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United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office


25 March 2010

USAFRICOM ­ related news stories

T O P N E WS R E L A T E D T O U.S. A F R I C A C O M M A N D A N D A F R I C A

'You Are Making Your Country Proud of the Army' (Daily Observer)
General William E. ‘Kip’ Ward, Commander, United States (US) Africa Command
(AFRICOM) says the American government is proud of the re­vetted personnel of the
Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL).

AFRICOM to sharpen skills of military (Joy Online)


The First United States – Africa Command Inspector General (IG) outreach conference
opened at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) with
the aim to help African military leaders champion standards, performance and also
illustrate how the work of the IG system contributes to the fight against crime and
corruption.

U.S. Military Contractors Move into Africa (AllGov)


AFRICOM has no U.S. Army divisions or Marine Corps battalions supporting it.
Instead, the U.S. is relying on private military contractors (PMCs) to provide logistical
help and military training to African armies.

Sudan elections put U.N., U.S. in an awkward spot (Foreign Policy)


Sudanese President Omar Hassan al­Bashir, the first sitting head of state the court has
charged with war crimes, may have his rule legitimized through a U.N.­backed election.

UN mission in DR Congo vows continued support for army (Xinhua)


KINSHASA, DRC ­ The special representative of the UN secretary general in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Alan Doss, confirmed on Tuesday in
Kinshasa about the continued support from the UN mission in DR Congo (MONUC) for
the country's armed forces (FARDC).

Commercial ship strikes back in deadly shootout with Somali pirates (Christian
Science Monitor)
JOHANNESURG, South Africa ­ Private security guards protecting a commercial ship
shot dead a Somali pirate Tuesday, the first recorded incident of its kind.
Southerners Short­Changed By MCA (Namibian)
Namibians living south of Windhoek will only benefit from the Millennium Challenge
Account (MCA) in as much as it will boost the marketing of indigenous products like
the Hoodia and Devil's Claw plants and wild silk produced in the Kalahari Desert.

Rights group: Ethiopia cracks down before May vote (Associated Press)
NAIROBI, Kenya — Ethiopia's government is waging a coordinated attack on rights
activists, journalists and political opponents ahead of the country's national elections in
May, a leading human rights group said Wednesday.

Food Shortages Could Affect Millions in Niger (Voice of America)


The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is appealing for
nearly $1 million to mitigate the effects of last year's bad harvest in Niger.

Airlines Swoop In on Growing African Market (Wall Street Journal)


Airlines world­wide have been slashing flights to match dropping demand amid the
economic crisis, but one unlikely region is bucking the trend: Africa.

UN News Service Africa Briefs


Full Articles on UN Website
Gorillas could disappear from Central Africa in 15 years, UN agency warns
UN paves way for normalizing life in isolated area of eastern DR Congo
UN agency joins forces with Sony to halt spread of HIV and AIDS
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UP C O M I N G E V E N TS O F I N T E R EST :

WHERE/WHEN: Thursday, March 25, 2:00 p.m. Washington, D.C.


WHAT: Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing on “The FY2011 War
Supplemental Request.”
WHO: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
More info: http://appropriations.senate.gov

WHERE/WHEN: Thursday, March 25, 3:30 p.m.


WHAT: Washington DC Foreign Press Center (WFPC) On­The­Record
Briefing "Asia­Pacific U.S. Military Overview."
Who: Admiral Robert Willard, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command
Info: http://fpc.state.gov/events/124193.htm

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, March 26; 1:30 p.m.; Washington, D.C.


WHAT: Woodrow Wilson Center: Peacebuilding Forum on "Civil Society and the
U.S. Government in Conflict­Affected Regions: Building Better Relationships
WHO: Steve McDonald or the Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity at
WWC; Lisa Schirch of the 3D Security Initiative at Eastern Mennonite University; Neil
Levine of the U.S. Agency for International Development; Chic Dambach of the Alliance
for Peacebuilding; Peter Van Tuijl of the Global Partnership for Prevention of Armed
Conflict; and Dayne Brown of CDA Collaborative Learning Projects.
More info:
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.event_summary&event_id
=603032http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.event_summary&
event_id=603032
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FUL L ARTIC L E T E X T

'You Are Making Your Country Proud of the Army' (Daily Observer)
General William E. ‘Kip’ Ward, Commander, United States (US) Africa Command
(AFRICOM) says the American government is proud of the re­vetted personnel of the
Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL).

“Look, all the reports that we are getting in respect to your professional training are
actually fantastic as the reports suggest that you are progressing in your daily routine of
exercises,” Gen. Ward told the 23rd Infantry Brigade of the AFL at Barclay Training
Center (BTC) in Monrovia.

The General made the remarks yesterday, March, 24, 2010 when he and the United
States Ambassador to Liberia, Madam Linda Thomas­Greenfield paid a courtesy call on
the Minister of National Defense, Brownie J. Samukai at the Defense Headquarters at
BTC.

According to Gen. Ward, the contents of the reports gathered by his office on the
training provided the AFL, the men and women in arms were making Liberia proud of
the new Army.

“As your Commanding Officer and all those in charge of the training have told me, you
are continuing to progress by sacrificing at a great risk. By that, you are making your
country and your fellow citizens proud of you,” Gen. Ward told the 23rd Infantry
Brigade yesterday at the BTC as the soldiers listened attentively.

In his charge to the soldiers, Gen. Ward admonished them to continue their
performances in a professional way and manner so that the ordinary person will know
that they are in the army to protect them and care for them and that they have their
interest at heart.

“I am proud of you and I am happy to be here to see you. Continue the good work.
Continue to make yourselves better and also your leaders and commanders as we too
are happy to see you and identify with you,” Gen. Ward told the soldiers, as they all
shouted, “Yes sir.”
On the partnership with Liberia, Gen. Ward spoke of working closely with the ALF, the
rehabilitation of the Coast Guard Base and to further provide additional training to the
personnel, among other things.

Africa Partnership Station (APS) is a U.S. Navy­led program aimed at strengthening


emerging partnership in West and Central Africa to increase regional and maritime
safety and security.

The US Africa Command is one of six unified geographical commands within the
Department of Defense’s unified command structure.

Gen. Ward became the first commander of the US Africa Command in Stuttgart,
Germany, on October 1, 2007. He was commissioned into the Infantry in June 1971. His
military education includes Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, US Army
Command and General Staff College, and US Army War College.

Earlier, as part of the ceremony, following a brief welcoming statement by Defense


Minister Samukai, who expressed gratitude to the US government for the partnership,
the two officials exchange gifts.

0Copyright Liberian Observer ­ All Rights Reserved. This article cannot be re­published
without the expressed, written consent of the Liberian Observer. Please contact us for
more information or to request publishing permission.
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AFRICOM to sharpen skills of military (Joy Online)
The First United States – Africa Command Inspector General (IG) outreach conference
opened at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) with
the aim to help African military leaders champion standards, performance and also
illustrate how the work of the IG system contributes to the fight against crime and
corruption.

The conference, which ends on Thursday, would provide a platform to discuss IG’s
missions, principles, organizational structures, operations, challenges and best practices
of the system in the various countries.

Col. Ron Baldinger of the US Air Force explained the IG system as a military
commander’s tool to instill, maintain accountability as well as professionalism.

He said it allowed the military commanders to also ensure soldiers and their families
got a venue for exposing violations coupled with wrongdoing when all other avenues
had failed.
“The IG is the means by which a commander can monitor forces for compliance with
established standards and policies”, he said.

Facilitators of the three­day conference were drawn from both the military and
government agencies in the US, France, Sierra Leone along with members of the African
Parliamentarians’ Network Against Corruption (APNAC) to share their IG experience
with over 23 countries represented.

Col. Baldinger hopes that after the conference on Thursday, the participants would take
away with them, the general knowledge and best practices of the IG systems.

In his remarks, the Commandant of the KAIPTC, Air Vice Marshal Christian Edem
Dovlo urged all participants to exchange ideas with both the facilitators and their fellow
members.

He linked some of the KAIPTC’s core principles and values to the IG, mentioning
professionalism, excellence, honesty, integrity and accountability. Its other functions
include the creation of platforms for sharing experience between “our armed forces and
other regional and international bodies and we believe that this IG conference will go a
long way in satisfying these”, he emphasized.
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U.S. Military Contractors Move into Africa (AllGov)

With the establishment of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) in 2007, the
U.S. government decided to make security a key foreign policy objective for a continent
that has long been plagued by civil war and other conflicts. But AFRICOM has no U.S.
Army divisions or Marine Corps battalions supporting it. Instead, the U.S. is relying on
private military contractors (PMCs) to provide logistical help and military training to
African armies.

The State Department is reportedly spending nearly $100 million a year on PMCs to
train local forces through its African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance
program. One of the companies hired is DynCorp International, which has performed
work for the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan. DynCorp could be paid as much as $20
million over two years for work in Liberia alone, providing operations and maintenance
support at Edward B. Kesselly Barracks and Camp Ware.

A previous contract awarded to DynCorp was for recruiting and training Liberia’s
infantry. Other companies hired to work in the country include PAE Government
Services (a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin) and Protection Strategies Inc., with each
receiving contracts valued at $375 million.
Former Halliburton subsidiary KBR Inc. was contracted to support three military bases
in Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia used by the U.S. Combined Joint Task Force­Horn of
Africa.

Northrop Grumman was awarded a $75 million deal to train 40,000 African
peacekeepers over five years.

And MPRI, a division of L­3 Communications, has been paid by the State Department
to train militaries in Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda and
Senegal. The company also provided assistance to South Africa’s military.
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Sudan elections put U.N., U.S. in an awkward spot (Foreign Policy)

As Sudan's key political leaders vowed today to press ahead with the country's first
competitive elections in 24 years, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court reminded the world how politically awkward the April 11­13 vote could prove:
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al­Bashir, the first sitting head of state the court has
charged with war crimes, may have his rule legitimized through a U.N.­backed election.

Luis Moreno­Ocampo, the court's Argentine prosecutor, described the spectacle of


international election observers traveling to Sudan to monitor the vote, and prodded
states to focus on arresting Bashir and send him to The Hague to stand trial. "It's like
monitoring a Hitler election," Moreno­Ocampo said, according to Reuters.

The run­up to the landmark national and local elections in Sudan has been marred in
recent weeks by reports of a political crackdowns on government opposition figures
and logistical problems that raise questions about Sudan's ability to distribute ballots to
eligible voters. Last week, the Carter Center, the Atlanta­based NGO headed by former
U.S. President Jimmy Carter, proposed the Sudanese National Election Commission
approve a "minor" delay in the vote to ensure that polling stations can be set up in
remote communities. The commission rejected the request.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement this week accusing Sudanese authorities of
detaining activists, breaking up public gatherings, and preventing opposition parties
access to the media. In Darfur, election officials and candidates have been prevented by
conflict and banditry from reaching potential voters. In the southern Sudan, Human
Rights Watch documented several incidents of arbitrary arrest, intimidation and torture
of members of political parties opposed to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement
(SPLM), a former rebel group that is now southern Sudan's ruling party."Conditions in
Sudan are not yet conducive for a free, fair, and credible election," said Georgette
Gagnon, Africa Director for Human Rights Watch. "Unless there's a dramatic
improvement in the situation it is unlikely that the Sudanese people will be able to vote
freely for leaders of their choice."
Bashir threatened today to expel those foreign election observers calling to delay the
elections, a move that reflected the Sudanese leader's growing exasperation with critics
of the April vote. Bashir said the government "will cut off their fingers and put them
under our shoes."

Sudan's election is part of a carefully choreographed political process that has its roots
in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended the Islamic
government's 22­year civil war with the SPLM. But no one expected that the ruling
party's candidate would be the target of an international arrest warrant.

The accord calls for national and local elections in 2010, to be followed by a 2011
referendum in southern Sudan to decide whether the south will secede from Sudan.
Bashir's ruling National Congress Party, which sees elections as a means to legitimize
its rule, opposes any calls for delay. The SPLM also opposes a delay in voting out of
concerns that it would lead to a postponement of the independence referendum it
favors.

The preparations for an election involving Bashir have placed the United States, which
brokered the Sudanese peace accord, congressional leaders, who support the election,
and the United Nations, which is helping to organize the vote, in a tough spot.

"Many Sudanese are hopeful that the upcoming elections will lead to the transformation
of Sudan into a more inclusive and democratic country," Rep. Donald M. Payne (D­NJ),
told Turtle Bay. "Yet, many others question the legitimacy and credibility of an election
when an indicted criminal like Bashir running for president."

The United Nations has mounted a public relations campaign aimed at assuring
outsiders that even a flawed election in the African country may be worth having. U.N.
officials assembled a group of reporters in New York last week to highlight the historic
nature of Sudan's upcoming vote, the country's first in 24 years, and noted that it enjoys
broad Sudanese support. "We shouldn't look at this as a negative; we should look at this
as a positive," said a senior U.N. official.

Ibrahim Gambari, the special representative of the U.N.­African Union peacekeeping


mission in Darfur, said that while the election may take place in an "imperfect
environment" it would alter Sudan's political landscape for the better.

"The security will be pretty good, if our experience in the registration period was
anything to go by," he told the Associated Press after attending an international
fundraising conference for Darfur in Cairo.
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UN mission in DR Congo vows continued support for army (Xinhua)
KINSHASA, DRC ­ The special representative of the UN secretary general in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Alan Doss, confirmed on Tuesday in
Kinshasa about the continued support from the UN mission in DR Congo (MONUC) for
the country's armed forces (FARDC).

Doss made these remarks during a meeting with Congolese National Defense Minister
Charles Mwando Nsumba.

The two officials discussed the reforms of DR Congo's security system.

Doss hailed the draft bill on military reforms that is under discussion in the Congolese
parliament.

"This a testimony to the desire by the Congolese government to have a genuinely


republican army that is at the service of the nation," the MONUC head affirmed.

Doss also praised the great progress in FARDC­MONUC operations in the east of DR
Congo in joints efforts to restore peace in the restive provinces of Kivu and Orientale.
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Commercial ship strikes back in deadly shootout with Somali pirates (Christian
Science Monitor)

JOHANNESURG, South Africa ­ Private security guards protecting a commercial ship


shot dead a Somali pirate Tuesday, the first recorded incident of its kind.

Who are Somalia's pirates? Are Somalia's pirates linked to Al Qaeda? Blog: Top 5
blunders of Somali pirates Somali pirates mistakenly attack Dutch warship. Oops.
Battling Somali pirates: Maritime businesses weigh in Somalia – All coverage The pirate
attack on the Panamanian­flagged MV Almezaan occurred off the coast of Somalia, and
comes at a time when increasing numbers of commercial ships are hiring private armed
security units to protect them during their passage through the Indian Ocean to the Red
Sea. While US and French Navy crews have killed Somali pirates before during hostage
rescues on the high seas, today's shooting shows that the Somali piracy problem is
potentially growing more violent.

“This could be the beginning of a violent period,” says E.J. Hogendoorn, head of the
Horn of Africa program at the International Crisis Group’s office in Nairobi. “If [the
pirates] see guys with shiny barrels pointing at them, they might fire first.”

The waters off Somalia are among the most dangerous sea lanes in the world, but
Somali pirates have begun venturing far afield – to the Seychelles Islands and the
waters of India – as a 20­ship combined force of European Union and United States
Navy ships patrol the Somali coast. For every pirate attack that is repelled, and every
pirate crew arrested and pirate ship destroyed, there are estimated to be hundreds more
that continue to operate freely.

Somalia has had a piracy problem almost from the day that its last functioning
government, that of President Siad Barre, was overthrown in 1991, beginning two
decades of near anarchy. The inability of Somali authorities to control their own
territory, including fishing seaport towns, gives criminal syndicates a haven to launch
attacks on shipping lanes and to hold captured ships hostage for months. Ransoms for
large cargo vessels can range up to $4 million, a tidy profit for what is essentially the
investment of a Somali small entrepreneur.

Pirates want to kidnap, not kill

European Union Navy ships received a distress call from the MV Almezaan on
Tuesday, and responded quickly. On arrival, the Spanish­flagged naval vessel ESPS
Navarra found and captured one pirate mother­ship and two small skiffs that were
apparently used during the attack on the Almezaan. Six suspected pirates were
arrested. Bullet holes were found in one of the skiffs, along with the body of an
apparent pirate. The private security company aboard the Almezaan, armed with small
arms, was greatly outgunned by the pirates, who were discovered with AK­47s and
rocket­propelled grenade launchers.

“Piracy itself is violent,” says J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa Project at the National
Committee on American Foreign Policy in New York City. “They are firing guns, and
they are not missing intentionally. They’re just bad shots.”

Unlike pirates in the Strait of Malacca, who often kill the shipping crews and offload the
goods at any number of container ports in Malaysia or Indonesia, the pirates of Somalia
don’t have the option of taking ships for the goods aboard. That’s because there are no
ports in Somalia – other than the government­controlled ports of Berbera and
Mogadishu – where pirates can offload large shipping containers. So the only thing of
value to the Somali pirates are the crews and the ships themselves.

“The pirates don’t have an incentive to have dead sailors on their hands,” says Mr.
Pham, the piracy expert. “The only thing they have of value is the crew, to kidnap for
ransom, and the ship itself. If the crew is dead, they lose.”
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Southerners Short­Changed By MCA (Namibian)

Namibians living south of Windhoek will only benefit from the Millennium Challenge
Account (MCA) in as much as it will boost the marketing of indigenous products like
the Hoodia and Devil's Claw plants and wild silk produced in the Kalahari Desert.
The MCA will also provide textbooks for schoolchildren in all 13 regions.

According to documents available on the MCA website, not a single school south of
Windhoek will be upgraded as part of the project.

Most of the 47 schools to undergo upgrading and improvements are in the four north­
central regions and a few in the Kavango Region.

No school improvement under the MCA will take place in the Kunene or the Caprivi
regions either.

The Namibian office of the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) started a


workshop on communal land management for the northern areas with a German
agency and the Polytechnic yesterday.

It is part of an estimated N$65 million contract for the systematic identification of about
15 000 de facto land holdings and illegally fenced­in areas which, in terms of the
Communal Land Reform Act, require applications for verification and registration.

This will concentrate on the northern communal areas (NCAs).

Major emphasis will be placed on identifying all land parcels above 20 hectares that
have been enclosed with a fence. Communal land boards (CLBs) will receive assistance
to adjudicate on the validity of these in their respective areas.

The provision of technical assistance and other resources to the six northern regional
CLBs, the 15 recognised Traditional Authorities in the NCAs, village headmen and
chiefs to support their capacity to adjudicate, allocate and administer formal land rights
in the NCAs and to resolve conflicts that may arise.

This will include a communications campaign, training, material support and the
development and implementation of detailed operating systems and procedures for the
CLBs to enhance their land administration functions in respect to the award of
leaseholds for tourism and grazing rights.

MCC­Namibia will provide resources to the communal land boards to support


accelerated verification of leasehold applications and customary rights over land
parcels larger than 20 hectares, including a public review process with the participation
of the public, village headmen, chiefs, Traditional Authorities and CLBs.
All in all US$21,6 million (about N$165 million) has been allocated to this communal
land support programme of the MCC, which in total will disburse around N$3,2 billion
until 2014 in the fields of agriculture, tourism and education.

Officials expect that public education and outreach components will increase awareness
among the general population regarding their rights under the Communal Land
Reform Act.

This includes rights of the poor to obtain access to land, use the commonage for grazing
purposes, and have a role in land allocation decisions by local authorities and the land
boards.

The support is supposed to put in place more transparent procedures for allocation of
land rights, and will help stop the illegal capture of common areas on which the poor
depend on for grazing.

Each of the six northern communal land boards will receive staff, vehicles, computers
and other equipment to carry out their tasks and to hold monthly meetings.

Government has provided the land boards in the NCAs with financial and other
resources to keep a minimum of two staff members per land board.

The German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the Polytechnic of Namibia,
which has an integrated land management department, won the contract to carry out
the land tenure verification and certification process.
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Rights group: Ethiopia cracks down before May vote (Associated Press)

NAIROBI, Kenya — Ethiopia's government is waging a coordinated attack on rights


activists, journalists and political opponents ahead of the country's national elections in
May, a leading human rights group said Wednesday.

Some radio broadcasts from the Voice of America were jammed by the government
earlier this month, and the country's most prominent independent newspaper was shut
down late last year, said New York­based Human Rights Watch, which presented its
report in neighboring Kenya. Journalists and activists have fled the country recently
because of government repression, the report said.

"The ruling party and the state are becoming one, and the government is using the full
weight of its power to eliminate opposition and intimidate people into silence," said
Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

Attempts to reach Ethiopian officials for comment were not successful.


Since country's last general elections in 2005, the ruling party, the Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front, has systematically punished opposition supporters,
Human Rights Watch said. Today, it is punishing critical voices and putting pressure on
all state employees, especially teachers, to join the ruling party.

The U.S. State Department said in a report this month that prior to local elections in
April 2008, ruling party members and supporters used "coercive tactics and
manipulation of the electoral process, including intimidation of opposition candidates
and supporters."

After winning the local elections, the ruling party consolidated its control over villages
and district administrations and ruled with an iron grip, the report said. Following
those elections, residents in districts visited by Human Rights Watch reported that
government officials and militia members monitored households for signs of dissent.

Local administrations withheld government services as a way of punishing those who


criticized the government or did not support the ruling party, it said.

"Ethiopians are unable to speak freely, organize political activities, and challenge their
government's policies — whether through peaceful protest, voting, or publishing their
views — without fear of reprisal," said the report.

Human Rights Watch said the U.S., UK, EU and the World Bank — the country's
principal donors — have been timid in their criticism of Ethiopia's deteriorating human
rights situation.

Ethiopia considers itself a close ally of the U.S., and consulted with American officials
before sending troops into neighboring Somalia in 2006.

But the landlocked Horn of Africa nation has a long history of human rights abuses and
flawed elections. Government security forces killed 193 civilians protesting alleged
fraud in the 2005 general elections, which the EU said were flawed.
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Food Shortages Could Affect Millions in Niger (Voice of America)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is appealing for
nearly $1 million to mitigate the effects of last year's bad harvest in Niger. An
assessment conducted by the Niger government finds more than half of the country's 15
million people are facing food shortages due to irregular and poor rainfalls.

The International Red Cross Federation says Niger is expected to face a serious food
security emergency this year.
It reports more than two million people, comprising half of the rural households in
Niger, have finished their grain reserves. And, it says five million more people will
soon deplete their food stocks.

In a telephone interview from Dakar, Senegal, Red Cross Communications Manager for
West and Central Africa, Noora Kero, tells VOA malnutrition is growing.

She says the number of malnourished children being admitted to feeding centers was 60
percent greater in January 2010 than at the same time the previous year.

"It seems that people are already using coping mechanisms, such as reducing the size
and the daily number of meals or moving on for days without a meal. Begging has
intensified and some people have gone into debt in order to buy food," said Kero. "So,
the fear is that if really it deteriorates and people start migrating to towns to look for
work or they will sell their community assets. It looks like if nothing will be done, the
situation will be extremely difficult by June and it is already now very alarming."

Kero says the peak of the food shortage is expected in June. She says more must be
done to prop up community resilience and to support community coping mechanisms.

The Red Cross says money from the appeal will be used to assist 300,000 people in 120
villages in Diffa, Zinder and Tahoua Regions. It says it has a three­pronged plan of
action.

The first is to provide money to vulnerable people in exchange for work to improve the
environment. This, it is hoped will increase agricultural production.

Under the other aspects of the program, the Red Cross says food and seeds will be
distributed and health centers will provide nutritional services to affected communities.
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Airlines Swoop In on Growing African Market (Wall Street Journal)

Airlines world­wide have been slashing flights to match dropping demand amid the
economic crisis, but one unlikely region is bucking the trend: Africa.

Long the aviation industry's forgotten continent, Africa has recently posted a significant
increase in the list of destinations served by foreign and local carriers. Routes are
traveled more frequently, and the number of nonstop overseas connections is rising.

The growth comes off a low base—Africa accounts for less than 5% of global air
traffic—but that is part of the appeal.
Africa offers carriers an underserved market where tickets sell at significantly higher
fares than for routes of comparable distance elsewhere. Activity is rising even though
routine tasks, such as tanking up on drinkable water, can be challenging. That makes
operations expensive, particularly in countries between the Sahara Desert and South
Africa. Most passenger facilities are rudimentary, many regions need modern air­traffic
control, aviation safety regulators lack resources and airport security poses big
concerns.

Delta Air Lines Inc. was forced to delay scheduled route launches last year in part
because the U.S. Transport Security Administration withheld certification of some
African airports. But Delta, which was the first big U.S. carrier to serve Africa after
more than 15 years when it launched flights to Senegal and South Africa in late 2006,
still wants to add four destinations this summer that were slated for opening in 2009.

Getting Connected

Airlines world­wide, while slashing flights globally amid falling demand, are adding
flights to previously underserved African destinations. See full graphic.

"We're going to continue to invest in Africa," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta executive
vice president for network planning. "It's more expensive to operate, but you do get
more for it."

Traffic is being stoked by a combination of foreign business passengers chasing the


continent's resources, local entrepreneurs doing business abroad, and a steady flow of
Africans shuttling to and from numerous ethnic communities abroad.

The coming World Cup in South Africa is another factor boosting demand, but growth
is evident across the continent. For example, UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, Britain's
Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. and Belgium's Brussels Airlines all recently announced
new services to Accra, Ghana.

Airlines in parts of Latin America, Asia and the Middle East are also now posting
growth amid the broader industry slump, but no region had been so roundly ignored in
the past as Africa.

"Africa is maturing aviation­wise," said Craig Jenks, head of Airline/Aircraft Projects, a


consulting firm in New York. "Carriers look at it as a place they need to be, and not just
for specialist airlines, as previously."

Gradual improvements to Africa's underdeveloped aviation infrastructure are another


catalyst. Senegal is building a new airport near Dakar; Republic of Congo has added
runways and terminals at Brazzaville and Pointe Noire; and South Africa has installed a
cutting­edge air traffic control system.

"There is a major move in many countries to build or rebuild infrastructure," said


Etienne Rachou, senior vice president for Africa and the Middle East at Air France­KLM
SA, the leading foreign airline in Africa.

Still, African skies are the world's most dangerous in terms of crashes per million
flights, and rising traffic could exacerbate the problem. Nigeria and several other
countries have made notable improvements recently, but experts see big gaps in safety
systems.

One positive factor is that African carriers are starting to reverse years of shrinkage.
Intra­African frequencies are up 30% over the past five years, according to Innovata.

As wars, poverty and neglect ravaged Africa at the end of the last century, many of its
carriers struggled and shut down. But over the past decade, local players including
Kenya Airways, South African Airways, Egyptair and Royal Air Maroc have pulled
themselves together. Ethiopian Airlines in January opened a second hub across the
continent in Lome, Togo.

African carriers are now expanding links to secondary cities such as Ndola, Zambia,
and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, whose only air connections have long been either on
unreliable local operators or via convoluted routings through Europe.

European carriers are by far the biggest outside players in Africa, due to colonial ties,
and the top carriers are battling to grab markets. Air France­KLM leads the race with 42
destinations in 33 African countries. It relies on a mix of Air France's longstanding
domination in French­speaking West Africa and KLM's strength in the east. Dutch KLM
in 1995 bought a 26% stake in Kenya Airways—one of Africa's best­run carriers—and
has since built strong links between their hubs in Amsterdam and Nairobi.

Now, German giant Deutsche Lufthansa AG is racing to catch up by adding flights of


its own and with its subsidiaries Swiss International Air Lines and Brussels Airlines.
Brussels Airlines is the successor to Belgium's defunct Sabena, which was once one of
the biggest foreign operators in central Africa. The Lufthansa group now serves 36
destinations in 31 African countries, and is linking closely to Ethiopian Airlines, another
leading African carrier.

Lufthansa, like Air France­KLM, works to cut costs by finding synergies among its
carriers in Africa, such as sharing offices, airport facilities and local expertise. "We are
able to grow and increase profits," said Thierry Antinori, Lufthansa Executive Vice
President for Marketing and Sales after announcing four new destinations for Brussels
Airlines.

One risk in Africa's new popularity is that carriers add capacity faster than demand
grows, starting price wars that erode profits. The danger is rising as rich carriers from
the Middle East and Asia expand Africa services. Fast­growing Persian Gulf airlines
boosted Africa frequencies by more than 31% over the past two years, according to
Innovata. Dubai's Emirates Airline recently added its 19th African destination, Dakar.

Still, veterans see room for growth as Africa integrates with the world economy. "It
won't be frenetic competition, but customers will have more choice," said Mr. Antinori
at Lufthansa.
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
UN News Service Africa Briefs
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