United States Africa Command Public Affairs Office 4 Aug 2011

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TOP NEWS RELATED TO U.S. AFRICA COMMAND AND AFRICA Somalia Famine Spreads to New Areas (VoA) 4 Aug 2011 The United Nations says three more areas of Somalia have now slipped into famine. The famine is expected to spread further unless there is immediate intervention. HIV 'epidemic emerging in N. Africa, MidEast' (AFP) 3 Aug 2011 - The AIDS virus is spreading like an epidemic in some Middle East and North African countries because of homosexual encounters between men, a study warned on Wednesday. Ten arrested over attempted coup in Niger (AFP) 3 Aug 2011 - Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou announced late Tuesday that 10 people have been arrested for attempting a coup last month in the African country that recently emerged from military junta rule. Libyan rebels say counter-attack at Zlitan repelled (Reuters) 3 Aug 2011 - Libyan rebels said on Wednesday they had fought off an attack on positions around Zlitan, contradicting government claims of victory in a town insurgents hope will pave the way for an advance on the capital. US urges global action on Africa famine (AFP) 3 Aug 2011 - The famine caused by the worst drought in more than half a century in the Horn of Africa is expected to eclipse the 1980s famine in Ethiopia, which claimed nearly a million lives, a US senator said Wednesday. Mubarak trial evokes mixed feelings in Arab world (AP) 3 Aug. 2011 - The live TV images of a caged and bedridden Hosni Mubarak being held to account for alleged crimes against his own people by his own people captivated viewers across the Middle East and appeared to many to be a powerful turning point in this year's uprisings.

Aurora soldier returns from medical mission to Ghana (Chicago Sun-Times) 31 July 2011 For Sgt. 1st Class Tim Miller a normal days work is hard to come by. On Wednesday, the Aurora resident returned home from a mission in Ghana and was looking forward to nothing more than a good nights rest and to be reunited with his family. UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website y UN declares famine in another three areas of Somalia y UN distributes Ramadan meals to 55,000 Libyan refugees in Tunisia y UN-backed investment to help poor farmers in Togo almost doubles its returns y Rapists, not reporters, must face criminal charges in Sudan, says UN envoy y UN envoy calls on all Somalis to pull together to help those suffering -----------------------------------------------------------------------UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST: WHEN/WHERE: Aug. 4, 2011, at 2:15 p.m.; 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building WHAT: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations African Affairs hearing on "Responding to Drought and Famine in the Horn of Africa" WHO: Nancy Lindborg, Assistant Administrator, Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance,United States Agency for International Development; Donald Yamamoto, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs; Dr. Reuben Brigety, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration; Robert Laprade, Senior Director, CARE USA; Jeremy Konyndyk, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Mercy Corps; J. Peter Pham, Director, Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, Atlantic Council; Afshan Khan, Director of Public-Sector Alliances and Resources Mobilization, UNICEF INFO: http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=afcb5daf-5056-a032-528363f9fda3cc5d ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULL ARTICLE TEXT --------------Somalia Famine Spreads to New Areas (VoA) By Gabe Joselow 4 Aug 2011 The United Nations says three more areas of Somalia have now slipped into famine. The famine is expected to spread further unless there is immediate intervention. The U.N.'s food security analysis unit and a famine warning project known as FEWSNET say the famine in southern Somalia is growing worse.

New data shows more people are dying and suffering from acute malnutrition in areas of the Middle Shabelle region, as well as among the displaced people of Mogadishu and the Afgoye corridor, to the west of the capital. Until now, famine conditions had been detected in only two areas, Lower Shabelle and Bakool in south central Somalia. The chief technical advisor for the U.N. food security unit for Somalia, Grainne Moloney, says conditions in these displaced communities are especially "depressing." "It's a hugely vulnerable group who have already been displaced from their homes and were reliant on humanitarian assistance, and of course with the restrictions in access and the restrictions in funding, did not get that assistance," said Moloney. "About three years ago the malnutrition rate was about 12 percent there and to see that it's now 40 percent is very disheartening." Famine is a technical designation that means at least 30 percent of the population is malnourished, households are lacking access to food and that there have been deaths from hunger. There are no solid figures on the number of deaths per day, but it is estimated to be in the hundreds. The U.N. has appealed for more than $1 billion to address the crisis and has so far raised about 40 percent of the money it has requested. Maloney says more assistance is needed immediately. "There need to be massive interventions now to the 2.8 million people in the south that need assistance and that needs to include food, nutrition, water, health and agriculture inputs. They need everything right now and they need it now, they cannot afford to wait," Moloney added. Maloney says there is some hope for Mogadishu, where displaced people are within the reach of humanitarian organizations who are expanding their efforts on the ground. "I think the conditions in Mogadishu could certainly be reversed and I know a lot of the agencies on the ground are really stepping up on their interventions, so I'm sure that is one of the areas we can confidently say where the situation will improve," Moloney noted. The crisis in Somalia was caused by a severe cycle of drought, which some say is the worst in 60 years. But it was made worse by the lack of a functioning central

government and restrictions on aid enforced by the al-Qaida-linked militant group alShabab. The U.N. expects famine to spread to other regions of southern Somalia within the next four to six weeks and to last at least until December. [Definition of Famine: The word famine is a term that is not used lightly by humanitarian organizations. The United Nations describes a crisis as a famine only when the following conditions are met: Malnutrition rates exceed 30 percent More than two people per 10,000 people are dying each day Severe lack of food access for large population Current Famine: Almost half of Somalia's population, 3.7 million people, are affected by the current crisis with malnutrition rates in southern Somalia the highest in the world, surpassing 50 percent in some areas. The United Nations says it is likely that tens of thousands have already have died, the majority of those being children. The drought that has led to the current famine in parts of Somalia has also affected people in Kenya and Ethiopia. Previous Famines in the Horn of Africa: Somalia 1991-1992 Ethiopia 1984-1985 Ethiopia 1974] --------------HIV 'epidemic emerging in N. Africa, MidEast' (AFP) By Unattributed Author 3 Aug 2011 - The AIDS virus is spreading like an epidemic in some Middle East and North African countries because of homosexual encounters between men, a study warned on Wednesday. "This systematic review and data synthesis indicate that HIV epidemics appear to be emerging among MSM (men who have sex with men) in at least a few MENA countries," said a study published in PLoS Medicine. The study, titled "Are HIV Epidemics among Men Who Have Sex with Men Emerging in the Middle East and North Africa?", warned that the levels "could already be in a concentrated state among several MSM groups."

It showed that the rates of HIV infection among MSM in some countries have exceeded the five percent threshold which defines concentrated epidemics, namely in Egypt, Sudan and Tunisia. The study put the rates of HIV infection among MSM in Egypt's main cities of Cairo and Alexandria at 5.7 percent and 5.9 percent respectively, while the rate among receptive MSM in Sudan's capital reached 9.3 percent. Tunisia's total rate was put at 4.9 percent, ranging between 0.8 and 6.3 percent in three regions. "There is an urgent need to expand HIV surveillance and access to HIV testing, prevention, and treatment services in a rapidly narrowing window of opportunity to prevent the worst of HIV transmission among MSM in the Middle East and North Africa," the study said. "Prevention of male-to-male HIV transmission must be set as a top priority for HIV/AIDS strategies in MENA," it added. PLoS, or the Public Library of Science, is an open-access, online medical journal. --------------Ten arrested over attempted coup in Niger (AFP) By Unattributed Author 3 Aug 2011 - Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou announced late Tuesday that 10 people have been arrested for attempting a coup last month in the African country that recently emerged from military junta rule. "Ten of those who had decided to undermine the security of the state with events planned to take place overnight from July 12 to 13, 2011, are under arrest and one of them is on the run," the president said in a message broadcast on the 51st anniversary of Niger's independence. It was the first time Niger officials had confirmed the attempted coup. In late July a military source had told AFP that "several soldiers, including a major and a lieutenant" has been arrested on suspicion of an attempted coup and assassination of President Issoufou." In his message Tuesday, Issoufou said the inquiry would continue to try to find those behind the coup attempt. "These events come at a time when the government has decided to take strong action against the misuse of public funds through payment of fake accounts," he said in a

reference to the high-government body created last month to tackle corruption. Issoufou was elected in March, ending the military rule that followed a February 2010 coup that toppled Mamadou Tandja, who held power in Niger for more than 10 years. The election was widely viewed as fair and transparent and a major step toward democracy in a nation with a history of military coups. --------------Libyan rebels say counter-attack at Zlitan repelled (Reuters) By Mussab Al-Khairalla 3 Aug 2011 - Libyan rebels said on Wednesday they had fought off an attack on positions around Zlitan, contradicting government claims of victory in a town insurgents hope will pave the way for an advance on the capital. Tuesday's assault by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi led to fierce street battles that killed at least eight rebels, exposing the fragility of gains by rebels who are fighting on several fronts but are frequently out-gunned and out-manoeuvred. Five months into their uprising, despite winning increasing international support and enjoying the backing of NATO bombing raids on pro-Gaddafi forces, the eastern-based rebels have failed to make a breakthrough in ending Gaddafi's 41-year rule. As diplomacy appears to have ground to a halt, rebel pushes around Zlitan and the oil town of Brega, both to the east of Tripoli, and the Western Mountains, near the border with Tunisia, have been overshadowed by reports of divisions and the slaying of their top military chief in shadowy circumstances. General Abdel Fattah Younes's death, apparently while in the custody of fellow rebels bringing him back from the front line for unspecified questioning, raises the question of stability in the oil-rich country, even if Gaddafi, who has vowed to fight to the death, is defeated. In recent days, rebels have inched towards Zlitan, a town 160 km (100 miles) east of Tripoli and near rebel-held Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, pushing the frontline to the eastern outskirts. Some 34 rebels have been killed in the advance. Video footage of Tuesday's fighting, seen by Reuters, showed rebels firing rocketpropelled grenades and heavy anti-aircraft guns at Gaddafi loyalists in eastern Zlitan. "We allowed them to get closer to our positions before we fired heavily at them to repel their advances. Our forces have not moved back and we have kept our ground," one local commander told Reuters, asking not to be named.

Another commander said he had lost two men in the fighting but also said the proGaddafi forces had been driven back. Moussa Ibrahim, a spokesman for the Libyan government, said the rebels had been "defeated at the gates of Zlitan" and were pushed back to Dafniya, to the east. Hospital sources said no injured fighters had arrived on Wednesday, so the front appeared to be quiet. Libyan state television late on Monday aired interviews with people it said were recorded on Monday with people in Zlitan, in which residents denied rebels had taken control of the town. Seizing Zlitan would give the rebels, who lack the ammunition, discipline and experience of Gaddafi's men, a boost in morale and, potentially, a base to advance on Tripoli. Libya's conflict has ground on into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, despite the increasing diplomatic, financial and military backing of the rebels, who are based in the eastern city of Benghazi and have seized about half the country. Various African and U.N.-led peace initiatives have been launched but delivered no concrete results and Gaddafi's camp said this week that the conflict would continue, even if bombing raids were ended, until the rebels were crushed. Gaddafi, one of his sons and an intelligence chief are wanted by the International Criminal Court accused of crimes against humanity during efforts to quash a rebellion that was inspired by successful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. Some analysts say the charges, plus the sight of former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak going on trial in Cairo on Wednesday, will do little to convince Gaddafi to surrender. Supporters of the rebels, however, took hope from the trial as images of Mubarak, lying on a bed in a cage in the courtroom, were beamed across the world. Several shops in rebel-held Misrata were showing live footage of the trial with some shop assistants glued to the television set. "Do you think we'll ever see Gaddafi like this one day?" One asked his colleague. "God willing" he replied. SUPPORT FROM SYRIA, BAHRAIN?

Libyan state news agency Jana said on Wednesday Gaddafi had received a message of congratulations for the start of Ramadan from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Bahrain's Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, both of whom have also used violence to muzzle growing calls for democracy. About 30 nations have recognised the Benghazi-based rebel government, the Transitional National Council (TNC), with France this week freeing up over $250 million in frozen Libyan funds, highlighting the potential financial impact of such moves. But others are concerned that NATO has overstepped its U.N. mandate to protect civilians. NATO said in a statement that it had hit over 20 military targets on Tuesday. Jana also reported that NATO had on Wednesday bombed Tajoura, near Tripoli, as well as Zlitan. There is also mounting concern the killing of Younes, who had been one of the most senior Gaddafi officers to swap sides, has confirmed sceptics worst fears of a deeply divided anti-Gaddafi camp, pointing to trouble even if he was removed. Younes's powerful tribe vowed on Tuesday to find justice themselves for his suspicious death if the rebel leadership failed to do so. "The way he was killed looks like a betrayal, so until now we are trying to calm and control the youth of the tribe, but we don't know what could happen," one of Younes's sons said. --------------US urges global action on Africa famine (AFP) By Unattributed Author 3 Aug 2011 - The famine caused by the worst drought in more than half a century in the Horn of Africa is expected to eclipse the 1980s famine in Ethiopia, which claimed nearly a million lives, a US senator said Wednesday. But in spite of the dire warnings and images of starving children coming out of east Africa, and especially war-torn Somalia, the international community has been slow in coming forward with aid, Democratic Senator Chris Coons said as he opened a hearing on the famine. "It is the most severe humanitarian crisis in a generation, affecting food security for more than 12 million people across Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and surrounding areas," Coons said.

"This is a children's crisis. There are hundreds of thousands of children on the verge of death, suffering from severe malnutrition, in the Horn of Africa." People in Somalia are suffering the most, largely because of the 20-year civil war in the country and because Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Shebab has been blocking aid to starving Somalis and preventing them from fleeing to neighboring Ethiopia or Kenya to escape the famine. On Wednesday, the UN warned that famine would affect the entire southern part of the Somalia within four to six weeks. But even though the famine is expected to get worse and eventually dwarf the 1984 famine in Ethiopia, the public is not stepping up to try to help as it did in the 1980s, when the international community responded to the crisis with massive fundraisers like Live Aid. According to Coons, only half of the $2 billion that the United Nations has said is needed to provide emergency assistance for famine relief in the Horn of Africa has been committed, with the United States the largest single donor, pledging $450 million. "The international community must join the United States and many others in providing this critical aid in the near term in order to save lives, especially those of malnourished children and others in desperate need," said Coons. "Especially in difficult budgetary times, the humanitarian response to this crisis must be a shared, transnational obligation," he said. --------------Mubarak trial evokes mixed feelings in Arab world (AP) By Adam Schreck 3 Aug. 2011 - The live TV images of a caged and bedridden Hosni Mubarak being held to account for alleged crimes against his own people by his own people captivated viewers across the Middle East and appeared to many to be a powerful turning point in this year's uprisings. Some hoped the trial, which began Wednesday in Cairo, would be the first of several bringing longtime autocrats to justice. Others weren't quite sure what to make of the spectacle, torn between a desire for justice and the discomfort of seeing a once-allpowerful Arab leader treated like a common criminal. For many others from North Africa to the Persian Gulf, the trial carried a deeper meaning. It was, in the words of pastry shop owner Saif Mahmoud in Baghdad, a rewriting of the rules between the region's people and their leaders. That's because unlike Iraq's Saddam Hussein, who was captured by American forces, Mubarak was brought to court by his own people.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, 29-year-old Palestinian Salah Abu Samera saw emerging democracy. "It's unusual in the Arab world," he said. "This is the first time we see a leader in a real court. This is good for democracy, good for the future. We've always heard of leaders on trial in Israel, in Turkey, in the U.S., or Europe. But this is the first time in the Arab world." Another Palestinian, retiree Mohammed Adnan, 64, described Mubarak's trial as a "huge move" for the region. He said the longtime Egyptian strongman never would have treated his people as he did had he headed a democratic country and knew he would be held accountable for his actions. The trial especially resonated in countries where citizens are still agitating for change against their own longtime rulers. Activists in Syria, where tanks and shellfire continued to hammer the opposition in the city of Hama, accused the regime of Bashar Assad of striking hard at a moment when world and media attention were distracted by Mubarak's trial. In Egypt's next-door neighbor Libya, rebels concentrated in the east are fighting to try to oust Moammar Gadhafi, who has held power even longer than Mubarak did. Mohamad al-Rajali, a spokesman for the rebels, said he welcomed the trial against Mubarak, who like Gadhafi was a military officer before taking power. "We wish to see Gadhafi in a similar cage one day," al-Rajali said. He insisted the Libyan leader would have a fair trial if the rebels ever get hold of him "because we are a country of laws and we are against public executions." Across the region, on the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, state-run television aired a local tourism program as Mubarak's trial got under way. The tiny kingdom has been roiled by the Gulf's biggest protests, themselves inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia that eventually brought both countries' leaders down. A Twitter feed used by activists involved in the Bahraini protest movement questioned the decision to keep the trial off the air. "Bahrain TV promoting Bahrain tourism, ignoring broadcasting Mubarak's trial???" read one tweet in Arabic. Another read: "Mubarak's trial is a warning letter to other Arab regimes like Bahrain and (shows) people can one day take a brutal ruler and a corrupt regime to trial."

Sayed Ahmad, 29, an unemployed Bahraini, said he hoped his countrymen would learn from Egypt. "I wished I were in the courtroom to shout loudly: 'Long live justice!'" he said. "Today is the beginning of the victory for the Egyptian revolution and (for the) martyrs who demanded pride and honor to achieve the rule of law." Not everyone saw the courtroom drama as a step forward, however. "The Mubarak trial today is a massive shame for the Arab world. For 30 years he served the people. ... They should have made him a statue of honor next to the Sphinx," said Hassan al-Masri, 45, from Gaza City. He described Mubarak as a fighter and said a great leader for the Arabs "does not deserve to sit inside a cage like a criminal." Mahmoud, the Iraqi pastry store owner, also criticized the way the Egyptian authorities dealt with Mubarak by bringing him into the courtroom on a hospital gurney. "We know that he made mistakes since he took office, but authorities should have shown some respect to this leader ... instead of dealing with him in such a humiliating way," he said. "They should have waited until he can stand trial with an elegant suit, not lying on a stretcher." Sultan al-Qassemi, 33, a widely followed Twitter user and columnist in the United Arab Emirates, voiced similar feelings. On one hand, he said he doesn't like seeing an elderly man being treated as Mubarak was, but on the other, he said he thinks of what kind of justice those killed in the uprising deserve. "I almost wish he had stepped down earlier" so things wouldn't have come to this, he said. But he added that Mubarak's fate should be left to his fellow countrymen. "It's not for me to say how it should proceed. ... In the end it's up to the Egyptians," al-Qassemi said. --------------Aurora soldier returns from medical mission to Ghana (Chicago Sun-Times) By Erika Wurst 31 July 2011 For Sgt. 1st Class Tim Miller a normal days work is hard to come by. On Wednesday, the Aurora resident returned home from a mission in Ghana and was looking forward to nothing more than a good nights rest and to be reunited with his family.

Miller spent 10 days in Ghana, located in West Africa, where he worked as an integral part of MEDFLAG 11 a joint humanitarian assistance exercise between United States and Ghana armed forces. Soldiers from the U.S. Army Africa, the 405th Brigade Support Battalion (Illinois Army National Guard), 814th Medical Company (North Dakota Army National Guard), 949th Veterinary Company (Army Reserve, Iowa), 965th Dental Company (Army Reserve, Texas), and the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion (Army Reserve, Connecticut) joined forces to create the team of U.S. participants of MEDFLAG 11. Ghana has a population of about 24 million and is home to more than 100 different ethnic groups. Located just a few degrees north of the equator, the countrys geography consists of flat plains, low hills and a few rivers. The life expectancy for residents in the African nation is 60 years. In the United States, that age jumps to 78.7. Our mission here was extremely successful, Miller said. We were there to share knowledge back and forth. We attended classes together for about a week, and the culminating event was a three-day exercise where doctors, dentists, and veterinarians from both countries went out to treat people from three communities. The collaboration resulted in several hundred people and several thousand animals receiving basic essential medical care, Miller said. From what I understand, getting medical attention there is very scarce, he said. Its difficult for people to get to hospitals. The help he provides is one of the main reasons Miller joined the military. In 1980 during the Iran hostage crisis, Miller signed up for the Marines. He had just graduated from West Aurora High School. I wanted to serve my country, he said. And I joined the Illinois Army National Guard in 1991 during the first Gulf War to continue serving my country. Today he continues to do just that. Miller works full time as part of the National Guards Active Guard in Reserve program. While in Ghana, Miller served as the field-ordering officer for MEDFLAG 11. His duties included receiving quotes and requisitioning supplies and equipment.

This was military doctors, dentists and veterinarians from both countries partnering together to provide needed treatment in order to build lasting bonds between our two countries, he said. The people of Ghana welcomed Miller and his team with open arms. Our welcome in Ghana was nothing short of spectacular. Everyone we spoke to loved having the U.S. Army there, Miller said. There is a very strong respect for the military among the Ghanian population. Everywhere we went we were told Akwaaba which means Welcome. Miller got the same greeting when he returned home to wife, Tricia, sons, Jonathan, 13, and Joseph, 7, and daughter, Julia, 11, on Wednesday. I love going on deployments and missions like this, but there is no such thing as a normal work day, he said. --------------UN News Service Africa Briefs Full Articles on UN Website UN declares famine in another three areas of Somalia 3 August The United Nations today declared a famine in three more areas in droughtravaged Somalia, bringing to five the number of regions in the Horn of Africa country where acute malnutrition and starvation have already claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. UN distributes Ramadan meals to 55,000 Libyan refugees in Tunisia 3 August The United Nations refugee agency and its partners in Tunisia are distributing food for more than 55,000 Libyans who have fled the fighting in their homeland to help them prepare their evening meals during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. UN-backed investment to help poor farmers in Togo almost doubles its returns 3 August A United Nations-European Union initiative to help Togo cope with high food prices and bad weather by providing seeds, fertilizers and other input for 20,000 rural farmers has produced returns that are almost double the cost. Rapists, not reporters, must face criminal charges in Sudan, says UN envoy 3 August A senior United Nations official today voiced her concern after a Sudanese court jailed a journalist for covering the case of an alleged rape of an activist by security forces, stressing that it is the perpetrators that must face criminal charges, not those reporting on such crimes.

UN envoy calls on all Somalis to pull together to help those suffering 3 August A senior United Nations official today appealed to all Somalis, both inside and outside the country, to work together to support the ongoing peace process and alleviate the plight of those suffering from famine, while pledging the world bodys continued support in the coming days.