[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 16 Introduced in House (IH)]







111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 16

 Recognizing the threat that the spread of radical Islamist terrorism 
   and Iranian adventurism in Africa poses to the United States, our 
                         allies, and interests.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2009

 Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Royce, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. 
 Rohrabacher, Mr. Manzullo, and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the threat that the spread of radical Islamist terrorism 
   and Iranian adventurism in Africa poses to the United States, our 
                         allies, and interests.

Whereas nearly 500,000,000 Muslims live in Africa, and Islam reportedly is the 
        fastest growing religion on the continent;
Whereas according to the World Bank, Africa hosts the world's largest proportion 
        of people living on less than $1 per day;
Whereas despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Africa 
        practice moderate and tolerant forms of Islam, poverty, corruption, and 
        political marginalization have facilitated the spread of radicalism in a 
        number in areas in Africa, particularly among growing populations of 
        impoverished and disaffected youth;
Whereas the spread of radical Islam undermines the historically moderate 
        influence of Islam in Africa, exacerbates existing political and 
        religious tensions within African nations, provides fertile ground for 
        recruitment by international terrorist organizations, and poses a direct 
        threat to the security of the United States and our partners on the 
        African continent;
Whereas despite the purported intention to target western interests and 
        ``infidels'', attacks perpetrated by radical Islamist terrorist groups 
        in Africa have resulted in a devastatingly disproportionate number of 
        deaths and casualties among Africans and fellow Muslims;
Whereas the terrorist al Qaeda network has publicly expressed its intention to 
        expand in Africa, most notably calling for jihad in Nigeria, Sudan, and 
        Somalia, and Hezbollah has developed a sophisticated and deeply embedded 
        financial infrastructure in a number of African countries;
Whereas, on August 7, 1998, 229 people, including 12 United States citizens, 
        were killed and another 5,000 people were injured during simultaneous 
        car bomb attacks against the United States Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, 
        and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;
Whereas the 1998 East Africa Embassy bombings were the first major terrorist 
        attacks directed against United States interests by Osama bin Laden and 
        his al Qaeda network;
Whereas, on November 8, 2002, nearly simultaneous terrorist attacks were 
        launched in Mombasa, Kenya, including a car bomb attack that killed at 
        least 13 people at the Israeli-owned Paradise Hotel and an unsuccessful 
        missile attack on a charter aircraft as it departed Moi International 
        Airport en route to Israel;
Whereas Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a senior al Qaeda operative from the Comoros 
        Islands who is on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Top 22 Most 
        Wanted list in connection with the 1998 East Africa Embassy bombings and 
        the 2002 attacks in Mombasa, and who most recently has been linked to 
        the al-Shabaab radical Islamist terrorist group in Somalia, reportedly 
        evaded capture in Malindi, Kenya, on August 2, 2008;
Whereas a number of radical Islamist terrorist organizations from Libya, 
        Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria allegedly have merged with al Qaeda and 
        have claimed responsibility for attacks against western interests in 
        North Africa;
Whereas in May 2003, and between March and April 2007, the Moroccan city of 
        Casablanca was rocked by a series of suicide bombings, including a 
        bombing outside the United States Consulate on April 14, 2007, allegedly 
        carried out by members of Salafia Jihadia, an offshoot of the Moroccan 
        Islamic Combatant Group which is believed to have links to al Qaeda, or 
        by members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, also believed to have 
        links to al Qaeda;
Whereas in September 2006, the Algerian radical Islamist terrorist group, the 
        Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), formally merged with al 
        Qaeda, renaming itself al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM);
Whereas AQIM has since claimed responsibility for more than a dozen deadly 
        suicide attacks in Algeria, including the December 2006 attack on a bus 
        belonging to a United States-Algeria joint venture carrying several 
        expatriate workers, the April 11, 2007, simultaneous bombings of 
        multiple targets, including the office of Algeria's prime minister, and 
        the December 11, 2007, bombings of the Algerian Constitutional Council 
        and the United Nations headquarters in Algeria;
Whereas AQIM has found sanctuary in the vast ungoverned spaces of the region, 
        easily crossing the porous borders between Mali, Mauritania, Niger, 
        Algeria, and Chad to recruit extremists for training and terrorist 
        operations in the Trans-Sahara region and beyond;
Whereas in late December 2002, Ethiopian and Transitional Government of Somalia 
        forces overthrew the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which had seized 
        control of vast parts of Somalia and, along with its radical Islamist 
        al-Shabaab militia, are believed to have harbored senior al Qaeda 
        operatives, including Fazul Abdallah Mohammed and Saleh Ali Saleh 
        Nabhan;
Whereas in an Internet video released in January 2007, Ayman al-Zawahiri, a 
        leading al Qaeda figure, urged all mujahedin, specifically those in the 
        Maghreb, to extend support to Somali Muslims in a holy war against 
        occupying Ethiopian forces;
Whereas al-Shabaab has since been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization 
        under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a 
        Specially Designated Global Terrorist under section 1(b) of Executive 
        Order 13224, and is believed to be responsible for numerous suicide 
        bombings, the use of landmines, remote controlled roadside bombs, 
        attacks against African Union peacekeeping forces, and targeted 
        assassinations against Ethiopian and Transitional Government of Somalia 
        security forces, other government officials, journalists, and civil 
        society leaders in Somalia;
Whereas in Nigeria, more than 10,000 people have been killed as a result of 
        violent ethnic and religious clashes over the past decade, 12 of the 
        country's 36 states have proclaimed Islamic Sharia law, and recent press 
        reports indicate that Hezbollah has become active in northern Nigeria;
Whereas Hezbollah has long been active in West Africa, most notably engaging in 
        terrorist financing through the exploitation of blood diamonds which 
        have fueled deadly conflicts in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote 
        d'Ivoire;
Whereas according to the Department of State's 2007 Country Reports on 
        Terrorism, Hezbollah remains the most technically capable terrorist 
        group in the world;
Whereas the 2007 Country Reports on Terrorism also assert that Iran remains 
        ``the most significant state sponsor of terrorism'', that ``a critically 
        important element of Iranian national security strategy is its ability 
        to conduct terrorist operations abroad'', and that ``Hezbollah, a 
        designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, is key to Iran's terrorism 
        strategy'';
Whereas in mid-September 2008, it was reported that the MV Iran Deyanat, a ship 
        owned and operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines 
        (IRISL), a state-owned company run by the Iranian military and currently 
        under United States sanctions, had been hijacked by pirates in the Gulf 
        of Aden while attempting to deliver ``mysterious cargo'', thought to 
        include small arms and chemical weapons, to Eritrea for use by Islamist 
        insurgents in Somalia and that within days, pirates who boarded the ship 
        had developed ``strange health complications, skin burn and loss of 
        hair'';
Whereas it was widely reported nearly two years earlier that Iran had supplied 
        Islamist insurgents in Somalia with sophisticated anti-aircraft and 
        anti-tank weapons, including SA-7 Strella and SA-18 Igla shoulder fired 
        surface-to-air missiles and AT-3 Sagger anti-tank missiles, in direct 
        violation of a United Nations arms embargo;
Whereas in recent years, Iran has embarked upon a campaign to strengthen 
        military, economic, and diplomatic ties with countries on the African 
        Continent;
Whereas, on January 29, 2008, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki 
        declared that 2008 would mark a ``milestone in Iran-Africa ties'', a 
        notion that was reinforced by his attendance three days later at the 
        African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and a subsequent 
        announcement that Iran would soon convene an Iran-Africa Summit in 
        Tehran;
Whereas while many African countries sorely need the increased trade 
        opportunities and investments in energy, agriculture, and infrastructure 
        that Iran has offered, Iran's assistance does not come without a price;
Whereas Senegal and Iran have signed a number of agreements to expand economic 
        relations, including agreements on the construction of an oil refinery, 
        a chemical plant, and an automotive assembly plant in Senegal and, in 
        return, Senegal has expressed support for Iran's nuclear program;
Whereas Iran reportedly is pursuing similar deals for expanded diplomatic 
        relations and strengthened commercial ties with Mali, Malawi, Uganda, 
        Lesotho, Namibia, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, and Cote d'Ivoire, in 
        exchange for support of Iran's nuclear ambitions;
Whereas in exchange for strengthened energy and trade ties, as well as in 
        recognition of Iran's support for the African National Congress during 
        the apartheid era, South Africa frequently has intervened on behalf of 
        Iran at the United Nations Security Council in defense of Iran's nuclear 
        ambitions;
Whereas Iran also is seeking to align itself more closely with fellow despots 
        and ``outposts of tyranny'' on the African Continent;
Whereas Iran is among the top four arms suppliers to the genocidal regime in 
        Khartoum, and, upon visiting Khartoum in March 2007, Iran's defense 
        minister reportedly asserted that developing military ties with Africa 
        and the ``especially brotherly and friendly country of Sudan, is on top 
        of Iran's foreign policy agenda'';
Whereas Zimbabwe's embattled dictator, Robert Mugabe, reportedly was hailed as a 
        hero while visiting Tehran in 2006, proclaiming ``Iran and Zimbabwe 
        think alike'', securing Iran's pledge to shield Zimbabwe from sanctions 
        before the United Nations Security Council, and inking deals to boost 
        energy cooperation, rehabilitate Zimbabwe's oil refinery, and expand 
        agricultural ties;
Whereas after signing four deals to expand bilateral ties with Eritrea in May 
        2008, Iran's leader announced that there was ``no limit for expansion of 
        mutual cooperation'' between Iran and Eritrea and that ``fostering 
        friendship and cooperation among countries that are independent as well 
        as peace and justice-loving is vital for ensuring international peace 
        and cooperation'', even as Eritrean forces were launching a military 
        incursion into neighboring Djibouti;
Whereas up to 2,000 members of the United States Armed Forces currently are 
        stationed at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti as part of the Combined Joint 
        Task Force--Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) to promote regional stability and 
        prevent conflict in the region;
Whereas in August 2006, the Sunday Times (UK) published a report outlining 
        Iran's efforts to smuggle uranium 238 from the Democratic Republic of 
        the Congo, citing a July 18, 2006, report by the United Nations Group of 
        Experts and interviews with Tanzanian customs officials who discovered 
        the shipment;
Whereas while the motivations behind Tehran's adventurism in Africa may vary 
        widely between seeking diplomatic allies among members of the Non-
        aligned Movement, to countering the dominance of Sunni Muslims in the 
        region, to establishing new or expanding existing bases for Hezbollah 
        and other militant Islamist groups, to increasing access to Africa's 
        vast natural resources, including uranium, the threat that Iran poses on 
        the continent must not be overlooked;
Whereas the African continent faces unique development and security challenges 
        which demand significant attention and unique policy approaches;
Whereas the United States provides nearly $9,000,000,000 in assistance to Africa 
        each year, with programs ranging from providing humanitarian relief to 
        strengthening health and education systems, breaking down trade barriers 
        and promoting economic development, combating corruption and other 
        illicit activities, and promoting critical democratic, judicial, and 
        human rights reforms;
Whereas United States military security assistance programs in Africa represent 
        about 3 percent of the United States total aid and development package 
        for Africa;
Whereas a number of African countries have engaged with the United States in 
        efforts to combat terrorism, deny terrorist sanctuary, and disrupt 
        terrorist financing, through programs such as the Tran-Sahara 
        Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP), and the East Africa 
        Counterterrorism Initiative (EACTI);
Whereas a number of African countries also have embarked upon efforts to counter 
        the influence of radical Islamist ideology by promoting religious 
        tolerance and intercommunal dialogue;
Whereas according to the African Union, ``International terrorism over the past 
        decade has come to constitute the most serious threat to global peace, 
        security and development. . . . This unfortunate development and all its 
        evil manifestations around the world and particularly in Africa, 
        undermine the most cherished values and fundamental principles of the 
        21st century'', and ``The African Union strongly condemns all acts and 
        forms of terrorism in Africa and wherever they may occur'';
Whereas in February 2007, the President announced his decision to create a 
        unified command for Africa, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), 
        in an effort to ``[build] partnership capacities, [conduct] theater 
        security cooperation, [build] important counter-terrorism skills and, as 
        appropriate, [support] U.S. Government agencies in implementing other 
        programs that promote regional stability''; and
Whereas while AFRICOM is expected to support, not shape, United States foreign 
        policy in Africa, communicating the purposes of AFRICOM to African 
        governments and citizens remains an important challenge: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the threat that the spread of radical 
        Islamist terrorism and Iranian adventurism in Africa poses to 
        the United States, our allies, and interests;
            (2) acknowledges the commitment and cooperation of some 
        governments and regional organizations in Africa to deny the 
        use of their territory to radical Islamist terrorist 
        organizations and calls on all governments to intensify their 
        efforts toward that end;
            (3) expresses concern over the emerging national security 
        implications of the Iranian regime's efforts to expand its 
        influence in Africa;
            (4) calls on the United States Government to work with 
        governments in Africa to pursue an antiterrorism campaign based 
        on mutual cooperation and constant vigilance;
            (5) urges the United States Government to work bilaterally 
        and multilaterally with countries in Africa to help them create 
        antiterrorism legislation that would give governmental 
        authorities new tools to take action against terrorist 
        networks;
            (6) recommends that the President of the United States 
        create more mechanisms for joint counterterrorism operations 
        and intraregional information sharing among supportive 
        countries in Africa, especially in light of Iran's increased 
        involvement in the region; and
            (7) urges the new, unified Combatant Command for Africa 
        (AFRICOM) to play a constructive role in coordinating United 
        States security objectives in the region in close cooperation 
        with our African partners.
                                 <all>