2013 WAS AN EVENTFUL YEAR IN EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA.
VOA CORRESPONDENT GABE JOSELOW WAS THERE COVERING MAJOR EVENTS IN THE REGION, AND YOU'VE SEEN
HIM A LOT ON OUR SHOW, SHARING HIS INSIGHTS FROM THE GROUND.
FROM RENEWED FIGHTING IN SUDAN'S DARFUR REGION AND THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, AND THE
DEADLY MALL SHOOTING IN NAIROBI, GABE HAS BEEN A REPORTER ON THE MOVE.
I CAUGHT UP WITH GABE WHILE HE WAS IN WASHINGTON TO REFLECT ON SOME OF THESE STORIES, AND HIS
MORE THAN TWO YEARS AS A CORRESPONDENT IN AFRICA.
HERE'S WHAT HE TOLD ME.
GABE, YOU'VE BEEN IN AFRICA REPORTING FOR VOA AS A CORRESPONDENT NOW FOR TWO YEARS.
WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU AS THE MOST PERSONALLY IMPACTFUL STORY THAT YOU'VE COVERED?
I'D SAY FOR SURE THAT STORY HAPPENED IN SEPTEMBER IN KENYA WHEN THE WESTAGE SHOPPING MALL WAS
ATTACKED IN NAIROBI.
THIS WAS A STORY THAT WAS JUST THE MOST PERSONAL AND SOMETHING THAT WAS, A MALL THAT I HAD
BEEN TO MANY TIMES.
OVER THE COURSE OF FOUR DAYS, KENYAN FORCES BATTLED AL-SHABAB TERRORIST WHO TURNED AN
UPSCALE SHOPPING CENTER INTO A SCENE OF HORROR.
THE GUNS HAVE BEEN SILENCED NOW, BUT FOR SOME VICTIMS, THE TRAUMA IS STILL ALL TOO REAL.
CHARLES OSWAGO, A MECHANIC IN NAIROBI, WAS INSIDE THE MALL THAT DAY, GETTING A NEW LINE
FOR HIS CELL PHONE.
CORNERED IN A SUPERMARKET, THE GUNMEN TOLD HIM TO LIE ON THE FLOOR.
HE BARELY ESACPED WITH HIS LIFE.
"WE CRAWLED AWAY TO HIDE, BUT THEY SHOT AT ME AND THE BULLET JUST MISSED."
OSWAGO SAYS SINCE HIS EXPERIENCE, HE HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME.
"FROM THAT TIME I HAVE BEEN TRAUMATIZED, LIVING IN FEAR, AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY BUT I
HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO COME TO WORK."
IT WAS AN ATTACK THAT PEOPLE KNEW WAS COMING, IN A WAY.
BECAUSE WE HAD HAD SECURITY WARNINGS.
THE GROUP RESPONSIBLE, AL-SHABAB, HAD SPECIFICALLY THREATENED THAT THEY WOULD ATTACK NAIROBI
FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, AND THAT MALL WAS TOP OF THE LIST.
BUT WE SPENT JUST DAYS AND DAYS OUTSIDE THIS MALL IMAGINING WHAT SORT OF ATROCITIES COULD
BE TAKING PLACE INSIDE.
AND KNOWING THAT MALL, AND KNOWING THE SCENE AND KNOWING THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN SOME CASES
-- KNOWING FRIENDS OF FRIENDS WHO WERE INSIDE THERE -- SO THAT ONE WAS JUST PERSONALLY DIFFICULT
TO COVER.
IT WAS ALSO DIFFICULT FROM A REPORTING STANDPOINT BECAUSE WE WEREN'T GETTING A LOT OF INFORMATION.
SO FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, REALLY FRUSTRATING, REALLY DIFFICULT, AND SOMETHING THAT TOOK
A LONG TIME TO GET OVER.
I'M NOT SURE IF I'VE REALLY HAVE GOTTEN OVER IT, OR IF A LOT OF THE JOURNALISTS WORKING
IN NAIROBI HAVE.
BECAUSE IT WAS QUITE TRAUMATIC AND IT SORT OF CHANGES YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE CITY.
YOUR COVERAGE HAS NOT JUST BEEN LIMITED, AS YOU MENTIONED, TO NAIRBOI, TO KENYA.
YOU'VE ALSO BEEN A NUMBER OF PLACES ON REPORTING ASSIGNMENTS.
I WANTED TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THOSE PLACES AND HAVE YOU DESCRIBE TO US MAYBE ONE WORD
OR A FEW WORDS THAT COME TO MIND FROM YOUR EXPERIENCES THERE.
SO LETS START WITH SOMALIA.
SOMALIA.
SOMALIA IS COMPLICATED.
SOMALIA IS A COUNTRY THAT, THERE'S A LOT OF HOPE THERE, SINCE THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN
ESTABLISHED AND THEY'VE GOTTEN RID OF THE MAJORITY OF THE TERRORIST ELEMENT THAT WAS
SEIZING THE CITY OF MOGADISHU FOR SO LONG, AND ARE MAKING MILITARY VICTORIES THROUGHOUT
THE COUNTRY; THERE'S A LOT OF HOPE.
AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S STILL THE SCENE OF A LOT OF VIOLENCE, A LOT OF CONFLICT, A LOT
OF CAR BOMBINGS, IT'S UNPREDICTABLE.
THE PIRACY STILL GOING ON...
PIRACY IS CERTAINLY STILL A PROBLEM SO I'D SAY UNPREDICTABLE IS ANOTHER WORD I'D USE
TO DESCRIBE IT.
YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN THERE NEXT.
IT'S SOMETHING TO WATCH OUT FOR.
RIGHT.
NOW MOVING ON TO THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC.
UNDER REPORTED.
THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC IS A PLACE I THINK NEEDS A LOT MORE ATTENTION.
IT'S A COUNTRY THAT HAS BEEN RIVEN BY VIOLENCE SINCE IT DECLARED INDEPENDENCE IN 1960.
RIGHT NOW, THE CURRENT REBELLION AND THE CURRENT TENSION HAS BEEN MUCH WORSE THAN THEY'VE EXPERIENCED
IN A LONG, LONG TIME.
AND THERE'S MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY IT, AND DISPLACED, HUNGRY, MISSING...LACKING
MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND EVERYTHING.
AND YET IT DOESN'T GET A WHOLE LOT OF ATTENTION.
RIGHT.
NOW I WANT TO DO ONE MORE, ANOTHER PLACE WHERE YOU'VE SPENT TIME: SOUTH SUDAN.
SOUTH SUDAN.
YOU KNOW, I STILL THINK OF IT, JUST THINK OF INDEPENDENCE.
I MEAN, THAT WAS THE FIRST STORY THAT I COVERED WHEN I TOOK THIS ASSIGNMENT, BACK IN 2011,
WAS SOUTH SUDAN DECLARING INDEPENDENCE.
AND IT WAS AN AMAZING TIME, BECAUSE THERE WAS JUST SO MUCH HOPE AND SO MUCH GOOD WILL
GOING TOWARDS THAT NATION.
NOW IT'S BEEN A COUPLE YEARS SINCE THEN AND THERE'S BEEN SOME STUMBLING; THE GOVERNMENT
CERTAINLY HASN'T PUT ITSELF TOGETHER THE WAY PEOPLE HOPED IT WOULD.
THERE'S STILL LINGERING CONFLICT AND TENSION WITH NORTH SUDAN AND ECONOMIC ISSUES.
SO IT'S NOT CLEAR.
IT'S TAKEN ITS VERY SHAKY FIRST STEPS; STILL IT MAY BE TOO EARLY TO SAY IF IT WILL EVER
BE ABLE TO RIGHT ITSELF OR WHAT DIRECTION IT'S GOING.
BUT IT'S A COUNTRY I FEEL VERY ATTACHED TO FOR THAT REASON; LIKE WHEN I FIRST CAME TO
AFRICA IT WAS FIRST BECOMING A COUNTRY.
AND SO, I THINK I'LL ALWAYS BE INTERESTED IN WATCHING IT DEVELOP.
AND OUR THANKS, AS ALWAYS, TO VOA CORRESPONDENT GABE JOSELOW.
WE EXPECT TO BE TALKING WITH GABE MANY MORE TIMES IN 2014 AS HE CONTINUES TO FOLLOW EVENTS
FOR US IN EAST AFRICA.