VZCZCXRO1241
OO RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #1038 1421318
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 221318Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9620
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA  IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS NAIROBI 001038 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/RSA AND AF/E 
ALSO FOR S/CT ZROTHSCHILD 
ALSO FOR IIP/CTCC MAUSTEIN AND JVANDEVELDE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KPAO PTER EAID MOPS SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA - PD ACTIVITIES UPDATE, MAY 22 
 
REF: 07 STATE 116686 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (SBU) Per reftel, Post submits the following update for 
the third week of May 2009.  End summary. 
 
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PD Activities 
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¶2. (SBU) The Somalia Unit, including the Military Information 
Support Team (MIST) dedicated to Somalia, performed para. 3-6 
activities since the last report: 
 
¶3. (SBU) Post continues to support the Transitional Federal 
Government with suggested press releases, talking points, and 
advice on media work.  On May 19, we provided a suggested 
press release on the foreign fighters involved in the current 
upsurge in violence in Somalia.  The TFG Minister of 
Information published the release, with only slight 
modifications, less than 24 hours later.  We are in daily 
contact with the minister, who continues to state that he is 
grateful for U.S. support for his media operation. 
 
¶4. (SBU) PAO traveled with visiting AF/PDPA desk officer to 
Dadaab refugee camps in northeaster Kenya from 11-13 May (see 
Nairobi 1031, 1032, and 1033).  The Dadaab camps host 270,000 
refugees, most of whom are from Somalia.  The visit was 
extremely well-received by the refugees, many of whom didn't 
realize the depth of our diplomatic engagement in Somalia. 
We returned with several ideas for low-cost, high-impact PD 
programming that could very positively affect our image among 
the Somalis in Dadaab, and also work to secure their support 
for the efforts of the TFG to rebuild Somalia. 
 
¶5. (SBU) PAO made remarks at a USAID-sponsored conference in 
Nairobi focused on developing media law in Somalia.  The 
workshop brought together 15 members of Parliament and 
representatives of three media houses in an effort to discuss 
the relationship between the government and local media.  PAO 
commented on the vital role of a free media in the rebuilding 
of Somalia, as well as the responsibility of the press in 
their reporting. 
 
¶6. (SBU) MIST activity, week of May 11 and 18: A new team has 
arrived and is continuing broadcasting messages from a 
moderate sheikh preaching tolerance and reconciliation as 
well as youth and reconciliation talk and call-in shows along 
the boarder and in Mogadishu. 
Planning has continued for a series along the coast targeting 
piracy.  The start of this program is still pending approval. 
 The team met with members of the group Wahaaya Cusub and 
began a discussion of potentially aiding them in 
disseminating their message which is aligned with ours.  In 
addition, the team has met with a representative from SBC 
radio in Puntland who says he has coverage in the coastal 
areas in which the pirates operate.  The MIST is discussing 
using his company to better target the audience in the 
counter-piracy programs. 
RANNEBERGER