PRESIDENT KAGAME ON SOMALIA: INTERNATIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIGALI 001085 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2017 TAGS: PREL MOPS MASS RW SUBJECT: PRESIDENT KAGAME ON SOMALIA: INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST DO MORE Classified By: DCM Cheryl Sim, reason 1.4 (B/D) ¶1. (SBU) In his address to the Africa Caribbean Pacific-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU),meeting in Kigali on November 19, President Kagame raised the situation in Somalia and called upon the international community to "do far more than we have done so far." Noting that innocent Somalis were dying day by day and Somalia did not have a functioning state for more than a decade, he called for an "immediate international intervention to maintain peace," and to "permit the Somali people to rebuild their country." President Kagame also noted the "modest" contribution Rwanda was making to the training of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government's (TFG) armed forces. ¶2. (SBU) Rwanda undertook this commitment to train Somali troops earlier this year, while declining to send troops to participate in the African Union peace-keeping mission (AMISOM). For the past six months, Rwanda has conducted infantry training for approximately 100 Somali non-commissioned officers at the Rwanda Military Academy near Ruhengeri. They recently completed their training, and another 400 reportedly will be trained in the near future. Army Chief of Staff General Kayonga described to DCM the Somalis' poor physical condition upon arrival, noting that many of them had smoked cigarettes or chewed khat - habits now broken due to the Rwandan military's general disdain for tobacco and the unavailability of khat locally. Kayonga said he was impressed by the progress the Somalis made during their training, adding that the Somali NCOs had adapted well to the Rwanda Defense Forces training methods and discipline. (FYI: Rwanda hopes for donor assistance with the next training program for Somalia soldiers; the just-completed training was done with Government of Rwanda GOR funds. End FYI) ¶3. (SBU) Separately, Foreign Minister Charles Murigande told us on November 26 that Rwanda had decided to make regular statements on the Somalia situation, as the security situation was grave. He echoed the President's comments that "more needs to be done." ¶4. (C) Comment. With three (now four) battalions in Darfur, and with outstanding logistical and funding disagreements with the African Union in regard to its Darfur deployment, Rwanda was unwilling to send forces of its own to Somalia. In calling for an "international intervention" in Somalia, Rwanda has begun to signal that something more than the AMISOM may be needed. End comment. ARIETTI