Africa

The Obama administration has told U.S. embassy staffers in Mali to stay put as the political situation in the southern part of the country improves following the military coup in March.

The new travel warning replaces an April advisory that allowed the departure of non-emergency personnel and their families. Staffers are still barred from unauthorized travel to the Islamist-dominated breakaway region in the north, however, which has been overrun by al Qaeda-linked militants. 

“The Department of State is lifting the Authorized Departure of non-emergency personnel and all eligible family members of U.S. Embassy personnel,” the State Department said in the new travel warning. "While the security situation in Bamkao is improving, the country faces continued challenges including food shortages, internally displaced persons, and the presence in northern Mali of factions linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)."

The commander of U.S. air forces in Europe urged African nations to pool their air assets in a NATO-type structure to more efficiently take on terrorists and traffickers, Reuters reports. 

Gen. Philip Breedlove made the remarks at a meeting of African air chiefs in Senegal. The advice comes as unrest in next-door Mali has given al Qaeda-linked militants a vast swath of territory to operate freely and potentially plan attacks in other countries in the region.

"Taking them on requires a regional approach ... by developing partnerships, countries can assist one another in meeting these requirements," Breedlove said. "We can best support these efforts by effectively deploying our air assets as an air team against these extremists."

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) criticized a new rule created by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday that requires companies to disclose if they rely on minerals from war-stricken parts of Africa.

The SEC finalized a rule from the Dodd-Frank financial reform law aimed at cracking down on the use of "conflict minerals” from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

President Obama offered his condolences for the death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Tuesday while glossing over the longtime leader's human-rights record.

Meles, Ethiopia's leader since 1991 and its prime minister since 1995, oversaw explosive economic growth and was a steadfast U.S. ally in the war on terrorism who sent troops to battle Islamist militants in neighboring Somalia in 2006 and 2011. Critics, however, say he led one of Africa's most repressive governments, brutally cracking down on dissent even as the United States continues to give the country $1 billion in aid a year.

“Prime Minister Meles deserves recognition for his lifelong contribution to Ethiopia’s development, particularly his unyielding commitment to Ethiopia's poor,” Obama said in a statement. “I met with Prime Minister Meles at the G-8 Summit in May and recall my personal admiration for his desire to lift millions of Ethiopians out of poverty through his drive for food security. I am also grateful for Prime Minister Meles’s service for peace and security in Africa, his contributions to the African Union, and his voice for Africa on the world stage.”

Your morning global affairs speed-read

Ethiopia's longtime prime minister, Meles Zenawi, a close U.S. ally in the war against Islamist militants in Somalia with a checkered human-rights record, died late Monday, leaving the African country's future in doubt. [Associated Press]

Rebels in Syria say U.S. promises of communications aid have gone largely unfulfilled. [Washington Post]

The European Union is probing whether the sale of cigarettes to Syria by a Switzerland-based unit of Japan Tobacco Inc. violated sanctions against the country and helped fund Bashar Assad's crackdown on opponents. [Wall Street Journal]

In other news: 

Iraq rejects report it is helping Iran avoid sanctions [Reuters]

A Colombian police general pleaded guilty in U.S. court to aiding a right-wing terrorist group. [Wall Street Journal]

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Note to readers: This morning roundup will be published at 8 a.m. during the summer recess and will go dark the week of Sept. 3.

The secretary of State was forced to run onto a jet for cover amid the bee panic.

The Senate unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday night condemning the crimes against humanity committed by Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda.

“Kony and the LRA have terrorized Uganda and its neighbors in central Africa for more than two decades, tearing families apart and destroying communities,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), the lead sponsor of the resolution. “Joseph Kony represents the worst of mankind, and he and his commanders must be held accountable for their war crimes.”

Your morning global affairs speed-read

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travels to South Sudan, the world's newest country, to press for a peace deal with Sudan after months of clashes over oil and borders. The visit comes one day after a United Nations Security Council deadline for the two countries to settle their differences or face sanctions.

Clinton is the highest-level official yet to visit the country. South Sudan was seen as a potential close friend of the United States when it was created last summer, but President Salva Kiir is alleged to have lied to President Obama on several occasions about his country's support for rebels north of the border, straining ties. [McClatchy Newspapers]

Syria showdown: The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution Friday reprimanding Syria for its use of heavy weaponry against civilians and domestic insurgents, one day after Kofi Annan decided to step down as special envoy amid the failure of his peace plan. [The Wall Street Journal]

In other news, Russian defense officials said some 360 marines on three warships are bound for the port of Tartus, Russia's sole access to the Mediterranean. [The New York Times]

The Senate approved an Africa trade bill and extended sanctions against Burma with a unanimous consent vote Thursday, sending it to the president’s desk for his signature.

The bill would extend trade benefits to economies of sub-Saharan Africa under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

The House voted Thursday morning to extend trade benefits for the textile and apparel industries in Africa for three more years, and also extend those benefits to South Sudan.

Members approved H.R. 5986 by a voice vote, after a debate in which members of both parties congratulated themselves for maintaining these benefits through the end of fiscal 2015. The bill extends preferred access to the U.S. market for textiles and apparel under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).