France 24 posted on 11 April 2019 a story titled "Chinese Mining Companies Left a Central African River 'in Ruins'."
The Central African Republic's Ministry of Mines and Geology suspended four Chinese gold mining companies for failing to protect the environment. The process used for mining did severe damage to sections of the Ouham River.
Showing posts with label Central African Republic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Central African Republic. Show all posts
Monday, April 15, 2019
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Is Russia Really Making a Major Push into Africa?
The Pulitzer Center posted on 10 August 2018 an article titled "Putin's Safari: Russia Pushes into 'Free Country for the Taking' in Attempt to Rival the West" by Jack Losh, freelance journalist, and Owen Mathews.
The author argues that Russia is pushing hard into Africa and has an axis of influence from Sudan to Angola. Much of the analysis focuses on Russia's significant engagement in crisis torn Central African Republic (CAR), admittedly a seemingly strange place for Russia to be expending its resources. But except for North Africa, especially Egypt, and the CAR, the case is not compelling that Russia has significantly reengaged in Africa since the halcyon days of Soviet Cold War activity in Africa. The Russian presence is barely visible in most African countries and it is questionable if Moscow has the resources and will to make a major push into Africa.
The author argues that Russia is pushing hard into Africa and has an axis of influence from Sudan to Angola. Much of the analysis focuses on Russia's significant engagement in crisis torn Central African Republic (CAR), admittedly a seemingly strange place for Russia to be expending its resources. But except for North Africa, especially Egypt, and the CAR, the case is not compelling that Russia has significantly reengaged in Africa since the halcyon days of Soviet Cold War activity in Africa. The Russian presence is barely visible in most African countries and it is questionable if Moscow has the resources and will to make a major push into Africa.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
A Strange Alliance: Russia and the Central African Republic
Defense One posted on 22 May 2018 an article titled "Russia is Back in Africa -- And Making Some Very Odd Deals" by Marcel Plichta, University of Glasgow.
The posting describes Russia's military support for the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and its contact with rebel leaders in the country. Russia has had limited involvement in Africa in recent years; focusing on the troubled CAR seems a strange choice. The author concludes that whatever Moscow's endgame might be, capitalizing on the CAR's insecurity and the international community's inaction is giving Russia unprecedented influence in a country traditionally aligned with the West.
The posting describes Russia's military support for the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and its contact with rebel leaders in the country. Russia has had limited involvement in Africa in recent years; focusing on the troubled CAR seems a strange choice. The author concludes that whatever Moscow's endgame might be, capitalizing on the CAR's insecurity and the international community's inaction is giving Russia unprecedented influence in a country traditionally aligned with the West.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Protecting Civilians in African Union Peace Support Operations
The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) has just published a monograph titled "Protecting Civilians in African Union Peace Support Operations: Key Cases and Lessons Learned" edited by Jide Martyns Okeke, African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, and Paul D. Williams, George Washington University.
The entire document can be downloaded. It includes chapters on protecting civilians in Darfur from AMIS to UNAMID, the African Union Mission in Somalia, Mali, and the Central African Republic.
The entire document can be downloaded. It includes chapters on protecting civilians in Darfur from AMIS to UNAMID, the African Union Mission in Somalia, Mali, and the Central African Republic.
Friday, February 6, 2015
UN-African Union Cooperation in Peace Operations
The International Peace Institute published in February 2015 a study titled "Saving Strangers and Neighbors: Advancing UN-AU Cooperation on Peace Operations" by Paul D. Williams, professor in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, and Solomon Ayele Dersso, head of the Peace and Security Council Report at the Institute for Security Studies and professor at Addis Ababa University.
The report examines how the relationship between the UN and the African Union can be improved to deliver more effective peace operations. It draws heavily on past experience with peace operations in Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan. It suggests that the partnership in general and both institutions in particular still face significant challenges and institutional differences that reduce their ability to deploy effective peace operations.
The report examines how the relationship between the UN and the African Union can be improved to deliver more effective peace operations. It draws heavily on past experience with peace operations in Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan. It suggests that the partnership in general and both institutions in particular still face significant challenges and institutional differences that reduce their ability to deploy effective peace operations.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Lessons from the Hunt for Joesph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army
The Joint Special Operations University at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida published in August 2014 a monograph titled "U.S. Military Deployments to Africa: Lessons from the Hunt for Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army" by James J.F. Forest, director of security studies program at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. The goal of the study is to contribute to the effectiveness of future U.S. military teams deploying to sub-Saharan Africa.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
US Promotes Security while China Does Business in Africa
Reuters published an oped on 30 May 2014 titled "In Africa: U.S. Promotes Security, China Does Business" by Larry Hanauer and Lyle Morris at the RAND Corporation. Hanauer and Morris recently published an extensive analysis of China-Africa relations. They point out that the United States is focused on counterterrorism, anti-piracy, and resolving conflicts in Africa while China emphasizes trade and investment.
Arms and Ammunition in Sudan and South Sudan
Small Arms Survey published in May 2014 a lengthy report titled "Following the Thread: Arms and Ammunition Tracing in Sudan and South Sudan" by Jonah Leff, director of operations at UK-based Conflict Armament Research, and Emile LeBrun, consultant on small arms and light weapons issues.
The study concludes that older weapons from the eastern bloc and Iran, as well as newer weapons from China, predominate among all armed actors in Sudan and South Sudan. Sudanese security forces are the primary source of weapons to non-state armed groups in Sudan and South Sudan through deliberate arming and battlefield capture. Khartoum's deliberate supplying of Chinese manufactured arms and ammunition to southern insurgents took place in apparent violation of end-user agreements with the government of China.
As Sudan has bolstered its arms manufacturing sector since the 1990s, Sudanese military equipment has increasingly appeared on the battlefield and in the hands of non-state armed groups. Sudanese-manufactured ammunition proliferates not only in Sudan and South Sudan, but also in other conflict zones such as the Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Syria.
The government of South Sudan and southern insurgent groups have supplied arms and ammunition to civilians in South Sudan. South Sudanese armed groups are in possession of an increasing number of weapons whose factory marks and serial numbers have been removed, a tactic designed to undermine identification and tracing.
The study concludes that older weapons from the eastern bloc and Iran, as well as newer weapons from China, predominate among all armed actors in Sudan and South Sudan. Sudanese security forces are the primary source of weapons to non-state armed groups in Sudan and South Sudan through deliberate arming and battlefield capture. Khartoum's deliberate supplying of Chinese manufactured arms and ammunition to southern insurgents took place in apparent violation of end-user agreements with the government of China.
As Sudan has bolstered its arms manufacturing sector since the 1990s, Sudanese military equipment has increasingly appeared on the battlefield and in the hands of non-state armed groups. Sudanese-manufactured ammunition proliferates not only in Sudan and South Sudan, but also in other conflict zones such as the Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Syria.
The government of South Sudan and southern insurgent groups have supplied arms and ammunition to civilians in South Sudan. South Sudanese armed groups are in possession of an increasing number of weapons whose factory marks and serial numbers have been removed, a tactic designed to undermine identification and tracing.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Chasing the Lord's Resistance Army
Kasper Agger, writing for The Enough Project, authored a good report on efforts by the Ugandan military to track down the leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army. He gives generally good marks to the Ugandan soldiers.
He concluded in the November 2012 report that a new strategy is needed which will ensure that adequately trained and equipped troops can be deployed rapidly on the basis of fresh, actionable intelligence about where the leadership is hiding.
Click here to read the report.
He concluded in the November 2012 report that a new strategy is needed which will ensure that adequately trained and equipped troops can be deployed rapidly on the basis of fresh, actionable intelligence about where the leadership is hiding.
Click here to read the report.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
US Military Operations in Africa
Writing for The Nation, Nick Turse wrote on 12 July 2012 a nice summary of US military operations in Africa titled "Obama's Scramble for Africa."
Click here to access the commentary.
Click here to access the commentary.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
US Expands Intelligence Operations in Africa
The Washington Post ran two articles on June 14, 2012, by Craig Whitlock on growing US intelligence activity in Africa. Click here to read the first one titled "U.S. Expands Secret Intelligence Operations in Africa." Click here to read the second one titled "Contractors Run U.S. Spying Missions in Africa."
German Radio Deutsche Welle asked me to comment June 14 on the first article.
I replied that most of the information in the article has been reported before. The U.S. military base at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti has been widely covered. The drone operations in Victoria, Seychelles, and Arba Minch, Ethiopia, have been reported previously. There has been considerable discussion of the small U.S. military support operation in Uganda, South Sudan and the Central African Republic to track down Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army. There have also been a few public references to the assignment of U.S. commandos at Manda Bay, Kenya.
What was new to me were the surveillance operations out of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Nouakchott, Mauritania. The latter ended in 2008, although they may resume.
The only permanent base among these operations is the one at Djibouti. The others will continue only to the extent there is a continuing terrorist threat. To the best of my knowledge, the United States has no effort focused on Boko Haram in Nigeria and it is questionable if the Nigerian government would even request U.S. assistance.
African governments have obviously approved these activities, including drone intelligence operations. It is not clear that the African street approves of them. A recent study by the Pew Research Center (see item below) included reaction from the street in Egypt and Tunisia to U.S. drone operations and it was negative.
German Radio Deutsche Welle asked me to comment June 14 on the first article.
I replied that most of the information in the article has been reported before. The U.S. military base at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti has been widely covered. The drone operations in Victoria, Seychelles, and Arba Minch, Ethiopia, have been reported previously. There has been considerable discussion of the small U.S. military support operation in Uganda, South Sudan and the Central African Republic to track down Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army. There have also been a few public references to the assignment of U.S. commandos at Manda Bay, Kenya.
What was new to me were the surveillance operations out of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Nouakchott, Mauritania. The latter ended in 2008, although they may resume.
The only permanent base among these operations is the one at Djibouti. The others will continue only to the extent there is a continuing terrorist threat. To the best of my knowledge, the United States has no effort focused on Boko Haram in Nigeria and it is questionable if the Nigerian government would even request U.S. assistance.
African governments have obviously approved these activities, including drone intelligence operations. It is not clear that the African street approves of them. A recent study by the Pew Research Center (see item below) included reaction from the street in Egypt and Tunisia to U.S. drone operations and it was negative.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
US Counterterrorism Strategy in Africa
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Don Yamamoto, provided a good summary on 25 April 2012 in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on instability in Africa and US strategy for countering terrorism. He discussed the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Boko Haram.
Yamamoto said the US approach for addressing these threats includes the following principles: regional ownership of meeting the threat, promoting good governance, supporting development and economic opportunity and enhancing regional cooperation. Implied but not stated, except in the case of the LRA, was the use of US resources for capturing and killing terrorists and violent extremists.
Click here to read the entire testimony.
Yamamoto said the US approach for addressing these threats includes the following principles: regional ownership of meeting the threat, promoting good governance, supporting development and economic opportunity and enhancing regional cooperation. Implied but not stated, except in the case of the LRA, was the use of US resources for capturing and killing terrorists and violent extremists.
Click here to read the entire testimony.
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