Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ADDISABABA173
2007-01-23 08:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Addis Ababa
Cable title:  

SOMALIA: MSF PROTESTS ALLEGED ETHIOPIAN MILITARY

Tags:  PREL PREF PTER MOPS SO ET 
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VZCZCXRO5405
PP RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDS #0173/01 0230825
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 230825Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4150
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3948
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 000173 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF AND AF/E
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER
CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2017
TAGS: PREL PREF PTER MOPS SO ET
SUBJECT: SOMALIA: MSF PROTESTS ALLEGED ETHIOPIAN MILITARY
OCCUPATION OF HOSPITAL

REF: A. NAIROBI 254 (NOTAL)

B. ADDIS ABABA 171 (NOTAL)

Classified By: ERIC WONG, DEPUTY POL-ECON COUNSELOR. REASON: 1.4 (D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 000173

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF AND AF/E
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER
CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2017
TAGS: PREL PREF PTER MOPS SO ET
SUBJECT: SOMALIA: MSF PROTESTS ALLEGED ETHIOPIAN MILITARY
OCCUPATION OF HOSPITAL

REF: A. NAIROBI 254 (NOTAL)

B. ADDIS ABABA 171 (NOTAL)

Classified By: ERIC WONG, DEPUTY POL-ECON COUNSELOR. REASON: 1.4 (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY. The humanitarian NGO, Medecins Sans
Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders),has protested the
alleged December 26-27, 2006, occupation of its hospital in
Dinsor, Somalia, by the Ethiopian military, asserting that
Ethiopian troops harassed and intimidated MSF local staff and
confiscated 203 confidential medical files, in violation of
the Geneva convention. MSF's most serious charge is that
Ethiopian forces ordered MSF local staff to annotate 25
randomly selected medical files by adding foreign
nationalities. MSF officials explain that its hospital in
Dinsor treated 284 wounded combatants, all of whom had come
"from the frontlines" as fighters for the Council of Islamic
Courts (CIC); all departed prior to the arrival of Ethiopian
forces. In a subsequent meeting with MSF, Ethiopian State
Minister for Foreign Affairs Tekeda questioned MSF's account
of the incident and its motives, but acknowledged that an
investigation was continuing. While MSF has discussed the
incident with UN OCHA, ICRC, and representatives of several
governments, MSF has not yet publicized the incident, fearing
it could jeopardize MSF's perceived independence and its
ability to continue humanitarian operations in Somalia and
Ethiopia. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) On January 18, Medecins Sans Frontieres-Switzerland
(Doctors Without Borders, or MSF) Director General Christian
Captier, MSF-Switzerland Program Manager Huub Verhagen, and
Addis Ababa-based MSF-Switzerland Country Representative Will
Robertson briefed Ambassador on the alleged December 26-27,
2006, occupation of MSF's hospital in Dinsor, Somalia, by
Ethiopian National Defense Force troops (ENDF). The MSF
officials recently visited Somalia to conduct a first-hand
assessment of risks to MSF staff, and reported that they had

met with Amb. Yates in Nairobi.


3. (C) According to MSF officials, ENDF occupied MSF's Dinsor
Hospital for 30 hours beginning on December 26, and allegedly
harassed, detained, and threatened MSF local staff; compelled
MSF local staff to breach patient confidentiality; and
confiscated medical files. According to MSF, these ENDF
actions constitute violations of the Geneva convention and
first additional protocol, particularly articles relating to
the general protection of medical units and buildings, as
well as to humanitarian and medical personnel. There were no
international staff at the hospital during the incident,
Captier said, as they had been evacuated earlier due to
safety concerns.

-------------- --------------
FALSE IDENTIFICATION OF 25 FOREIGN FIGHTERS ALLEGED
-------------- --------------


4. (C) MSF's most serious allegation is that Ethiopian troops
ordered the falsification of medical files: by allegedly
ordering MSF local staff to annotate 25 randomly chosen
medical files by adding a foreign nationality (e.g.,
Afghanistan, Australia, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, UK,
Yemen). MSF local staff were then allegedly ordered to
authenticate the annotated files with an MSF stamp. In an
internal incident report prepared by MSF and shared with
Ambassador (emailed to AF/E),MSF states that this action may
"amount to a criminal perfidious use of (the) MSF emblem for
military propaganda issues, putting MSF activities and
personnel in danger of retaliation."


5. (C) According to MSF Program Manager Verhagen, MSF is
concerned about the possible misuse of 203 medical files
allegedly confiscated by the ENDF from MSF's Dinsor hospital,
relating to some 284 injured individuals treated by MSF
there. Those treated by MSF were "all combatants" allied
with the Council of Islamic Courts (CIC),who "came from the
front lines," Verhagen added. Verhagen and Captier asserted
that MSF did not know the actual nationalities of those
treated, as it was not standard medical practice to collect
such information from the wounded, and that all those treated

ADDIS ABAB 00000173 002 OF 003


had "Somali names." The wounded combatants were "all
evacuated by the CIC" prior to the ENDF's arrival at the
hospital, Verhagen said, having been referred to facilities
in Kismayo or Mogadishu. Captier explained that as MSF was
not present in Baidoa (like the ICRC),MSF had not treated
any Ethiopian or TFG forces; MSF facilities would now treat
all who came, however, he added. Verhagen clarified that MSF
had treated TFG wounded at Galguduud.

-------------- ---
INCIDENT PROTESTED TO GOE, TFG, UN OCHA AND ICRC
-------------- ---


6. (C) MSF has protested the alleged incident in separate
written correspondence (forwarded to AF/E) to both Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi and to Transitional Federal Government
of Somalia (TFG) Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, with copies
to the UN Office for the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs
(UN OCHA),and the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC). MSF officials stated that they had also reported the
incident to government officials in Stockholm, Oslo, and
Washington, as well as to the EU permrep in Addis; Director
General Captier said he planned to brief EU officials further
in Brussels. According to Captier, Ethiopia's State Minister
for Foreign Affairs Tekeda Alemu, in a subsequent meeting
with MSF, denied MSF's account of the incident and questioned
MSF's motives, but concluded by noting that an investigation
was underway. MSF officials said they hoped to meet with
Ethiopia's minister of federal affairs, as well as other
senior GOE principals.


7. (SBU) MSF Country Representative for Ethiopia Will
Robinson commented that while MSF had not developed strong
bonds with the ENDF, MSF operated within Ethiopia's Somali
region with the support of local GOE officials, and there was
"no issue of political bias" against MSF among the GOE. MSF
had sought to operate outside the area of operations of the
insurgent Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF):
MSF-Belgium was addressing tuberculosis and cholera south of
Gode, he said. MSF was nevertheless concerned about fallout
from the Dinsor incident affecting MSF operations in
Ethiopia, Captier said.

-------------- --------------
INCIDENT NOT YET PUBLICIZED; MSF'S INDEPENDENCE AT STAKE
-------------- --------------


8. (C) While underscoring MSF's concern at this "serious
violation" of international law, Captier also stressed MSF's
interest in avoiding "further damage" to MSF operations in
Somalia. MSF's main objective is to protect its staff, as
well as its ability to continue humanitarian activities in
Somalia, Captier said. He explained that MSF had not yet
publicized the event, fearing that doing so would jeopardize
MSF's neutrality and independence, if external parties
believed that MSF had colluded with the Ethiopian military.
Ambassador added that negative publicity related to the
security situation in Somalia may deter potential
troop-contributing countries from deploying contingents to
replace the ENDF.


9. (U) Due to years of neglect, Somalia was an important
focus country for MSF operations, Captier said. With the
permission of the TFG, MSF-Switzerland international staff
had since returned to Beled Weyne, as well as to the Dinsor
hospital (to treat a malaria outbreak),where they have been
present since 2002. MSF-Belgium was operating in the Bakool
and Galguduud regions; MSF-Poland was operating in Galcaiyo
and north of Kismayo; and MSF-Spain was operating in Jowhar,
Captier added.


10. (SBU) In response to Ambassador's observation that the
USG was arranging commercial flights to deliver food, fuel,
and medical supplies to Somalia, Director General Captier
noted that MSF could not be involved, due to MSF's policy of
not receiving assistance from any government, except during
emergencies. MSF needed to control its own logistics, to
maintain its independence, Verhagen said.


ADDIS ABAB 00000173 003 OF 003



11. (C) COMMENT: Post will continue to press the GOE to
return medical files to MSF and to respect relevant
international conventions relating to the protection of
humanitarian and medical personnel. We raised this issue
directly with the ENDF's Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant
General Samora, who denied files were stolen (ref B). We
will need to raise this issue with the Prime Minister to get
an adjudication. END COMMENT.
YAMAMOTO