Oct. 24, 2017

As War Widens in Africa, Body Bags Begin to Fly Home

(TriceEdneyWire.com/GIN) – A funeral was held over the past weekend for Sgt. La David Johnson, killed in a country few could find on a map and for a war that few lawmakers knew anything about.

Sgt. Johnson, a Floridian, was one of a dozen Special Operations and Green Beret forces who, along with 30 Nigerien soldiers, were in southwestern Niger on Oct. 4 in an effort to track down a former member of the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa. As the team departed, they were ambushed by members of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

Four from the U.S. team died in the skirmish as did five Nigerian soldiers. Two Americans were wounded.

“It turns out that this village was a little contaminated by hostile forces,” said Moussa Aksar, a terrorism specialist interviewed by Voice of America. “The unit stayed a little longer than expected because apparently people were aware that something was going on."

Some 800 U.S. service members are in Niger supporting a French-led mission to defeat the Islamic State, al-Qaida and Boko Haram. The U.S. has drone bases in Niger as well as significant intelligence resources.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the American people, including the families of the fallen soldiers in Niger, deserve answers about this month’s deadly ambush.

But investigative journalist Nick Turse says there is much more to this story.  Writing for Vice news, Turse says: “Today, special operators are carrying out nearly 100 missions at any given time — in Africa alone. It’s the latest sign of the military’s quiet but ever-expanding presence on the continent, one that represents the most dramatic growth in the deployment of America’s elite troops to any region of the globe.”

He continued: “In 2006, just 1 percent of all U.S. commandos deployed overseas were in Africa. In 2010, it was 3 percent. By 2016, that number had jumped to more than 17 percent.

“In fact, there are now more special operations personnel devoted to Africa than anywhere except the Middle East.”  Overall, there are about 6,000 U.S. troops across the African continent. More than half are in Djibouti, with others in Tunisia, Senegal and Somalia.

In a report obtained by Turse, U.S. Army general Donald Bolduc, who runs the special operations command in Africa (SOCAFRICA) admits: “Africa’s challenges could create a threat that surpasses the threat that the United States currently faces from conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.”

“We owe the American people an explanation of what their men and women were doing at this particular time,” Dunford said. “And when I say that, I mean men and women in harm’s way anywhere in the world — they should know what the mission is and what we’re trying to accomplish when we’re there.” 

GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORK creates and distributes news and feature articles on current affairs in Africa to media outlets, scholars, students and activists in the U.S. and Canada. Our goal is to introduce important new voices on topics relevant to Americans, to increase the perspectives available to readers in North America and to bring into their view information about global issues that are overlooked or under-reported by mainstream media.

Oct. 17, 2017

Civil Rights Leaders, Clergy Support Federal Crackdown on Payday Lending
By Charlene Crowell

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - After five years of field hearings, town hall meetings, multiple research reports, and over one million comments, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced a new rule to rein in predatory payday and car-title loans.

“These protections bring needed reform to a market where far too often lenders have succeeded in setting up borrowers to fail. . . Faced with unaffordable payments, consumers must choose between defaulting, re-borrowing, or failing to pay basic living expenses or other major financial obligations,” said Richard Cordray, CFPB Director.

Central to the CFPB's rule, established Oct. 5, is the establishment of an ability-to-repay principle. High-cost loans of 45 days or less, as well as longer term loans that end in a balloon payment, must first take into account whether the loan is affordable when both borrower income and expenses are considered. These loans allow lenders to seize funds from either a borrowers’ bank accounts (payday loans) or repossess vehicles that were used as collateral (car-title loans).

Although marketed by predatory lenders as an easy lifeline in a financial emergency, research by CFPB, and other consumer groups found otherwise: payday lending’s business model is the tool that drowns borrowers into a sea of debt. With triple-digit interest rates of 400 percent or higher, payday and car-title loans drain $8 billion in fees on loans averaging $300-$400. Borrowers stuck in more than 10 loans a year generated 75 percent of all payday loan fees. Similarly, 85 percent of car-title loan renewals occur 30 days after a previous one could not be fully repaid.

Across the country, these high-cost lenders are most-often found in communities of color where Blacks, Latinos, and low-wealth families reside. The data and consistency of business locations in these areas suggest that lenders target financially vulnerable consumers.

Upon learning of CFPB’s payday rule, clergy and civil rights leaders who have steadfastly opposed payday and car-title lenders’ triple-digit interest rates were swift to speak in support. Their desire to rein-in the debt trap of these unaffordable loans was both strong and consistent.

“With little accountability for their actions, payday lenders have long preyed upon communities of color and drained them of their hard-earned savings,” said Hilary O. Shelton, the NAACP’s Washington Bureau Director and Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy. “This CFPB rule establishes a much-needed set of transparent responsibilities for lenders and basic rights and protection for borrowers.”

“We will work to defend and strengthen this rule,” continued Shelton, “so Americans face fewer burdens in establishing financial security.”

For Reverend Willie Gable, Jr., Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in New Orleans and Member of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., the country’s largest predominantly African-American religious denomination, the payday rule was both personal and pastoral.

“In my home state of Louisiana, the average payday loan interest rate is 391 percent,” said Reverend Gable, Jr., “With rates this high – and even higher in other states, cash-strapped people who needed only a couple hundred dollars soon discover they are in financial quicksand, paying loan fees were after week, that only sink them deeper into debt.”

“As best I can, I comfort those caught in payday lending’s web of debt,” Gable added. “Yet I also know that it is time for change. These shackles of debt must be broken.”

“President Trump and Congress should get on the side of civil rights advocates, the religious community, consumer organizations, and the public at-large by supporting and strengthening the CFPB’s new rules on payday lending,” challenged Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. “Payday lending is bad for many consumers; but like many predatory scams, it invariably ends up as a weapon against the disadvantaged communities that are least able to bear its terrible burden.”

Looking ahead, many consumer advocates remain hopeful that CFPB will go even further with its rules, to include similar actions against harmful and longer-term loans.

At both the state and federal levels, civil rights leaders and consumer advocates must remain watchful to preserve, expand, and enforce existing interest rate caps now in effect in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Advocates must also remain watchful for any congressional actions that may be taken to preempt or undermine consumer protections.

Oct. 23, 2017

Missing Singer/Songwriter Found Safe in Chicago Hospital
By Hazel Trice Edney

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Nora Shena Payne, singer and songwriter for some of America’s most famous Black music artists, has been found after disappearing Sept. 27 at the Chicago O’hare International Airport. Her mother, Evangelist Norschenia Payne Dobbs, and other loved ones expressed grave concern and sent prayerful appeals on Facebook and through MissingandBlack.com among other media. They were especially concerned because Nora was in need of medical assistance.

“I can’t get through to her cell phone. It’s off. I can’t get any help,”  Evangelist Dobbs, of Niagra Falls, N.Y., said in an interview amidst the search. “The airline has returned her luggage.”

This week, Evangelist Dobbs is giving thanks after learning that her daughter, a youthful 44, had been in a Chicago hospital since around Oct. 2.  

She flew to Chicago Oct. 19 after confirming the news. No further details are available in order to give the family the necessary privacy. "Praise God she is safe, unharmed and is in good hands," Dobbs said in a Facebook Inbox to the Trice Edney News Wire. "She does not know about all of the efforts that we went through to find her." 

Nora Payne was especially close to mega star Michael Jackson, who died June 25, 2009. Nora wrote songs and sang background for Jackson, among a string of other stars such as CeCe Winans and Mary Mary. It was rumored that Jackson was interested in working with her on his next project.

The website, MissingandBlack.com, was majorly instrumental in helping to find Nora as well as her family's Facebook and personal friends, Niagara Falls and Chicago Police Departments. 

"To God Be the Glory - The Payne and Dobbs Family are ecstatic to report that Nora Payne has been found safe," she wrote on Facebook. "Thank you for the prayers as James 5:15 tells us, 'The effective (effectual), fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much.'...Thank you for the warm hugs and words of encouragement. Words can never express the outpouring of love felt, and concern for Nora’s safety. The love was felt from far and near!"

Oct. 16, 2017

As U. S. Starts New Relations With Sudan, Human Rights Watch Calls the Lifting of Sanctions a 'Serious Mistake'

(TriceEdneyWire.com/GIN) – Sudan’s strained relations with the U.S., decades long, have suddenly taken a turn for the better.

In a move that caught some diplomats and human rights defenders by surprise, the U.S. State Department announced the lifting of some of its toughest economic and trade sanctions against Sudan. The initiative was reportedly hammered out in the last days of the Obama administration and is a major step towards normalizing relations with this Eastern African nation whose leader has faced war crimes charges.

Despite the policy change, Sudan remains on a black list of state sponsors of terrorism such as Syria and Iran.

“This is a paradox,” said a perplexed Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour. “We are the best country cooperating on countering terrorism and at the same time we are on the list of state sponsors of terrorism!”

Rocky relations with the U.S. date back to 1967 when Sudan threatened Israel during the Arab-Israeli six day war. Antagonism towards Israel has since cooled and diplomatic channels between the two former enemies have reportedly opened.

Military relations between the U.S. and Sudan were resumed this year along with a pledge by Sudan not to pursue an arms deal with North Korea. President Omar al-Bashir has also lent support to the U.S.-backed war in Yemen with hundreds of troops on the ground, incurring heavy losses.

The development comes as shocking news to rights groups who say that lifting sanctions would reward a government still accused of abuses.

“It’s a serious mistake for these sanctions to be lifted permanently when Sudan has made no progress on human rights,” said Andrea Prasow of Human Rights Watch.

In its objection, Amnesty International cited the use of chemical weapons by Sudanese forces against civilians, including babies and young children, in the restive Darfur region as recently as September.

Supporters of the American decision say that sanctions have done little to encourage reforms or fully resolve a conflict in the Darfur region.  “Sudan is moving towards being reintegrated into the community of acceptable nations,” said Magnus Taylor of the International Crisis Group. “They’re on this ladder, albeit a low rung, but they’re climbing.”