VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDS #0527/01 0590543
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 280543Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9745
INFO RUEHAE/AMEMBASSY ASMARA 2147
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 3113
RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI 8934
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3043
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 3404
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 6401
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 4201
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 7275
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS ADDIS ABABA 000527 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF DAS SWAN, AF/E, AFPDPA, PRM A/S 
SAURBREY, PRM/AFR 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
USAID AFR/AA FOR KALMQUIST, WWARREN, JBORNS, KNELSON, CTHOMPSON 
DCHA/AA FOR MHESS, GGOTTLIEB 
DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, ACONVERY, CCHAN, PMORRIS, KCHANNELL 
DCHA/FFP FOR JDWORKEN, PMORAN, SANTHONY, PBERTOLIN 
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
CJTF-HOA AND USCENTCOM FOR POLAD 
NAIROBI FOR OFDA/ECARO GPLATT, RFFPO NCOX, USAID/EA 
ROME FOR AMBASSADOR, OHA, HSPANOS 
BRUSSELS FOR USEU PBROWN 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH, RMA 
USUN FOR FSHANKS 
NSC FOR PMARCHAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ET
SUBJECT: Ogaden:  Continued Action Required to Meet Tough 
Challenges 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) During a February 22-23 visit to the Ethiopia Somali 
region, Ambassador, USAID Mission Director, USAID Advisor for the 
Somali region, and RSO met Ethiopia Somali region President 
Abdullahi Hassan and his staff in charge of humanitarian relief in 
the Ogaden to press for improved food distribution.  Noting that 50 
percent of Ogaden food distribution centers had not received food 
yet, the Ambassador urged the Ethiopian government: to further lift 
commercial food trade restrictions with Somalia, the main means for 
bringing food into the Ogaden; to investigate one substantiated 
incident of looting of a truck carrying U.S. food aid; to improve 
management of food distribution; to sign the extension of the 
USAID-funded safety net and pastoralist livelihood initiatives; and 
to declare the southern region of the Somali Region a drought 
disaster to enable USAID and other donors to help bring assistance 
to this afflicted area. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary Continued: The Somali Region President pressed the 
Ambassador to expand health and education for pastoralists and to 
realize U.S. efforts to integrate the Ogaden into the national 
health and education initiative.  The United States Government (USG) 
is at the forefront in advocating and supporting the Ministries of 
Health and Education in this endeavor.  The President disagreed with 
USAID findings of poor and diverted food distribution, but finally 
assured that his staff would look into it.  The President and 
Ambassador agreed on the need to address the counterinsurgency and 
extremist infiltration problems from Somalia through comprehensive 
humanitarian and long term development support, including an 
education effort in the Ogaden region.  The Ambassador stressed the 
need for Ethiopia to adjust military operations to focus on the 
counterinsurgency problem without creating animosities among the 
populace and to ensure broad distribution of food aid. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Summary Continued: The USG has committed and will continue 
to commit a great deal of time, effort and resources to the Ogaden 
(USD 53 million in emergency assistance to the Ogaden region since 
August 2007, accounting for 98 percent of all international 
emergency assistance to the region thus far).  According to the 
USAID-sponsored Humanitarian Assistance Team (HAT), U.S. Embassy-led 
efforts and visits by senior officials, such as Assistant Secretary 
Frazer, USAID Administrator Fore and USAID Assistant Administrator 
Almquist, helped mitigate a crisis so far through a pro-active 
approach.  While not a famine, the Ogaden remains a pressing problem 
with continuing security restrictions and poor rains and drought 
increasing risk of famine.  The Embassy is leading the international 
effort to work with the government to get food distributed 
throughout the region during the March and April timeframe, just 
before the rainy season begins, to stave off a possible famine 
situation.   Over the long-term, assistance to help integrate the 
Ogaden in the national development strategy will help undercut the 
insurgency and give people in the Ogaden hope for a better future. 
End Summary. 
 
Tough Talk on Food and Trade 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Ambassador (notetaker), USAID Mission Director Anders, 
USAID Advisor for the Somali region Graham, and RSO Bishop met with 
Ethiopia's Somali region President Abdullahi Hassan in the regional 
capital of Jijiga on February 22 for a three-hour marathon meeting 
on the challenges and solutions for the Somali region.  The 
President appeared fully recovered from the grenade attack against 
 
him and his cabinet from last summer by insurgents.  The U.S. side 
pressed the President, his Ogaden region humanitarian coordinator, 
Anwar Ali Abdi, and his security chief Abdi Mohamed Umar, to make 
every effort to overcome mismanagement and inefficiencies to ensure 
that USAID's emergency food assistance through the World Food 
Program (WFP) gets to all 186 food distribution centers in the 
Ogaden region.  Thus far, only 60 percent of the centers have 
received food, and those which have received it need more to meet 
population needs.   The U.S. side also raised greater effort to ease 
restrictions on food trade and commercial trade between Somalia and 
the Ogaden, and within the Somali region, the usual means for 
bringing food into the Ogaden region. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The President replied that food rations, with the help of 
the U.S., have gotten to the most vulnerable, but admitted that more 
effort is needed to get food to all those in need.  He emphasized 
the difficulties and cost of transport throughout the region.  The 
President and Anwar Ali Abdi stressed that no one will go hungry, a 
declaration echoed by Prime Minister Meles, and that the most 
vulnerable people are being assisted.  On commercial trade, the 
President and Anwar stressed that insurgents and extremists use 
trade to infiltrate and bring in weapons from Somalia into the 
Ogaden.  While criticizing some NGOs for assisting insurgents, the 
President noted that livestock trade is robust through Somaliland. 
The President explained at length the challenges faced by the 
Ogaden, particularly its historic problems.  He underscored that 
fifteen years ago the nine zones and 52 districts of the Ethiopia 
Somali region, which includes the Ogaden area, had fewer than 30 
schools.  Now it has over 1,000 elementary and secondary schools, 
five colleges and a university, and 250 health centers.  While 
significant, more schools and health clinics are urgently needed. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) USAID Mission Director Anders presented photos and pressed 
the President on the report of the looting of a truck carrying USAID 
food assistance in Kebredehar in January.  About 9 tons of food was 
looted and sold in the markets.  Warning the President that if this 
mishandling and diversion, of which there have been allegations 
since last autumn, when USAID emergency food aid entered the region, 
went unchecked it would have a chilling effect on relations and on 
continued USAID emergency assistance.  Noting that the U.S. was the 
primary donor for the emergency in the Ogaden (98 percent of all 
emergency aid), without U.S. assistance the region would fall into 
crisis.  The President and Anwar denied that looting had occurred, 
noting that with military escorts looting has been almost 
eliminated.  In the past, food had been looted by the insurgent 
Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and criminals.  At the end 
of a heated exchange, the President and Anwar agreed to investigate 
and to check more into the food distribution. 
 
Drought in Southern Somali and Other Priorities 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) USAID also pressed the President and Anwar on 
mismanagement and inefficiencies in food deliveries.  They pressed 
the President to engage more on improving food distribution 
efficiency, underscoring that military convoys have slowed 
distribution and more areas can be reached without military escorts. 
 USAID Advisor Graham suggested the President declare the southern 
part of the Somali region a drought disaster, which has already been 
done in neighboring areas of Oromiya region.  With the dry season at 
its height, Graham explained that satellite imagery showed severe 
drought making the plight of the Somalis, including Ogadenis, more 
severe.  Graham explained that a drought declaration will help USAID 
support the President and the Ethiopian government in addressing 
 
this new complicating environmental problem. The President said he 
would work with USAID on this issue. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) USAID Advisor Graham also pressed the President to speed 
up efforts to sign the extension for two critical USAID programs in 
the Somali region: the Pastoralist Livelihood initiative and the 
Safety Net initiative.  Both programs are critical to the 
humanitarian relief and development of the region and must be 
funded.  A signed support letter from the President is key for 
extending both programs, Graham explained.  Anwar promised a quick 
signature next week. 
 
Regional President Wants U.S. Engagement 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The President and Anwar pressed the U.S. on expanding 
health and education of the pastoralists, who face droughts and 
floods and severe hardships.  The President noted that the U.S. is 
the only donor that can help improve the pastoralists' situation, 
raise standards of living, and give them hope.  Further, the 
President urged the Ambassador to realize U.S. efforts to integrate 
the Ogaden region and the Ethiopia Somali region into national 
health and education plans.  The clear message from the President 
was for the U.S. Embassy to be the region's advocate in Addis Ababa. 
  The Ambassador replied that this was a priority for the U.S. 
because a long-term national effort will ultimately help the region 
face future environmental challenges from floods, droughts and 
locust infestation.  The Ambassador explained that the U.S. Embassy 
has advocated with and supported the Education and Health Ministries 
in this endeavor to bring the Ogaden into a national strategy.  Both 
ministries have explained their commitment to such a policy and the 
Embassy will advocate for and press the ministries on this effort. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) The Ambassador pressed the President to do more with the 
Ethiopian military to face the counterinsurgency movement in a 
rational and humane manner.  The Ambassador explained that copies of 
General Petreaus' manual on counterinsurgency were passed to Prime 
Minister Meles and Chief of Staff General Samora.  The Ambassador 
noted that the Ethiopian military can eliminate thousands of 
insurgents' "technicals" (trucks with mounted guns), but they would 
just be replaced quickly.  A long-term humanitarian approach, 
improving the lives of the people, and eliminating fear would earn 
the trust and support of the people. 
 
The HAT Report 
-------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The President discussed the USAID-sponsored HAT Report. 
USAID Mission Director Anders and USAID Advisor Graham explained 
that the HAT report made clear that efforts last summer by the U.S. 
working with the Ethiopian government and regional government helped 
mitigate a crisis situation.  While the current situation in 
Ethiopia's Somali region is not yet a famine, the situation remains 
severe and could quickly become a famine and humanitarian crisis if 
more efforts are not taken to distribute food and lift commercial 
food restrictions immediately.  Both sides agreed that March and 
April will be particularly challenging with the harsh dry season and 
severe drought in the south. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶12.  (SBU) The U.S. Embassy has been at the forefront in informing 
and coordinating the international community on the Ogaden 
 
situation.  USAID has been the lead agency in mitigating the crisis, 
but the solution to the Ogaden is clearly integrating the region 
fully into the national health and education initiatives. 
USAID/Ethiopia and USAID/OFDA are working on a transitional 
emergency-to-development strategy.  The Health ministry with U.S. 
assistance plans to expand health centers from 700 to over 3,200 in 
the next five years, with a focus on areas like the Ogaden, he 
claimed.  (Note: Our information indicates that the Somali region 
hosts far fewer health centers - 14 - and schools.  End Note.)  The 
White House education initiative for Ethiopia can help expand 
education opportunities in the Ogaden, as well.  Additional Economic 
Growth and IHEA funding will enable an expansion of critical 
pastoral livelihoods and livestock marketing programs in the region. 
 
 
¶13. (SBU) Comment Continued: Making the region a priority for U.S. 
and other donor dialogue and assistance will help improve this 
strategic and conflicted region's ability to face the constant 
environmental challenges of floods, droughts and locust infestation, 
and earn the trust and confidence of the people while undercutting 
support for the insurgency movement.  Working with the Ethiopian 
military to moderate its behavior and reach out to the public 
without engaging in strong arm tactics and meeting the brutality of 
the insurgents with brutality will be equally critical in gaining 
trust of the public.  End Comment.