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PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHNR #0043/01 0081125
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081125Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
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RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 1064
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0739
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//ISA AFRICA// PRIORITY
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RUZEFAA/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NAIROBI 000043 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR MASS PREL KE XW
SUBJECT: EASBRIG UPDATES ITS FRIENDS 
 
REF: NAIROBI 1365 
 
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Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (U) On November 25, the East African Standby Brigade 
(EASBRIG) used the occasion of its first-ever Command Post 
Exercise (CPX) to bring donors together for an update on 
EASBRIG's progress and to request further support.  While the 
meeting's agenda focused on capacity building for the 
still-nascent organization's core activities -- such as the 
2009 Field Training Exercise (FTX) -- internal squabbles over 
influence within the organization, questions over the 
EASBRIG's political direction, and maritime security (not 
currently an EASBRIG focus) were all discussed at length. 
EASBRIG's leadership promised to provide a formal request to 
donors for FTX support soon.  The support request will 
include an update on the contributions from EASBRIG member 
states, which will be enlightening as most member states are 
in serious arrears.  It appears that any U.S. support for 
EASBRIG will necessarily remain bilateral for the forseeable 
future, given the organization's lack of progress toward 
becoming a more formalized organization that could be 
recognized by a Presidential Determination.  The next Friends 
of EASBRIG meeting will likely occur in February 2009.  End 
Summary. 
 
------------------- 
EASBRIG's First CPX 
------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) EASBRIG's first-ever Command Post Exercise (CPX) 
served as the backdrop for the November 25 "Friends of 
EASBRIG" meeting in Nairobi.  Exercise "Amani" (Kiswahili for 
"peace") took place November 24-28 with 78 participants from 
12 of EASBRIG's 13 member countries (Eritrea did not send any 
participants.  Other EASBRIG members include Comoros, 
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, 
Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda).  Combined 
Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa also sent 10 observers to 
the event.  In all, approximately 145 observers, VIPs, and 
other visitors attended some part of the CPX.  The exercise 
was based on a fictional African Union request for EASBRIG 
intervention in response to insecurity in a failing, 
fictional African state.  The exercise incorporated military, 
police, and civilian components and tested EASBRIG's command 
and control mechanisms and the capability of its deployable 
brigade headquarters.  The CPX also set the stage for a 
follow-on Field Training Exercise (FTX), which will include 
more troops and require heavy logistics support, at the end 
of 2009.  An after-action analysis of the exercise is 
scheduled for 19-21 January 2009. 
 
¶3. (U) "Friends" present at the meeting included Belgium, 
Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, 
Russia, Sweden, UK, and the United States.  "Friends" with 
nameplates but not in attendance included China, Finland, and 
Spain. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Progress Updates, Passing the Hat 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) EASBRIG Coordinating Mechanism (EASBRICOM) Director 
Simon Mulongo reported steady progress toward achieving most 
of its eight strategic objectives (reftel).  To wit: the 
 
NAIROBI 00000043  002 OF 004 
 
 
Harmonized Policy Framework should be finalized at the next 
meeting of the Council of Ministers (scheduled for January 
2009); the Government of the Netherlands is providing 
technical assistance in command, control, and communications; 
 the Governments of Norway, Japan and the United Nations 
Development Program are providing assistance to the police 
and civilian elements of EASBRIG; and Germany is providing 
assistance with building EASBRIG's administrative and 
financial management capacity. 
 
¶5. (U) EASBRIG still needs help in building its Rapid 
Deployment Capacity (RDC), Mulongo said.  While the Kenyan 
Rapid Deployment force is nearly complete, they are the only 
one that is.  Mulongo identified Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia 
as next on the priority list.  (Note: The UK is already 
supporting Uganda's efforts and Mulongo, a Ugandan, has asked 
us in the past to do the same.  End Note.)  The development 
of EASBRIG's logistics base has also hit a snag, Mulongo 
said, because of a disagreement with Ethiopia as to how 
EASBRIG's logistics support system will work.  Instead of 
housing EASBRIG's logistics base in Addis Ababa, as 
originally envisioned, a study has recommended that the 
logistics base should be deconcentrated into three zones 
(north, central, and south) and only store minimal equipment 
-- most of it would be outsourced. 
 
¶6. (U) EASBRIG's number one priority for 2009, Mulongo said, 
will be mounting a massive FTX that will involve the 
deployment of 1,500-2,000 troops and cost USD 7-8 million. 
The FTX will be a test of EASBRIG's logistics and financial 
management capacity in particular, Mulongo said.  The 
exercise is expected to take place in two countries -- one 
for mounting, the other for operations -- but those countries 
have not yet been determined.  Mulongo said that EASBRICOM 
will present a set of options to the Council of Ministers to 
decide on in January 2009.  Likely options include Ethiopia 
and Djibouti, Uganda and Burundi, Kenya and Uganda, or Kenya 
alone.  Mulongo promised the Friends he would present a 
formal request for support in the near term which would 
include a budget estimate and an update on the contributions 
from EASBRIG member states.  (Note: The latter will be 
enlightening, as most member states are in serious arrears in 
their annual dues.  End Note.) 
 
--------------------------- 
EASBRIG Response to Piracy? 
--------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) During his opening remarks for the CPX, Kenyan 
Minister of Foreign Affairs Moses Wetangula highlighted the 
dangers posed to the region's trade routes by pirates and he 
urged EASBRIG to include counter-piracy capacity in its 
operational framework. 
 
¶8. (U) The maritime issue also arose during the Friends 
meeting: Mulongo proposed the addition of both maritime and 
air capability to the list of EASBRIG's strategic objectives. 
 Reaction from the Friends was mixed: the UK representative 
said that EASBRIG needs to focus on existing priorities so 
that efforts are not diffused to the point where EASBRIG 
fails to deliver on its core mandate.  Others were more open: 
the Nordic countries are devising a unified approach to 
EASBRIG and hope to capitalize on their strengths, which 
would include building naval and coast guard capacity. 
 
--------------------- 
Ethiopia's Discontent 
 
NAIROBI 00000043  003 OF 004 
 
 
--------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) Ethiopia expressed serious discontent with the way 
EASBRIG is moving forward during EASBRIG policy organ 
meetings held in Kigali in August.  Ethiopia's complaints 
took up so much time during the meeting of the chiefs of 
defense staff, they were unable to discuss policy 
recommendations to the Council of Ministers -- a serious 
disruption EASBRIG's decisionmaking process, Mulongo said. 
When asked to explain the nature of dispute to the Friends, 
Mulongo provided a document containing what he said were a 
summary of Ethiopia's specific claims. 
 
¶10. (U) The claims center on Ethiopia's perception that Kenya 
is trying to control EASBRIG and disempower Ethiopia within 
the organization.  Ethiopia reportedly claimed that they had 
not received funding to start up the logistics base in Addis 
Ababa because there is an initiative to move the base to 
Kenya; the Kenya-based EASBRIG planning element has taken 
over the mandate of the Ethiopia-based EASBRIG headquarters; 
Kenya-based EASBRICOM has allowed foreigners (particularly 
the British) to overwhelm the organization with foreign 
advisors; and that Kenya is trying to shift the focus of 
EASBRIG toward the East African Community (EAC) in order to 
marginalize Ethiopia (which is not a member).  The Ethiopians 
reportedly requested that Mulongo be relieved of his 
position, and that the UK should cease their involvement in 
and leadership of EASBRIG. 
 
¶11. (U) The Chiefs of Defense Staff deliberated over 
Ethiopia's complaints for two days, and in the end forwarded 
them to the Council of Defense Ministers, who in turn asked 
Ethiopia to substantiate the allegations.  In the meantime, 
Ethiopia has reportedly approached Kenya and Uganda 
bilaterally attempting to resolve the situation, but EASBRIG 
will continue with business as usual until the allegations 
are substantiated.  Mulongo said that the Council of 
Ministers asked Ethiopia to respond with "hard evidence" by 
September 15, and Ethiopia's claims would then be considered 
at a subsequent meeting in Khartoum within two months.  To 
date, the Ethiopians have yet to provide the information 
requested, and the Khartoum meeting has been postponed to 
allow more time to engage with Addis, Mulongo said. 
 
------------------------------- 
Political Direction for EASBRIG 
------------------------------- 
 
¶12. (U) Ethiopia's complaints about perceived Kenyan 
dominance -- and the negative effect it has had on EASBRIG's 
cohesion  -- point to the larger issue of political will and 
capacity among member countries to support EASBRIG in a way 
that will make it an effective regional force.  EASBRIG 
member countries have their own security problems, and they 
are often at odds with one another.  Sudan and Somalia are 
both plagued by internal conflict, and the national armies of 
Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti have experienced armed 
conflict with one another.  Of the 13 EASBRIG countries, only 
Kenya has kept up with its annual dues.  Burundi and Somalia 
have paid no dues since 2005.  EASBRICOM itself not linked to 
any regional organizations, such as the Intergovernmental 
Authority on Development (IGAD) or the EAC. 
 
¶13. (U) Assistant Minister of Defense, General (retired) 
Joseph Nkaisserry was open about EASBRIG's weaknesses: he 
told the Friends that EASBRIG's diversity will make it 
difficult to coalesce around a unified purpose, member states 
 
NAIROBI 00000043  004 OF 004 
 
 
had limited funding to support the organization, and that 
EASBRIG member states are in conflict.  That said, EASBRIG 
states are sensitive to outside pressure, and regional 
ownership of stability operations is important, Nkaisserry 
asserted. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Prospects for Direct U.S. Support 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶14. (U) Mulongo criticized the United States for being "so 
strict (about recognizing EASBRIG)."  "It will cause delays 
in support for EASBRIG.  Can't you just proceed (based on the 
recognition of) the EASBRIG Memorandum of Understanding?" he 
asked.  After PolOff made it clear that U.S. assistance to 
EASBRIG will remain bilateral for the forseeable future, 
Mulongo asked that bilateral assistance to EASBRIG members at 
least be transparent and accountable. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Comment: There are no indications that EASBRIG is 
getting any closer to constituting itself as the kind of 
organization that could be recognized by a Presidential 
Determination and thereby become eligible for direct U.S. 
support.  We will forward EASBRIG's FTX support request once 
we receive it and will highlight potentially productive areas 
for support.  The next Friends meeting, tentatively scheduled 
for February 2009, will focus on how donors can support the 
exercise. 
 
¶16. (SBU) Comment, cont: At this point, keeping our support 
for EASBRIG bilateral makes sense for reasons other than our 
own legal restrictions.  End Comment. 
RANNEBERGER