VZCZCXRO2752
OO RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #2427 3341411
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 301411Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1663
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA  IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS NAIROBI 002427 
 
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 PREL KPAO PTER MOPS SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA - PD ACTIVITIES UPDATE, NOVEMBER 30 
 
REF: 07 STATE 116686 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Per reftel, Post submits the following update for 
the third week of November 2009.  End Summary. 
 
------------- 
PD Activities 
------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Somalia Unit, including the Military Information 
Support Team (MIST) dedicated to Somalia, performed para. 3-9 
activities since the last report: 
 
¶3. (SBU) PAO remains engaged with the Transitional Federal 
Government's (TFG) Minister of Information in an effort to 
assist the minister in his efforts to more effectively 
articulate the TFG,s viewpoints.  PAO has attended two 
meetings of the UN-lead group aiming to coordinate all 
countries, and organizations, efforts to assist the TFG,s 
outreach efforts, with a parallel focus on freedom of the 
press and journalists in Somalia.  No country has dedicated 
funds to the Ministry of Information as of this writing; Post 
feels strongly that once one of the actors makes a first 
move, several will follow in short order.  The importance of 
this effort cannot be understated.  On a related note, 
broadcasts from the newly-revamped Radio Mogadishu were 
temporarily interrupted by a transmitter ) reportedly 
erected by al-Shabaab in Mogadishu - purposely broadcasting 
on the same frequency as Radio Mogadishu; the jamming has 
since stopped. 
¶4. (SBU) Post hosted the orientation visit of the AF/PDPA 
officer whose portfolio includes Somalia.  The officer 
attended a series of internal and external meetings, 
highlighted by a day trip to Dadaab and an afternoon in 
Eastleigh, Nairobi's Somalia enclave.  Post remains grateful 
to the AF/PDPA leadership for their support of our efforts 
towards Somalia, including the assignment of this officer to 
the Somalia portfolio. 
 
¶5. (SBU) PAO, MIST, and the visiting AF/PDPA officer traveled 
to Dadaab refugee camps on November 16 to deliver over 800 
sports uniforms, as well as soccer balls and volleyballs, to 
youth-led sports leagues in all three camps that practice 
conflict resolution in the context of their sports matches. 
The uniforms were adorned with U.S. flags on one sleeve, 
marking a significant step forward in our efforts to more 
fully brand our Somalia PD work. 
 
¶6. (SBU) PAO remains engaged with the UN Support Office for 
AMISOM (UNSOA) in the context of UNSOA,s work to stand up a 
new radio station in Mogadishu.  The station will not be 
heavily AMISOM-oriented, but will represent a new media 
outlet by which Somalis will be able to receive credible news 
reporting and cultural programming.  Members of the 
three-company consortium that will manage the station have 
arrived in Nairobi, and PAO is consulting with them as needed. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The infighting among Somali journalists continues 
and will be reported on in detail in septel.  Most recently, 
the Dutch organization Press Now conducted a workshop in 
partnership with one of the Somali journalist unions, but 
with the precondition of the exclusion of members of certain 
other journalist unions.  PAO briefed the organizer, Press 
Now, at their request, on some of the dynamics of this 
ongoing conflict. 
 
¶8. (SBU) MIST activity:  MIST met with the National Council 
of Churches in Kenya (NCCK) to coordinate a late November 
performance by the 3rd Light of the community Drama group, a 
drama club in the Dadaab refugee camps whose work is centered 
on themes like peace and reconciliation.  MIST is also 
working with a comic book production team to pre-test a youth 
anti-violence comic prototype.  MIST partners rebroadcast 
sheikh lectures & youth drama episodes in Central Somalia on 
Radio Daljir. 
 
¶9. (SBU) MIST activity (cont.):  A new MIST is scheduled to 
arrive in Nairobi on the evening of November 30. 
RANNEBERGER