Perhaps the
rude awakening both Condi Rice and reporter Andrea Mitchell received in Khartoum is symtomatic of the larger problem in eastern Africa, or the administration's policies on terrorism. Upon being received in Khartoum:
More below
Twice, Sudanese guards' hostility toward members of Rice's entourage devolved into shouts and shoving.
As Rice's motorcade arrived at the residence, armed guards slammed the gate shut before three vehicles could get in, including those carrying Rice's interpreter and other State Department officials who were supposed to attend her meeting with el-Bashir.
After protests, the officials were eventually allowed in. But guards repeatedly pushed and pulled Rice senior adviser Jim Wilkinson, and at one point he was shoved into a wall.
"Diplomacy 101 says you don't rough your guests up," Wilkinson said later.
Once Rice's traveling group was inside, the guards tried to keep reporters out of a planned photo shoot of Rice's meeting.
When reporters were finally allowed in, they were elbowed and guards repeatedly tried to rip a microphone away from a U.S. reporter. They were ordered not to ask questions, over State Department objections.
When NBC diplomatic reporter Andrea Mitchell tried to ask el-Bashir a question about his involvement with alleged atrocities, a scuffle broke out.
Guards grabbed the reporter and muscled her toward the rear of the room as State Department officials shouted at the guards to leave her alone. "Get your hands off her!" Wilkinson demanded. But all the reporters and a camera crew were physically forced out.
Perhaps the disconnect here on the part of the administration will start to hit home. Eastern Africa is beginning to look like the next front on the war on terrorism, even though it's one of the original fronts. Not far from the diplomatic scuffle, Somalia has distinguished itself. Not in a good way, as an increase of reporting notes a steady inflow of
Al-Qaeda infiltrating the country. But wait, can Somalia even be called a country, since it has no government, hasn't for over a decade? No matter, since it's the new home and hideout of Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan. But this is not
"new" news:
In March, United Nations experts monitoring an arms embargo on Somalia reported that Islamic hard-liners, including a group with alleged ties to al-Qaida, was importing high explosives, mines, hand and rifle-fired grenades, anti-tank weapons and ammunition and anti-aircraft guns and ammunition.
...
In May, the then-commander of a U.S. counterterrorism task force for the Horn of Africa said Somalia has become a haven for terrorists in East Africa. Marine Maj. Gen. Samuel Helland said U.S. troops were working with Somalia's neighbors to improve their border security since pressure on the al-Qaida terror group in Pakistan and Afghanistan may force some members to seek refuge in East Africa.
Yes, there has been limited success with the
combined joint task force, but when the commander says that it has become a terrorist haven, that speaks to the bigger issue. I suppose that's why he's now the "then-commander". Yet Kenya is indeed helping out, but Kenya too has its own
problem with terrorism spreading within its own borders. So, while we rightly talk about Darfur, let's remember the other countries in the same area with their own, but rather familiar, problems.
