GADIO REACTS TO CONDEMNATION OF ELECTION VIOLENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAKAR 000412

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF, AF/W AND DRL/AE
PARIS FOR POL - D'ELIA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL OPDC OPRC SG
SUBJECT: GADIO REACTS TO CONDEMNATION OF ELECTION VIOLENCE

REF: DAKAR 0410

Classified By: Ambassador Janice L. Jacobs for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Following the latest campaign violence on February 21
(reftel),I convened Embassy Dakar,s Emergence Action
Committee. The Committee agreed on a number of steps to
minimize danger to the private and official American
communities. We also issued a press release condemning
political violence. The DCM delivered a copy to the Chief of
Staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and I called
Minister of Interior Ousmane NGom to express my concern about
the absence of security forces last night. NGom lamely
claimed that this violence was normal in most countries ) an
assertion with which I disagreed ) and that the security
forces could not be everywhere although the gendarme training
facility and a gendarme station are with one mile of last
evening,s confrontation.


2. (C) Senior Minister for Foreign Affairs Cheikh Tidiane
Gadio subsequently called me to say that President Wade is
very unhappy with our statement. He claimed that we had
criticized the Government, which we did not, and had sided
with the opposition, which we also have not. He said friends
would not use the word &condemn.8 Moreover, he suggested
that the embassy statement precluded the issuance of a
planned statement by the Government ) although NGom was
certainly not aware of any such plan.


3. (C) Gadio said that the GOS would protest to the
Department and take other appropriate action. The Ministry
subsequently issued the statement in para. 4.


4. (U) An unofficial translation of the MFA statement
follows:

BEGIN TEXT.

Republic of Senegal
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Press release

The Government of Senegal notes with surprise and
astonishment the press release concerning recent election
violence in Senegal issued on February 22 by the United
States Embassy in Dakar.

Contrary to diplomatic custom, which consists of contacting
and gathering facts from host government authorities, the
U.S. Embassy first issued its press release and then sent a
Counselor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ) along with
other business ) inquire about the situation and the
reaction of our government.

The Senegalese Government, people and guests in our country
who share our daily lives, rejoice in the election
campaign,s generally positive unfolding in spite of a few
rare and regrettable minor incidents.

As for the events of Wednesday, February 21, our Government,
known for its condemnation of all violence and its attachment
to the rule of law and protection of rights, has launched an
immediate inquiry to determine the causes of the incidents
and to identify those responsible.

We invite the Embassy of the United States in Dakar to
conduct its own inquiry on the sites and authorQf the
provocations and to thus contribute to shedding light on who
was truly responsible for the trouble that threatens to stain
the peaceful electoral process that the Government seeks.

END TEXT.


5. (C) COMMENT: Although the Embassy may have ruffled some
feathers, we successfully drew attention to worsening
campaign violence. We hope that all parties will take note
and appropriate action. END COMMENT.
JACOBS