Sustainable development discussed in Africa- China Forum meeting; Al-Qaeda role suspected in Mali occupation; Hesham Qandil appointed as PM of Egypt; RAF pilots flew armed US drones in Libya; China calls for international coordination on Somalia piracy; L
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  • During the China-Africa forum meeting, the African leaders and independent groups impress upon China to prioritize sustainable development in its trade with African countries. The officials mentioned that they increasingly recognize the importance of sound environmental practices for building strong relations with the continent. Particularly, World Wildlife Fund Director General Jim Leape opined that the growing trade between China and Africa presents a chance to create a new model of development in emerging economies. It is to be noted that the Chinese investments in environmentally sensitive sectors, including forestry, agriculture, fishing, oil and gas, have spurred anti-Chinese sentiment in many African countries. 1

    According to reports, the armed Islamist groups who have occupied northern Mali, Ansar Dine (Defenders of Faith) and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), were acting under the aegis of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). They argue that the group benefits from its perfect knowledge of northern Mali and its vast desert terrain, where it has spun a tight network across tribal and business lines, supporting poor communities and protecting traffickers. 2

    In another development, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi appointed Irrigation Minister Hesham Qandil as the new prime minister of Egypt and asked him to form a new cabinet as soon as possible. It is mentioned that Qandil is a prominent independent national figure who has never been a member of any party. Qandil promised that he would form a technocrat government and would consult with the president over all his choices, assuring that all national powers will be represented in Qandil's government. 3

    According to reports, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has revealed that the RAF pilots flew armed US drones in Libya as part of NATO's military effort in 2011 Libyan conflict. The disclosure came ten months after the end of a campaign in which the UK government had insisted that no British drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), were involved. On the other hand, the British MoD admitted that RAF personnel, who were on an exchange programme in the US, flew American Predator drones, which were a key component of the air campaign. The deployment of drones has become a sensitive subject, primarily because of the way the Americans have used them for cross-border raids on Taliban and al-Qaeda suspects in Pakistan. 4

    Addressing the 12th Plenary Meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), Wang Min, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations said that the issue of piracy off the Somalia coast has always posed a serious threat to stability and development of the region as well as safety and security of international shipping. He insisted that the international community should strengthen its coordination and cooperation on the Somalia piracy issue, especially when the pirates are getting apparently industrialized and violent, with increased all-weather piracy capabilities and expanding scope of attacks. 5

    According to a report, under the command of one of Libya's well known rebel commanders, Al-Mahdi al-Harati, more than 30 Libyan fighters have made their way into Syria to support the Free Syrian Army rebels in their war against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. It was mentioned that Al-Harati, who commanded the Tripoli Revolutionary brigade, the first group of rebels to enter the Libyan capital in August 2011, has been in Syria for months. 6

    In other developments, according to reports, spokesman of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, announced that two suspected members of the Islamic sect Boko Haram were killed and twenty six others arrested by the Nigerian military in the northern Maiduguri city for their alleged involvement in the killing of two Indians. Earlier, two Indians -- Shanker Saha (35) and Bokul Chander Mondal (35) -- were stabbed to death when they were attacked in a Gum Arabic factory while another Indian, Biresh Yadav (43), was injured in the attack. Later, the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mahesh Sachdev, had demanded prompt investigation into the attack on Indian nationals. 7

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