Search Penny Hill Press

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

CRS Issue Statement on Sub-Saharan Africa

Lauren Ploch, Coordinator
Analyst in African Affairs


In 2010, the African continent faces a range of new opportunities and persistent challenges. The number of conflicts in Africa has declined in the last decade, but instability in some areas continues to threaten regional security, impede development, and contribute to widespread human suffering. Congressional attention with respect to Africa during the second session of the 111th Congress has focused on U.S. efforts to help maintain peace and security in the region, including U.S. support for peacekeeping training and missions, as well as on efforts to counter threats to U.S. interests through counterterrorism and counternarcotics assistance, and other security cooperation initiatives. U.S. humanitarian and development assistance to the region, including the promotion of democratic and transparent governance, the rule of law, and human rights, has also drawn attention, as have efforts to promote U.S.-Africa trade and African economic growth and bolster social services, particularly with respect to healthcare and education. New assistance efforts that aim to foster agricultural development and enhance food security, notably through the President's new Feed the Future initiative, have also drawn congressional interest. 

U.S.-Africa relations may also be affected by factors unrelated to the continent, such as war related U.S. defense spending and economic turmoil. These and other emergent developments may prompt Members to weigh the level of funding available for foreign assistance against domestic programs in new ways as they consider budget and program authorization requests from the Obama Administration setting out its priorities for U.S. assistance in Africa. Key assistance issues for Africa include the level and programmatic focus of U.S. assistance in support of a variety of development assistance initiatives, security concerns, and humanitarian relief demands. Broader questions regarding aid flexibility, conditionality, and coordination may also be explored in the context of foreign aid reform proposals. U.S. assistance to Africa has reached new highs in recent years due to a significant increase in health care sectors under the Global Health and Child Survival (GHCS) program. U.S. foreign aid to Africa nearly quadrupled from $1.2 billion in FY2006 to over $6.7 billion in FY2010.



Date of Report: July 29, 2010
Number of Pages: 6
Order Number: IS40390
Price: $0.00 FREE go to http://www.pennyhill.net/documents/sub-saharan_africa.pdf

Follow us on TWITTER at http://www.twitter.com/alertsPHP or #CRSreports

Document available via e-mail as a pdf file or in paper form.
To order, e-mail Penny Hill Press or call us at 301-253-0881. Provide a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card number, expiration date, and name on the card. Indicate whether you want e-mail or postal delivery. Phone orders are preferred and receive priority processing.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Somalia: Current Conditions and Prospects for a Lasting Peace

Ted Dagne
Specialist in African Affairs


In October 2002, the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) launched a peace process designed to end factional fighting in Somalia, led by the government of Kenya. In September 2003, the parties agreed on a Transitional National Charter (TNC). In August 2004, a 275-member Transitional Parliament was inaugurated in Kenya. In October 2004, parliament elected Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed as the new president of Somalia. In June 2006, the forces of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) took control of the capital, Mogadishu. During the six-month rule by the ICU, Mogadishu became relatively peaceful, but efforts to bring peace did not lead to a major breakthrough. On December 28, 2006, Ethiopian troops captured Mogadishu with little resistance from the ICU. The Ethiopian intervention led to more chaos and instability in Somalia. In January 2007, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) came to the capital, Mogadishu, from Baidoa after the ouster of the ICU. 

Humanitarian, political, and security conditions continue to deteriorate across south-central Somalia. In the past two years, more than 22,000 civilians have been killed, an estimated 1.1 million people displaced, and 476,000 Somalis have fled to neighboring countries. In 2008, fighting between insurgent groups and Ethiopian-TFG forces intensified, and by late 2008, the TFG had lost control of most of south-central Somalia to insurgent groups. In January 2009, Ethiopian forces completed their withdrawal from Somalia. In late December 2008, President Yusuf resigned from office and left for Yemen. 

In June 2008, the TFG and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), a group dominated by members of the ICU, signed an agreement in Djibouti mediated by then-United Nations Special Envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdullah. The parties agreed to a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces, and the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force. A number of towns, including the third-largest town, Kismaayo, are now under the control of Al- Shabaab, a group opposed to the TFG. In February 2008, then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice designated Al-Shabaab as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. In January 2009, the Somali Parliament elected the leader of the ARS, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, as president. In February 2009, President Ahmad appointed Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as prime minister. 

The Obama Administration is actively engaged in support of the TFG and in an effort to contain terrorist groups in Somalia and the region. The U.S. Congress has passed a number of resolutions and has conducted multiple hearings on Somalia. The United States provided an estimated $403.8 million in assistance to Somalia in FY2009. In FY2010, Somalia is expected to receive an estimated $133.8 million. The Obama Administration has requested $84.9 million for FY2011. The United States also provides material support to TFG forces. 

On July 11, 2010, Al-Shabaab carried out multiple suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda. An estimated 76 people, including one American, were killed and more than 80 injured.



Date of Report: August 6, 2010
Number of Pages: 36
Order Number: RL33911
Price: $29.95

Follow us on TWITTER at http://www.twitter.com/alertsPHP or #CRSreports

Document available via e-mail as a pdf file or in paper form.
To order, e-mail Penny Hill Press or call us at 301-253-0881. Provide a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card number, expiration date, and name on the card. Indicate whether you want e-mail or postal delivery. Phone orders are preferred and receive priority processing.