Military

DATE=October 18, 2001

TYPE=Dateline

NUMBER=7-35453

TITLE=Africa's Role in the Anti-Terrorism Coalition

BYLINE=Carol Castiel

TELEPHONE=

DATELINE=Washington

EDITOR=Neal Lavon

CONTENT=

INTRO: This week, several African heads of state, along with delegates from 28 African countries, met in Senegal. There they discussed anti-terrorism strategies in the wake of the September 11th attacks in the United States.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade [ahb-doo-L-EYE-eh WAHD] proposed creating an all-African anti-terrorist coordinator, with representatives in each participating country. This edition of Dateline examines Africa's special role in the fight against global terrorism. Here's Carol Castiel.

CC: The continent of Africa is no stranger to terrorism. While some countries such as Sudan have been used as a base for terrorists, Africa has been more often a victim than an exporter of terror. In the 1998 American Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, over 200 Africans lost their lives. Ugandan Ambassador Edith Ssempala [sem-PAHL-ah] finds no justification for the September 11th attacks against America. She spoke at a symposium this week in Washington designed to elicit African perspectives on the fight against terrorism.

TAPE: CUT #1 EDITH SSEMPALA :35

"Some people have tried to find justification and motivation for these horrible events. Some have even suggested that is was a result of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. If that was the case, how can Osama bin Laden justify his terrorist attacks on U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the calculated, cold-blooded murder of hundreds of innocent, mostly African people. We categorically reject any effort to justify what happened on September 11th. It was a crime against humanity."

CC: Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Herman Cohen says that despite a few anti-American demonstrations on the continent, most Africans and their leaders, like Edith Ssempala, have unequivocally condemned the September 11th attacks.

TAPE: CUT #2 HERMAN COHEN :22

"Take the Republic of Guinea which is one hundred percent Muslim, the president and his entire cabinet went down to the American Embassy on September 12th to pay respects and condolences. Now these people are not going to be affected by the propaganda of the political Islamists and I expect that to be true in virtually all of Africa."

CC: Ambassador Cohen reserves special praise for Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasango.

TAPE: CUT# 3 HERMAN COHEN :43

"Yes, there have been a few anti-American demonstrations in places like Niger and there have been some clerical attacks against the United States in places like Mali and maybe South Africa, but in general the Africans have really shown a great deal of solidarity in support of the United States. The biggest credit I think goes to President Obasanjo, who, like Tony Blair of the UK, has been totally clear in his message, which is this is a horrible act, there's no justification for it in anything whether you talk about root causes, or whatever you talk about, there's no justification for it and the perpetrators must be punished."

CC: Nigeria boasts a substantial Muslim population and is currently experiencing another outbreak of deadly clashes in the north between Muslims and Christians. Religious violence has heightened in the country since many northern states began imposing strict Islamic or Sharia law last year. Despite President Obasanjo's solidarity with the American-led effort to destroy Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network, experts say there may be bin Laden sympathizers in northern Nigeria. Steve Morrison is Director of the Africa Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

TAPE: CUT #4 STEVE MORRISON :28

"Those Sharia states are fairly porous, in terms of the ability to move people, commodities, finances, in and out of those northern states. They are self-declared Sharia states that have acted in defiance of the central government. President Obasanjo has limited control over what happens up there. There could be blowback relating to what happens in Afghanistan. There's already very intense Muslim-Christian clashes which could worsen."

CC: In addition to Nigeria, Sudan merits scrutiny. Sudan was home to Osama bin Laden from 1991 to 1996, and is one of seven countries on the State Department list of state sponsors of terrorism. But as Steve Morrison says, despite some internal opposition, Sudan's Islamic National Front government, or NIF, has thus far fully cooperated with the United States in identifying those responsible for the September 11th attacks.

TAPE: MORRISON CUT #5 1:01

"The NIF government, by all accounts, has responded very promptly and very substantively to the first raft of requests put to them by the administration after September 11th. The Bush administration responded by acknowledging that. That doesn't mean that the dialogue is over by any means, on that score on terrorism, nor does it mean that they get a free pass on all the other issues that bedevil our bilateral relationship, most importantly humanitarian access, egregious human rights violations, and the endless war. So, what I expect we will see is continued pressure upon Khartoum to continue to deliver on things that matter to us in this next phase. And there's going to be a risk that Khartoum if it's seen as complying with our request will come under some internal criticism. It's in the interest of al-Qeida to mobilize its residual base of support to stage these kinds of demonstrations and there is a constituency that is very sympathetic to Al Qaida and Osama Bin Laden that's in northern Sudan."

CC: Steve Morrison goes on to say that Somalia must also be carefully monitored.

TAPE: MORRISON CUT #6 :42

"Central southern Somalia is home to Al-Itahad which is a movement that got a foothold in Somalia in the early nineties and which is comprised much like Al Qaida of disparate former mujahadeen Arab fighters out of Afghanistan and elsewhere. It derives much like al-Qeida a lot of its support from Saudi private channels. It relies on banking networks within East Africa and elsewhere. It exports terrorist violence into neighboring states and it has a close working affiliate relationship with Al Qaida. And Al-Itahad is named as one of the 27 entities whose finances were to be blocked in the first order by President Bush."

CC: Steve Morrison also mentioned that support for terrorism among radical Islamic groups could grow in countries where there are sharp religious or ethnic divisions such as Ivory Coast, Tanzania and Kenya. However, he said the Horn of Africa is likely to bear the brunt of the impact. Meanwhile, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has recently spearheaded a campaign to recruit Africa in the cause of combating international terrorism. At a special conference in Dakar this week, President Wade proposed creating an African anti-terrorist coordinator, with representatives in each participating country. In addition, Senegalese Ambassador to the United States, General Mamadou Seck, delineated some of the actions President Wade has advocated that all African countries implement.

TAPE: CUT #7 SECK :32

"Refrain from engaging in terrorist activities. Not to fund terrorist activities or terrorist groups. Refuse to provide safe haven to individuals or groups aiming to carry out terrorist activities, to accept all inspection by African as well as international organizations on its territory if there are signs indicating that terrorist activities are being prepared."

CC: mbassador Herman Cohen applauds the initiative. He believes Africa has a crucial role to play in the global fight against terrorism---one that could warrant technical assistance from the United States.

TAPE: CUT #8 COHEN :22

"I think African governments need to improve their security surveillance and their control over the transfer of money. I've seen African intelligence agencies that do an excellent job in my experience but I think they need additional work and I'm sure there's a good chance the United States will work with them in terms of providing technical assistance."

CC: t's too early to tell whether that technical assistance will be forthcoming. But congressional and administration officials have welcomed Africa's strong commitment to the anti-terrorism coalition. For Dateline, I'm Carol Castiel.

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