Mediaboss Marketing

LONDON

The commander of U.S. forces in Africa has told VOA the only way to restore peace in Libya is to bring rival factions together, and that will require cooperative efforts by many parties, including Russia.

General Thomas Waldhauser, who heads the U.S. Africa Command, discussed the continuing political chaos in Libya while in Germany for the recent Munich Security Conference.

Libya is a checkerboard of separate, divided power centers: The internationally backed Government of National Accord controls only part of Tripoli, while rival power bases vie for control over the rest of the capital and other cities. Along the North African coast, the head of the Libyan National Army, General Khalifa Haftar, holds sway over much of eastern Libya through his House of Representatives.

FILE - Marine Corps Lieutenant General Thomas Waldhauser is seen at Camp Pendleton, California, March 30, 2012.

Waldhauser says Haftar's influence "is something to be dealt with," and that eastern Libya "is where a political solution ... has to take place," in large part because the army chief controls most of Libya's oilfields.

"This is where it all begins," the American commander says, and also where Russia comes in.

Russia invests in Libya's oil

Waldhauser noted it is apparent Russia wants to become actively involved in trying to resolve Libya's political unrest not least for its own economic interests and said he welcomes that.

Russia's state-owned oil giant Rosneft has offered billions of dollars in investments to Libya's National Oil Company (NOC), and officials of the two companies announced Tuesday in London that they have a preliminary agreement to pursue a development program. Russia also committed itself to buying an undisclosed share of Libya's future crude oil output.

FILE - A plaque for the Rosneft Oli Company is seen outside the company headquarters in Moscow, Russia, Oct. 18, 2012.

The AFRICOM chief said the key to political progress in Libya, which would enable the country to get the greatest benefit from such international deals, is cooperation between the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital and Haftar and the Libyan National Army in the east.

"The goal is to get those two together," Waldhauser said. "The goal is to get those two to talk, and the goal is to make some accommodation in that regard."

Kremlin's broader influence

Russia has been trying to gain a larger grip on oil supplies in the Mediterranean and extend its influence in the Middle East and North Africa more broadly. Rosneft's agreement with NOC, announced at an international oil conference in the British capital, was in addition to a separate deal for Russia to prefinance crude exports from Kurdistan, making Rosneft the first major oil company to take an active role in the semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq. Rosneft also recently acquired a stake in the Zohr gas field in Egypt.

The Libyan oil company estimates it needs $20 billion to reach its production goal of 2.1 million barrels per day within five years.

FILE - An anti-government rebel sits with an anti-aircraft weapon in front of an oil refinery in Ras Lanouf, eastern Libya, March 5, 2011.

Turning again to Libya's political situation and rivalries, Waldhauser said many parties are trying to assist.

"The Egyptians and Russians are also involved in trying to get this all together, because at the end of day a political solution is going to require" the participation of both General Haftar and Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj of the GNA, the U.S. commander said.

U.S. supports Tripoli faction

U.S. forces also have been actively fighting against the Islamic State group in Libya most notably last month, when American B-2 bombers flew a 9,400-kilometer mission from their base in the central U.S. to strike IS training camps in Libya and Waldhauser says the extremists' efforts to expand in the north African nation have taken a significant setback.

"It has been very complicated and it continues to remain very complicated. Perhaps, if it's possible, even getting more complicated," Waldhauer added. "Our official government position is to support the GNA. And at AFRICOM, we've had a very good and close relationship not only with our State Department personnel, but with Prime Minister Surraj as well."

The AFRICOM chief, who oversees U.S. military operations throughout Africa, was speaking in Munich last week about American participation in Operation Flintlock, a joint military exercise hosted by seven African nations.

FILE - Chadian troops participate in the closing ceremony of operation Flintlock in an army base in N'djamena, Chad, March 9, 2015.

American forces in Africa are eager to build partnerships in the sub-Saharan region to tackle terrorists particularly Islamic State extremists, but also other dangerous groups. Waldhauser said the U.S. works to strengthen its regional partnerships by helping African nations develop their infrastructure, with training and also with crisis response.

U.S. can help in crises

"Many times we think of [crisis response] as a military operation," the American commander said. "But crisis response is something we would be very, very involved in if there was a humanitarian disaster famine in Somalia, for example; the Ebola breakout is another example. We do pay close attention to that."

Nigeria is a key regional partner, and the United States is providing intelligence support and other assistance in the country's fight against the Islamic State-affiliated terror group Boko Haram. A Nigerian representative to the Munich Security Conference, Major-General Babagana Monguno, said the increasing expansion of terror groups across national borders means international cooperation is vital.

"The uprising in Libya and the eventual capitulation of the Gadhafi government resulted in a southward flow of arms and human beings," Monguno said. "The most natural place in sub-Saharan Africa for this flow was Nigeria."

Importance of 'battlefield ethics'

In the course of their efforts to suppress Boko Haram, Nigerian military forces have been accused of human-rights abuses by Amnesty International and others. Waldhauser said the United States takes such allegations against its partners seriously.

"We understand the requirement for battlefield ethics," he told VOA. "We make it part of our training, and we try to continue to emphasize that ... in the legal system [of the partner nations] and in our discussions with key leaders, as well."

Operation Flintlock 2017, which is just getting underway, will bring together 2,000 service personnel from more than 20 African, European and North African nations.

View original post here:
US Sees a Role for Russia in Trying to Restore Peace in Libya - Voice of America

A judge Thursday afternoon agreed to release the Black Lives Matter Charleston activist who was arrested after he attempted to snatch a Confederate battle flag from a protester.

Muhiyidin Elamin Moye, who also uses the last namedBaha, was charged with disorderly conduct and damage to personal property, according to a bond court judge.

The judge granted a personal recognizance bond. He would be required to pay $2,382 only if he doesn't appear for the next court date.

Moye's attorney, Cameron Blazer, argued that Moye is a low flight risk and is easily recognizable. Moye has "a long history of peaceable activism and demonstration," Blazer said.

"This incident was a product of a very unfortunate administrative decision that resulted in two opposing groups being positioned mere feet from one another," Blazer said.

Moye, 31, was seen Wednesday night running and leaping across police tape in his bid to grab the flag outsidethe Sottile Theatre at the College of Charleston, where Bree Newsome was speaking about social justice and activism at an event titled "Tearing Hatred from the Sky."

Newsome is best known in South Carolina for climbing a flagpole at the Statehouse in June 2015 and taking down the Confederate flag as lawmakers debated its removal in the wake of the mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church. She was also arrested for her act of protest.

Moye appeared via live video stream in court. Shortly after appearing on camera, he tapped his temple with one finger, nodded to acknowledge supporters in the courtroom, and briefly raised a fist in the air. Three members of the local activist group Standing Up for Racial Justice, which raised more than $8,000 overnight to help with his court fees, were sitting in the courtroom to show their support.

"I didn't see any crime committed. I just saw a heroic event," said Mary Smith, a 25-year-old SURJ member and Trident Technical College student. "He pulled a Bree Newsome at a Bree Newsome event."

Three members of Moye's family also appeared in court to show their support. His sister, Kim Duncan, said the family is "behind him 100 percent." She did not attend the event Wednesday night, but when she saw video footage of her brother's flying leap, she said, "I didn't think anything of it. That's him."

Moye's jump has made him a minor internet celebrity. A clip of the incident titled "Just a guy taking down the Confederate flag on live TV" was the No. 5 ranked animated GIF on Reddit as of Thursday afternoon, and the sports-centric website Deadspin mentioned the clip as a possible "Sports Highlight of the Day."

Previously, Moye was charged with disorderly conduct in July after he disrupted a North Charleston City Council committee meeting. He was found guilty in his absence in August by North Charleston Municipal Judge Thad Doughty and forfeited $232 bail.

Read the original:
Black Lives Matter activist freed, facing charges for snatching Confederate battle flag - Charleston Post Courier

A handful of members of the group Black Lives Matter Thursday protested outside North Charleston City Hall to demonstrate their concern about the arrest last week of six North Charleston High School students on a school bus.

Another dozen or more attended the City Council meeting, and several of them spoke out about how the situation could have been "de-escalated."

City police said some students fought each other on the bus, kicked the driver and blocked or attacked officers trying to break up the altercation. They also said they had to use physical force after students grabbed them, ripped off their body-worn cameras and charged at them.

But Jennifer Saunders, one of the people at City Hall, said she thinks the incident could have been handled better. "I read about the incident, and I'm really concerned. I think we can find reasonable ways to prevent the school-to-prison pipeline," she said. "Our children deserve better."

Local civil rights leaders in the wake of the incident last week said they supported the police.

James Johnson and Charles Tyler, with the National Action Network, and Pastor Thomas Dixon, founder of The Coalition: People United to take Back our Community said that the teens' actions cannot be tolerated. The praised police for preventing the situation from escalating.

See the original post:
Black Lives Matter members protest school bus incident - Charleston Post Courier

One of the women who founded Black Lives Matter wants a grassroots movement to counter what she calls the suppression of African American opportunity.

Patrisse Cullors told an audience at Bradley University, todays political environment is not new. She compares it to the time when she grew up in the 1980s and early 90s.

Cullors says she was, a young child in Los Angeles witnessing the decimation of over incarceration and over-policing in my neighborhood, witnessing the decimation of a lack of reinvestment into black communities and I would argue a divestment from our communities.

The Black Lives Matter movement came to-be in the aftermath of Trayvon Martins death in Sanford, Florida. Cullors watched the proceedings on television, and remembers her feelings when George Zimmerman was found not guilty of Martins death. In that moment Cullors says she, witnessed a modern day lynching go without conviction, without responsibility and without justice.

Cullors says Black Lives Matter is designed to put the deaths of unarmed black men at the center of national attention. She told an audience of about 900 at Bradley University Thursday night it is important to build coalitions locally to create more opportunities for minorities, and to hold local officials accountable or to remove them from office.

Link:
Black Lives Matter Co-Founder at Bradley University - Peoria Public Radio

MONTCLAIR, NJ - Dozens of residents gathered at Union Baptist Church Wednesday to partake in a discussion about the Black Lives Matter Movement, entitled 'Toward an Understanding of Black Lives Matter.'

Rev. Dr. C. Vernon Mason,a formerlawyer and civil rights advocate, was in attendance to deliver a message at Union Baptist Church of Montclair. Best known for his involvement in several high-profile cases, he no longer practices law, but is now an ordained minister.

Mason spoke as part of the Interfaith and Ecumenical Series of Sacred Studies: Race, Justice, Liberation, where each session opens with prayer and Bible study, then a discussion on the chosen topic. Mason touched upon the U.S. election of President Trump, the civil rights movement, and made the connection to the black lives matter movement, ending with a spirited discussion about hope for the future.

Sign Up for E-News

Mason said that, while there were many challenges with the current administration, that he was pleased to see the unity among so many in the nation, as he spoke of the Women's March on Washington on January 21. He addedhe was the oldest in the room and had lived through many marches, but none like that one. He added that the internet played a big role in the women's march extending to all 50 states across the U.S.,"I have never seen a march that size in my life. No one has." He statedthat the unity among people is a blessing in the midst of the current challenges.

Toward the end of the lecture, he opened the floor for questions and took the time to encourage those in the room to keep hope, faith and to stay active.

The next session in this series will take place on March 1 with Farriduddin "Farid" Frederick Johnson, who will discuss violence in sacred texts and society. Prayer meeting begins at 7:00p.m. and sacred study begins at 7:30p.m.

Originally posted here:
Dozens Gather in Montclair for Lecture on Black Lives Matter Movement - TAPinto.net