Did the US National Security Agency and the GHCQ(UK) spy on Dr. Ibn Chambas Phone?

 

Latest Disclosures by NSA leaker Edward Snowden show that, the US National Security Agency and the GHCQ(UK) spied on Ibn Chambas for years when he worked with ECOWAS.

Interestingly, transcripts were taken during the intercepts from Dr. Chambas's Private messages were used as exhibits of success stories in training materials of the NSA and GHCQ.

These were revealed  by the Guardian and the New York Times.

BELOW ARE VARIOUS  EXCERPTS

Reports from The Guardian

In all, communications from more than 60 countries were targeted in this particular operation, with other names listed in the GCHQ documents including Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the current African Union-United Nations joint special representative for Darfur, as well as multiple African heads of state.

Imboden, from the non-profit Ideas Centre in Geneva, and Solomon Asamoah, deputy head of the Africa Finance Corporation, also appeared on GCHQ's lists.

The documents do not give any insight into why GCHQ deemed them worthy of surveillance.

In 2009, Chambas was president of Ecowas. He had been closely involved in efforts to bring peace to Liberia, and GCHQ picked up text messages he sent while in the country to receive an award.

One message read: "Thanks Kwame. Glad to know all is well. Am in Liberia for receive National Award … inde celebration." A second added: "What machine gun sounds? Am in Gbanga former HQ of Charles Taylor …"

Offices operated by the UN development programme, which administers financial relief to poor nations, and of the World Health Organisation were also among listed targets.

Reports from NewYork Times

Strengthening the likelihood that full transcripts were taken during the intercepts is the case of Mohamed Ibn Chambas, an official of the Economic Community of West African States, known as Ecowas, a regional initiative of 15 countries that promotes economic and industrial activity. Whether intentionally or through some oversight, when Mr. Chambas’s communications were intercepted in August 2009, dozens of his complete text messages were copied into one of the reports. 

Referred to in the transcripts as “Dr. Chambers,” he seems to have been monitored during an especially humdrum day or two of travel. “Am glad yr day was satisfying,” Mr. Chambas texted one acquaintance. “I spent my whole day travelling ... Had to go from Abidjan to Accra to catch a flt to Monrovia ... The usual saga of intra afr.”

Later he recommended a book, “A Colonial History of Northern Ghana,” to the same person. “Interesting and informative,” Mr. Chambas texted. The high point of his day was receiving an award in Liberia, but soon he was busy working out logistics for future appointments.

“Where is the conference pl? Didnt get the invt,” he texted another contact. He discussed further details before adding, perhaps wistfully, given his grinding travel schedule: “Have a restful Sunday.”