VZCZCXRO4740
RR RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #1585/01 2041432
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231432Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0474
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 4653
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 5518

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 001585 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
AIDAC 
 
DAA/DCHA EKVITASHVILI, JBRAUSE 
DCHA/OFDA KCHANNELL; KDISSELKOEN; ACONVERY 
DCHA/FFP JBORNS; JDWORKEN; SANTHONY; CMUTAMBA; PMOHAN 
NEW YORK FOR USUN DMERCADO 
ROME FOR FODAG; USUN HSPANOS 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
BRUSSELS FOR USEU PLERNER; USAID PBROWN 
NSC FOR CPRATT 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PHUM PREL PREF SO
SUBJECT:  Somalia - U.N. Response to al Shabaab Raids 
 
¶1. (SBU) Al-Shabaab's July 20 raids on U.N. compounds in Baidoa (Bay 
Region) and Wajid (Bakool Region) have raised anew divisions among 
United Nations agencies working in Somalia.  In addition, these 
incidents raise serious questions about the trade-offs between 
upholding humanitarian principles and maintaining access the 
provision of life-saving assistance. Current U.N. discussions seem 
to support a policy allowing those agencies able to operate with 
some certainty of security --primarily WFP, UNHCR, and UNICEF--to 
continue operating given the dire and deteriorating humanitarian 
situation.  A U.N. strategy group has been formed to examine these 
issues and will make a presentation at the U.N. Country Team (UNCT) 
meeting on July 24. Embassy supports the idea of a code of conduct 
for organizations working in Somalia that limits the increasing 
tendency to trade humanitarian principles for access to affected 
populations.  Embassy also supports funding a meeting of experts on 
humanitarian principles, independent from the United Nations, to 
debate various approaches and develop a proactive policy stance. 
End Summary 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The July 20 al-Shabaab raids on U.N. compounds in Baidoa 
(Bay Region) and Wajid (Bakool Region) have raised anew divisions 
among U.N. agencies working in Somalia.  Following the al-Shabaab 
decree banning three U.N. Agencies (UNDP, UNDSS, and UNPOS) from 
al-Shabaab controlled areas and the near-simultaneous raids, the 
UNCT has spent the week in internal crisis meetings debating a 
response to these actions. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) According to various U.N. sources, the discussions seem to 
support a policy allowing agencies able to operate with some 
certainty of security --primarily WFP, UNHCR, and UNICEF-- to 
continue operating given the dire and deteriorating humanitarian 
situation.  Sources further state that discussions are focused on 
establishing principles for operations in South/Central Somalia to 
ensure agencies are able to operate "securely and neutrally." 
Earlier this week, the U.N. formed a strategy group to examine these 
issues and will make a presentation at the July 24 UNCT meeting. 
U.N. sources indicate that a broad suspension of U.N. activities in 
Somalia is not under serious discussion. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) U.N. agencies have been reluctant to provide responses on 
the impact of the raids to Embassy and USAID contacts, in part, we 
suspect because the proper response is very much under discussion. 
As UNDSS facilitates staff movement for multiple U.N. agencies, the 
potential impact of these raids may potentially affect more than 
just the three agencies named by al-Shabaab.  WFP officials expect 
no disruption to operations as WFP maintains its own security 
officers for facilitating staff movement.  UNDP is assessing its 
South/Central operations. It anticipates no disruption to activities 
in Somaliland and Puntland.  The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for 
Somalia has not yet made an official statement and OCHA only 
disseminated its first update on the raids on July 23, following a 
request by USAID for official U.N. communication to donors. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The selective "banning" of humanitarian agencies and the 
near-simultaneous raids on United Nations compounds --coupled with 
earlier kidnappings, lootings, and staff killings-- by al-Shabaab 
represent a serious threat to international norms and principles, 
yet the international community's muted response only emboldens 
further, similar actions and encourages an "at-any-cost" 
humanitarian response. In late 2008, when al-Shabaab banned the 
non-governmental organizations, CARE and International Medical Corps 
(IMC), both organizations indicated that the broader NGO and U.N. 
community, by not supporting them, had lost a critical opportunity 
to together defend humanitarian principles.  Instead, unaffected 
NGOs opted for a course of non-resistance, in order that their own 
operations could continue.  As the operational environment grows 
more insecure and the humanitarian situation deteriorates further, 
agencies have continued to sacrifice core humanitarian principles. 
To date, there has been no broad-based discussion on the conflict 
between upholding humanitarian principles and maintaining access to 
continue providing life-saving assistance in Somalia.  Even the 
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) utilizes armed 
guards in parts of Somalia and admits that the environment is too 
dangerous to monitor violations of international law. 
 
 
NAIROBI 00001585  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Embassy and USAID support the idea of a code of conduct 
for humanitarian organizations operating in Somalia that limits the 
increasing tendency to bargain away principles for access to 
affected populations.  We also support debate about how best to 
improve humanitarian access, without further eroding core 
humanitarian principles.  We believe convening a meeting of experts 
on humanitarian principles, independent from the United Nations, to 
debate approaches and develop a policy that balancing humanitarian 
principles and the operational challenges in Somalia would be 
useful, if funding can be identified. 
ABELL