United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office

14 May 2010

USAFRICOM - related news stories

TOP NEWS RELATED TO U.S. AFRICA COMMAND AND AFRICA

Morocco, U.S. Marines conduct major exercise (World Tribune)

(Morocco) Morocco and the United States have completed preparations for a major
military exercise.

Counterterrorism training to curb Al Qaeda threat in Africa (Christian Science

Monitor)
(West Africa) Today AFRICOM's military exercises often pass with little notice, and
increasingly with the support of African leaders. In part, this is because African leaders
now see a common threat: armed violent groups such as Al Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb, which have carried out a series of murders and kidnappings from Mauritania
to Algeria to Niger and threaten to topple any government that dares confront them.

U.S. Congress Clears Anti-LRA Bill (IPS)

(United States) The U.S. Congress has cleared legislation requiring President Barack
Obama to devise a strategy over the next six months to help capture the leadership of
the Lord's Revolutionary Army (LRA) and protect the civilian population in four
eastern and central African countries from its rampages.

African military chiefs visit Ft. Benning (Associated Press)

(United States) Soldiers at Fort Benning are showcasing their Army training for a group
of military leaders from Africa.

Congress Reviews US Policy Toward Sudan (Voice of America)

(Sudan) Several leading U.S. lawmakers say this is a critical moment for Sudan. They
called on their congressional colleagues Wednesday to refocus on the country's
instability and help shape the Obama administration's policy on Sudan.

US Shows Its Neocolonial Fist In Ghana (Modern Ghana)

(Ghana) US and Ghana are in a diplomatic row in which it appears that the US
government is consciously targeting some key government officials for standing in the
way of American interests in Ghana.
U.S. should deter foreign mining in Eritrea-report (Reuters)
(Eritrea) Mining companies should be deterred from working in Eritrea and banned
from raising capital or listing their securities in the United States due to Eritrea's rights
abuse record, a U.S.-commissioned report said.

Notorious Violators Elected to Human Rights Council (Associated Press)

(Pan Africa) Seven countries accused of human-rights violations, including Libya,
Angola and Malaysia, won seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council in an
uncontested election Thursday.

UN News Service Africa Briefs

Full Articles on UN Website
Security Council members depart for two-day visit to DR Congo
UN supports democratic transitions in Guinea and Niger, says envoy
Late Nigerian President Yar’Adua eulogized at UN gathering
UN official in Côte d’Ivoire discusses peace process with political party leader
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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST:

WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, May 25, 8:30 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: Council on Foreign Relations: A Conversation with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
WHO: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President, Republic of Liberia
Info: http://www.cfr.org/

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, June 2, 9:30 a.m.; Washington, D.C.

WHAT: U.S. Institute of Peace: Threats to Maritime Security
WHO: Donna Hopkins, Director, Office of Plans, Policy and Analysis, Bureau of Political
Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Bruce A. Averill, Ph.D., Founder and Senior Partner,
Strategic Energy Security Solutions; Michael Berkow, President, Altegrity Security Consulting;
Robert M. Perito, Moderator, Director, Initiative on Security Sector Governance, U.S. Institute
of Peace
Info: http://www.usip.org/events/threats-maritime-security
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL ARTICLE TEXT

Morocco, U.S. Marines conduct major exercise (World Tribune)

CAIRO, Egypt — Morocco and the United States have completed preparations for a
major military exercise.

The two militaries were deploying in several locations in Morocco for African Lion-
2010. The annual exercise, scheduled to begin on May 15 and last through June 9, would
include training in such skills as live fire, aviation training, intelligence and command
and control.

"It is the largest exercise within the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility, and is
designed to promote interoperability and mutual understanding of each nation's
military tactics, techniques and procedures," Africom said on May 10.

Officials said 1,000 U.S. soldiers as well as a similar number of Moroccan troops would
participate in African Lion. They said the U.S. troops, accompanied by M1A1 main
battle tanks and Humvee combat vehicles, arrived from 16 locations throughout Europe
and North America.

The United States has been represented by the Marine Corps, including officers who
have participated in previous exercises with Morocco. Officials said both countries have
contributed ground and air platforms for counter-insurgency, close-air support and
refueling operations.

"We have 10 Marines who have been here before, and some Marines who are coming
straight from school," Gunnery Sgt. Steven Gagnon, a Marine logistics chief, said. "The
senior Marines have been looking forward to the chance to teach; the junior Marines
have a large learning curve."

Morocco has been deemed a leading U.S. ally in North Africa. Officials said the
administration of President Barack Obama has pledged to triple U.S. military aid to the
kingdom to nearly $11 million in 2011.

The headquarters of African Lion was established in the Moroccan city of Agadir.
Agadir contains a port used by U.S. Navy ships that have brought MBTs, combat
vehicles and heavy construction equipment for the exercise.

"We've got a little bit of every [type of gear]," Richard Charest, a mobility officer with
Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, said.

U.S. Marine units have been assigned to conduct joint operations with the Moroccan
military. They included a command post exercise, peacekeeping operations, low-level
flight training and air refueling. Some of the training, particularly in helicopter
operations, was scheduled to take place in the classroom.

At the same time, the Utah Air National Guard was preparing to provide medical and
veterinarian services to Moroccans in rural areas. Officials said the assistance would
take place around Taroudant.
"All U.S. forces will return to their home bases in the United States and Europe at the
conclusion of the exercise," Africom said.
--------------------
Counterterrorism training to curb Al Qaeda threat in Africa (Christian Science
Monitor)

In the bare and unremarkable desert town of Thiès, a platoon of commandos from Mali
and Senegal are scaling a building's edifice, one handful of rope at a time. This is
practice.

Their American, Dutch, and Spanish handlers call it Operation Flintlock – an annual,
West Africa-wide counterterrorism exercise to prep local militaries.

According to the script, a carload of European sightseers on their way, perhaps, to a

waterbuck-filled nature reserve, will be kidnapped by desert bandits, ransomed to Al
Qaeda in the Maghreb, and whisked to Senegal's northeastern frontier. And that's
where a bit of rope-climbing expertise could save the day, as Senegal's finest shimmy
down from hovering helicopters to stage a rescue.

"This is designed as a rehearsal for a multinational coordination center or a mechanism

to counter terrorism," says Lt. Col. Chris Call, deputy commander of the Joint Special
Operations Task Force-Trans-Sahara, and operations commander for Operation
Flintlock. "This is necessary against a regional transnational threat, which in this region
[is] a violent Salafist jihadist movement."

"The challenge [for the partner nations] here is how do they control their territory in
countries that own just vast swaths of territory in some of the most inhospitable remote
locations in the world," says Call, speaking by phone from Flintlock's multinational
coordination center near Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. "Our focus is on basic tactical
military techniques … and helping to build capacity in our partner nations. Success for
us is putting us out of a job."

At one time, a military exercise like Operation Flintlock – which is now in its fifth year –
would have set African opinion-page columns aflame and set a fair number of African
politicians pounding on tables with their shoes. Some African nations worried that the
newly announced but vaguely defined Africa Command (AFRICOM) of the US Army
would herald a new colonial presence in Africa, complete with permanent military
bases and political interference.

But today, AFRICOM's military exercises often pass with little notice, and increasingly
with the support of African leaders. In part, this is because African leaders now see a
common threat: armed violent groups such as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which
have carried out a series of murders and kidnappings from Mauritania to Algeria to
Niger and threaten to topple any government that dares confront them.

For Senegal, for now, this threat is still hypothetical. Unlike Senegal's neighbors in the
Maghreb – where Al Qaeda has been abducting tourists and aid workers, ransoming
them off and profiting handsomely – the 50-year-old democracy here has never known
Islamic extremism, only its home-grown Sufi mysticism, a permissive faith.

But for Senegalese brass patrolling the vast and remote flatlands, the threat could
emerge at any moment. More than 500,000 tourists vacation here each year, touring
ancient slave dungeons near Dakar or the hinterland's pristine riverbanks. Their
souvenir-shopping and spa-surfing activities contribute 6 percent of the country's gross
domestic product.

"We need to consider that tomorrow, that menace [in Mali and Mauritania] will be
here," says Col. Ousmane Sarr of the Senegalese Army's public relations department.
"Our economy counts so heavily on tourism that the state must ensure that the country
remains secure."

Yet the U.S. military wants Senegal to do more than lock down holiday spots from a
few carjacking terrorists. Come 2011, the US hopes to run AFRICOM from Senegal, a
sign that the country can be the regional leader in parrying the Sahel's terrorism
endemic.

"I've worked in more than 24 countries, and Senegal's [military] is one of the most
professional," says a US military official in Senegal, who asked not to be identified.
"Senegal is an example to the subregion in its military competence, in its civilian control
of the military, in its professionalism, and we'd like to learn from, replicate, and share
those strengths across borders."

Whether the ex-colony would agree to accommodate such an influx of American and
European marines is a thornier question. The perception of military sovereignty
remains a salient political issue here.

The president is currently embroiled in a public feud with France's defense ministry,
which has yet to abandon its military bases in Senegal. American proposals to build a
central antiterror base were widely rejected throughout the region.

But, Sarr says, "If the world wants to help us have this dimension as a leader, we'd like
that. We have an excellent rapport with AFRICOM."
--------------------
U.S. Congress Clears Anti-LRA Bill (IPS)
Washington - The U.S. Congress has cleared legislation requiring President Barack
Obama to devise a strategy over the next six months to help capture the leadership of
the Lord's Revolutionary Army (LRA) and protect the civilian population in four
eastern and central African countries from its rampages.

In approving by voice vote the "Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern
Uganda Recovery Act", the House of Representatives sent the bill, which was approved
by the Senate in March, to the White House for Obama's signature.

Backers of the bill included both Republicans and Democrats, as well as many
humanitarian and human rights groups that have expressed outrage at reports of recent
massacres and other depredations carried out by the LRA in the northeastern region of
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR).

"Congress is committed to ending the LRA's reign of terror," said Democratic Sen.
Russell Feingold, the bill's Senate co-author, after the vote.

"I urge President Obama to sign this bill into law and quickly develop a plan to stop
(LRA leader) Joseph Kony and the LRA from committing further atrocities by bringing
a lasting resolution to the conflict."

In fact, Washington under both Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush, has
provided "non-lethal" and logistical support to the Ugandan army, in particular, in its
efforts to subdue the LRA and its leadership, particularly after Kony, who has been
indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against
humanity, failed twice to sign a peace accord to end an insurgency that dates back to
1988. The U.S. has listed the LRA as a terrorist group.

In December 2008, the Ugandan, DRC, and south Sudanese armies launched
"Operational Lightning Thunder", a joint effort backed by U.S. intelligence and logistical
support via Washington's newly create Africa Command (AfriCom), to track down
Kony and his armed followers who have become notorious in eastern and central Africa
for their brutality, enslavement of women, and forcible recruitment of children into
their ranks.

Kony and much of his army escaped, however, and responded later that month by
carrying out their own attacks against defenceless villages and civilians, in the DRC and
southern Sudan, killing more than 850 civilians and forcing as many as 1.8 million
people in the region to flee their homes, according to human rights monitors.

One year later, the LRA killed at least 321 civilians and abducted 250 others, including
at least 80 children in the Makombo area of northeastern DRC, according to a major
report, entitled "Trail of Death", released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) at the end of
March.

"The LRA's objectives are threefold: kill, capture and resupply for its next pillage. There
is no other reason for its being," said Rep. Ed Royce, the ranking Republican on the
House Africa subcommittee. "The removal of Kony and his top leadership would
decapitate this group. This legislation ensures U.S. leadership in making that happen.
The day can't come soon enough."

The bill requires that the Obama administration develop a comprehensive strategy with
regional governments for dealing with the LRA, including steps to protect the civilian
population against LRA violence, provide humanitarian assistance in areas affected by
it, and apprehend LRA leaders and disarm its followers, within six months.

"People have made every effort over the years to negotiate a solution to this conflict, but
Kony remains bloody-minded," according to John Norris of the anti-genocide Enough
Project. "There has to be an apprehension strategy to bring an end to a conflict where an
incredibly small number of LRA fighters continue to ruin an incredibly large number of
people's lives."

It is not yet clear precisely what effect the legislation will have on the administration's
policy, which appears already committed to the same goals laid out in the bill and has
already spent millions of dollars in providing trucks, fuel, contracted aircraft, and other
"non-lethal" equipment to the Ugandan Army to help its efforts against the LRA.

The bill, however, urges the administration to spend up to 10 million dollars next year
for dealing with the humanitarian impact of the LRA and any campaign against it, and
another 10 million dollars each year over the next three to work for reconciliation in
Uganda.

Africom officials interviewed recently by the New York Times said they have been
impressed by recent successes by the Ugandans in tracking the LRA and that, in the last
18 months, Kampala's army has killed or captured more than half of Kony's men,
including his top finance and communications officers.

Quoting sources on the ground, the Times reported that Kony appears to be circulating
between the CAR and the Darfur region of Sudan, whose government has sometimes
been accused of providing safe haven to the LRA, where Ugandan troops are unable to
go.

Some activist groups here, however, are concerned that the new legislation, and notably
Africom's involvement, may yet prove counterproductive to any reconciliation between
the government of President Yoweri Museveni and Kony's Acholi minority.
"What is going on in Uganda is far more complicated than good guys versus bad guys,"
according to Gerald LeMelle, head of Africa Action. "There's a lot of history between the
Acholi people and Museveni that needs to be addressed. And we're worried about the
temptation to resort to simple military solutions for more complicated problems."

Similarly, the Mennonite Central Committee, which has a long history of humanitarian
work in northern Uganda, also expressed concerns, noting in a recent article by two of
its staff in the Congressional-insider newspaper "The Hill" that the new legislation
"opens the door for Africom...to support military intervention aimed at the LRA".

"Given the current realities of U.S. foreign policy, military mechanisms - including
Africom - are privileged over diplomatic avenues or development efforts," wrote Mary
Stata and Wade George Snowdon.

"It is critical for Congress to ensure that the United States' actions promote sustainable
peace, reconciliation, development in the region, rather than further entrench conflict
and insecurity."
--------------------
African military chiefs visit Ft. Benning (Associated Press)

FORT BENNING, Ga. -- Soldiers at Fort Benning are showcasing their Army training
for a group of military leaders from Africa.

Top military officers from more than 30 African nations are visiting the west Georgia
Army post Thursday as part of a weeklong summit hosted by the U.S. Army near
Washington.

The summit is being held to foster information sharing and cooperation between the
U.S. and African militaries.

Fort Benning officials say they've arranged for the visiting group to observe soldiers
training in urban operations and live fire exercises. They'll also get a demonstration of
the Army's armored Stryker vehicles.
--------------------
Congress Reviews US Policy Toward Sudan (Voice of America)

WASHINGTON - Several leading U.S. lawmakers say this is a critical moment for
Sudan. They called on their congressional colleagues Wednesday to refocus on the
country's instability and help shape the Obama administration's policy on Sudan.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Democrat John Kerry chaired a hearing
on U.S. policy in Sudan, the comprehensive peace agreement and the ongoing crisis in
Darfur.

Kerry noted that the people of southern Sudan are scheduled to vote in a referendum
on independence next January, and said every "credible" public opinion survey
indicates that they will vote for independence.

Kerry said the stakes for the war-torn country are clear. "According to [U.S.] Director of
National Intelligence Dennis Blair, while a number of countries in Asia and Africa are at
significant risk of a new outbreak of mass killing over the next five years, southern
Sudan is the place where 'a new mass killing or genocide is most likely to occur,'" he
said.

President Barack Obama's special envoy for Sudan, Retired Air Force General Scott
Gration, testified before the Senate committee. He faced numerous questions about
why violence, particularly against women, is still raging in Sudan -- five years after the
comprehensive peace agreement was implemented.

Gration called on United Nations forces to step up their efforts. "The U.N. forces, the
U.N. aid forces, have to provide an umbrella of security, more than they are doing right
now. In most areas, they do not patrol past 10 o'clock at night," he explained. "And they
do not patrol where the women have to go out and collect firewood, and those kinds of
places. I believe in the short term, there has to be more security that is put on there."

Recently, Gration has been criticized by a senior Republican lawmaker and several
advocacy groups. In a letter to President Obama last week, Representative Frank Wolf
of Virginia asked Mr. Obama to put Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.N.
Ambassador Susan Rice in control of what he termed a "languishing" U.S. policy toward
Sudan.

"What we're asking is that Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice take this policy back
into the head office. Rice knows this policy. I worked with Susan Rice when she was in
the Clinton administration. She is tough, pragmatic and understands the whole issue of
Darfur, the north-south agreement. But the Secretary has got to start engaging," Wolf
said.

Wolf criticized Gration's efforts to engage the Sudanese government of President Omar
al-Bashir. He said Gration has failed to recognize the true nature of the Sudanese
leader, who is accused of crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Gration answered the criticism briefly at the Senate committee hearing, saying that
Ambassador Rice is taking action and that Secretary Clinton is in charge on Sudan. "I
think Ambassador Rice is already working in her job as [U.S.] Ambassador in the U.N.
to highlight these issues. She has called for hearings; she is working the issue very
hard. And we are in constant communication. Secretary Clinton has been superb and
continues to help in every way she can to raise this level," he said.

A coalition of 25 Sudan and Darfur activist groups have endorsed Representative Wolf's
appeal, voicing concern about what they call the Obama administration's weak
implementation of its declared Sudan policy.
--------------------
US Shows Its Neocolonial Fist In Ghana (Modern Ghana)

The US Embassy in Accra refused a visa to the Ghana Minister of Energy in March and
refused a visa for the Chairman of the GNPC, Ghana National Petroleum Commission,
to visit the US.

US and Ghana are in a diplomatic row in which it appears … that the US government is
consciously targeting some key government officials for standing in the way of
American interests in Ghana.

[An official of GNPC] is reported to have told insiders that a consular officer at the US
embassy told him that GNPC was ―Anti- American‖

Of course the job of the GNPC is to enable Ghana to make the best use of Ghana's
petroleum resources for the benefit of the Ghanaian people, not the American people. It
is trying to correct some unethical deals involving Kosmos, the EO Group, and Exxon,
that would have caused financial loss to Ghana. If the US acknowleges the sovereignty
of sovereign nations, it needs to respect Ghana's sovereignty. If the US does not respect
Ghanaian sovereignty, and it appears that it does not, its motives and methods are a
clear and obvious throwback to colonialism.

The US has a very bad record when it comes to undermining and destabilizing
governments that are not doing what the US wants, or when they are perceived by
some as standing in the way of American interests. In this case, as in most, it is
American corporate interests. Exxon wanted to buy the Kosmos share of Ghana's oil.
This move by the US Embassy in denying visas to Ghanaians who are critical to the
Ghana oil industry is very worrisome. In what other ways is the US Embassy working
against the interests of the Ghanaian people and the current Ghanaian government?
This is a grave and dangerous development.

Ghana is generally very pro American. But Ghanaians do not wish to be pushed
around. And most Ghanaians are familiar with the fact that the US Embassy and the
American CIA played a major role in the events leading to the overthrow of Nkrumah.
The destructive ramifications of that action still reverberate throughout the continent.
Ghana would not welcome this kind of interference again. I doubt other countries
would look on it favorably.

In addition the US Africa Command has been very active and very controversial in
Ghana. Most Ghanaians think that AFRICOM is in Ghana and in the rest of Africa to
secure oil and other natural resources for the United States. Since that is the reason the
command was created, there is some justification for this view. The US Africa
Command maintains a local headquarters in the US Embassy in Accra, and is deeply
involved in what it calls partnering with a variety of Ghanaian military activities.

You will find some more background on Kosmos and Ghana oil here, EO -Kosmos Rip-
Off Exposed with a list of links bottom that provide more background and context .

While the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) toiled over the years in
pursuit of a vision that others described as a mirage, their critics were quietly lining up
to plunder 'the spoils.'

As the controversy over how the E.O. Group a Ghanaian company, came by 3.5%
carried interest in US-based Kosmos Energy's initial 90% stake in the West Cape Three
Points (WCTP) rages on, it has emerged that the Kufuor administration lowered the
finishing tape for Kosmos Energy and EO Group at the expense of our beloved Ghana.

As part of its vision of ensuring that Ghana maximized its earnings from harnessing the
country's hydrocarbon potential, GNPC, since the 1980s, evolved a model petroleum
agreement, which has served as a blue print for preparing petroleum agreements to
license its blocks of oil fields to oil companies that came to explore for the 'black gold' in
Ghana.

Whereas under previous petroleum agreements, royalties had been pegged between
10% – 12.5%, this was slashed to 5% under the Petroleum Agreement the Kufuor
Government and GNPC signed with Kosmos Energy, and their E.O. partners. GNPC
participation interest, a provision in petroleum agreements, which allows GNPC to
acquire additional stake in the event of a commercial find, used to be 10%-15%, under
previous petroleum agreements. However, this was also slashed down to 2.5%, under
the petroleum agreement signed with Kosmos-E.O. Group, leaving it standing like a
sore thumb, when matched against all other petroleum agreements, including those
subsequently signed with other companies under the Kufuor regime.

The Managing Director of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Nana
Boakye Asafu-Adjaye, has said the corporation's decision to acquire the Kosmos Energy
stake in the Jubilee Field, is necessary and critical to ensuring that Ghanaians derived
the maximum benefits from the country's oil resources. According to the GNPC boss,
the state oil corporation, has already secured the necessary funding to acquire the
stakes, and were in discussions with Kosmos Energy, who voluntarily decided to sell
their stakes.

GNPC's Chief Economic Evaluation and Monitoring Officer, Mr. Kwame Ntow Amoah
… emphasized the need for GNPC to acquire the Kosmos Energy stake in Ghana's oil
fields and explained that apart from the 10% initial carried interest, GNPC has exercised
its right of acquiring additional interests in the Jubilee field. He explained that apart
from these, royalties and income tax earnings from the oil sale would leave the nation
with over 50% of the profits from the oil.

There is a growing nerve racking diplomat anxiety between some top ranks of the
Ghana government towards the US Embassy in Accra, resulting in suspicion that the US
government is consciously targeting some key government officials for standing in the
way of American interest in Ghana.

On the controversy scale, the row has reached almost showdown levels, with some key
government officials threatening to boycott travels to the US.

There are serious murmurings within the corridors of the Ministry of Energy and
GNPC that their insistence on exercising their right of first purchase of the oil interest of
Kosmos Energy as against the company's attempt to sell it's oil interest to a fellow
American company -Exxon Mobil (albeit through the backdoor) appears to have
angered the US Embassy who are allegedly employing ―embarrassing‖ diplomatic
retaliatory tools targeted at key personalities in the energy sector.

According to The Enquirer's deep throat sources, The Minister of Energy, Dr. Oteng
Adjei, who was leading a government delegation to the USA to attend a meeting with
Blackstone and Warburg Pincus the financiers of Kosmos Energy was on March 27th,
this year denied visa.

The Energy Minister had applied for the visa with his diplomatic passport. Sources say,
the embassy's actions angered Osu Castle, the seat of Ghana's Presidency, and that it
took the personal intervention of the usually quiet and genteel Chief of Staff of Henry
Martey Newman to secure a travelling visa for the Minister.

On May 7th, 2010, Mr. Atto Ahwoi, Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum
Corporation (GNPC), who returned from the USA last March, was refused visa by the
embassy. Mr. Ahwoi has travelled to the US about 20 times and attended Harvard
University in the United States, so many years ago.

When The Enquirer contacted Mr. Ahwoi, he confirmed that the embassy had refused
him a Non Immigrant Visa and expressed his surprise at what he called the surprising
attitude of the embassy to certain key government people.
When he was asked the reason for the refusal, he read out a letter given to him and
signed by an unnamed consular officer which among other things stated that: ―You
have been temporally refused a visa under INA Section 221G, as you lack certain
documents or information needed to reach a decision in your case. For further
instructions please refer to the Checked Box below‖ he read out.

He continued that the checked box read ―We need to verify certain documents you have
given us or statements you have made. We will contact you at the telephone numbers
you provided us as soon as investigations are completed. There is nothing else you need
to do at this stage‖

When asked whether he shared sentiments that his refusal had anything to with his
position on the Kosmos-Energy deal, he said that could be the only reason. ―This is
about the 20th time I have been to the US, I schooled in the US, I attended Harvard
University, At my age, I will not be migrating to the US, why this sudden change‖ he
said.

Early this year, a top officer of GNPC working within the Human Resource Department
was also refused travelling visa whilst attempting to travel to US on official assignment.

The official is reported to have told insiders that a consular officer at the US embassy
told him that GNPC was ―Anti- American‖

US EMBASSY RESPONDS

When The Enquirer contacted the US Embassy for comments, Mr. Benjamin East,
Information Officer stated that the embassy had no comments to all the issues raised
above.

In a telephone and email response the embassy said ―The response at bottom applies to
the three parts of your question, as I understand it, ie:

1. That the Embassy refused a visa to the Minister of Energy in March, which was
issued eventually due to intervention by the Chief of Staff.

2. That the Embassy refused a visa for the Chairman of the GNPC.

3. That the visa cases cited above are a response by the U.S. Government to recent
actions/decisions taken with regards to Kosmos' sale of its Jubilee stake to Exxon‖.

RESPONSE:
―U.S. law prohibits the Embassy from commenting on individual visa cases.‖ Mr.
Ahwoi, told The Enquirer that ―I have decided I wont go there again, any American
who wants to do business with us, must come here‖

This is a much better deal for Ghana.

--------------------
U.S. should deter foreign mining in Eritrea-report (Reuters)

NAIROBI, Kenya - Mining companies should be deterred from working in Eritrea and
banned from raising capital or listing their securities in the United States due to Eritrea's
rights abuse record, a U.S.-commissioned report said. The United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said Eritrea's systematic violation of
religious freedoms should mean prohibitive restrictions for foreign firms joining the
nation's impending gold mining boom.

Some 16 foreign mining companies are operating in the Red Sea state. Canada's Nevsun
Resources Ltd (NSU.TO) is expected to be the first to start producing gold later this
year, followed some 12 months later by Australia's Chalice Gold Mines (CHN.AX).

No U.S.-based mining company is operating in the country but analysts say an

aggressive stance in Washington would heap pressure on Australia and Canada among
others to follow suit.

"The U.S. government should ... prohibit any foreign company's raising capital or listing
its securities in the United States while engaged in developing Eritrea's mineral
resources," USCIRF said in its report released this month.

The government-funded commission was set up under the 1998 International Religious
Freedom Act to give independent advice to the White House and Congress and make
policy suggestions.

"NOT POLITICAL"

"Religious freedom violations continue in Eritrea. These violations include ... torture or
other ill-treatment of religious prisoners, sometimes resulting in death," USCIRF said.

Rights groups claim more than 3,000 religious prisoners are being detained without
charge in Eritrea, some in underground dungeons and old metal shipping containers in
the desert.

Eritrea rejects all accusations relating to religious persecution, saying they are based on
thin anecdotal evidence.
The only religions officially registered in Eritrea are Eritrean Orthodox, Roman
Catholic, the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea, and Islam. Groups say Eritreans
of other faiths, especially Jehovah's Witnesses and Baha'is, are routinely mistreated and
harassed.

In response to the report, one Eritrea-based foreign miner insisted the industry was a
positive force in the country.

"We are not a political organisation, we are a business and our presence is undeniably
good for the average Eritrean," Timothy Strong, Eritrea manager for British mining
company London Africa, told Reuters by email.

"The industry creates jobs, helps Eritrea mine its own resource and we contribute to
local communities," Strong said.

Nevsun's shares have previously taken a hit from international action against Eritrea.
United Nations sanctions imposed last December on Eritrea for its alleged role in
Somalia saw the company's stock tumble 14 percent.
--------------------
Notorious Violators Elected to Human Rights Council (Associated Press)

UNITED NATIONS — Seven countries accused of human-rights violations, including

Libya, Angola and Malaysia, won seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council in
an uncontested election Thursday.

The U.N. General Assembly approved all 14 candidates for the 14 seats on the 47-
member council despite campaigns by human-rights groups to deny countries with
poor rights records the minimum number of votes needed. All 14 countries easily
topped the 97 votes required from the 192-member world body. Libya, which currently
holds the presidency of the General Assembly, received the lowest number of votes—
155—while Angola got 170 and Malaysia 179.

In addition to these three countries, human-rights groups criticized the poor rights
records of Thailand, Uganda, Mauritania and Qatar, which also won seats. The seven
other countries that won seats were Maldives, Ecuador, Guatemala, Spain, Switzerland,
Moldova and Poland.

Iran withdrew from the race on April 23 after facing strong global opposition for severe
human rights abuses including the government's crackdown on opposition supporters.
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said it was "notable ... that Iran's bid fell short."
Human-rights groups and other nongovernmental organizations had also successfully
opposed the election of Iran and Venezuela in 2006, Belarus in 2007, Sri Lanka in 2008,
and Azerbaijan in 2009.

The 14 countries elected Thursday will serve three-year terms starting June 19 on the
Geneva-based council, which was created in March 2006 to replace the U.N.'s widely
discredited and highly politicized Human Rights Commission.

The council, however, has also been widely criticized for failing to change many of the
commission's practices, including putting much more emphasis on Israel than on any
other country. The U.S. voted against the council's creation during the Bush
administration but reversed its position and won a seat last year after President Barack
Obama took office.

Ms. Rice cited "some progress" since the U.S. has been on the council, noting its
approval of a "milestone" resolution on freedom of expression, its investigation of last
year's massacre and rapes in Guinea, and adoption of stronger resolutions condemning
rights violations in Congo, Myanmar, Somalia and Sudan.

"We remain committed to strengthening and reforming this council," Ms. Rice told
reporters. "We hope that the new council's composition for the most part will provide
us with partners—not all but most—with whom we can work constructively."

The NGO Coalition for an Effective Human Rights Council said the failure of U.N.
regional groups to put forward competitive slates deprived the General Assembly of
the opportunity to elect the most qualified countries.

"Those who want the council to improve have to commit themselves to competitive
elections and be willing to compete themselves for a seat," said Peggy Hicks, global
advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, a coalition member. "Without competitive
elections," she said, "we'll continue to see states that don't meet the qualifications set by
the General Assembly getting seats like Libya, Angola and Malaysia."

Under the resolution that established the council, members are expected to "uphold the
highest standards" of human rights and "fully cooperate" with it.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of Geneva-based UN Watch, which heads a coalition of

37 human-rights organizations that campaigned for the U.S. and European Union to
defeat Libya's candidacy, said that "by electing serial human-rights violators, the U.N.
violates its own criteria as well as common sense."
"Choosing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to judge others on human rights is a joke,"
Mr. Neuer said in a statement. "He'll use the position not to promote human rights but
to shield his record of abuse, and those of his allies."
--------------------
UN News Service Africa Briefs
Full Articles on UN Website

Security Council members depart for two-day visit to DR Congo

13 May – Members of the Security Council left today for the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC), where they will meet with senior government officials, representatives of
civil society and the United Nations peacekeeping force serving in the African nation.

UN supports democratic transitions in Guinea and Niger, says envoy

13 May – The United Nations is working to ensure that democratically-elected
administrations are established in Guinea and Niger through the holding of peaceful
elections in the two countries, which have been rocked by political instability in the
recent past, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, Said Djinnit,
said today.

Late Nigerian President Yar’Adua eulogized at UN gathering

13 May – The United Nations paid tribute today to Nigerian President Alhaji Umaru
Yar’Adua, who died last week, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon eulogizing ―his
unwavering contribution to democratic governance‖ and the 192-member General
Assembly standing in a minute’s silence.

UN official in Côte d’Ivoire discusses peace process with political party leader
13 May – The top United Nations envoy in Côte d’Ivoire, Y. J. Choi, has met with the
leader of the Rally of Republicans (RDR) political party, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, to
discuss the situation in the West African country, particularly issues related to the
electoral process and reunification.