TANZANIA: NO DECISION YET ON SOMALIA TROOP

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAR ES SALAAM 000093 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT AF/RSA FOR CBECK, RORTH; ALSO AF/E FOR BYODER ADDIS FOR AU MISSION E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2017 TAGS: ASEC MOPS PGOV PREL PTER SO KE TZ SUBJECT: TANZANIA: NO DECISION YET ON SOMALIA TROOP CONTRIBUTION REF: A. STATE 05683 ¶B. STATE 04808 ¶C. NAIROBI 0103 Classified By: Acting DCM, Tulinabo Mushingi for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (SBU) Vitus Njiku, Head of the Security Council Unit of the Multilateral Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assured PolCouns January 18 that President Jakaya Kikwete was fully aware of the request for Tanzania to send troops to Somalia. Njiku had attended the January 5 meeting of the International Contact Group (ICG) on Somalia in Nairobi and noted that Assistant Secretary Jendayi Frazer, one of the co-chairs, had discussed at length the critical need for early deployment of a peacekeeping force comprised primarily of troops from African states (Ref C). In addition, Kenya had sent a ministerial-level envoy to Tanzania just prior to President Kikwete's January 14 departure for an official visit to London with a direct appeal for Tanzania to contribute troops to an African Union-led Peace Support Operation (PSO) in Somalia. ¶2. (C) Njiku said President Kikwete had consulted with his Chief of Defense Forces, General George Waitara, of the Tanzanian People's Defense Force (TPDF) before leaving for the United Kingdom and that a final decision would probably be made shortly after the President returned to Tanzania. Njiku noted that should the decision be that Tanzania would join the PSO effort, the TPDF would likely be in need of logistical support similar to what the U.S. has pledged to Uganda. He also assumed that since Tanzania had already agreed to partner with the U.S. in the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program, that any needed training for deployment to Somalia would be accelerated. Njiku promised the USG would be notified as soon as a decision was reached by the Head of State. RETZER