Category: Politics

President says his biggest credit was ‘saving the economy from depression’ and health scheme.

President Barack Obama says the biggest mistake of his presidency was a lack of planning for the aftermath of the fall of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, with the country spiralling into chaos and grappling with violent extremists.

Asked in a Fox News interview aired on Sunday to name the “worst mistake” of his presidency, the US leader said it was “probably failing to plan for the day after what I think was the right thing to do in intervening in Libya.”

Mr Obama has repeatedly acknowledged that the United States and its allies could have done more to prevent Libya’s descent into chaos following the Nato-backed uprising that led to Gaddafi’s ouster and killing in November 2011.

He expressed regret over the handling of the aftermath in a lengthy interview with The Atlantic magazine last month, calling the situation in Libya “a mess.”

Mr Obama also sharply criticised British Prime Minister David Cameron and former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy for their roles in the Libya campaign, saying in particular that Mr Cameron became “distracted.”

Since Gaddafi’s death, Libya has descended into near-anarchy, ruled by rival militias vying for power while the Islamic State group has gained influence in the country.

The head of a UN-backed unity government arrived earlier this month in Tripoli to begin garnering support for his administration.

Asked by Fox News to name the worst moment of his White House tenure, the president said it was the day he travelled to Newtown, Connecticut, after a gunman shot 20 young children and six adult staff members at an elementary school in December 2012.

His biggest accomplishment? “Saving the economy from a great depression.”

And his best day in the White House?

“The day that we passed health care reform,” Mr Obama said.

“We sat out on the Truman Balcony with all the staff that had worked so hard on it and I knew what it would mean for the families that I’d met who didn’t have health care.”

When asked what he most looked forward to upon leaving office next year, Obama replied: “Being able to take a walk outside.”

Djibouti holds considerable strategic significance for the US.

The United States on Monday affirmed its “strong partnership” with Djibouti following President Omar Guelleh’s April 8 landslide victory in his bid for a fourth term in office.

A statement by a State Department spokesman did not include an offer of congratulations to President Guelleh. But it did commend Djiboutians for “peacefully exercising their right to vote.”

The US added, “While elections are an integral component of all democratic societies, democracy is also built on the foundation of rule of law, civil liberties and open political discourse between all stakeholders.

“We encourage the government of Djibouti to support the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association and expression for all of Djibouti’s citizens.”

Election officials reported that Mr Guelleh had won 87 per cent of the vote in a six-way race.

Three opposition parties boycotted Friday’s balloting on the grounds that the government would not allow them to campaign freely.

The electoral process was not fairly conducted, opponents of President Guelleh charged after the outcome was announced. They said some voters were not permitted to cast ballots.

Djibouti holds considerable strategic significance for the US. It is the site of a large US military installation from which a 4000-strong joint task force conducts surveillance of the Horn and carries out air strikes against al-Shabaab in Somalia and Islamist militants in Yemen.

The US leases the Djibouti base, Camp Lemonnier, at a cost of $70 million a year. That outlay contributes substantially to the economy of the strategically situated country with fewer than one million inhabitants.

Djibouti’s importance to US aims in Africa is enhanced by the 3,000 troops the tiny Horn nation supplies to the 22,000-strong African Union military force battling al-Shabaab.

These factors cause the US and other powers to mute their criticisms of President Guelleh’s 17-year rule, opposition figures say.

“Every day Paris and Washington criticise Burundi, but when it comes to Djibouti, silence reigns,” opposition spokesman Daher Ahmed Farah recently told French radio.
The US said nothing when President Guelleh amended the constitution in 2010 to permit himself to seek a third and fourth term in office.

The Obama administration subsequently criticised similar moves by Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame while urging DRC President Joseph Kabila not to seek to extend his 15-year rule.

The State Department did call in December for release of opposition leaders detained in the aftermath of violence that resulted in a reported 19 deaths.

Washington also called on Djiboutian authorities to “exercise restraint” and respect freedom of expression.

But in the run-up to last week’s voting the government appeared not to have fully heeded that advice.

Djiboutian authorities detained and expelled a three-member team of BBC reporters earlier this month. Two local journalists were arrested in January and held for more than a week without being charged with any offence.

“The United States has a strong partnership with Djibouti,” the State Department spokesman said on Monday.

“We look forward to advancing our shared interests and helping Djiboutians build a more prosperous, secure and democratic future.”

The State Department added that it has taken note of African Union recommendations for improving electoral processes in Djibouti.

“We hope to work with the government of Djibouti to advance those recommendations,” the US said.

Family has come under intense scrutiny over their alleged meddling in the country’s politics.

A South African opposition party has welcomed the reported departure of a wealthy business family, which is accused of having an undue influence over South African President Jacob Zuma.

The Economic Freedom Fighters party has been leading a campaign for the Gupta family to leave the country, repeatedly bringing up the issue in parliament, and making accusations that there is a corrupt relationship between the family and the South African president.

The family has come under intense scrutiny over the past few weeks over their alleged meddling in the country’s politics and excessive influence over the president.

Last month, Zuma was forced to clarify his relationship with the Guptas after Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas said he was offered a ministerial post by the family, which is known for its vast business empire that includes mining, media and engineering.

Reacting to a report in Sunday’s City Press newspaper that the Gupta family had left for Dubai on Thursday, EFF spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi told Al Jazeera that the party would not rest until Zuma himself stepped down

“Zuma is the head of the snake and he has to be removed. The Guptas leaving doesn’t mean we are leaving. We are coming for him and all other corrupt politicians,” Ndlozi said.

“If we remove Zuma, it will send a strong message of what democracy can do to corruption.”

Zuma, who has been pressured over accusations he used state funds to upgrade his home, has repeatedly denied the allegations that the Gupta family had any political power.

Last week, Zuma survived an impeachment vote in parliament that was launched after the highest court in South Africa ruled that he had ignored an order to repay state funds spent on his private residence.

Political analyst Ebrahim Fakir told Al Jazeera that members of the Gupta family believed they got caught up in a political struggle, and were scapegoated.

“The Guptas leaving is a narrow and very small victory … it doesn’t solve anything,” Fakir said.

Zuma has faced a barrage of criticism over his relationship with the Gupta family and Fakir says that while the criticism may have been warranted, the nature in which the Guptas were “hounded out”, sets a bad precedent.

“It simply allows the next businessman to fill the space left by the Guptas and then we will look for the next victim. This won’t solve the problems facing this country,” he said.

News of the family’s departure from the country came after they released a statement on Friday, saying they were stepping down from the leadership of Oakbay Investments, in a move linked to the closure of the firm’s accounts by two major banks.

“It is with deep regret that, following a period of sustained political attack on the Gupta family and our businesses … we have come to the conclusion that it is time for the Gupta family to step down from all executive and non-executive positions,” the letter said.

The Guptas said that several banks and auditors refused to work with them following the critical campaigns launched by the press.

The closure of the bank accounts had made it “virtually impossible to continue to do business in South Africa”, the letter said.

The western Sudanese region of Darfur is to vote on its administrative status, 13 years after the start of a conflict which has left 300,000 dead.

The referendum over whether to remain as five states or form a single region runs until Wednesday.

It is being held amid ongoing insecurity and many displaced people have not been registered to vote.

The US has said the vote will not be credible but President Omar al-Bashir insists it will be free and fair.

Bashir defiant on Darfur tour

“If held under current rules and conditions, a referendum on the status of Darfur cannot be considered a credible expression of the will of the people of Darfur,” said US State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

The referendum is the last step in a peace process negotiated in Doha. Rebels have long requested more regional powers to end what they see as Khartoum’s interference in land ownership conflicts.

If Darfur chose to form one region, it would carry more weight within Sudan, they believe.

But the BBC’s West Africa Correspondent Thomas Fessy, who recently visited Darfur with Mr Bashir, says many of those who initially wanted this referendum will be likely to boycott the vote because they say it will not be fair.

More than 2.5m people remain displaced in Darfur and 130,000 more have fled renewed violence this year, the UN says.

Some 300,000 people have been killed since conflict broke out in the troubled region in 2003.

Janjaweed militiamen riding horses spread terror in a multi-layered conflict after rebels took arms against the central government, feeling marginalised.

The Janjaweed were used by the government alongside bombing campaigns. Today, many have been integrated into the Rapid Support Forces, currently fighting in the Jebel Marra region.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has indicted President Bashir on counts of genocide and war crimes committed in Darfur.

Mr Bashir – who has told the BBC he will step down as president in 2020 – has dismissed the ICC as a “political tribunal”.

President Idriss Deby, who came to power in a military coup in 1990, is expected to remain in office.

Chadians were voting on Sunday in a presidential election as the incumbent, Idriss Deby, sought a fifth term in office.

President Deby, who took power in a military coup 26 years ago, faces 12 challengers but is widely expected to win another term.

In recent weeks, protest marches have been banned and government opponents imprisoned.

The opposition, which is fractured, boycotted the last election in 2011.

On Thursday, police fired live rounds and tear gas to disperse a couple of hundred protesters after prosecutors demanded six-month jail terms for five anti-government activist leaders.

On the campaign trail, Deby, 63, has hammered home a vow to promote the “emergence” of Chad, where seven out of 10 people cannot read or write, and half the population of 13 million live below the poverty line despite new oil revenues.

Oil production started in 2003 and now accounts for 60 percent of export earnings. But Chad ranks fourth from last in the UN Human Development Index, and more than one child in 10 dies before the age of five, according to World Bank estimates.

Chad also faces significant security threats with two attacks in the capital last year.

Deby has tightened security to address those threats while maintaining a strong presence in a regional force fighting the Nigeria-based Boko Haram group.

Some six million Chadians are eligible to vote on Sunday. Polling stations open at 0600 GMT.

Official provisional results may not be released until two weeks after voting day.