Africa

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is calling for an expansion of American military aid and equipment to the West African nation of Mali, as French and local forces continue to battle Islamic militants in the country. 

Read more...

Obama had urged Kenyans to hold a "free and fair vote" to avoid a repeat of 2007's election violence.

Read more...

The White House condemned on Friday reports that women at anti-government protests in Egypt had been sexually assaulted and urged the Egyptian government to provide protection for female protesters.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the administration was "deeply concerned" about reports of sexual assaults while briefing reporters aboard Air Force One.

"Sexual violence, including gang rapes, has occurred during recent demonstrations in Egypt. This is a cause of great concern to the United States, the international community and to many Egyptians," Earnest said.

Read more...

The Obama administration cautiously endorsed the creation of a United Nations intervention brigade of more than 3,000 peacekeepers tasked with going after armed groups spreading instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The so-called “peace enforcement” brigade, which was pushed by African nations, would operate within the existing UN mission in the eastern DRC – the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC, or MONUSCO – the first time such a unit would exist within an existing peacekeeping operation. The U.S. mission to the UN warned Thursday after voting for the brigade in the Security Council that the original peacekeeping mission must remain a priority.

“We underscore today that efforts to protect civilians and neutralize armed groups must remain at the forefront of tasks for MONUSCO, and are duties that all MONUSCO peacekeepers must do their utmost to perform,” the Alternate Representative to the UN for Special Political Affairs, Amb. Jeffrey DeLaurentis, told the UN. “We recognize the need for continued coordination with the civilian side in these efforts, particularly to ensure the protection of children and women, and to prevent continuation of the horrible streak of sexual violence in the DRC. In this regard, we fully support MONUSCO’s continued role in human rights monitoring, which we see as a key part of protecting civilians.”

Read more...

President Obama said Thursday he was "deeply concerned" about the health of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who was admitted to the hospital Wednesday with a lung infection.

"Obviously, we’re all deeply concerned about Nelson Mandela’s health," Obama said during a meeting with African leaders in the Cabinet Room. "He’s a hero I think to all of us. I’m sure that I speak for the other leaders here. And we will be keeping him in our thoughts and prayers, and his entire family."

Obama went on to praise the 94-year-old anti-apartheid activist as having "given everything to his people."

Read more...

The State Department has ordered the school-aged children of American personnel in Mali to leave the country amid continued security concerns two months after the U.S.-backed French intervention there.

The latest travel advisory warns against “all travel” to the West African nation, citing “ongoing fighting in northern Mali, fluid political conditions and continuing threats of attacks and kidnappings of westerners.” French forces entered the country in January to help rout Islamist militants who have taken over the northern half of the vast desert country.

The travel warning cautions against any travel outside the capital, Bamako, pointing out that the country remains under a state of emergency and many foreign companies and non-governmental organizations have suspended their operations in the country.

The FBI searched the home of President Reagan's national security adviser this month looking for evidence he's lobbied for Sudan, The Washington Post reports.

Federal agents say they found emails showing Robert “Bud” McFarlane collaborated with the Sudanese government. U.S. law makes it illegal to lobby for the Khartoum regime, which seeks to be taken off the sanctions and state sponsor of terrorism lists, because of its human-rights abuses.

"I believe that these emails are evidence that McFarlane was entering into an agreement with the government of Sudan to lobby the U.S. government officials on behalf of Sudan and to provide it advice during negotiations with the United States,” a federal agent wrote. The agent goes on to accuse McFarlane of seeking to hide that connection “by construing the agreement to make it appear that his contractual relationship was with Qatar, when in fact it was not.”

A lawyer for McFarlane told the Post he did nothing wrong.

The Obama administration on Friday threatened to cut off aid to Nigeria or even sanction the African country after the government of President Goodluck Jonathan pardoned a former governor accused of corruption.

“The United States government is deeply disappointed over the recent pardons of corrupt officials by the Nigerian government,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “We see this as a setback for the fight against corruption and also for our ability to play the strong role we've played in supporting rule of law and legal institution building in Nigeria, which is very important for the future of the country, obviously.”

Asked if the United States could cut off aid — Nigeria was slated to receive $660.5 million in the president's 2012 budget, more than any other sub-Saharan country except Ethiopia — Nuland didn't rule it out.

Read more...

U.S. forces tasked with keeping a lid on the escalating terrorist threat emanating from Africa are suffering from a significant gap in military intelligence and special operations forces assets, according to the top U.S. officer in the region. 

Read more...

A demilitarized zone along the contested border is viewed as key to resuming landlocked South Sudan’s oil exports.

Read more...