506089
An Islamist group, Hizbul Islam, has rejoined the struggle against the Transitional Federal Government and the African Union peacekeepers in Somalia (Amisom). The group, led by hardliner cleric, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, on Tuesday attacked Amisom positions in Hodon District in South Mogadishu.

About 20 people died and scores were injured, according to ambulance servicemen in Mogadishu. Sheikh Mohamed Osman Arus, the spokesman of Hizbul Islam said the assaults on Tuesday were just a preparation for even more violent attacks during the upcoming holy month of Ramadhan, the fasting month for Muslims around the world.

Call for ceasefire
Ramadhan is expected to start mid next month and various groups in Somalia, including government officials, have asked all sides to observe a ceasefire. The attack followed a statement issued by Sheikh Aweys on Monday that his combatants were to start a jihad against the TFG and Amisom peacekeepers.
However, observers of the local jihad suggest that al-Shabaab, another radical lslamist group, could be responsible for Hizbul Islam’s attacks. In recent months, Hizbul Islam suffered a series of setbacks, after many of its loyalists joined al-Shabaab and others killed by al-Shabaab agents.

In June, Sheikh Abdulkadir Haji Ahmed, the Chief of Hizbul Islam’s mobilisation officer in Beledweyne town, announced that his group had resolved to join al-Shabaab.
Talking to an audience, the sheikh recited verses of the Holy Koran, pointing to the need to unite the insurgents in Somalia.

“We are hereby declaring our resolve to unite with our fellow jihadists (holy warriors) in this strategic Hiran region,” said Sheikh Ahmed. “Unity is certain to arouse strength.” He urged other Islamists to take their example and join Al-Shabaab. “I am an elder and the sheikh of Hizbul Islam in this territory and I am leading you to unite with your fellow jihadists,” remarked Sheikh Ahmed amid chants of Allahu Akbar (God is Great) by those present at the ceremony.

It is not clear when the group broke away from al Shabaab, to be able to launch an independent attack. Both the government and Amisom officials said no matter how hard the rebel groups tried to reach Villa Somalia, the State House in Mogadishu, their efforts will yield nothing.

506088
[i]Top US diplomat for Africa, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, at a press conference in Kampala on Tuesday, outlined Washington’s key involvement and strategies in Africa Afran/AMIN REPORTER NASSER attended the briefing, and below, brings an abridged version starting with what Ambassador Cason said African Heads of State agreed on Somalia during a closed-door session on Monday.

We did hold a very lengthy meeting to talk about Somalia; to express our growing concern about the situation in that country. Somalia is a problem on three dimensions and levels: A domestic problem of an imploded state with a very weak central government with lack of capacity to deliver services and a large number of internally displaced persons.

It’s also an enormous regional challenge because of the large number of its refugees in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Tanzania, causing enormous social burdens and the collapse of the Somali state has resulted in high levels of smuggling of major contrabands and movement of weapons across borders.

Somalia is also a problem due to the emergence of piracy that affects commerce over the Red Sea. We note with great concern that Somalia has become host to a number of violent extremists and we have seen that extremism play itself out in the July 11 bomb attacks in Kampala.

Our successful discussion gave an opportunity to define a strategy of how we could increase the number of troop contributions to Africa Union Peace-keeping Mission in Somalia or Amisom and supportive resources and materials. I think we now have way forward.

My colleague Scott Gration (US Special envoy to Sudan) was here and spoke with President Museveni and met southern Sudan leadership as well. We are committed to the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the January 9, 2011 secession referendum in south Sudan and are working to ensure those elections will be held; that they will be held fairly, transparently and in peaceful circumstances.
The US is a strong supporter of the AU, an increasingly more important, sophisticated and mature organisation.

Q: The international community has got to Somalia to resolve its crises a number of times without success. Mogadishu was most pacified under the Union of Islamic Courts. So why do you think it will be different this time?
A: The one thing that has characterised international policy towards Somalia more than anything else is lack of consistency, lack of resolve, lack of commitment and unwillingness to recognise that the restoration of political stability requires a long-term effort - one in which there cannot be constant shifts in commitment and policy.
The period under Islamic Union Courts (2006-2008) saw great draconian punishment in which you had Islamic extremists doing things which we would all regard as ruthless: restricting the rights and liberties of women, the media, access to music and instituting policies and procedures which not only produced calm but also clear violation of human rights.

Q: IGAD wants to move aggressively on Al Shabaab with 20,000 troops. Only Uganda and Burundi and maybe now Guinea are sending troops. Can participation of other Africa countries be secured?
A: The July 11 Kampala bombings were a wake-up call and I think there is more determination than ever before, not only in East Africa, but around the continent to respond to the Somalia crisis.
I heard during Monday’s closed-door meeting mention of at least four states – three in West Africa and one in southern Africa - prepared or seriously thinking of committing troops to Somali peace keeping exercise. These are beginnings of very serious offers.
In addition, Ugandans have indicated the willingness to muster another 2, 000 troops and Burundi is interested in putting in an additional 1,300 troops.

Q. South African Foreign Minister [Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane] was in your meeting and AU chairman Jean Ping sent a personal letter to President Jacob Zuma requesting him to send troops to Amisom. Can you talk about that?
A. Chairman Ping has indicated that he has requested that South Africans to be of assistance, and as I understand it, they are still considering this but that was not the country I was speaking of when I referred to a southern Africa country.

Q: The conflict in Somalia seems to have been perceived as a war being fought on behalf of America and against Islam. How are you engaging influential Muslim countries to resolve the conflict?
A: Somalia is a country that requires enormous development assistance and political aid to restore it to a place that is both manageable, peaceful and working normally.
We would like to see a more stable, prosperous and peaceful Somalia. The US [and other international actors] walked away from Somalia in 1993 after the famous Black Hawk downing incident.
All of us probably thought the situation there would stabilise and normalise, and we have [instead] seen Somalia’s problems bleed over into the region. This has had dramatically negative impact on the states of East Africa.
We don’t see this as a US conflict, whatsoever. This is a problem for the international community...This is not, and should not, be where the US is regarded as the villain.

Q: Does the new Somalia strategy include the US providing a bigger budget and military hardware to bolster fighting capability of Amisom troops?
A: The US will continue to be a primary supporter of Amisom as it has been in the past and we have indicated that we will support the augmentation of Amisom troops into Somalia and we hope that others will do the same.
At this juncture, we do have American naval vessels on the Indian Ocean as part of anti-piracy operation. But what is most important now is the augmentation in the number of Amisom troops on the ground and augmentation in the resources - both financial and material.

Q. President Museveni has said for Amisom to be effective in deterring the Al Shabaab, its mandate should change from peace-keeping to peace enforcement. What is the outcome of your discussions on this?
A: There was a healthy discussion of the mandate and the new [UN] secretary-general’s Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador [Augustine] Mahiga’s view was that the mandate that currently exists is sufficiently broad to provide the Amisom forces with the capacity to do the job that is required. That the mandate is broad enough so that the Amisom troops can in fact act robustly in the defence of their troops; protection of the Transitional Federal Government or TFG; its leadership; its buildings; its key installations and the protection of humanitarian operations.

Q: As we speak, more than 30 people, one of them Arua Woman MP Christine Bako, who were staging peaceful demonstrations to demand for credible elections next year have been arrested by police who say they did not authorise the demonstrations. Is there a worry that terrorism could be used by government as a pretext to suffocate civil liberties?
Secondly, on May 1, 2005, you wrote in the Boston Globe that President Museveni has “thirst for power” for removing presidential term limits. Five years on, do you still consider him a dictator as then?
A. I do not believe that President Museveni is a dictator (laughter). I think that President Museveni is the duly elected leader of the country; that he’s been elected openly and transparently in free and fair elections and he’s the senior representative of the country.
We hope that the elections next year will go extremely well and that political space will be accorded to all including those within the ruling party running for elections as well as all those who are in the opposition who are seeking office as well.
With respect to the article, it was written five years ago. I believe that as I said then that the elimination of (presidential) term limits was not a good idea; I think that in general where they are in place, they provide a useful part of the democratic structure and I think are a healthy thing to have.
For the first question, we want here, as we want around Africa and in general, a continued strengthening of democratic institutions. That strengthening of democratic institutions is essential here as well as in places like the United States in order to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to be able to fulfill both their economic and political ambitions.

Q: The option being pursued in Somalia now is a military one. Why don’t you encourage Muslim religious leaders in the region to pursue another course of action?
Secondly, why don’t you just install a dictator to run Somalia and give him money he can use to buy off the Al Shabaab...?
Third is about Sudan. How prepared are you regarding the almost expected breakup of the country into two autonomous entities and won’t the expected secession repeat itself on the continent?
A. I think that we want to encourage the people of Sudan to fulfil the obligations that they have agreed to under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. That agreement ended two and half decades of conflict between the North and South.
The south felt enormously aggrieved, neglected and disadvantaged by its relationship with the northern part of Sudan. But as a way of ending the conflict, those who were in combat and those who represented the political forces there agreed among themselves that one solution might in fact be the separation of North and South...the people there will have an opportunity to decide in the referendum whether they want to remain as a unitary state or become an independent state.
This is not a precedent for other places; it is unique to Sudan as a result of this long conflict. So it is the best way to possibly find a more enduring solution to what has been a very difficult political history for the country.
With respect to Somalia, I would characterise the efforts there in very different ways; it is not a military solution under way but Amisom’s efforts to stabilise the situation in favour of a political process that was agreed to in Djibouti, an agreement which is under assault by the al-Shabaab, the Hizbul Islam and other violent extremist groups.

Q. Has the urgency of the situation in Somalia overtaken your government’s earlier interest in ending the Lord’s Resistance Army rebellion and secondly, do you foresee US re-entering Somalia?
A: First, we are committed to working with Ugandan government to do everything possible to eliminate the threat posed in the region by LRA and track down and capture its leaders Joseph Kony.

Q. Amisom has been plagued by a shortage of resources. To what extend is US willing to support an expanded mission in Somalia?
A. We support the views of the Inter-governmental Authority on Development that Amisom should be expanded from its current mandated level of 8, 000 to a much higher level of 20, 000 troops.

Q: (Fairly inaudible) but on where mission resource will come from?
A. This is an issue of international importance and the global community should work with IGAD States to find the resources both material and financial to assist Amisom on the ground. This is not an American project; this is a project for the international community.

Q: AU Peace Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra said at your meeting yesterday that the US government has committed, along with Norway, a direct budget support to TFG. Could you comment on the figure? Secondly, there was report that an AU delegation was calling for dialogue with the Al Shabaab. How realistic is this an avenue for future peace in Somalia?
A: United States has provided assistance to the TFG but it has not been what I would call a budgetary support. It has been project-related assistance given for very specific purposes at very specific times.
The United States government has and will continue in the future to fund a number of programmes that help the TFG to deliver services to the people of southern Somalia. Most of these will go through intermediate organisations that can provide both technical oversight and financial support for whatever is done. I heard absolutely no call, no calls, for any kind of reaching out to al-Shabaab. To the contrary, there was very clear warning about its dangers.

506087
Amisom spokesperson Maj. Ba-Hoku Barigye yesterday said the force had killed scores of al Shabaab fighters in fresh fighting in the Somali capital Mogadishu. UPDF peacekeepers on Wednesday battled and killed dozens of the Islamist group al Shabaab when they attacked African Union peacekeepers’ positions at Ulba and Juba hotels in Mogadishu, Maj. Barigye said,

Casualties
“We are not able to establish the number of those killed because we do not do charge [count the dead]. But they were repulsed with heavy casualties,” he said.
Different sources gave different figures of the number of al Shabaab that could have been put out of action by the UPDF fire.

While one source said 18 al Shabaab fighters were killed, others told Daily Monitor the whole group of between 50 to 60 attackers was wiped at in heavy UPDF shelling.
Maj. Barigye said another Islamist Hizbul Islam led by hardliner cleric, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, which has declared war on Amisom was not a new force because it has always worked with the al Shabaab.
“In terms of operations and ideology, they are the same as the al Shabaab,” he said.
He also dismissed Hizbul Islam claims that they attacked Amisom men in Hodon District in south Mogadishu on Tuesday, saying the peacekeepers have no positions in that district.

“Mogadishu is not on fire. We are in charge and everything is in order,” he said.
The al Shabaab, seeking to topple President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed’s Transitional Federal Government, has declared war on the peacekeepers and claimed responsibility for the July 11 bomb attacks in Kampala that left over 76 people dead.

The group’s leadership said the attack was to punish Kampala for UPDF’s involvement in Mogadishu. President Museveni appealed, during the just concluded AU summit, for the Amisom mandate in Somalia to be changed to allow Ugandan and Burundian soldiers there to attack the al Shabaab but the UN blocked the appeal.

The UN Secretary General’s envoy to Somalia, Mr Augustine Mahiga, advised the presidents that the international law is presently on their side to tackle al Shabaab.

Mr Museveni, however, got the goodwill of four other unnamed countries – three in West Africa and another in the southern part of the continent – to commit more troops.

Djibouti and Guinea are said to be two of the four countries. With Uganda committing 2, 000 additional soldiers to Somalia, the number of Amisom troops will increase to 7,000.

Leaders of the Inter-governmental Authority on Development recently agreed to send 20,000 more troops to the war-torn region.

5060680
All was going well just before the flamboyant Libyan leader, Col. Muammar Gadaffi, reached the security checkpoint at the venue of the ongoing 15th Ordinary Session of the African Union heads of state summit in Munyonyo on Sunday.
Riding in a four-wheeled electronic cart, Col. Gadaffi had arrived shortly after the Senegalese, South African and Zambian presidents. He chose to ride the cart instead of walking.
His burly security men had marched along in a security ring around the slow moving cart, shouting in Arabic as they approached the Ugandan Presidential Guard Brigade cordon, possibly demanding that they be allowed to pass through. But President Museveni’s guards stood their ground.
Undaunted, they allowed Col. Gadaffi to get past them with just four of his men. And this is what kicked off the drama which then unfolded. Some of Gadaffi’s guards tried to force their way through but were firmly resisted by the uncompromising Ugandan security personnel.
Don’t fight
For about five minutes, other guests looked on as the unseemly grab-and-drag scuffle played out, only dying down after the Libyan Ambassador to Uganda Abdalla Bujeldain intervened. “Don’t fight. Don’t fight” he shouted at one of the Libyan guards who was struggling with the Ugandans.
Dressed in a shimmering greenish gown and spotting his trademark dark shades, Col. Gadaffi appeared oblivious of the commotion going on around him. He would calmly enter the large summit tent before settling down next to Uganda’s unflappable Foreign Affairs minister, Sam Kutesa. Sunday’s altercation was not the first time the presidential security units of Uganda and Libya have entangled with each other.
In March 2008, during the opening of the Old Kampala Mosque (built largely with money donated by the Libyan leader), they came within seconds of drawing guns on each other. There were fist fights and flying kicks in a macho display of martial artistry both at the pre-event at Nakivubo Stadium and at the new mosque itself. Then, the quarrel was about who should control the entrance. On Sunday, after the Presidents adjourned to take a group photo, the stampede resumed.
The ensuing melee caught some reporters and delegates, and for a moment it was difficult to tell who was in charge. Col. Gadaffi, who was near the scene, continued talking to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, pretending as if nothing was going.
Ordinarily, such scenes would not occur but the love-hate relationship between the boys from Libya and the Ugandans would seem to stem from the desire of the former to take over things when their man is around.
A visiting head of state should ideally not bring more than 10 armed guards into a host country – at the very least if they were more than that number then their presence must be discreet.
In fact, Defence/army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye, said while the number of his security was not so much of an issue: “For us, we were controlling the number of guns entering into the conference room,” he said. Col. Gadaffi’s security has repeatedly ignored the rule on guns.
Security sources say this time he entered the country with more than 300 guards, most of them armed. His big entourage at Entebbe Airport stretched the airport security when he arrived in the country on Saturday. He came with five aircraft, one carrying the many vehicles for his motorcade. This has almost always been the norm each time he visited Uganda which for a while tolerated the enthusiasm of his protection unit – until it became a little too rich for the taste of his hosts.
Standing ground
It was a similar display of self-importance that upset the applecart of Col. Gadaffi’s 2006 visit to Nigeria. Faced with a potential loss of face, he threatened to return home after the Nigerian authorities refused to allow all his 200 guards from entering the country with arms.
In Uganda, as is his practice, he has now had that fancy. A bedouin tent is pitched on the grounds of Munyonyo at a point not far from the waterfront. Guarded by rings of his security, it is in this tent that the Libyan leader is said to be entertaining a train of visitors including traditional leaders he personally invited to the summit to diplomats and politicians of varying shades.
As usual, Col. Gadaffi, it would appear, is determined to stamp his mark of the unorthodox on this summit as has happened elsewhere. It will be remembered that he unsettled his Italian hosts – and sparked public outrage in June 2009 when in a typical lecture on his unconventional understanding of democracy, suggested that if it was up to him he would abolish all political parties in Italy and give power directly to the people.

5060681
Members on the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee want the Libyan Leader to fulfil his promise to pay about Shs2.6 billion used in feeding and accommodating Afro-Arab youth conference delegates in Kampala in 2008. Col. Muammar Gadaffi is currently attending the 15th AU Summit in Kampala.
This became apparent yesterday after the accounting officer in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social development, Ms Christine Guwatudde, disclosed to the committee that despite her repeated letters on the matter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nothing has since come to fruition.
The letters were supposed to remind the Libyan leader about his obligation to pay the money that the government used to clear bills at the Commonwealth Speke Resort, Munyonyo after he personally asked that the conference be extended so he could address it.
Gadaffi’s request
“Our Brother Gadaffi is here and it’s important that he is reminded to fulfil his commitment-to pay the outstanding bills that government incurred on his behalf,” the Chairman of the committee, Mr Nandala Mafabi said.
Ms Gawatudde told the committee that the money was accrued after the conference was extended by four more days on the request of the Libyan leader who committed to foot any extra costs for the additional days.
The youth conference had been planned for only seven days but on Col.Gadaffi’s request it was pushed to 11 days. “We have a commitment (from Col. Gadaffi) that he will pay and have also written several letters about this matter but nothing has been forthcoming,” Ms Gawatudde said. The Libyan Ambassador, Mr Abdalla Bujeldain, was unavailable for comment yesterday.

20100722
africanews

Three presidential guards at the Somalia presidential palace joined radical Islamist group Al-Shabab, a senior official in government confirmed. Head of the guards Abdullahi Ali said they were permitted to visit their families but later decided to join the Islamist militia.

20100718
BBC

A Tory MP has made a fresh call for a full public inquiry into the release of the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.

20100719
africanews

ISMAILIA Egypt (Reuters) - Egypt freed 16 Bedouin tribesmen on Sunday, including an activist whose release was requested by tribal leaders in a meeting with the interior minister last month.

20100706
AFRICANEWS

After an abysmal performance of all the six African countries but one at the 2010 World Cup, African football legend George Weah has mooted the idea of creating the enabling environment for local coaches to handle African teams. He said African gaffers know the players better than Europeans who come in late.

20100706
AFRICANEWS

Thousands of fans gave the Black Stars a heroic welcome at the Kotoka International Airport on Monday night. The players were greeted with drumming and dancing as they walked on a red carpet upon their arrival. Senior government officials and sports personalities were on call to welcome them.

20100629
allafrica

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank announced Tuesday they would support a reduction of approximately 3.7 billion euros (4.6 billion dollars) of the debt of Liberia.

Car & General has won the distributor award of the year.

The award presented by Cummins Power Generation Organisation recognizes it for sales of Cummins generators and engines in the East African region.

The company was also recognized for the high level of customer care and service, the availability of spares and the quality of repair work. Car & General is the appointed supplier of Cummins generators in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Djibouti and among others.

President Mwai Kibaki has encouraged Thai investors to consider Kenya as the place to put their money for investments.

President Kibaki said that by coming to Kenya, the country’s investors will have access to a big market as the country is the gateway to the entire East African region and the bloc.

He added that the investment opportunities exist in the value-addition in agricultural produce, the construction industry, transport and aeronautic operations among others. He spoke during a meeting with Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya in Nairobi

The rush for limestone exploitation in West Pokot District has intensified. Cemtech Shanghai, a leading Indian cement manufacturer yesterday started its groundbreaking of a Ksh7 billion cement factory.

The chase for the bare and agricultural barren soils of Ortum and Sebit has attracted investors after feasibility studies indicated limestone deposits could sustain a cement factory for more than 50 years. Cemtech secured 650 acres of land at Sebit after payments running to million of shillings.
Mehta Group, another firm also after the raw material for cement production, has hinted plans to set up a Sh10 billion factory at Ortum, barely a stone throwaway from Sebit, the site of Cemtech’s plant.

The groundbreaking ceremony was graced by Prime Minister Raila Odinga assisted by Cemtech Group Chief Executive Rajesh. Excitement and anxiety was noticed in the area with residents led by Industrialisation Permanent Secretary John Lonyangapuo supporting the project.

The project is expected to be operational by December next year and would employ 2,000 people directly and benefit more than 5,000 others indirectly. According to Rawal, the project is expected to produce 1.2 million tonnes of cement annually. The firm also has plans to put up 25 MVA power plant at the site.

The rush for limestone exploitation in West Pokot District has intensified. Cemtech Shanghai, a leading Indian cement manufacturer yesterday started its groundbreaking of a Ksh7 billion cement factory.

The chase for the bare and agricultural barren soils of Ortum and Sebit has attracted investors after feasibility studies indicated limestone deposits could sustain a cement factory for more than 50 years. Cemtech secured 650 acres of land at Sebit after payments running to million of shillings.

Mehta Group, another firm also after the raw material for cement production, has hinted plans to set up a Sh10 billion factory at Ortum, barely a stone throwaway from Sebit, the site of Cemtech’s plant.

The groundbreaking ceremony was graced by Prime Minister Raila Odinga assisted by Cemtech Group Chief Executive Rajesh. Excitement and anxiety was noticed in the area with residents led by Industrialisation Permanent Secretary John Lonyangapuo supporting the project.

The project is expected to be operational by December next year and would employ 2,000 people directly and benefit more than 5,000 others indirectly. According to Rawal, the project is expected to produce 1.2 million tonnes of cement annually. The firm also has plans to put up 25 MVA power plant at the site.

Islamic Republic of Iran has expressed its willingness to help Government of Kenya to boost its energy supply through nuclear technology.

Iranian ambassador Dr. Syed Ali Sharifi said Kenya was among the African countries that could benefit from the transfer of nuclear technology from the Islamic republic for peaceful purposes. Speaking during a tour of the Mount Kenya University in Thika in the outskirt of Nairobi, Dr. Sharifi said uninterrupted power supply was crucial for the country as it strives to achieve its Vision 2030 goals.

ABUJA, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The United State Naval Forces has expressed concern over terrorist activities in Africa.

Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, commander of U.S. Naval in Africa and Europe, disclosed this in Abuja on Friday when he visited Nigeria's Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike in his office.

Fitzgerald called for collective efforts to combat the ugly phenomenon of terrorism.

He said the U.S. government would assist Africa in solving its problems, stressing those African problems would be given African solutions because each of the sub regions had its peculiar problems.

The visiting U.S official praised the Nigerian military for its leading role in maintaining peace in Africa and called for more future cooperation among the two nations.

Responding, the CDS expressed appreciation on the efforts of the U.S. government for showing interest in improving the capacity of Nigeria's Armed Forces in the area of training.

Dike called for more collective efforts in combating terrorism, which is a global phenomenon.

The CDS was presented a Medal of Excellence by the U.S. High Command.

DAR ES SALAAM, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania Information Services Assistant Director Raphael Hokororo on Friday termed 2010 Shanghai World Expo as a good opportunity to promote exchanges and enhance understanding among all countries.

Hokororo made the remarks in a phone interview with Xinhua just after the end of the grand and splendid opening ceremony of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, noting that the Expo would enhance the relations between African countries and China, as well as that of China and developing countries.

"The Expo will help further open China's market to African products, and Chinese products to enter the African markets," the Tanzanian media official said, hailing China's much support to African countries and the deepened Africa-China partnership.

The Shanghai World Expo is an international exposition that will take place from May 1 to Oct. 31 this year and cover a surface of more than 5 square km in Shanghai, under its main theme of "Better City, Better Life".

It was the first time for the 159-year-old World Expo to be held in a developing country since the inaugural fair in London in 1851.

A total of 189 countries would present their best at the six- month event, which is expected to attract 70 million visitors from China and abroad and likely to be the ever largest World Expo.

ANTANANARIVO, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Madagascar's President of the Highest Transitional Authority (HAT) Andry Rajoelina has promised to present a roadmap to end the crisis to the armed forces on Monday, according to a senior officer of the gendarmerie.

The meeting of the army and Rajoelina could be postponed "if the Pretoria talks to end the crisis fail to come up with anything concrete in the coming days," said the officer declined to be identified.

The officer also disclosed that a meeting will be held on Sunday within the gendarmerie in preparation for the next day's session with the president.

Earlier this month, the army urged Rajoelina to produce a roadmap to end the year-long crisis in the Indian Ocean island country. The army has apparently become impatient since supporting the 36-year-old leader in the ousting of former president Marc Ravalomanana in March 2009.

In a new bid following the failure of last year's agreements, Rajoelina and Ravalomanana opened talks on Wednesday in Pretoria at the initiative of the host South Africa, France and the regional bloc SADC.

Just before leaving for South Africa on Tuesday, Rajoelina already said he would return with a concrete roadmap leading to the establishment of the Fourth Republic on solid grounds.

Although the Pretoria meeting was arranged mainly between Rajoelina and Ravalomanana, a political solution must be adopted by former presidents Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy as well. The four parties signed the Maputo and Addis Ababa agreements last year, which collapsed partly due to Ravalomanana's challenge to Rajoelina's role to head the transition.

HAT is also under pressure from the African Union, which imposed sanctions on Rajoelina and 109 other officials in March for failing to implement the Maputo and Addis Ababa agreements. The sanctions include the denial of travel visas, the freeze of their external assets and the prohibition from international meetings.

Rajoelina's replacement of Ravalomanana is seen as unconstitutional. The international community has been working for a return to democracy and the constitutional order.

2010-04-30
LONDON (Reuters) - Oil tankers are routing their voyages further east into the Indian Ocean away from Somalia's coastline to avoid pirates who are striking deeper out at sea, a senior ship industry official said on Friday.

Somali pirates have increased their attacks in recent months, making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms from seizing ships, including tankers and dry bulkers, in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

Graham Westgarth, chairman of INTERTANKO, an association whose members own the majority of the world's tanker fleet, said while navy patrols had ensured the Gulf of Aden was a more secure area, vessels faced growing attacks in the Indian Ocean.

"What is happening is that people are routing their ships further and further east which of course adds miles to the route," he told Reuters in an interview.

"There seems to be no limit to the distances that the Somali pirates are prepared to go."

The use of mother ships has enabled Somali pirates to strike as far as the Mozambique Channel and off India's coast in recent months launching smaller boats known as skiffs against ships.

An estimated 7 percent of world oil consumption passes through the Gulf of Aden. Ship brokers have said some tankers are travelling as far as Madagascar or even around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid seaborne gangs.

Better weather is expected to enhance opportunities for attacks in the coming weeks.

Ship brokers said there had been reports this week of an attack on a Japanese oil tanker between the Middle East Gulf and the west coast of India, which broker Braemar Seascope said was a "disturbing development".

"(Somali pirates) are casting their net wider and even more brazenly than before," it said in a report.

Foreign navies have boosted activities off the Gulf of Aden since 2009 and have operated convoys, as well as setting up a transit corridor across dangerous waters. But their forces have been stretched over the vast area, leaving ships vulnerable.

The U.N. Security Council suggested this week creating special piracy courts to plug a gap in the world response to the costly attacks on merchant ships off the lawless Somali coast.

Prosecution of captured pirates has been hampered by disagreements over which country should try them. Somalia itself lacks the legal infrastructure to support trials.

Westgarth said there needed to be a much more aggressive approach taken by governments in combating piracy.

"If they are captured they should be brought to trial and dealt with accordingly," he said.