VZCZCXYZ0018
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDJ #0037/01 0192243
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 191200Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1250
INFO IGAD COLLECTIVE
SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000037 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR AF/E AND AF/RSA 
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA-WATCHER 
SECDEF FOR ASD VERSHBOW AND DASD HUDDLESTON 
AFRICOM AND CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/01/19 
TAGS: MOPS MASS PREL PHSA DJ SO AU YM ER IR
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI: SCENESETTER ON SECURITY ISSUES FOR ASD VERSHBOW 
 
REF: 10 DJIBOUTI 31; 10 DJIBOUTI 3; 09 DJIBOUTI 1247 
09 DJIBOUTI 1205; 09 DJIBOUTI 1152; 09 DJIBOUTI 1035; 09 DJIBOUTI 919 
09 DJIBOUTI 895; 09 DJIBOUTI 761; 09 DJIBOUTI 551; 09 DJIBOUTI 453 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Eric Wong, DCM, U.S. Department of State, U.S. 
Embassy, Djibouti; REASON: 1.4(A), (D) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Embassy Djibouti warmly welcomes Assistant 
Secretary of Defense Vershbow and his party to Djibouti.  A stable, 
moderate Muslim ally, Djibouti not only hosts Camp Lemonnier -- the 
only U.S. military base in Africa -- but also key USG broadcasting 
facilities used by Arabic-language Radio Sawa and the Voice of 
America Somali Service, the only USAID Food For Peace warehouse for 
pre-positioned emergency food relief outside CONUS, and naval 
refueling facilities for U.S. and coalition ships.  Situated 
between Somalia and Eritrea, and adjacent to the Gulf of Aden, 
Djibouti's key political-military concerns currently focus on 
providing diplomatic and military support to Somalia's Transitional 
Federal Government (TFG), led by President Sheikh Sharif; as well 
as on countering the persistent threat from Eritrea's continued 
occupation of Djiboutian territory along their common border, and 
from ethnic Afar rebels suspected to have infiltrated Djibouti from 
training camps in Eritrea.  In recent months, the Djiboutian 
leadership has also grown increasingly concerned about developments 
in Yemen, which is just 18 miles across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. 
Despite the relatively small size of its armed forces 
(approximately 5,000), Djibouti is making significant contributions 
to promoting regional peace and security in the Horn of Africa: 
actively engaged in providing basic military training to Somali TFG 
recruits; monitoring Djibouti's border with Eritrea; recently 
completed hosting and participating with other critical regional 
partners like Rwanda and Uganda in the first large-scale field 
training exercise involving the African Union's East Africa Standby 
Force (EASF), also known as the East Africa Standby Brigade 
(EASBRIG); and has committed to send 450 troops to participate in 
the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).  Bilateral 
engagement with Djibouti remains robust: construction of a USD 120 
million New Embassy Compound is now underway, scheduled for 
completion in 2011; and the first resident defense attache (DATT) 
arrived in September 2009.  In September 2009, the bilateral 
agreement on access to and use of Camp Lemonnier was renewed 
through an exchange of diplomatic notes between the USG and the 
GODJ, with no change in terms, for the years 2010-2015. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
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URGENT NEED TO BOLSTER SOMALI TFG FORCES 
 
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¶2. (C) Djibouti has provided significant diplomatic and military 
support to the TFG in neighboring Somalia, a country with whom a 
majority of the Djiboutian population shares a common language and 
ethnicity.  Djibouti was instrumental in garnering international 
support for TFG President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and hosted 
UN-sponsored Somali reconciliation talks from May 2008 to January 
¶2009.  This "Djibouti Peace Process" culminated in President 
Sharif's inauguration at Djibouti's Kempinski Hotel in January 
2009, in the presence of international observers (including the 
U.S. Special Envoy for Somalia).  These efforts were opposed by 
Hassan Dahir Aweys, formerly head of the Asmara-based extremist 
wing of the Alliance of the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), and now 
head of Hizb al-Islam. 
 
¶3. (C/NF) The security conditions in Mogadishu have made 
strengthening military support of the TFG one of Djibouti's highest 
priorities (ref F).  Djiboutian plans to assist with the military 
training of up to 1,000 TFG recruits have involved the most senior 
GODJ principals--including President Guelleh and the CHOD, Major 
General Fathi Ahmed Houssein.  Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali 
Youssouf has informed the USG that the GODJ provided at least two 
shipments of weapons to the TFG in May 2009 (IIR 6 830 010009).  At 
the direction of President Guelleh, beginning July 5, the GODJ 
began airlifting TFG recruits from cantonment areas in Mogadishu to 
Djibouti for basic military training, using charter aircraft. 
 
 
 
¶4. (C) Somali TFG Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar has 
highlighted Djibouti's training of TFG recruits as a critical 
element in achieving the TFG's aim of training up to 3,000 recruits 
to form a new Somali army (ref G).  The Djiboutian Armed Forces 
(FAD) trained approximately 463 Somali military recruits at the 
FAD's "President Gouled" Military School, its primary training 
center, located in Hol Hol, 45km southwest of Djibouti's capital. 
Training began in early July 2009 and was completed in mid-October 
¶2009.  FAD instructors provided the recruits with basic infantry 
training; live-fire training commenced July 26, 2009.  Senior U.S. 
officials, including VADM Moeller, visited the Hol Hol site on July 
12, 2009.  CJTF-HOA delivered material items (including tents, 
cots, and water tanks) to Hol Hol, to support Djiboutian training 
efforts, and State Department Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) funds 
were used to backfill kit and equipment provided by the Djiboutians 
to the Somali trainees. 
 
 
 
¶5. (C) Separately, French forces in Djibouti (FFDJ) trained an 
additional 150 TFG forces at French facilities in Arta, 
approximately 40km west of the capital.  Upon completion of their 
training in September 2009, these recruits were moved to Hol Hol 
for integration with the 463 TFG soldiers receiving training from 
the Djiboutian military.  All the recruits returned to Somalia in 
October 2009.  A second tranche of TFG recruits is also scheduled 
to be trained by the Diboutian military, but there are no specifics 
currently available. 
 
 
 
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ACOTA 
 
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¶6. (C) In September 2009, Djibouti became the 25th African partner 
in the Africa Contingency Operations and Training Assistance 
(ACOTA) program.  According to Djiboutian Foreign Minister Youssouf 
and the FAD, Djibouti is considering deploying a battalion of 
troops (approximately 400-450 troops) to Mogadishu, in support of 
AMISOM (ref C).  It has also discussed sending 4-5 mid- to 
senior-level officers to AMISOM as interpreters/advisors.  The 
Djiboutian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that after a 
review it has been determined that there is no legal impediment 
barring frontline states bordering Somalia to contribute forces. 
ACOTA moderated a Training Strategy Conference (TSC) in Djibouti 
from 11-14 January 2010 with Djiboutian civilian and military 
officials, to determine the way ahead for participation in AMISOM 
and other multilateral peacekeeping operations. 
 
 
 
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UNSCR SANCTIONS ERITREA FOR BORDER STANDOFF 
 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Despite condemnation by the international community (e.g., 
AU, IGAD, UNSC, LAS, OIC), the Eritrean military continues to 
occupy fortified positions on Djiboutian territory at Ras Doumeira, 
nearly two years after June 2008 hostilities.  Djibouti reports 19 
FAD troops remain missing in action, including a prominent colonel; 
coincidentally, Djibouti is holding 19 Eritreans as POWs.  The ICRC 
reports that the 19 POWs in Djiboutian custody are in good 
condition; Eritrea has refused to acknowledge that it is holding 
any POWs from Djibouti (ref J). Approximately 30 per cent of 
Djibouti's relatively modest (5,000-strong) military remains 
deployed at the border with Eritrea; Djibouti's Prime Minister has 
publicly asserted that this continued deployment costs USD 5 
million/month, a figure that IMF officials assess may be accurate. 
To help reduce the necessity of maintaining so many Djiboutian 
troops along the border, the USG has provided imagery-derived 
analyses of Eritrean troop locations at the border to Djiboutian 
officials. 
 
 
 
¶8. (C) Djibouti also asserts that it has captured several ethnic 
Afar rebels who infiltrated Djibouti to conduct subversion, after 
being trained at camps in Eritrea (refs A, I). 
 
 
 
¶9. (C) On the diplomatic front, Djibouti has sought international 
sanctions against Eritrea for its military occupation of Djiboutian 
territory, as well as for its support of al-Shabaab extremists in 
Somalia.  On 23 December 2009, the United Nations Security Council 
passed Security Council Resolution 1907, imposing an arms embargo 
on Eritrea, as well as travel restrictions and a freeze on the 
assets of its political and military leaders. 
 
 
 
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CONCERN OVER YEMEN 
 
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¶10. (C) Over the past several months, GODJ leadership has expressed 
growing concern over developments in Yemen (ref B).  Djibouti has a 
small ethnic-Yemeni population (less than 5 percent), is less than 
18 miles from Yemen across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, and sees 
frequent movement of people and goods between the two countries. 
In addition to fears they will be caught between two centers of 
extremism--Somalia and Yemen--the Djiboutians believe that Houthi 
rebels are also benefiting from Iranian assistance provided with 
the support of Eritrea.  Djibouti is supportive of measures to 
reinforce Yemeni President Saleh's government and act against 
terrorist targets. 
 
 
 
------------------------- 
 
EASBRIG FTX NOVEMBER 2009 
 
------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶11. (C) Despite the security challenges posed by its immediate 
neighbors, Somalia and Eritrea, Djibouti hosted a large-scale field 
training exercise (FTX) on behalf of the African Union's East 
African Standby Force, from 30 November to 4 December 2009.  The 
FTX involved approximately 1,500 troops as well as 400 support 
personnel.  Participating countries (either sending troops or 
observers) included Djibouti, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, 
Sudan, Comoros, and Seychelles. The EASBRIG military commander is 
 
Brigadier General Osman Nour Soubagleh (one of four flag officers 
in the Djiboutian military).  The GODJ received US, French, and 
other donor support for the FTX to include tents, sanitation 
equipment (e.g., portable toilets), and support for site 
preparations (ref H).  A USG contribution of nearly $2 million from 
the AFRICOM Combatant Commander's Initiative Fund was gratefully 
received by the Djiboutians and helped reinforce our security 
partnership (ref D).  The FTX was completed successfully and the 
after action review is ongoing. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
BILATERAL ENGAGEMENT TO STRENGTHEN MARITIME CAPABILITIES 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
 
 
¶12. (C) The Embassy manages a wide array of security assistance 
projects aimed at strengthening Djibouti's maritime capabilities, 
including: 
 
-- the provision of patrol boats to the Djiboutian Navy; 
 
-- the December 2008 completion of the USD 14 million FMF-financed 
Obock naval pier (approximately 75 km south of the strategic 
Bab-al-Mandeb Strait); and 
 
-- ongoing installation of an USD 8 million Regional Maritime 
Awareness Capability (RMAC), comprising AIS, coastal radar, and the 
establishment of an operations center for the Djiboutian Navy.  The 
RMAC installation is scheduled to be completed 28 January 2010. 
 
-- In addition, the Embassy is coordinating with the U.S. 
Department of Energy's National Nuclear Safety Administration 
(DOE/NNSA) on a USD 6-10 million "Megaports" project to install 
sensors at the Port of Djibouti's new Doraleh Container Terminal, 
which will detect the transshipment of radioactive materials (09 
DJIBOUTI 453).  Construction is slated to begin in 2010. 
 
-- General Ward's participation in a July 30, 2009, ribbon-cutting 
ceremony with the Commander of the Djiboutian Navy, COL Abdourahman 
Aden Cher, marked the launch of a U.S. Navy harbor security unit at 
the Port of Djibouti to provide improved force protection to 
visiting U.S. ships.  This concurrence was codified in a formal MOU 
signed between COL Cher and the Camp Lemonnier commanding officer 
(09 DJIBOUTI 449). 
 
-- In October 2009, a full-time U.S. Navy liaison officer (O-3 
level) completed a three-month assignment to Djiboutian Navy 
headquarters--fulfilling a long-term request by Djiboutian Navy 
Commander, COL Cher, for a USN LNO.  To date, the position has not 
been backfilled. 
 
 
 
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COUNTER-PIRACY HUB 
 
------------------ 
 
 
 
¶13. (U) Djibouti continues to serve as a key hub for international 
counter-piracy operations, including the European Union's 
"Atalanta" naval task force, the NATO Standing Maritime Group I, 
Combined Task Force 151, and a historic overseas deployment by the 
Japanese military.  The foreign ministers of Japan and Djibouti 
signed a bilateral status of forces agreement (SOFA) in Tokyo on 
April 4, 2009.  Beginning on May 31, 2009, Japan deployed 
approximately 150 Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF) troops to Camp 
Lemonnier, to support two P-3C maritime reconnaissance aircraft 
conducting counter-piracy missions off the coast of Somalia.  In 
 
addition, Japan has deployed two destroyers to Djibouti for 
counter-piracy operations (09 DJIBOUTI 255). 
 
 
 
¶14. (C) Japanese diplomats report that Japan seeks to establish its 
own military base in Djibouti, in the vicinity of Camp Lemonnier, 
due to plans for a long-term presence in Djibouti. According to 
Japanese contacts, strategic interests led to Japan's parliament 
revising the constitution to expand the Japanese contingent's rules 
of engagement; approximately 10 per cent of international shipping 
going through the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait is Japanese, including all 
of Japan's automobile exports to Europe.  Djibouti and Japan have 
not yet concluded any new basing agreement, but consultations are 
ongoing. 
 
 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
CAMP LEMONNIER AGREEMENT RENEWED 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶15. (C) During a visit in mid-June 2009, DASD Huddleston verbally 
informed Foreign Minister Youssouf of the USG's intent to exercise 
its option to renew the May 2006 Implementing Arrangement, for 
access to and use of Camp Lemonnier (ref I).  The May 2006 
Implementing Arrangement (signed in Washington, DC, by then DASD 
Whalen) was due to expire September 30, 2010.  However, it was 
extended in September 2009 for a five-year period (i.e., 2010-2015) 
"without renegotiation of terms or compensation" when the U.S. 
Embassy provided written notice in a formal diplomatic note to the 
GODJ.  The GODJ accepted the extension with no change in current 
terms or compensation (ref E). 
SWAN