EXPLORING STRATEGIES FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST

C O N F I D E N T I A L NIAMEY 000922

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPT. FOR G/TIP, ZEITLIN; DRL FOR HARPOLE; AF/W FOR BACHMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/29/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI KWMN NG
SUBJECT: EXPLORING STRATEGIES FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST
TRADITIONAL CASTE-BASED SERVITUDE

REF: HARKENRIDER / ZEITLIN E-MAIL OF 7/28

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY BERNADETTE M. ALLEN, AMBASSADOR, REASONS:
1.4 (D)

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


1. (SBU) The Ambassador hosted a lunch on Wednesday
August 23rd for key anti-slavery contacts: Ilguilas Weila
of Timidria, Niger's preeminent anti-slavery NGO;
Moustapha Kadi, a civil society activist and author of a
recent and comprehensive book on Nigerien caste-based
servitude; Aichatou Bety of Catholic Relief Services
(CRS),coordinator for the US Department of Labor funded
child worker education initiative, which incidentally
touches many slave-caste children; and, Khalid Ikhiri,
President of Niger's leading human rights NGO, ANDDH.
Poloff and A/DCM rounded out the American side.
Participants discussed both short and long term tactics
in the fight against traditional caste-based servitude in
Niger, and suggested points for a Post action plan on the
issue. Participants represented diverse viewpoints but
united around a few key themes: slavery in all of its
forms is susceptible to eradication, but it will take
time and an ongoing commitment by the Government of Niger
(GON),international partners, and civil society
organizations to reach that goal; practical training in
literacy, microfinance utilization, legal rights, and
marketable job skills are essential components of any
response; finally, in the short term, these advocates
agreed that the USG can most help the situation by
convincing Niger President Tandja and others to
acknowledge the problem and adopt a more realistic and
forthcoming position with respect to it. END SUMMARY

-------------- --------------
AN ANCIENT PROBLEM REQUIRES LONG TERM COMMITMENTS
-------------- --------------


2. (U) Poloff noted that the system of caste-based
servitude, in its various forms, had developed over
centuries, and that its eradication would necessarily be
a long-term affair. The contacts agreed, noting that a
successful strategy would involve the GON, the civil
society, and international partners in a multifaceted
effort to sensitize both servile and master-caste
populations, and to provide the former with viable
economic alternatives appropriate to their situation.
Noting that the problems faced by servile caste persons
differed considerably from the nomadic, pastoral zone of
northern Niger to the sedentary agricultural lands of the
southwest, Ilguilas Weila argued that different
fundamentals needed to be addressed in each instance. In
the northern pastoral zone, servile caste nomadic herders
would most profit from a decentralized and relatively
informal training program centered on flexible community
schools. The schools would impart literacy training, and
could also serve as a venue for sensitization on legal
rights. In this region, economic independence derives
from the ability to obtain flocks of animals and have
access to supplementary food stocks. NOTE: Weila's
arguments in this regard mirrored those of GON Spokesman
Mohammed Ben-Omar, who noted in a recent meeting with the
Ambassador and Poloff that many servile-caste Nigeriens
had been driven closer to their erstwhile masters during
the droughts of the 1980s, when many of their animals
died, reducing them to economic dependence (reftel). END
NOTE.


3. (U) In the south, Weila argued that land reform is the
desideratum. Servile caste Nigeriens in that region would
never realize their rights as long as the dominant system
of land tenure continued to favor nobles. Weila cited the
cases of servile-caste families who had worked their land
for 120 years, but were still forced to rent it from a
"master," and could never hope to purchase or own it.
Returning to the north, he noted that Timidria had
enjoyed some successes with microcredit programs that
aimed to provide servile-caste persons with small animal
herds, credit, job training, and access to food stocks.
Participants agreed that former slaves could also benefit
from cooperative production and marketing of certain
craft items like the shoes, leather and metal goods
traditionally produced by members of their caste.


4. (U) Offering lessons learned from CRS's experience
with servile-caste and other marginalized children in the
central region of Maradi, Aichatou Bety noted that
literacy training through community schools was not only
useful in and of itself, it provided an opening to
sensitize communities on their legal rights. Noting that
both master and slave caste children seek the literacy
training, Bety stated that their integration in the
classroom provided a great opportunity to break down the
tradition of discrimination and introduce subjects like
legal equality and the anti-slavery law. She stressed
that a sufficiently adroit NGO partner could do this in
ways that avoided conflict or negative community
reaction; the key was to offer something valuable to both
master and slave-caste persons. NOTE: While not primarily
oriented toward slave-caste populations, the USDOL child
laborer education project touches a large number,
especially in CRS's zone of intervention - the nomadic
region north of the central city of Maradi. END NOTE

-------------- -
EXISTING MODELS FOR ANTI-SLAVERY INTERVENTIONS
-------------- -


5. (U) Building on Mrs. Bety's comments, Poloff noted
that other existing donor programs provided workable
models for action on slavery. Veterinarians Without
Borders had responded to the 2005 Niger food crisis with
a pilot program to provide pairs of goats and other
livestock to nomadic herders, who then bred them to re-
establish stocks diminished by drought. The World Food
Program (WFP) and the NGO consortium that runs the DOL
project have explored the idea of using WFP resources to
support the canteens in the project's community schools.
The canteens not only feed the children, they create jobs
and incomes for some 800 parents, who staff them. The
CARE Maradi Youth Center, supported by Embassy ESF funds
and the Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism Initiative, brings
marginalized youth together in an association that
imparts job and life-skills training and microcredit,
while also teaching youth about issues such as HIV/AIDS,
conflict resolution, democracy, and political
participation. The concept has recently been extended to
Agadez. CRS's literacy and schooling efforts have already
brought master and servile caste children together under
the same roof for basic education. The same venues could
slowly introduce content related to social discrimination
and equality. Each of these ongoing projects has proven
itself in the Nigerien context. Each could serve as a
component of a long-term program leading to the eventual
eradication of caste-based servitude and its vestiges.
Yet, for any of these solutions to be workable, post
would have to be able to provide local NGO and IO
partners with sustained financial support.

--------------
COMMENT: OUR LONG TERM APPROACH
--------------


6. (U) Whether targeting 10,000 or 43,000 slaves - and
the target numbers become increasingly elastic when one
considers victims of caste-based social discrimination as
well as victims of outright slavery - such a program
would be considerably larger in scope than either the DOL
project (which involves 3,200 children) or the current
Maradi and Agadez youth centers (which involve between
300 and 1,000). Post wholeheartedly supports G/TIP's
proposed RFA on caste-based servitude. Such a commitment
would be a powerful first step that would help us to
achieve both our short and long term objectives. However,
if the USG wishes to embark on projects designed to put
an end to slavery and related practices, we must first
understand that this is a very long road, requiring
sustained attention. A multi-year commitment will be
necessary to ensure that slave-caste persons find the
economic means to escape from this age-old social
structure once and for all. END COMMENT

--------------
OUR SHORT TERM PRIORITY: MOVING THE GON
--------------


7. (C) Moving from long term solutions to short-term
action plan items, Poloff asked the contacts how the
Embassy could best address caste-based servitude over the
next six to nine months. The invitees argued that Embassy
advocacy on the issue was the most important short-term

tactic. They argued that we should raise the level of
discussion from the working level to the Presidency.
Poloff noted that many working level contacts and even
some GON ministers had adopted realistic and forthcoming
positions on the slavery issue in our discussions with
them. Their receptivity, however, had not always been
matched by that of senior leaders, including President
Tandja. Ilguilas Weila argued that the GON is a
hierarchical entity, and whatever the positions of lower
level officials, it would never really move on the issue
until Tandja himself publicly acknowledged it. Weila
argued that Tandja's reluctance to acknowledge slavery
was due to his political obligations to the businessmen
and traditional chiefs who together comprise most of the
"master class." All participants agreed that Tandja would
be a hard sell, but Moustapha Kadi argued that if anyone
could succeed, it would be the US Ambassador. High level
attention from the diplomatic corps, he argued, might
well provide the GON with the incentive it needs to
confront the issue.


8. (U) Participants also united behind another idea -
that of a national tripartite study on slavery. Such a
study would involve the U.S. Embassy, the GON, and the
Nigerien civil society, and would produce a document
acceptable to all. Moustapha Kadi noted that GON Labor
Minister Kanda Siptey had stated that her agency was
ready to participate in such a study, were funding
available. Weila and Kadi noted that, while both of their
organizations had produced studies on slavery before,
neither had been officially accepted by the GON. Weila
cautioned that such a study, if undertaken, should focus
only on slavery lest the GON attempt to shift its focus
to connected issues like child labor. He also argued that
President Tandja must first be induced to adopt a more
candid position on the question, otherwise the GON would
fail to be a truly effective partner.

-------------- --------------
COMMENT: OUR SHORT TERM APPROACH: ADVOCACY AND
PARTNERSHIP BUILDING
-------------- --------------


9. (SBU) Post would ordinarily dismiss the idea of
another slavery study as redundant, however, the idea is
intriguing for a couple of reasons. A tripartite study
could help us to arrive at a clearer estimate of the
number of persons involved in traditional caste-based
servitude. Current estimates range from 10,000 (Moustapha
Kadi),to 43,000 (Anti-Slavery International),to 780,000
(Timidria). In order to properly calibrate our long term
interventions, a more exact estimate that all of these
actors - and the GON - can agree on would be useful.
Secondly, a tripartite study would enable us to test the
GON's willingness to engage on this issue. If we could
provide the resources for a project the GON has stated
that it is willing to pursue, all excuses for inaction
would be off. Finally, a cooperative endeavor bringing
the GON and civil society activists together to work on a
controversial issue under USG auspices could go a long
way toward building confidence between two groups that
rarely see eye to eye. Eventually, meaningful efforts to
eradicate slavery would have to be based on that sort of
relationship. If post could facilitate its creation, the
effects would be lasting. Based on previous experience,
we anticipate that a national study on slavery could be
accomplished for less than $200,000.


10. (SBU) Ilguilas Weila is right. In order for the GON
to be an effective partner in the sort of high-profile,
large-scale anti-slavery efforts that we contemplate,
President Tandja must adopt a clearer and more realistic
view of the problem. A clear statement from the highest
levels of the GON should precede any collaborative
effort, even the tripartite study.


11. (C) The Ambassador agrees with Embassy's anti-slavery
contacts that President Tandja will be a hard sell, as his
pride will not allow him to accept easily any discussion
about slavery (caste-based or otherwise) existing in
Niger. Embassy team was given the impression that none of
Tandja's cabinet members, even those who have a realistic
view of caste-based servitude, would dare risk raising the
subject with him (and Embassy tends to agree with that
assessment). Our contacts believe that Tandja may more
easily engage on the subject with someone he respects.
They have suggested that Tandja respects the U.S.

Ambassador, not only the position itself, but also her
active engagement with Nigeriens at both the governmental
and community levels. The same type of engagement may
also be possible with a few other foreign ambassadors
accredited here. The Ambassador intends to test, over the
long term, what sway she has over Tandja as it relates to
a number of matters, including caste-based slavery. Given
the Ambassador's brief tenure of four months at post, the
strategy she expects to take is to engage Tandja on
programs that he fully supports (i.e., such as programs
that focus on increasing scholarity and literacy for all
Nigeriens). Ambassador would then like to pursue with
Tandja the proposal of a tripartite study (funds
permitting),one from which recommendations would be
developed for use as stepping stones to real engagement on
this serious subject.
ALLEN