SOMALIA -- SELF-DECLARED INDEPENDENT SOMALILAND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NAIROBI 003575

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR AF AND CA/VO
STATE PASS AID
DHS FOR ICE -- DRO AND IAO
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL CVIS KPAO SO KE
SUBJECT: SOMALIA -- SELF-DECLARED INDEPENDENT SOMALILAND
READY TO COOPERATE ON DEPORTATIONS

REF: NAIROBI 3066

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) The Minister of the Interior of the self-declared
independent Republic of Somaliland committed his "government"
to full cooperation with the USG should there ever be a need
to deport a Somaliland "national" from the United States. He
expressed confusion on learning that Somaliland officials had
been denied visas in the past few months for reasons related
to this issue. The minister made clear that, to his
knowledge, the U.S. had never attempted, successfully or
unsuccessfully, to deport anyone to Somaliland. He wondered
how there could ever have been a perceived pattern of
non-cooperation on the issue. Although this minister will
likely lose his job as a result of "parliamentary" elections
to be held September 29, the Deputy Director General for
National Intelligence and Immigration joined the minister in
committing to full cooperation. (NOTE: Background on
interrelations among "Somaliland," "Puntland" and "Somalia"
is also provided, paras 8-13.) END SUMMARY.

2 (SBU) Somalia Watcher traveled August 30-31 to Hargeisa,
capital of the self-proclaimed independent Republic of
Somaliland, amid extraordinary security precautions (reported
septel). The trip was conducted in cooperation with the
Somalia Democratization Steering Committee, a donors' group
providing indirect financial assistance through NGO
implementing partners for the September 29 Somaliland
legislative elections. Somalia Watcher conducted "bilateral"
meetings with the "Minister of Finance" (reported septel) and
the "Minister of Interior", Engineer Ismail Adan Osman.
Deputy Director General for National Intelligence and
Immigration Mohamed Nur Osman (no relation) accompanied the
minister.

VISAS AND DEPORTATIONS
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3. (SBU) Somalia Watcher used the same terms as reported
reftel to "demarche" the Somaliland minister on the USG need
for cooperation on the deportation of Somaliland nationals
from the U.S. back to Somaliland. We noted the link the USG
makes under statute between the issuance of visas for travel
of Somaliland officials to the U.S. and cooperation on
deportations, reminding the minister of the difficulties
several officials had experienced in obtaining visas to
travel to Los Angeles, CA in June 2005 to attend a conference
sponsored by the Somaliland Diaspora. (NOTE: Immigration
and Nationality Act (INA) Section 243(d) provides authority
to DHS and the Department of State to refuse applications for
visas by nationals of any country whose government the
Secretary of Homeland Security determines to have denied or

SIPDIS
unreasonably delayed accepting the return of an alien who is
a national of that country. END NOTE.) Somalia Watcher made
clear to the Somaliland minister that, in the absence of
clear willingness to address obstacles that might block
deportations to Somaliland, Hargeisa's officials seeking to
travel to the United States might be denied the privilege
under U.S. statute.

HAS THERE EVER BEEN A DEPORTATION ATTEMPT?
--------------


4. (SBU) The minister immediately expressed his complete
understanding of the issues at stake, as well as of the
necessity of engaging in a normal two-way immigration policy
with Somaliland's "bilateral" partners. He nonetheless was
shocked that Somaliland officials had already been subject to
visa refusals due at least in part to a perceived pattern of
non-cooperation on deportations. He stated that to his
knowledge, during his tenure as "Minister of Interior", there
had never been a request from the USG for Somaliland to
accept the return of one of its nationals. "We have done
some work in this regard with the UK and Sweden, but not the
U.S.," the minister stated.

JUST ASK
--------------

5. (SBU) Minister Osman stated categorically that the USG had
only to inform the Somaliland authorities of the need to
return a Somaliland national to obtain Hargeisa's total
cooperation. He stipulated only that the deportee's
Somaliland origins needed to be carefully established.
Somalia Watcher stressed that, while such an expression of
cooperation was most welcome, actually entering into contact
with the minister or his working-level counterparts had been
extremely problematic in the past. The minister then
provided the following contact information for direct USG -
Ministry of Interior communication:

Engineer Ismail Adan Osman
Minister of Interior
(Secretary: "Amina")
Cell tel no. 1: (252)(2) 424-014
Cell tel no. 2: (252)(2) 371-957
Office tel: (252) 828-3675
Fax: (252)(2) 523-225
email no. 1: engosman@hotmail.com
email no. 2: wagudaha@hotmail.com

Hussein Hassan Gulet
Director General for National Intelligence and Immigration
Department
Cell tel no. 1: (252)(2) 436-179
Cell tel no. 2: (252)(2) 370-683
Office tel/fax: (252)(2) 523-248
email: husenguledd@hotmail.com

Somaliland National Police Department
email: somalilandpolicehq@hotmail.com


6. (SBU) The minister agreed that, given the difficulties in
telephonic communications, direct contact should be made by
email. He requested that all communications regarding
deportees be addressed to him, at both of his email
addresses, and copied to the DG for Intelligence and
Immigration, as well as the Somaliland National Police
Headquarters address.

COMMENT:
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7. (SBU) It appears that there have not been any attempts in
the past, either successful or unsuccessful, to enforce a
deportation order against any Somaliland "national". Post
therefore suggests that there would be no grounds to bring to
bear INA Section 243(d) when considering applications for
nonimmigrant or immigrant visas for Somaliland officials.
Although there are many other reasons for a visa request from
such an official to be given very close scrutiny, until the
USG has some reason to make a properly formulated
determination on non-cooperation on the part of the
Somaliland authorities, there should be no further
consideration of this issue when we process their visa
applications. END COMMENT.

BACKGROUND: "WHAT IS SOMALILAND?"
--------------


8. (SBU) The "Republic of Somaliland" announced its
independence from Somalia on May 18, 1991, within the borders
of the colonial-era British Protectorate of Somaliland. The
Republic occupies the northwestern portion of the
internationally recognized territory of Somalia, stretching
from the border with Djibouti in the west to an as-yet still
disputed border with the Puntland Autonomous State of Somalia
in the east, and from the Gulf of Aden in the north to the
Ethiopian border to the south. Over the last 14 years, as
some 14 efforts to establish central governance in Mogadishu
and the rest of Somalia have failed, Somaliland has embarked
on a trajectory of increasing political stabilization and
economic growth. A constitution was approved by referendum
in May 2001. Municipal elections were held in December 2002,
and a fiercely contested Presidential election in April 2003
ended with the opposition peacefully conceding defeat to the
incumbent by a margin of just 80 votes out of nearly half a
million cast. A Parliament is to be elected on September 29,
2005, competing the democratization of the Republic of
Somaliland.

9. (SBU) BACKGROUND CONTINUED. Somaliland has been an island
of peace and something resembling self-governance, while the
rest of Somalia has lurched through wave after wave of civil
war and intra-clan fighting. It has operated as a de facto
independent state for 14 years, despite the fact that the
authorities in Hargeisa have precious few resources -- The
"Ministry of Interior's" principal telephone lines are the
cell phones in the Minister's pocket. Somaliland has not
obtained de jure independence, given the international
convention that unilateral declarations of secession in
Africa will not be recognized. Somaliland needs there to be
a government in the rest of Somalia, so that it can negotiate
terms of its independence in a way that is acceptable to the
African Union, the United Nations and the International
Community. Thus the U.S. does not acknowledge Somaliland's
independence, and has no formal diplomatic relations with the
Somaliland authorities.

BACKGROUND:"AND WHAT IS PUNTLAND?"
--------------


10. (SBU) The "Puntland Autonomous State" occupies a
territory stretching from the disputed border with Somaliland
to the east to the very tip of the Horn of Africa at the
Indian Ocean to the west, and from the Horn-Gulf of Aden
coast to the north to approximately the town of Galcaio in
the middle of Mudug District to the south. Puntland
announced in 1998 its existence as an autonomous regional
administration under the leadership of Col. Abdullahi Yusuf
Ahmed. Unlike Somaliland, Puntland has never had
secessionist intentions; nonetheless, the Autonomous
Administration has had some success in running public affairs
in the territory, and has exhibited some semblance of
democratic institutions.


11. (SBU) BACKGROUND CONTINUED. The major warlords and
individuals of political ambition in Puntland have taken part
in all the successive efforts to bring central governance
back to Somalia. The former "President" of Puntland, Col.
Yusuf, participated in the creation, and was elected
President, of the Somali Transitional Federal Government
(TFG) in October 2004. The current "President" of Puntland,
Mohamed Muse Herse (AKA "Gen. Ade Muse") was elected to
office by the "Puntland Parliament". He occupies a position
akin to a State Governor in the U.S., although place in
office by election at the level equivalent of the State
Legislature.

BACKGROUND:
TO TALK TO "SOMALIA," WHOM DO WE CALL?
--------------


12. (SBU) For the United States to engage in bilateral
diplomatic relations with "Somalia", it assumes direct
engagement with TFG President (former Puntland President)
Col. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi,
Foreign Minister Abdullahi Sheik Ismail, and the other
ministers of the TFG. The USG would not have bilateral
diplomatic relations with the "president" of Puntland, nor
with the "President of Somaliland."


13. (SBU) BACKGROUND CONTINUED. However, in the current
situation, the USG is obliged to be more nuanced. The TFG
has not been able to establish itself in the Somali capital,
and has no control over its national territory, whether
defined within the internationally recognized borders of
Somalia, or as only that area that is not "Somaliland". The
TFG President is not able to enter Mogadishu, the capital
city, due to conflicts with ministers of his own government.
Although the USG communicates its views to the TFG President,
there is no expectation that he can make commitments of any
kind on behalf of the Somali state. Somaliland, on the other
hand, is able to meet some of the obligations normally
associated with a sovereign government. It is not, how ever,
acknowledged as a sovereign state, and so USG diplomatic
relations with the Somaliland authorities can only be
informal in nature. END BACKGROUND.
BELLAMY