MILITANT DELEGATION TO ASO ROCK JULY 19, RIVERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 LAGOS 000514

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA, DS/IP/AF, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/OSAC
WARSAW FOR LISA PIASCIK
CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR
ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH
SAO PAULO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON
OSLO FOR HELENA SCHRADER
DOE FOR GPERSON, CAROLYN GAY
TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS
COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS
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STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD
STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART
STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT
STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER
STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/19/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC NI
SUBJECT: MILITANT DELEGATION TO ASO ROCK JULY 19, RIVERS
CRIMINALS RENOUNCE VIOLENCE

REF: A. LAGOS 485

B. LAGOS 502

C. LAGOS 487

D. LAGOS 310

E. LAGOS 493

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Classified By: Acting Consul General Donald McConnell for reasons 1.4 (
B) and (D)


1. (C) Summary: On July 14, Niger Delta militants again met
in Delta State and agreed to send a delegation to Aso Rock on
July 19 to meet President Yar'Adua and Vice President
Jonathan. In a separate but related move, Rivers
militant/criminal leaders publicly renounced violence. The
militants have decided approach the Federal Government before
addressing state-specific grievances they may have. If arms
dealer Henry Okah does not join the ceasefire, he has the
capacity to arm new youths to fill the militants' void. End
Summary.

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Militants Prepare For Meeting with President, VP
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2. (C) On July 14, militant leaders met in Delta State to
determine their strategy for dialogue with the government
about Niger Delta problems. The meeting was well-attended,
Sheriff Mulade, President of the Gbaramatu Youth Council,
told Poloff on July 16. Absent from the meeting were Ateke
Tom, leader of the Icelanders Cult/Niger Delta Vigilantes,
and criminal leader Soboma George, both of Rivers State (Ref
A); both sent delegates in their stead, Mulade said.
George's representative agreed that any decision taken by the
militant leaders in Delta State would bind George's group.
All participating militants agreed that if any one of the
"front-line" militants chose to break the ceasefire or accept
money from government to break it, the rest would no longer
be obligated and the ceasefire over.


3. (C) Dokubo Asari met Vice President Goodluck Jonathan in
Abuja on July 12 to request a meeting between the President
and a seven person militant delegation on July 19. The
purpose of the meeting will be to discuss ways forward on the
Niger Delta, Mulade said. In preparation for the meeting
with the President and Vice President, it was decided that
Asari would lead the delegation, which will include the
President of the Ijaw Youth Congress, Chris Ekiyor and
Kingsley Otuaro, who was once General Secretary of the
Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC) and former
personal assistant to former Governor James Ibori of Delta
State. Mulade said Tom Polo is the godfather of the
militants in the creeks but, since he will not leave the
creeks for meetings or negotiations, Asari will lead the
delegation to Aso Rock.


4. (C) According to Dimieari Von Kemedi, Program Head of the
NGO Our Niger Delta (OND),militant leaders need to speak
with a united militant/Ijaw voice. Kemedi told Poloffs on
July 14 that he has been asked to serve as the head of a
committee to determine how the militant group (Ref B) can
most effectively dialogue with government. If dialogue is

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not carefully orchestrated, the militants' message could be
confused or weakened, Kemedi warned. (Bio Note: Kemedi and
Vice President Goodluck Jonathan both hail from the Ogbia
community in Bayelsa State. End Note.)

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Rivers Leaders Also Renounce Violence
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5. (C) Also on July 14, groups in Rivers State, which are
commonly referred to as "cultist" groups that got their start
when funded by politicians to support their campaigns, have
in a separate but related move renounced violence. According
to Mulade, the groups, which are led by Ateke Tom, did not
coordinate with the Tom Polo/Dokubo Asari-led militants.
Mulade speculated the group's stance was spurred by the
militants' threat of "consequences" for any group or
individual violating the ceasefire (Ref B).


6. (C) Mulade did not believe Ateke Tom or Soboma George
were responsible for the recent spate of child kidnappings in
Rivers State (Ref C). He said individuals responsible for
these attacks were not organized in camps as are the
militants and cultist groups. He stated the attacks were
perpetrated by "criminal individuals." Mulade was not sure
how these individuals could be stopped, but he thought there
were "frantic moves" being undertaken and he was confident
order would soon reign in Port Harcourt. (Note: Mulade did
not comment whether these moves were by the government, the
militants, or by cultists. End Note.)

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Strategy: Address GON First, Then States
--------------


7. (C) Kemedi, who was invited to but unable to attend the
July 14 militant meeting in Delta State, said the militants
decided to approach the Federal government before requesting
state governments to tackle problems in the region. This, he
averred, is because the federal government needs to be held
responsible for the region and made to oversee future state
government activities. If they were to approach both federal
and state governments at the same time, the GON would swiftly
task state governments and effectively pass the buck, Kemedi
said. Kemedi is concerned, however, that militants are not
sure what they want, and that many are merely "echoing what
others say."


8. (C) Kemedi believed it was important for militants to
envision "life after militia" and in this light, for each
militant camp or sub-group to make sure his particular
interests are addressed. For example, Tom Polo has long
desired greater Ijaw control of the local government area in
Warri, Delta State which is currently Itsekiri dominated (Ref
D),Kemedi said. Other camps articulate their interests in
varying ways, from resource allocation to local government
control to Nigerianization of and local content in the oil
industry. Kemedi thought individual and community
participation in the oil economy, whether as owners or
workers in chemical supply firms, construction contractors,
or caterers, was more important to militants and communities

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than resource control. A substantial road block to Ijaws
being hired by international oil companies (IOCs),he said,
is that Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa employees dominate management
positions and do not facilitate hiring outside their ethnic
group. (Comment: Nigeria is a country where patrimony and
tribal roots still play a large role in preferential
treatment. End Comment.)


9. (C) Kemedi was not sure how militant leaders would
prioritize and present their needs to the federal government,
but he appeared confident his committee would be able to work
out these questions. One potential approach to resolving the
"life after militia" problem could be to employ militants in
government public works and development projects. Kemedi
also saw possible livelihoods for militants interested in
feeding and producing for their communities in agricultural
production. However, Kemedi was quick to point out that he
did not envision IOCs hiring the militants themselves but
rather reaching out to skilled and capable individuals from
Ijaw communities.

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Arms Dealer Henry Okah
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10. (C) Arms dealer Henry Okah, known in the creeks as
Master and as Jomo Gbomo online and in public pronouncements,
is a powerful individual whom the militant leaders would like
to see join the dialogue with government. While Okah's
participation would present a united Ijaw front, Kemedi said
Okah and Polo would need first to resolve problems between
them. According to Kemedi, Tom Polo disapproves of Okah's
alias "Master" because it connotes a status higher than that
of "Commander," adopted by other Ijaw militant leaders.
Despite their differences, Kemedi said Polo respected Okah
for his contributions to the Ijaw movement. Okah provided
rocket launchers and other weapons with which militants were
able to engage the military, withstand assaults, and decrease
military patrols in the creeks.


11. (C) Okah's participation in negotiations is key because
he controls arms and people through which he could perpetuate
unrest in the region, Kemedi said. Okah, who Kemedi believes
is in South Africa, has not joined the militants' meetings,
but Kemedi was hopeful he would agree to lay down his arms
once he sees future economic and other opportunities. Kemedi
has recently begun direct email correspondence with Okah and
is hopeful he can persuade Okah to join the militants'
efforts.


12. (C) Kemedi discovered that the South African government
had been ready to arrest Okah, but that President Obasanjo
asked them not to do it. According to Kemedi, Okah's
location had been identified and the government ready to move
when Obasanjo asked to have the operation halted.

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Comment
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13. (C) Mulade and Kemedi provide a rare first hand look at

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militant deliberations over how to resolve the Niger Delta
crisis racking their communities. Kemedi's coherent and
practicable set of objectives or implementing strategies is
predictable in light of the poverty and lack of education in
the region. Hopefully the government will meet the militants
more than half way with honest dialogue, funded development
plans and other elements that will turn the militants'
temporary ceasefire to a permanent one. End Comment.
MCCONNELL