AU Commission elects its first female chairperson; AU Summit pushes for democracy and crisis resolution; Liberia argues drugs and arms fueling Africa’s unrest; China announces $ 20 billion in credit for Africa; Moderates beat Muslim Brotherhood in Libyan
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    • According to reports, the African Union Commission has elected the South African Home Affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as its first female chairperson. The commission is the administrative arm of the continental organisation. Ms. Dlamini Zuma was also a medical doctor, diplomat, veteran cabinet minister and a former wife of South Africa's president. Interestingly, she was the foreign minister 10 years ago when the African Union was launched in Durban, South Africa, taking over from the Organization of African Unity. 1

    In another development, reports noted that African leaders concluded their 19th biannual summit by a renewed pledge to push democracy and fast-track resolution of crises in the continent's hotspots, including Mali, the Sudans, Guinea Bissau and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The summit, which was themed as 'Boosting Intra-African Trade', also saw African leaders discussing acceleration of a free trade area and intense debates to map the way forward out of debilitating crises in the continent's hotspots. 2

    According to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, growing drug trafficking and unchecked arms trade are fuelling insurgencies across Africa. Sirleaf said that the rise of militant groups - such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Shabab in Somalia - was very disturbing. On recent attacks by Ansar Dine militants in Mali, She said that militiaman from the Ansar Dine Islamic group in northeastern Mali Islamist militants are now controlling northern Mali. She added that Liberia would lead a campaign to try to contain the menace and urged countries which manufactured weapons to sign a treaty to stop arms proliferation. 3

    Reports noted that addressing a gathering of heads of state and representatives from 50 African countries at the fifth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China’s President Hu Jintao announced that China would provide US$ 20 billion in credit to African countries over the next three years. By this announcement, China doubled its earlier loan commitment of US$ 10 billion in a move to strengthen fast deepening economic ties with the continent. Jintao announced that the credit line would assist African countries in developing infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and small and medium enterprises. He added that China would also increase assistance by building agricultural technology demonstration centres, training 30,000 personnel and offering 18,000 scholarships. 4

    According to reports, the National Forces Alliance, a moderate coalition led by the wartime prime minister Mahmud Jibril, has beaten the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya's first post-Gaddafi election, reversing the trend of success for Islamist parties in Arab Spring countries. The alliance gained 39 of 80 seats available to parties in the general national congress, whereas the Justice and Construction Party, founded by Libya's Muslim Brotherhood, took 17 seats. The remainder went to a variety of smaller parties. Later, the results were welcomed in the West. 5

    South Sudan accused the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) of carrying out fresh air strike in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal state, triggering the suspension of ongoing talks in the Ethiopian town of Bahir Dar. According to Awet Kiir Awet, Aweil East County commissioner, two civilians were injured the aerial bombardment in Rumaker locality, North West of Aweil town, capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State. Jackline Nyibol Benjamin Ajonga, a state minister of information also confirmed receiving reports of the bombardment, adding that she was still gathering more information as she was outside Aweil. 6

    According to reports, the business consultancy firm Bain and Company said that large western energy companies stand to gain most from a boom in East African natural gas exports as their technical know-how and capital power gives them an advantage over smaller competitors or Asian national firms. They cited the US Geological Survey, which estimated that over 250 trillion cubic feet (7.1 trillion cubic metres) of natural gas may lie off Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique, compared to 186 trillion cubic feet for Nigeria, Africa's biggest energy producer. The consultant added that the gas findings announced earlier in 2012 in the region are estimated to hold enough gas to supply France, Germany, Britain and Italy for at least a year - possibly much more. 7

    In other developments, according to a New York Times report, in a significant expansion of the war on drugs, the United States has begun training an elite unit of counter-narcotics police in Ghana and planning similar units in Nigeria and Kenya as part of an effort to combat the Latin American cartels that are increasingly using Africa to smuggle cocaine into Europe. It mentioned William R. Brownfield of the State Department as a leading architect of new anti-drug strategies. The report added that this growing American involvement in Africa follows an earlier escalation of anti-drug efforts in Central America. 8

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