PISCES AND THE IMPERATIVE OF TANZANIA'S BORDER

S E C R E T DAR ES SALAAM 000814

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT S/CT FOR BPHIPPS AND FVOGEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2012
TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV PINS PBTS PINR SNAR KFRD TZ XW
SUBJECT: PISCES AND THE IMPERATIVE OF TANZANIA'S BORDER
SECURITY

REF: DAR ES SALAAM 1936

Classified By: Charge D'Affaires, D. Purnell Delly, for reason 1.4 (b a
nd d).


1. (S) SUMMARY. This is an action request (see para 7). It
would be a major mistake to cut off funding for Tanzania's
Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation
System (PISCES),which serves as an important border
management tool for both Tanzania and the U.S. In a country
with porous borders and turbulent neighbors, PISCES enables
the Government of Tanzania (GOT) to capture data on 95
percent of the travelers passing through its key entry
points. In this respect, we see PISCES as a vital part of
the Secretary's Regional Security Initiative (RSI) and our
MSP counterterorrism (CT) goal. On a weekly basis, PISCES
enables Post to use data which has been obtained from the
system for CT tracking purposes. Thus, Post is concerned
that funding has not been forthcoming for connecting and
expanding PISCES, and is even more concerned that funding for
PISCES has been cut off entirely for Tanzania. Without U.S.
assistance, Tanzania does not have the resources or technical
ability to sustain and maintain the system. END SUMMARY.

Tanzania Using PISCES at 5 Key Border Points
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2. (C) Bordering eight countries and with a 1,500 kilometer
coastline, Tanzania's ability to protect and manage its
borders is vital to U.S. counterterrorism (CT) efforts in the
region. In 2002, the U.S. began partnering with Tanzania's
Immigration Department to launch PISCES at key points of
entry such as the Dar es Salaam International Airport (DIA)
and the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA). By 2005,
U.S. assistance trained 180 immigration officers and
successfully installed PISCES at Tanzania's five major border
posts: DIA, KIA, Dar es Salaam Port, Namanga (Kenya/Tanzania
land border crossing),and Zanzibar International Airport.

PISCES Benefits Border Management and CT Tracking
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3. (C) According to a 2005 survey by the International
Organization on Migration, PISCES was being used to screen 95
percent of all travelers passing through the five major
border crossings in Tanzania. The system captures data on
the movement of persons across key border points and checks
individuals against the Tanzanian Immigration Department's
Prohibited Immigrants (PI) list. Head of Immigration, Kinemo
Kihomano, has told RSO Anne Brunn that PISCES has
significantly enhanced the GOT's ability to keep out unwanted
travelers including narco-traffickers.


4. (S) Information from PISCES has also enhanced the U.S.'
ability to monitor and assess patterns of certain travelers
entering Tanzania. In its interaction with Tanzanian
intelligence authorities, GRPO obtains information captured
by PISCES at least once per week for counterterrorism
tracking purposes. PISCES has also enabled GRPO to develop
closer ties with Tanzanian intelligence and law enforcement
officials, improving our partnership with the GOT on CT.
Over time, our aim is to pursue the regional exchange of
names and data among East African countries under the
Regional Security Initiative (RSI).

Installation Complete: What About Phase Two and Three?
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5. (C) When launched in 2002, the PISCES implementation plan
comprised three main phases: (i) installation; (ii)
connection; and (iii) expansion. With PISCES installed at
five major border crossings, phase one is now complete in
Tanzania. However, Tanzania has yet to receive assistance
for phase two and three to connect its systems or to expand
to new border points. While Tanzania is currently using
PISCES quite effectively as a border management tool, PISCES
could be significantly more effective as a counterterrorism
tool if the systems were connected and if there was a central
unit installed. This would greatly increase the sharing of
information including names of prohibited travelers between
border points and among law enforcement agencies.


6. (C) Laurence Smith, the PISCES contractor based in
Nairobi, told PolCons on June 5 that Tanzania has been using
the PISCES system at five border posts, "more than many other

PISCES countries I have worked with." As an implementer of
the project, Smith concurred that Phase I has been successful
in Tanzania and that expansion of the PISCES program
including the interconnection of posts would allow the
Tanzanians to use PISCES to its full potential for both
border control and CT purposes.

Tanzania's Request: Please Don't Abandon PISCES
-------------- ---

7. (SBU) In a letter to the Embassy dated May 11, Director of
Immigration P. Mgonja expressed his concern that the U.S. had
not allocated funds for PISCES in 2007. Mgonja referenced
his conversation with Darin Olson, Managing Director of
Griffin International (a former USG contractor providing
support and maintenance on PISCES). He requested official
notification to confirm if the USG had, in fact, made the
decision to stop funding PISCES. "We humbly request an
official note from the Embassy regarding this abrupt
decision."


8. (SBU) Action Request: Post requests clarification on FY
2007 and FY 2008 funding allocations for PISCES in Tanzania
so that Post can inform Tanzania's Department of Immigration
on the USG's plan of support for PISCES.


Mission's Request: Please Connect and Expand PISCES
-------------- --------------

9. (S) Over the past several years, the Mission has
consistently identified PISCES as a key component of its
counterterrorism strategy. In Post's FY 2007 Mission
Performance Plan, (MPP),FY 2008 MPP, FY 2007 Operational
Plan, and FY 2009 Mission Strategic Plan (MSP),all stressed
the importance of PISCES and increased border security for
the Mission's CT goal. In its FY 2008 MPP, Post outlined its
aim to achieve phase two and three of PISCES implementation
(connection and expansion) by FY 2009. While benefits of
PISCES are evident from installation and screening at five
border points, there is widespread recognition that
connectivity would translate into crucial gains for CT
tracking. Expansion is also important as GRPO has expressed
particular interest in the triangle of travel between
Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, and Tanga.

Comment: Let's Realize the Full Potential of PISCES
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10. (C) The USG has made a wise investment to date with
PISCES in Tanzania. To gain the most from this investment,
however, we must continue with phase two and three of
implementation. The Mission agrees that Tanzanian
authorities are already using PISCES consistently but that
benefits could be amplified for CT purposes if the systems
were connected and eventually expanded to other critical
border points including Tanga and Zanzibar port. In short,
Post is seriously concerned that assistance for the PISCES
program in Tanzania has been cut. The GOT lacks resources to
sustain the system. Thus, without additional support to
maintain and upgrade software and connect the systems, it is
likely that the U.S. investment in PISCES will have gone to
waste. Post would appreciate learning the next steps forward
to ensure that both the USG and GOT are able to realize the
full potential of PISCES as a border management and CT tool.
END COMMENT.
DELLY