africom related-newsclips 13 jan 12

8/3/2019 AFRICOM Related-Newsclips 13 Jan 12

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U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 [email protected]

United States Africa CommandPublic Affairs Office13 January 2012

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command andAfrica, along with upcoming events of interest for January 13, 2012.

Of interest in todays clips:

-- BBC reports that 'Somali militants' seize Kenyan officials-- South Africa bolsters access to tertiary education, according to Bloombergs reports-- Reuters writes that gunmen storm Kenyan police camp, kill seven

-- BBC reports on Somalia's al-Shabaab on the back foot

Provided in text format for remote reading. Links work more effectively when thismessage is viewed as in HTML format.

U.S. Africa Command Public AffairsPlease send questions or comments to:[email protected] (+49-711-729-2687)

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Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa

'Somali militants' seize Kenyan officials in Wajir (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1652621212 January 2012Gunmen have killed six people and abducted three others in the latest attack in the north-eastern border region with Somalia, police say. A local police chief told the BBC thatSomali militants were to blame for the raid in Wajir district, in which two local officialswere seized.

Gunmen storm Kenyan police camp, kill seven (Reuters)

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE80B0792012011212 January 2012By Noor Ali and Daud YussufSuspected Somali Islamist rebels killed at least seven Kenyans in an attack late onWednesday that targeted a police outpost in northeastern Kenya, the latest in a wave ofassaults in the border area, a senior local official and security sources said. Scores ofgunmen threw grenades and other explosives as they stormed the police camp in Gerille,


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a town near the porous frontier, Regional Commissioner Wenslas Ongayo said. Severalpeople were missing after the evening raid, and believed kidnapped.

South Africa Plans to Bolster Access to Tertiary Education (Bloomberg)

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-12/south-africa-plans-to-bolster-access-to-

tertiary-education.html12 January 2012By Mike Cohen(Bloomberg) -- South Africas government said it will expand access to universities andcolleges as part of a drive to counter youth unemployment and address skills shortages inAfricas largest economy. A draft policy document on post-school education envisions1.5 million students being enrolled in university by 2030, up from 899,120 last year, anda further 4 million attending other tertiary-education institutions, a sixfold increase.

Is Somalia's al-Shabab on the back foot (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16510716

12 January 2012By Rashid AbdiSomalia's militant al-Shabab insurgent group stares a possible military collapse in theface as a coalition of African forces, fighting on multiple fronts, steadily advances on itssouthern heartland and the United States steps up drone and naval attacks. Its militaryfortunes have dramatically worsened in the last year.

Nigerian Oil Unions Vow to Paralyze Output to Back Strike (Bloomberg)

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-12/nigerian-oil-unions-vow-to-paralyze-output-to-back-strike.html12 January 2012By Dulue Mbachu and Elisha Bala-GbogboNigerias two main oil unions threatened to shut output in Africas top crude producer asa national strike entered its fourth day, mounting pressure on President GoodluckJonathan to restore fuel subsidies.

Eighteenth African Union Summit to Hold on the Theme: Boosting Intra-African

Trade? (All Africa)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110335.html11 January 2012The 18 th Ordinary Session of the Summit of the African Union (AU) is scheduled totake place from 23 to 30 January 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Holding under thetheme: Boosting Intra-African Trade , the summit will officially kick off on Monday23 January 2012, with the 23 rd Ordinary Session of the Permanent RepresentativesCommittee (PRC).

Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood in High-Level U.S. Talks (All Africa)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201111080.html11 January 2012The US State Department's number two was to sit down Wednesday with Muslim


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Brotherhood party leaders, as Egypt prepared to wrap up marathon elections thatpropelled Islamists to the centre stage of politics.

Nigeria: Boko Haram Defends Killing of Christians (Al Africa, Video)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201120274.html

12 January 2012By Ezra IjiomaAn alleged leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has claimed that the recent attackson Christians living in the northern part of Nigeria were to revenge the killings ofMuslims in some parts of the north. In its first video message on You Tube, Shekau, whospoke in Hausa, said that killings of Muslims in places like Jos (Plateau State), Kadunaand Zangon Kataf (Kaduna State) and Tafawa Balewa (Bauchi State) in recent yearspushed the group to kill Christians in the North.

UK's Jermaine Grant charged over Kenyan bomb plot (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16527603

12 January 2012A 29-year-old British man has been charged in Kenya with possessing illegal explosive-making material and plotting to explode a bomb. Jermaine Grant and his three Kenyanco-accused denied the charges.

Senegal rejects Hissene Habre's extradition to Belgium (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1652682112 January 2012A Senegalese court has rejected a Belgian request to extradite Chad's ex-PresidentHissene Habre to face trial for alleged atrocities during his rule. Mr Habre, 69, has beenliving in Senegal since he was ousted in 1990. He is accused of killing and torturing tensof thousands of opponents between 1982 and 1990, charges he denies.

Nigerian unions accuse president of using 'thugs' to quash protests (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/11/world/africa/nigeria-strike/index.html?hpt=iaf_c112 January 2012Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Two Nigerian trade unions accused the country's president ofusing "armed thugs" to attack protesters, and urged demonstrators to continue theirnationwide strike against high fuel prices on Wednesday and beyond.

Report: Rebels cleared in plane crash that sparked Rwandan genocide (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/11/world/africa/rwanda-president-plane/index.html?hpt=iaf_c212 January 2012By Nikki CookParis (CNN) -- The missile that brought down the plane carrying the president of Rwandamore than 17 years ago was fired from a camp controlled by his own ethnic group andnot by Tutsi rebels, attorneys for the rebels said Wednesday. The April 1994 crash of theplane near the capital, Kigali, and the death of then-President Juvenal Habyarimana, amember of the Hutu majority, was followed hours later by the start of mass killings. By


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the time they ended 100 days later, 800,000 people had died.

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UN News Service Africa Briefs

http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA

Developments in Nigeria top discussions between UN chief and foreign minister

10 January Recent developments in Nigeria, including progress in the investigation oflast years bomb attack against the United Nations offices in the capital, Abuja, toppeddiscussions today between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Nigerian ForeignAffairs Minister Olugbenga Ayodeji Ashiru. Twenty-five people, including 13 UN staff,died in the attack on 26 August last year.

UN human rights chief urges bold effort by Nigerias leaders to end sectarian violence12 January The United Nations human rights chief today urged a bold effort byNigerias political and religious leaders to halt the spiralling sectarian violence unleashedby a series of recent attacks by the Boko Haram group.

Security Council urges reliable support for African peacekeepers in Somalia

11 January The Security Council today called for predictable, reliable and timelyresources to support the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Somalia tostrengthen its capability to help the countrys transitional government implement itscommitments to restore peace and stability.

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Upcoming Event of Interest:

January 17, 2012Seminar on Broken Promises: Cambodia Today

WHO: Joel Brinkley, Professor of Journalism at Stanford UniversityWHERE: Daniel and Nancy Okimoto Conference Room, Encina Hall, 3rd floor, EastWing, 616 Serra St., Stanford UniversityCONTACT: Lisa Lee, 650-725-2429 or e-mail: [email protected]: http://aparc.stanford.edu/events

January 18, 2012Lecture on Chinas Regulatory State: A New Strategy for Globalization

WHO: Speaker: Roselyn Hsueh, Assistant Professor, Political Science,Temple UniversityWHERE: Institute of East Asian Studies, 2223 Fulton, 6th floor, Berkeley UniversityCONTACT: 510-642-2809 or e-mail: [email protected]: http://events.berkeley,edu


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'Somali militants' seize Kenyan officials in Wajir (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1652621212 January 2012

Gunmen have killed six people and abducted three others in the latest attack in the north-eastern border region with Somalia, police say.

A local police chief told the BBC that Somali militants were to blame for the raid inWajir district, in which two local officials were seized.

There have been several attacks since Nairobi sent troops into Somalia to fight the al-Shabab Islamist group.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.

North-Eastern Province police head Leo Nyongesa would not confirm to the BBC if anypolice officers were killed - despite earlier reports that at least three had died.

He said two government administrative officials - the district officer and the registrar ofpersons - were among the three people seized in Wednesday night's raid.

Mr Nyongesa told the BBC the Kenyan authorities believed members of the al-Qaedalinked al-Shabab group were responsible.

He added that the attackers threw explosives and shot their way into the police post in thesmall town of Gerille, approximately 200km (125 miles) north of the Dadaab refugeecamp, which is close to the scene of previous attacks.

The latest attack comes as Human Rights Watch warns that Kenyan security forces were"beating and and arbitrarily detaining citizens and Somali refugees" in the Kenya-Somalia border area.

Kenyan army spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir told HRW that he did not haveknowledge of any abuses, but the military would investigate the claims.

In October, Kenya sent troops into Somalia to pursue al-Shabab, blaming it for a wave ofabductions.

The militant group has denied involvement in raids on Kenya's coast last year, whichtargeted foreign tourists and threatened a valuable industry for the country.

It said the Kenyan incursion was an act of war and it would take revenge.

There have been a series of explosions targeting police officers since October.


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In December, two explosions near Dadaab killed at least two police officers and woundedseveral others.

After two decades of violence of Somalia, al-Shabab controls many southern and central

areas of the country.

But Kenyan forces have pushed it back from the south, while Ethiopia and local militiashave also gained ground in the west.

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South Africa Plans to Bolster Access to Tertiary Education (Bloomberg)

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-12/south-africa-plans-to-bolster-access-to-tertiary-education.html12 January 2012

By Mike Cohen

(Bloomberg) -- South Africas government said it will expand access to universities andcolleges as part of a drive to counter youth unemployment and address skills shortages inAfricas largest economy.

A draft policy document on post-school education envisions 1.5 million students beingenrolled in university by 2030, up from 899,120 last year, and a further 4 millionattending other tertiary-education institutions, a sixfold increase.

Approximately 3 million young people between the ages of 18 and 24 are notaccommodated in either the education and training system or the labor market, HigherEducation Minister Blade Nzimande told reporters today at the release of the policy paperin Pretoria, the capital. This is an appalling waste of human potential and a potentialsource of serious social instability.

President Jacob Zumas administration has made improving the education system apriority as it seeks to drive the unemployment rate down to 14 percent by 2020, from 25percent currently. Companies such as Sasol Ltd., the worlds largest producer of motorfuel from coal, and packaging producer Nampak Ltd. have complained of a shortage ofskilled workers.

South African universities cant accommodate all students wanting to attend. On Jan. 10,youths stampeded through the gates of the University of Johannesburg, hoping to secureadmission. Gloria Sekwena, the mother of a prospective student, died after beingtrampled, while more than 20 other people were injured.

--Editors: Jennifer M. Freedman, Karl Maier

To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Cohen in Cape Town at


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[email protected].

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Is Somalia's al-Shabab on the back foot (BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-1651071612 January 2012By Rashid Abdi

Somalia's militant al-Shabab insurgent group stares a possible military collapse in theface as a coalition of African forces, fighting on multiple fronts, steadily advances on itssouthern heartland and the United States steps up drone and naval attacks.

Its military fortunes have dramatically worsened in the last year.

It began when an alliance of clans supported by Ethiopia pushed it out of most of thecentral regions of Hiran and Galgudud.

This was followed by the loss of the capital, Mogadishu, in August 2011 - no doubt a bigpsychological and political blow.

Outgunned by the African Union force (Amisom), its ability to wage a conventional warseriously diminished and having suffered huge losses, al-Shabab's badly mauled combatunits pulled out of the battered capital they have struggled to control since early 2007.

Al-Shabab has withdrawn from Mogadishu, which has been at the centre of the conflictsince 1991 In the southern regions of Gedo and Juba, Kenyan combat troops and alliedlocal militias, backed by heavy armour and fighter jets, have been putting pressure on al-Shabab in the last three months, making significant territorial gains.

Ethiopian troops made an incursion into Somalia in the New Year, the biggest since theDecember 2006 invasion.

They quickly overran the strategic south-central town of Beledweyen and rapidlyadvanced southwards towards the valley of the River Shabelle.

That an ambitious and increasingly concerted military campaign is now under way insouthern Somalia seems obvious.

A formidable array of forces has been mobilised, though it is not yet clear the extent towhich the war is being co-ordinated and who, if anyone, is taking the lead.

Even if al-Shabab is not decisively defeated, the group is unlikely to withstand thecombined firepower of these armies.


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Of course, many things could go wrong on the military and political front.

Foreign military intervention is deeply unpopular in Somalia and hugely counter-

intuitive, at least from a historical perspective.

It inflames public passions, radicalises society and exacerbates political polarisation.

So far, Somali opposition to the Kenyan and Ethiopian interventions has largely beenmuted. We have not seen the huge visceral blowback predicted by some critics.

'Gratuitous, indiscriminate violence'

More interestingly, the extremists appear to have failed to rally Somalis or to effectivelyplay the nationalist card as they did in 2006.

All this does not however mean Somalis are now more accepting of foreign militaryinvolvement.

Continue reading the main storyStart QuoteWithout a clear and coherent long-term political strategy any military victory over al-Shabab will be short-livedEnd Quote The more plausible explanation is that the insurgent groups are deeplyunpopular.

Al-Shabab's use of gratuitous and indiscriminate violence; the callous decision to blockaid from reaching millions of starving Somalis; its unrelenting belligerence and rejectionof a peaceful political settlement and the brutal Sharia regime it has imposed in the southhave all combined to create a profound sense of alienation.

The overwhelming majority of Somalis, desperate to see peace restored to theirhomeland, want to see the back of al-Shabab.

Despite an instinctive opposition to the presence of foreign armies, many are beginning toaccept - grudgingly, no doubt - this can only happen through a concerted regional andinternational military response.

This new attitude of realism and cautious endorsement on the Somali street is fragile.

It could quickly turn into hostility if the war turns messy and protracted and the politicaldividends fail to materialise or meet expectations.

The onus must be on Amisom, the lead agency on the ground, to prevent this from


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happening.

Kenyan soldiers are being absorbed into the Amisom forceIt needs to move with speed to craft an overarching military and political strategy and

build cohesion and unity of purpose, aware the alliance could become unwieldy andpotentially fractious as more countries join the mission.

In particular, there is need to prevent regional rivalries, narrowly perceived nationalinterests and competing agendas from derailing the whole campaign.

Two countries whose renewed involvement in Somali has fed such fears are Kenya andEthiopia.

Kenya's decision to join Amisom is partly designed to fend off such suspicions.

Nairobi has been stung by the intense speculation its aim is to create a buffer region inthe Juba Valley.

It is far from clear to what extent, if at all, its new membership in Amisom may havemodified the original plan to create Jubaland.

If the cynics are to be believed, Kenya has - by joining Amisom - simply obtained aconvenient regional diplomatic and political cover to lend legitimacy to its Jubalandproject.

Counter-productive?

Ethiopia's renewed military foray into the central regions of Hiran and Galgudud andfurther south into the Shabelle Valley may be part of the concerted multi-prongedoffensive to cripple al-Shabab, as suggested.

If true, it is perhaps a signal Addis Ababa intends to stay in the game and ensure it doesnot lose out on the political spoils of a victory over al-Shabab.

It is equally plausible the operation is limited in nature and nothing more than a routinemilitary "housekeeping" designed to shore up allied factions battling rivals for control ofkey towns like Beledweyn.

This Ethiopia has done in the past without much success.

The move into the Shabelle and the fact that the Ethiopians are backing a new clangrouping called the Shabelle Valley Alliance has raised speculation the motive may bemore ambitious and part of an elaborate strategy to preempt the emergence of Jubaland.

The dilemma for the coalition is that Ethiopia's military help is critical and, perhaps,


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indispensable, notwithstanding that it could complicate matters for the anti-Shababalliance politically.

The quest for a quick and decisive military victory over al-Shabab seems to beencouraging the use of massive lethal firepower.

This is heightening Somali fears and may complicate matters and prove costly andcounter-productive, not least, because the militant group is now faceless in some parts ofthe vast war theatre in the south, having successfully blended in with the civilianpopulation.

A cautious, well-paced counter-insurgency campaign must be the preferred option.

Victory will not be achievable within the short time-scale envisioned by regional militaryplanners.

But this is a less costly strategy that will hopefully allow the attrition of fighting onmultiple fronts to degrade the group's conventional capabilities systematically.

Political deals

A degraded al-Shabab is unlikely to be amenable to peace or dialogue, though manySomalis would prefer to see that happen.

The more fanatical elements wedded to al-Qaeda's global jihad agenda will seek toregroup and resume the armed insurrection and step up the terror campaign across theregion and beyond.

The UN says more than one million Somalis have fled their homesIt is possible some of its less hardline leaders may seek some form of accommodationwith their clans or cut political deals with the transitional federal government and otherpolitical formations.

The glue that holds the new anti-Shabab military alliance together appears to be thecommon desire to once and for all cripple the extremist Somali movement and dismantleits terrorist infrastructure and support networks.

The determination to act decisively and prevail is, certainly, laudable, but not enough toresolve the Somalia crisis.

Without a clear and coherent long-term political strategy, any military victory over al-Shabab will be short-lived.

Many of the so-called "liberated areas" - whether in Mogadishu, Hiran, Galgudud orMudug - remain unstable ill-governed pockets, a depressing patchwork of clan fiefdoms


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filled with belligerent and heavily-armed clan militias.

For all its flaws and excesses, al-Shabab did, at least manage to exercise fulladministrative and functional control over most areas under its control.

Could its defeat and the glaring failure to create a credible and cohesive politicaldispensation to fill the vacuum inaugurate a new era of anarchy?

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Nigerian Oil Unions Vow to Paralyze Output to Back Strike (Bloomberg)

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-12/nigerian-oil-unions-vow-to-paralyze-output-to-back-strike.html12 January 2012By Dulue Mbachu and Elisha Bala-Gbogbo

Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Nigerias two main oil unions threatened to shut output inAfricas top crude producer as a national strike entered its fourth day, mounting pressureon President Goodluck Jonathan to restore fuel subsidies.

The Nupeng union said today it has withdrawn its workers from oil fields, while theother, Pengassan, said yesterday it told its 24,000 members to be on red alert inpreparation for a shutdown of fields operated by companies such as Royal Dutch ShellPlc. The strike has limited trade in stocks and the naira and closed ports and bankbranches belonging to companies such as Standard Chartered Plc.

If theres a prolonged shutdown of oil exports, that would put tremendous presssure onthe government, Antony Goldman, the head of London-based PM Consulting, said byphone today. In the short term, companies producing off floating production storage andoffloading vessels can probably increase production to offset initial losses, he said.

Jonathan, who won a four-year term in April, has pledged to use savings from the 1.2trillion naira ($7.4 billion) subsidy to invest in power plants and roads in sub-SaharanAfricas second-largest economy. At the same time he faces an increase in religiousviolence in parts of the north where he has declared a state of emergency and saysIslamist militants pose a worse threat to the country than the 1967-70 civil war.

Nigeria at Crossroads

More than 85 people have died in bomb and gun attacks since Christmas Day onchurches in Abuja, the capital, and in the north that the authorities blame on Boko Haram.Its leader, Abubakar Shekau, in a 15-minute video posted on Youtube, claimedresponsibility for recent attacks and said the group will target Christians in the north ifthey dont heed its warning to leave.

The strike and the security situation leave Nigeria at a crossroads, Goldman said.


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Whether things will get better or worse will be resolved in the next few weeks. Thestatus quo looks increasingly unsustainable.

Oil accounts for about 80 percent of state revenue and more than 95 percent of exportincome, according to the Finance Ministry. Nigeria produced about 2.2 million barrels of

oil a day last month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. At least 90 percent ofNigerias crude is pumped by Shell, based in The Hague, Exxon Mobil Corp, SanRamon, California-based Chevron Corp., Total SA and Eni SpA in joint ventures with thestate- owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.

Crude for February delivery gained as much as $1.29 to $102.16 a barrel in electronictrading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 12 p.m. in London.

Oil Workers Strike

We have withdrawn our members because we support the strike, Elijah Okougboh,

general secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers ofNigeria, said today by phone from Lagos.

Shell is monitoring the situation, said spokesman Tony Okonedo. Our priority now isthe safety of our staff, contractors, and our operations, he said by phone from Lagos.

Gasoline prices in Nigeria, where two-thirds of the population of about 164 million liveon less than $1.25 a day, more than doubled after Jonathan abolished the subsidy. Theprice had been capped at 65 naira a liter, undermining investment in refineries that forcedthe West African nation to import about 70 percent of its fuel.

Creating Jobs

For you to subsidize the importation of petroleum products is to keep refineries inEurope and the Middle East open; youre not creating jobs here in Nigeria, central bankGovernor Lamido Sanusi told Channels TV in Lagos today. If we continue spending atrillion or a trillion plus every year and subsidize fuel for another three to four years, whatwill happen is that you run into a huge sovereign debt crisis.

The cost of the strike to the economy may be more than $1 billion a day, GregoryKronsten, head of macroeconomic research at FBN Capital Ltd. in London, wrote in an e-mailed note today.

Jonathans move to abolish the subsidy is key to reforms needed for an upgrade ofNigerias B+ rating, Christian Esters, a sovereign analyst at Standard & Poors, said byphone from Frankfurt yesterday. S&P raised its outlook on Nigerias credit rating topositive from stable on Dec. 29, indicating it may upgrade the nations rating if thegovernment follows through with plans to boost the economy and savings.

Cocoa prices have gained 8.3 percent this week in London on concern the strike will stop


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shipments from the worlds fourth- biggest producer of the chocolate ingredient. Thelabor action has halted cocoa grading and transportation of the beans from farms,according to the Cocoa Assocoiation of Nigeria.

Trading in the naira on Nigerias interbank market was limited for a fourth day. The

currency was unchanged at 161.91 per dollar, as of 1:09 p.m. in Lagos, the commercialcapital, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Both the interbank foreign exchange and money market are effectively closed, LeonMyburgh and Coura Fall, Africa strategists at Citigroup Inc. in Johannesburg, wrote in ane- mailed note to clients today.

--With assistance from Emele Onu and Vincent Nwanma in Lagos and Chris Kay inAbuja. Editors: Karl Maier, Antony Sguazzin.

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Eighteenth African Union Summit to Hold on the Theme: Boosting Intra-African

Trade? (All Africa)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201110335.html11 January 2012

The 18 th Ordinary Session of the Summit of the African Union (AU) is scheduled totake place from 23 to 30 January 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Holding under thetheme: Boosting Intra-African Trade , the summit will officially kick off on Monday23 January 2012, with the 23 rd Ordinary Session of the Permanent RepresentativesCommittee (PRC).

According to the PRC agenda for the 18 th AU Summit, the Ambassadors will for twodays (23 and 24 January 2012) exchange views on specific reports including the reportsof the sub-committees on structures; multilateral cooperation; contributions; economicand trade matters; the report on NEPAD as well as that of the Special EmergencyAssistance Fund for Drought and Famine in Africa (SEAF). They will consider theworking documents and draft decisions in preparation of the 20 th Ordinary Session ofthe Executive Council.

On the other hand, the 20 th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council will hold from 26to 27 January at the headquarters of the AU in Addis Ababa. The Ministers of ExternalAffairs and other ministers or authorities designated by the governments of MemberStates will deliberate on the different reports of the ministerial meetings organized by theAU Commission during the last six months. They will consider the activity report of theCommission; the recommendations of the PRC on the implementation of previousDecisions of the Executive Council and the Assembly; and the report of the ministerialcommittee on candidatures.

The Executive Council will further look into reports of some AU organs including the


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African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) and the African Court onHuman and Peoples Rights (AfCHPR) before embarking on the consideration of itemsproposed by Member States.

The 18 th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union is scheduled to take

place on 29 and 30 January 2012. One of the high moments of the AU Summit will be theinauguration of the New African Union Conference Center on 28 January 2012 in thepresence of all the Heads of State and Government present for the Summit.

The opening ceremony on 29 January 2012 of the Assembly will also pay tribute to thememory of the late Prof. Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and formerPresiding Officer of the ECOSOCC of the African Union and the late Mrs. ElisabethTankeu, AU Commissioner for Trade & Industry.

AU Summit to Discuss Activity Reports

During their meeting, the AU Heads of States and Government will consider therecommendations of the Executive Council on the report of the Commission on theimplementation of previous Decisions of the Executive Council and the Assembly; thereport of the Peace and Security Council on its activities and the state of peace andsecurity in Africa, including the activities of the Panel of the Wise; the report of Mr.Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Ethiopia and Chairperson of NEPAD Heads of Stateand Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC); and his report on Africaspreparation for the 17 th Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 17), that took placein Durban, South Africa, 28 November 9 December 2011.

The Presidents and Heads of Delegations will also exchange views on the report of Mr.Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo and Africas Coordinator onAfricas preparations for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development(Rio +20) with respect to the Common Position and Strategies vis--vis the challengesposed by the global economy and the international governance of the environment. Theywill discuss the report of Mr Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone andChairperson of the Committee of Ten on the UN Reforms and that of Mr. Paul Kagame,President of Rwanda, on the 4 th High Level Forum on Aid effectiveness held in Busan,South Korea, 29 November - 1 st December 2011.

Other issues under consideration by the Heads of State are the progress report of theCommission on the implementation of Assembly Decisions on the Hissene Habre Caseand the progress report of the Commission into the African Union Authority amongothers.

Given that the current bureau of the AU Commission is coming to the end of its four yearmandate in January 2012, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union at thetheir 18 th Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will elect the Chairperson of theAfrican Union Commission and that of the Deputy Chairperson of the


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Commission. The Executive Council will elect the Commissioners of the African Union;ten members of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) and one judge of the AU Ad-hocAdministrative Tribunal.

Meanwhile, there will be a ceremony for the Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Awards during

the event. During the Summit, the Heads of States are expected to adopt the decisions andrecommendations of the 20 th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council as well as thedeclaration of the Summit. They will also agree on the date and venue of the 19 thOrdinary Session of the Assembly of the Union.

For more information, consult the African Union website: www.au.int and visit the 18 thSummit web page of the AU at the following link: http//au.int/en/summit/18 th summit

Journalists are invited to cover the official opening and closing ceremonies of the 23 rdOrdinary Session of the PRC on 23-24 January 2012, the 20 th Ordinary Session of theExecutive Council on 26-27 January 2012 and the 18 th Ordinary Session of the AU

Assembly on 29-30 January 2012.

Journalists wishing to interview the leadership of the AU Commission during the Summitshould submit their requests to Mrs. Esther Azaa Yambou Email: [email protected]/[email protected].

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Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood in High-Level U.S. Talks (All Africa)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201111080.html11 January 2012

The US State Department's number two was to sit down Wednesday with MuslimBrotherhood party leaders, as Egypt prepared to wrap up marathon elections thatpropelled Islamists to the centre stage of politics.

Washington has been reaching out to the Brotherhood in a nod to Egypt's new politicalreality, with Islamists poised to dominate the first parliament since a popular uprisingousted veteran president Hosni Mubarak in February.

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns "will meet leaders of the (Brotherhood's)Freedom and Justice Party at their headquarters in Cairo," FJP spokesman Ahmed Sobeatold AFP.

"It will be the highest-level meeting with any official from the United States," Sobea said.

Burns, who arrived in Cairo late on Tuesday, met with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi,head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) which took power whenMubarak was ousted.


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He is also expected to meet other government officials, political and business leaders aswell as activists.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said before the polls that the United States had pursued"limited contacts" with the Brotherhood as Washington was "re-engaging in" a six-year-

old policy in light of Egypt's political changes.

FJP deputy head Essam al-Erian held talks with Jeffrey Feltman, US assistant secretary ofstate for Near Eastern affairs, during a recent visit to Cairo, Sobea said.

Wednesday's meeting comes as Egyptians voted in the final phase of staggered polls toelect a lower house of parliament.

Egypt's two main Islamist parties have scored a crushing victory in the seats declared sofar, reflecting a regional trend since Arab Spring uprisings overthrew authoritariansecular regimes.

The FJP has claimed the lead -- securing over 35 percent of votes for party lists -- closelyfollowed by Al-Nur party, which represents the ultra conservative brand of Salafi Islam.

Burns was not expected to meet with representatives of Al-Nur, a spokesman for theparty told AFP.

The powerful Muslim Brotherhood, the country's best organised political movement waswidely expected to triumph in the polls through its party, the FJP.

But the surge of Al-Nur and the strong visibility of Salafi movements have raised fearsamong increasingly marginalised liberals about civil liberties and religious freedom.

The SCAF has repeatedly pointed to the elections as proof of its intention to hand thereins to a civilian government.

But the vote has exposed a deepening rift among Egyptians. Some see them as the firststep to democratic rule, while others say the new parliament -- whose function remainsunclear -- leaves control in the hands of the military.

The SCAF has faced growing outrage over the actions of security forces againstdemonstrators for an immediate transition to civilian rule, which have resulted in dozensof deaths and been widely criticised as heavy-handed.

Burns was also expected to discuss a major US dispute with Egypt over Cairo'scrackdown on non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including US electionmonitoring groups.

Late last month, Egyptian prosecutors backed by police special forces stormed 17 officesof local and international NGOs, confiscating computers and documents as part of a


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probe into allegations of illegal funding from abroad.

The most populous Arab country, Egypt has been the lynchpin of US policy in theMiddle East since 1979 when it became the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty withIsrael.

Egypt receives $1.5 billion in annual US military. - ANP/AFP.

###

Nigeria: Boko Haram Defends Killing of Christians (Al Africa, Video)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201120274.html12 January 2012By Ezra Ijioma

An alleged leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has claimed that the recent attacks

on Christians living in the northern part of Nigeria were to revenge the killings ofMuslims in some parts of the north.

In its first video message on You Tube, Shekau, who spoke in Hausa, said that killings ofMuslims in places like Jos (Plateau State), Kaduna and Zangon Kataf (Kaduna State) andTafawa Balewa (Bauchi State) in recent years pushed the group to kill Christians in theNorth.

In the 15-minute video, Shekau, donning a red and white turban, a bullet-proof vest andsitting in front of two Kalashnikov rifles, like al Qaeda, said "We are also at war withChristians because the whole world knows what they did to us. They killed our fellowsand even ate their flesh in Jos."

There has been years of conflict between the Hausa community in Jos, Plateau Statecapital, resulting in hundreds of deaths on both sides.

He said the group's primary targets remained the security forces, who he claimed hadsummarily executed their former leader, Mohammed Yusuf, after he was arrested in2009.

He said, "Everyone has seen how we were treated; people have seen what has happenedbetween us and armed security agents and their accomplices who give them informationabout us."

He further claimed that the security agencies could not defeat the group despite theimposition of state of emergency in some local government areas and the militarisation ofthe northeast.

On the possibility of the group ceasing fire and negotiating with the government, Shekausaid that the group could only hold talks with the government in accordance with the


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teachings of Islam.

###

UK's Jermaine Grant charged over Kenyan bomb plot (BBC)


A 29-year-old British man has been charged in Kenya with possessing illegal explosive-making material and plotting to explode a bomb.

Jermaine Grant and his three Kenyan co-accused denied the charges.

Mr Grant, arrested in Mombasa last month, has already been jailed for a year for being inKenya illegally.

Earlier this week, police spokesman Eric Kiraithe told the BBC that he was beingquestioned about possible links to the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab.

"Such information could also assist us in preventing any possible al-Shabab threat," MrKiraithe said.

In October, Kenya sent troops into Somalia to pursue the al-Qaeda linked group, blamingit for a recent wave of abductions which threatened its tourism industry.

Al-Shabab, which controls much of south and central Somalia, denied any involvementand said the Kenyan incursion was an act of war and it would take revenge.

The four defendants were remanded in custody until 20 February Ordered to uncoverfaces

The BBC's Jamhuri Mwavyombo in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa says Mr Grantappeared in court with three Kenyan co-accused, two men and a woman.

The charge sheet said as well as possessing bomb-making equipment, they planned toimprovise an explosive device with the intention of causing loss of life and harminginnocent civilians.

The four defendants, who all denied the accusations, were remanded in custody until 20February when the case will reconvene, our reporter says.

When they entered the courtroom the judge ordered them to stop covering their facesfrom photographers. After this Mr Grant kept his head down, she says.

Mr Grant, from Newham in east London, was arrested by police in Mombasa before


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Christmas and pleaded guilty to being in the country illegally and giving falseinformation.

Over the weekend, the UK updated to its travel advice on Kenya, warning that extra careshould be taken if travelling in the East Africa country as there were threats of an

imminent terror attack.

###

Senegal rejects Hissene Habre's extradition to Belgium (BBC)


A Senegalese court has rejected a Belgian request to extradite Chad's ex-PresidentHissene Habre to face trial for alleged atrocities during his rule.

Mr Habre, 69, has been living in Senegal since he was ousted in 1990.

He is accused of killing and torturing tens of thousands of opponents between 1982 and1990, charges he denies.

Senegal's president said this month he expected the extradition would be imminent - andthe appeal court's decision was due to a procedural error.

Reed Brody, a lawyer with the US-based group Human Rights Watch which has backedthe case against Mr Habre, said the ruling was not definitive.

He told the AFP news agency that the court said that "Belgium had not annexed theoriginal arrest warrant and other papers" only photocopied versions.

"It leaves the door open to a fresh Belgian extradition request," he said.

After years of wrangling, the African Union recently urged Senegal to either put MrHabre on trial or send him to a country which would do so.

Senegal arrested Mr Habre in 2005, after he was charged by Belgium with crimes againsthumanity and torture.

Alleged victims filed complaints under Belgium's universal jurisdiction law, whichallows Brussels judges to prosecute human rights offences anywhere.

In 2008, he was sentenced to death in absentia for planning to overthrow Chad'sgovernment.

A 1992 Truth Commission in Chad accused him of being responsible for widespreadtorture and the death of 40,000 people during his eight-year rule.


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Last year, Senegal stopped plans to repatriate Mr Habre to Chad following a plea fromthe UN.

###

Nigerian unions accuse president of using 'thugs' to quash protests (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/11/world/africa/nigeria-strike/index.html?hpt=iaf_c112 January 2012

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Two Nigerian trade unions accused the country's president ofusing "armed thugs" to attack protesters, and urged demonstrators to continue theirnationwide strike against high fuel prices on Wednesday and beyond.

"In a Mubarak-style response to the peoples' protests, the Jonathan administrationbrought into Abuja, thugs armed with various weapons including guns," the Nigeria

Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria said in a joint statement lateTuesday night.

The unions were comparing President Goodluck Jonathan to former Egyptian PresidentHosni Mubarak, who is accused of ordering security forces to fire on protesters in Egyptlast year.

Nigerians strike over gas price increaseOccupy Nigeria protests "Labour warns the Presidency that it will be held responsible forwhatever atrocities these thugs commit," the statement said. "We call on Nigerians tocontinue the strikes, rallies and protests ... Wednesday ... and subsequent days until theJonathan government listens to the voice of the Nigerian People."

Government spokesman Reuben Abati denied the accusations and said negotiationsbetween the labor unions and the government are under way.

"If these claims are properly investigated, you will find out that failed and bitterpoliticians have not only hijacked this protest, but have diverted it from a protest againstderegulation policy," he said Reuben Abati.

Wednesday will mark day three of the strike, which was spurred by a governmentdecision to remove fuel subsidies -- a move that resulted in more than doubled fuel pricesin the largely impoverished country.

So far, clashes have left at least 16 people dead and 205 injured, according to a tallycollected by the Nigerian Red Cross Tuesday.

The strike, continued religious violence in the north and a long-simmering separatistmovement are all issues that have created growing problems for Jonathan and fueledtensions on the street.


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The southern state of Edo was a focus for much of the violence, according to the RedCross, with five people killed and 83 injured.

"Revolution has come to Nigeria and the youth will spearhead it. Until our demands are

met, we are ready to protest every day and make sacrifice," said Eromo Egbejule, aNigerian freelance journalist.

Other violence erupted in northern Nigeria Tuesday and Wednesday, although it wasunclear whether the incidents were related to the strike.

In Yobe state, four people died Wednesday after two gunmen on a motorcycle stoppednext to a car filling up at a gas station and opened fire on the occupants in the town ofPotiskum, about 600 kilometers northeast of Abuja, said Lawan Tanko, Yobe state policecommissioner.

"We don't know if it's Boko Haram or other criminal elements," he said. "We are stillinvestigating." The victims' ethnic groups had not been confirmed, he said.

Boko Haram, a shadowy militant Islamic group that is said to favor strict Sharia law, isfrequently blamed for sectarian violence.

Also in Yobe state, eight people drinking in an open-area bar, including a police officer,were shot to death Tuesday by several unidentified gunmen in Potiskum, Tanko said. Thegunmen opened fire without announcing their presence, he said.

No one has claimed responsibility, and police are not sure who was behind the attack, hesaid.

In a recent address, Jonathan tried to explain the need for ending the subsidies, tellingNigerians that the government would invest the money in the country's crumblinginfrastructure.

"My fellow Nigerians, the truth is that we're faced with two basic choices with regards tothe management of the petroleum sector," Jonathan said. "Survive economically orcontinue with a subsidy regime that will continue to undermine our economy."

Some analysts say the changes could help Nigeria in the future.

"If they're prepared to try this petroleum subsidy removal then perhaps they can pushthrough electricity reform too. If they do that, Nigeria's growth can be instead of 7%-8%a year, 10% or 11%," said Charlie Robertson, a chief economist at the global investmentfirm Renaissance Capital.

But assurances from the president did not allay fears from many Nigerians who do nottrust the government to use the money to improve the country's infrastructure.


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Many Nigerians view the subsidy as the only benefit of living in an oil-producing countrythat has little infrastructure, poor roads, high unemployment and intermittent electricpower.

"Though we know that in the long run, removal of (the) subsidy will help the economy,for now it is a high-profile lifestyle that is unbearable for most Nigerians, and soon thepoorer ones will die out," said protester Diane Awunah.

CNN's John Defterios, Jack Maddox and Michael Saba, and journalist Vladimir Duthierscontributed to this report.

###

Report: Rebels cleared in plane crash that sparked Rwandan genocide (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/11/world/africa/rwanda-president-

plane/index.html?hpt=iaf_c212 January 2012By Nikki Cook

Paris (CNN) -- The missile that brought down the plane carrying the president of Rwandamore than 17 years ago was fired from a camp controlled by his own ethnic group andnot by Tutsi rebels, attorneys for the rebels said Wednesday.

The April 1994 crash of the plane near the capital, Kigali, and the death of then-PresidentJuvenal Habyarimana, a member of the Hutu majority, was followed hours later by thestart of mass killings. By the time they ended 100 days later, 800,000 people had died.

Most of the dead were members of the country's Tutsi minority, who were killed byHutus.

The killing of Tutsis and moderate Hutus by Hutu militants ended when the RwandanPatriotic Front -- composed of Tutsis under the leadership of current President PaulKagame -- halted the Hutu militants.

Also on board the plane was then-Burundi President Cyprian Ntayamira. Ntayamira wasalso a Hutu.

A report on the plane attack -- written as part of a French judicial investigation -- has notbeen released publicly. However, officials said experts appointed by French Judges MarcTrevidic and Nathalie Poux had identified Kanombe Military Barracks as the site fromwhich the rocket was launched.

The Kanombe camp at the time was controlled by "Hutu extremists in the formerRwandan army and their European advisers," said Bernard Maignain and Leon-LefForster, attorneys for the Rwandan Patriotic Front, in a statement. "The responsibility of


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the RPF in the attack is therefore dismissed."

The experts and judges traveled to Rwanda in September 2010 to view the scene of theattack, the attorneys said. Once there, they had the opportunity to conduct field surveysand simulations, and "they could also hear eyewitnesses who saw or heard the firing of

missiles.

"It is clear from their analysis that the probable location of firing was strictly inaccessibleat the time to the men of the RPF," Maignain and Forster said.

In 2006, French Judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere, who was previously in charge of theinvestigation, requested arrest warrants against nine Rwandan nationals belonging to theRPF, according to Maignain and Forster. Seven people are still "under investigation,"they said, but they also accused the former judge of dismissing all evidence suggestingthe RPF might not have been the perpetrators of the attack.

The latest report, the attorneys noted, is a "turning point."

The French Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the report, saying it was part of ajudicial investigation started because the crew members of the downed plane wereFrench.

Asked about the Rwandan opposition's request for an international inquiry into the report,the ministry said France supports the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda as ameans to shed light on the Rwandan killings.

Rwanda's government welcomed the report.

"The crash served as an excuse for key perpetrators to execute a meticulously plannedgenocide against the Tutsi," the government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs andCooperation said in a statement.

The plane, which was struck as it prepared to land at Kigali International Airport, wasbringing Habyarimana home from negotiations over the Arusha peace accords, which hadcreated a power-sharing government between rebels and the Rwandan government.

"Today's findings constitute vindication for Rwanda's long-held position on thecircumstances surrounding events of April 1994," said Louise Mushikiwabo, foreignminister and government spokeswoman, in the statement.

"With this scientific truth, Judges Trevidic and Poux have slammed shut the door on the17-year campaign to deny the genocide or blame its victims. It is now clear to all that thedowning of the plane was a coup d'etat carried out by extremist Hutu elements and theiradvisers who controlled Kanombe Barracks."

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Hungry African leaders 'had to buy own food' at ANC centenary celebrations (The

Guardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/11/african-leaders-nandos-anc-centenary?newsfeed=true

11 January 2012By David Smith in Johannesburg

They are often accused of living like kings while their impoverished peoples suffer. Notthis time, it would seem.

African leaders who attended last weekend's centenary celebrations of the AfricanNational Congress (ANC) had to embark on some hasty shopping when they found nofood or bedding at their accommodation, according to a newspaper report.

Such was the indignity that the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, was apparently

forced to dispatch security guards to fetch him some grilled chicken from Nando's.

The heads of state, including some of the continent's most feared autocrats, were "angryand disappointed" by the gaffe, an article in Volksblad said. But the South Africangovernment disputes the report and says it has received no complaints. It didacknowledge, however, that Museveni may have decided to order food in addition to thatprovided.

There was no shortage of logistical hiccups during the events in Bloemfontein marking100 years of Africa's oldest liberation movement. More than 40 heads of state were putup at the Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate on the edge of the city which might haveproved less luxurious than it first appeared.

"The leaders allegedly had to buy their own bedding, food, pots, pans, glasses and bottledwater because the ANC had ordered the owners of the houses it rented at Woodland HillsWildlife Estate to remove all their possessions," Volksblad claimed. "There wasapparently only liquor provided."

At least 15 women hired as housekeepers, waitresses and cleaners at the estate cameforward to reveal how foreign dignitaries were treated, the paper said. MamphoMmelaedi, who was working at the house used by Museveni, was quoted as saying:"Ugandan officials had to leave Woodlands to go and buy duvets, food and othernecessities for the president as there was a bed without linen."

Motladi Metsing added: "Namibian officials went to buy food, pots, plates and glasses tocook for the president. I could see he was angry and disappointed."

Kenalemang Pula claimed the Nigerian delegation arrived on Sunday morning and hadpacked their bags by lunchtime. And President Thomas Boni of Benin allegedly "stormedout" of Woodlands Hills immediately.


25/26


Paul Kagame from Rwanda, Teodoro Obiang from Equatorial Guinea, Bingu waMutharika from Malawi and Namibia's Hifikepunye Pohamba were also denied thehospitality to which they have become accustomed, Volksblad added.

"They kept asking us if we worked for the ANC or for the South African government,"one of the women told the paper. "Understandably, they kept shouting at us. We wereembarrassed to be there."

Around 55 houses owned by private individuals had been rented out for an estimated50,000 rand (3,997) a day.

Valentine Rantsoareng, joint owner of the Rantsoareng hotel group, which wascontracted to equip the houses, denied there had been a failure. "I think people who makethese allegations are somewhat dissatisfied because they haven't been paid yet, but I haveonly now received the receipt for it," he told Volksblad. He added that some of the heads

of state had deviated from the menu and "asked for chicken".

A spokesman for Nando's said: "The Nando's restaurant in question was very busythroughout the weekend. Although a number of VIPs, dignitaries and security personnelpurchased meals from the franchise during this time, neither the franchisee nor Nando'sSouth Africa can confirm that they were linked to the Ugandan president."

The South African government denied it had committed a diplomatic blunder. ClaysonMonyela, South Africa's spokesman for international relations, said: "We don't knowwhat these people are referring to. The African heads of state in Bloemfontein werelooked after in terms of the standard protocol courtesies extended to heads of state.

"We have not received any official complaint from any of them. Some of them stayedover until Monday and had bilateral meetings with President [Jacob] Zuma. This is just amalicious thing and we don't know where it came from."

He added: "They may have requested one or two things that were not provided in thestandard hospitality. It's not unexpected. If President Zuma wants something that isn'tprovided he sends his staff out to get it. That's standard."

The ANC's centenary celebrations were marred by technical hitches: accreditation waschaotic for many; a golf tournament teed off late after a mix-up over the deputypresident's diary.

African heads of state missed Zuma lighting the "centenary flame" in the church wherethe ANC was founded because they arrived well after midnight. The president had torequest a recap from the chaplain on their behalf before all returned to a gala dinner thatoverran until 3am.

Thousands of ANC supporters who travelled to a birthday rally were angry when they


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U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 AFRICOM-PAO@africom mil

were locked out of the stadium, which emptied long before the event was over.

###

Gunmen storm Kenyan police camp, kill seven (Reuters)

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE80B0792012011212 January 2012By Noor Ali and Daud Yussuf

ISIOLO, Kenya (Reuters) - Suspected Somali Islamist rebels killed at least sevenKenyans in an attack late on Wednesday that targeted a police outpost in northeasternKenya, the latest in a wave of assaults in the border area, a senior local official andsecurity sources said.

Scores of gunmen threw grenades and other explosives as they stormed the police campin Gerille, a town near the porous frontier, Regional Commissioner Wenslas Ongayo

said. Several people were missing after the evening raid, and believed kidnapped.

"They killed three administration police officers, a police reservist and two civil servantsworking with the registration department," Ongayo told Reuters by telephone.

A local councillor and an education official said that a primary school teacher had alsobeen killed in the crossfire.

Kenya has beefed up security along its border with Somalia since it sent troops into theanarchic Horn of Africa country in October to crush the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaabinsurgents.

Wednesday night's attack highlights the difficulties they face securing the frontier, daysafter Britain warned Islamist militants were in the final stages of preparing an attack onsites in Kenya frequented by expatriates and tourists.

A police spokesman could not confirm the death toll and said details of the attack in aremote, arid corner of the country were still emerging.

Explosions and gunfire rang out across Gerille's dusty wastelands, Ongayo said, beforethe assailants seized a government vehicle. A police source in the area said its driver,three local officials and two other people were now missing and presumed kidnapped.

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END REPORT

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