Kenya: Potential U.S. Military sale to Kenya in support of the fight against terrorism (18.02.2017)

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U.S. House Representatives wants to block the January Arms trade sold to the Kenyan Government!

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“The arms trade – an intricate web of networks between the formal and shadow worlds, between government, commerce and criminality – often makes us poorer, not richer, less not more safe, and governed not in our own interests but for the benefit of a small, self-serving elite, seemingly above the law, protected by the secrecy of national security and accountable to no one.”

Andrew Feinstein

As of today there two United States Representatives from the Republican Party Ted Budd of North Carolina and Duncan Duane Hunter from California that for their own reasons to stop sales of U.S. arms to Kenya, this they have forwarded a joint resolution. This was first from Ted Budd, but Duncan Hunter became his co-sponsor of the bill. Of today it has been transmitted to the Committee at the House Foreign Affairs that will work on it, before initial voting.

“That the issuance of a letter of offer with respect to any of the following proposed sales to the Government of Kenya (described in the certification Transmittal No. 16–79, sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate pursuant to section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(b)(1))) on January 19, 2017, is hereby prohibited:

(1) Twelve Air Tractor AT–802L.

(2) Two AT–504 trainer aircraft.

(3) Weapons package, technical support and program management” (Budd & Hunter, 2017).

It is not long ago since this was sanctioned to the Kenya Defense Force and their missions, as this was a supplement to the on-going missions that the Kenya contingent in Somalia and might even be used as blue-helmets inside South Sudan. Still, the U.S. Representatives think these will be misguided and not well used arms for their ally in East Africa. This is the double-standard and double moral from the U.S. counterparts that easily has dropped and sold this sort of weapons to others, but has to all of sudden sanction Kenya for buying the same thing.

Just take a look at the timing of the deal between the U.S. and Kenyan earlier in 2017:

“The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the possible sale on 19 January and disclosed the potential sale on 23 January” (…) “The DSCA said Kenya had requested the sale of up to twelve Air Tractor AT-802L and two AT-504 trainer aircraft, weapons, technical support and programme management worth $418 million” (…) “This proposed sale contributes to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a strong regional partner who is a regional security leader undertaking critical operations against al-Shabaab and troop contributor to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM),” the DSCA said” (…) “The proposed sale provides a needed capability in the ongoing efforts to counter al-Shabaab. The platform maximizes the Kenyan Defense Force’s Close Air Support (CAS) ability because it is a short-field aircraft capable of using precision munitions and cost effective logistics and maintenance.” (DefenceWeb, 2017).

So a purchase accepted in January is now in question in February, as the new Trump Administration will not care for the allies and friends as such before. The DSCA sanctioned the sale on the 23rd January 2017 and now on the 14th February 2017 the U.S. Representatives questions the sale. So the AMISOM mission and their allies who fights in it doesn’t matter as much, as that was the destination for the arms and technical weaponry in this transaction. That the sales of close worth over $400m that suddenly goes into the wind!

We will see if the Foreign Affairs Committee at the House of Representatives will work with this and see if this will go for voting in the House or Senate to sufficiently go forward with joint communique of Ted Budd and Duncan Hunter. That then will become legislation as the deal will not happen as the Committee will put forward a motion or legislation that the stops the arms agreement and trade between the DSCA and the Government of Kenya. Therefore the U.S. Arms trade to the Kenyan Defense Force.

This story is certainly not over. Peace.

Reference:

DefenceWeb – ‘US approves possible Air Tractor, weapons sale to Kenya’ (24.01.2017) link: http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46563:us-approves-possible-air-tractor-weapons-sale-to-kenya&catid=35:Aerospace&Itemid=107

Representative Ted Budd (R-North Carolina) & Representative Duncan Duane Hunter (R-California) – ‘H.J.Res. 72: Relating to the disapproval of the proposed foreign military sale to the Government of Kenya of Air Tractor aircraft with weapons, and related support’ (14.02.2017)

Kenya: GoK Statement on the court rule concerning Dadaab Refugee Camp (09.02.2017)

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Statement by the IGAD Executive Secretary on the current drought in the Greater Horn of Africa (08.02.2017)

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The Drought Situation

The Horn of Africa is in the midst of a major drought resulting from La Niña and reduced moisture influx due to the cooling of the ocean water in the east African coast. Whilst Member States of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are adept at managing droughts, what makes the current drought alarming in the Equatorial Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) region is that it follows two consecutive poor rainfall seasons in 2016 and the likelihood of depressed rainfall persisting into the March – May 2017 rainfall season remains high. The most affected areas include, most of Somalia, South-eastern Ethiopia, Northern Eastern and coastal Kenya, and Northern Uganda.

The climate predictions and early warnings produced by IGAD through advanced scientific modeling and prediction tools, which were provided to Member States and the general public, have elicited early actions (preparedness and mitigation measures). Highly comparable to the 2010 GHA drought, the current depressed rainfall and resultant poor vegetation conditions since March 2016 eroded the coping and adaptive capacities of the affected people. It also depleted water points, reduced crops, forages and livestock production, increased food insecurity, and adversely affected the livelihoods of vulnerable communities in the region.

The number of food insecure human population in the region is currently estimated at 17 million. Certain areas in South Sudan and Djibouti are already under an emergency food insecurity phase, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) classification scale. In Somalia, the number of food insecure people doubled in the last year alone.

In the drought affected cropping lands (over Deyr area in Somalia and coastal Kenya), 70 to 100 percent crop failure has been registered. Livestock mortality has been particularly devastating amongst small ruminants with mortality rate ranging from 25 to 75 percent in the cross border areas of Somalia-Kenya-Ethiopia. In addition, livestock prices have dropped by as much as 700 percent.

Terms of trade have declined in the region, with Ethiopia registering a figure of almost 10 percent. This is exacerbated by a substantial negative impact on external balances, as well as a small impact on financial sector-soundness in the other countries. The overall impact on fiscal positions is a likely increase in current budget spending and deterioration in the fiscal balance and weak adaptation capacity.

Despite the downtrend in global agriculture commodity prices, the drought has resulted in an increase in domestic food prices in the region. Cereal prices (e.g. maize) have gone up by about 130 percent, while those of critical food items such as oils, beans and wheat flour increased by at least 50 percent in some pastoralist areas. The limited financial and institutional capacity for effective adaptation to reduce exposure and vulnerability will result in limited safety net to the most vulnerable households.

Drought Response in the Horn of Africa

With the early warning and technical assistance provided by IGAD, Member States have initiated early action to mitigate the adverse impact of the current drought.

Somalia and South Sudan have declared drought emergencies. Kenya announced a doubling of expenditure on food relief to ease the pressure in the drought-affected counties, while Uganda shifted some of its development resources to finance emergency response in order to address food insecurity and livelihood protection. In Somalia, the President of the Federal Republic, as well as state and regional administrations led the issuance of appeals for support and coordinated actors and efforts that scaled-up food security activities to respond to the humanitarian needs of the country.

The USD 730 million allocated by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia boosted the response effort which, coupled by an above-average meher harvest, resulted to an almost 50 percent reduction in the number of food insecure people, for example, from 10.2 million to 5.6 million.

IGAD continues to reinforce the actions of its Member States using them as guide for complementary action on drought responses. Below are some of the major actions being undertaken by the IGAD Secretariat and its specialized institutions to manage the drought in the region:

  • Through its specialized institutions, IGAD continues to monitor and provide analysis of the evolving situation and advise Member States and the general public on measures to mitigate its impact. The 45th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF 45), which ends today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will present the consensus climate outlook for the next season (March – May 2017) and its likely impact on disaster risk management, livestock production, water, energy and health etc.
  • A multi- humanitarian coordination mechanism led by IGAD that includes UN agencies, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and other Non-State Actors (NSAs) is effectively working to coordinate the response effort, as well as guide the recovery process once the situation stabilizes.
  • IGAD is also working with relevant national authorities, UN agencies and CSOs in each member state on the development of an Integrated Regional Appeal that will articulate the priority initiatives within the response plan for each Member State.
  • Furthermore, IGAD will support institutional arrangements and capacity building that needs to be in place to allow humanitarian response plans to be implemented in timely, effective manner.
  • A regional Ministerial Meeting will be convened by IGAD at the end of this month to launch the Integrated Regional Appeal and secure financial resources, which further complements the response undertaken by national authorities and humanitarian and development partners, while at the same time building resilience to climate-induced disasters.

Through the IGAD Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI) Platform, the ultimate purpose and objective of IGAD and its Member States is to mitigate the adverse effects of disasters through building resilience of relevant national institutions, communities and people, to end drought emergencies and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in the region.

In this regard, IGAD will remain vigilant in monitoring and advising the people of the region on the drought situation through its’ specialized institution, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC) domiciled in Nairobi, and shall continue to support and complement regional and national actions on drought response and recovery.

Somalia: Humanitarian Coordinator Warns of Possible Famine (03.02.2017)

Somalia Draught Quotes

Somalia is in the grip of an intense drought, induced by two consecutive seasons of poor rainfall.

MOGADISHU, Somalia, February 3, 2017 – The Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Peter de Clercq, warned today that unless a massive and urgent scale up of humanitarian assistance takes place in the coming weeks, famine could soon be a reality in some of the worst drought-affected areas in Somalia. During the launch of the latest food security and nutrition data in Mogadishu, he called for urgent efforts to avert famine.

Somalia is in the grip of an intense drought, induced by two consecutive seasons of poor rainfall. In the worst affected areas, inadequate rainfall and lack of water has wiped out crops and killed livestock, while communities are being forced to sell their assets, and borrow food and money to survive.

“This is the time to act to prevent another famine in Somalia. Building on the response to drought in 2016, we need to rapidly step up the humanitarian response to effectively respond to the extensive needs and avert a famine,” said Peter de Clercq. “If we do not scale up the drought response immediately, it will cost lives, further destroy livelihoods, and could undermine the pursuit of key State-building and peacebuilding initiatives. A drought – even one this severe – does not automatically have to mean catastrophe if we can respond early enough with timely support from the international community.”

According to the FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET), the number of people in need of assistance has increased from five million in September to over 6.2 million now, more than half of the country’s population. This includes a drastic increase in the number of people in “crisis” and “emergency” from 1.1 million six months ago to a projected 3 million between February and June this year. The situation for children is especially grave. Some 363,000 acutely malnourished children are in need of critical nutrition support, including life-saving treatment for more than 71,000 severely malnourished children.

The levels of suffering in the country, triggered by protracted conflict, seasonal shocks and disease outbreaks, are typically hard to bear, but the impact of this drought represents a threat of a different scale and magnitude. “The situation we are starting to see today in many rural areas today, particularly Bay, Puntland, is starting to look worryingly like the run-up to famine in 2010-2011. Most striking is the pace, scale and geography of deterioration, and the potential for the situation to become much much worse,” said Richard Trenchard, the Food and Agriculture Organization Representative for Somalia. “Labour prices are collapsing; local food prices are rising; food availability is becoming patchy; animal deaths are increasing; and malnutrition rates are rising, especially among children. Together, these are all signs that we are entering a phase that can lead to catastrophe.”

Somalia experienced the worst famine of the twenty-first century in 2011, affecting an estimated four million people, three-quarters of a million of whom faced famine conditions. The famine resulted in the loss of more than a quarter a million lives.

U.S. Department of State: “Dissent Channel: Alternatives to Closing Doors in Order to Secure Our Borders” (30.01.2017)

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#MuslimBan: Statement on the travel ban on Somalia (31.01.2017)

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“United we stand, divided we fall”: letter by President Donald Tusk to the 27 EU Head of State or government on the future of the EU before the Malta summit (31.01.2017)

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Yemen: Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on #MuslimBan (29.01.2017)

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Opinion: Time for sanctions against the Trump Administrations because of the #MuslimBan

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When the American Government sees something as unjust, unfair and against what’s seen as Human Rights, than they sanction Burundian officials or Congolese Officials for their connections with ill behaviour. Now it is time to deflect from the super-power, it is time for instance that the nations of Canada, Mexico, China, India, Pakistan and the Member States of the EU to put sanctions on the United States Government.

Especially the Seven Nations where the Nationalities overnight cannot visit or live; or having possible refugee in the United States should act upon the unfair threatment of their citizens and their diplomatic missions in the United States. These countries are: “Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen”. Some of these countries the US Army has even been part of chaos and supporting fighting groups that still lingers. So they are not responsible for the violence and cycle of massacres that are happening in Somalia, Yemen Sudan, Syria and Iraq.

Operation Freedom in Iraq is still lingering as the US Army and Iraqi National Army is fighting for key towns and villages to strike at the ISIS. The same are done in Syria as the Syrian Government Forces, ISIS and Rebels are tormenting the nations with an internal civil-war, which the support of American Government and also Russian forces in the battles. Yemen has both been sold American Machinery and also supports of Government forces, as the Yemeni Government are striving to gain total control in the war-torn nation.  Somalia the AMISOM and Kenyan Forces are together with American support battling Al-Shabab as the terrorist organization and citizens flee from their homes as the battles escalates and the Somali government struggle to hold control as the Al-Shabab militia continue to force the US Supported government and peacekeeping mission at bay. Therefore it is ironic that the US Government is banning people from the nations where they have put the most guns, put the most soldiers and invest the vast majority of funds into war over the last two decades.

That the US Government is banning the refugees, and also steady living citizens from these nations who has been working or studying in the US proves their mentality and their wrong. Proves that the US Government under President Trump is out of touch with their own violent acts of transgression overseas. That the US Government deserves to get punished in a way it will hurt them.

They have put fear in many people across the seas, they have exported weapons, taken battleships with them and taken more of fighter jets where they have blown town into pieces and left ancient historic places into dust. That dust should be stained on President Trump suits as he transgresses against those fleeing the American aggression and military, as well as their own and rebels in their nations. The killings and murders that are sponsored by America should not go without cost. The cost shouldn’t just be on Syrian Refugees, it should be on the nations who sponsored the killings and done the export of heavy weaponry to it.

Trump Administration as they are inciting hatred and passionate white-supremacy executive orders in the vision of White House Strategist Stephen Bannon. These days it is his fellow racist mind that is controlling and offering advice to President Trump who executes his ideas. Well, I am sure that Trump agrees since he hired the ill-minded man as his closest adviser into the White House.

Trump Administration should get sanctioned as first the Trump Organization and their foreign businesses should get foreign account frozen. Their investments should be nationalized and taken away from the company and the estates should be sold on the open market. As the obnoxious ban of these nations should cost the President Trump and his family, when he exclude and introduce an Executive Order who takes away citizenship and justice; not based on merit, but on precaution that cannot be proven, not even in courts.

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The Trump Administration should get punished with sanctions by the regional bodies that the inflicted nations are connected too. These being the African Union which has Somalia and Sudan as Member States, the African Union should suspend the Diplomatic envoys and embassy at the Addis Ababa Headquarter. The Envoys in the African Countries should be send packing for the attack on the innocent brothers from Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia, as the refugees and citizens which is born in these three nations are personally inflicted in the fear of the Trump Administration.

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Secondly the Arab League and the OPEC should sanction the trade of oil to the American heartland and stop exporting the oil. Because the United States could break with international law and inflicting pain on citizens in neighbour nations who is connected with both OPEC and Arab League . The Arabian nations should shield the Syrian refugees as the United States is stopping to their international responsibility for the Syrian population who is living in diaspora. These are innocent civilians who are now traded for political reasons in the United States. They should end the diplomatic missions in the Arab League Nations and the OPEC as that would prove the tantrum of vigilant behaviour from Washington D.C. cannot be accepted.

Third, the European Union and Canada should in all due respect not allow any of the elected and selected members of the Trump Administration to get visa or even travel abroad to any of these nations. These members of the Trump Administration should not be allowed to have investments or having any cooperative enterprise in the European nations or in Canada. This as they themselves should get the same treatment as they are sanctioning on the innocent fleeing civilians from oversees.

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Fourth, set penalties and special taxes on all United States associated businesses and all the businesses that have and are led by executives from the nation have to either leave or move their business headquarters. As the economic incentive will hurt the American economy and also the promises of President Trump who we’re supposed to be the “best jobs President!” So this alone will hurt his pride and vanity.

Time for sanctions and execute orders that hurt the United States, as they are not better or holy than anybody else. The United States should be touched by the world and pay for the mess they are creating in the Middle East and on the African continent. Their armies are also involved in the atrocities that is occurring and leading to the refugees leaving the nations. Therefore the International Community should react with methods that the US Government really feels. Peace.