VZCZCXRO5643
RR RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDJ #0195/01 0481308
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 171307Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1434
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
INFO SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA FWD
RUZEFAA/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 DJIBOUTI 000195 
 
SIPDIS 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/17 
TAGS: PINS PTER MOPS MASS DJ ER SO YM
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI: GEN WARD MEETING WITH DJIBOUTIAN CHOD MG FATHI 
 
REF: 10 DJIBOUTI 03; 09 DJIBOUTI 1403; TD-314/010840-10 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: James Swan, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(A), (B), (C), (D) 
 
¶1.       (C)  Summary:  In a friendly hour-long meeting with 
AFRICOM Commander General William Ward on February 10, Djiboutian 
Chief of Defense Staff Major General Fathi Ahmed Houssein reviewed 
threats from Yemen, Somalia, and Eritrea and appealed for 
additional U.S. assistance to preserve Djibouti as a point of 
stability in a turbulent region.  While appreciative of USG 
security cooperation to date, Fathi urged further support for 
maritime patrol capability, border security (including border posts 
and radar/sensors), and basic materiel (some of which Fathi 
believed could be satisfied by U.S. Excess Defense Articles). 
Highlighting current threats, Fathi said Djiboutian security forces 
were that day responding to a report that four Al-Qaeda operatives 
had crossed from Yemen to Obock, in Northern Djibouti, and he noted 
other recent cases in which Djiboutian security successfully 
tracked potential terrorist-affiliated individuals or other 
dangerous elements.   GEN Ward reassured Fathi that the USG is 
grateful for Djibouti's close security partnership; understands the 
risks from Yemen, Somalia, and Eritrea; is pleased to have an 
active current security cooperation program; and is looking for 
additional ways to assist Djibouti enhance its security.  End 
summary. 
 
 
 
¶2.       (SBU) Visiting AFRICOM Commander General William Ward 
called February 10 on Djiboutian Chief of Defense Staff MG Fathi 
Ahmed Houssein.  Also present on the Djiboutian side were BG Osman 
Nour Soubagleh (East Africa Standby Force Commander), MAJ Fouad 
Elmi Waiss (FAD Liaison to CJTF-HOA), and LT Ibrahim Zakaria 
(Director of International Relations).  U.S. participants included 
Ambassador James Swan, CJTF-HOA Commander RDML Anthony Kurta, 
AFRICOM POLAD Raymond Brown, Embassy Djibouti Defense Attache LTC 
E.J. Dupont, and other AFRICOM staff. 
 
 
 
Fathi Highlights Threats to Djibouti 
 
------------------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶3.       (S/NF)  Fathi said that recent increased pressure on 
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) would leave extremists in 
Yemen few options other than to flee to Djibouti or Somalia.  He 
said he had just received reports from sources in Yemen that four 
Al Qaeda operatives had crossed to Obock, in northern Djibouti (Ref 
C).  Djiboutian security (NFI) were responding that very day by 
checking mosques, Koranic schools, and other locations in an effort 
to track these individuals.   Fathi reviewed other recent cases in 
which Djiboutian security had acted in response to potential 
threats:  a week earlier, he said, a Koranic school teacher with 
ties to al-Shabaab was caught and expelled from the country. 
Later in the conversation, he described the arrest of six 
"troublemakers" ("malfaiteurs" - a term often used to describe 
armed bands of ethnic Afar youth that operate in some areas of the 
country) who were then turned over to the Government of Ethiopia. 
 
 
 
¶4.        (C ) Turning only briefly to Eritrea, Fathi repeated GODJ 
assertions that 200 or more infiltrators had crossed into Djibouti 
from the north, with the support of Eritrean President Isaias. 
Fathi claimed that these infiltrators did not threaten Djibouti 
militarily, but could cause small disruptions.  Later in the 
conversation, he stated that Eritrea's occupation of territory in 
northern Djibouti had required the FAD to increase its force 
strength by 2,000-3,000 troops.  While the GODJ bore the extra cost 
of salaries, food, lodging, logistics, etc. for these forces, it 
counted on its international partners to support its equipment 
needs. 
 
 
 
Djiboutian Security Assistance Needs 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5.       (C)  Fathi went on to outline Djiboutian requests for 
 
DJIBOUTI 00000195  002 OF 003 
 
 
assistance to enhance security.  These included: 
 
--Excess Defense Articles to help meet requirements for basic 
military supplies; 
 
--two 30-40 meter patrol boats to extend the reach of Djibouti's 
navy; 
 
--mobile radars or other sensor systems to improve security for 
Djibouti's porous borders; 
 
--rehabilitation of Djibouti's border posts, especially along the 
borders with Somalia and Eritrea. 
 
 
 
¶6.       (C ) Probed by GEN Ward to elaborate on border security 
requirements, Fathi explained that a detailed survey had been 
completed by CENTCOM in 2002 of what was needed to rehabilitate 
Djiboutian border posts.  There are 23 border posts in Djibouti, he 
said, typically 30-40 kms apart.   In many areas, the terrain is 
mountainous or desert, making physical monitoring of these gaps 
difficult.  Even on Djibouti's border with Somalia/Somaliland 
(which is only 12 km from Camp Lemonnier), the GODJ has difficulty 
monitoring individuals who cross at locations other than the 
now-collapsed formal border crossing, including smugglers, illegal 
immigrants, and possible terrorists.  (Ambassador noted that FY 
2009 S/CT funding of $500,000 will support rehabilitation of the 
Loyada Border Post and provide other limited border security 
assistance at that location.  Both GEN Ward and RDML Kurta 
commented that force protection for Camp Lemonnier personnel would 
be improved, if the nearby border were better secured.) 
 
 
 
¶7.       (C ) Wrapping up his appeal for assistance, Fathi stressed 
that Djibouti remains "the only point of stability and peace in the 
region" but "we need to be careful," because inattention to 
emerging threats could lead to insecurity.  The GODJ seeks only 
modest assistance to its defense and security sector.  If Djibouti 
were to become "another Somalia" donor partners would be forced to 
spend multiples of current amounts on additional humanitarian and 
counter-extremist operations. 
 
 
 
GEN Ward Praises Partnership, Acknowledges Needs 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------------- 
 
 
 
¶8.       (C  ) In his comments throughout the meeting, GEN Ward 
praised the close USG-GODJ partnership that encouraged Fathi to 
speak openly about Djibouti's security requirements.  GEN Ward said 
the USG shared Djiboutian concerns over threats emanating from 
Somalia, Yemen, and Eritrea.  In recent months, Yemen has become an 
increasing focus of attention.  He reviewed the close USG security 
cooperation with Djibouti, including not only longer-term Foreign 
Military Financing programs, but also more recent USG support, such 
as that provided by the Combatant Commander's Initiative Fund to 
support the East Africa Standby Force (EASF) Field Training 
Exercise (FTX) in November 2009; creation of a new U.S. Navy Harbor 
Security Unit for the Port of Djibouti; and Djibouti's inclusion as 
a partner in the African Contingency Operations Training and 
Assistance (ACOTA) program.  He acknowledged the remaining 
significant needs of the Djiboutian military, and agreed to follow 
up in an effort to respond.  He noted that he would soon return to 
Washington to testify before Congressional oversight committees 
responsible for future funding decisions. 
 
 
 
 
 
¶9.       (C) COMMENT:  The atmosphere was warm and friendly 
throughout the encounter, as Generals Ward and Fathi discussed as 
partners how to cooperate to meet common security objectives.  Post 
will follow up through the Defense Attache to develop further 
details of the defense requirements outlined by MG Fathi in order 
to present them for decision.  Fathi's appeal should be seen in the 
context of other recent discussions with President Ismail Omar 
 
DJIBOUTI 00000195  003 OF 003 
 
 
Guelleh and National Security Advisor Hassan Said, who have 
presented similar threat analyses and requests for support - 
particularly to secure Djibouti against extremist threats from 
Somalia and Yemen (Refs A and B). 
 
 
 
¶10.   (U) GEN Ward has cleared this cable. 
SWAN