Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07DAKAR508
2007-03-05 17:50:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Dakar
Cable title:  

TRANS-SAHARAN COUNTERTERRORISM PARTNERSHIP (TSCTP)

Tags:  PTER MARR ECON PHUM EAID MASS PREL SG 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5916
PP RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0508/01 0641750
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 051750Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7743
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 0356
RUEHNJ/AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA PRIORITY 0727
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 0815
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 0503
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DAKAR 000508 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR S/CT, PM, AF, AF/RSA, NEA, NEA/MAG AND AF/W
PARIS FOR POL - D,ELIA
ECOWAS POSTS ALSO FOR DAO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2017
TAGS: PTER MARR ECON PHUM EAID MASS PREL SG
SUBJECT: TRANS-SAHARAN COUNTERTERRORISM PARTNERSHIP (TSCTP)
CHIEFS OF DEFENSE (CHOD) CONFERENCE: CAUTIOUSLY MOVING
FORWARD

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JANICE L. JACOBS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, C AND D)
.

SUMMARY
-------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DAKAR 000508

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR S/CT, PM, AF, AF/RSA, NEA, NEA/MAG AND AF/W
PARIS FOR POL - D,ELIA
ECOWAS POSTS ALSO FOR DAO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2017
TAGS: PTER MARR ECON PHUM EAID MASS PREL SG
SUBJECT: TRANS-SAHARAN COUNTERTERRORISM PARTNERSHIP (TSCTP)
CHIEFS OF DEFENSE (CHOD) CONFERENCE: CAUTIOUSLY MOVING
FORWARD

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JANICE L. JACOBS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, C AND D)
.

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

1. (C) The Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Partnership
(TSCTP) Chiefs of Defense (CHODs) and the EUCOM Deputy
Commander met in Dakar on February 6 and 7. There was
general agreement that terrorism in North and West Africa is
linked with organized crime, including illegal migration and
trafficking in persons, arms, drugs and other contraband.
Participants also agreed that military means alone will not
eliminate the terrorist threat. Senegal requested more
sophisticated training; many countries requested equipment
and technical support. Mali and Morocco offered to host the
next annual meeting. The U.S. urged other TSCTP nations to
assume more leadership, but African partners currently prefer
to proceed more slowly. Nonetheless, there are a growing
number of examples of cooperation. This reluctance to move
forward with a cooperative approach reflects an historic
preference for bilateral security cooperation arrangements --
either with the U.S. or with neighbors. However, this type
of forum encourages progress on regional cooperation, which
is an important subject for reflection at the Regional
Security Initiative (RSI) conference in Dakar on March 13.
END SUMMARY.


2. (U) Military and civilian leaders from all TSCTP member
countries -- Algeria, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger,
Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, and the United States -- attended
the third annual Chiefs of Defense conference in Dakar on
February 6 and 7, 2007. EUCOM Deputy Commander William
&Kip8 Ward led the U.S. delegation, which included
representatives from EUCOM, SOCOM, the Department of State,

USAID, and U.S. embassies. The theme of the conference was
determined by the partner nations during the Delegate's
Conference held in Stuttgart, Germany in December 2006:
Strengthening the Trans-Sahara Partnership through Greater
Cooperation to Better Combat Terrorism. There were two main
discussion points that were recommended by the Delegates for
the conference: Information Sharing and Interoperability
through training and exercises.


3. (U) There was broad agreement on a number of points:

-- The scourge of terrorism cannot be solved by military
action alone. Poverty, underemployment, and lack of
development create fertile ground for terrorist recruitment,
and these problems, prevalent in the trans-Sahara region,
must be considered and addressed in any discussion of
terrorism. The creation of stable, secure, and prosperous
countries will make the region inhospitable to terrorists.

-- In the region, terrorism is inextricably linked with
organized crime, including banditry, alien smuggling and
illegal migration, and trafficking in persons, guns, drugs
and other contraband. Profits from these illicit activities
fund terrorist organizations and activities.

-- Counterterrorism efforts in the region are complicated by
logistical and geographic challenges, including porous
borders, large expanses of uninhabited land, and lack of
resources to detect, monitor, and combat terrorists.

-- There are numerous examples of successful bilateral and
multilateral cooperation in the region. Continued
cooperation and more multilateral efforts will be necessary
to successfully continue to combat terrorism.


4. (C) The partners made a number of noteworthy points:

-- Senegal,s Papa Sarr expressed gratitude for the U.S.
military's antiterrorism training in Dakar but pointed out
that some elements of the 2006 session were too basic to be
useful to the Senegalese participants. He recommended more
consultation before the next training session to maximize the
productivity of future sessions.

-- Chadian General Adoum Gabgalia spoke about the threat that
Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida pose to Chad and the region.


DAKAR 00000508 002 OF 003


-- The Mauritanian delegation began its presentation by
proclaiming the importance of respect for human rights and
the rule of law.

-- The Moroccan presentation emphasized the Kingdom's strong
response to prior terrorist acts and current preparedness to
combat terrorism. The Inspector General of the Moroccan
armed forces chief suggested that his country would be
willing to host a future TSCTP conference.

-- Nigerian CHOD General Martin Agwai spoke at length about
the events in the Delta as terrorist activity. He opined
that by the end of the summer 2007, the Nigerian Armed Forces
would be able to confront any group in Nigeria without fear.


5. (SBU) The discussion on the way ahead centered on
combined regionally oriented exercises like Flintlock. The
American delegation proposed the formation of a multinational
counterterrorism coordination center, to be permanently
staffed by representatives of each TSCTP country. This
center would provide a venue for TSCTP nations to
communicate, share information, and develop operational
plans. Certain authorities could be delegated to this
center, allowing for immediate action in time-sensitive
situations. Reaction to the American proposal was positive
but cautious. Most other nations agreed in principle with
the concept of a multinational coordination center, but they
stressed the need to follow proper channels and to establish
the legal basis for such a center before implementation.
When asked directly if his delegation would propose a
specific plan to implement such a center, the Moroccan
representative replied "If the Government of Morocco receives
an official request through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
This temporizing was echoed by representatives from
Mauritania, Mali, and Algeria.


6. (C) In addition to (possibly pro forma) procedural
concerns, some of the reluctance to move forward can be
attributed to hesitation at such a cooperative approach, if
not actual tensions between conference participants. Several
of the delegations cited positive examples of prior security
cooperation between specific nations but stopped short of
proposing a center as the American delegation suggested. The
Mauritanian delegation, in particular, called for
®ional8 centers first, suggesting a marked lack of
enthusiasm for working with the larger TSCTP group. As
another indication of disagreement among participants,
Algeria,s delegation also stated that in 2006, Salafist
Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) camps were present in
northern Mali, a statement quickly rebutted by the Malian
delegates, who offered to host the next conference. Rather
than discussing cooperation, the Tunisian delegation instead
described a successful raid its security forces had conducted
on a terrorist training camp, giving the impression of a
country able and preferring to go it alone. However, the
Tunisian operation also profited from intelligence sharing
from the Algerians, illustrating the potential of what the
Partnership can do together when its members trust each other
enough to share intelligence.


7. (U) There were, however, clear openings for progress.
Most participants expressed a desire/need for resources,
whether in the form of training, technical support, or
various forms of equipment: communications equipment, air
capacity, night combat capability, armed Land Rovers, and air
units. The Tunisians and Moroccans, rather than asking for
equipment, asked for real-time intelligence. The Chadian
representative stated it most bluntly: "Give us the money; we
have the courage to do the job."


8. (C) The U.S. delegation explained the value of a Joint
Operations Center for the next Flintlock and Silent Warrior
exercises. That discussion, in turn, led to discussions of a
potential permanent international center to counter terrorist
activity. General Ward said in his closing remarks, "The
next step is to secure the political commitment from each of
your governments to move forward" for the other delegations
clearly did not want to commit themselves to such a move at
this time.

COMMENT

DAKAR 00000508 003 OF 003


--------------

9. (C) The American delegation's proposal for the formation
of a multinational counterterrorism coordination center,
however, was a follow-up to the center that was discussed at
the previous CHOD Conference that was held in Malta in April
2006, and follows the delegates, theme of Information
Sharing and Interoperability through training and exercises.
The center could be used during the regional exercises that
EUCOM proposed as an important tool to build regional
cooperation. One way of initiating this process would be
through regional training events, such as Flintlock and
Silent Warrior, where a regional coordination center could be
rehearsed and vetted and implementing issues identified.
These exercises would form a multinational coordination cell
that would synchronize counterterrorism operations driven by
the exercise scenario. Intelligence and planning teams from
all of the TSCTP nations would provide information to the
regional exercise headquarters and distribute information and
plans to their respective Ministries of Defense.


10. (C) Continuing to provide material support to TSCTP
member nations will go a long way toward ensuring that
attendees at this conference work domestically to develop
this commitment. The Tunisian operation points to what is
possible for the Partnership when partner nations find it in
their own interest to share intelligence and to work together
to protect their respective populations from the threat of
terrorism. Based on this conference, Morocco offers promise
as a potential leader nation within the Partnership. END
COMMENT.


11. (U) General Ward has cleared this message.


12. (U) Visit Embassy Dakar,s classified website at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/af/dakar.
JACOBS