UN News: Daily Press Briefing, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

30 June 2011

By the Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General.

Elements of Today's Noon Press Briefing:

Sudan

Sudan/OCHA

Human Rights

Ethiopa

Kosovo

Cyprus

Security Council

Michelle Obama urges Africa to advance women's rights, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Obama says violence against women violates human rights

* Says HIV is preventable, treatable, and not shameful

By Jeff Mason

JOHANNESBURG, July 22 (Reuters) - U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama urged young Africans on Wednesday to fight for women's rights and battle the stigma of AIDS, using her husband's "yes, we can" campaign slogan to motivate youth across the continent.

Obama is on her second solo trip abroad as first lady to promote issues such as education, health and wellness.

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WORLD NEWS LATEST, FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2011, Posted By Meosha Eaton

**TOP STORIES**

JAPAN-

QUAKE A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.4 shook the northeast of Japan late on Thursday, and a tsunami warning was issued for the coast already devastated by last month's massive quake and the tsunami that crippled a nuclear power plant.

EXPECTED:

JAPAN-EVACUEES/IMPERIAL GARDENS - The Imperial gardens are opened up for the evacuees in Tokyo.

CHINA-AIRPORT FOOD INSPECTION - Hong Kong's Legislative Council Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene conducts a site visit to the Airport Food Inspection Office for members to better understand the inspection of radiation of food products imported from Japan.

JAPAN-CABINET SECRETARY - Japan's chief spokesman Yukio Edano talks twice a day about the latest development in the aftermath of the nation's triple disaster.

JAPAN-NUCLEAR PLANT - Latest from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant where engineers are battling to contain a crippled nuclear reactor.

JAPAN-AFTERSHOCK CLEAN - Major aftershock hits northern Japan. (0332)

JAPAN-STOCK MARKET OPEN - Tokyo stocks open down in morning trade after a strong aftershock hits northern Japan. (0247)

JAPAN-QUAKE/SUPERMARKET MORNING - Memories of previous Japan quake triggers rush on supermarket.

IVORY COAST

IVORY COAST-UNREST French strikes hit Gbagbo forces in Ivory Coast.

EXPECTED:

TBC

IVORY COAST-OUATARRA - Ivory Coast presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara asks EU to lift sanctions, announces measures to bring life back to normal and claims incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo is blockaded at his residence. (2314)

USA-IVORY COAST AMBASSADOR - The Ivory Coast ambassador to the United Nations, Youssoufou Bamba and other Ivorian politicians hold a press conference about the situation on the ground in Ivory Coast. (2109)

IVORY COAST-EVACUATION - Journalists are evacuated from the Novotel in Abidjan.

IVORY COAST/FRANCE-EVACUATION/PROTEST - French army evacuates nationals from Abidjan hotel, Gbagbo supporters protest in Paris.

UN-IVORY COAST - U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos reports hundreds of bodies in Ivory Coast.
IVORY COAST-TROOPS/PRISONERS - Hundreds of Gbagbo's men captured by forces loyal to Ouattara.

LIBYA-CONFLICT AND DIPLOMACY - A NATO air strike killed at least five rebels near the Libyan port of Brega on Thursday, medics said, and insurgents reported Muammar Gaddafi's forces killed five more in a bombardment of besieged Misrata.

EXPECTED:

TBC

DELIVERED (in past 12 hours):

4281WD-LIBYA-REBELS NEWSER - Rebel commander says NATO mistakenly hit Libyan rebels. (2042)

4268WD-TURKEY-ERDOGAN/LIBYA - Turkey works on 'roadmap' to end Libya war. (1839)

4243WD-LIBYA-US/WELDON - U.S. ex-Republican in Libya warns Gaddafi time is running out. (1639)

4221WD-USA-GENERAL-LIBYA - Libyan fighting a likely stalemate, top U.S. general says. (1615)

4198WD-LIBYA-REBELS/ROCKETS - Rebels set up rocket launchers east of Ajdabiyah. (1351)

4176WD-LIBYA-REBELS RETREAT - Rebels retreat as Gaddafi forces bomb the entrance to Ajdabiyah. (1233)

4166WD-LIBYA-AIRSTRIKE/WOUNDED/REACTIONS - Rebels blame NATO for Libya air strike; five dead. (1218)

---
BRAZIL

BRAZIL-SHOOTING - A gunman fatally shot 12 people at a Rio de Janeiro school before killing himself, police said.

EXPECTED:

BRAZIL-SHOOTING/LATEST - Rio governor says school gunman planned to kill more students.

BRAZIL-SHOOTING UPDATE - Helicopter ambulances take injured away from school after gunman opens fire and kills 12 people.

BRAZIL-SHOOTING/CLEAN - Brazil gunman kills 12 in Rio school massacre.

----
OTHER STORIES AROUND THE WORLD

OMAN-FRIDAY PROTEST - Following last week's crack down by police which left one protester dead, Omanis in the city of Sohar, say they will go out again on Friday demanding jobs, better pay and end to arrest of protesters.

----

EGYPT-PRO-REFORM PROTEST - Large numbers of protesters are expected to gather in Tahrir square to declare their support for the speedy prosecution of ex-regime officials and an end to the longstanding Emergency Law.

----

RUSSIA-GAGARIN DOCUMENTS - New archive documents to be released ahead of the 50th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first manned flight into space (Apr 12). An exhibition opens at the All-Russian Exhibition Centre (VDNKH) and veteran cosmonauts attend lay wreaths at the Cosmos memorial.

----


NETHERLANDS-KENYA - Three Kenyan suspects are set to appear at the International Criminal Court on day two of the preparatory phase of a trial into the deadly violence that followed Kenya's 2007 election. The trial is set to start trials in 2012. Among the accused are former and current senior government officers including deputy Prime Minister and Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta.

----

KENYA-ICC REACTIONS - The initial appearance hearing of William Samoei Ruto, Henry Kiprono Kosgey and Joshua Arap Sang is scheduled to take place before Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Courtroom I. The hearing is being held in order to verify the identity of the suspects and to ensure that they have been informed of the crimes which they are alleged to have committed as well as of their rights under the Rome Statute, founding treaty of the ICC

Ethiopia exports up 48 pct in 8 months to March - PM, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Coffee exporter targets $3 bln for 2010/2011

* Meles sees growth for year at projected levels


By Barry Malone

ADDIS ABABA, April 5 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's exports rose 48 percent in the eight months to March, its prime minister said, rallying after Africa's biggest coffee exporter missed its revenue target in first-half 2010/11.

Though still one of the world's poorest nations, Ethiopia has posted double-digit growth rates for six consecutive years, according to government figures, making it Africa's fastest growing non-oil producer.

The country targets $939.5 million in coffee exports this year, nearly double the $528 million it earned during the 2009/2010 fiscal year.

Ethiopia devalued its birr currency by 16.7 percent in September last year to bolster competitiveness, the fourth such move since 2009.

Zenawi said last month that the devaluation had boosted exports in the past six months and helped narrow the country's burgeoning trade gap, although analysts have expressed concern the devaluation may risk importing inflation.

Officials had set a goal of $1.29 billion in revenue for the first half of the financial year (July-Dec), but its earnings by the end of that period met 86 percent of that at $1.11 billion.

The country set a target of $3 billion in revenue this year after a resurgence of coffee sales and diversification into new commodities earned $2 billion in the previous fiscal year (July-June).

"Exports increased by 48 percent," Meles Zenawi told parliament on Tuesday, in an eight-month performance update. "Agricultural output grew by 12.57 percent."

He said the economy was expected to grow by 11.2 percent this year, in line with projections.

Meles told Reuters in November the economy would grow at between the 11 percent predicted by his finance ministry and 15 percent.

Authorities reject claims from the opposition and some foreign analysts that it inflates growth figures to attract investment. (Editing by Ruth Pitchford' Ron Askew)

Key political risks to watch in Congo, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By Jonny Hogg

KINSHASA, April 1 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo is seeking political stability, battling economic woes and rebel insurgencies as it gears up for elections this year.

The polls for the presidency and parliament, due to start in November 2011, will be the second since the official end to the 1998-2003 war, which drew in six foreign armies and resulted in the deaths of 5 million people.

Here are some factors to watch:

POLITICS

President Joseph Kabila came to power when his father was assassinated in 2001, winning presidential elections in 2006. But he still relies other parties such as PALU, a longstanding opposition party, for a parliamentary majority.

Rather than pushing through steps towards decentralisation set out in the constitution, analysts say Kabila's rule has seen a concentration of power and rising political oppression.

On Jan. 15, parliament backed constitutional changes reducing the presidential vote to a single round -- scrapping the possibility of a run-off between the two leading candidates if neither has an absolute majority. The change means the winner can claim the presidency with less than 50 percent popular support and is seen boosting Kabila's chances.

What to watch:

-- Can Congo's fractured opposition unite around a single candidate for the first round? There is talk of a possible triumvirate, with veteran opposition figure Etienne Tshisekedi linking up with Vital Kamerhe, a former campaign manager of Kabila's, and Jean-Pierre Bemba's MLC party.

-- Bemba's trial. The former vice president and leader of opposition MLC party is being tried before the International Criminal Court in The Hague accused of war crimes in the Central African Republic. Many in Congo say he would be a strong presidential contender were he acquitted in time, and any verdict could be incendiary on the streets of Kinshasa.

-- Electoral planning. With voter registration completed in only 2 of 11 provinces and questions remaining over financing, there are fears about the country's readiness to hold credible polls in November.

-- Political crackdown. There are already allegations from opposition politicians that their supporters are facing intimidation at the hands of the authorities.

THE ECONOMY

Despite concerns over governance, Congo secured debt relief from most lenders last year, including $7.53 billion from the Paris Club in November, leaving a total stock of $2.9 billion. It has taken measures to stabilise its economy and keep in step with conditions for a three-year $550 million IMF loan.

Interest rates have come down to 22 percent, from 42 percent in mid-2011. Congo's inflation is running at an annualised rate of 8.35 percent, down from 69 percent last January and beating a 15 percent target. The Congolese franc has stabilised, hovering at 920 to the dollar.

Sustained economic growth is vital to a country where 80 percent of a population of 67 million live on less than $2 a day and the country struggles with a budget of $5.69 billion. Congo is aiming for growth of 5.4 percent in 2010 and 6.83 percent in 2011, while the IMF forecasts 5.4 percent and 7 percent.

What to watch:

-- Impact of debt relief. Congo says from 2011, $520 million a year intended for debt service will be freed up as a result, but the IMF warns against taking on more expensive debt.

-- Macroeconomic policy. A looming election year may prompt a hike in spending over the next 12 months, although the 2011 budget was praised by the IMF for maintaining fiscal discipline.

INVESTMENT CLIMATE

Congo moved up four places in the World Bank's 2011 doing business rankings to 175 of 183 countries, short of a 20-place hike targeted by the president. Investors still complain of high risks and several are pursuing international arbitration.

Model contracts in accordance with the new mining and oil codes have been drafted, but not yet decreed by government.

What to watch:

-- First Quantum case. The Canadian firm is seeking international arbitration after its $750 million KMT project was closed and rights handed to mining group ENRC, after the Kazakh company said it would pay $175 million for five Congo projects acquired through listed and offshore entities.

-- US traceability laws. New industry standards to tackle `conflict minerals' come into force in April. The government says traceability programmes are being launched but some fear a virtual embargo on Congolese minerals, particularly in the troubled east of the country.

-- Congo's nascent oil sector. Following a tussle with the government over two oil blocks, London-listed Tullow Oil has said it's pulling out of Congo. There is also growing friction between British oil company Soco International and conservationists over plans to prospect for oil within Virunga National Park.

French Oil giant Total has taken a percent in another eastern oil block near Virunga. After buying into a block in the west, Italian major Eni would also like oil blocks in the east.

SIMMERING CONFLICTS

Intervention by Rwanda in 2009 helped end fighting by Rwandan Tutsi-led CNDP rebels, whose leader Laurent Nkunda was arrested and is awaiting trial in Kigali.

CNDP have since officially been integrated into the army, but rights groups and the United Nations say they maintain control of swathes of land, extract taxes and mine cassiterite and coltan.

Congo's army continues to try to oust Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels, whose numbers are down to 2,500 according to the U.N., and several other rebel groups, including the former pro-government Mai Mai militia, LRA and Islamic ADF-NALU fighters.

The UN's head of mission in Congo has struck a positive note about the situation in the east, saying security is getting better, although localised violence remains a serious problem.

Mass rapes of civilians are continuing, underlining Congo's precarious security and raising questions over the effectiveness of Congolese and U.N. forces. The jailing in February of nine soldiers found guilty of a New Year's Day mass rape was seen as an important step towards ending impunity but attacks continue.

What to watch:

-- The fall-out from an attack on one of the residences of Kabila by dozens of armed men on Feb. 27. DRC has recalled its ambassador from neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville over alleged involvement in the plot.

-- U.N. peacekeepers. The United Nations acquiesced to Congolese demands and withdrew 1,494 troops last June, leaving 17,625 in country. It says further withdrawals will depend on the security threat, but Kabila's calls for a full withdrawal could become stronger if he is re-elected.

-- Crackdown on the army. Pressure on the army is rising as more human rights abuses and illegal mining come to light, and Congo may seek to launch investigations into criminal networks.

-- CNDP ex-rebels. Current leader General Bosco Ntaganda is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, but says he is second-in-command of U.N.-backed army operations, and the fragile alliance with the army is under strain.

-- Land and ethnicity. These two issues remain at the heart of Congo 's simmering conflicts, especially in the east.

-- LRA threat. Attacks by the Ugandan rebel LRA in north-eastern Congo have risen sharply this year, with Ugandan and Congolese officials sayingits leader, Joesph Kony, is back in the country.

-- Intervention from neighbours. Relations with neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda have warmed but remain fragile. Meanwhile analysts say latent tensions with Angola over offshore oil in the west could destabilise the country if they worsen. (Editing by David Lewis)

Ethiopia PM says anti-dam groups keep Africa poor, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Ethiopia building huge dams to beat power shortages

* Says western campaigners only focus on Africa


By Barry Malone

ADDIS ABABA, March 31 (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi denounced Westerners on Thursday campaigning against hydropower dam projects in Africa as "borderline criminal" and said they were helping to keep Africans poor.

Ethiopia is building five hydropower dams -- some funded by the World Bank -- and announced on Wednesday that it would shortly start building a huge 5,250 megawatt (MW) dam on the Nile, despite an escalating row with Egypt over the river's use.

Western NGOs have been campaigning against some of the dams on environmental or human rights grounds.

"These people will not allow the disturbance of butterflies even if this means millions of people have to be subjected to the deadliest killer disease of all -- poverty," Meles told a conference on hydropower in Africa in Addis Ababa.

"I am not a believer in conspiracy theories but, if I were, I would conclude that these people want Africa to remain as it is with all its misery and poverty so they can come and visit nature in its pristine state in winter every so often."

Meles said the groups were from Europe and the U.S.

Power shortages are common in Africa and have hindered investment, even though the continent has abundant potential resources of solar, hydro, oil, gas, coal and geothermal power.

Ethiopia aims to produce 15,000MW of power within 10 years as part of a plan to spend $12 billion over 25 years to overcome chronic power shortages and export to other African countries.

One of the Ethiopian dams, the 1.4 billion euro Gibe III that is expected to generate 1,800MW, has been the subject of a major international campaign over the rights of tribal people.

Over 400 NGOs led by Survival International this month signed a petition against Gibe III. They say that 200,000 Ethiopians who rely on fishing and farming may become dependent on aid to survive if the dam goes ahead.

Meles said the impact of the dam projects would be "negligible" and those affected would be compensated.

"These groups have done virtually nothing to stop their countries from building all the dams they can while at the same time single-handedly subjecting our planet to the threat of catastrophe because of global warming," Meles said.

"(Yet) they are trying to stop projects in poor countries like Ethiopia that are infinitely more environmentally and socially responsible."

Meles is Africa's usual lead negotiator at climate change talks and has in the past suggested European carbon emissions caused his country's 1984/85 famine.

(Editing by Richard Lough and Elizabeth Fullerton)

WELCOME TO MACTV VIDEO/LIVESTREAMING FEED

AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT INVADES AFRICA, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By William Reed, for Business Exchange

Saying that "It's time for Gadhafi to go," President Barack Obama joined a coalition of colonialist countries to invade Africa. Ignoring protests from leaders of the African Union, Obama partnered with NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) league of neo-colonialists to “get Gadhafi”.

Black Americans would do well not to drink from the same cup of Kool Aid as has Obama. We should be aware that Western media’s characterizations of Gadhafi as “crazy” and “a brutal dictator” deserve due scrutiny. Mainstream media in NATO countries have played a major role in demonization of Gadhafi to get the acceptance across the world these imperialists’ intervention in a civil matter.

Black Americans would do well to not to drink from the same cup of Kool Aid as Obama; who ignoring the call of the African Union, joined with old colonialist powers to "get Gadhafi”. The West’s mainstream media is enjoined in telling the same ole story: that Gadhafi “is crazy”, “a brutal dictator”, that “this is not about oil” and that “we will be in and out quickly”. The corporate media has played a superb role piling on in the demonization of Gadhafi toward getting the world’s outright acceptance of the imperialists’ intervention in an internal and civil matter.

Cleveland Congressman Dennis Kucinich said Obama has committed “an impeachable offense”. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan said Obama should have a meeting with Gadhafi and that “you can’t order him to step down and get out, who the hell you think you are?”

Obama failed to notice the African Union’s caution that “Libya’s territorial integrity should be respected” and that “outsiders have armed Libya’s rebels to get access to the country’s oil”. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe called Libya “an African issue that should get its solutions from Africans and not from Europe and America” Mugabe was joined by South African President Jacob Zuma in saying that “the arming of the rebels in Libya by the Americans and other foreign western powers is a direct attack on African sovereignty and a clear demonstration of foreign interference”.


Where Libya’s revolts fuelled by economic issues as the media would have us believe? Black Americans are as foolish as Obama if they try to perceive what is happening in Libya within a Eurocentric perspective. Libya's system and the battle now taking place are outside of Westerners’ imagination. Libya’s young people are well dressed, fed and educated. Libyans earn more per capita than the British. Libya's wealth has been fairly spread throughout society. Every Libyan gets free, and often excellent, education, medical and health services. New colleges and hospitals are impressive by any international standard. All Libyans have a house or a flat, a car and most have televisions, video recorders and telephones.

Gadhafi has been target of aggression from the West since the 1980s. News coverage by Western media is oversimplified, misleading and stacked toward getting rid of Gadhafi. An array of anti-Gadhafi spokespersons, most living outside Libya, has been paraded in front of us. The media and their selected commentators have done their best to manufacture an opinion that Gadhafi is just another tyrant amassing large sums of money in Swiss bank accounts. In contrast to Western depictions, Libya utilized revenue from its oil to develop the country and its people. Instead of letting people know that Libya has one of the world’s highest standards of living, Western media and Obama will lead you to believe “we need to go save them”.

Before they endorse this move by Obama “to save the world” through military might, Blacks should ask themselves: “Which country has the bloodiest history of genocide, slavery, invasions, coups, installing and backing brutal regimes, bombings, massacres and mass destruction, including the use of nuclear weapons? Which government imprisons its own people, in particular its minorities, at the highest rate in the world? Do we want to continue these practices? America’s first Black President is proving himself “one of the boys” when it comes to participating in, and being a part of, imperialists’ interventions.

(William Reed is available for speaking/seminar projects via BaileyGroup.org)

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

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• 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.

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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.

Professional Militaries Don’t Function as Agents----U.S Envoy, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By Williams Ekanem, MACTV NEWS
Director, Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, Ambassador William Bellamy says modern professional militaries cannot function as agents of a ruler, or a ruling family or ruling elite.

In a welcome address to participants at the 2011 Next Generation of Africa Security Sector Leaders course held in Arlington, Virginia, USA, the retired Ambassador said, “militaries do not serve families, or clans, or tribes or factions.

They do not even serve governments, they serve the nation in its broadest sense. They serve and protect the public. And for militaries to play this role, they must do within a legal and constitutional framework that has broad legitimacy.”

Describing the timing of this year’s course as very appropriate, the Centre Director made a direct reference to the political crisis in North Africa saying that, “across Africa, and indeed through areas adjacent to Africa, we are today witnessing historic events.

An upheaval that began with a single individual that began with a single individual’s protest against injustice, a small act magnified many times over by the power of modern social media, is still unfolding.”

According to him, “citizens have claimed their rights, long serving political leaders have been expelled from office. Existing political orders have been challenged, shaken to their foundations and uncertainty reigns as to what will replace them.”
Bellamy added that, “but even now, it should be clear to us that in moments of crises such as those we are witnessing, certain basic rules regarding appropriate military conduct must apply,” one of which is that professional militaries cannot function as agents.

In the keynote address to the course attendants, Chief Human Resources, South African National Defence Force, Lt. General Derick Mgwebi told the African military officers that Africa was their home and that they needed to cherish their home by transforming their societies for the better.

He said, “for us as military leaders, we must focus firstly on driving the process of professionalizing our own armed forces, re-modeling and re-positioning our armed forces to be aligned with the principles and demands of democratic societies.”

Conducted in English, French and Portuguese, the four week program was attended by mostly majors and lieutenant colonels representing 25 African nations.

IFC Village Phone Program Empowers Women in Africa Washington, Posted by Meosha Eaton

IFC Village Phone Program Empowers Women in Africa Washington, D.C.,
March 8, 2011

The International Fianance Corporation IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, announced today that its Village Phone program has helped provide credit to nearly 6,000 women and trained close to 10,000 to set up phone service businesses in Madagascar, Malawi, and Nigeria, increasing the economic participation of women in some of Africa’s most rural communities. On the centennial of International Women’s Day, Cherie Blair, Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, participated as special guest speaker at a ceremony at IFC’s headquarters, where the program received the Annual IFC CEO Gender Award for outstanding achievement in promoting women in business.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from governments, women’s organizations, and the media. “IFC is doing a remarkable job by increasing access to finance for women entrepreneurs, reducing gender-based barriers in the investment climate, and improving sustainability in the private sector,” said Blair. IFC's Village Phone Program links large telecom operators with African entrepreneurs who sell airtime on the companies' networks to people in their local communities.

The relationship brings rural villagers access to telephone services, local entrepreneurs the means to build an income-generating business, and participating telecoms companies a way to expand their reach. IFC launched the program in Nigeria in 2007, and expanded it to Madagascar and Malawi the following year. “The IFC CEO Gender Award was created four years ago to underscore the priority IFC places on creating opportunities for women in its pursuit of sustainable development.

Village Phone’s success reaching women entrepreneurs illustrates the central role that women play in promoting sustainable economic growth,” said Lars Thunell, IFC Executive Vice President and CEO. Extending benefits of mobile phone ownership to more women can advance a host of social and economic goals, according to a report by the Cherie Blair Foundation and the GSMA, which represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry.

Women & Mobile: A Global Opportunity, found that bringing mobile-phone penetration among women on par with penetration among men could enable mobile operators globally to collectively earn $13 billion additional revenue a year. IFC recognizes that sustainable economic growth is not possible without full participation of women. Since 2006, IFC has partnered with 14 financial institutions to increase access to finance for women entrepreneurs. It has helped increase capital for over 2,000 women entrepreneurs, trained over 2,500 women in business skills, and facilitated over 6,000 women to open new accounts with financial institutions. IFC has also helped enact reforms to support women's participation in the private sector in more than a dozen countries.

About IFC IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in developing countries. We create opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives. We do so by providing financing to help businesses employ more people and supply essential services, by mobilizing capital from others, and by delivering advisory services to ensure sustainable development. In a time of global economic uncertainty, our new investments climbed to a record $18 billion in fiscal 2010.

About The Cherie Blair Foundation The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women helps women entrepreneurs to build businesses by offering access to technology, networks, finance and business development support. Programs are in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, where there is potential for women in business to become self-sustaining in the longer term. By supporting women entrepreneurs, the foundation not only helps the women themselves to improve their quality of life, but also their families, communities and economies who benefit from their success.

Soccer-African Champions League results, Posted by Meosha Eaton

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 28 (Reuters) - African Champions League first round, second leg results:

Played on Sunday: AS V Club (DR Congo) 3 Ocean View (Zanzibar) 0
First leg: 1-1. AS V Club won 4-1 on aggregate Aduana Stars (Ghana) 1 Wydad Casablanca (Morocco) 0

First leg: 0-3. Wydad Casablanca won 3-1 on aggregate Jeunesse Club Abidjan (Ivory Coast) 3 ASFAN (Niger) 0

First leg: 0-0. Jeunesse Club Abidjan won 3-0 on aggregate Zamalek (Egypt) 1 Ulinzi (Kenya) 0

First leg: 4-0. Zamalek won 5-0 on aggregate
Played on Saturday: ASC SNIM (Mauritania) 0 ASEC Abidjan (Ivory Coast) 2

First leg: 0-7. ASEC Abidjan won 9-0 on aggregate
Played on Feb 13 St George (Ethiopia) 1 Recreativo Caala (Angola) 0

First leg: 0-2. Recreativo Caala won 2-1 on aggregate Matlama (Lesotho) 2 SuperSport United (South Africa) 1

First leg: 0-2. SuperSport United won 3-2 on aggregate Cnaps Sport (Madagascar) 0 Motor Action (Zimbabwe) 1

First leg: 1-0. Motor Action won 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate draw. Enyimba (Nigeria) 2 Saint Michel Ouenze (Congo) 0

First leg: 1-0; Enyimba won 3-0 on aggregate St Michel United (Seychelles) 2 Young Buffaloes (Swaziland) 1

First leg: 0-3. Young Buffaloes won 4-2 on aggregate
Played on Feb 12: ASFA Yennega (Burkina Faso) 3 Fello Stars Labe (Guinea) 0

First leg: 1-1. ASFA Yennega won 4-1 on aggregate Deportivo Mongomo (Equatorial Guinea) 1 ASPAC FC (Benin) 1

First leg: 0-1. ASPAC won 2-1 on aggregate Ports Authority (Gambia) 0 Diaraf Dakar (Senegal) 2

First leg: 1-1. Diaraf Dakar won 3-1 on aggregate Desportivo Muculmana (Mozambique) 2 Zesco United (Zambia) 1

First leg: 0-3. Zesco United won 4-2 on aggregate Kano Pillars (Nigeria) 1 Mighty Barolle (Liberia) 0

First leg: 1-2. Kano Pillars won on the away goals rule after a 2-2 aggregate draw Simba SC (Tanzania) 4 Mitsoudje (Comoros Islands) 2

First leg: 0-0. Simba SC won 4-2 on aggregate
Played on Feb 11: Mouloudia Alger (Algeria) 2 Real Bangui (Central African Republic) 0

First leg: 1-1. Mouloudia Alger won 3-1 on aggregate InterClube (Angola) walkover v Township Rollers (Botswana) withdrew Raja Casablanca (Morocco) walkover v Tourbillon (Chad) withdrew after losing first leg 10-1. Club Africain (Tunisia) v APR FC (Rwanda) postponed to March 4.

First leg: 2-2 Astres Douala (Cameroon) v US Bitam (Gabon) postponed to March 5.

First leg: 0-0 Coton Sport (Cameroon) v Vital'O (Burundi) postponed to March 5.

First leg: 2-2 Djoliba (Mali) v East End Lions (Sierra Leone) postponed to March 6.

First leg: 2-0 (Compiled by Mark Gleeson; Editing by James Illingworth)

Africans fleeing Libya say they were attacked, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Africans accused of being mercenaries
* Evacuees robbed of phones and belongings
* Libya a stepping stone on migrants' route to Europe

(Adds quotes from Nigerian evacuees, background)

By Wangui Kanina and Abraham Archiga


NAIROBI/ABUJA, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Kenyans and Nigerians fleeing unrest in Libya said on Monday they faced attacks and hostility from Libyan citizens and officials who branded them as mercenaries supporting Muammar Gaddafi's rule. A Kenya Airways flight landed in Nairobi with 90 Kenyans on board, and 64 other people from South Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Burundi, officials said.

Nigeria said it had flown 1,035 of its citizens back to the capital Abuja on two chartered flights on Sunday, with about 1,000 more to follow in the coming days. "We were being attacked by local people who said that we were mercenaries killing people. Let me say that they did not want to see black people," Julius Kiluu, a 60-year-old building supervisor who arrived back in Nairobi, told Reuters. "Our camp was burnt down, and we were assisted by the Kenyan embassy and our company to get to the airport."

Libya's former ambassador to India, Ali-al-Essawi, told Reuters last week African mercenaries were being used by Libya to crush protests, prompting some army troops to switch sides to the opposition. Another Kenyan worker said government officials were confiscating mobile phones, tearing open bags and throwing their contents on to piles at the packed airport in Tripoli.

"When they saw a black person, they immediately saw a mercenary, and if you dared use your telephone in public, it was grabbed and the SIM card removed. If your telephone was cheap you got it back, but if it was expensive it was pocketed," said Kenyan worker Francis Ndung'u. Nigerians arriving in Abuja told similar tales. "We are all slaves in the hands of the government over there," said one returnee, James Ugochuku. "Nigerians are hiding inside the bush. They don't eat, they die because if they come out, they kill them."


MIGRANT ROUTE
Libya is a stepping stone on one of the oldest and most dangerous migration and smuggling routes to Europe. Thousands of people from countries including Senegal, Mali, Ghana and Nigeria have tried in recent years to cross the desert in the hope of reaching Italy or Spain's southern shores, a perilous journey of about 40 days by truck from Agadez in northern Niger to Sabha in southern Libya.

Besides being a gateway to Europe, the north African country offers higher wages for low-skilled work and higher prices for tobacco smuggled through Benin or Nigeria, and there is still a thriving black market trade along its ancient desert routes. The Nigerian authorities suspect some of the returnees may have travelled illegally, and NEMA has set up a camp in Abuja where they will be accommodated and screened for valid travel documents before being discharged.

Muhammad Sani-Sidi, head of Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, told Reuters it was a voluntary evacuation and the 2,000 were Nigerians who had registered a desire to leave with their embassy in Tripoli. He estimated there were 10,000 Nigerians in Libya. Antony Mwaniki, Kenya's ambassador to Libya, was among those on the flight to Nairobi.

"The situation in Tripoli right now is calm ... but it would be difficult to know what will happen today, tomorrow or in a few days' time, so it was paramount and critical that we leave," he told reporters at Nairobi airport. Many Kenyans said they would return to Libya if it stabilised because they were earning good money in the North African country's construction sector.
"If there is peace tomorrow I will go back, there are no jobs here and I was making a good salary," Kiluu said.

(Editing by David Clarke and Nick Tattersall)