Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, met with reporters this past week to discuss Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's upcoming trip to Africa. She will travel to Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Liberia, and Cape Verde to "highlight and underscore the Obama Administration's commitment to making Africa a priority in U.S. foreign policy," according to Carson.
You can read the full transcript of his briefing here.
But one question-and-answer caught my eye. It involved Clinton's stops in oil-rich Angola and Nigeria, two countries where China has recently been active:
QUESTION: Janine Zacharia with Bloomberg. Just really quickly on the oil countries that you're going to, can you be a little bit more specific about what she'll be looking for in Nigeria and Angola besides reforms? I mean, obviously, Nigeria's election was a disaster. I mean, what specifically does she want from those energy-producing countries? And if you could address the China -- potential rivalry there in those countries as well, if that's spurring her to go there?
AMBASSADOR CARSON: No. The Secretary is going there because we have serious political, economic and hydrocarbon interest in those countries. In Nigeria, U.S. oil companies play a significant role, both in investment and production. U.S. investment in Nigeria in the oil production and service industry is well in excess of $15 billion. We are one of the leading purchasers of South African -- sorry, of Nigerian oil. And we think that it's important to discuss with Nigeria a range of issues. We are concerned about having a good energy relationship with them. We're interested in seeing them continue to play a positive regional role, including providing peacekeepers to key conflict areas. We also believe it is also important for them to deal with some of their domestic issues. We'd like to see greater improvement in their electoral performance and strengthen -- which will help to strengthen their democracy.
We'd also like them to address issues of corruption and transparency. When there is an absence of transparency and when there is a great deal of corruption, it makes the business environment extremely difficult. I think it was a point that the President made in his speech to the parliament in Accra, Ghana. If in fact you have democratic governance, respect rule of law, it is easier to draw in investment and business opportunities because people are certain and assured that they will be treated fairly. These are all issues -- the range of issues were there.
The Secretary is going because we have interest in working with Angola and Nigeria in strengthening our relationship with two major countries, oil-producing countries on the continent, working with them on issues in the global environment and the community that are important to them as well as us. Our presence there has nothing to do with anyone else's operations on the continent. The mention of our colleagues from Asia is a Cold War paradigm, not a reflection of where we are today.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Kenya and the Somali Raiders: Security and Corruption
The New York Times has a provocative item today about the security threat posed by the porousness of Kenya's border with Somalia. It says radical Islamic militia can slip easily into Kenya, endangering foreign embassies and westerners living in Nairobi.
Scary. And initially I was prepared to dismiss it as one of those "let's-scare-the-reader" type stories, often based on hypothetical scenarios, that I associate with certain other news organizations.
Indeed, it may be an overblown fear but there is some substance, as the article notes, involving cross-border incidents by Somalis. (Of course those sorts of things have been going on for decades. "Shifta" bandits from Somalia have historically raided northern Kenya.)
But the other reason the item caught my eye was the link between insecurity and corruption -- and this relates to the previous post about Michela Wrong's new book about Kenya and corruption.
So read the following excerpt or check out the whole NYTimes item.
"...the creeping fear, the one that keeps the security staffs at Western embassies awake at night, is that the Shabab or its foreign jihadist allies will infiltrate Kenya and attack some of the tens of thousands of Westerners living in the country, possibly in a major strike like Al Qaeda did in 1998.
"Last month, Western counterterrorism experts in Kenya sent out text messages warning expatriates to stay away from malls in Nairobi, Kenya’s usually laid-back capital, because of possible suicide attacks by the Shabab. A few weeks later, the group threatened to destroy Nairobi’s “tall, glass buildings.”
"The Shabab has already penetrated refugee camps inside Kenya, according to camp elders, luring away dozens of young men with promises of paradise — and $300 each. It has carried out cross-border attacks, kidnapping an outspoken cleric in May from a refugee camp 50 miles inside Kenya. Last Wednesday, in one of its boldest cross-border moves yet, a squad of uniformed, heavily armed Shabab fighters stormed into a Kenyan school in a remote town, rounding up all the children and telling them to quit their classes and join the jihad.
“If these guys can come in with their guns and uniforms in broad daylight,” said one of the teachers at the school, “they must be among us.”
"Then on Saturday it happened again: Somali gunmen, widely believed to be with the Shabab, stormed the offices of an aid organization and kidnapped three aid workers from a Kenyan border town before melting back into Somalia.
American and British advisers are working closely with Kenyan counterterrorism teams, but the area along the Somali border is known to be a gaping hole.
“The Kenyans don’t have the skills to close the border, even if they wanted to,” said one Western diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing diplomatic protocol. “People are very concerned. But on some level, we can’t defend Kenya’s border for them.”
"When asked to assess the level of security at the Somali border, the diplomat flatly stated, “There is no security.”
"The raging war in the country next door, between Somalia’s weak transitional government and the Shabab, is rapidly becoming a proxy war — with Western arms and money keeping the transitional government alive, while Arab and Pakistani jihadists with links to Al Qaeda fight for the Shabab.
"Late last month, American officials acknowledged that they had shipped 40 tons of weapons to Somalia’s transitional government, a disclosure that has only sharpened the Shabab’s anti-American sentiments.
"Kenyan security forces are now flooding into their borderlands, marching along the shimmering roads and across the unforgiving landscape, their assault rifles slung over their shoulders.
"But the 400-mile border is inevitably porous, and Somali-speaking nomads from both countries flow seamlessly back and forth in diaphanous shawls and worn-out wooden carts. And the biggest proverbial holes may be in the police officers’ pockets.
"Just this month, Transparency International listed Kenya as the most corrupt nation in East Africa. The region’s most corrupt public institution? The Kenyan police.
"Even though the border is officially closed, Hassan Mohamed, a refugee who used to build houses in Somalia but got driven out by war, explained how thousands of Somali refugees find their way into Kenya each month.
“It’s easy,” he said, rubbing his thumb and index finger together in the universal sign of a bribe. “If you pay, you can come in.”
Scary. And initially I was prepared to dismiss it as one of those "let's-scare-the-reader" type stories, often based on hypothetical scenarios, that I associate with certain other news organizations.
Indeed, it may be an overblown fear but there is some substance, as the article notes, involving cross-border incidents by Somalis. (Of course those sorts of things have been going on for decades. "Shifta" bandits from Somalia have historically raided northern Kenya.)
But the other reason the item caught my eye was the link between insecurity and corruption -- and this relates to the previous post about Michela Wrong's new book about Kenya and corruption.
So read the following excerpt or check out the whole NYTimes item.
"...the creeping fear, the one that keeps the security staffs at Western embassies awake at night, is that the Shabab or its foreign jihadist allies will infiltrate Kenya and attack some of the tens of thousands of Westerners living in the country, possibly in a major strike like Al Qaeda did in 1998.
"Last month, Western counterterrorism experts in Kenya sent out text messages warning expatriates to stay away from malls in Nairobi, Kenya’s usually laid-back capital, because of possible suicide attacks by the Shabab. A few weeks later, the group threatened to destroy Nairobi’s “tall, glass buildings.”
"The Shabab has already penetrated refugee camps inside Kenya, according to camp elders, luring away dozens of young men with promises of paradise — and $300 each. It has carried out cross-border attacks, kidnapping an outspoken cleric in May from a refugee camp 50 miles inside Kenya. Last Wednesday, in one of its boldest cross-border moves yet, a squad of uniformed, heavily armed Shabab fighters stormed into a Kenyan school in a remote town, rounding up all the children and telling them to quit their classes and join the jihad.
“If these guys can come in with their guns and uniforms in broad daylight,” said one of the teachers at the school, “they must be among us.”
"Then on Saturday it happened again: Somali gunmen, widely believed to be with the Shabab, stormed the offices of an aid organization and kidnapped three aid workers from a Kenyan border town before melting back into Somalia.
American and British advisers are working closely with Kenyan counterterrorism teams, but the area along the Somali border is known to be a gaping hole.
“The Kenyans don’t have the skills to close the border, even if they wanted to,” said one Western diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing diplomatic protocol. “People are very concerned. But on some level, we can’t defend Kenya’s border for them.”
"When asked to assess the level of security at the Somali border, the diplomat flatly stated, “There is no security.”
"The raging war in the country next door, between Somalia’s weak transitional government and the Shabab, is rapidly becoming a proxy war — with Western arms and money keeping the transitional government alive, while Arab and Pakistani jihadists with links to Al Qaeda fight for the Shabab.
"Late last month, American officials acknowledged that they had shipped 40 tons of weapons to Somalia’s transitional government, a disclosure that has only sharpened the Shabab’s anti-American sentiments.
"Kenyan security forces are now flooding into their borderlands, marching along the shimmering roads and across the unforgiving landscape, their assault rifles slung over their shoulders.
"But the 400-mile border is inevitably porous, and Somali-speaking nomads from both countries flow seamlessly back and forth in diaphanous shawls and worn-out wooden carts. And the biggest proverbial holes may be in the police officers’ pockets.
"Just this month, Transparency International listed Kenya as the most corrupt nation in East Africa. The region’s most corrupt public institution? The Kenyan police.
"Even though the border is officially closed, Hassan Mohamed, a refugee who used to build houses in Somalia but got driven out by war, explained how thousands of Somali refugees find their way into Kenya each month.
“It’s easy,” he said, rubbing his thumb and index finger together in the universal sign of a bribe. “If you pay, you can come in.”
Sunday, July 19, 2009
"It's Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle-Blower"
Many years ago, as a reporter based in Nairobi, I recall asking a Kenyan man ahead of elections whether he favored then President Daniel Arap Moi or one of the country’s opposition leaders. The man, without hesitation, launched into a vicious verbal attack on Moi, calling him a scoundrel and a thief, a dictator and a thug, and other names.So, I said, I guess when it comes to an election, you’ll vote for the opposition candidate.
Oh no, said the man, I will vote for Moi.
When I said I was confused, the man explained: Moi has been in power so long, he and his cronies have stolen all they really want, have become fabulously wealthy and now only need (and I coined this phrase) “maintenance level corruption”. If we elect the opposition, he said, it will be very bad for us because they will be starting their corruption fresh. They will take everything, leaving us nothing. So that’s why I will vote for Moi.
This story came to mind as I read Michela Wrong’s magnificent new book, “It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle-Blower”.
It is about John Githongo, an affable former journalist who I knew in the 1990’s who becomes anti-corruption czar under Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, the man who succeeded Moi in 2002, and how he soon comes to grief as he uncovers massive official malfeasance by senior level officials in Kibaki’s then newly-elected government.
The book is more than about corruption. It gets to one of the root of causes of corruption: ethnic affiliations (or “tribalism” –something many Westerners refuse to discuss for fear of appearing racist). Under Moi, the Kalenjin tribes “ate” at the public trough. Under Kibaki, the Kikuyu took their turn to “eat.”
Githongo, a Kikuyu, hoped it would be different. In the end, he refused to be bound by appeals to his ethnic loyalty and soon found himself with no alternative but to leave Kenya and go public with his secret evidence.
Woven throughout the book is another of Africa’s critical problems – the “blind eye” turned by western donor institutions to official corruption in countries like Kenya.
This is Michela Wrong’s third book. Her first was the outstanding “In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu’s Congo.” Her second was the much-overlooked but equally stunning story of Eritrea called “I Didn’t Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation.”
I have known Michela since we shared adjacent office space in Nairobi’s Chester House in the 1990’s. We recently had dinner in Washington when she came to the U.S. for a brief book tour. The inscription she left on my copy of “It’s Our Turn to Eat” was meant as a play on something we joked about during the meal. But it is in fact true: she is “The Empress of modern African writing.”
If you have any serious interest in Africa, read this book!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Obama In Ghana
U.S. President Barack Obama says Africans must take more responsibility for wiping out poverty, war and disease on the continent. In a speech to the Ghanaian parliament, the president said we need - what he described as - a new moment of great progress.
VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson reports the first African-American president of the United States received an enthusiastic welcome in the Ghanaian capital, where he was embraced as family.
He responded with some tough talk - the kind of talk only a family member can provide.
The president - the son of a Kenyan father - spoke of his personal connection to Africa's tragic past. But he said the time has come for Africans to take control of their own destiny.
"Yes, a colonial map that made little sense helped to breed conflict, and the West has often approached Africa as a patron and a source of resources, rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants," he said.
He called on a new generation of Africans to build democracy, create opportunity, fight corruption, and end the long cycle of strongman rule and conflict on the continent.
"It is the death sentence of a society to force children to kill in wars. It is the ultimate mark of criminality and cowardice to condemn women to relentless and systematic rape. We must bear witness to the value of every child in Darfur and the dignity of every woman in Congo," he said.
The remarks came in a speech at a packed convention center attended by members of the Ghanaian parliament. The president said Ghana has become an example for the rest of the continent - a country where development is spurred by good governance.
"That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans," he said.
President Obama offered encouragement - especially to the young.
"You can conquer disease, end conflicts, and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes you can," he said.
Earlier, Mr. Obama met privately with Ghanaian President John Atta Mills. He also visited a hospital, a symbolic stop designed to highlight American support for development efforts in Africa.
But the emotional highpoint of his visit to Ghana came at the end - a tour of a coastal fortress, where for 300 years, countless Africans boarded ships bound for death at sea or a life in slavery.
His wife and young daughters accompanied him to the site. First Lady Michelle Obama is the great-great-granddaughter of African slaves
"I think as Americans and African-Americans, obviously, there is a special sense that on the one hand this place was a place of profound sadness. On the other hand, it is here where that the journey and much of the African American experience begin," he said.
The president arrived in Ghana late Friday, and the welcome was fairly subdued. But as he prepared to board Air Force One for his long flight home, throngs gathered at the Accra airport.
Ghana's president spoke at the send-off. "He wants us to take our destiny into our own hands. And there is hope, because hope is a very powerful weapon," he said.
There was drumming and dancing and an exuberant farewell for a man many here see not just as president of the United States, but a son of Africa.
VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson reports the first African-American president of the United States received an enthusiastic welcome in the Ghanaian capital, where he was embraced as family.
He responded with some tough talk - the kind of talk only a family member can provide.
The president - the son of a Kenyan father - spoke of his personal connection to Africa's tragic past. But he said the time has come for Africans to take control of their own destiny.
"Yes, a colonial map that made little sense helped to breed conflict, and the West has often approached Africa as a patron and a source of resources, rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants," he said.
He called on a new generation of Africans to build democracy, create opportunity, fight corruption, and end the long cycle of strongman rule and conflict on the continent.
"It is the death sentence of a society to force children to kill in wars. It is the ultimate mark of criminality and cowardice to condemn women to relentless and systematic rape. We must bear witness to the value of every child in Darfur and the dignity of every woman in Congo," he said.
The remarks came in a speech at a packed convention center attended by members of the Ghanaian parliament. The president said Ghana has become an example for the rest of the continent - a country where development is spurred by good governance.
"That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans," he said.
President Obama offered encouragement - especially to the young.
"You can conquer disease, end conflicts, and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes you can," he said.
Earlier, Mr. Obama met privately with Ghanaian President John Atta Mills. He also visited a hospital, a symbolic stop designed to highlight American support for development efforts in Africa.
But the emotional highpoint of his visit to Ghana came at the end - a tour of a coastal fortress, where for 300 years, countless Africans boarded ships bound for death at sea or a life in slavery.
His wife and young daughters accompanied him to the site. First Lady Michelle Obama is the great-great-granddaughter of African slaves
"I think as Americans and African-Americans, obviously, there is a special sense that on the one hand this place was a place of profound sadness. On the other hand, it is here where that the journey and much of the African American experience begin," he said.
The president arrived in Ghana late Friday, and the welcome was fairly subdued. But as he prepared to board Air Force One for his long flight home, throngs gathered at the Accra airport.
Ghana's president spoke at the send-off. "He wants us to take our destiny into our own hands. And there is hope, because hope is a very powerful weapon," he said.
There was drumming and dancing and an exuberant farewell for a man many here see not just as president of the United States, but a son of Africa.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Obama: Why Ghana and Not Kenya First?
U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit the West African nation of Ghana this week on his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president. This has disappointed many Kenyans who had expected Mr. Obama's first presidential trip to include the East African nation where he has family ties. VOA's Cathy Majtenyi reports from Nairobi that questions are being raised about why he is not coming to Kenya.
Mwalimu Mati is CEO of the political watchdog Mars Group. He says, "I think in view of recent comments emanating from the State Department or even from the American Embassy in Nairobi, governance is a concern. That is the way that Kenyans are likely to interpret it: that there is something that our government is not doing and that is why they do not qualify for what would be probably one of the most obvious first trips that Barack Obama would make," says the political analyst.
The Kenyan government is under fire for the way it handled violence following the country's disputed elections in 2007. The mayhem pitted different political and ethnic groups against each another. Some 1,000 people died, and thousands fled their homes.
To restore stability, the top two candidates formed a coalition government that divided power and responsibilities between President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, but political in-fighting and a series of scandals and protests have rocked the fragile coalition government.
"It is basically not respecting civil and political liberties," explains Mati, "It is embroiled in high-level corruption; this Grand Coalition government has not been performing well. I see it as being quite reasonable that he [Obama] would not want to be in the embarrassing position of having to castigate hosts, and castigation is deserved in this country," he says.
These include charges of police brutality, impunity by major political figures against charges of corruption and organized violence, and government misspending. But those in government circles say recent political events in Kenya have nothing to do with President Obama's decision to visit Ghana.
Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua says, "The American president has a choice of the countries to go to. He has not said that he is not going to come to Kenya. There is no understanding or written code that he has to come to Kenya on his first maiden trip."
Mutua says his government is making major progress in its reform efforts."We are already undertaking various programs in aspects of the tribunal - there are high level discussions going on, people know that. There is a lot of work that is being done about the reforms, the task force on the police; a lot of constitutional bodies are going on."
Others say that President Obama has strategic reasons for choosing Ghana over Kenya.
Attorney Kamotho Waiganjo is a political commentator and university lecturer.He says Ghana has a reputation of being a stable, successful democracy that respects institutions.
"Of course, there is also the traditional connection of America to Ghana, because, remember, Ghana was the "Slave Coast," as it were. That is the place through which a lot of Americans were shipped out from West Africa. So there is also that connection that is much bigger than President Obama's connection to Kenya," says Waiganjo.
Kenyans just have to wait for Mr. Obama to make his first visit as president to his father's homeland.
Mwalimu Mati is CEO of the political watchdog Mars Group. He says, "I think in view of recent comments emanating from the State Department or even from the American Embassy in Nairobi, governance is a concern. That is the way that Kenyans are likely to interpret it: that there is something that our government is not doing and that is why they do not qualify for what would be probably one of the most obvious first trips that Barack Obama would make," says the political analyst.
The Kenyan government is under fire for the way it handled violence following the country's disputed elections in 2007. The mayhem pitted different political and ethnic groups against each another. Some 1,000 people died, and thousands fled their homes.
To restore stability, the top two candidates formed a coalition government that divided power and responsibilities between President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, but political in-fighting and a series of scandals and protests have rocked the fragile coalition government.
"It is basically not respecting civil and political liberties," explains Mati, "It is embroiled in high-level corruption; this Grand Coalition government has not been performing well. I see it as being quite reasonable that he [Obama] would not want to be in the embarrassing position of having to castigate hosts, and castigation is deserved in this country," he says.
These include charges of police brutality, impunity by major political figures against charges of corruption and organized violence, and government misspending. But those in government circles say recent political events in Kenya have nothing to do with President Obama's decision to visit Ghana.
Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua says, "The American president has a choice of the countries to go to. He has not said that he is not going to come to Kenya. There is no understanding or written code that he has to come to Kenya on his first maiden trip."
Mutua says his government is making major progress in its reform efforts."We are already undertaking various programs in aspects of the tribunal - there are high level discussions going on, people know that. There is a lot of work that is being done about the reforms, the task force on the police; a lot of constitutional bodies are going on."
Others say that President Obama has strategic reasons for choosing Ghana over Kenya.
Attorney Kamotho Waiganjo is a political commentator and university lecturer.He says Ghana has a reputation of being a stable, successful democracy that respects institutions.
"Of course, there is also the traditional connection of America to Ghana, because, remember, Ghana was the "Slave Coast," as it were. That is the place through which a lot of Americans were shipped out from West Africa. So there is also that connection that is much bigger than President Obama's connection to Kenya," says Waiganjo.
Kenyans just have to wait for Mr. Obama to make his first visit as president to his father's homeland.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Obama to Ghana
U.S. President Barack Obama makes his first trip to Sub-Saharan Africa as president this week. He is going to Ghana after stops in Russia and Italy. VOA correspondent Scott Stearns reports from Accra that Ghana is getting ready for the visit with a fresh coat of white paint on the curbs along his route and a series of billboards - some welcoming the president and first lady, others showing the president with Ghanian leader John Atta-Mills under the words: Partnership for Change.At Accra's main fire station, rescue workers say the decision by America's first black president to make this country his first stop in Sub-Saharan Africa reflects Ghana's political maturity.
"We are the first country to show maturity in elections because all other countries, after or before elections, there are fights and all this misunderstanding," said one rescue worker. "But we comport ourselves and go accordingly on the electoral procedure."
A colleague says Mr. Obama's visit will help focus attention on Ghana's stability.
"It is good that President Obama is coming to Ghana so that some African countries can say, 'Yes," he said. "A black American is the president.' And moreover, what we need from him is, he will bring more investors. More investors so our youths will get jobs to do, and our country will become a first-class country like theirs."
President Obama has already been good for business at the Accra Mall. The Kiki clothing store offers a variety of colorful Obama t-shirts. Owner Kiki Ademola started selling Obama products before he was even elected president. His visit has boosted demand.
"He really appeals to so many people," said Kiki Ademola. "And we can see that in the different customers that come to buy our Obama t-shirts. We have a wide range of customers from literally all over the world."
Shoppers at Accra Mall hope President Obama's visit will help cement Ghana's position in West Africa as a steady, free-market democracy.
"We have been an example for other African countries," said the shopper. "And he believes that when he comes here, other people will look up to Ghana and also take up democracy."
President Obama says he is coming to Ghana to highlight the results achieved by stable countries that are governed well, where leadership is accountable to the people and institutions are stronger than any one person.
There has been some media speculation that President Obama will press Ghanaian officials to give the U.S. Africa Command a base. But a spokesman for AFRICOM, Vince Crawley, has denied these rumors.
"We absolutely are not seeking bases in Africa right now," Crawley stated. "We have one base in Djibouti which the United States has had for a number of years. And I have seen the same press reports coming out of Ghana. And the purpose of the Obama trip is to engage with sub-Saharan Africa with a very reliable partner nation, but ... Africa Command has no interest in seeking bases in that region at this time."
