Africa Security Report

Declassified
DRC: Ex-rebels accused of mass rape
At least 60 women were reportedly raped in the eastern DRC town of Fizi between June 10 and June 12 according to aid workers from Médecins sans Frontières. The attacks are being blamed on a group of ex-rebels who had joined the Congolese Army but deserted in early June.
The same group was also blamed earlier this year for the mass rape of at least 50 women on New Year's Day in Fizi.
Meanwhile, four police officers were on June 23 convicted for the murder of prominent human rights activist, Floribert Chebeya. Chebeya was killed on June 2 last year ahead of his meeting with the National Chief Police Inspector. Activist Chebeya had founded the group "Voice of the Voiceless" that protested against the lack of civil liberties and persecution of opposition figures in DRC.
The UN described DRC as "the rape capital of the world," and the conflict is notorious for rampant sexual abuse of women and girls.

SENEGAL: President drops poll bill
President Wade withdrew a bill that proposed constitutional changes after Justice Minister Cheikh Sy announced the withdrawal of the draft legislation on June 23.
Under the proposed reform, the proportion of votes required to win a presidential election and avoid a run-off would have reduced from more than 50 percent to 25 percent.
The President also sought to create the post of the Vice-President.
The bill sparked violent protests in the capital with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the protesters; 100 people were reportedly injured including 12 policemen.
Critics state that the bill would have provided an easy win in the elections for the incumbent President standing against a fractured opposition. They also feared that the President's son Karim Wade, already a powerful minister, would be appointed as the Vice-President.

SOMALIA: New Prime Minister named
President Ahmed on June 23 named Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, as the new Prime Minister. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali is a Somali-American. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Economics.
He served previously as the Planning Minister in the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). Ali stated that he hopes to succeed in overcoming Somalia's economic crisis and insecurity. His appointment was made after the previous Prime Minister Mohamed stepped down as part of the UN-backed deal signed in Kampala last week.
The TFG is marred by corruption and internal divisions. The UN-backed deal ended the infighting between President Ahmed and the Speaker of Parliament Aden. They agreed to extend the government's term till August 2012 and also postponed elections until next year.

ZIMBABWE: Monitoring body lifts ban on diamonds from Zimbabwean region
The Kimberley Process lifted the ban on the sale of diamonds from Zimbabwe's troubled Marange fields in a Kinshasa-based meeting this week, but stated they will continue to closely monitor exports.
The decision allows sale of rough cuts from mines in the Marange region in eastern Zimbabwe. The ban was originally sanctioned after the Zimbabwe military took control of the fields in 2008. 200 people were reported killed and tens of thousands of small miners were forcibly evicted.
The decision created a rift within the Kimberley Process; participating NGOs walked out ahead of the final decision protesting that Zimbabwe was yet to adhere to human rights standards.