Mali, a new Afghanistan?

Northern Mali extends to pretty much on the same area as Afghanistan (650,000 km2). Like him, is a landlocked country, an area with no outlet to the sea The main difference: the population is sparse with less than a million and a half inhabitants per km2 or two ... There are only three cities: Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu famous. This is a huge area and empty in the heart of Africa. Refuge territory fell under cutting radical Islamists, the African equivalent of the Afghan Taliban. They are not numerous: a few thousand fighters at most, probably less for the hard core.

Following the fall of Gaddafi in Libya and political unrest in Bamako, Mali's capital, three armed groups (AQIM Mujao and Ansar al-Din) took control of this vast territory and they impose, force the Sharia.Accused of being places of idolatry, religious sites of traditional Islam are destroyed, the adulterous couples are, literally, stoned with stones until death ensues, music and alcohol are strictly prohibited.Mullah Omar could feel at him. Eleven years after Western intervention in Afghanistan, with the success that we know we are with a new front at 3000 kilometers from Paris.

For years, this scenario evoked concern in policy circles and military schools: it is now done! And what do we do? Nothing. A large part of diplomatic reels, failing to change the situation on the ground, hold the media and at least give the illusion of action.

September 25, from the rostrum of the United Nations, President François Hollande, for example, describes the situation in Mali as "unbearable, unacceptable, unacceptable," adding that "we have a duty to act, and act together act quickly because there is an emergency. " It looks like an Italian opera, when the brass ring and on stage, leaving the troops to battle valiantly but ... walking on the spot!

What is, in fact, the real situation? On the eve of the annual session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Malian government - or what takes place since the military uprising of March and the de facto partition of the country - called lip intervention outside to help against the Islamists. The voice of François Hollande, French diplomacy has not failed to ride this horse kindly provided, but for now, appears to be rather a hack.

Russia ‘Ready’ to Export Su-30 Fighters to Africa

Russia is ready to sell Su-30s and other modern fighter jets to African countries, state-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Saturday.
Delivery contracts with countries such as Uganda, Angola, Ethiopia and others should include personnel training programs and after-sales servicing, Rosoboronexport’s deputy chief Alexander Mikheyev said.
This year Russia has delivered six Su-30MK2 multirole fighters to Uganda and is currently in talks to diversify cooperation, he added.

Ambassador Chris Stevens killed in Libya: Is Arab Spring turning against US?

The flareup of violence in which Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed in Libya shows how the Arab Spring has unleashed forces that are vehemently opposed to America and its ideals.

 

The killings of the US ambassador to Libya and three other American diplomats in an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi Tuesday underscore how anti-authoritarian revolutions across the Arab world have unleashed extremist Islamist forces violently opposed to America and its ideals.

“The big question for the United States, and it’s only been made more urgent by these events, is how to adjust to a world where [moderate Muslim] governments have paved the way for more extremist elements to wield their influence,” says Patrick Clawson, director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington. “It’s not a good dynamic, but it’s not going away and has to be addressed.”   
The American ambassador, Chris Stevens, was killed in the same city of eastern Libya where he had set up shop as the US envoy to the Libyan rebels as they fought to oust America’s longtime nemesis, strongman Muammar Qaddafi. Ambassador Stevens and the three other Americans were killed when a mob infuriated by an anti-Islam video made in the US stormed the Benghazi mission and burned it to the ground.

Salafis 101: 5 key facts

Obama's Arab Spring becomes the Arab Winter

The murder of Ambassador Stevens prompts a new question to Obama supporters: "How's that Arab Spring thing workin' out for ya?"
The horrific photo of Chris Stevens, who died in service to his country, is the new icon for Obama's naïve Arab Spring mantra.
Back on May 19, 2011, in a speech on the Arab Spring, Obama said:

"That story of self-determination began six months ago in Tunisia. On December 17, a young vendor named Mohammed Bouazizi was devastated when a police officer confiscated his cart. This was not unique. It is the same kind of humiliation that takes place every day in many parts of the world - the relentless tyranny of governments that deny their citizens dignity. Only this time, something different happened. After local officials refused to hear his complaint, this young man who had never been particularly active in politics went to the headquarters of the provincial government, doused himself in fuel, and lit himself on fire.
Sometimes, in the course of history, the actions of ordinary citizens spark movements for change because they speak to a longing for freedom that has built up for years. In America, think of the defiance of those patriots in Boston who refused to pay taxes to a King, or the dignity of Rosa Parks as she sat courageously in her seat. So it was in Tunisia, as that vendor's act of desperation tapped into the frustration felt throughout the country. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets, then thousands. And in the face of batons and sometimes bullets, they refused to go home - day after day, week after week, until a dictator of more than two decades finally left power.
The story of this Revolution, and the ones that followed, should not have come as a surprise. The nations of the Middle East and North Africa won their independence long ago, but in too many places their people did not. In too many countries, power has been concentrated in the hands of the few. In too many countries, a citizen like that young vendor had nowhere to turn - no honest judiciary to hear his case; no independent media to give him voice; no credible political party to represent his views; no free and fair election where he could choose his leader.
This lack of self determination - the chance to make of your life what you will - has applied to the region's economy as well. Yes, some nations are blessed with wealth in oil and gas, and that has led to pockets of prosperity. But in a global economy based on knowledge and innovation, no development strategy can be based solely upon what comes out of the ground. Nor can people reach their potential when you cannot start a business without paying a bribe.
In the face of these challenges, too many leaders in the region tried to direct their people's grievances elsewhere. The West was blamed as the source of all ills, a half century after the end of colonialism. Antagonism toward Israel became the only acceptable outlet for political expression. Divisions of tribe, ethnicity and religious sect were manipulated as a means of holding on to power, or taking it away from somebody else.
But the events of the past six months show us that strategies of repression and diversion won't work anymore. Satellite television and the Internet provide a window into the wider world - a world of astonishing progress in places like India, Indonesia and Brazil. Cell phones and social networks allow young people to connect and organize like never before. A new generation has emerged. And their voices tell us that change cannot be denied.
In Cairo, we heard the voice of the young mother who said, "It's like I can finally breathe fresh air for the first time."
In Sanaa, we heard the students who chanted, "The night must come to an end."
In Benghazi, we heard the engineer who said, "Our words are free now. It's a feeling you can't explain."
In Damascus, we heard the young man who said, "After the first yelling, the first shout, you feel dignity."

Here's the newest addition to his list of events:  In Tripoli, we see the limp body of a dead American Ambassador.

In that May, 2011 speech, Obama went on to say,

"That's why, two years ago in Cairo, I began to broaden our engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect."

"Mutual respect," he predicted.
When a nation chooses to be governed by incompetent leadership, people die. It's always been that way. It will always be that way. And that's the way it is now, in America.

China’s arms exports flooding sub-Saharan Africa

China’s arms exports have surged over the past decade, flooding sub-Saharan Africa with a new source of cheap assault rifles and ammunition and exposing Beijing to international scrutiny as its lethal wares wind up in conflict zones in violation of U.N. sanctions.
Weapons from China have surfaced in a string of U.N. investigations in war zones stretching from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Ivory Coast, Somalia and Sudan. China is by no means alone in supplying the arms that help fuel African conflicts, and there is no proof that China or its arms exporters have intentionally violated U.N. embargoes in any of those countries.

But China has stood apart from other major arms exporters, including Russia, for its assertive challenge to U.N. authority, routinely refusing to cooperate with U.N. arms experts and flexing its diplomatic muscle to protect its allies and curtail investigations that may shed light on its own secretive arms industry.
The stance highlights the tensions between China’s responsibilities as a global power and its interests in exploiting new markets. It has also raised questions about whether Chinese diplomats have a grip on the reach of the country’s influence in the arms industry beyond its borders.

African Union T-55 series Main Battle Tank

                         African Union T-55 series Main Battle Tank

Piracy partly financed terrorism of Al Shabab (Europol)

Europol investigators are (almost) sure. "Right now, we have no physical evidence but a body of evidence" explains Michel Quillé, deputy director of Europol (*). "Part of the ransom is used to fund terrorist groups in the region. Links between entities and Al Shabab pirates exist is a functional relationship and not hierarchical. If criminal groups can launch piracy operations from areas controlled by Al Shabab, is that there is a modus vivendi and modus vivendi is paid. "

Highly organized crime

"Maritime piracy is not an isolated or occasional. We are dealing with criminal networks and hierarchical as in other areas of organized crime. The dimension "organized crime" is present ". Detect financiers, organizers, however, is not easy. "The challenges are many," says Michel Quillé. "The formal identification of the perpetrators of these acts, in areas where the central authorities, where the structures of identification of individuals are not solid, is problematic. It is also difficult to draw financial channels. The ransoms are paid in cash, divided among several players, and spread over the field (NB: So without a lot of traces). Banking systems are used informal systems. "For Europol, the work goes much by the recorded communications that allow" to identify the networks and structures. " A painstaking ...

A permanent survey

Since January 2010, Europol has established a file "Piracy" at the request of several European countries - France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands -. This database includes 21,000 items (the names of suspects, victims, numbers Gsm ...) - powered by members of the organization and States with which she spent Agreement (United States, for example). "50,000 links were generated, with dozens of investigative leads." The "aim is to identify the networks, individuals, relationships and actions." A joint investigation team "Nemesis" was incorporated, permanently. Under direction of a Dutch magistrate, it includes Dutch officers (some intelligence) and German, working in conjunction with the analysts of the European Agency.

No legal basis

"The sinews of war: what is intelligence," says the head of Europol. "We must improve coordination within the European Union." Some countries have information but do not feed the base, he said without naming the country (...). "We must also improve information sharing with stakeholders as close to area, for example EUNAVFOR Atalanta mission ...). But "unfortunately - he notes - there is no legal basis for an ongoing exchange." Europol organized contacts with other CSDP missions - as EULEX Kosovo. And the top police officer to wonder: "why can not we receive information permanently with Atalanta." The issue is under study at the European External Action Service (EEAS). And the question was raised, very formally, the PSC recently (early July). Meanwhile the informal exchange of information takes place: Europol analysts and regularly travel to Atalanta HQ in Northwood. Or conversely soldiers, sailors and officers EUNAVFOR Atalanta move to Europol (and a visit is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday).

(*) At a conference on maritime capabilities organized on Monday by the Directorate of Strategic Affairs Ministry (French) defense and the Cyprus EU Presidency.

U.S. Africom Commander Details Current, Emerging Threats

ARLINGTON, Va. | U.S. Africa Command’s top military officer yesterday detailed existing and emerging threats from extremist organizations on the continent in a speech at the African Center for Strategic Studies here.
 
Army Gen. Carter F. Ham also explained the U.S. presence in Africa and Africom initiatives based on the new U.S. defense strategic guidance.
 
“When you read the [guidance], you will find that the word ‘Africa’ appears precisely once,” he said. “So some question that and say, ‘So does that mean that the United States military does not really think very seriously, or is not very committed, to African security matters?’ My response to that is, ‘No, our view is actually quite different.’”
 
Ham said while it is true the U.S. military now is focused on the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East, the strategic guidance refers to “some very consistent and very relevant priorities for those of us who operate with our African partners.”
 
These include combatting extremist organizations, transnational threats and illicit trafficking; countering piracy, building partner capacity; developing nations’ capabilities to deal with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions; and contributing to regional security, Ham said.
 
“All of those tasks are outlined in this document, and all of those tasks are the tasks that United States Africom focuses on with you,” he added.
 
The general told the audience that U.S. efforts in Africa entail an “absolute imperative … to protect America, Americans and American interests,” just as in other parts of the world.
 
Specifically, Ham said, his command’s seeks to protect the United States and its interests from threats that may emerge from the continent.
 
“I’ll start in East Africa, where we see very clearly the threat of al-Qaida in East Africa, and its affiliated organization, al-Shabaab, which operates principally, but not exclusively, in Somalia,” he said. “We also know that because -- in Somalia especially -- al-Shabaab’s presence has denied the delivery of … humanitarian assistance to a population that has been under some significant duress for a long period of time,” Ham said.
 
U.S. military involvement principally is in training, equipping and funding the African Union Mission and Somalian forces from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sierra Leone and Kenya.
 
“Ethiopia … has been quite effective in its role, as well,” he noted. “And we think that’s an ideal role for the United States -- not a large, U.S. military presence. We think that would be counterproductive in Somalia, actually.”
 
Rather, he said, the United States wants to apply its resources in Africa to help countries willing to contribute to the effort with training, equipping and with some funding so that they can continue their operations.
 
Other extremist organizations in Africa, such as al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram, also pose a concern, Ham said, noting that officials are increasingly concerned with the former, which now has a safe haven in a large portion of Mali after a military coup there.
 
The group is operating “essentially unconstrained,” Ham said, and is implementing a harsh religious law system throughout much of northern Mali. It also has “very clearly” shown a desire and intent to attack Americans, he added.
 
“Just to the south of that, we see the increasingly violent organization, Boko Haram, operating in Nigeria,” he said. Boko Haram is not a new organization, he told the audience, and it’s not monolithic. “Everybody in Boko Haram doesn’t feel the same way,” Ham said. “It has many different factions.”
 
Each of the extremist organizations is “worrisome” in its own right, the general said, and there are indications they are seeking to coordinate and synchronize their efforts.
 
“In other words, [they seek] to establish a cooperative effort amongst the three most violent organizations, and I think that’s a real problem for us, and for Africa’s security, in general,” he said. Al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram may be sharing funds, training and explosive materials, he added.
 
Libya also is a concern as it comes out of its revolution and forms its new government, Ham said.
 
“There very truly are those who wish to undermine the formation of that government,” he said. “And again, we see some worrying indicators that al-Qaida and others are seeking to establish a presence in Libya.”
 
Part of Libya’s challenge, he said, is for the new government to now bring together the many militias which fought “very bravely and effectively” to overthrow Gadhafi.
 
Ham said the United States seeks to help by establishing a “normalized” military-to-military relationship with Libya.
 
“I’ve been to Tripoli a number of times,” he added. “We’ve had Libyan officials visit us in our headquarters in Germany, and we have started to map out what the U.S. assistance might be for Libya well into the future.”