Studio 7 VOA

Cameroon a Haven of Peace, Says Its U.S. Ambassador

Cameroon’s ambassador to the United States said his country is a “haven of peace” in central Africa.

Joseph Bienvenu Charles Foe-Atangana said he has launched a program to reach out to Cameroonians in the United States.

“Cameroonian students, like every Cameroonian, they should know that the embassy is their house. I used to consider myself as the servant-in-chief. I told them on the 29th of May that, if you don’t come to me, I will come to you,” he said.

Ambassador Foe-Atangana attended the national convention of the Lebang Cultural and Development Organization in the United States held recently in Maryland, outside Washington, DC.

The Lebang is one of Cameroon’s ethnic groupings.

He also said U.S.-Cameroon relations are good and based on mutual friendship.

“After the independence, the USA was the first country to open a counselor mission in Douala. Our relations are based on friendship. You know that we have no problem between our two countries. We are strengthening our cooperation in various ways,” he said.

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Ambassador Foe-Atangana also said Cameroon has 148 political parties something he said is an indicator of multi-party democracy.

But, critics say many of those political parties are financed by long-time President Paul Biya to create the semblance of democracy.

“In Cameroon, you have 148 political parties. There are some countries in Africa who don’t have any party and say that’s (an) advance in democracy. We have 47 private radio and television (outlets). Please, is that not an indicator of a country in democracy?” he said.

Ambassador Foe-Atangana said Cameroon is proud of its achievements in democracy after just 50 years since independence.

He said Cameroon should not be compared to countries like the United States with over 200 years of independence and experience.

He said Cameroon is only asking the United States and other Western nations to help Cameroon achieve its development goals.

Ambassador Foe-Atangana said there are no sacred cows in Cameroon when it comes to the fight against official corruption.

“First of all, go to the TV. You will see a message pass every day saying that everybody who is a victim of corruption, you will call this number and receive free assistance. Secondly, Cameroon is the only country that pushes the bottom very high. How many former officials are in prison? And, there is not sacred cow,” Ambassador Foe-Atangana said.

He said foreign business people also have a role in the fight against corruption in Africa.

Ambassador Foe-Atangana said Cameroon is a haven of peace in central Africa.

“Look at the sub-region of central Africa. We are the only country, for now, living in peace. We are trying to do our development. We have only 50 years of existence. The only thing if they want to judge us is whether we are improving,” he said.

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Guineans Ready to Elect New Leader, Says Analyst

The president of Guinea’s Research Institute on Democracy and Rule of Law, a non-governmental organization, said Guineans are anxiously waiting to vote after the electoral commission proposed 14th August as the date for the presidential election run-off.

Attorney Thierno Balde said Guinea’s transitional President-General, Sekouba Konate, will now have to sign a decree before the proposed date becomes official for the election run-off.

Guinea’s Electoral Commission (CNE) proposed the date after holding discussions with the two presidential aspirants. Former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo and Alpha Conde will contest in the election run-off vote.

“The CNE had been organizing several meetings in the last days to find out exactly when they will be able to carry out the elections. So, they decided on the date (14th August) and they need to send the date to the President of the Transition, General Sekouba Konate, so that he can call the elections by decree,” Balde said.

Under Guinea’s constitution, only the two leading presidential candidates in the first round of the 27th June election are eligible to participate in the run-off vote.

Former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, who won the most votes in the first round election, signed a deal Wednesday with third-place finisher Sidya Toure.

The agreement stipulates that Mr. Toure's Union of Republican Forces (UFR) party is promised the post of prime minister and 30 percent of all cabinet positions should Mr. Diallo win a second-round election.

Sixth-place finisher Ibrahima Abe Sylla, the candidate of Guinea’s New Generation for the Republic Party and the former ruling PUP party, also signed the agreement to support Mr. Diallo.

Attorney Balde said, despite placing second, a lot of political parties see the prospects of the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) attractive enough to enter into an alliance with Alpha Conde ahead of the vote.

“So far, some 14 parties have reached agreement with Alpha Conde’s RPG. And, there are some other parties which have entered into agreement with the UFDG (Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea) of Mr. Cellou Dalein Diallo,” Balde said.

Last week, Guinea's Supreme Court upheld the preliminary results of the 27th June first-round vote, ruling Mr. Diallo won 44 percent, followed by longtime opposition leader Alpha Conde with 18 percent.

The ruling paves the way for the second-round which will see Guinea return to constitutional rule after the military took over 18 months ago following the death of long time President Lansana Conte.

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Botswana Opposition Aims to Break Ruling Party Dominance

The chairman of the opposition Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) told VOA talks among other opposition parties are seeking to form a coalition aimed at breaking the dominance of the ruling party in the next general elections, which must be held by 2014.

Gomolemo Motswaledi said the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) will continue losing its members of parliament to the opposition due to what he described as the party’s arrogance and refusal to embrace true internal democracy within its rank and file.

A former general-secretary of the ruling BDP, Motswaledi left the party after what most people described as an acrimonious clash with President Ian Khama, head of the ruling party.

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A majority of the defecting members of the BDP, including Motswaledi, said the ruling party has lost its direction.

“After 48 years of existence of the Botswana Democratic Party and after 44 years of its rule, I think there was just a wind blowing that was necessitating change within the party itself, and the re-evaluation and the re-calculation and the re-cobbling of its future, and its trajectory, as it goes into the inner side of the 21st century. That was in short supply, in terms of the intent by the party itself to redesign itself for the 21st century,” he said.

Botswana’s ruling party has been in government since the country gained independence from former colonial power Britain in 1966.

Analysts say the ruling party could lose its dominance in the legislature after six disgruntled members of the BDP left to join the opposition.

Former members of the ruling party often accuse President Khama of dictatorial tendencies and resentment towards dissenting views.

They contend that President Khama’s “authoritarianism” is undermining Botswana’s democratic efforts. It is a charge supporters of the ruling party deny saying the disaffected members wanted to have their way without going through the proper channels.

Some observers say growing disaffection within the ruling party could plunge the BDP into crisis despite its recent electoral victory. But, ruling BDP chairman Daniel Kwelagobe denied the party is in a crisis.

“There are concerns within the party, (but) I don’t know whether I can classify that as a crisis. But, certainly, there are people who are unhappy with the way the party is being run and, of course, they are entitled to their views,” Kwelagobe said.

Opposition leader Motswaledi said the opposition will be growing in strength after saying that President Khama’s “unilateral and dictatorial” stance is driving staunch members of the ruling party to the opposition.

“The inner energy to do that (transform party) was resisted by the leadership of the party and that actually held on the party and government a state of arrogance where it never listened to its people. And, therefore, the civic liberties were trampled on. The party democracy was not as effervescent as it used to be and people’s sense of self-expression and democratic experience was no longer the same,” Motswaledi said.

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Many African Countries Mark 50 Years in 2010

Seventeen African countries are marking half a century of independence this year.  These include a number former French colonies, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.  Celebrations are being held in Africa and outside the continent, but Africa analysts say Africa needs to see much more progress before celebration is really warranted.

The government of France, a former colonial power in much of West Africa, recently invited African leaders to commemorate 50 years of independence for 14 of its former colonies.

The president of Cameroon, Paul Biya, thanked his host, French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

"I want to thank you warmly for this initiative," said Biya.  "It allows us to re-examine and accept our common history, to reassert our desire to build our future, even further than ever before."

Mr. Biya has been in power since 1982, for more than half of Cameroon's independence, and has maintained very close ties with France.  But as in many other African nations, Cameroon's independence has not solved all its problems.  Despite its many resources, parts of the country still suffer from malnutrition.

Independence for many Africans has also been marked by conflicts, coups and disease. The Democratic Republic of Congo, which recently celebrated 50 years of independence from Belgian rule, is no exception.  The current president, Joseph Kabila, a former rebel fighter, has been trying to liberalize the country's mineral-rich economy and enforce rules against corruption.

Congolese citizen Jose Mungongo remains hopeful.  "We hope that everything he started will continue and will be for the better of the country," said Mungongo.  "And of course, we hope that the social element of that will continue as well."

The executive director of Africa Action in Washington, Gerald LeMelle, says Africans themselves need to control what they do with their resources, rather than anyone from outside.

"It is very, very difficult, 50 years after so-called independence, it is very, very difficult to see where countries on the continent are able to make decisions without significant input by international economic and political actors," said LeMelle.  "If people can't make decisions that are in the country's best interest first, vis a vis their resources, then we have not achieved independence."

In terms of the next 50 years, Steve McDonald from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, says he would like to see civil society groups, such as media, gain more and more importance.

"I think work needs to be done across the board for them to play the role that civil society does in the west," said McDonald.  "I think it's still a nascent movement in that they are not really empowered.  They are an irritant.  They are a voice in the wilderness often, sometimes they affect the flow."

The U.S. government will mark the many African independence milestones with a town hall meeting hosted by President Barack Obama in early August - for African youth leaders, the African diaspora community, civil society groups and leaders of Africa's private sector.  Mr. Obama, whose father was a Kenyan who came to the United States to study, has said he wants to make sure the U.S.-African partnership can help all Africans in the decades ahead.

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Powerful Nigerian Governors’ Group Opposes President Jonathan’s Candidacy

In Nigeria, the powerful Northern Governors Forum ended a crucial meeting in Kaduna without endorsing President Goodluck Jonathan as the ruling party’s candidate for next year’s elections.

Mr. Jonathan’s plans to retain his job is complicated by the governor’s insistence that the ruling party zoning arrangement be maintained, some analysts say.

Under the system, the party chooses candidates alternating between the North and the South. If it continues to do so, Mr. Jonathan will be disqualified. He is from the South-South, but the next candidate selected under zoning would be from the North.

“A few people cannot sit down and begin to shape opinion and direct the political direction of this country,” said Abubakar Momoh, a political science lecturer at the Lagos State University.  “They have the right to make their own position known, but let them say it is their own personal position.These governor are pretending and giving everyone the impressions that they are carrying their states along.”

Momoh disagrees with suggestions the governors would wield their influence to stop President Jonathan from winning their states if he runs without their support.

“From my own point of view, I am really surprised that Mr. President is using the same old tactics and old rules.  If President Jonathan wants to run, let him come out and announce that to Nigerians.  Why the pretence?  If he is interested in the presidency let him come out and run and stop using surrogates, using all kinds of forces and interests to go and prepare the ground for him.”

Fears by President Jonathan and his supporters that an early interest in next year’s election will cripple the operations of government are unfounded, said Momoh.

“It’s a very weak argument.  There is nobody in this country, not even an infant, that does not have the feeling and knows clearly that President Goodluck Jonathan wants to run.  So who is he deceiving?  The man is going to announce and his godfathers have announced that he is going to run.”

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EU Happy With Kenya's Preparation for Referendum

With just one week until Kenyans head to the polls to accept or reject a new constitution, the European Union delegation to Nairobi says they are pleased with the country's preparations for the crucial vote. 

Diplomats from the European Union met Monday with members of Kenya's Interim Independent Electoral Commission to discuss Kenya's readiness for the long-awaited constitutional referendum on August 4.  They discussed logistical preparation and the civic education program to inform citizens about the proposed constitution on the ballot.

The head of the EU Delegation to Kenya, Ambassador Eric van der Linden, praised the commission and the civil society for its efforts.

Van der Linden told reporters he was pleased with the transparency of the process and applauded the positive role played by President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga in the public debate.

"We also welcome, perhaps, a more moderate tone in the referendum debate.  Because at the end of the day, everybody starts realizing at the political level that when they wake up on the 5th, they are still in the same Kenya; they still will have to work together and to continue the reform process," van der Linden said.  "We hope that the Kenyans will use their democratic right and will turn out in big numbers to vote on the 4th of August.  It is the future of your country."

The delegation also discussed the role to be played by international community before and after the vote.

Interim Independent Electoral Commission Chairman Issack Hassan assured the delegation the August 4 referendum would be free, fair and transparent.  The chairman told reporters that representatives of the European Union had been invited to observe the vote tallying at the Bomas of Kenya cultural center in Nairobi.

Hassan called for Kenyans to vote and help ensure a smooth process.

"We are urging all Kenyans to make sure that we have a peaceful referendum, that people come out in large numbers.  Fourth of August is a big day for the country.  We want them to come out and vote in large numbers because the voter turnout is very crucial to this exercise," Hassan said.

The chairman revealed the commission has asked President Kibaki to declare August 4 a national holiday to ensure high turnout at the polls.  While Mr. Kibaki has not yet responded to the request, Hassan expressed confidence a holiday would be declared.

Whatever the result next Wednesday, the referendum will likely define the legacy of the Government of National Unity.  The coalition was formed in a peace agreement between President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, after the disputed presidential election in December of 2007.

Accusations of vote rigging made by both politicians set off two months of ethnic violence across Kenya.  The post-election fighting killed more than 1,000 people and displaced some 300,000.

The referendum process is a part of the peace agreement which ended the violence.  Recent polls show that more than 60 percent of Kenyans support the draft.  If the document is passed next week, it could end a 20-year wait for a new constitution.

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Niger's Presidential Race Will Include First Female Candidate

In Niger, a woman will run for president for the first time in elections due in January.  

Niger's former minister of culture, Mariama Bayard, announced this week she is a candidate in January's presidential poll.

Bayard will be the first woman to run for president in the West African country.

The elections are meant to return the government to civilian rule after a military coup in February.

Bayard says it does not matter if you are a man or a woman, young or old.  When a country arrives at such a historic turning point, you cannot resist your destiny.

Bayard has been an active civil society leader for the past two decades in Niger.  She is known as a fervent advocate for women's rights and democracy.

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, and food shortages sweeping the Sahel region this year threaten half of the country's 14 million people.  

Bayard says today no one can be indifferent to the fate of this country with all its economic difficulties.  She says this is at the heart of her decision to enter the presidential race.  She says she will be the voice for the most humble of this country, with whom she has worked for many years.  

Bayard is one of the first Niger presidential hopefuls to announce her candidacy.

The presidential election is set for January 3, with a run-off planned for January 14, if necessary.  Local and legislative elections are also planned for that time.

The army took power in a February coup against President Mamadou Tandja, and soldiers promised elections within the year.  The ousted president had grown increasingly unpopular since expanding his power and giving himself another three years in office through a controversial referendum in August 2009.

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French FM Expresses Support for Africa's Fight Against Al-Qaida

France's foreign minister spoke in Mali and Niger on Tuesday about increased security measures for French citizens in the Sahel region.  His visit comes days after a French hostage was killed by al-Qaida's North African branch.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner toured three countries in West Africa after a French citizen was killed during the weekend by al-Qaida's North African branch, known al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

The group's leader broadcast an audio message on Sunday saying the militants had killed 78-year-old aid worker Michel Germaneau.

While in Niger's capital Niamey on Tuesday, Kouchner said the French military has been cooperating for several months with Mauritania's army to combat al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

He added that French President Nicolas Sarkozy sent him to West Africa immediately after Germaneau's death so that the French minister could speak to the leaders of Mauritania, Mali and Niger.

Kouchner said that France is friends with the Sahel countries and is determined to help if needed, as if it were France's own fight.  Although, he said, it is the fight of the Sahel countries.  The French foreign minister quickly added the action was not about revenge.

Kouchner also said he did not necessarily urge French nationals to leave the Sahel region, though he did recommend increased security measures.

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New Somaliland President Names Cabinet

Somaliland's new president has appointed 26 ministers and deputies, in what he says is the smallest Cabinet in the breakaway republic's history.

In a speech Wednesday, President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo said his region's coffers are empty and his government will work hard to improve the economy.  He also said he will work closely with the international community.

Mr. Silanyo beat incumbent Dahir Riyale Kahin in June elections with just short of 50 percent of the vote.

The presidential election was Somaliland's first in seven years, after several delays. The inauguration Tuesday was one of the few peaceful transfers of power from an incumbent to an opposition candidate in Africa's post-independence history.

Somaliland declared its independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991.  The self-declared republic runs its own affairs but has not received international recognition.

President Silanyo will serve a five-year term in office.  He faces several challenges, including insurgent threats, poverty and unemployment.

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New East Africa Bribery Index Finds Two Neighbors Most -- and Least -- Corrupt

The Kenya chapter of Transparency International finds that two neighboring countries in Africa call on two different ends of the scale in terms of corruption. The group recently issued its East Africa Bribery Index, a measurement of the prevalence and impact of bribery in public and private service institutions in East African countries.

The index is designed to show how citizens experience corruption in public institutions across East Africa, said Mwangi Kibathi, research officer for Transparency International’s Nairobi office.

When the index was launched seven years ago, it focused only on Kenya, but last year it included Uganda and Tanzania.  For the year 2010, the index included two new countries, Rwanda and Burundi.

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“Our key [finding]…is that Burundi came out as the most corrupt country in the region…. [and] Rwanda came out as the least corrupt.  Those were two very interesting extremes,” said Kibathi.

In Burundi, he said, 36.7% of citizens were expected to pay bribes when dealing with public institutions.  In Rwanda, the number was 6.6%. Uganda scored 33%, Kenya 31.9% and Tanzania 28.6%.

Governments are making an effort, said Kibathi, but they still need to improve on these figures.

“One thing that is very important is that all of these governments in the five countries are doing a lot of work in curbing corruption.  By using this index, we are telling them while we appreciate that they are doing something…our study indicated that corruption is still a big issue.  And apart from Rwanda, where you can see that the figure is quite minimal…for the other four countries, the message is that something needs to be done,” said Kibathi.

Kibathi said it’s not enough to pass laws and create anti-corruption bodies: “What is enough is to go ahead and ensure that when the laws are passed, they observe them.  When these institutions are created, we follow up to see that they are delivering what they are supposed to deliver, and I think that is what they are missing,” said Kibathi.

Can Rwanda be an example for the rest?  Kibathi said the country certainly has proven itself in this index.

“You’d be interested to note that when cases of bribery are reported, swift action is taken against the perpetrators.  There are issues where even the big people -- senior agriculture ministers, senior civil servants – have been prosecuted for involving themselves in corruption.  That doesn’t come out very clearly in these other countries.  So what they (Rwanda’s officials) are doing is taking the fight against corruption more seriously than the other countries in the region,” said Kibathi.

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AMISOM Official Calls Somalia Troop Increase Positive

The spokesman for the African Union’s Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has welcomed as a positive step in the right direction the decision by African leaders to increase troop levels in the war-torn country.

But, Major Barigye Ba-Huko warned that increasing troop levels is not the solution to the ongoing Somali crisis. The beleaguered Somali leader, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, also welcomed the troop level increase.

“We need to put this increment in perspective. First of all, the increment is in recognition of the fact that the planned troop level in the year 2006 was 8000, and we have never attained that troop level. So, it is in recognition that that troop level, I think, has been approved,” he said.

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Ba-Huko also said that the dynamics within the mission area have dramatically changed adding that there was a need to review the mandate of the peacekeeping mission in order to make it more effective.

African heads of state agreed at the African Union summit in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, to send 4000 additional troops to help boost the Somali administration.

Backed by the United Nations, AMISOM is mandated by the African Union to support Somalia’s transitional governmental structures, implement a national security plan, train the security forces, and assist in creating a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The Somali government has been battling almost daily hard-line Islamist insurgents who have refused to recognize the administration and have vowed to violently overthrow the government.

AMISOM spokesman Ba-Huko said the troop increase will create the necessary platform that will pave the way for a negotiated settlement to resolve the Somali crisis.

“The troops will work as a catalyst or (to) create an environment for the dialogue to take place for all those who are interested in peace in Somalia, (and) for those who are interested in dialogue in Somalia, to dialogue and go back to the residences, or wherever they come from without fear,” Ba-Huko said.

Currently, the 6000 AMISOM troops in Somalia come from Burundi and Uganda. The increase is expected to raise the troop level to an estimated 10,000.

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JEM Rebel Group Blames Khartoum for Violence in Darfur

The spokesman for the Darfur-based Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) told VOA his insurgent group is not to blame for the deteriorating security situation the United Nations says has led to the deaths of 400 unarmed civilians in May.

Ahmed Hussein Adam warned that, until President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir’s government changes its “warmongering” attitude, there would be no resolution of the ongoing crisis in the country’s restive Darfur region.

“We are sharing the concern of the international community…the Security Council, as well as the Secretary-General of the United Nations, their concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation and security situation in Darfur. Because those who are dying and those who are suffering are our people and all of us have members of their family in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps or refugee camps,” he said.

Describing the Darfur situation as unacceptable, the U.S ambassador to the United Nations expressed concern about the escalating crisis and called for its effective resolution. Ambassador Susan Rice described the escalating situation in Darfur as “unacceptable and needs to be effectively addressed.”

Her comments came after U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon presented a report to the Security Council about the worsening security situation in western Sudan.

JEM’s spokesman Adam blames President Bashir’s government for the ongoing conflict.

“The question is, ‘Who is responsible?’ I don’t think that JEM is responsible for the ongoing violence. The regime in Khartoum is responsible and the international community actually failed to put any pressure on them to stop their (military) campaign against our people on the ground,” Adam said.

The U.N chief called on both the government and JEM, Darfur’s largest rebel group, to stop the ongoing conflict. He also urged them to return to the negotiating table to find a lasting solution to the Darfur crisis.

JEM recently pulled out of the peace talks with the Sudanese government in Doha, Qatar after accusing the national army of attacking its positions.

The U.N chief said JEM’s withdrawal from the peace talks significantly undermined efforts to resolve the problems in Darfur.

But, the rebel spokesman said the government does not seem to be interested in finding a solution to the crisis.

“We went to Doha in good faith with the determination to achieve peace and signed a framework agreement…which includes the declaration of ceasefire. But, the regime used that agreement to calm the situation to run the (last) elections and, immediately after the campaign, they started the (military onslaught) campaign,” he said.

Adam also called on the international community to put more pressure on President Bashir’s government to find a political solution to the Darfur crisis.

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AU to Reinforce Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia

An African Union summit has agreed to send thousands more peacekeepers to Somalia to battle al-Qaida-linked militants who claim responsibility for the World Cup bombings in Kampala. Our correspondent reports from the Ugandan capital that a summit communique also calls for suspension of the International Criminal Court warrant against Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir.

African leaders stung by the suicide bombings that killed 76 people in Kampala this month endorsed plans on Tuesday that will soon boost the size of the AU mission, known as AMISOM, in Somalia to nearly 10,000. The AMISOM force currently consists of 6100 Ugandan and Burundian troops.

The reinforcements are expected to include a battalion from Guinea and several hundred soldiers from Djibouti. Both are Muslim majority states.

A summit communique does not specify AMISOM's rules of engagement. But the AU Chairman, Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika suggested AMISOM commanders have new authority in the wake of the Kampala bombings to respond to attacks by al-Shabab, the Islamic extremist group that controls much of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

"You have seen in the Ugandan papers that the troops that have gone there are making lot of gains, in terms of controlling parts of Mogadishu, and I believe this will take place, and the threats by al-Shabab that always happens in any situation," said Bingu wa Mutharika. "The bombing of the drinking place in Kampala was intended to scare us so we don't come to hold a summit.....but it did absolutely the opposite."

The summit also reiterated a call for the United Nations Security Council to suspend for one year the arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. The Sudanese leader did not attend the Kampala summit because Uganda, as a member of the International Criminal Court, would have been obligated to arrest him on war crimes and genocide charges.

The arrest warrant has divided the continent's leaders. Many of the 30 African state parties to the ICC support calls for the Sudanese leader's arrest, and say postponing the warrant condones impunity.

But President Mutharika says the majority of the  membership want a year to present Africa's views on the validity of the ICC charges.

"We are not condoning impunity and we are not condoning any crimes that may have been committed by anybody, whether he's a head of state or not, against humanity," he said. "We're not condoning any genocide that might have been committed. But these things need to be proved. So we are asking the United Nations General Assembly to postpone the execution of that arrest warrant for 12 months, during which we will look at the issue and see if the evidence they have corroborates with ours."

Mr. Mutharika questioned whether the ICC has authority to indict the head of state of a country that is not a member of the court, without consulting the continent's leaders.

"Let us look at the position of the ICC," said Mr. Mutharika. Do they really have a right to tell us what to do on this continent? It's a question. Do they have a right to try Sudan, who's not a member of ICC? I don't know."

The ICC indictment charges President Bashir with war crimes and genocide in connection with the civil war in Darfur. The United Nations estimates as many as 300,000 people have died since the war broke out in early 2003, though the Sudanese government puts the figure at around 10,000.

Mr. Bashir has ruled Sudan since coming to power in a military coup in 1989. He won election in April in the country's first multiparty vote in 24 years.

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France, African Countries Move to Counter al-Qaida-Linked Groups in Africa

French and African leaders are pledging to counter al-Qaida-backed violence in East and West Africa with more military force in the aftermath of suicide bombings in Uganda and the killing of a French aid worker in Mali.  The United States has also pledged more military help in the continent's widening fight against terrorism.  But, some analysts are concerned whether this is the most effective approach.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon went on French radio Tuesday to say his country was at war with al-Qaida.

He said the French military has been cooperating for several months with Mauritania's army to combat al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb regional terrorist group.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has been touring West African countries where the group has kidnapped foreigners, sometimes killing them, as was the case for French aid worker Michel Germaneau.  His execution was announced by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb on Sunday, after a French-Mauritanian raid on one of the terror group's desert positions in Mali.

Kouchner met with Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure on Tuesday to discuss several security topics, including establishing an anti-terror rapid reaction force with Mali.

Algerian officials at this week's African Union summit in Kampala, Uganda reportedly have described Mali as the weak link in the fight against terrorism in the vast, mostly lawless, northwest African region.  They say Algerian villagers in desert areas are being instructed to form their own defense militias.

Africa security analyst J. Peter Pham says he is not surprised by the French reaction.  But he says he fears that al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb will be more in the news in the months ahead . . .

"[g]iven the increased resources that it has obtained in the last 12-18 months because its southern command has acquired resources through an alliance with drug smugglers and other criminal elements," said J. Peter Pham. "So you are seeing greater activity and, unfortunately, you are likely to see increased activity from them."

This week's AU summit in Kampala focused largely on the terror threat and boosting the African Union force in Somalia, where the al-Qaida linked group al-Shabab is fighting a U.N-backed transitional government.

African leaders approved a request to send 2,000 more African Union peacekeeping troops and allow the peacekeepers to fire their weapons, if they face imminent attack.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the recent bombings in Uganda that killed dozens of people, saying the attacks were in retaliation for Uganda's troop presence in Somalia.  The peacekeepers have come under criticism inside Somalia for their frequent shelling of civilian areas.  The group warned of more attacks in Uganda and in Burundi, which also has troops in Somalia.

Analyst J. Peter Pham says he does not believe there is a military solution to the problem and that more peacekeepers could make the situation worse.

"The African Union does not have the resources," he said. "Even if it were to get its act together, which it has not been able to [do], even if it were to get its act together, it does not have the capability to go in there and effectively defeat the insurgency.  But it has enough capability to cause more problems."

Pham says al-Shabab is united mainly because of foreign intervention and that working diplomatically with its less radical elements might be more effective.

"You remove the foreign intervention, let the cards fall where they will for the transitional government, and you will see al-Shabab beginning to break apart into various factions," said Pham. "They are already factionalized, but they will be further factionalized.  Then it becomes easier to pick off the truly threatening ones and the other ones can be brought into some sort of a framework for rebuilding governance."

Following the bombings in Uganda, U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States would redouble support for Africa in the fight against terrorism.  The U.S. government has already given the transitional government in Somalia millions of dollars for buying weapons and paying the salaries of its soldiers.  The 2011 U.S. budget request for security assistance programs in Africa is reported to include over $80 million for arms sales to African states, military training and anti-terrorism programs.

But critics like the Washington-based activist group Africa Action say military cooperation boosts authoritarianism by African leaders, creates more violence and contributes to resentment by civilians.   

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US says Kampala Bombings a 'Wake-Up Call' on Somali Extremists

The Obama administration's chief Africa diplomat says the suicide bombings by the Somali militant group al-Shabab earlier this month in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, were a "wake-up call" for the world community about the Islamic radicals.  Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson is in Kampala for the African Union summit.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson says the July 11 bombings at two Kampala viewing sites for the World Cup finals show al-Shabab's ability to use terror tactics far beyond Somalia, and should yield greater African and world support for the AU's AMISOM peacekeeping force in the troubled Horn-of-Africa country.

The assistant secretary spoke to reporters in a telephone hook-up from Kampala, where he led a high-level U.S. delegation to the AU summit. He said the bombings, which killed nearly 80 people, established al-Shabab as a force to be reckoned with throughout much of Africa.

"If al-Shabab can strike Kampala, it also is a threat to all of Somalia's regional neighbors, from Djibouti and Ethiopia and Kenya all the way down to Tanzania," Carson said.  "This is the first time that we have seen Shahab use suicide tactics outside of the south-central area of the country.  This constitutes a threat and I think the regional states are genuinely concerned about the capacity of Shabab to do this."

The AU summit endorsed plans by the East African regional economic bloc IGAD to send another 2,000 peacekeeping troops to Somalia, to bolster the contingent of more than 5,000 Burundian and Ugandan soldiers.

The United States has provided logistical support for the AMISOM force and Carson said he hopes al-Shabab's newly-demonstrated terror potential will prompt countries in Africa and beyond to make good on existing pledges of help for AMISOM and the struggling Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu.

Carson said there was a heavy focus at the AU summit on the need to reduce civilian casualties attributed to AMISOM in Somalia.

He said helping AMISOM improve its battlefield intelligence capabilities, and providing it with more accurate artillery and other weapons will ease the problem.  He also said some civilian deaths can be attributed to the way al-Shahab operates.

"I think that some of the tactics employed by al-Shabab are responsible for some of the civilian casualties that have been reported in the press," added Carson.  "Al-Shabab moves in and out of market areas, in and out of civilian residential areas, with the clear intent of using those markets and those residential units where civilians reside, as a place where they can launch their mortars and fire their weapons."

AMISOM has been accused of indiscriminately shelling civilian areas.  Carson said he believes there have been no deliberate attacks on civilians, but acknowledged the problem has the potential of turning the Somali population against the AU force.

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AU Summit Attracts Democrats and Dictators

An African Union summit in Uganda's capital city Kampala is drawing to a close with a number of difficult issues still dividing participants.  These twice-yearly gatherings show Africa at its best and worst, bringing together a diverse collection of democrats and dictators.

Diplomats often describe the African Union as a "work in progress" - great accomplishment in the midst of poverty, conflict and a distressing record in fostering peace and good governance.

Critics, such as Ugandan lawyer and political commentator Gawaya Tegulle describe the continent's leadership as an "African tragedy."

"If you look at Sudan, Libya, you look at Zimbabwe, it goes without mentioning, Zimbabwe is an obvious case," said Tegulle.  "If you look at a series of West African states where you see very weak government, you look at Niger, at the Central African Republic, you look at Chad, these are really depressing stories.  So we are looking at a few democrats gathered in Kampala, and a lot of dictators."

Some considered the worst of the continent's leaders are staying away from this summit.  Sudan's Omar al-Bashir is among those absent.  Uganda, one of 30 African state parties to  the International Criminal Court, would have been obliged to arrest the Sudanese leader, who is under ICC indictment for war crimes and genocide.

But even among ICC member states, the Bashir indictment generates anger in an organization known for protecting its own.  Malawi's President Bingu Wa Mutharika, who holds the rotating AU chairmanship, received applause when he criticized the ICC indictment.

"There is a general concern in Africa that the issuance of a warrant of arrest for His Excellency al-Bashir, a duly elected president of the Sudan, is a violation of the principles of sovereignty guaranteed under the United Nations and under the African Union charter," said Mutharika.  "To subject a sovereign head of state to a warrant of arrest is undermining African solidarity and African peace and security that we fought for for so many years."

This summit is devoted to examining why so many African women die during childbirth.  Heads of state participating in a panel discussion on the subject said the biggest challenge is a lack of money.  But one panelist, legendary singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka spoke for many Africans when she shot back, "That has not stopped African deposits in Swiss bank accounts."

Activists working on the summit's margins call it 'kleptocracy', the tendency of government officials to divert development funds to their own uses.  U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, in a message from President Barack Obama, announced a new initiative aimed at prosecuting officials who misuse U.S. development aid.

"I am pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Justice is launching a new Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative aimed at combating large-scale foreign official corruption and recovering public funds for their intended and proper use: for the people of our nations," said Holder.

But for all the failings of its leaders and its institutions, there is no question that Africa is moving forward.  The triumph of the World Cup in South Africa is but one example.  Speaking at the launch of a new infrastructure initiative, South African President Jacob Zuma predicted Africa's time has come.

"Africa is a region in the world that has started on economic growth and it has potential that no other continent has," said Zuma.  "Other continents that have been big for centuries are shrinking in the economic sense.  Africa is going to be number one."

This Kampala summit, like every AU gathering, has been dominated by security issues.  Somalia tops the list this time.

AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra acknowledges the dominance of conflict is an accurate reflection of the state of Africa.  But he argues a longer look shows great progress in the past decade, in promoting integration, development and democracy.  And, one might add, good governance.

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Burundi Ruling Party Wins Parliamentary Elections

Authorities in Burundi say the country's ruling party won an overwhelming majority in Friday's parliamentary elections, which were boycotted by most opposition parties.

The country's electoral commission said Tuesday President Pierre Nkurunziza's party took 81 of the 106 seats being contested.  The Uprona party took 17 seats, and another smaller party claimed five.  

Under Burundian law, three additional seats will go to the Twa, the smallest of Burundi's three ethnic groups.  

Running unopposed, Mr. Nkurunziza was re-elected in last month's presidential poll.    

The opposition decided to boycott both votes after accusing the president of using fraud to win local elections in May.  International observers said there was no evidence of tampering.

Security has also been a concern during this election season.  Burundi has been on alert since Somali insurgents threatened to attack the country for its role in the peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

The Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for bombings in Uganda earlier this month that killed 76 people.  It said the attacks were in retaliation for Ugandan participation in the peacekeeping force.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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Challenges Lie Ahead for new Somaliland President

Ahmed Mohamed Silaanyo was sworn in Monday as the new President of Somaliland, a self-declared independent republic in northwestern Somalia.  The inauguration marks a successful democratic transition in an otherwise tumultuous region, but Mr. Silaanyo will face many of the same problems which plague the south as he assumes office.

The ceremony, which took place in the Somaliland capital Hargeisa, was attended by delegations from across east Africa, including officials from Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia.

Silaanyo was elected with 49 percent of the vote, defeating incumbent President Dahir Riyale Kahin, who received around one-third of the ballots during the June 26 poll, which was praised by observers as free and fair.

Before being sworn in, the new leader acknowledged his responsibility to Somaliland and promised justice and equality for its people. Silaanyo also announced that he would name his cabinet tomorrow in order to begin governing.

Compared with the rest of the region, Somaliland has been an oasis of stability since unilaterally declaring independence from greater Somalia in 1991.  Since the overthrow of Mohammed Siad Barre in Mogadishu in the same year, southern and central Somalia has devolved into a state of near constant conflict.

The Transitional Federal Government, backed by the United Nations, has battled rising Islamist insurgencies during the past decade and maintains only tenuous control over parts of the capital.

Somaliland, meanwhile, has strengthened its democratic credentials by transitioning to a full democracy in 2002, holding parliamentary elections and two successful presidential polls. The presidential election in June also featured a peaceful handover of power.

During the inauguration, former president Kahin congratulated the people of Somaliland for successful and democratic elections, saying he was proud to hand over the presidency to his political rival, Mr. Silaanyo.

But the five-year term is not likely to be so smooth for the new president.  Like the rest of the region, poverty and unemployment are widespread in Somalia.  Many young Somalilanders leave the region for jobs in Europe, and the ministry of planning estimated in 2009 that 80 percent of Somaliland's economy was based on remittances.

Somaliland also faces armed threats familiar to the rest of Somalia.  The remnants of rebel group al-Ittihad al-Islamiya are based in the Golis Mountains on the country's unrecognized eastern border.  The group's leader, Mohammed Said Atom, has been identified by the United Nations as a principle supplier to southern insurgents al-Shabab and a destabilizing factor for the region.

Somaliland also faces internal challenges from secessionist movements in the regions of Sool, Sanaag and southeastern Togdheer, known locally as "Cayn."  The groups collectively named the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn militia have called for complete regional autonomy within greater Somalia and refuse to recognize Somaliland's independence.

While there have been no reports of violence around the inauguration, the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn militia was responsible for polling station attacks during the June vote.  The violence was concentrated around the Cayn region of Togdheer and left one electoral official dead.

Though the attacks did not discourage many from voting in the election, they will serve as a constant reminder to President Silaanyo of his nation's fragile peace in the tumultuous region.

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Former Nigerien President Asks Military Junta for Clemency

A leading member of Niger’s main political party said former President Mamadou Tandja should remain under house arrest during the transitional period.

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This comes after Mr. Tandja reportedly sent a letter to the ruling military junta asking for clemency.

Bazoum Mohammed, deputy president of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, said the decision on the former president’s fate should be left to a democratically-elected government.

“Mr. Tandja is kept in a big villa close to the president, and he’s in a good situation… for us. We say that Mr. Tandja must be judged, but we accept the current situation. I think that, for this transition, they can keep him where he is and, after the election, the new democratic power will decide what to do with [Mr.] Tandja,” he said.

Mohammed said it was former President Tandja’s family that decided to put his case to the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) Court.

The 72-year-old former president reportedly said in his letter that his poor health would stand in the way of a trial.

Mr. Tandja was ousted in February by the army several months after he amended the constitution to extend his term in office.

The junta has since set up an anti-corruption commission to investigate the alleged misuse of public funds by his administration.

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Mohammed said Mr. Tandja and all others who might have played a role in plundering Niger should go before the commission to answer for what they did.

“We think that it is good to do all the investigations that are necessary, and everyone has to respond of his responsibility and what they have done in the management, even if there are people in our coalition of the former opposition parties who have done some mistakes, they have to respond to it. So, we encourage this commission to do its work,” he said.

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Sudanese Party Official Hails AU Stance on Arrest Warrant

Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) official said President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s inability to attend the African Union summit has nothing to do with the latest arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Rabie Abdullati Obeid also hailed the African Union after Jean Ping, AU commission chairman, said the ICC’s chief prosecutor does not care whether the latest arrest warrant interferes with peace efforts in Sudan.

“The stance that the African Union has already taken from the very beginning, from the very first warrant of arrest of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, that stance was positive and is still positive. And now, the African Union is still on this concrete stance that Omar Hassan Al-Bashir should not be [arrested after being] accused by [the] ICC, and the AU condemned that procedure taken by the ICC,” he said.

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The African Union has often said that the indictments against the Sudanese leader could undermine the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), as well as imperil the resolution of the Darfur crisis.

The CPA signed between President Bashir’s government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) ended over two decades of war. The peace accord also stipulates that residents in the south should vote to decide whether to be part of the original Sudan or secede and become an independent nation. The referendum is schedule for  January 9.

Last week, President Bashir went on a state visit to neighboring Chad despite the latest arrest warrant against him. Several international rights groups demanded his arrest since Chad is a signatory to the Rome Statute which led to the formation of the ICC.

Last year, the Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant against President Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The court recently added genocide charges to the previous arrest warrant accusing him of presiding over rape, torture and murder in western Darfur.

Critics say The Hague-based court has often targeted alleged crimes committed only in Africa, but not elsewhere around the world.

The African Union’s Ping was quoted as saying, “There seems to be some bullying against Africa.”

NCP official Obeid said the continental body understands the Sudan situation.

“Recently, the African Union rejected the request of opening an office in Addis Ababa by [the] ICC,” Obeid said.

Attended by over 30 heads of state and government, the 15th Ordinary session of the Assembly of African Union summit is scheduled to end in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, Tuesday.

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