Bissau: O libelo contra António Indjai

APRIL 18 (WASHINGTON) – - DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart and Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the unsealing of charges against Antonio Indjai, the head of the Guinea-Bissau Armed Forces, for conspiring to provide aid to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia (the “FARC”), a South American paramilitary group long designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (“FTO”), by storing FARC-owned cocaine in West Africa; conspiring to sell weapons, including surface-to-air missiles to be used to protect FARC cocaine processing operations in Colombia against U.S. military forces; and conspiring to import narcotics into the United States; Indjai has been the subject of a United Nations travel ban since May 2012 as a result of his alleged participation in the April 2012 coup d'état in Guinea-Bissau. Indjai’s co-conspirators Manuel Mamadi Mane and Saliu Sisse were apprehended in a West African Country on April 4, 2013, and thereafter transferred to the custody of the United States and transported to the Southern District of New York for prosecution. Co-conspirators Rafael Antonio Garavito-Garcia and Gustavo Perez-Garcia were apprehended in Colombia on April 5, pursuant to Interpol Red Notices, and remain in Colombia pending extradition to the United States. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff. “Today’s indictment reflects DEA’s commitment to securing our nation and protecting our citizens" Leonhart said. "These charges reveal how Indjai's sprawling drug and terror regime threatened the national security not only of his own country, but of countries across the globe. As the head of Guinea-Bissau's Armed Forces, Indjai had insider access to instruments of national power that made him an allegedly significant player in West Africa's dangerous drug trade. Partnering with individuals he believed to be part of a terrorist organization like the FARC served to expand Indjai's criminal activities and the damage he could cause. Due to our worldwide reach and unrelenting efforts, DEA and our partners took decisive action against this narco-terrorist and his network of facilitators." U.S. Attorney Bharara said: “As alleged, from his position atop the Guinea-Bissau military, Antonio Indjai conspired to use his power and authority to be a middleman and his country to be a way-station for people he believed to be terrorists and narco-traffickers so they could store, and ultimately transport narcotics to the United States, and procure surface-to-air missiles and other military-grade hardware to be used against United States troops. As with so many allegedly corrupt officials, he sold himself and use of his country for a price. The charges against Indjai, together with the recent arrests of his co-conspirators, have dismantled a network of alleged narco-terrorists, and once again showcased the extraordinary work of our DEA partners who, at great personal risk, travel across the globe to investigate and make arrests in these cases in order to protect the American people and American interests here and abroad.” According to the Indictment against Indjai that was unsealed today and previously unsealed Indictments against his co-conspirators: Indjai became the head of the Guinea-Bissau armed forces in June of 2010. Beginning in the summer of 2012, he and his co-defendants communicated with confidential sources (the “CSs”) working with the DEA who purported to be representatives and/or associates of the FARC. The communications occurred by telephone, over e-mail, and in a series of audio-recorded and videotaped meetings over several months in Guinea-Bissau. During meetings in Guinea-Bissau beginning in June 2012, and continuing through at least mid-November 2012, Indjai, Mane, Sisse, Garavito-Garcia, and Perez-Garcia agreed to receive and store multi-ton shipments of FARC-owned cocaine in Guinea-Bissau. The defendants agreed to receive the cocaine off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, and to store the cocaine in storage houses there pending its eventual shipment to the United States, where it would be sold for the financial benefit of the FARC. The defendants further agreed that a portion of the cocaine would be used to pay Guinea-Bissau government officials, including Indjai, for providing safe passage for the cocaine through Guinea-Bissau. Also during those meetings, Indjai, Mane, Sisse, and Garavito-Garcia agreed to arrange to purchase weapons for the FARC, including surface-to-air missiles, by importing them into Guinea-Bissau for the nominal use of the Guinea-Bissau military when in fact they intended to provide the weapons to the FARC. For example, on June 30, 2012, during a recorded meeting in Guinea-Bissau with the CSs, Mane, Sisse, and Garavito-Garcia agreed to assist in the distribution of FARC cocaine by facilitating its shipment to Guinea-Bissau inside loads of military uniforms, and by establishing a front company in Guinea-Bissau to export the cocaine to the United States. In addition, Mane agreed to assist in obtaining weapons for the FARC by arranging a meeting with Indjai. On July 2, 2012, at a recorded meeting with the CSs in Guinea-Bissau, INDJAI agreed to facilitate the shipment of cocaine to the United States through Guinea-Bissau and to procure weapons for the FARC, including surface-to-air missiles, knowing that the weapons would be used to combat United States forces operating in Colombia. During a recorded meeting in Guinea-Bissau with Mane, Sisse, Garavito-Garcia, and Perez-Garcia on November 13, 2012, a Guinea-Bissau military official advised one of the CSs that Indjai would be ready to execute the weapons transaction once the FARC brought money to Guinea-Bissau, and that the anti-aircraft missiles to be sold to the FARC could be used against United States helicopters operating in Colombia. * * * Indjai has been charged with one count of conspiracy to engage in narco-terrorism; one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing or intending that the cocaine would be imported into the United States; one count of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to an FTO; and one count of conspiracy to acquire and transfer anti-aircraft missiles. Count One carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Count Two carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Count Three carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison. Count Four carries a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison. The charges and investigation of these defendants were the result of the close cooperative efforts of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the Special Operations Division and the Foreign-Deployed Advisory Support Team of the DEA, the DEA Lisbon Country Office, the DEA Bogota Country Office, and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs. This prosecution is being handled by the Office's Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Aimee Hector and Glen Kopp are in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. DEA ---------------------------------------- Como é que um Presidente e um Governo interinos podem manter em funções o general Indjai, sem dele se tornarem cúmplices?

Bissau: o caso de Buba e de Tchamy Yalá

APR 04 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) - DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart and U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York announced that five defendants – Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto, the former head of the Guinea-Bissau navy; Manuel Mamadi Mane; Saliu Sisse; Papis Djeme; and Tchamy Yala – arrived in the Southern District of New York on April 4, 2013. In a related action, Rafael Antonio Garavito-Garcia and Gustavo Perez-Garcia, both Colombian nationals, were arrested in Colombia today pursuant to Interpol Red Notices. Mane, Sisse, Garavito-Garcia, and Perez-Garcia are charged with conspiring to engage in narco-terrorism; conspiring to import narcotics into the United States; and conspiring to provide aid to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia (the “FARC”), a South American paramilitary group long designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (“FTO”), by storing FARC-owned cocaine in West Africa. Mane, Sisse, and Garavito-Garcia are also charged with conspiring to sell weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, to be used to protect FARC cocaine processing operations in Colombia against U.S. military forces. Na Tchuto, Djeme, and YALA face charges of conspiring to import narcotics into the United States. Na Tchuto has been designated a drug kingpin by the U.S. Treasury Department. The five defendants in New York were presented in U.S. Magistrate Court today. On April 4, 2013, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division (SOD), Bilateral Investigative Unit (BIU) Narco-Terrorism Group (NTG), working in conjunction with the DEA Lisbon Country Office and the DEA Bogota Country Office concluded a long-standing undercover operation conducted in Guinea-Bissau and elsewhere. The operation consisted of two separate undercover investigations. During the firstpart of the operation, Na Tchuto, Djeme, and Yala were arrested on April 2 by the DEA Foreign-deployed Advisory Support Team (FAST) and the NTG off the coast of West Africa while onboard a vessel under DEA control in international waters. During the second part of the operation, Mane and Sisse were apprehended on April 4 in a West African Country and transferred thereafter to the custody of the United States. Na Tchuto, Djeme, Yala, Mane, and Sisse were transported to New York for prosecution. Garavito-Garcia and Perez-Garcia remain in Colombia pending extradition to the United States. DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart said: “These DEA arrests are significant victories against terrorism and international drug trafficking. Alleged narco-terrorists such as these, who traffic drugs in West Africa and elsewhere, are some of the world’s most violent and brutal criminals. They have no respect for borders, and no regard for either the rule of law or who they harm as a result of their criminal endeavors. These cases further illustrate frightening links between global drug trafficking and the financing of terror networks. Thanks to the skilled work and bravery of our agents and law enforcement partners, these criminals will face accountability in a U.S. court for their heinous deeds.” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “The narco-terrorism conspiracy alleged in these indictments shows the danger that can grow unchecked in far away places where unfortunate circumstances can allow narcotics traffickers and terrorism supporters to transact unseen at great risk to the United States and its interests. The link between narcotics traffickers and terrorists, their financers and supporters, needs to be broken wherever it is found. But thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our DEA partners, who have for years attacked the narco-terrorism threat, this conspiracy was thwarted and we can claim yet another victory in our unrelenting campaign against those who would harm Americans and American interests abroad.” According to the Indictments against Mane, Sisse, Garavito-Garcia, and Perez-Garcia unsealed today: Beginning in the summer of 2012, the defendants communicated with confidential sources (the “CSs”) working with the DEA who purported to be representatives and/or associates of the FARC. The communications occurred by telephone, over e-mail, and in a series of audio- recorded and videotaped meetings over several months in Guinea-Bissau. During meetings in Guinea-Bissau beginning in June 2012, and continuing through at least mid-November 2012, Mane, Sisse, Garavito-Garcia, and Perez-Garcia agreed to receive and store multi-ton shipments of FARC-owned cocaine in Guinea-Bissau. The defendants agreed to receive the cocaine off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, and to store the cocaine in storage houses there pending its eventual shipment to the United States, where it would be sold for the financial benefit of the FARC. The defendants further agreed that a portion of the cocaine would be used to pay Guinea-Bissau government officials for providing safe passage for the cocaine through Guinea-Bissau. Also during those meetings, Mane, Sisse, and Garavito-Garcia agreed to arrange to purchase weapons for the FARC, including surface-to-air missiles, by importing them into Guinea-Bissau for the nominal use of the Guinea-Bissau military. For example, on June 30, 2012, during a recorded meeting in Guinea Bissau with the CSs, Mane, Sisse, and Garavito-Garcia agreed to assist in the distribution of FARC cocaine by facilitating the shipment of cocaine to Guinea Bissau inside loads of military uniforms, and by establishing a front company in Guinea Bissau to export the cocaine from Guinea Bissau to the United States. In addition, Mane agreed to assist in obtaining weapons for the FARC. On or about July 3, 2012, during another recorded meeting in Guinea Bissau, Mane, Sisse, and Garavito-Garcia met with the Confidential Sources and a Guinea Bissau military representative and discussed the benefits of using Guinea Bissau as a transshipment point for cocaine obtained in South America and destined for the United States, the process for offloading the cocaine once it arrived in Guinea Bissau, and the nature of the weapons to be supplied to the FARC to combat American forces in Colombia, including surface- to-air missiles and AK-47 assault rifles with grenade launchers. On August 31, 2012, during a recorded meeting in Bogota, Colombia, Garavito- Garcia and Perez-Garcia agreed to facilitate the receipt of approximately 4,000 kilograms of cocaine from the FARC in Guinea Bissau, approximately 500 kilograms of which would later be sent to customers in the United States and Canada. During a recorded meeting in Guinea Bissau with Mane and Sisse that took place on November 13, 2012, a Guinea Bissau military official advised one of the CSs that the weapons transaction could be executed once the FARC brought money to Guinea Bissau and that the anti-aircraft missiles to be sold to the FARC could be used against United States helicopters operating in Colombia. According to the Indictment against Na Tchuto, Djeme, and YALA also unsealed today: Beginning in the summer of 2012, the three defendants engaged in a series of recorded meetings in Guinea-Bissau with confidential sources (the “CSs”) working with the DEA who purported to be representatives and/or associates of South American-based narcotics traffickers. In an early meeting in which the defendants discussed the shipment of ton-quantities of cocaine from South America to Guinea Bissau by sea, Na Tchuto noted that the Guinea Bissau government was weak in light of the recent coup d’etat and that it was therefore a good time for the proposed cocaine transaction. In further meetings, Na Tchuto, Djeme, and Yala agreed to assist the CSs by receiving a two-ton load of cocaine that would be transported to Guinea-Bissau by boat and stored in a warehouse for distribution to Europe and the United States. For example, on November 17, 2012, Na Tchuto, Djeme, and YALA met with two of the CSs in Guinea- Bissau and discussed importing 1,000 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. Also during the meeting, Na Tchuto offered to utilize a company that Na Tchuto owned to facilitate the shipment of cocaine out of Guinea-Bissau. In a previous meeting, Na Tchuto stated that his fee would be $1,000,000 per 1,000 kilograms of cocaine received in Guinea Bissau. (Texto da entidade norte-americana de combate às drogas, DEA)

Fuzileiros EUA em base espanhola, rumo a África

STUTTGART, Germany — An Africa-focused Marine rapid reaction force is bound for Morón, Spain, which will serve as a temporary base for the 550-strong unit, Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos told Congress. Amos said the unit, which will serve the needs of U.S. Africa Command boss Gen. David Rodriguez, also could eventually be repositioned on the African continent if U.S. diplomatic officials make such an arrangement. “Right now, they’re temporarily going to Morón, Spain, as a placeholder,” Amos said during testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I think they are going to move sometime. It wouldn’t surprise me to find them moving around the African continent.” For several years, the Marine Corps has been developing plans for a Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force to bolster the capabilities of AFRICOM. Last year, Marines based a MAGTF in Sigonella, Italy, that conducts a range of training missions in Africa, including the training of friendly forces for counter-terrorism missions in places such as Somalia. The new Spain-based MAGTF also will have the ability to conduct training, though its primary purpose will be to serve as a crisis reaction force, Amos said. The need for such a force was underscored in September when the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, came under attack leaving four Americans dead, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. The attack exposed AFRICOM’s lack of crisis-response capability. Since then, AFRICOM has steadily been bolstering its capacities. In October, for example, AFRICOM finally received its so-called Commander’s in-Extremis Force comprised of Green Berets who function as crisis responders. The new Marine MAGTF, which comes equipped with significant airlift capability, provides additional firepower for AFRICOM. On Monday, six MV-22 Ospreys began their journey to Spain, Amos said. “If something happens you now have an asset you can move very quickly, along with the C-130s, tankers and MV-22s, you can move very quickly to the African continent in response to a crisis.” STARS AN STRIPES

Bissau: Pansau condenado a cinco anos de cadeia

Pansau N’Tchama foi condenado na semana passada a cinco anos de prisão efectiva, pelo ataque ao quartel dos para-comandos em Outubro passado. O tribunal regional de Bissau absolveu ainda oito militares por falta de provas. Pansau N'Tchama, Jorge Sambu e Braima Djedju foram acusados de crimes de traição à pátria e uso indevido de armas de fogo. Por isso, o tribunal regional de Bissau condenou-os a cinco anos de reclusão efectiva. Um outro militar foi condenado a quatro anos de prisão, dois a pena de três anos e seis meses e três ficarão presos durante três anos. Do grupo, sete militares e um civil foram absolvidos por falta de provas. O tribunal concluiu que Pansau N'Tchama, a mando do ex-chefe das Forças Armadas da Guiné-Bissau, Zamora Induta, tentou subverter a ordem constitucional no país, numa operação que teria sido preparada a partir da Gâmbia. A operação culminou com o ataque ao quartel dos para-comandos em Bissau. Mbisan Na N'Quilin, porta-voz do colectivo de advogados de defesa, salientou o facto de pela primeira vez "um caso militar" ter sido julgado na Guiné-Bissau, mas afirmou que a defesa não concorda com as sentenças.

Chade: um Presidente com numerosos inimigos

N'DJAMENA, May 2 (Reuters) - Security forces in Chad foiled a coup against the government of President Idriss Deby that had been in preparation for several months, the West African desert nation's communications minister announced late on Wednesday. "Today, May 1, a group of individuals with bad intentions sought to carry out an action to destabilise the institutions of the republic," Hassan Sylla Bakary read in a statement broadcast on state-owned television. "They did not count on the valiant security forces who have tracked them since December 2012 and who, this morning, neutralised them," he said. The impoverished former French colony has a long history of coups and rebellions, and Deby himself led rebel troops into the capital N'Djamena in 1990 to seize power. He has since won four elections and cast himself as a key ally of the West against al Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters across the vast, arid Sahel region. Bakary said the suspected plotters had been handed over to the state prosecutor. However he did not reveal their identities or give further details of the plot. Chad's security services carried out a number of arrests within the ranks of the army on Wednesday, military sources told Reuters. And at least one member of parliament, an opposition figure named Saleh Maki, was also detained, according to his family. Deby deployed around 2,000 troops to Mali earlier this year to help drive out Islamist fighters who had seized the northern two-thirds of the country, earning him the gratitude of France which spearheaded the operation there. However, the president has plenty of enemies both at home and abroad. The UFR, a Chadian rebel coalition that laid down its weapons in 2010, warned in March that they would relaunch their rebellion after Deby failed to enter talks with them. Last week, Deby accused neighbouring Libya of allowing Chadian mercenaries to set up a training camp from where they could seek to destabilise his country, a charge Libyan authorities rejected. (Reporting by Madjiasra Nako; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Sandra Maler and Eric Walsh)

Chade: acção desestabilizadora

Le gouvernement tchadien a annoncé le 1er mai dans un communiqué avoir arrêté des individus ayant tenté de mener une "action de déstabilisation" du pouvoir, parmi lesquels un député d'opposition, a-t-on appris de sources concordantes. Pour l’heure, peu d’informations sont disponibles sur l’origine et les auteurs de cette tentative de coup d’État. Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé à N’Djamena ? « Ce jour 1er mai, un groupuscule d'individus mal intentionnés a cherché à mener une action de déstabilisation contre les institutions de la république », indique un communiqué du gouvernement tchadien publié dans la soirée, affirmant que les membres du « groupuscule (...) conspiraient depuis plus de quatre mois pour remettre en cause la paix chèrement acquise ». « Les forces de défense (...) ont fini par les neutraliser et les mettre totalement hors d'état de nuire », poursuit le communiqué, soulignant que « les principaux auteurs arrêtés ont été confiés au Procureur de la république pour les besoins de l'enquête ». Arrestations Aucune précision supplémentaire n'a été donnée sur l'origine, les appartenances et le nombre des personnes arrêtées. Toutefois de source policière, « plusieurs arrestations de civils et de militaires parmi lesquelles Saleh Makki [député d'opposition, NDLR] » ont eu lieu le 29 avril déjà, deux jours avant cette tentative de coup d’État. De son côté, Saleh Kebzabo, député et chef de file de l’opposition, dénonce une « situation trouble faite de nombreuses arrestations à N'Djamena », dans les heures qui ont suivi l’annonce de cette « action de déstabilisation » du pouvoir tchadien. (Avec AFP) Lire l'article sur Jeuneafrique.com

Argélia: Bouteflika hospitalizado em Paris

Le président algérien Abdelaziz Bouteflika s’est exprimé pour la première fois depuis son transfert samedi 27 avril au soir à Paris, à la suite d’un accident vasculaire cérébral. Dans un message cité mardi 30 avril par l'agence nationale APS , le chef de l’État assure être "sur la voie de la guérison". « Alors que je continue à recevoir des soins médicaux, je tiens à remercier Dieu Tout Puissant de m'avoir permis de me rétablir et d'être à présent sur la voie de la guérison ». C’est par ce message cité mardi 30 avril par l'agence nationale APS que le président Abdelaziz Bouteflika, hospitalisé à Paris depuis samedi, a tenu a rassuré les Algériens. « Il m'est très difficile, alors que je me trouve dans un hôpital à l'étranger, de ne pas être, pour la première fois, aux côtés du peuple algérien pour célébrer la Fête des travailleurs et assister aux finales de la Coupe d'Algérie de football et de la Coupe d'Algérie militaire », indique le président. Le président a souhaité à ses compatriotes ses « voeux sincères et fraternels » pour la fête des travailleurs et souhaite également que « les finales de la Coupe d'Algérie de football et de la Coupe d'Algérie militaire de football soient des évènements qui fassent honneur au sport algérien », dit-il, en félicitant « d'avance les deux futurs vainqueurs ». Finale « Quelles que soient les circonstances, je partagerai avec les filles et les fils de ma patrie leur joie en cette journée », ajoute le chef de l'État. La finale de la Coupe d’Algérie opposera deux équipes de la capitale, le MC Alger et l'USM Alger. Depuis des jours et en particulier mardi soir, des voitures arborant les drapeaux de leurs héros klaxonnent dans les rues de la ville, décorée aux couleurs des deux équipes. Victime selon des sources officielles d'un mini-AVC, le président Bouteflika a été transferé à l'hôpital militaire du Val de Grâce à Paris pour des examens complémentaires. Le professeur Rachid Bougherbal, qui a soigné Bouteflika avant son transfert à Paris, a indiqué lundi que le président, victime samedi d'un accident ischémique transitoire, un type mineur d'AVC, « va très bien ». Mais l’hospitalisation du chef de l’État a réouvert le débat sur sa succession en 2014. Lire l'article sur Jeuneafrique.com : Algérie : Bouteflika se dit "sur la voie de la guérison" |