Somalia: UN Set to boost Somali Peacekeepers

Mogadishu--The UN Security Council is set to vote on whether to increase the African Union peacekeeping force in war-torn Somalia, ahead of the London conference on finding everlasting solution in the Horn of Africa state begins Thursday.

The Wednesday vote if passed by the 15-member council will raise the number of AU troops in the country from its current levels of 12,000 to 17,731 in efforts to counter growing insurgency by militant groups, and also create space for a political solution to the country’s long-standing conflict.

According to a text seen by the AFP news agency, the resolution will mandate AU troops to move into new territories of Somalia “to take all necessary measures” with Somali security forces “to reduce threat posed by al-Shabab and other armed opposition groups.”

The resolution also calls for a ban of charcoal trade from Somalia, owing to high rates of deforestation in the region emerging from a devastating drought, worst ever in six decades.

The Somali government banned charcoal exports in areas it controls, but shiploads from the militia-controlled regions continue to find its way mainly into the Gulf States.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has said threat by Islamic militant group, al-Shabab is “substantial” based on the fact that the group has now explicitly linked itself to al-Qaeda and it encourages violent jihad not just within but also outside Somalia.

Cameron was speaking during an interview with the BBC ahead of the one-day London meeting which has been viewed with lots of scepticism owing to failure of other previous conferences. There have been 20 international conferences on Somalia since collapse of the central government in 1991, which have failed to end two-decades of conflict.

Leaders from more than 50 states and international organisations are expected to focus on international approaches towards Somalia on key issues including terrorism, piracy, humanitarian assistance and most importantly power transition after mandate of transitional government expires in August.

Al-Shabab has resorted to use of suicide bomb attacks in, Mogadishu after being driven out of the capital by AU forces, mounting to its loss of territories, as Kenyan troops from the south continue to push inwards in their pursuit of the militant fighters it blames for several kidnapping in its territory.

Harare, Zimbabwe

Mugabe Dismisses Cancer Claims

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has denied claims that he is ailing with cancer saying he is fit to rule as he hits his 88th birthday. Mugabe told the state  radio ahead of his 88th birthday celebration that “I am fit as a fiddle”, shading light onto numerous media reports that he was ailing where he jokingly said that he has resurrected more times than Jesus Christ.

Mugabe, a Roman Catholic, said: "I have died many times - that's where I have beaten Christ. Christ died once and resurrected once."

During the interview Mugabe told Radio Zimbabwe that his good health was due to his healthy lifestyle saying that he will seek a re-election in the next vote which he insists should be held this year, despite calls by coalition mate Morgan Tsvangirai to institute a new constitution before the elections.

"I came from the people and the people, in their wisdom, our members of the party, will certainly select someone once I say I am now retiring, but not yet," said Mugabe who has been in power for 32 years since country’s independence in 1980.

Reports on claims of his health problems have suggested this could be the reason he wants elections held this year.

US diplomatic cables from 2008 released in the whistleblower site Wikileaks have cited Zimbabwe's central bank chief, Gideon Gono, had told then-US ambassador, James McGee that Mugabe had prostrate cancer and had less than five years to live following doctors’ advice.

According to presidential officials he would celebrate his birthday at a family dinner at his home in Harare, with a celebration rally expected on Saturday in eastern Zimbabwe.

Mugabe’s ZANU-PF formed a power-sharing government with Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)’s Tsvangirai following a disputed presidential election in 2008 under the Comprehensive Political Agreement (CPA) agreeing to a number of reforms including amending electoral and media laws and drafting a new constitution to pave the way for fresh polls.

Darfur, Sudan

Darfur’s JEM Rebels Free UNAMID Peacekeepers

A rebel group in Sudan’s conflict-stricken Darfur region says it has released 49 international peacekeepers it had captured, accused of entering their territory without permission.

The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said earlier on Monday that it was keeping three of the 52 members of the joint UN-African Union peace mission (UNAMID) they suspect of being Sudanese security agents.

“All peacekeepers are free but we are holding three Sudanese accompanying them,” said Gibril Adam Bilal, JEM's spokesman, whom the group say it had held since Sunday night to determine why they entered rebel territory and to investigate the three Sudanese it thinks were members of Sudan’s intelligence and security service.

UNAMID through its spokesperson announced on Monday that the peacekeepers were able to leave but were staying in Darfur’s north-western area until their three colleagues were released, as negotiations on their release were underway.

The peace mission says the three, a Yemeni policeman and two Sudanese translators were UN civilian personnel and did not work for the Sudanese government. 46 of the captured peacekeepers were Senegalese nationals, including two officers, while there was one each from Yemen, Ghana and Rwanda.

Earlier in February JEM released five Turkey nationals whom it had held for several months in accusations of being hired to dig wells for the Sudanese military.

JEM which is Darfur’s largest rebel movement announced in January that it had chosen Gibril Ibrahim, a one-time professor and brother to its founder leader Khalil killed in December, to head the movement.

According to the UN an estimated 300,000 people have died in Darfur since 2003 when rebel groups took up arms in protest against the Khartoum government they accused of being in favour of the nomadic Arabs against the farming African communities in the region.

The Hague based International Criminal Court re-issued a warrant of arrest early this year against President Omar al-Bashir alongside three others for genocide and war crimes charges in Darfur, where the government puts the death toll at 10,000.

Though fighting in Darfur has died down since 2006, the region still remains extremely dangerous due to continued clashes between communities over land and grazing rights.

 

Abuja, Nigeria

Nigeria Forces Kill Islamist Boko Haram Militants

Nigeria’s military say they have killed at least eight members of the Islamist terror group Boko Haram in fighting, following a market attack by the group in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri.

Members of the militant group were reported to have died in a shoot out after soldiers from the special Joint military task force unit responded to explosions at a market in the city that is said to have killed at least 30 people.

Gunmen believed to be members of Boko Haram stormed the fish section of Baga market on Monday afternoon and set-off home-made bombs, and sprayed stallholders and vendors with bullets.

Officials at the city’s hospital say the deaths including those of women and children could not be less than 30 in the incident which the military have confirmed but denied civilian deaths.

A military spokesman said the soldiers responded to the market attack in gunfire, where eight of the militants were killed, and several others who escaped are being sought after.

"The military immediately came to the rescue of the situation and safely detonated three bombs planted by members of the sect and shot and killed eight sect members," said said Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Mohammed, spokesman the special military unit in the city.

The attackers accused traders of collaborating with the military following the arrest last week of a suspected Boko Haram member in the market, according to a witness. Last week the group is said to

have hit a prison in central Kogi State, freeing seven of its members.

Boko Haram whose meaning is “western education is forbidden” has been blamed for series of deadly attacks in northern Nigeria, a predominantly Muslim region.

Over 200 people are said to have died this year alone in the group’s insurgency attacks, including the 185 killed last month in coordinated gun and bomb attack in Nigeria’s second largest city of Kano, seen as the deadliest attack by the group.