Four African leaders head to Mali amid political crisis

Yahoo – AFP, Serge DANIEL and Kassim TRAORE, July 20, 2020

Mali (AFP Photo)

Bamako (AFP) - Malian leaders are gearing up for more mediation talks on Thursday, when four African presidents will fly to the country in a bid to resolve its deepening political crisis.

The leaders of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal and Niger are all due to arrive in the country, according to an official from Mali's presidency, saying that their visit concerned the impasse but did not elaborate.

Thursday's talks follow on the heels of a mediation mission from the West Africa bloc ECOWAS, which ended Sunday after failing to reconcile the president with the political opposition.

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been locked in a standoff for weeks with the opposition June 5 Movement, and the conflict spiralled into violent clashes earlier this month, leaving 11 dead.

Opposition figures have been tapping into a wellspring of anger over the president's perceived failures in tackling the dire economy, corruption and the country's eight-year-old jihadist conflict.

Many Malians are also incensed at the outcome of long-delayed parliamentary elections in March and April that handed victory to Keita's party.

But the current crisis came to a head on July 10, after an anti-Keita rally organised by the June 5 Movement turned violent.

Protesters blocked key bridges in the capital Bamako, stormed the premises of the state broadcaster, and attacked the parliament.

Three days of clashes between protesters and security forces followed, leaving 11 dead and 158 injured, according to an official tally, in the worst political unrest Mali had seen in years.

The ECOWAS mission on Sunday suggested the formation of a new unity government including opposition members, as well as the appointment of new judges to constitutional court who could potentially re-examine disputed election results.

But the June 5 Movement had earlier rejected any outcome that does not include Keita's departure -- a demand opposition leaders have insisted on for weeks.

The movement is a disparate alliance of political, social and civil society leaders gathered around powerful imam Mahmoud Dicko, who is seen as its de facto leader though he is not a formal member.

Neither Keita nor Dicko had commented on the failed ECOWAS effort by Monday.

'Radical change' urged

Mali's neighbours and international allies are anxious to avoid a slide into chaos in the poor Sahel nation of some 20 million people.

The former French colony has been struggling to contain a jihadist insurgency that first emerged in the north in 2012 before spreading to the centre.

Thousands of soldiers and civilians have died in the conflict, and hundreds of thousands of people have been driven from their homes.

Keita, who came to power in 2013, has been under increasing pressure to stop the fighting.

But much of the current tension in Mali was sparked in April, when the constitutional court tossed out 31 results from the parliamentary elections, sparking protests.

Many Malians were awaiting Dicko's next move after the ECOWAS mission ended on Sunday.

A European diplomat, who declined to be named, told AFP that Dicko had met foreign ambassadors on Monday, telling them that "the doors of dialogue are not closed, but Mali's governance must radically change".

ECOWAS mediators had also said Sunday that they would set up a technical committee to oversee their recommendations, suggesting that talks between the warring parties may continue.

Madagascar virus potion scorned because it's from Africa: president

Yahoo – AFP, May 11, 2020

Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina sips Covid Organics, which he
touts as a remedy for coronavirus (AFP Photo/RIJASOLO)

Antananarivo (AFP) - Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina on Monday batted away criticism for promoting a homegrown "remedy" for COVID-19, charging that the West has a condescending attitude toward traditional African medicine.

"If it wasn't Madagascar, and if it was a European country that had actually discovered this remedy, would there be so much doubt? I don't think so," he told French media in an interview.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly warned that the Covid-Organics infusion, which Rajoelina has touted as a remedy against the deadly coronavirus, has not been clinically tested.

The drink is derived from artemisia -- a plant with proven anti-malarial properties -- and other indigenous herbs.

"African scientists... should not be underestimated," he told France 24 and Radio France International (RFI).

"I think the problem is that (the drink) comes from Africa and they can't admit... that a country like Madagascar... has come up with this formula to save the world," said Rajoelina, who claims the infusion cures patients within 10 days.

Already Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Niger and Tanzania have taken delivery of consignments of the potion, which was launched last month.

"No country or organisation will keep us from going forward," Rajoelina said in response to the WHO's concerns.

He said proof of the tonic's efficacy was in "the healing of our sick".

Madagascar has officially reported 183 coronavirus infections and 105 recoveries, with no deaths.

"The patients who were cured were cured through the administration of Covid-Organics alone," the president said.

He referred to the remedy as "an improved traditional medicine", adding that Madagascar was not conducting clinical trials but "clinical observations" in accordance with WHO guidelines.

Related Article:

WHO cautions against use of Madagascar anti-virus potion

African leaders launch 'historic' free trade deal

Yahoo – AFP, Emmanuel AKINWOTU and Patrick FORT, July 7, 2019

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari signs onto the landmark African trade
deal at the AU summit in Niamey (AFP Photo/ISSOUF SANOGO)

Niamey (AFP) - African nations officially launched a landmark trade agreement at the African Union summit in Niger on Sunday, with the long sought-after agreement hailed as a historic step towards "peace and prosperity" across the continent.

After 17 years of tough negotiations, the AU launched the "operational phase" of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in what AU commission chairman Moussa Faki had described as a "historic" moment.

"An old dream is coming true, the founding fathers must be proud," said Faki, adding that AfCFTA would create "the greatest trading area in the world".

Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou hailed it as "the greatest historical event for the African continent since the creation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963," referring to the AU's predecessor.

AU officials announced the launch of the five "operational instruments" of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Nations agreed to shared "rules of origin, the monitoring and elimination of non-tariff barriers, a unified digital payments system and an African trade observatory dashboard", the AU commission announced.

The agreement was given a boost when the presidents of Nigeria and Benin signed on to rapturous applause on Sunday morning at the two-day summit in Niger's capital Niamey.

Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou hailed the deal as "the greatest historical 

event for the African continent since the creation of the Organisation of African Unity 

in 1963" (AFP Photo/ISSOUF SANOGO)

With Nigeria and Benin on board, 54 of the 55 AU member countries have now signed onto the deal, with holdout Eritrea announcing it will consider joining the pact.

Around 4,500 delegates and guests -- including 32 heads of state and more than 100 ministers -- attended the AU summit in Niamey, which has been revamped and boasts a brand-new airport, upgraded roads, and new hotels for the occasion.

'Game changer for Africa'

The agreement was formalised at the end of April when the agreement crossed the launch threshold, which required ratification by at least 22 countries.

The zone will be operational from July 1st 2020, giving countries time to adapt to the agreed changes, Issoufou said.

Malawi's director of trade, Christina Chatima, told AFP the trade agreement as a "game changer for Africa."

"Most of us export with Europe and the US. It's about time we started trading more with each other," she said.

However despite the launch, there are still key issues leaders have yet to resolve.

Leaders could not agree on a common criteria for rules of origin for some sectors.

The trade deal signed at the African Union Summit in Niger took years to negotiate 

(AFP Photo/ISSOUF SANOGO)

"An agreement has not yet been reached on some of these issues," Chatima said. "On textiles, even the automotive sector. The AU secretariat is meant to come up with proposals on how we can agree," she added.

The AfCFTA commits the majority of countries to 90 percent tariff cuts within a five year period -- reducing barriers to trade on the continent.

Countries on a United Nations list of 'Least Developed Countries' will have 10 years to cut tariffs, whilst a group of six countries -- including Niger and Malawi -- will have at least 15 years, Chatima said.

Amaka Anku, Africa analyst at Eurasia group, described the deal as a positive step but said implementing the AfCFTA was still "a long way from taking off", with concerns on how many of the new regulatory agencies for the trade agreement would be funded.

The AU estimates that the deal will lead to a 60-percent boost in intra-African trade by 2022.

At the moment, African countries trade only about 16 percent of their goods and services among one another, compared to 65 percent with European countries.

Security on the continent

Also on the summit agenda is security -- an issue afflicting the Sahel in particular.

Summit host Niger has faced constant attacks by jihadist groups.

Security in Niamey was tight for the summit (AFP Photo/ISSOUF SANOGO)

Its fellow members in the G5-Sahel security pact -- Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania -- will seek backing at the AU summit to push for a greater UN security force to address the terror threat.

The countries hope to activate Chapter VII of the UN Charter, a Nigerien security source told AFP. The chapter allows for the UN Security Council to determine a threat to peace and propose measures, including military deployment, to deal with it.

"No prosperity, no integration is possible without peace," said Faki, who stressed the importance of an AU Peace Fund launched in 2018 to finance security activities and called on member states to fulfil their financial promises.

So far, only $116 million has been received for the envisaged $400-million fund.

The leaders are also set to discuss boosting intelligence cooperation and the global migration crisis.

Hundreds march in Sierra Leone against sexual violence

Yahoo – AFP, December 15, 2018

Sierra Leone wants to crack down on violence against women, particularly
sexual agression and rape (AFP Photo/ISSOUF SANOGO)

Freetown (AFP) - Hundreds of people demonstrated in Freetown on Saturday against sexual violence against women, days after the Sierra Leone government promised a crackdown on rape and sexual abuse.

Among the estimated 300 to 400 demonstrators was the country's first lady, Fatima Bio, who on Friday launched a programme called "Hands off our Girls" to combat sexual violence, child trafficking and prostitution, child marriage and teenage pregnancy.

The first ladies of Liberia, Niger, Ghana, Chad and Gambia gave their backing to the initiative.

Last month, President Julius Maada Bio called for life prison sentences for offenders.

The number of officially reported cases of sexual violence has risen from 4,750 in 2017 to 8,505 since the beginning of 2018, according to national police statistics.

The demonstrators were also joined by Justice Minister Priscilla Schwartz and Social Affairs Minister Daindu Dassama.

"I would advise the men in Sierra Leone to spare our girls," said Janet Kallon, an activist at the march.

"We want our daughters to go to school and to get an education."

Many sexual assault victims in Sierra Leone are teenagers, but younger children are also affected, with some abuse victims not even a year old.

On average every month, around 150 young women get pregnant due to rape, according to the Rainbow Initiative, a local organisation dedicated to the fight against sexual violence.

Niger's Muslims and Christians join forces for peace

Yahoo – AFP, Boureima Hama, 15 Sep 2015

Bishop Laurent Lompo (R) leads a procession on April 4, 2015 in Niamey (AFP

Photo/Boureima Hama)

Niamey (AFP) - Eight months after Muslims rioted in Niger at a cost of 10 lives and many burned churches, efforts are afoot to mend ties with the Christian minority in the west African country.

The rampage was triggered in January when radical Muslims angered by caricatures of the Prophet Mohamed in French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo killed 12 people in an assault on the magazine's Paris offices.

In Niger, hundreds of Muslims took to the streets, clashing with police and razing 45 churches, five hotels, as well as bars and schools run by Christians. The French cultural centre in the second city, Zinder, was also set alight.

Bishop Laurent Lompo (L) and the

 imam of Niamey's great mosque Jabirou

 Ismael, pictured on April 3, 2015 in 

Niamey (AFP Photo/Boureima Hama)

Muslims make up about 98 percent of the 17 million population in the deeply poor, landlocked nation south of the Sahara. Until the riots, they lived in peace with the small Christian minority.

However, the threat of armed Islamist activity is present both in the north, where Niger is prey to Al-Qaeda-linked groups in the desert, and the south, which has been attacked by Boko Haram fundamentalists from neighbouring Nigeria.

'Value of living together'

Leaders of both faiths have been striving to restore strong community bonds by means of an inter-religious dialogue backed by a plan to "renew the value of living together" (REVE) funded by the European Union.

The aid organisation CARE International, based in the United States, is overseeing the REVE project "to prevent violence" on the ground and "strengthen peaceful coexistence", according to CARE chief in Niamey, Ibrahim Niandou.

"Committees for dialogue" have already been set up in the country's eight regions and their members reflect all religious tendencies, including "the most radical ones", Niandou said.

"Christians and Muslims mutually enlighten each other for better peaceful coexistence according to the recommendations of the Bible and the Koran," the national CARE chief added.

"It has become necessary... that really different religions, leaders of different religions, meet to talk," says Boubacar Seydou Toure, an influential member of the Islamic Association of Niger (AIN), the biggest such body and one of the oldest.

"You know what has happened over the past months in our country, and it is really down to misunderstanding each other," Seydou added.

Last week, the AIN hosted a peace forum bringing together about 100 Muslim religious jurists and doctors known as ulemas, Christian priests as well as theologians from both faiths.

"The crises are often triggered by religious leaders during their fiery preaching in the mosques and in the churches," Seydou explained.

Christian preacher Baradje Diagou said January's disturbances have heightened the need to co-exist peaceably.

"If we each keep to our own communities, it's very difficult for us to be able to understand one another," he said.

Christians are 'more wary'

This week, Roman Catholics and Christian evangelists met "around the same table" for the first time, also with social harmony in mind, said Boureima Kiomso, chairman of the Alliance of Churches and Evangelical Missions in Niger.

"Agreeing to listen to one another and to reexamine ourselves in order to move on together is very important," Kiomso added.

Inter-faith meetings may not be enough to stave off more religious unrest in Niger, where Islam has been gaining ground, with mosques being built in big towns and small villages.

Some radical Muslims do not care for a spread of Christian places of worship, notably evangelical ones, sometimes next door to their mosques.

The enrolment of youths from Niger in the ruthless Boko Haram sect, against which Niamey forms part of a regional military alliance, shows radical Islam has gained ground in the country.

Since February 6, Boko Haram and its local members have carried out attacks in the southern Diffa region, killing dozens of civilians and soldiers.

Diffa lies on the border with northeast Nigeria, where the Islamists have waged a bloody uprising since 2009.

While Niger makes ready for general elections in 2016, its security forces must also contend with the threat of jihadist movements coming across the border from Mali and Libya.

The Christian minority is "more wary" after the violence in January, Kiomso says.

"They have been forced to revise their positions and adapt to new conditions to be able to survive in Niger."

Adamou, a Muslim resident of the capital in the southwest, feels that "many Christians won the sympathy of Muslims who tolerated them badly" before the upheaval.

"I personally helped to rebuild a burned-down church," said Idi Ali, another Muslim citizen.

Pope Francis and other religious leaders at the Vatican. Photograph: AP

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"Return of the Masters" - Apr 11-12, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."

African leaders to meet in effort to vanquish Boko Haram

A coalition of African nations will meet Wednesday to coordinate efforts against Boko Haram. The Islamist insurgency is active in four different countries, with regional leaders vowing to crush the militants.

Deutsche Welle, 5 April 2015

Leaders of central and west African nations will meet for talks next week to examine the region's campaign to defeat the terrorist group Boko Haram.

The April 8 talks will be the first such meeting since Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari won the election, taking over from his rival and predecessor Goodluck Jonathan.

Buhari, a former military leader, has promised to wipe away the "terror" the Islamist militants have spread across the country. Some credit his victory at the Nigerian polls to outgoing Jonathan's failure to tackle the extremists.

"I assure you that Boko Haram will soon know the strength of our collective will," Buhari said last week.

The meeting will take place in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea. The West African bloc of nations ECOWAS will join their central African counterparts of ECCAS to address the "mounting and increasingly bloody attacks by the fundamentalists against Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad."

Experts from both groups have already met in Cameroon to lay the diplomatic groundwork for the summit, according to ECOWAS. The goal of the summit is the creation of a more concrete plan to "eradicate" the jihadist group, including the coordination of military strategy.

The inadequate sharing of intelligence between the affected nations has been a major stumbling block in the bid to crush the terrorist's campaign.

Boko Haram's trail of violence throughout northeastern Nigeria has left more than 15,000 dead since their insurgency began in 2009. United Nations human rights chief Zeid Raad al Hussein made an appeal last week for stronger international support for the nations battling the menace of Boko Haram, decrying the "despicable and wanton carnage" of the group, accusing them of murdering the women they take as "wives."

es/rc (AFP, LUSA)

UN condemns Boko Haram attacks, urges African nations to act

For the first time, the UN Security Council has condemned Boko Haram's attacks as a whole. The Islamist group poses a threat to the region, the council has warned, urging African nations to act.

Deutsche Welle, 20 Jan 2015

Ahead of a key regional meeting in Niger on Tuesday, the UN Security Council spoke out against Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

"The Security Council demands that Boko Haram immediately and unequivocally cease all hostilities and all abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law and disarm and demobilize," it said in a statement, its first official condemnation of the terrorist organization's acts as a whole.

The extremist group has drawn significantly more international attention over the past year, due to the increase in the number of attacks it has carried out, which have spilled over into neighboring countries.

Its kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls also sparked the social media campaign #bringbackourgirls across the globe, which spotlighted its exploitation of children for its terror campaign.

The UN Security Council further said that some of the group's acts could "account to crimes against humanity."

This month, Boko Haram militants massacred at least 2,000 Nigerians in the northeastern town Baga where a key military base is located. 

On Saturday, Chad sent troops and equipment to Cameroon and Nigeria in a bid to help tackle the Islamist insurgency.

In its statement, released late on Monday, the UN urged other nations to form a multinational force aimed at combating the militant group.

Boko Haram, which controls parts of northeastern Nigeria, is seeking to establish an Islamic state in Africa. Frequent raids, killings and suicide bomb attacks perpetrated by the jihadists have claimed at least 13,000 lives and displaced an estimated 1.5 million people.

kms/cmk (AP, AFP, dpa)

Every country fends for itself in the fight against Boko Haram

Boko Haram terrorists have become a threat beyond Nigeria's borders. The governments of the affected states say they have joined forces to combat the extremist group, but their cooperation leaves a lot to be desired.

Deutsche Welle, 30 Dec 2014

In an image taken from a Boko Haram video, the leader of the group Boko
Haram is flanked by masked gunmen holding flags. Photo: (AP Photo)

"There is total panic" is how Danjuma Hamina from Achigachia describes what is happening in her home town in northern Cameroon. Fighters from the terrorist group Boko Haram had taken control of the town, she said, and "even hoisted their flag." Together with dozens of others, Hamina boarded a train and fled to Cameroon's capital Yaounde.

Boko Haram members have been raiding villages near the border between northern Cameroon and Nigeria for several months. But this time things were different, the eyewitness told DW. "We have not seen an attack like this since the whole Boko Haram thing started," she exclaimed.

According to the Cameroonian military, more than 1,000 terrorists have attacked several places in the border area in the past few days. They killed numerous civilians and soldiers. After heavy fighting on Sunday (29.12.2014), they briefly seized a military base in Achigachia.

Chad's military is considered to be strong,
 but the neighboring countries distrust
Chad's government

Only after Cameroon launched its first-ever air strikes against the terrorist group, did the military succeed in retaking the base.

It is still unclear how many people died in the attacks, the Cameroonian military said. But what has become abundantly clear by now is that Boko Haram not only poses a threat to northern Nigeria, but to the neighboring states as well.

The Islamists have been carrying out bloody attacks for five years, most of them in the Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. They even control large swathes of the country's northeast, where they have proclaimed the establishment of a caliphate in line with their radical Islamist ideology. They have killed several thousand people and driven between 700,000 and 1.5 million from their homes.

Joint declaration of war, but no consequences

In the past months Boko Haram has been expanding its activities into neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger. For some time now, experts say, the extremists have maintained bases on both sides of various borders as havens to which they can retreat if attacked. The terrorists are recruiting fighters in the neighboring countries as well. Several high-ranking leaders of the group reportedly come from Chad and Niger.

Nigeria's neighbors lie in a poor and unstable region

While the extremists have again proven that they are capable of cross-border attacks, each of the affected countries has by and large been responding to them on its own.

In May 2014, the heads of state of Nigeria and neighboring Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin had declared a "war" against Boko Haram. At a summit hosted by French President Francois Hollande, they agreed on measures to tackle the terrorist threat, including pooling intelligence, joint border surveillance and an intervention force. But very little has happened since.

Not long ago Cameroon again declared that it would cooperate more closely with Chad, Niger and Nigeria, according to Jesper Cullen, a security analyst for the British consultancy Risk Advisory Group. "But just [now] the Cameroonian government said one of the problems they're really facing is that the limit of their military is the border with Nigeria, and as soon as Boko Haram crosses over, Boko Haram are free to run around pretty much as they want." This shows that there is no coordination between the two armies, the expert said.

Distrust between intelligence agencies

Niger's south has also been massively affected by Boko Haram violence.

More than 120,000 people have already
fled from Nigeria to the south of Niger

The president of Diffa's regional parliament says his region has already accepted more than 120,000 refugees from northern Nigeria. "More come every day," Mahirou Malam Ligari said in an interview with DW. The government of Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, was doing all it could, Ligari said. "But we need more help," he stressed.

The wave of refugees is not only a social challenge. Along with the refugees, Boko Haram fighters enter the country. Niger's security forces had already arrested several suspected terrorists, Ligari said. But he warned that the threat of attacks in the border region remained high.

Although they have a common enemy, there is distrust among the affected countries. Nigerian media have repeatedly accused Chad's leaders of supporting Boko Haram. Cameroon also suspects that the terrorists are receiving help in other countries. "You have to ask yourself how a movement like this, whose supply lines have been cut, can continue to cause damage on this scale," Cameroonian military spokesman Didier Badjeck told DW. "This means that behind the scenes strange things are happening with respect to Boko Haram."

The security forces and the governments in the region do not accuse each other openly. But the massive distrust between them also manifests itself in the lack of cooperation between their intelligence agencies, according to a statement given by Comfort Ero, Africa director for the International Crisis Group, to the news agency AP. "None of the sides is willing to share information with the other," Ero said.

Boko Haram: African leaders agree joint action in rare show of unity

Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin pledge to cooperate against militant group that has kidnapped 200 schoolgirls

theguardian.com, Kim Willsher in Paris, Saturday 17 May 2014

Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan and French president François Hollande
 leave the Élysée palace after the summit on Boko Haram. Photograph: Alain
 Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

African leaders at a summit in Paris have agreed on a regional plan of action to combat Boko Haram, the Islamist group that has abducted more than 200 girls and threatened to sell them into slavery.

In a rare show of unity, the leaders of Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin pledged cooperation including joint border patrols and sharing intelligence to find the girls, snatched from Nigeria more than a month ago.

Nigeria has faced criticism for not having done enough to protect its people, particularly the girls, and for its slow response to the kidnappings.

The country's president, Goodluck Jonathan, described Boko Haram as a "terrorist organisation" and said it was part of an "al-Qaida operation".

The mini-summit, hosted by France, brought together presidents in the region to discuss how to come up with a united response to combat Boko Haram.

Earlier, the US department of defence suggested the Nigerian army was not capable of confronting Boko Haram alone.

"The division in the north that mainly is engaging with Boko Haram … has recently shown signs of real fear," said Alice Friend, the department's African affairs director. "They do not have the capabilities, the training or the equipment that Boko Haram does, and Boko Haram is exceptionally brutal and indiscriminate in their attacks."

Key to the success of the summit was the presence of Cameroon, Nigeria's neighbour, at the table. Relations between the two countries have been soured by a long-standing territorial dispute.

Representatives from the US, UK and EU were also present in Paris.

The UK foreign secretary, William Hague, said forging better relations between Nigeria and Cameroon was essential and neighbouring countries could provide practical help to search for the schoolgirls.

"This is a very important moment in the search for the schoolgirls that were abducted in Nigeria now nearly five weeks ago. To make sure we are doing everything we can in practical terms, working together," Hague said.

"We want to see the countries in the region work together more effectively – creating an intelligence fusion cell, conducting joint patrols and operations.

"The second focus is making sure there is a strategy to defeat Boko Haram more broadly. This is one sickening and terrible incident, but they continue almost every day to commit terrorist attacks and atrocities of other kinds. They have to be defeated in the region."

Boko Haram's ability to operate across vast areas of northern Nigeria is helped by the porous nature of the borders in the region.

There have been reports of the group carrying out attacks in Nigeria and escaping into Cameroon.

The French president, François Hollande, said: "Boko Haram has become a major threat for the whole of west Africa and now for central Africa."

He added that the organisation has been shown to have links with al-Qaida affiliates including al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) and other terrorist organisations.

"A global plan must be put into operation with the aim of exchanging informations and coordinating actions, controlling borders and acting in an appropriate way," Hollande said.

Nigeria and its neighbours pledged to reinforce security measures for those living in areas targeted by Boko Haram, carry out bilateral patrols and share operational intelligence to find the kidnapped girls and other snatched by the Islamist group.

A second summit at ministerial level will be held in London next month to report on what progress has been made.

As the summit took place, Boko Haram was reported to have killed one Chinese road worker and kidnapped 10 others between Friday night and Saturday morning in northern Cameroon.

Related Article:

Michelle Obama: prayers with missing Nigerian girls

Thousands protest in Niger against President Mahamadou Issoufou

Deutsche Welle, 28 December 2013

Tens of thousands of people have protested in Niger at what they allege is government's failure to improve living conditions. It was the first major rally against President Mahamadou Issoufou, who was elected in 2011.

Police said some 2,000 opposition supporters took part in the protest in Niger's capital Niamey on Saturday, calling for an end to perceived government corruption, media censorship and worsening food security in one of the world's poorest nations.

The alliance of opposition parties who organized the protest put attendance closer to 30,000, according to news agency Reuters.

Demonstrators gathered outside parliament chanted "Down with the regime!" and "No to dictatorship" in the largest show of unrest since pro-democracy demonstrations triggered the military coup which ousted former president President Mamadou Tandja, in February 2010.

Saturday's rally was also first major street demonstration since

"Mahamadou Issoufou promised an end to food insecurity but the population continues to be decimated by hunger and thirst," said opposition leader Amadou Hama.

Meanwhile Leader of opposition party, the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD), and former premier Seini Oumarou condemned "the bad governance and corruption" under the president.

He also criticized the ruling Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism's control of the media and its oil deals with foreign firms.

"We are witnessing the organized looting of our national resources," he said at an opposition meeting after the rally.

The organizing coalition - the Alliance for the Republic, Democracy and Reconciliation in Niger (ARDR) - was formed from 15 opposition parties in October in response Issoufou's creation of a national unity government.

Hama and Oumarou are considered the main challengers to the president, who is widely expected to run for a second term in 2016.

ccp/jr (AFP, Reuters)

African and Asian states vow to crack down on illegal ivory trade

Yahoo – AFP, 3 December 2013

A Kenya Wildlife Services ranger stands guard over an ivory haul seized overnight
 as it transited through Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi on August 23, 2013. (AFP
 Photo/Tony Karumba)

Gaborone (Botswana) (AFP) - African and Asian nations on Tuesday agreed on urgent measures to tackle the illegal ivory trade, from the slaughter of elephants to the trafficking of their valuable tusks to the Far East.

The deal comes after top officials and experts from 30 states met in Botswana this week to tackle an upsurge in elephant poaching as demand for ivory soars from countries such as China and Thailand.

Countries that are home to elephants, and those where their ivory ends up, agreed to "urgent measures to halt the illegal trade and secure elephant populations across Africa," the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Botswanan government said in a statement.

The measures include a "zero tolerance approach", which includes maximum sentences for wildlife crimes and boosting the ability of national agencies to deal with highly-organised poaching syndicates.

The meeting also agreed that ivory trafficking should be classified as a "serious crime", paving the way for international cooperation such as mutual legal assistance, asset seizure and forfeiture, and extradition.

"The summit is the first-ever meeting focusing on the dynamics of the entire ivory value chain," the statement said.

Conservation groups at the African Elephant Summit warned this week Africa could lose 20 percent of its elephant population within a decade.

Africa and Asia must 'join forces'

The large animals, a key tourist attraction in Africa, are increasingly hunted by criminal gangs and militias using sophisticated equipment, while high-level corruption helps move the ivory off the continent, summit organisers said.

Proceeds are in some cases used to "fund armed militias and rebel groups engaged in internal and cross border conflicts," according to the IUCN.

Six countries signed the pact but all 30 states attending the summit agreed on the measures and committed to inking the deal, Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, told AFP.

"We have consensus, it's good news."

Data on elephant poaching and the ivory traffic (AFP Photo)

Among those who agreed to the measures were key elephant nations such as Gabon, Kenya, Niger and Zambia, transit countries Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia and ivory destination states, including China and Thailand.

These countries will strengthen co-operation between their law enforcement agencies and create mechanisms at home to "allow immediate action" against anyone involved in poaching or the illegal ivory trade.

According to a report by CITES, TRAFFIC and IUCN, an estimated 22,000 elephants were illegally killed across the continent last year, as poaching reached "unacceptably elevated levels."

"We are very pleased with the result of the summit, especially as it involves some of the most important countries along the illegal ivory value chain,” said Julia Marton-Lefevre, IUCN director general.

It was hoped that the outcomes would help boost wider efforts to tackle trade in other hard-hit species such as rhinos and pangolins, she added.

Africa's elephant population is estimated at 500,000 animals, compared with 1.2 million in 1980 and 10 million in 1900, and they are listed as vulnerable.

"Our window of opportunity to tackle the growing illegal ivory trade is closing and if we do not stem the tide, future generations will condemn our unwillingness to act," said Botswana President Ian Khama whose country holds Africa's largest elephant population.

"Now is the time for Africa and Asia to join forces to protect this universally valued and much needed species."

Researchers believe that poverty and weak governance in African countries where elephants live are driving forces behind a spike in poaching.

Elephant tusks and other body parts are prized in Asia and the Middle East for ornaments, as talismans, and for use in traditional medicine.

Ivory trade is banned under the CITES, yet the illegal trade is estimated to be worth up to $10 billion (7.4 billion euros) a year.

The price of ivory on the black market shot up tenfold in the past decade to more than $2,000 per kilogramme. On average, an adult elephant tusk can weigh 20 kg (44 pounds), according to experts.