Britain to host summit on northern Nigeria crisis

 The UK’s Foreign Secretary William Hague is to use next week’s global meeting on conflict and gender violence to convene a special summit on Nigeria's crisis called “The London Ministerial Security in northern Nigeria”. Hague, regarded as one of the more effective ministers in Prime Minister David Cameron's cabinet, is taking advantage of the presence in London of over 40 foreign ministers, many from Africa and Europe, for the gender violence meeting.

Briefing journalists this week, Hague said the London meeting would build on – not replicate – the agreements and co-operation established at the regional summit on West African security hosted last month in Paris by President François Hollande. That was attended by heads of state from Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin, as well as senior officials from the US, the EU and Hague himself.

Hague said that the London meeting for foreign ministers and their security advisers will go into more detail, as well as diplomatic and security strategy. While praising the civil society effort to publicise the #Bringbackourgirls campaign, he said there was much work to do in “policy and institutional terms” to shape “an effective response to the crisis”. Most importantly, the meeting would look at more “pre-emptive measures” to fight terrorism.

Foreign Ministers from Canada, the US, the EU and West Africa are all due to attend.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

© 2014 Menas Associates

Libya's Foreign Minister Musa Kusa defects

Libya's Foreign Minister and one of Colonel Mu'ammar Qadhafi's closest allies Musa Kusa has defected, saying he was “no longer willing" to serve the regime. Experts say this might prove to be a momentous turning point for Libya, with further defections to come.

Kusa flew into Britain last night, a move that was supported by Whitehall. A foreign office spokesman said: “We encourage those around Qadhafi to abandon him and embrace a better future for Libya that allows political transition and real reform that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people.”

The spokesman added that in view of the events in Libya, Kusa felt he could no longer “represent the regime internationally” or stand-by Qadhafi's actions.

Kusa arrived from Tunisia where he was said to be on a diplomatic mission. His defection has given hope that the regime may splinter internally thereby weakening Qadhafi's hold on the country. A close confidant of the Leader for over 30 years, and head of Libya's spy agency, Kusa was said to be responsible for masterminding the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, and later for the negotiations in releasing the bomber, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al–Megrahi.

Speaking about the situation in Libya yesterday [30th March], Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron said he was not “ruling out” arming the rebels despite having previously indicated that this may not be possible under the terms of sanctions imposed on Libya. The Prime Minister noted: "It is an extremely fluid situation but there is no doubt in anyone's mind the ceasefire is still being breached and it is absolutely right for us to keep up our pressure under UN Security Council 1973. As I've told the House, the legal position is clear that the arms embargo applies to the whole territory of Libya.”

Sources: BBC News, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focus and Libya Politics & Security.