Note this recent update on trouble in sub-Saharan Africa:

Commentary and Analysis by Ambassador John Price

The Republic of Mali: Under Siege

In the 1950′s, the independence movement became endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, beginning with Ghana in 1957. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a socialist, became Ghana’s first president. Nkrumah founded the Pan-African movement with the goal of liberating and unifying Africa. The movement spread from West Africa to other parts of the continent. He was instrumental in forming the Organization of African Unity (OAU), composed of the liberated African states. Nkrumah who had lost touch with the people of Ghana was deposed in 1966 by a military coup.

The roots of power and corruption in sub-Saharan Africa took hold in a generation of young, politically motivated rebels, reformers, and nationalists in the 1950s. Nkrumah was at the forefront of this new breed of …

The killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011 has become a highly charged political issue in the 2012 presidential election. President Obama has taken the credit away from the “doers of the deed”, our military, who put their lives on the line. The Executive Order (ExOrd) to kill Osama bin Laden didn’t take “guts”, just a good decision by the commander in chief.

An ExOrd is a powerful tool for the President to be used to protect the American people. Once issued for a military action, whether the mission is successful or not, credit should be given to the military for their efforts in taking the risk. In the event the mission fails, the commander in chief accepts the full responsibility.

President Harry Truman succinctly stated in his farewell address to the American people in January 1953 that “The President–whoever he …

The 2012 election campaign has focused on the Executive Order (ExOrd) which was issued by President Obama to kill Osama bin Laden.

In writing my book “When the White House Calls”, I reviewed a number of articles, books, media interviews and other source data on Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants. The data compiled suggests that Osama bin Laden could have been captured before 1996.

The Economic Times article, “Barack Obama makes Osama bin Laden killing a campaign tool”, notes the 2012 election campaign as politicizing the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Commentary by Ambassador John Price:

Osama bin Laden had known Afghanistan well, having joined Abdullah Azzam after leaving school in 1979, to fight against the Soviets. A few years later in 1984 bin Laden was involved in raising money for arms and recruiting Muslims to fight in Afghanistan. Soon thereafter …

News out of sub-Saharan Africa:
Commentary by Ambassador John Price:

Sudan: A legacy of tribal and ethnic conflicts
“Africa has a history of irrational borders”

(Excerpts from When the White House Calls, and February 8, 2012 Commentary, Sudan- Erratic Diplomacy at Best)

In the seventh-century Arab traders sailed into the various ports along the coastline of the Horn of Africa and East Africa for refueling, gathering supplies, and selling wares. Gradual colonization of sub-Saharan Africa followed with early European traders who secured coastal enclaves as a base of operations for their trade activities. Ultimately, the British, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Belgian, and Italian colonizers established port settlements ringing the entire African continent. It wasn’t until the late 1880s that these colonizers journeyed farther into the vast interior of the African continent, grabbed land, and created settlements, dislocating local tribes along the way. This rapacious …

Note this recent news out of sub-Saharan Africa

Note this recent news out of sub-Saharan Africa:

“Somalia’s children schooled in guns”
By Tom Odula – Associated Press
Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Adan Abdi, a school teacher in Dhobley, “worries that the students in his class show too little interest in education. His students are interested in playing war.”

UNICEF reports, “An entire generation of children has grown up knowing only conflict and fighting…and possibly thousands of children have been trained in combat”. Sikander Khan, the top official in Somalia says, “There is an increased need to invest more in Somalia’s youth…in order to give long-term peace a chance to prevail”.

Khan also notes, “We need to make sure that this generation receives quality basic education, access to social services and protection from violence and abuse. This will stop them being sucked into the continuing violence and they will then be able to make a …

Note this recent news out of sub-Saharan Africa:

BBC NEWS AFRICA
Gaddafi’s influence in Mali’s coup
By Thomas Fessy BBC News, West Africa correspondent
22 March 2012 last updated at 16:36 ET

“It did not take long for the Libyan conflict to spill over borders in the Sahel region – and now Mali seems to have paid the highest price so far following a coup by disgruntled soldiers.”

“The trouble began when hundreds of Malian combatants who had fought to defend the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, fled back home with weapons at the end of last year and formed the most powerful Tuareg-led rebel group the region has known – the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA).”

For the full story:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17481114

“Last week’s coup happened in one of the few established democracies in the troubled western half of the African continent.”

For the full story: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/29/airport-demonstration-turns-4-african-presidents-a/

The 2012 Election Polls …

Note this current petition:

WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
The U.S. Government Must Redress Wrongs Against the Chagossians
Created: Mar 05, 2012

For generations, the Chagossians lived on the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. But in the 1960s, the U.S. and U.K. governments expelled the Chagossians from their homes to allow the United States to build a military base on Diego Garcia. Facing social, cultural, and economic despair, the Chagossians now live as a marginalized community in Mauritius and Seychelles and have not been allowed to return home. The recent passing of the oldest member of the exiled population underscores the urgent need to improve the human rights of the Chagossians. We cannot let others die without the opportunity to return home and obtain redress. The United States should provide relief to the Chagossians in the form of resettlement to the outer …

In a Press Release from Seychelles, it was announced that Sir James Mancham, the founding President, has been invited to participate in the “Global Hotspots, Insiders Briefing” program on May 3-5, 2012, at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Sir James Mancham will deliver a keynote address, pertaining to the “Indian Ocean—China’s growing influence in the zone, the American military presence in Diego Garcia and the question of piracy”.

I first became acquainted with Sir James Mancham when I was U.S. ambassador accredited to the Republic of Seychelles from 2002 to 2005. Mancham was the first president of this island nation, shortly after independence in 1976. He was deposed in a coup d’etat on June 5, 1977. He lived in exile until April 1992, returning to become actively involved in the political process by running for president. Although …

Note these excerpts regarding the death of Fazul Abdullah Mohammed last June:

CNN
Top al Qaeda operative killed in Somalia, officials say
By the CNN Wire Staff
June 11, 2011 — Updated 2219 GMT (0619 HKT)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Mohammed’s death “a significant blow to al Qaeda, its extremist allies and its operations in East Africa.
(Read the full story on cnn.com)

Somali officials confirmed today that Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, al Qaeda’s leader in East Africa and a senior Shabaab commander, was killed at a Somali military checkpoint in Mogadishu earlier this week. Fazul is one of the most wanted terrorists in East Africa for his role in attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania as well as his role within Shabaab.

(Read the full story on longwarjournal.org)

The report’s authors pointed out that “… the “account of his killing did not sit …

Note this excerpt from a recent story from New Business Ethiopia:

World Bank Sees Progress against Extreme Poverty
By New Business Ethiopia Reporter
Thursday, 01 March 2012

“The percentage of people living on less than 1.25 US dollars a day and the number of poor declined between 2005-2008 in every region of the developing world, says the World Bank’s new estimate released today.”

“In Sub-Saharan Africa, for the first time since 1981, less than half of its population (47 percent) lived below 1.25 US dollars a day. The rate was 51 percent in 1981. The 1.25 US dollars -a-day poverty rate in SSA has fallen 10 percentage points since 1999. Some 9 million fewer people living below 1.25 US dollars a day in 2008 than 2005.”

To read the full article: http://newbusinessethiopia.com

For most sub-Saharan Africans their cup is still half empty

In September 2000, world leaders from over …