Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the North African branch of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of two Italians on December 18 in Mauritania, according to the Al-Arabiya TV channel, which is based in Dubai.

The abductions of the Italians are similar to the way three Spaniards were seized  in late November, 2009   by al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb.

 Over the past two year,  al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb claimed a series of attacks in Mauritania, including the assassination in late 2007 of four French citizens in Aleg (about 150 miles east of the capital of Nouakchott) and an American in June in Nouakchott.

Nigerian Rebels Claim Attack on Oil Pipeline

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta blamed the resumption of the attacks on the suspended peace talks due to President Umaru Yar’Adua’s absence.

December 19, 2009

The rebel group responsible for most of the attacks in Nigeria’s oil producing region claims to have destroyed a major crude pipeline in “a warning” strike early Saturday, December 19, 2009.  The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) says 35 of its fighters, armed with assault rifles and heavy machine guns raided an oil facility jointly operated by Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron in Rivers state.

The group met with President Umaru Yar’Adua last month at the start of peace talks. But the process has been stalled by Mr. Yar’Adua’s absence from Nigeria in the past few weeks. The Nigerian leader is receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia for a heart condition.

A statement by MEND said “a situation where the future of the Niger Delta is tied to the health and well-being of one man is unacceptable.” The group says it may review an indefinite cease-fire it declared after 30 days.

The Catholic bishop of the Niger Delta town of Bomadi, Hyacinth Egbegbo, is urging the militants to stay calm saying only a negotiated peace can bring lasting stability to the troubled oil-rich region.

“Let us go for peace, not for any more struggles,” said the bishop. “Armed struggle is not going to be in favor of any Nigerian. So let us sit down at the table and see that we resolve these problems amicably.  I appeal to the boys to take their guns away from the dialogue that is being initiated by the government. Because dialogue with guns is not dialogue. So let us put the guns aside and speak words of wisdom to each other so that we can come to a more amicable solution to the problem.”

The militant group, which says it is fighting for a fairer share of the region’s oil wealth, crippled daily oil production with series of attacks on oil facilities and personnel since early 2006.

But MEND has been severely weakened since dozens of its field commanders and thousands of gunmen accepted President Yar’Adua’s amnesty offer and disarmed.

The Niger Delta remains a stronghold for gangs and militant groups with strong opposition toward foreign oil companies and the government.

Security analysts say the oil industry remains vulnerable to opportunistic attacks, crude oil thefts and kidnappings. Nigeria plans to offer inhabitants of the Niger Delta an extra 10 percent in oil and gas revenues in a bid to end the rebellion.

Source: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/africa/19dec09-nigeria-oil-79713812.html

From http://www.historyguy.com/wars_of_southern_africa.htm

The region of Southern Africa has a bloody history of wars against colonial and racist rule, as well as prolonged civil wars after independence. Many of the conflicts from the 1960s through the 1980s were strongly influenced by the Cold War between the Western Powers and the Soviet Union and its allies, in particular, the communist nation of Cuba, which sent thousands of combat troops to take part in the Angolan Civil War.

The Second Boer War (1899-1902)–Britain vs. The Boer Republics (Orange Free State and Transvaal) in what is now South Africa.Mozambican Revolts (1895-1899) - Native uprisings against Portuguese colonial rule in Mozambique.

Madagascar Rebellion (1947)-Against French rule. France crushed the revolt.

South African Civil War (1960-1994)–Black nationalist rebels fought against the white-ruled apartheid government of South Africa. The 1994 election ended white minority rule and began the period of majority rule.

Angolan War of Independence (1961-1975)- Fought against Portugal.

Mozambican War of Independence (1964-1975)- Fought against Portugal.

Namibian War of Independence (1966-1990)

Rhodesian Civil War (1967-1979)- Can also be considered the Zimbabwe War of Independence. Rebels of the black majority fought a guerilla war against the white minority government of Ian Smith. Smith had declared unilateral independence from Britain rather than end white rule. The war concluded with a peace agreement in which each adult received the right to vote regardless of race.

Angolan Civil War (1975-2002)- Following independence from Portugal, the two primary rebel groups, the Marxist MPLA and the “pro-Western” UNITA movements battled for control of Angola. Each side received significant outside assistance. The MPLA enjoyed massive aid from the Soviet Union as well as combat troops from Cuba. Early in the conflict, Zaire sent troops to aid UNITA, while the United States (mostly through the Central Intelligence Agency) sent weapons and mercenaries. South Africa also aided UNITA with large cross-border incursions. South Africa’s involvement came out of concern that a pro-Communist regime would aid SWAPO rebels fighting for Namibia’s independence from South Africa. The war finally ended after the death of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi.

Mozambican Civil War (1975-1992) - Also known as the “Renamo War.” The Renamo rebel group attempted to overthrow the leftist government with aid from Rhodesia and South Africa. The fighting ended in 1992, with a formal peace treaty ending the war signed in 1994.

Caprivi Uprising [Namibia] (1999) - Rebels in the Caprivi region launched a guerrilla uprising against the Namibian government.

Southern Sudan erupted in more violence this week as more than 170 people died in ethnic battles  This latest round of the back and forth violence in Jonglei state. Approximately 12 villages were burned down and thousands of people were forced to flee by the violence. The incident is only the latest in a series of violent ethnic confrontations in the area.

This latest attack was in retaliation for a raid by the Nuer ethnic group in March, 2009 on villages inhabited by the Murle  ethnic group in Pibor Country.  That fighting killed between 450 and 750 people. Both groups traditionally conduct cattle raids on each other, but the level of violence is much greater than in the past.

United Nations officials believe the large amounts of modern weaponry left over from the decades-long Sudanese Civil War, which ended in 2005 are helping to fuel the bloodshed.  Sudan has other problems of course, with the long-running Darfur conflict, ongoing hostility with neighboring Chad, and the possibility that the peace deal between South Sudan and the central government may be in jeopardy.  And of course, the Sudanese leader, President Bashir, is facing indictment as a war criminal…

Somali pirates apparently bit off more than they could chew when the crew of the American cargo vessel, the Maersk Alabama, resisted the pirates’ attempt to hijack their ship.  The Somali pirates attacked some 380 miles off the coast of Somalia, and initially took control of the ship.  However, before the American naval vessel, the USS Bainbridge could arrive, the crew had fought back, forcing the pirates to abandon ship.  Unfortunately, the pirates kept the Maersk Alabama’s captain, Richard Phillips as a hostage.

For more information, see http://www.historyguy.com/somali_pirate_attack_maersk_alabama.htm

Eritrea and Djibouti engaged in a military clash along their mutual border over the course of three days, June 10- 13, 2008, resulting in the deaths of nine Djibouti soldiers, and the wounding of around 60 others. Some reports indicate that the French Foreign Legion in Djibouti provided logistical and medical aid to the Djibouti forces during the battles.

Previously, in mid-April, 2008, Djibouti accused Eritrea of sending troops across the border and digging trenches and defensive emplacements inside Djibouti.

Tensions between these Horn of Africa neighbors have been escalating, in large part due to the fact that Djibouti is allied to Ethiopia, France, and the United States.  Ethiopia and Eritrea have fought two bloody wars, and maintain large military forces on their mutual border as they continue to view each other as foes.  Also, Eritrea has been accused of aiding Islamist forces in Somalia, where they have fought against intervening Ethiopian and American forces since late 2006.

The 13th Demi-Brigade of the French Foreign Legion, with 2,850 troops, shares a military base, called Camp Lemonier, with the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the United States Central Command, since 2002.

Using their base at Camp Lemonier, American forces launched a Predator drone which flew over neighboring Yemen in 2002 which fired a Hellfire missile, killing al-Qaida operatives Abu Ali al-Harithi and Ahmed Hijazi, along with four other suspected terrorists. al-Harithi was believed to be a leader in the attack on the USS Cole in Yemeni waters in October of 2000. American forces based in Djibouti at Camp Lemonier also launched missions against Islamist forces in Somalia during the Ethiopian intervention which began in December of 2006.

Links:

http://www.eritreadaily.net/News0108/article0806141.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL12617339

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL11187409.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Ras_Doumeira_border_crisis

http://www.historyguy.com/eritrea-djibouti_2008_war.html

Chadian rebels clash with gov’t forces in capital; head toward presidential palace–Associated Press, February 2, 2008

Hundreds of rebels penetrated the capital of Chad today, clashing with government troops and moving on the presidential palace after a three-day advance through the oil-producing central African nation, officials and witnesses said.

Chad’s ambassador to Ethiopia said the capital had not fallen and that President Idriss Deby was "fine" in his palace.

"The situation is under control," ambassador Cherif Mahamat Zene told The Associated Press. "The head of state is fine in his palace … It’s true that there are some rebels who have entered the city, but to say the city has fallen is false."

A French military spokesman, Col. Thierry Burkhard, said that Chadian government forces were pushing rebels away from the presidential palace but that the outcome of the fighting today remained unclear. To read the rest of the story, click the link above.

Post-election violence in Kenya escalated as President Mwai Kibaki
claimed victory in the presidential election. As of January 1, 208,
over 250 deaths were reported. International observers, as well as
man Kenyans, claim the election was tainted by voting irregularities
and possibly outright vote fraud.

The first deaths came as protesters took to the streets and police
and troops opened fire. The violence has since escalated into open
battles with clear ethnic divisions, as Kibaki’s Kikuyu supporters
fight against the Luo ethnic group. The losing candidate, Raila
Odinga, is a Luo.

Violence
Grows in Kenya–Wall Street Journal, Jan. 1, 2008

The president of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, is the declared victor in this year’s very tight presidential election. Kibaki is a member of the Kikuyu ethnic group, or tribe, and his opponent, Raila Odinga, is a member of the Luo tribal group. Violence has broken out, with Odinga supports, who are mostly Luo, battling police and soldiers in the streets. As of 12/31/07, at least 125 Kenyans are reported dead in post-election violence.

Unlike party politics in North American, European and East Asian democracies, electoral politics in Kenya split along ethnic/tribal lines. In a disputed election, such as this one, that makes for a very dangerous political/ethnic/regional fault line that can lead to an all-out civil war.

From the American point of view, Kenya’s new turmoil is a potential impediment to the War on Terror in Eastern Africa, as Kenya has been a solid ally in the campaign against al-Qaida and the Islamist militants battling Ethiopian and Somali government forces in neighboring Somalia.

Post-Election Turmoil Grows in Kenya, With Over 100 Dead–New York Times, Dec. 31, 2007

Scores die in Kenya election riots–Al Jazeera, Dec. 31, 2007

As if Eritrea and Ethiopia resuming border battles and bickering is not enough for Africa, now Sudan is charging that Chad is attacking across their mutual border.  The conflict between Sudan and Chad is a direct result of the Darfur War in western Sudan and the ongoing civil wars in Chad and the Central African Republic.

See:

Sudan
accuses Chad of troop incursion,
bombardment–AFP, Dec. 28, 2007

Sudan
accuses Chadian army of violating its
territory–Sudan Tribune, Dec. 28, 2007