VZCZCXRO5453
RR RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #1035/01 0641348
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051348Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7962
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME 0121
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 001035 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
 
USAID/DCHA FOR MHESS, WGARVELINK, LROGERS 
DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, GGOTTLIEB, AFERRARA, ACONVERY, 
KCHANNELL 
DCHA/FFP FOR WHAMMINK, JDWORKEN 
AFR/AFR/EA FOR JBORNS 
STATE FOR AF/E, AF/F AND PRM 
STATE/AF/E FOR NGARY 
STATE/F FOR ASISSON 
STATE/PRM FOR AWENDT, MMCKELVEY 
NSC FOR TSHORTLEY 
USUN FOR AMAHONEY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
USMISSION UN ROME FOR RNEWBERG 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PHUM PREL PREF SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA DART SITUATION REPORT 18 - UPDATE ON 
KENYA-SOMALIA BORDER CLOSURE 
 
REF:  NAIROBI 00380 
 
NAIROBI 00001035  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1.  With diplomatic support from the US Ambassador, and 
persistence from the humanitarian community, the flow 
of assistance from Kenya to Somalia has improved. 
However, unpredictable security regulations at El Wak 
and Mandera continue to delay the movement of 
humanitarian staff and the transport of relief supplies 
to southern Somalia.  Government of Kenya (GOK) 
officials in Nairobi are reportedly communicating 
different policies from authorities at the border, 
leaving humanitarian staff to coordinate between 
various levels of the GOK, while trying to identify 
acceptable procedures for the transit of personnel and 
relief commodities across the border.  The border still 
remains closed to Somali asylum-seekers, but the Office 
of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and 
the GOK Ministry of Foreign Affairs have opened a 
direct line of communication on this issue.  End 
summary. 
 
BACKGROUND 
 
¶2.  Since the January 3 closure of the Kenya-Somalia 
border by the GOK to humanitarian cargo entering 
Somalia, and Somali asylum seekers seeking entry to 
Kenya (REFTEL), movement of humanitarian staff and 
cargo has been restricted and caused delays in some 
relief programs in Somalia.  Recently, permission to 
cross the border has been granted by the GOK on an ad 
hoc basis to some UN agencies and non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs), although delays are still 
reported and access can be unpredictable.  This cable 
reviews the situation at the El Wak, Mandera, and Liboi 
crossing points and discusses engagement by the 
humanitarian community to address the border issue. 
 
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS 
 
¶3.  Overall, access at El Wak has improved in recent 
weeks with successive food aid convoys able to reach 
communities in Gedo Region.  However, the lack of a 
customs officer there leads to inconsistent application 
of border regulations indicating that recent 
improvement is not a guarantee for continued access. 
The situation at Mandera is erratic, with UN agencies 
receiving one-off permission the week of February 18 
while NGOs continue to wait and negotiate for access. 
 
¶4.  In a positive development, the UN World Food 
Program (WFP) reported that the GOK Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs contacted the WFP logistics cluster 
representative on February 23 and requested to be 
updated on any ongoing problems related to crossing the 
border.  The humanitarian community in Nairobi is 
thankful for the Ambassador's efforts and believes that 
his initiatives have contributed to the good progress 
that has been made. 
 
EL WAK 
 
¶5.  WFP, a major USG food aid partner in Somalia, 
reported that 40 trucks recently distributing food aid 
in Gedo Region, Somalia, successfully re-entered Kenya 
at El Wak border station for reloading in late 
February.  On March 1, a WFP convoy of 27 trucks 
 
NAIROBI 00001035  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
carrying 791 metric tons (MT) of food aid bound for 
Gedo Region crossed into Somalia from El Wak without 
incident. 
 
¶6.  Following on WFP's increased access at El Wak, the 
NGO CARE, another significant USG food aid partner, has 
requested and received concurrence from GOK authorities 
to move humanitarian cargo across the border over the 
following week.  As of March 2, CARE planned to attempt 
to cross the border at El Wak within days. 
 
MANDERA 
 
¶7.  On February 18, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) 
received permission for seven trucks carrying a total 
of 100 MT of emergency relief supplies to enter Somalia 
at Mandera, and crossed soon thereafter. 
 
¶8.  CARE is working with local GOK officials in Mandera 
to clarify the border regulations.  After receiving a 
letter from the GOK Office of the President granting 
permission for humanitarian cargo to cross into Somalia 
on February 20, and confirming receipt and validity of 
the letter with the Mandera District Commissioner, CARE 
was denied permission to cross by local border 
officials. 
 
¶9.  CARE met with local officials in Mandera on 
February 27 to clarify the policies and procedures for 
transporting food aid into Somalia.  According to WFP, 
local authorities did not indicate any objections in 
principle to the border crossing for humanitarian 
cargo, however additional discussions were required to 
determine modalities for the upcoming CARE convoy. 
Since the meeting, CARE Somali staff has received 
permission to enter Kenya for cargo handling training, 
and as of March 2 CARE was hoping to move food aid 
across the border within days. As of March 1, CARE 
warehouses at Mandera remain at capacity, with more 
than 4,300 MT of food aid waiting for transit into 
Somalia. 
 
LIBOI 
 
¶10.  UNHCR Acting Representative Eddie Gedalof reports 
that humanitarian assistance is "flowing smoothly" at 
the Liboi border crossing.  This good news is tempered 
by the fact that Liboi receives relatively little 
humanitarian aid traffic.  Liboi is the main crossing 
point for Somali asylum seekers, and still remains 
closed to those seeking to enter Kenya.  At the 
Ambassador's urging, UNHCR and the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs have opened a line of communication on the 
asylum seeker issue.  Offers by the USG and UNHCR to 
support a border screening regime are "being taken up 
at higher levels" within the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs. 
 
HIJACKING RAISES CONCERNS 
 
¶11.  The hijacking of a WFP-contracted food transport 
ship off the coast of Puntland in northern Somalia on 
February 25 has raised concern among the humanitarian 
community.  Although piracy has occurred off the 
Somalia coast, this is the first such incident in nine 
months.  Given the recent difficulty and delays 
involved in transporting humanitarian cargo over land 
across the Kenya-Somalia border, sea transport, 
 
NAIROBI 00001035  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
particularly for food aid, is critical to ensuring 
timely and adequate humanitarian relief for the 
approximately 590,000 Somalis dependent on it. 
 
¶12.  WFP says that Puntland officials are working to 
free the hijacked ship, and there have been no requests 
for diplomatic engagement to date. 
 
CONCLUSION 
 
¶13.  With diplomatic support from the US Ambassador and 
persistence from the humanitarian community, the border 
situation is improving.  The relief community has made 
clear its appreciation for the Mission's efforts in 
this regard.  Mission is following the border situation 
closely and will continue to engage with the GOK to 
ensure implementation of an appropriate border 
screening regime that fulfills both security and 
humanitarian needs. 
 
RANNEBERGER