VZCZCXRO7557
PP RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDJ #1042/01 3660416
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 310416Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9861
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 001042 
 
STATE FOR AF/E, PRM/AFR, S/CRS AND USAID 
ADDIS ABABA FOR REFCOORD 
NAIROBI FOR RDRAPCHO AND REFCOORD 
GENEVA FOR KPERKINS 
CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF SMIG EAID SO ET DJ XA
SUBJECT: UNHCR DJIBOUTI RECIEVES OFFICIAL VISIT FROM GENEVA 
HEADQUARTERS 
 
REF: DJIBOUTI 632 (AND PREVIOUS) 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY: Mr. Mengesha Kebede, UNHCR's Deputy Director of the 
Bureau for Africa in Geneva visited Djibouti.  He emphasized the 
need for closer coordination among UN agencies, donors, host 
governments, and regional actors to prepare for possible large scale 
migrations resulting from conflict and food insecurity.  UNHCR has 
contingency plans for up to 50,000 refugees in Djibouti.  UNHCR has 
completed evaluation of 73 Eritrean defectors' cases, and is looking 
for a country where they can be resettled as a group. END SUMMARY. 
 
---------------------------- 
PARTNERSHIP AND COORDINATION 
---------------------------- 
¶2.  On December 7, Mr. Mengesha Kebede, UNHCR's Deputy Director of 
the Bureau for Africa in Geneva, along with Ann Encontre, UNHCR 
Representative in Djibouti, met with the Ambassador and post's 
Consular Officer.  During the meeting, Mr. Kebede provided a brief 
overview of his meetings with the UN country team in Djibouti, where 
he expressed the need for all UN agencies to work in partnership and 
coordination with the GoDJ, donors, and implementing partners for 
future planning in Djibouti.  He expressed concern over possible 
additional flows of Somali refugees into Djibouti due to continued 
insecurity in Somalia, but said he expected most to head for Kenya. 
Asked about contingency planning in Djibouti; Kebede said UNHCR has 
adequate plans in place for up to 50,000 refuges.  The response 
would involve rapid mobilization of UNHCR supplies already 
pre-positioned in Denmark and Dubai and reopening former refugee 
camps in Djibouti. 
 
------------------------------- 
COMPLEX MIGRATION CALLS FOR IOM 
------------------------------- 
¶3.  Mr. Kebede informed post of the presence of the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM) who are setting up office in 
Djibouti.  He referred to elements such as the current bad economic 
climate, ongoing conflicts, drought that is straddling borders - all 
leading to complex mixed migration movements in the region.  There 
are more reports of trafficking and smuggling of persons, migration 
movements from the Dankali region, also known as the Afar region, as 
well as Somalis from the Ogaden region to Djibouti.  Mr. Kebede 
believes that IOM can play a helpful role here because these 
migrations are more complex than traditional refugee movements. 
 
------------------------------------- 
DEPUTY DIRECTOR CALLS FOR IMPROVEMENT 
------------------------------------- 
¶4.  The Deputy Director's visit included a tour of the refugee camp 
in Ali Addeh, which hosts approximately 9000 refugees, mostly 
Somalis.   Upon arrival at the refugee camp, Mr. Kebede and the 
UNHCR country Representative found that medical care had not been 
available to refugees for three weeks because the Association of 
Medical Doctors of Asia, and non-governmental organization who 
supply the refugee camp with medical services, had suspended medical 
services, after refugees, angry with the doctor because of the death 
of a baby at child birth, had attacked the doctor - blaming him for 
the death. 
 
¶5.  The Ethiopian refugees reported to Mr. Kebede that the security 
situation at the camp had worsened  since the arrival of thousands 
of south Somalis who blame the Ethiopian troops in their country 
(and by extension, the Ethiopian refugees) for making war in their 
country, forcing them to leave their homes.  The refugees also 
reported that, for over two years, the UNHCR Senior Protection 
Officer has failed to hold meetings with them.  Last but not least, 
Mr. Kebede witnessed the dilapidated food distribution center. 
 
¶6.  After the camp visit, Mr. Kebede met with Mr. Hassan Omar, also 
attended by post Consular Officer, to de-brief on three major issues 
he found lacking at the camp: health, security, and food 
distribution.  He highlighted the aforementioned concerns to Mr. 
Hassan and made some suggestions for improvement.  In addition he 
strongly suggested that a Transit / Reception center be built to 
accommodate the refugees for a few days when they newly arrive at 
the camp. 
 
¶7.  Kebede confirmed that UNHCR is also receiving reports of an 
undetermined number of unregistered refugees who have recently 
arrived in Djibouti city from Ethiopia.  For now, they are staying 
with local families and seeking no assistance.  But, this group is 
likely to become a burden in the food insecure environment if their 
presences persist. 
 
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DJIBOUTI 00001042  002 OF 002 
 
 
ERITREAN DEFECTORS 
------------------ 
¶8.  Meanwhile, UNHCR completed the evaluation of the Eritrean 
deserters' cases, and found all 73 individuals qualified for 
resettlement. 
 
¶9.  COMMENTS:  Post agrees with Mr. Kebede's statement of the 
necessity to coordinate between working entities in Djibouti, in an 
effort to design and implement successful projects.  Such 
coordination should send a positive and strong message to the GoDJ 
and possibly avert negative Government action on implementing 
partners.  Even though significant progress has been achieved at the 
refugee camp, considerable work remains to bring the camp up to 
international standards.  Hopefully, Mr. Kebede's visit will trigger 
the necessary actions toward improvement.  Post will continue to 
follow and report on the Eritrean defectors resettlement process. 
Post looks forward to the January visit of PRM Program officer and 
the Regional Refugee Coordinator to discuss these concerns in 
further detail. END COMMENT.