<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6122895037001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script>
The past couple of years has seen many exciting initiatives relating to Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and the overall Smart City movement develop. Concerns on issues such as job losses, security and ability to surpass human intelligence have been vocalized. Liliosa Muturi, Impact Manager at Samasource Kenya joins CNBC Africa for an understanding the impacts and potential of Artificial Intelligence in East Africa.

Artificial Intelligence: What opportunities and challenges does it bring to East Africa?

<div style="max-width: 700px;"><video-js data-account="1571595826001" data-player="default" data-embed="default" controls="" data-video-id="6091755440001" data-playlist-id="" data-application-id="" class="vjs-fluid"></video-js></div>
<script src="https://players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.min.js"></script>
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is currently in South Africa where talks on trade, human capital development, security and more are being held with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. To assess Nigeria and South Africa’s trade relations Egie Akpata, Director at Union Capital Markets and CNBC Africa reporter Karabo Letlhatlha give insight into this state visit.

Nigeria, South Africa work to bolster trade relations

<div style="display: block; position: relative; max-width: 730px;">
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; left: 0px;" src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6009719306001" allowfullscreen="" border=0 frameborder=0></iframe></div>
</div>
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says his new administration among other things, plans to intensify effort in security. He made this known in a tweet after winning his re-election bid. Tanwa Ashiru, CEO of Bulwark Intelligence joins CNBC Africa to discuss quick fixes to Nigeria’s security challenges.

Strengthening Nigeria’s security strategy

<div style="display: block; position: relative; max-width: 730px;">
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe loading="lazy" style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; left: 0px;" src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5645808108001" width="300" height="150" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
</div>
Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority CEO Uche Orji says security, safety of investments and credibility of government in honouring contracts through various administrations are very important when trying to attract investors to a state.

Here’s how I think Nigeria can spur foreign investment – NSIA CEO

Earl Conteh-Morgan | University of South Florida
During the recent G-20 meeting in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel floated the idea that African countries should be given weapons as part of development aid so that they could be more effective in combating militant groups.
This was a bold departure from the traditional emphasis on economic aid as the bedrock of development efforts in African countries. To many, and for most African states, her statement sounded like a contradiction in terms because spending on arms can divert funds from vital areas such as food security, health care and education.
Over the past 20 years Africa has been transitioning from a focus on economic integration to one on security. Until the late 1990s the emphasis in many regions was on economic integration. This was clear from the consolidation of a number of regional economic integration communities like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
But since the turn of the century, there has been a much bigger focus on security and fighting radical Jihadist groups typically affiliated to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. As of May 2015, there were nine UN Peacekeeping missions in Africa. The big shift towards security started in 2002 when the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) was formed. This was followed by a security partnership being agreed between the African Union and the EU. And then there are sub-regional security forces like Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group and the Sahel G5 states’ counter-terrorism force.
As a result of the growing threat from terror groups, a number of countries, with the help of major powers, have boosted their military capabilities. These include Mali, Nigeria, Cote d&#8217;Ivoire to name a few.
Merkel’s statement was made in the context of many African countries experiencing economic growth while, at the same time, battling militant and terrorist groups.
The view seems to be that by helping Africa contain instability, growth rates will be enhanced, and Europe relieved of mass migrations.
<h2>Increase military capability</h2>
Increased securitisation – the emphasis on a militarily strong state at the expense of basic human needs and a strong civil society – started after the 1998 Al-Qaeda attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. These led to the creation of AFRICOM which included putting active American troops on the continent. Djibouti serves as a forward base for AFRICOM. It also included a commitment from the US to train and advise African countries that request it. Current key beneficiaries of US military assistance are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Uganda Chad, Cameroon, and Mauritania.
In addition, French troops have become more active in Africa. In Mali they are helping the government contain Jihadist organisations in the north of the country.
There are also regional international efforts, such as the security partnership between the European Union the African Union, and the UN Mission established to contain terrorist attacks in the Sahel region. Known as the G5 Sahel force, it includes troop contributions from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
France and the US are also active in the Sahel region providing training and equipment to the militaries of Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Naiger and Mauritania, and engaging in joint exercises with the G5 forces.
Merkel’s proposal is aimed at taking these engagements even further. What’s she’s put on the table is a compact with Africa and the G20 which includes weapons transfer as development aid.
<h2>Implications</h2>
Merkel’s suggestion would mean more weapons on a continent that is already awash with small arms and light weapons. It can’t be denied that Africa as a secure continent would benefit Europe. But weapons as development aid sounds like a contradiction. Do weapon transfers in fact contribute to development?
There are studies that show that the acquisition of weapons by developing countries doesn’t contribute to development.
I believe that more weapons on the continent would have the opposite effect. The African continent already has a great deal of weapons which exacerbate civil strife. Evidence points to the fact that weapons transfers are responsible for conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Somalia, among others.
More weapons and an increased military presence for incumbent African regimes could have negative consequences.
Firstly, it could lead to even more violations of the rule of law as incumbent regimes become militarily stronger.
Secondly, it would improve the changes of regimes surviving longer. They would have the wherewithall to violate human rights even more, as well as suppress opposition voices. And finally, weapons could be diverted to rebel groups through political corruption or for personal selfish objectives.
In conclusion the G20 Compact with Africa is very encouraging. But when it comes to the transfer of more weapons, donors and investors should make sure that this is done under strict rules and regulations. Conditions for receiving aid should also be based on strict adherence to the rule of law, and in particular democratic processes.
In the end the biggest emphasis should be on private investments – as set out in the compact – which will generate millions of jobs for the unemployed.
&nbsp;
This article was first published on The Conversation.

Op-Ed: The danger of supplementing aid to Africa with weapons

<div style="display: block; position: relative; max-width: 640px;">
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; left: 0px;" src="//players.brightcove.net/1571595826001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5540555019001" allowfullscreen="" border=0 frameborder=0></iframe></div>
</div>
Insecurity continues to be a recurring problem across West Africa, with the latest events in Burkina Faso adding to the long list of militant attacks in the region.

Expert advice on how to deal with insecurity in West Africa

Idrissa Sangare and Adama Diarra
BAMAKO (Reuters) &#8211; A new alliance of Islamist militant groups linked to al Qaeda on Monday claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least five people at a Mali luxury resort popular with Western expatriates just outside the capital Bamako.
The assailants stormed the hotel on Sunday afternoon, opening fire on guests and battling with French and Malian special forces deployed to try to free those trapped inside.
Mali&#8217;s Security Ministry said in a statement late on Monday that four of the dead were guests and one was a local soldier who died in the firefight.
The nationalities of the dead were a French-Malian, a French-Gabonese, a Chinese, a Portuguese and a Malian soldier, the ministry said. The European Union&#8217;s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, confirmed that two of the dead were working for its mission there.
Although the attackers succeeded in mounting a lethal assault, security forces backed by French and United Nations troops managed to rescue around 60 residents in two batches on Sunday night, including 13 French citizens and several children.
Some survived thanks to a hotel cashier who led them to a cave embedded in the red-earth hillside near the hotel, according to an interview he gave to Radio France International (RFI).
&#8220;This was without doubt a terrorist attack,&#8221; Security Minister Salif Traore told RFI on Monday.
His ministry&#8217;s statement added that authorities had killed four attackers and arrested five others.
Earlier in the day, Traore said some of the militants&#8217; accomplices were still at large. Several security forces were still being treated for serious injuries.
DESERT NORTH
French troops and a 10,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force have been battling to stabilise Mali, a former French colony, ever since France intervened in 2013 to push back jihadists and allied Tuareg rebels who had taken over the country&#8217;s desert north a year earlier.
The alliance that claimed the attack, Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, was created earlier this year from a merger of local groups and is led by a notorious Tuareg commander. It was later endorsed by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Islamist groups have claimed increasingly frequent attacks on Western targets in Mali and the wider West Africa region, including a raid on a Bamako hotel in late 2015 which killed 20 people.
But analysts said security forces appeared to have responded more quickly this time than in previous such attacks.
&#8220;One thing is sure: They are becoming more responsive,&#8221; said Adam Thiam, a Malian analyst and expert on the conflict. He said this was partly because an elite counterterrorism unit was now properly up and running.
&#8220;They&#8217;re specialised in this kind of operation,&#8221; he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to the leader of Mali after the attack and pledged his country&#8217;s full support for the country, Macron&#8217;s office said on Monday. 
&#8220;France condemns with utmost firmness this murderous attack,&#8221; the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The African Union condemned the attack and reiterated its commitment to support Mali in combating terrorism.
Earlier this month, the United States warned its citizens about a possible increased threat of attacks against places popular with Westerners.
&#8220;I am tired, shocked. I have no other words to say,&#8221; the resort owner Manou Morgane, a French national, told Reuters TV overnight. &#8220;All I want to do is to see the list of my clients. I want to find them (anyone missing).&#8221;
(Additional reporting by Andrei Khalip in Lisbon and Tim Cocks in Dakar; Writing by Tim Cocks and Emma Farge; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
&nbsp;

Al Qaeda-linked group claims deadly attack at Mali resort

<div id="article-byline">
Idrissa Sangare
BAMAKO (Reuters) &#8211; Unidentified gunmen killed four guests at a Mali luxury resort popular with Western expatriates just outside the capital Bamako, and one other guest is still missing, a security source at the scene said on Monday.
One of the victims of Sunday&#8217;s attack was Portuguese and one Cameroonian, the security source said. Authorities had on Sunday confirmed two deaths and identified one as French-Gabonese. [nL8N1JF0SP] The source said the fourth victim had not been identified.
Security forces backed by French and U.N. troops mobilised quickly when the attack was underway, rescuing 36 residents including 13 French citizens. [nL8N1JF0SP]
Security Minister Salif Traore told Radio France International on Monday that &#8220;five terrorists were killed&#8221; in operations that continued throughout the night.
&#8220;This was without doubt a terrorist attack,&#8221; he told the radio station.
The resort was still cordoned off by late morning on Monday as a Malian anti-terrorist squad combed the area for the missing person, a Reuters witness said. A U.N. mission helicopter was circling overhead.
Traore said the militants had some accomplices who had not been killed or detained. On Sunday night, authorities reported that two of the assailants had been killed.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
French troops and a 10,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force have been battling to stabilise Mali, a former French colony, ever since France intervened in 2013 to push back jihadists and allied Tuareg rebels who had taken over the country&#8217;s desert north a year earlier.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb and other Islamist groups have claimed attacks on Western targets in Mali and the wider West Africa region in the past.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to the leader of Mali after the attack and pledged France&#8217;s full support for the country, Macron&#8217;s office said on Monday. [nP6N1IJ021]
&#8220;I am tired, shocked. I have no other words to say,&#8221; the resort owner Manou Morgane, a French national, told Reuters TV overnight. &#8220;All I want to do is to see the list of my clients. I want to find them (anyone missing).&#8221;
(Writing and additional reporting by Tim Cocks in Dakar; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
</div>

Four guests killed in Mali resort attack – security source

MOGADISHU (Reuters) &#8211; At least 19 people were killed when Islamist attackers launched a car bomb and gun attack on a busy hotel and adjacent restaurant in the Somali capital, a police officer said on Thursday.
A car driven by a suicide bomber rammed into the Posh Hotel in south Mogadishu on Wednesday evening before gunmen rushed into Pizza House, an adjacent restaurant, and took 20 people hostage. Posh Hotel is the only venue with a discotheque in the capital.
Abdi Bashir told Reuters the Somali security forces took control of the restaurant at midnight after the gunmen held hostages inside for several hours. Five of the gunmen were killed, Bashir said.
&#8220;We are in control of the hotel but it was mostly destroyed by the suicide bomber,&#8221; he told Reuters by phone.
Witnesses said there were bodies lying at the scene on Thursday morning as ambulances came to take them away.
Al Shabaab, the Islamist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack.
(Reporting by Faisal Omar; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
&nbsp;

At least 19 killed in hotel attack in Somalia’s capital

Ayman Al Warfalli | BENGHAZI, Libya
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been freed by an armed group in western Libya where he was being held following the 2011 revolt against his late father, former leader Muammar Gaddafi, one of his lawyers and the brigade involved said.
He was released in the town of Zintan under an amnesty law passed by a parliament based in eastern Libya, lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi said on Sunday, adding that Saif was headed to another city which could not be named for security reasons.
Saif, 44, is the most prominent of the late leader&#8217;s children, and was touted by some as a possible successor before the uprising six years ago in which Gaddafi was toppled and killed.
It is unclear what role the younger Gaddafi could play in Libya, where a complex array of armed groups and competing governments are vying for control.
<div class="teads-inread">But some in eastern Libya, where military commander Khalifa Haftar has been building power, have been pressing for Saif&#8217;s release amid a push from former regime figures to reassert influence.</div>
Earlier reports that Saif had been freed from Zintan turned out to be false and there have been conflicting reports about his status.
Zintan&#8217;s Abubaker Sadiq brigade, which was responsible for guarding Saif, said it had decided to release him following requests from the ministry of justice of a government based in eastern Libya.
&#8220;We decided to release Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, who is free, and we confirm that he left Zintan on the date of his release on the 14th of Ramadan (Friday),&#8221; the brigade said.
A Tripoli court sentenced Saif to death in 2015 for war crimes, including killing protesters during the revolution.
Libya slid into turmoil after his father&#8217;s overthrow, with rival governments and armed alliances competing for power. A U.N.-backed government now in Tripoli has struggled to impose its authority and has been rejected by powerful factions in the east.
Zintan, which grew powerful through its role in the 2011 uprising and has been at odds with authorities in Tripoli, had refused to hand Saif over. He is also sought by the International Criminal Court, which says his trial in Libya did not meet international standards.
It was unknown what terms Saif&#8217;s captors might have set for his release, and why they would have freed a prisoner seen as a major bargaining chip.
Zintan, about 145 km (90 miles) southwest of Tripoli, has its own divisions, but it has been broadly aligned with the government and armed forces based in eastern Libya.
A statement from Zintan&#8217;s military and municipal councils strongly condemned the decision to release Saif.
It said the move had &#8220;nothing to do with the legal procedures, but is collusion and betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and the military institution that they claim to belong to&#8221;.
(Additional reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by Patrick Markey and Jason Neely)

Gaddafi son Saif freed in Libya, whereabouts unclear – lawyer

Elias Biryabarema | KAMPALA
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered his security chiefs on Tuesday to stop torture by their personnel after media images of a detained politician with septic wounds on his body stirred public outrage.
Human rights activists said those images and other recent incidents where suspects have appeared in court with torture marks on their bodies point to escalating brutality and impunity on the part of Ugandan security personnel.
Pictures began circulating online and in local media last week of Geoffrey Byamukama, mayor of a small town in western Uganda, who was arrested last month on suspicion he participated in the murder of a senior police official in March. [
<blockquote>In a letter emailed to news media, Museveni told heads of the military, police and intelligence services that torture was &#8220;not consonant with logic &#8230; The use of torture is unnecessary and wrong and must not be used again&#8221;.</blockquote>
Opposition supporters and activists have long said they have been subjected to excessive force by Ugandan security services as a show of loyalty to Museveni, who has been in power since 1986 and is one of Africa&#8217;s longest serving rulers.
Security personnel often disperse opposition meetings and demonstrations with arrests, tear gas and beatings.
Critics say Museveni increasingly relies on brute force by security personnel to blunt growing opposition to his rule. Ugandan officials have denied such accusations.
Maria Burnett, associate director at Human Rights Watch&#8217;s Africa division, told Reuters that torture was pervasive in Uganda and &#8220;overlooked and ignored on a daily basis&#8221;.
She said Museveni&#8217;s directive was notable for lacking any call for investigations and accountability into past incidents of torture. &#8220;Without accountability, the government&#8217;s statements smack of public relations and not a fundamental commitment to root out this abusive practice.&#8221;
Ugandan law criminalises torture and police have pledged in the past to investigate and prosecute officers accused of engaging in it. But such prosecutions have been extremely rare.
In his letter, Museveni warned that torture posed &#8220;possible mistakes that may even interfere with the fight against crime&#8221;.
He said there was the risk of torture being used on entirely innocent people and of some detainees being forced into false confessions to escape their ordeal.
Museveni won re-election to his latest term last year but the vote lacked credibility and transparency, international monitors said. His main rival, Kizza Besigye, maintains he won the election but that Museveni stole his victory.
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; editing by George Obulutsa and Mark Heinrich)
&nbsp;

Uganda’s Museveni orders halt to torture by security personnel

Patrick Markey and Samia Errazzouki | ALGIERS/RABAT
The United Nations Security Council unanimously backed attempts to restart talks between Morocco and the Polisario independence movement over the Western Sahara conflict, and extended its peacekeeping mission there for another year.
The resolution came after the U.N. mission confirmed the Polisario had withdrawn troops from the Guerguerat area of the territory, a vast swath of desert bordering the Atlantic Ocean that has been contested since 1975.
They had faced off in Guerguerat since 2016 with Morocco, which pulled its forces back earlier this year.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this month called for Morocco and the Polisario Front, which fought a war over the region until a 1991 ceasefire, to enter new negotiations that would include proposals from both sides.
&#8220;This action should improve the prospects of creating an environment that will facilitate early implementation of Mr. Guterres&#8217;s determination to relaunch the negotiating process,&#8221; the U.N. spokesman said in a statement noting Morocco&#8217;s early pullback and confirming Polisario&#8217;s withdrawal.
Morocco claimed Western Sahara after colonial Spain left, but Polisario fought a guerrilla war for independence for the Sahrawi people there until the U.N.-backed ceasefire.
U.N. talks have long failed to broker an agreement on how to decide on self-determination. Morocco wants an autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty. But Polisario wants a U.N.-backed referendum including on the question of independence.
The U.N. resolution on Friday extended the U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MINURSO, until April 30, 2018 and called on the parties to resume a fifth round of talks.
Against a backdrop of decades of past political failures and mistrust, the resolution noted Morocco&#8217;s 2007 autonomy proposal and welcomed Rabat&#8217;s &#8220;serious&#8221; efforts to progress.
It also emphasised Polisario&#8217;s 2007 proposal, which calls for a referendum between independence, integration with Morocco and self-governance.
Past attempts to broker a deal have been fallen apart over details mostly on referendum terms, including who should be allowed to vote.
REGIONAL HOPES
Morocco&#8217;s foreign ministry said in a statement the kingdom was satisfied with the resolution, and hoped for a &#8220;real process&#8221; toward a solution, which it said should be the autonomy initiative.
Morocco also called for neighbouring Mauritania as well as Algeria, which backs Polisario and maintains tense relations with Rabat, to be involved in negotiations.
&#8220;All parties must assume their responsibilities, Algeria must assume its responsibility,&#8221; Foreign Minister Nacer Bourita told reporters in Rabat. &#8220;Algeria is the missing key.&#8221;
That position has in the past been rejected by Polisario which sees the conflict only between itself and Rabat.
Algeria&#8217;s Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra on Saturday called the resolution a victory for the Sahrawi cause that put the process &#8220;back on track&#8221;, according to the APS state news agency.
The dispute also reflect splits in the security council. France backs former colony Morocco, and Polisario&#8217;s self-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has been supported by some non-permanent council members and South Africa.
Friday&#8217;s UN resolution noted the need for more support for Sahrawi refugees who fled the conflict and have since lived in camps in the south of Algeria.
Since the 1991 ceasefire, the region has effectively been split by an earthen wall separating an area controlled by Morocco that it claims as its southern provinces, and territory controlled by the Polisario with a U.N.-mandated buffer zone between them.
U.N. peacekeepers intervened in a standoff last year after Moroccan forces crossed beyond the earthen wall in Guerguerat near the Mauritania border and Polisario responded by dispatching troops to the area.
(Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Toby Chopra and John Stonestreet)

UN Security Council backs new Western Sahara talks push

By Abdi Sheikh
Somalia&#8217;s president replaced his security chiefs on Thursday and called on al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents to surrender within 60 days in return for education and jobs.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, speaking days after U.S. President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration granted the U.S. military broader authority to carry out air strikes in Somalia, said tackling the al Shabaab insurgency was his top priority.
&#8220;We have ordered all the security forces and military to be ready for making peace and today there is a new change in the military commanders, security officials,&#8221; Mohamed, dressed in military uniform, told reporters.
Somalia has been at war since 1991, when clan-based warlords overthrew the president then turned on each other. A widespread drought has brought the country to the brink of famine and the U.N. says half the population will need aid by July.
Mohamed named a new military commander, director of national security and intelligence, commander of police and a new head of prison forces. He also appointed a new mayor for the capital Mogadishu.
U.S. forces have been carrying out drone strikes in Somalia in support of the government. Trump has given his military broader powers to attack militants even if they are not engaging partnered forces.
Mohamed did not mention the new U.S. directive, but emphasised that Somali troops should take the lead and added in a statement: &#8220;We want to pardon the Somali youth who were misled by al Shabaab.
&#8220;The government cordially welcomes them. We shall give them education; we shall create jobs for them. We do not want to kill our youth. We urge you again to leave al Shabaab as soon as possible.
&#8220;You have 60 days.&#8221;
Al Shabaab, which aims to impose its own harsh version of Islam in Somalia, is carrying out increasingly deadly bombings despite losing most of its territory to a 22,000-strong African Union peacekeepers supporting the Somali government.
The group aims to expel the peacekeepers and topple Somalia&#8217;s Western-backed government.
Among the new president&#8217;s chief challenges will be paying his military, who rampaged through the streets of Mogadishu earlier this year, saying they had not received their $100 salaries for several months.
(Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Katharine Houreld and Ralph Boulton)

Somali president shakes up security agencies, urges militants’ surrender

Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila pledged on Wednesday to restore order to the country&#8217;s restive Kasai region, where a worsening insurgency poses the most serious threat to his 16-year rule.
Kabila&#8217;s failure to step down when his two-term mandate expired in December has further destabilised the loosely governed central African giant. Millions died in regional wars from 1996-2003 and dozens of armed groups still operate.
The Kamuina Nsapu insurrection erupted Kasai-Central province last August as a dispute over a customary chieftancy but has since spread to four other provinces, killing hundreds while taking on an increasingly political tone.
In a rare address to parliament, Kabila said he had designated Kasai an &#8220;operational sector&#8221; and called on militia members to lay down their arms.
<blockquote>&#8220;Confronted with these unacceptable atrocities committed against innocent victims &#8230; we can no longer defer our responsibility to re-establish state authority in this part of the country by all possible legal means,&#8221; Kabila said.</blockquote>
The United Nations has accused both government forces and militia fighters of rights abuses and said it has credible reports that the army has carried out summary executions against suspected militants.
The government denies that its forces employ excessive force but has charged seven soldiers with crimes including for murder and mutilation in connection with a video that appears to show troops massacring suspected militia members.
The U.N. mission in Congo warned in a statement on Wednesday that an intensified military response &#8220;will only exacerbate the violence and further place the civilian population in danger&#8221;.
The mission also said this week that it has confirmed the presence of 23 mass grave sites in the region.
Under a deal struck with the opposition in December, Kabila can stay in office until after an election required to be held by the end of this year.
However, negotiations to implement the accord collapsed last week amid a disagreement over the procedure for nominating a new prime minister from the main opposition bloc.
Kabila said in his speech that if the impasse persisted, he would go ahead and name a prime minister in the next 48 hours, a move fiercely opposed by opposition leadership.
(Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Joe Bavier and Alison Williams)

Congo’s President Kabila promises to restore security to restive centre

Kenyan airlines have been granted security clearance by U.S. authorities for direct flights to the United States, Kenya&#8217;s minister of transport said on Thursday, having improved infrastructure at Nairobi&#8217;s main airport.
Kenya now has Category 1 security and safety status and hopes that will allow it to boost trade with the U.S. and increase its share of American tourists, James Macharia said.
&#8220;Kenya Airways will immediately apply for approval to codeshare with U.S. airlines while concurrently pursuing approval for direct flights,&#8221; he told a news conference.
The government has a stake in flag carrier Kenya Airways and has recently finished building a new terminal and plans to spend more on Jomo Kenyatta International airport.
Kenya has suffered frequent attacks by Islamist militants from neighbouring Somalia in recent years.
 
(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Louise Ireland)﻿

Kenya granted security clearance by U.S. for direct flights

Cyberspace is rapidly becoming a hostile environment in which to do business. The 2016 Global Threat Intelligence Report revealed that there were 6.2 billion cyber-attacks in 2015 alone, while the International Data Corporation predicts that by 2018, two thirds of corporate networks will experience an Internet of Things security breach as malicious hackers continue to target business networks, systems and devices. Their purpose? To steal data that can be exploited. This puts enormous pressure on businesses to defend their digital assets and employee devices against criminals armed with the latest technology. As hacker tools become more advanced, businesses are having to find newer, smarter ways to fight off these attacks. One way of effectively addressing cybercrime is for organisations to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI)-led security technology.
 By making use of AI in cybersecurity it becomes possible for organisations to shift the focus onto cyberattack prevention and detection, finally making security proactive and predictive instead of reactive. As rapidly as AI is becoming a growing trend, so too is the Internet of Things (IoT) expanding and as the proliferation of devices and sensors connected to the IoT continues, the sheer volume of data being created will skyrocket to an unbelievable level. While this data can give us valuable insight into the operational reality of what is working well within an organisation and what is not, there are a few things that organisations need to know about the benefits of AI and how to steer clear of the associated potential pitfalls to successfully prevent cyber-crime.
Defining AI
Realistically speaking, AI is a system or a program that has built-in algorithms designed to work out probabilities for risk materialisation, based on different types of mathematical calculations. Intelligence implies that such a system is capable of doing more than just logging and collecting information as it passes through the system. It is capable of automatically conducting certain analyses on information as it is received after which the system can then action. Previously a security system was only capable of responding with an alert trigger based on pre-defined thresholds which would then require human intervention to deal with the threat, but with AI it is now possible for the system to respond without being prompted. Businesses are already using Advanced Threat Protection systems and due to integration with other security and network entities, such a system can take action and can communicate with the firewall to initiate a block protocol in response without having to wait for a human to make the call.
The benefits of leveraging AI to prevent cyber-attacks are numerous. The IoT is (and will continue) to amass huge amounts of data &#8211; the challenge lies in finding ways to analyse and identify trends in this information that produced by devices and collected by sensors connected to the IoT.  Because it simply is not humanly possible for us to review and understand this volume of data, AI becomes a way for us to make sense of it all by improving the speed and accuracy of data analysis. With AI, an organisation can pre-program thresholds and different parameters within the system itself to enable it to act without requiring human input. While it’s not currently possible to get levels of complete automation, if the system is intelligent enough to handle 90% of security incidents, that will go a long way to reducing time to identify threats and enable a much faster response as well.
Getting to know AI
Since the intelligence we are talking about is artificial which means it is created by a human. This is where weakness lies, or at least the potential to make a fatal mistake. If there is a problem the algorithm could trigger the wrong action or alert within the system and that is where matters are most likely to go awry. There is also the very real possibility that because such systems are customised based on certain parameters, a flawed system will result from incorrect configuration and will accordingly generate a lot of false positives. So it’s important to stress that the customisation of the AI security system must fit the environment precisely. This means it is possible to instruct the system as to exactly what parameters it is operating within, and this process is known as ‘profiling’.
The first step in the journey to adopting security measures led by AI software is to profile the system, network and environment as a whole to define the parameters of normalcy within which the intelligent system will operate. From there, if the profiling has been done correctly and by continuously working to tweak and fine-tune parameters, it will become possible for an organisation to automate about 95% of cyber security tasks. AI will take some time to build up to full efficacy given that the system will need to get to know the environment through behaviour profiling, but the more data a learning algorithm receives the smarter it becomes. Bear in mind that the early stages of implementation will involve false positives (making up the 5% of scenarios requiring human intervention) but these will be the exceptions and at the very least will draw attention to a problem that needs to be addressed within the system itself.
Approach with caution
To minimise the space for human error, it is advisable to make use of a cybersecurity specialist who has the experience and qualifications to understand each environment and follow the best practices in terms of deployment of AI solutions. It would not be prudent to take a big bang approach to deployment and simply plug in the system and expect it to work. It is critical to have followed the right process and this starts with profiling. Only once profiling is done is it possible to fully understand the traffic on the network and system, after which the parameters can be defined. Once the parameters are clear, only then should an organisation start gradually implementing various controls and making the switch from passive monitoring to actively responding to threats. ﻿

Op-Ed: How Artificial Intelligence can outsmart cybercrime

South Africa&#8217;s President Jacob Zuma has authorised more than 400 soldiers to join the security team at his annual state of the nation speech this week, drawing outrage from opponents who called it &#8220;militarisation&#8221;.
Since the radical left wing Economic Freedom Fighters&#8217; (EFF) won seats in parliament at 2014 elections, Zuma&#8217;s speech to open parliament has been a chaotic affair with EFF lawmakers chanting and jeering at the president over corruption scandals.
At Zuma&#8217;s address in 2015, parliamentary security guards disguised as waiters physically removed EFF members from the chamber, but this is the first time soldiers will be deployed as security rather than a ceremonial role.
&#8220;President Jacob Zuma has authorised the employment of members of the South African National Defence Force for service in cooperation with the South African Police Service to maintain law and order,&#8221; a presidency statement said late on Tuesday.
The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) said it condemned the decision and would be asking the Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete for an explanation.
&#8220;This announcement is deeply concerning,&#8221; the DA said in a statement on Wednesday.
&#8220;President Zuma’s deliberate use of the words &#8216;law and order&#8217; in his statement points to an excessive use of the army outside of their ceremonial role in the annual fanfare.&#8221;﻿

security

Artificial Intelligence: What opportunities and challenges does it bring to East Africa?

Nigeria, South Africa work to bolster trade relations

Strengthening Nigeria’s security strategy

Here’s how I think Nigeria can spur foreign investment – NSIA CEO

Op-Ed: The danger of supplementing aid to Africa with weapons

Expert advice on how to deal with insecurity in West Africa

Al Qaeda-linked group claims deadly attack at Mali resort

Four guests killed in Mali resort attack – security source

At least 19 killed in hotel attack in Somalia’s capital

Gaddafi son Saif freed in Libya, whereabouts unclear – lawyer

Uganda’s Museveni orders halt to torture by security personnel

UN Security Council backs new Western Sahara talks push

Somali president shakes up security agencies, urges militants’ surrender

Congo’s President Kabila promises to restore security to restive centre

Kenya granted security clearance by U.S. for direct flights

Op-Ed: How Artificial Intelligence can outsmart cybercrime

South Africa's Zuma to deploy over 400 soldiers at state address

News Tips

Advertise With Us

security

Artificial Intelligence: What opportunities and challenges does it bring to East Africa?

Nigeria, South Africa work to bolster trade relations

Strengthening Nigeria’s security strategy

Here’s how I think Nigeria can spur foreign investment – NSIA CEO

Op-Ed: The danger of supplementing aid to Africa with weapons

Expert advice on how to deal with insecurity in West Africa

Al Qaeda-linked group claims deadly attack at Mali resort

Four guests killed in Mali resort attack – security source

At least 19 killed in hotel attack in Somalia’s capital

Gaddafi son Saif freed in Libya, whereabouts unclear – lawyer

Uganda’s Museveni orders halt to torture by security personnel

UN Security Council backs new Western Sahara talks push

Somali president shakes up security agencies, urges militants’ surrender

Congo’s President Kabila promises to restore security to restive centre

Kenya granted security clearance by U.S. for direct flights

Op-Ed: How Artificial Intelligence can outsmart cybercrime

South Africa's Zuma to deploy over 400 soldiers at state address

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters