A new study shows oil-rich countries are a hundred times more likely to face foreign intervention and conflicts. The research by academics from the universities of Warwick, Portsmouth and Essex in the UK indicates that foreign governments are 100 times more likely to intervene in internal conflicts of other states, if the troubled countries are home to hydrocarbon reserves. The study examined 69 civil wars between 1945 and 1999. It said civil wars amount to 90% of all militarized conflicts since the close of World War II, and almost 67% of these have been characterized by foreign intervention.

It depicts oil as a dominant motivating factor in conflicts, and argues that hydrocarbons heavily influenced the West’s military intervention in Libya in North Africa. It also suggests oil plays a noteworthy factor in the so-called US-led coalition against the ISIL in the Middle East. Factors which played a part in influencing a foreign government’s decision to intervene included the military might and strength of insurgents on the ground, and the extent to which they sought to control valuable resources such as oil, RT reported Wednesday.

The report said foreign governments’ decision to intervene was largely dominated by their desire to control oil supplies in conflict-ridden states, while historical, geographic and cultural or ethnic ties were far less important. The researchers further noted that the United States maintains military presence in countries that produce oil, and have a long history of backing despotic regimes despite America’s supposed agenda of democratization. The study suggests the world can expect a cycle of low intervention in years to come because plunging oil prices make it a less valuable resource to protect.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

29.Jan.2015

Hits: 1703

Burkina Faso: Nine Months to Complete the Transition

Three months after Blaise Compaoré’s departure, Burkina Faso’s transition is moving forward in an uncertain context. The provisional government, with the help of its international partners, should initiate urgent reforms and ensure the October 2015 elections allow for peaceful, democratic change.

When President Blaise Compaoré was ousted in October 2014, he left the country with weak institutions and under economic strain. The provisional government, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Yacouba Isaac Zida, has nine months left to organise presidential and parliamentary polls. Three major contradictions threaten the country’s stability: the tension between the desire for stability and the hope for radical change; the short time available in the transition to achieve vital but enormous tasks; and the need to organise polls as well as implement reforms while lacking the necessary funds. In its latest report, Burkina Faso: Nine Months to Complete the Transition, the International Crisis Group argues that to overcome these hurdles and to ensure that the army recedes from power at the end of the transition, Burkina Faso’s main actors should continue to manage the transition in an inclusive manner and receive the support of their international partners.

The report’s major findings and recommendations are:

• Burkina Faso’s transitional authorities must clearly define their priorities for the next nine months along four lines: rebuilding trust between the authorities and the population; improving the electoral law; elaborating a new draft constitution; and reforming the army.

• Dissolving the former presidential guard, the Presidential Security Regiment (RSP), must be done with great care and in constant consultation with its members. Unless RSP members are offered continued salary payment, pension rights and career progression, they could resort to violence and threaten the transition.

• To prepare for the October 2015 elections, the electoral law should be amended to allow independent candidates to contest local and legislative elections and to set a limit for financial contributions to election campaigns. In addition, the electoral commission should encourage the involvement of Burkina’s youthful voting population.

• Burkina Faso’s partners – the Economic Community of West African States, France, the U.S., the EU and Taiwan – should provide the funds needed to revise voter rolls and organise the elections. They should help in setting up the program to tackle youth unemployment promised by President Michel Kafando, and engage in dialogue with the army and military officers to make sure they relinquish power at the end of the transition.

“The transitional government will need to find the right balance between satisfying popular demands to prevent massive street protests and avoiding populist tendencies that could threaten state authority”, says Rinaldo Depagne, West Africa Project Director. “Blaise Compaoré’s departure does not mean that Burkina Faso is out of the woods”.

“Burkina Faso’s international partners must not repeat the mistake of turning a blind eye to poor governance to safeguard their strategic interests”, says Comfort Ero, Africa Program Director. “Now that the people have risen against autocracy, international partners should provide crucial financial and political support to accompany the country on its democratic path”.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

29.Jan.2015

Hits: 1586

The anti Boko Haram coalition will launch an attack against the Nigerian Islamic sect today at midnight Cameroon Concord has learnt.  The decision was taken after a visit to the war front by the commander of coalition troops General Rene Claude Meka, Chief of Staff of the Cameroon Armed forces. Our source indicated that the Nigerian supreme military command has been informed about the coalition action.

Operational planning was initiated by Cameroonian and Chadian officers to enable a fluidity and discipline of command. Cameroon Concord has also gathered from unconfirmed sources that the Head of State of Benin President Yayi Boni has decided to send 700 soldiers to strengthen the coalition.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

27.Jan.2015

Hits: 2911

The bodies of two children were found slain Monday morning in Leimari less than 10 km from Fotokol in the Logone and Chari Division in the Far North region. The intelligence department of the Rapid Intervention Battalion has opened an investigation into the discovery.  Cameroon Concord’s informant in Maroua hinted at the time of writing this report that the bodies were 2 of the 4 teenagers abducted by Boko Haram fighters at Kosa sub division.  We are yet to verify the correctness of this information. However, all is now set for a major onslaught against the Nigerian Islamic sect. Cameroon Concord will keep our readers posted as events unfold deep within the anti Boko Haram coalition.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

27.Jan.2015

Hits: 2408

Takfiri Boko Haram terrorists have captured Nigeria’s northeastern town of Monguno after fierce clashes with the West African country’s army, security sources say. "We fought them all night long but they took over the town, including the military barracks there," a senior Nigerian military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Sunday. Another military source confirmed that the militants had seized the town, which is located about 137 kilometers (85 miles) from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri.

"Our troops had to withdraw after fighting the terrorists for several hours. They came in full force and at the end overpowered our men," the source said. Earlier in the day, Nigerian forces had repelled attacks by Boko Haram extremists on the nearby cities of Maiduguri and Konduga. Nigerian Defense spokesman Chris Olukolade said a 24-hour curfew had been imposed on Maiduguri following the scuffles.

Boko Haram controls large parts of northeastern Nigeria.It has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009. Over 10,000 people have so far been killed in the assaults which have spread out to neighboring Chad and Cameroon. Cameroon launched airstrikes against Boko Haram on December 28 last year after nearly 1,000 Boko Haram militants assaulted a military camp located near the country’s northern border, forcing the Cameroonian troops to flee. The base was retaken by Cameroon military later.

Culled from Presstv

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

26.Jan.2015

Hits: 1124

Nigeria's military repelled an attack by suspected Boko Haram militants on Borno state capital Maiduguri in the northeast, security sources said on Sunday, a crucial win as the insurgents already control a large territory in the area. The assault on Maiduguri began just after midnight, killing at least eight people and injuring 27, mostly civilians, sources at two hospitals said. A raid on the town of Monguno, 140 km (80 miles) north, began later in the morning. The army's inability to quash the Sunni jihadist group is a major headache for President Goodluck Jonathan, who is seeking re-election in February and who visited the state capital on Saturday as part of his campaign.

The elections are expected to be the most hotly contested since the end of military rule in 1999 with many fearing violence in the aftermath. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in the commercial capital Lagos on Sunday to urge the candidates and their supporters to respect the election outcome, underscoring U.S. concerns that post-poll violence could destabilise the country and undermine the fight against Boko Haram. The five-year insurgency, which aims to carve out an Islamic state in Africa's most populous country, has seen thousands killed. At around 9 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Sunday, a Reuters witness in Maiduguri said shelling could be heard and that military helicopters were circling the city, but by the early afternoon calm had returned.

Scores of militants and soldiers were killed in the clash, a military source and a civilian joint task force leader (JTF) said. "We're still combing the bush for their corpses, we pursued the Boko Haram men until Auno, 12 km outside the city...some fled towards Mainok," said the civilian JTF leader who declined to be named for security reasons. Nigeria's defence headquarters tweeted on Sunday morning that coordinated land and air operations were being used to repel the attacks and a curfew had been imposed on Maiduguri. The militants began the attack at the edge of the city in the Njimtilo area and tried to take the airport which services the air force as well as civilians, security sources said. Boko Haram last attempted to take Maiduguri from the same area in December 2013.

Along with much of Borno, the militants control some areas of neighbouring Adamawa and Yobe states, and recently took control of the town and a multi-national army base at Baga by Lake Chad. The government said 150 people had been killed in that attack but local officials say the figure is far higher and some have put it as high as 2,000. In Monguno, some 50 km (30 miles) from Baga, security sources said that the military was being overwhelmed by Boko Haram's firepower. Houses in the town were also being set ablaze. "Boko Haram has more power than us and are shelling the town ... our colleagues are fleeing," a soldier in Maiduguri said after speaking to friends fighting the insurgents in Monguno.

Details

Ngwa Bertrand

26.Jan.2015

Hits: 1143