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Preparing for DR Congo

Proudly south african and no comment...each picture says a thousand word

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN

The chief of the Nigerian Navy and his South African counterpart have urged greater cooperation between African navies for the sake of collective security and economic prosperity, during a meeting earlier this week.

The Chief of Naval Staff of the Nigerian Navy, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, arrived in South Africa as a follow-up to the bilateral defence agreement that emerged during President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to South Africa in May. Ezeoba met with his South African counterpart Vice Admiral Johannes Mudimu in Pretoria on Monday.

The two chiefs called for greater cooperation amongst African navies, with Ezeoba calling for naval cooperation to promote economic development, reports Nigeria’s Daily Times. “If we are able to enforce the [proposed maritime] legal framework, it would allow for mutual cooperation by way of training, joint training and exercises by ensuring that we enforce the rights of innocent passage as captured within the framework of free navigation. All these will promote the economic development of our continent and ensuring that our maritime bases are safe for other purposes,” he said.

Mudimu said that collaborative naval exercises would help improve the capabilities of African navies while at the same time keep the continent secure.

“The South African Navy and the Nigerian Navy are among the biggest navies in Africa. So, we need to do things together in the area of training and in the area of port visits,” Mudimu is quoted by the Voice of Nigeria as saying. “We have done this before and we need to continue and build more of it. Through these navies coming together, we can mobilize the smaller navies on the continent and say 'look, in partnership we have a chance of succeeding'.”

“The desire to build a very strong navy for the protection of the coast of Africa is very paramount. Currently we observe how the African coast is exploited by outsiders…if we ourselves as African navies don’t articulate the position of how we need to protect the coast of Africa, we become vulnerable,” Mudimu was quoted by Voice of Nigeria as saying.

South African Navy Director of Naval Personnel, Rear Admiral Asiel Kubu, said that the cooperation between South Africa and Nigeria was “long overdue,” and could assist in the development of the continent.

Ezeoba later toured the Southern African Shipyards (SAS) facility in Durban, where the company is currently refurbishing South African Navy strike craft and converting them for the offshore patrol role. Four vessels are being converted. He told SAS that that Nigeria could partner with the company over ship construction and maintenance

The latest available figures on United Nations peacekeeping deployment numbers put South Africa at number six, a long way behind number one Ethiopia, which has more than 6 300 troops currently in field in Africa.

The East African country tops the list of troop contributors from the continent at 6 369, followed by Rwanda (4 213), Nigeria (4 142), Ghana (2 573) and Egypt with 2 561, all ahead of South Africa’s 1 756. The seventh largest African troop contributor to UN peacekeeping operations is Senegal with 1 311 with Tanzania coming in at number eight with 1 059.

The country with the largest current overall involvement in UN peacekeeping operations worldwide is Pakistan with 1 228 more troops deployed than Ethiopia’s 6 369 and 5 841 more than South Africa. The south Asian country has a total of 7 597 soldiers wearing blue berets and helmets. Bangladesh (6 921), India (6 736) and Nepal (3 564) are the other major troop contributors from the Asian region with South American country, Uruguay (2 118), next best on the list.

The international body is currently running 15 peacekeeping operations and one special political mission at various levels with half of them in Africa.

They are: MINURSO in Western Sahara, MINUSMA in Mali, MONUSCO (DRC), UNAMID (Darfur), UNISFA (Abyei, Sudan), UNMIL (Liberia), UNMISS (South Sudan) and UNOCI (Cote d’Ivoire).

Other UN peacekeeping operations are in Haiti, Afghanistan, the Golan Heights, Cyprus, Lebanon, Kosovo, India and Pakistan.

In total 77 702 soldiers are deployed worldwide on UN peacekeeping missions and operations with 12 553 police and 1 844 military observers as support.

Cost-wise the UN has approved resources totalling $7.33 billion for the July 2012/June 2013 financial year to be spent on all its peacekeeping operations worldwide. UN member states still have to put $1.83 billion into the world body’s coffers to reach the budgeted figure.

South Africa currently has military personnel deployed for peacekeeping and related tasks in Africa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in Darfur and aboard a frigate in the Mozambique Channel. A South African National Defence Force (SANDF) contingent will be part of the UN Intervention Brigade in the DRC, which for the first time in UN peacekeeping history, has an offensive mandate to actively stop the M23 rebel group. The Brigade has already started patrolling the DRC and will expand to at least 2 500 troops from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania.

South Africa’s commitment to peacekeeping and stabilisation in Africa, compared to the other African countries with troops deployed for that purpose, places it 9th out of 24 major contributors (who have deployed a company or more), in terms of the actual number of troops deployed, according to defence analyst Helmoed Romer Heitman. South Africa ranks 22nd out of 24 in terms of the number of troops deployed relative to economic strength,

South African electronic warfare technology has, and continues to make its mark in the international military arena, with home-grown self-protection systems being used by numerous defence forces around the world.

A wide range of defence forces – including India, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Oman, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, South Korea, the Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Peru, and Greece - are using indigenous South African electronic warfare technology. Approximately 95% of the systems manufactured in South Africa are sold to export markets, making it a valuable source of revenue for South Africa. Job creation in engineering and production are additional advantages, according to Saab Grintek Defence.

90% of these systems are designed and produced at Saab Grintek Defence’s facilities in South Africa, the company said. As a result, the company was recently awarded the Best Export Company in South Africa title by the Department of Trade and Industry.

“There is this assumption that Africa is not strong when it comes to technology and innovation, but this turns that view on its face,” said Chris Skinner, head of marketing and sales at Saab Grintek Defence.

He cited Saab’s Integrated Defensive Aids Suite (IDAS) as an example. This provides missile, radar and laser warning and delivers appropriate countermeasures when fired upon, all the while keeping track of every type of signal out there. It has been designed for both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Saab also produces protection systems for both land and naval applications.

Skinner said that Saab South Africa’s contract with the Indian air force, one of its biggest customers to date, with a current order value in excess of R400 million, is the perfect illustration of long-term use of South African products and technology as this platform will remain in production for many years to come.

“India developed a local helicopter, the [Dhruv] ALH or advanced light helicopter, with Saab selected as the default self-protection system for its air force and army. We’re now working with them on several levels: the provision of the original systems, training and technology transfer to allow the Indian industry to initially handle the in-country support, and eventually almost full local production of our systems,” he explained.

Apart from air force customers, Saab is also supplying original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), such as Agusta Westland and Eurocopter, with self-protection systems as well as avionic equipment including Health and Usage Monitoring, Mission Recorders and Communications Controllers, for inclusion into packages for its end customers.

“With IDAS, a locally developed and manufactured product, airborne platforms can radically improve defensive and operational capabilities, which in itself is gratifying, but add the significant source of export revenue and it becomes something of which we are extremely proud,” comments Magnus Lewis-Olssen, Saab South Africa’s CEO.

Preparing for DR CONGO

SANDF PREPARING FOR DR Congo

NO COMMENT PICTURES OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE PREPARATIONS FOR DR CONGO

You did not read the purpose of my posting in huste to dispute the aim of the article. The article indicates that 300 Nigerian soldiers were captured by rebels after running out of ammunition.....Something that failed to occur to South African soldiers in the Central African Republic.

In addition is so amazing the veil of silence whenever a negative posting is made coming from Nigerian newspapers. Nigerian Secret Service had a list of 60 agents posted into the internet by Boko Haram. Message if you cannot protect your secret then how can you protect the country so the saying goes.

Several hundred more Nigerian troops have arrived in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, as rebels threaten to set fire to the city.

BBC Correspondent Gavin Straw: Priority for Nigerian-led Ecomog force is safeguarding capital.A spokesman for the West African intervention force Ecomog, which backs the elected government, said: "Our mission now is to prevent destruction."

The troops are being taking up positions in the offensive mounted against the rebels holding parts of Freetown.

Speaking from a Nigerian-held area in the far west of the city, the BBC's Mark Doyle confirmed the arrival of reinforcements and said Ecomog reported successes in Freetown.

The reinforcements have been moving in by helicopter.He said the rebels have been using people as human shields since their spectacular advance into the capital last week.

On Sunday, a journalist working for the Associated Press news agency was killed, and another seriously wounded, when rebels fired at their car. The Sierra Leone Government had been attempting to arrange a meeting between jailed rebel leader Foday Sankoh, and his field commander, Sam Bockarie. Correspondent Mark Doyle: "The Nigerian troops have a dangerous, delicate task" But the military commander of Sierra Leone's rebels, Sam Bockarie, said on Sunday he would not venture outside his stronghold to meet West African mediators, according to the news agency Reuters.
"Why should I leave my ground? I am not going to accept that. There is a trap," Mr Bockarie said by satellite telephone.

Hundreds of thousands are trapped Mr Bockarie said his Revolutionary United Front (RUF) fighters had captured 200 Nigerian soldiers sent to Sierra Leone as part of the regional Ecomog intervention force."We have a lot of them as prisoners of war ... we are feeding them with rice and gari and the like," he said.Fighting in Sierra Leone intensified when West African troops backing the democratically-elected government advanced against rebels in Freetown.The rebels, loyal to an ousted military junta, entered the capital five days ago saying their main aim was the release of Mr Sankoh.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been trapped in Freetown by the fighting.With phone lines to the outside world cut and the city's main power station in rebel hands, Sierra Leone and its people are in the dark, short of food and water.
The BBC correspondent says the rebels have been burning houses and terrifying civilians and most residents want Ecomog to retake control.

ITS TRUE ABOUT SOUTH AFRICAN INTELLIGENCE FAILURE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC BUT THE ATTACHED REPORT BY NIGERIA SECRET SERVICE LEAVES A LOT:

Data of SSS agents leaked on Internet

August 31, 2012 by Agency Reporter

THERE are indications that the safety of agents of the State Security Service has been compromised with personnel records of current and former operatives leaked on the internet, Associated Press reports.

The leak, sources said, was already creating panic among SSS operatives and other employees of the agency.

About 60 agents, including the Director-General of the SSS, Ekpeyong Ita, and other serving and former employees, reportedly had their names, mobile phone numbers, contact and bank account information listed on the internet.

Many of the ‘exposed’ agents, according to the AP reports on Thursday, expressed worries and embarrassment at the leakage of their private details.

The SSS deputy Director of Media and Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, said the AP was false.

Ogar said, “The report is false because the AP reporter that filed the story failed to give me the link to the website that allegedly published the personal data of our personnel.

“How come it was only the AP reporter that saw the website? Besides, he had published his story before calling me for reactions. That is what he did the other time when he published a false report that government planned to build a special prison for Boko Haram suspects in Lagos; I don’t know where he gets these unsubstantiated stories that he published,”

The exposed agents also said they were not contacted nor warned by the secret service agency. Instead, colleagues and other former agents called each other to spread the news.

“It’s worrying that they have access to that,” AP quoted one of the former agents who spoke on the leak as saying. The ex- agent reportedly said he was happy that he lives in the Christian-dominated Southern part of the country.

“Those living in Abuja (and other parts of the North) are the ones who should be living in fear,” he told the United States newswire.

According to the AP report, another serving agent whose name appeared on the internet and who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “This is a national embarrassment.”

“I was shocked to see my details posted on the Internet. I’ve not heard anything from anybody. I was surprised that such information could be leaked,” he added.

The person behind the leak was suspected to be a member of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

Many agents for the secret agency created in 1986 by ex-dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, mostly conceal their identities.

The information leak reportedly came in two postings earlier this month on a website that provides rewritten news on Nigeria.

The first posting threatened the killing of agents of the SSS on behalf of Boko Haram, while the second simply offered a block of text containing biographical and other details about the agents.

AP reports that the details were accessible to all for days and that though they (details) had been deleted and the stream of comments removed, it refused to ”identify the website involved as cached versions of the comments remain online.”

Another man on the list said he simply once served as a doctor to help the agency on an on-call basis only.

The list appeared to include lower-ranking agents, as well as one-time state directors of the SSS.

Some of those contacted by the AP suggested that the list appeared to come from the agency’s pension department, as it mostly included retirees and listed bank account information for nearly all those named.

The release of the information on the serving and ex- SSS agents came as the country’s intelligence agencies have made a series of blunders in trying to fight Boko Haram.

A REPORT ON 1997 BY A JOURNALIST IN SIERRA LEONE AND MANY NIGERIANS WOULD DISPUTE IT:

The weekend of Friday 11 July witnessed the third serious confrontation between Nigerian (ECOMOG) troops and AFRC/RUF fighters who have recently been renamed the ‘People’s Army’. Two days earlier on Wednesday 9 July, there was a full scale battle for control of the Lungi International Airport. In a previous encounter on Monday 2 June, Nigerian troops were, by popular acclamation, given a good hiding by the junta’s militia during an all-day gun battle that ended, with a truce, after the Nigerians ran out of ammunition and the capture of over 300 of their men. During the last two clashes, however, Nigerians had the upper hand, having recently brought in fresh reinforcements of men and ammunition for their demoralised troops.

The scene of the latest battle, which continued into Monday and part of Tuesday of the following week, was at Jui, about 15 miles east of Freetown and close to Benguema, the location of one of the country’s main military training camps. Jui is host to a contingent of Nigerian troops. Nearby is Hastings with its National Police Training School, and an Airport that is currently under the control of the Peoples Army. There is a displaced persons camp close to the town. An RUF base was said to have been recently established in the area. Troops from there were deployed for the clash with the Nigerians which started after a Nigerian air force jet buzzed Freetown, flying so low that it threw the city and its outskirts into confusion and fear.

Eye witnesses told of continuous bombardment with heavy weapons and mortar fire. Civilians fled for safety, and shops and markets were closed. There were officially over 90 deaths during this battle, including civilians and a very large number of soldiers on both sides. Some reports have claimed that this figure is extremely conservative and have put the casualty as high as between 450 and 600 which, they also say, were mainly casualties of the People’s Army. But AFRC Military sources strongly denied these reports, saying they were pure propaganda and boasted that they were a match for the Nigerians. No reliable figures have been easy to come by because all sides deliberately understate their own casualties while inflating their opponent’s.

Those who were first on the scene have reported that the town was reduced to rubble and is empty after all its remaining inhabitants fled. Although calm had returned to the area by Tuesday, reporters said that the opposing armies were still in their trenches in readiness for possible renewed fighting.

Up to the time of writing this account, the ICRC was still negotiating to be allowed to enter the battleground to remove corpses for burial and the wounded for treatment. A surgeon described the victims’ bodies as "completely mangled and hardly recognisable". Casualties included policemen whose HQ was hit by a rain of missiles fired by the Nigerians, killing six of them. The AFRC claimed that in another incident a bomb dropped by a Nigerian air force jet killed a family of four in the town. The military barracks in Jui were also completely wrecked by Nigerian artillery.

The Nigerians appear also to have had the better of the clash of Wednesday 9 July for control of the Lungi International Airport. Reports said "hundreds of RUF fighters" were killed, with one quoting as many as over 300. The regime strenuously deny this but have as yet issued no casualty figures. Scores of innocent civilians also died in the crossfire. The Lungi military barracks were flattened by Nigerian battery. Lungi Town itself as well as the airport are both firmly under the control of Nigerian forces.

Fighting started after AFRC soldiers were sent to silence a pirate station which had broadcast messages by President Kabbah to the people of Sierra Leone. The finger of suspicion was pointed at the Nigerians whom the AFRC accused of facilitating and harbouring the transmitter at their base. A spokesman for the regime alleged that AFRC/RUF troops were on their way to the airport when they were engaged into an argument by Nigerian soldiers: "The Nigerians were hostile and started trading insults and then things got out of hand .. there was hand-to-hand fighting at one stage before the two sides separated and took up heavy bombardment." Another military man said that it was the Nigerians who "started attacking our men on the ground… the only thing that can bring this fight under control is for the international world to tell Nigeria to get out of our territory".

The Nigerians flatly denied these charges. ECOMOG commander General Victor Malu, speaking form Monrovia (Liberia), said "we had no reason to attack them". A statement form ECOMOG HQ in Liberia declared: "…The junta launched the fierce attack on the allegation that ECOMOG installed an FM station in Lungi. The junta’s attack was therefore aimed at destroying the station". Acting Nigerian defence spokesman Godwin Ugbo, speaking in Abuja, issued a prompt denial of the allegation that the clandestine radio station was being operated by Nigerians. He said that as far as they were concerned they did not even know of it, so the question of their funding it did not arise.

The sound of gunfire caused pandemonium in the west end of Freetown which had been tense since a speech by President Kabbah was broadcast on a pirate radio station "SLBS FM 98.1" that uses a frequency that is close to the real Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) Radio - FM 98.99. For nearly two days after the latest fighting the radio remained silent but resumed broadcasts on the third day.

A REPORT ON 1997 BY A JOURNALIST IN SIERRA LEONE AND MANY NIGERIANS WOULD DISPUTE IT:

The weekend of Friday 11 July witnessed the third serious confrontation between Nigerian (ECOMOG) troops and AFRC/RUF fighters who have recently been renamed the ‘People’s Army’. Two days earlier on Wednesday 9 July, there was a full scale battle for control of the Lungi International Airport. In a previous encounter on Monday 2 June, Nigerian troops were, by popular acclamation, given a good hiding by the junta’s militia during an all-day gun battle that ended, with a truce, after the Nigerians ran out of ammunition and the capture of over 300 of their men. During the last two clashes, however, Nigerians had the upper hand, having recently brought in fresh reinforcements of men and ammunition for their demoralised troops.

The scene of the latest battle, which continued into Monday and part of Tuesday of the following week, was at Jui, about 15 miles east of Freetown and close to Benguema, the location of one of the country’s main military training camps. Jui is host to a contingent of Nigerian troops. Nearby is Hastings with its National Police Training School, and an Airport that is currently under the control of the Peoples Army. There is a displaced persons camp close to the town. An RUF base was said to have been recently established in the area. Troops from there were deployed for the clash with the Nigerians which started after a Nigerian air force jet buzzed Freetown, flying so low that it threw the city and its outskirts into confusion and fear.

Eye witnesses told of continuous bombardment with heavy weapons and mortar fire. Civilians fled for safety, and shops and markets were closed. There were officially over 90 deaths during this battle, including civilians and a very large number of soldiers on both sides. Some reports have claimed that this figure is extremely conservative and have put the casualty as high as between 450 and 600 which, they also say, were mainly casualties of the People’s Army. But AFRC Military sources strongly denied these reports, saying they were pure propaganda and boasted that they were a match for the Nigerians. No reliable figures have been easy to come by because all sides deliberately understate their own casualties while inflating their opponent’s.

Those who were first on the scene have reported that the town was reduced to rubble and is empty after all its remaining inhabitants fled. Although calm had returned to the area by Tuesday, reporters said that the opposing armies were still in their trenches in readiness for possible renewed fighting.

Up to the time of writing this account, the ICRC was still negotiating to be allowed to enter the battleground to remove corpses for burial and the wounded for treatment. A surgeon described the victims’ bodies as "completely mangled and hardly recognisable". Casualties included policemen whose HQ was hit by a rain of missiles fired by the Nigerians, killing six of them. The AFRC claimed that in another incident a bomb dropped by a Nigerian air force jet killed a family of four in the town. The military barracks in Jui were also completely wrecked by Nigerian artillery.

The Nigerians appear also to have had the better of the clash of Wednesday 9 July for control of the Lungi International Airport. Reports said "hundreds of RUF fighters" were killed, with one quoting as many as over 300. The regime strenuously deny this but have as yet issued no casualty figures. Scores of innocent civilians also died in the crossfire. The Lungi military barracks were flattened by Nigerian battery. Lungi Town itself as well as the airport are both firmly under the control of Nigerian forces.

Fighting started after AFRC soldiers were sent to silence a pirate station which had broadcast messages by President Kabbah to the people of Sierra Leone. The finger of suspicion was pointed at the Nigerians whom the AFRC accused of facilitating and harbouring the transmitter at their base. A spokesman for the regime alleged that AFRC/RUF troops were on their way to the airport when they were engaged into an argument by Nigerian soldiers: "The Nigerians were hostile and started trading insults and then things got out of hand .. there was hand-to-hand fighting at one stage before the two sides separated and took up heavy bombardment." Another military man said that it was the Nigerians who "started attacking our men on the ground… the only thing that can bring this fight under control is for the international world to tell Nigeria to get out of our territory".

The Nigerians flatly denied these charges. ECOMOG commander General Victor Malu, speaking form Monrovia (Liberia), said "we had no reason to attack them". A statement form ECOMOG HQ in Liberia declared: "…The junta launched the fierce attack on the allegation that ECOMOG installed an FM station in Lungi. The junta’s attack was therefore aimed at destroying the station". Acting Nigerian defence spokesman Godwin Ugbo, speaking in Abuja, issued a prompt denial of the allegation that the clandestine radio station was being operated by Nigerians. He said that as far as they were concerned they did not even know of it, so the question of their funding it did not arise.

The sound of gunfire caused pandemonium in the west end of Freetown which had been tense since a speech by President Kabbah was broadcast on a pirate radio station "SLBS FM 98.1" that uses a frequency that is close to the real Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) Radio - FM 98.99. For nearly two days after the latest fighting the radio remained silent but resumed broadcasts on the third day.

So its okay when striking miners armed with all sorts of weapons, who have already killed 2 miner workers, 2 police officers and seize their weapons as well as 6 non striking workers are potrayed by many Nigerians as peaceful. While heavy handedness displayed by Nigerian army is seen as cracked down on Boko HARAM inspite of the information to the contrary.

SO ITS GOOD WHEN ITS NIGERIA AND NO MATTER WHAT SOUTH AFRICA DOES SHALL ALWAYS BE POTRAYED AS EVIL.

According to media reports, is that the Federal Government had noted with concern that the police had, through the years, relied on ‘Police Force Order 237’ to commit extrajudicial killings. The order, he observed, allows the police to shoot any suspect or detainees trying to escape or avoid arrest.

Hiding under the cover of Order 237, the Police had perpetrated unlawful killings of 7,195 persons in four years, out of which 2,500 were detainees.

Nigerian police routinely carry out summary executions of suspected criminals, use torture to extract confessions from detainees, and rape as an interrogation technique, SEE BELOW THE TIMELINE OF NIGERIAN POLICE:.

Police kill on average 4.6 people per day, according to statistics provided to Human Rights Watch in April 2004 by Tafa Balogun, then Inspector-General of Police.

• In November 2007, Acting Inspector-General of Police Mike Okiro, during his first 100 days of office, claimed the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) killed 785 people. One week later the late President Umaru Yar'Adua promoted him.

• In 2006 police reported killing 329 robbers and injuring none, suggesting a kill-to-punish policy, said OSJI. Records show that in the same year 111 police were killed and 53 injured.

• In July 2009, while responding to violence instigated by members of the Boko Haram sect in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, the NPF killed hundreds of suspected sect members, including its leader.

• The Nigeria Legal Defence and Assistance Project found 2,987 extrajudicial executions by police in 2004, but no force member was convicted.

• Police Force Order 237 uses vague language regarding extrajudicial killings by police: "These rules practically provide police carte blanche to shoot and kill at will," the UN Special Rapporteur said in the 2006 Presidential Commission report on police reform.

• Every major police station has an "Officer in charge of Torture", according to a researcher at the Network of Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN), a civil society organization.

• Victims reported the following slang terms being used for torture: "V.I.P treatment" - shooting a detainee in both legs; "J5" - prolonged sleep deprivation in a standing position; "suicide" - being suspended upside down by a rope tied around the ankles and being kicked, or beaten with machetes, gun butts or electrical wires.

• Other forms of torture include beating; forced stress positions; tear gas applied to eyes or genitals; clubbing the soles of the feet; burning with cigarettes, hot irons or a flame; sexual torture by rape or violation; psychological manipulation; sleep deprivation; water or food deprivation.

• The crime of torture does not exist in Nigerian law.

• In Nigeria's second city, male officers in the Lagos Police Command often demand sex from female detainees as the price of bail - one NPF member said sex with sex workers was "one of the fringe benefits attached to night patrol".

• The Police Service Commission, which is responsible for police discipline, routinely refers all extrajudicial police killings to the police for investigation, and the Commission's quarterly reports to the President are not published.

• The new president, Goodluck Jonathan, insisted in his inaugural address on 6 May 2010 that "The security of life and property around the entire country will be of topmost priority in the remaining period of this administration." To achieve this, he must begin by according priority to a comprehensive reform of the Nigeria Police Force, said the OSJI.

The awful video footage shown by the Aljazeera Television of the Nigeria Police and Army Units carrying out extra judicial killing in the aftermath clashes with the Boko Haram members call to question the role played by the security forces in the last years Muslim uprising. In the footage a number of unarmed civilians were seen forced to lie down on the street and then shot at a cruel point blank range that were never seen anywhere . More awful shocking pictures that came from the footage like fairy tale one of the officers was heard urging his colleague not to shoot the unarmed civilian on the head but rather on the chest as he wanted his hat. The elements of the army and police who staged the follow-up operation after the last years July Boko Haram Uprising in which estimated 1000 Nigerians were killed selecting individual at random after house to house search and taken to the police station shocked the world. The unfortunate footage broadcast and widely circulated on the internet clearly showed unarmed men hurled and forcefully told to lie down on the street and shot on the head.

In contrast here in South Africa currently there is a sitting Judicial Commission to investigate the Marikanna killings. Unlike Nigeria where every killing by Army and the Police is swept under the carpert. I am sure many Nigerians are even scarred to travel at night least they come across Military or Police roadblocks.

Residents in Nigeria's northeast accused the military of burning down civilian homes in a recent fight with Islamic extremists that left at least 187 people dead, the latest in a series of incidents which authorities have been blamed for the killing of bystanders.

Beware of police roadblocks in Nigeria: If you cannot pay a bribe, you can end up dead, according to an Amnesty International report published on Wednesday.

It highlights a new danger in a country regularly denounced as one of the most corrupt in the world, where bribe-taking long has been a way for poorly paid government workers to make ends meet. Nigeria’s police force is poorly paid and trained, and short of essential tools including bulletproof vests, fuel, even paper and pens, Amnesty said. But there appears to be no shortage of the bullets its officers use to kill people they are supposed to protect, the report said. “In a country where bribes guarantee safety, those who cannot afford to pay are at risk of being shot or tortured to death by the police,” it said. Emmanuel Ojukwu, the national police spokesman, told The Associated Press that “extrajudicial killing is not approved in Nigeria.” He said officers who use unlawful force are arrested, prosecuted and sanctioned. But he could not say how many officers have been dismissed or jailed. Amnesty International said its research, conducted over three years, indicates officers suspected of unlawful killings are “sent on training” or transferred to other areas. It said there are few prosecutions and it condemned a “culture of impunity.”

South African State-owned missile and unmanned air vehicle company Denel Dynamics announced on Monday that the Al Tariq precision-guided munition (PGM), developed by Tawazun Dynamics, its joint venture with United Arab Emirates company Tawazun Holdings, had successfully executed a difficult mission profile during a flight test evaluation.

This test saw the weapon used against a laser-designated target. It effectively scored a direct hit (the “miss distance” was less than half-a-metre).In the test, the Al Tariq was launched off the track of the target and was programmed to, during its terminal phase, enter the target area from a different direction.

This implies the missile had to perform a dog-leg manoeuvre and the flight path had to be calculated dynamically ‘on the fly’.Tawazun Dynamics describes the Al Tariq as “a family of strap-on bomb kit systems, used on [US-standard] MK81, MK82 and MK83 bombs. Al-Tariq provides the user with all-weather, day or night operational capabilities, utilizing GPS/INS [Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System] guidance. Increased targeting accuracy can be achieved by using an Imaging Infrared with complete Automatic Target Recognition capability, or a semi-active laser seeker.

Denel Dynamics reported that the standard version of the PGM had a range of 40 km but that the long-range version had a range of 100 km. The accuracy of the weapon is independent of its range. It can also be programmed to attack targets from specified directions and using different dive angles.

South Africa today spends about 1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, in comparison to the global average figure of 2.5%, reported auditing and consultancy firm Deloitte on Tuesday. This low level of defence spending is exemplified by the fact that the South African Air Force has placed 12 of its 26 Gripen fighters in long-term storage. In the 1980s, defence expenditure absorbed 4% of the country’s GDP.

South Africa, despite the reduction in spend is still considered a regional military power in Africa with a focus on peacekeeping on the continent and in neighbouring countries.

Global military expenditure as a percentage of GDP in 2011, showed that Saudi Arabia had the highest spend at 8.4%, followed by Israel (6.8%) and then the US (4.7%),” she reported. Placing South Africa on the list would see it being compared to Japan, which is 17th on the list at 1% – the same as South Africa.

This low level of defence spending is exemplified by the fact that the South African Air Force has placed 12 of its 26 Gripen fighters in long-term storage. In the 1980s, defence expenditure absorbed 4% of the country’s GDP.

There is, however, a global trend of reduced spending on defence. Defence budget declines in the UK and Europe are offset by smaller aggregate increases in countries like China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia [and] the United Arab Emirates and may be more pronounced if the US Budget Control Act’s automatic cuts also come into effect.

South African missiles and unmanned air vehicles company Denel Dynamics unveiled a new missile technology development programme on Tuesday. The new programme, designated Marlin, is focused on technology for a new family of all-weather air defence missiles.

The intent is to produce both air-to-air missile (AAM) and surface-to-air missile (SAM) versions of the Marlin. The AAM model would be in the beyond-visual-range category while the SAM would come in naval and army versions.

South Africa is currently investing in risk-reduction technology for the programme. This could lead to a missile demonstrator. However, these activities are intended to form the basis of a joint development programme with a friendly country, inspired by the successful A-Darter programme with Brazil. Investment from a partner country will allow the Marlin initiative to become a full-scale weapon development programme.

The development programme for the A-Darter will come to an end towards the end of next year (to be followed by the production programme). The missile is currently entering its qualification phase. Wessels reported that there has been great synergy between the South African and Brazilian teams working on the project, in terms of vision, technical capability and work ethic.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN NAVY MEKO A Class does possess stealth design features:

Stealth design features have been introduced to reduce the radar cross-section. Hull panels are alternately angled to avoid large flat surfaces, an arrangement called 'X-form'. Right angle corners are avoided and the decks and superstructure have been decluttered. The bridge wings present on the original MEKO have been eliminated and the bridge is completely enclosed.

A reduction of about 75% on the ship's infrared signature has been achieved by elimination of the funnel, and instead hot exhaust gases are ducted through a horizontal system. Seawater is injected into the exhaust duct to cool the exhaust fumes, before being expelled just above the waterline.

The State of Rio de Janeiro launched an international bid for the acquisition of Internal Security Vehicles to which world leaders in the defence and security industries responded.

GUESS WHO WON THE TENDER: The State of Rio de Janeiro has awarded the tender to procure the Maverick Internal Security Vehicle (ISV), manufactured by Paramount Group, for use by the Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE) and the Shock Police Battalion (CHOQUE) within the Military Police, as well as by the Co-ordination of Special Resources (CORE) battalion of the Civil Police.

The PARAMOUNT GROUP IS A SOUTH AFRICAN COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN ARMOURED VEHICLES.

This decision was achieved after a lengthy and vigorous schedule of technical evaluations, practical field testing and a competitive and transparent procurement process that was open to both domestic and international manufacturers of such vehicles.

South Africa has a proud heritage in the defence and security industry and Paramount Group is continually investing in research and development thereby ensuring its products are at the leading edge of technology.

The South African International reknowned arms company (Denel Dynamics) is developing new surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles as part of a technology demonstrator programme that is leveraging off its experience with the A-Darter, R-Darter and Umkhonto missiles.

Known as Marlin, the all-weather air defence missile technology programme was unveiled at the 9th biennial LAAD Defence and Security International Exhibition held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last week.

According to Denel Dynamics, the Marlin technology demonstrator programme was contracted by the Department of Defence through Armscor and will result in a missile that is launched at a target in three to four years’ time.

Marlin technology will subsequently be used for Navy, Army and Air Force applications, with synergy achieved due to common subsystems. The missile will use some subsystems and system architecture from Denel’s proven Umkhonto surface-to-air missile and its A-Darter short-range air-to-air missile.

The performance of the missiles from the Marlin programme is expected to be in the latest generation class relevant to each type. Denel expects the Marlin All-Weather surface-to-air missile (SAM) will have a much larger range than typical Infra-Red SAMs.

Some cannot fanthom the truth....cut and paste remains the truth since most comes from Nigerian press. Why when confronted with facts many resorts to insults and some narrow nationalistic patriotic vitrolics.

Nigeria has had its own embarrassments and casualties in peacekeeping operations....why mow create a falls fallacy? Nigeria military procument is a new buzz word. Three years ago Nigeria ARMY was more of a militia rag tag army than a proffessional outfit and thanx to Boko HARAM the Defence budget was increased.

South African troops should feel good about their performance which was no disgrace at all....atleast they gave a good account of themselves than be disarmed.

Tragedy has affected all of the best militaries of the world but however is not how many times one falls but how many times you stand up and be counted.

United States suffered humiliating defeat in Vietnam
Soviet Union (Russian) experianced the same fate in Afghanistan.
Guatemala Special Forces suffered 12 against LRA IN DR Congo.
Indian forces disarmed and held hostage by rebels in Sierra Leone.
Nigerian forces humiliated in Darfur.
British Commandos captured by rebels in Sierra Leone.
19 US Rangers killed in Mogadishu.
More than 500 Russians special forces killed by Chenchen rebels in Grozny.

Countless countries have experianced such set backs and SANDF IS NOT THE FIRST AND NOT THE LAST.....BUT SHOULD BE PROUD TO FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT WHICH NIGERIANS ENVY

THE COST OF NIGERIAN PEACE KEEPING OPERATIONS

In London, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo told the BBC his country was ready to send peacekeepers to Liberia, but that Nigeria lacked the means to finance a peacekeeping operation alone. "It is our problem, but it is not our problem alone," he said. "It is in fact Africa's problem and it is a world problem...(the troops) are not there because we haven't got the capacity to do all that is necessary, and we made that clear." Obasanjo said twelve years of peacekeeping efforts in Liberia and Sierra Leone had cost his country $12 billion and more than 1,000 Nigerian lives. A peacekeeping force in Liberia is expected to cost over $100 million, and the Obasanjo said that so far no country had stepped forward with the necessary funds. "What we are saying is give us adequate material and logistic support and we will do the job," he said. "We have two battalions of over 1,500 ready to go in. We cannot do that alone."