truly national party" but there is widespread resentment at its overriding dominance.

An opposition governorship candidate in the state of Akwa Ibom, on the edge of the Niger Delta, was charged with treason on Friday for alleged involvement in political violence.

"This is one of the ways the government is using state machinery to intimidate the opposition and it is not good for democracy," said Thomas Akpan, spokesman for the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria in Akwa Ibom.

Nigerians are hoping this year's poll will be an improvement on past elections, which observers said were not credible because of ballot-stuffing and fraud.

Nigeria holds a parliamentary poll on April 2, where the PDP is expected to lose some of its majority, and state governorship elections on April 16, a week after the presidential race when it is also expected to lose some of its regional strength. (For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/ ) (Additional reporting by Austin Ekeinde in Port Harcourt; Writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by Elizabeth Piper)

Party youth leader killed in northeast Nigeria, Posted by Meosha Eaton

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, March 27 (Reuters) - Gunmen suspected of being members of a radical Islamic sect shot dead a political party youth leader in northeast Nigeria on Sunday, less than a week before elections begin in Africa's most populous nation.

The local politician was a member of the opposition All Nigeria People's Party, which has localised support in parts of the north of the country but is not expected to gain the widespread backing needed to win the presidential vote.

The police said they believed the killing was carried out by members of Boko Haram, a radical Islamic group behind months of unrest and targeted religious killings, mostly in the northeast around Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

"The killers had come on their motorbikes in their usual manner before shooting their victim on the head and chest," said Mohammed Abubakar, Police Commissioner of Borno state.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sinful", launched an uprising in 2009 in which hundreds of people were killed and has increasingly targeted politicians in its attacks.

The sect wants sharia, Islamic law, more widely applied across Nigeria but its views are not espoused by most of the country's Muslim population, the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Parliamentary elections will be held in Nigeria on April 2, the presidential poll is a week later and voters will elect governors in the country's 36 states on April 16. (Reporting by Ibrahim Mshelizza; writing by Joe Brock; editing by Andrew Roche)

Kenya police seize heroin valued at $5 mln, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Police working with U.S. drug enforcement officers


By Celestine Achieng

MOMBASA, Kenya, March 25 (Reuters) - Police in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa said they seized 196 kg (432 lb) of heroin valued at about $5 million and arrested six people in the latest step by authorities to end drug trafficking in the country.

Officers acting on a tip off said on Friday they had arrested three Kenyans, two Iranians and a Pakistani, who oversaw the offloading of the drugs from a fishing boat into two waiting vehicles at dawn.

Both Iran and Pakistan are major transit countries for heroin from Afghanistan which produces more than 90 percent of the world's supply of the drug.

The drugs were concealed in dog food packaging, police said.

The United States has said Kenya's position makes it an ideal destination and transit point for both heroin and cocaine.

Last year the United States said it had permanently banned four senior government officials and a businessman from travelling to its territory over allegations of trafficking narcotics. [ID:nLDE6AF1GF]

The Criminal Investigations Director, Frank Muhoro, said Kenyan authorities were working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to investigate who was behind the heroin.

"We are working with them for the purposes of investigations on the drug menace. We are not relenting on the fight against narcotics. This is a major breakthrough," he told Reuters.

The heroin, suspects, two pistols and ammunition were flown to the capital Nairobi, Reuters witnesses said. ($1=84.95 Kenyan Shilling) (Additional reporting by Humphrey Malalo in Nairobi; Editing by George Obulutsa and Jon Hemming)

AFRICA MONEY-Wobbly currencies take shine off the carry trade, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* African bond yields rising as inflation takes hold

* Weakening currencies deter foreign t-bill interest


By Ed Cropley, African Investment Correspondent

JOHANNESBURG, March 25 (Reuters) - African central banks have started to train their sights on inflation bubbling up across the region, although wobbly currencies are making foreigners think twice about chasing lofty domestic debt yields.

From Ghana to South Africa to Kenya, concerns about rising prices have pushed yields higher across the curve, even though most central banks have dithered over dropping a semi-official focus on promoting growth above ensuring monetary stability.

Short-term debt yields in many frontier economies are now more attractive than they were in 2009, when they were sucking in buckets of foreign cash seeking something juicier than the dismal returns on offer in developed markets.

However, an imminent repeat of the influx by outsiders that pushed short-term borrowing costs in countries such as Nigeria and Uganda to below 4 percent a year ago looks unlikely given the jitters that have beset many African currencies.

So far this year, the Kenyan and Ugandan shillings and Ghana's cedi have all hit record lows against the dollar, and Nigeria's naira has sorely tested the weaker limits of a 145-155 trading band it has maintained since a devaluation in late 2008.

A mixture of politics and economics were behind the initial drops, but sluggish responses by authorities in meeting unforeseen dollar demand, and a basic misreading of inflation in the case of Kenya, has caused investors to question the ability or desire of policymakers to keep matters on an even keel.

Uganda's shilling hit a string of record lows in January as fears of violence -- that did not materialise -- in a February presidential election caused companies and rich Ugandans to stock up on dollars.

But the Bank of Uganda, either through choice or because of a lack of reserves, failed to inject dollar liquidity at levels it had previously intervened, resulting in a market that still can't see the bottom despite an 8-month slide.


DOLLAR DEMAND

Unusually high dollar demand from foreign exchange bureaux in Lagos suggest wealthy Nigerians are doing the same as their Ugandan counterparts before an April 9 election in Africa's most populous nation.

The central bank in Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, has considerably more fire-power to defend the currency than in Uganda, but outside investors are still too worried to pile into a bond market offering a tempting 10 percent on 3-year paper.

"In Nigeria the election prospects are weighing into sentiment even though the yields are quite attractive at the moment," said Yvette Babb, an African debt strategist at Standard Bank in Johannesburg.

"People are not willing to take the risk because the currency might rise as it did in Uganda in the run-up to the election."

Crunching the numbers makes it clear how a small currency drop trashes the logic of putting dollars or euros into African debt -- typically 3-12-month paper where liquidity is easier to find.

An investor who stuck $10,000 into Uganda shillings at the beginning of the year would now have just $9,669, while the same amount deposited in naira would be worth only $9,967, according to the Reuters FX Carry Trade Calculator -- and that is before brokerage fees and commissions are taken into account.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For Graphic on African carry trade yields, click on http://r.reuters.com/dad78r ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

"The yields definitely make treasury bills attractive from a foreign investor point of view, but you've got to make sure you're comfortable with the currency risk," said Africa analyst Leon Myburgh at Citi in Johannesburg. "You've got to pick you entry level."

Against this backdrop, Zambia, whose 3-month bills yielded 6.5 percent at auction this week, stands out as an exception -- its currency, the kwacha , has managed to post a gain of more than one percent against the dollar this year.

(Editing by Ron Askew)

African workers fleeing Libya stranded in Egypt, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* UNHCR says more than 350,000 have fled Libya violence

* Between 1,500 and 2,000 cross daily into Egypt

* Migrants report attacks in backlash against mercenaries


By Alexander Dziadosz

SALUM, Egypt, March 25 (Reuters) - Hundreds of poor African migrant workers, including many women and children, waited to be evacuated on Friday from this dusty Egyptian border post after fleeing a revolt against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Sleeping on blankets amid piles of suitcases, the workers -- part of an exodus international agencies say has exceeded a quarter of a million people since fighting broke out in Libya -- gathered inside the border office-turned-shelter, their fate in limbo because many lacked passports.

"Most of us were farmers so we will return to being farmers when we go back home," said Mohammed Abu Bakr, 28, a Chadian who was working as a guard at a building site in Libya.

"We were living in peace," Bakr said.

Inside the crowded building, signs welcomed visitors with images of Egypt's beaches and scuba-diving, but the migrants say they have nowhere to go. The floor was strewn with discarded juice cartons and biscuit wrappers.

Rafiq Khan, a child protection official with UNICEF, said 180 children and 149 women were waiting at the border, the highest numbers since the uprising began.

He said many migrants, mostly from Chad but also Eritrea, Ethiopia, Niger and Somalia, were in Libya for years, working for Chinese and Turkish firms, but were forced to leave with the few belongings they could grab as violence escalated.


HARASSED, DETAINED, BEATEN

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Friday the number of people who had fled Libya in the wake of the violence has reached 351,673, while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) put the number at 367,000.

UNHCR said about 1,500 to 2,000 people were entering Egypt every day, while Tunisia was seeing 2,000 arrivals daily.

The IOM said at least 12,000 had crossed into Niger since the crisis began, about half that number arriving in the past week.

Aid workers said the number of women and children fleeing Libya had risen since Western powers, enforcing a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone in the north African country, began launching strikes against Gaddafi's forces last week.

With no money, the migrants said many of them had been harassed, detained and beaten by Libyan gunmen after reports emerged that Gaddafi, the loyalty of his armed forces proving unreliable, had turned to mercenaries from elsewhere in Africa to support his crackdown.

"Any black person, they call them mercenaries," said Suleiman Abdallah, a 24-year-old Somali worker. He said he fled Libya on a boat to Alexandria but was taken back to the border by bus because he did not have a passport.

As they waited in Salum, many said retuning home in the near future seemed as unlikely as returning to Libya.

"I am dependent on the United Nations," Abdallah said. (Writing by Ibon Villelabeitia in Cairo; additional reporting by Andrew Callus in Geneva; editing by Andrew Dobbie)