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Media Review for June 27, 2011
Authorities in Nigeria have said that three separate bomb explosions in the country's northeast have killed at least 25 people and wounded many others. The attack on Sunday targeted outdoor beer gardens in the city of Maiduguri. Authorities have accused the Boko Haram group, which demands the adoption of sharia law, or Islamic law, throughout Nigeria, of being behind the attacks. Aljazeera
South Sudan is facing severe fuel shortages less than three weeks before it gains independence from the rest of the country. Many gas stations have shut down and those that remain open have people lining up overnight for fuel. The shortage has affected all aspects of life. For the last two weeks many offices in oil-rich south Sudan's capital, Juba, have closed or only opened for half the day because they could not find fuel to power generators. The Guardian
US efforts to both persuade and strong-arm Sudan's northern government into cooperation have been unsuccessful, illustrating a lack of leverage that is a result of inconsistent policies. CS Monitor
The meeting between Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on Monday has been cancelled after his plane failed to arrive at the scheduled time, officials in Beijing told Agence France Presse (AFP). Sudan Tribune
Far be it from me to compare Britain's most famous sea-lord with the commander of US AFRICOM, other than to point out that there is something very Nelsonian about General Carter F Ham's statement on June 1 that he "could see no evidence" of Algeria's support for Muammar Gaddafi's beleaguered regime in Libya. Saying that one 'cannot see' something, like Nelson placing his telescope to his blind eye, is invariably just a disingenuous semanticism for denying the existence of something which, as in the case of Algerian support for Gaddafi, is becoming increasingly evident. Aljazeera
Algerian Land Forces Commander Major General Ahcene Tafer met with U.S. Army Africa Commander Major General David R. Hogg and toured the command's headquarters in Vicenza, Italy, June 15, 2011. Hogg visited Algeria in December 2010, so this was a chance for him to offer Tafer the same type of welcome he was given during his visit there. US Africom
The top U.S. admiral involved in the Libya war admitted to a U.S. congressman that NATO forces are trying to kill Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi. The same admiral also said he anticipated the need for ground troops in Libya after Qaddafi falls, according to the lawmaker. Foreign Policy
South African President Jacob Zuma slammed Nato's operation in Libya at the opening of the African Union's (AU) Libya panel meeting in Pretoria. Rebels said they expected a proposal from Moamer Kadhafi "very soon" through French and South African intermediaries. RFI
Mauritania's army claims to have "completely destroyed" an Al-Qaeda camp in neighbouring Mali. The two countries launched a joint offensive against Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim) on 21 June but Mauritania acted alone in Friday's operation. RFI
Two years ago, the Kenya government raised eyebrows at home when it hired Chlopak Leonard Schechter and Associates (CLS), a top lobbying firm in Washington DC that also represents Google and Intuit. The controversy was centred on two issues: First, the cost, which at $1.7 million looked pricey for a poor country; and second, why the country was paying to fix its image in Washington DC. The East African
The Pentagon is sending nearly $45 million in military equipment, including four small drones, to Uganda and Burundi to help battle the escalating terrorist threat in Somalia. The latest aid, laid out in documents obtained by The Associated Press, comes as attacks intensify in Somalia against the al-Qaida-linked terror group al-Shabab, including an airstrike late Thursday that hit a militant convoy, killing a number of foreign fighters, according to officials there. AP
Canadian mining investment in Africa has shown remarkable growth in the past decade. The continent currently receives roughly 20 per cent of Canadian overseas mining capital, which in 2009 was valued at over $20-billion. As with other mining regions, Africa is rife with complaints concerning human rights abuse and environmental destruction associated with these investments. pambazuka News
Not only did many feel that western governments had too often turned a blind eye to the depravities of their Tunisian allies in order to secure their own economic and geo-strategic interests in the region, but, even worse, many suspected that some of Ben Ali's most heinous crimes were committed at the behest of these governments. The Huffington Post
Fifteen associates of former president Laurent Gbagbo, including a former premier, have been charged with challenging the "sovereignty of the state", setting up armed gangs and economic crimes, the prosecutor in Abidjan said Sunday. France 24
Several members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, including a prominent senior figure, broke off to form a new political party Sunday, exposing further cracks in the influential Islamic group that is expected to be the most formidable contender in Egypt's upcoming elections. Stars and Stripes
Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday delivered a scathing parting shot to Robert Gates, the outgoing US defence secretary, accusing him of showing the "bitterness" of a future retiree. The French president's rebuke came two weeks after Mr Gates criticised European allies for the reliance on the US military, warning them that they were putting Nato's future at risk, as well as the mission in Libya. The Telegraphe
Land sector commentators have widely criticised ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's call for the expropriation of white-owned farm land without compensation. They said that the failure of the government's willing-buyer, willing-seller model had paved the way for the increasing popularity of Malema's call but there were many other options. Mail and Guardian
U.S. Sens. John McCain and John Kerry focused on the U.S. and Egyptian economies during a trip to Egypt Saturday and Sunday. Their stop in Cairo was part of a broader trip to promote U.S. economic ties in the region. CNN
Like many war stories, this one began with love. Before the tear gas and street riots, the violent arrests and hospital visits, Yoweri Museveni and Kizza Besigye were close friends, a future president and the doctor to whom he entrusted his life. They fought together to free their country from dictatorship. Some say they even fell for the same woman. The New York Times
Hundreds of Muslim protesters descended on a Jehovah's Witness temple and a bar in a conservative Muslim neighborhood of the Senegalese capital on Sunday, setting the buildings on fire in a rare instance of religious extremism in the predominantly Muslim nation. The Washington Post
