Africa Center for Strategic Studies 

Media Review for October 12, 2011  

UN alarm over African cholera epidemic
Thousands dead and up to 85,000 infected in western and central Africa, UNICEF says, in one of region's worst outbreaks.  

 

Liberians turn out in force for national vote
Nobel peace laureate and incumbent president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf pitted against a former UN diplomat and 14 others.  

 

Manufacturing a famine: How Somalia crisis became a fund-raising opportunity
On July 18 this year, the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea tabled a report to the UN Security Council.  

 

West Africa: Telecom Cable Connects Region With Europe
An undersea telecommunications table landed in Sierra Leone on Monday. The new cable is part of a 17,000-kilometre fibre optic line that aims to connect countries along the West African coast to Europe.  

 

Tanker, crew seized off Nigeria's coast
Pirates off Nigeria's coast seized a chemical tanker and kidnapped the vessel's crew, a watchdog group said on Tuesday, the latest attack to target shipping in West African waters.  

 

Bashir admits Sudan's grim economic situation
The Sudanese president Omer Al-Bashir has acknowledged that his country is facing straitened economic circumstances, blaming them on the international crisis and loss of oil revenues due to South Sudan's secession.

 

Al-Bashir, Kiir set diplomatic relationships
South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his Sudan counterpart, Omar al-Bashir, have agreed to significantly step up diplomatic relationship between the two countries to the ambassadorial level, Foreign Affairs minister Nhial Deng Nhial has said.  

 

Al-Shabaab loses last major stronghold in Mogadishu
Islamist militia al-Shabaab has been driven out of its last major strongholds inside Mogadishu, the AU peacekeeping force said.  

 

Why Pedro Pires won the $5 million Ibrahim Prize for African governance
Cape Verde's former president Pedro Pires won the $5 million Ibrahim Prize for good governance both for how he eased his nation's indebtedness, and for his willingness to step down from power.  

 

A hint of deterrence in U.S. drone-war strategy
Here's the trickiest counterterrorism puzzle for U.S. policymakers: How do you stop al-Qaeda from attacking the American homeland without getting bogged down in protracted wars against insurgents?

 

Kenya sets up bases to fight Somali raiders
Kenya has established six patrol bases near border with Somalia following the recent kidnapping of two tourists in Lamu.  

 

US intensifies search for Kony
Endgame blueprint: Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel leader Joseph Kony declined to sign a peace pact with Uganda government, but his reported Central African Republic hideout is on the radar and could be hit by regional armies anytime.  

 

Africa Rising: Sierra Leone, Liberia set up high-tech solutions to illegal fishing
Sierra Leone and Liberia are setting up ways to help small-time fishermen monitor and report the illegal foreign commercial fishing that costs each country tens of millions of dollars each year.

 

Inside Cairo's Bloodletting: The Egyptian Junta's True Colors
The dead were buried on Monday, more than two dozen Christian Egyptian protesters mowed down by their own military, an army that had won praise back in February for refusing to turn its weapons on demonstrators.

 

SOMALIA: To talk or not to talk to Al-Shabab
Al-Shabab insurgents remain a potent force in Somalia, but there is no public hint of talks on the horizon to reach a political settlement.

 

Mswati's aversion to reform 'put brakes on R2.4bn loan from SA'
South Africa's R2.4-billion loan to Swaziland was yet to be signed as King Mswati III appeared to be reluctant to agree to the conditions, Business Day reported on Tuesday.  

 

Resolving Gender Imbalance in Policing
Despite the widespread initiatives to promote equal employment opportunities and gender mainstreaming, there is a huge gender imbalance in police organisations across the world.  

 

Zambia's president sacks army chief
Zambia's new President Michael Sata on Friday sacked army chief Wisdom Lopa, the latest move in his shake-up of the government since taking office two weeks ago.  

 

Flying in Africa still pricey despite busier skies
It has never been easier to fly to Ouagadougou, Juba or Maputo but Africa's increasingly busy skies are still among the most expensive in the world.

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 Disclaimer
Please note: The following news items are presented here for informational purposes. The views expressed within them are those of the authors and/or individuals quoted, not those of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, the National Defense University, or the Department of Defense.
 
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