SURVEILLANCE DRONES FOR ANTITERRORISM IN AFRICA
The recent spate of terrorist activity in Mali has put renewed focus on U.S. antiterrorism operations in Africa. The United States military is now preparing to establish a drone base in northwest Africa in order to fly unarmed surveillance drones to collect intelligence in the volatile region. The operations are initially designed to assist the French-led counterterrorism operations currently being conducted in Mali against Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda, but they could also be used to conduct missile strikes if the threat level increases. The drone base, if it is approved, will be located in Niger, on the eastern border of Mali. This plan is awaiting approval from the Pentagon, White House, and officials in Niger. Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou has already expressed his desire to form, “a long-term strategic relationship with the U.S.” (New York Times, January 28, 2013)
REMAINING ISLAMISTS HUNTED IN GAO
After briefly seizing the Malian cities of Gao and Timbuktu, Islamist militants have lost control of the key cities and retreated to the desert. Residents and security forces in Gao are reported to have hunted down the remaining extremists from the group, the Movement for Unity and Oneness of the Jihad, or MUJAO. Once found, the security officers bound their hands, and packed them into army trucks. Troops from Chad and France helped patrol the streets overnight. (Washington Post, January 29, 2013)
PARALLEL BETWEEN ARAB SPRING AND AZERBAIJAN’S HOT JANUARY
The past four weeks in Azerbaijan have been called a “hot January” due to a series of bold protests criticizing government corruption in a grassroots campaign that has been amplified by the use of social media. The protests originally sparked from a peaceful rally that was held to raise awareness of hazing and violence in the army, but it was soon joined by protestors angry with the growing divide between the rich and poor, and corruption under the administration of President Ilham Aliyev. President Aliyev has been accused by human rights groups of rigging elections in the past, and with an election approaching in October 2013, the opposition parties are seeking to leverage the protests to expand their electoral base. (Radio Free Europe, January 30, 2013)
EGYPT’S CURRENT UPRISINGS THREATEN FUTURE
Current uprisings in Egypt have prompted the Egyptian army to deploy forces along the Suez Canal in order to protect the key shipping route, which also serves as one of the country’s main sources for foreign revenue. The volatile region has been rocked by several days of protests and violence in which more than 50 people have died. Thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest, ignoring night-time curfews imposed by the government. Egyptian Army Chief General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi warned that the current political crisis “could lead to a collapse of the state and threaten future generations." More than 50 people have died in several days of protests, mostly in Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez, but also in Cairo. The death sentences given by the court to 21 local football fans involved in riots that killed 74 people are what ignited the protests. The protestors accuse the authorities for making them “scapegoats” and called for the downfall of the president. (BBC, January 29, 2013)
IRANIAN WEAPONS FOUND ON YEMENI BOAT
A boat intercepted by Yemeni and U.S. forces in January off the coast of Yemen was found to be carrying a cache of weapons that appeared to be Iranian origin. The weapons included surface-to-air missiles, rocket propelled grenades, anti-aircraft missiles, C4 military grade explosives, and bomb making equipment, all of which appeared to have come from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities. The weapons were said to have been sent to the Shiite Muslim insurgents in Yemen for their rebel movement against the Yemeni government. The government has long accused Iran of supporting the Shiite rebels, though outside experts have questioned the (CNN, January 30, 2013)