SOMALIA DART SITUATION REPORT 18 - UPDATE ON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 001035 SIPDIS AIDAC USAID/DCHA FOR MHESS, WGARVELINK, LROGERS DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, GGOTTLIEB, AFERRARA, ACONVERY, KCHANNELL DCHA/FFP FOR WHAMMINK, JDWORKEN AFR/AFR/EA FOR JBORNS STATE FOR AF/E, AF/F AND PRM STATE/AF/E FOR NGARY STATE/F FOR ASISSON STATE/PRM FOR AWENDT, MMCKELVEY NSC FOR TSHORTLEY USUN FOR AMAHONEY BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER GENEVA FOR NKYLOH USMISSION UN ROME FOR RNEWBERG SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PHUM PREL PREF SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA DART SITUATION REPORT 18 - UPDATE ON KENYA-SOMALIA BORDER CLOSURE REF: NAIROBI 00380 NAIROBI 00001035 001.2 OF 003 SUMMARY ¶1. With diplomatic support from the US Ambassador, and persistence from the humanitarian community, the flow of assistance from Kenya to Somalia has improved. However, unpredictable security regulations at El Wak and Mandera continue to delay the movement of humanitarian staff and the transport of relief supplies to southern Somalia. Government of Kenya (GOK) officials in Nairobi are reportedly communicating different policies from authorities at the border, leaving humanitarian staff to coordinate between various levels of the GOK, while trying to identify acceptable procedures for the transit of personnel and relief commodities across the border. The border still remains closed to Somali asylum-seekers, but the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the GOK Ministry of Foreign Affairs have opened a direct line of communication on this issue. End summary. BACKGROUND ¶2. Since the January 3 closure of the Kenya-Somalia border by the GOK to humanitarian cargo entering Somalia, and Somali asylum seekers seeking entry to Kenya (REFTEL),movement of humanitarian staff and cargo has been restricted and caused delays in some relief programs in Somalia. Recently, permission to cross the border has been granted by the GOK on an ad hoc basis to some UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs),although delays are still reported and access can be unpredictable. This cable reviews the situation at the El Wak, Mandera, and Liboi crossing points and discusses engagement by the humanitarian community to address the border issue. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ¶3. Overall, access at El Wak has improved in recent weeks with successive food aid convoys able to reach communities in Gedo Region. However, the lack of a customs officer there leads to inconsistent application of border regulations indicating that recent improvement is not a guarantee for continued access. The situation at Mandera is erratic, with UN agencies receiving one-off permission the week of February 18 while NGOs continue to wait and negotiate for access. ¶4. In a positive development, the UN World Food Program (WFP) reported that the GOK Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the WFP logistics cluster representative on February 23 and requested to be updated on any ongoing problems related to crossing the border. The humanitarian community in Nairobi is thankful for the Ambassador's efforts and believes that his initiatives have contributed to the good progress that has been made. EL WAK ¶5. WFP, a major USG food aid partner in Somalia, reported that 40 trucks recently distributing food aid in Gedo Region, Somalia, successfully re-entered Kenya at El Wak border station for reloading in late February. On March 1, a WFP convoy of 27 trucks NAIROBI 00001035 002.2 OF 003 carrying 791 metric tons (MT) of food aid bound for Gedo Region crossed into Somalia from El Wak without incident. ¶6. Following on WFP's increased access at El Wak, the NGO CARE, another significant USG food aid partner, has requested and received concurrence from GOK authorities to move humanitarian cargo across the border over the following week. As of March 2, CARE planned to attempt to cross the border at El Wak within days. MANDERA ¶7. On February 18, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) received permission for seven trucks carrying a total of 100 MT of emergency relief supplies to enter Somalia at Mandera, and crossed soon thereafter. ¶8. CARE is working with local GOK officials in Mandera to clarify the border regulations. After receiving a letter from the GOK Office of the President granting permission for humanitarian cargo to cross into Somalia on February 20, and confirming receipt and validity of the letter with the Mandera District Commissioner, CARE was denied permission to cross by local border officials. ¶9. CARE met with local officials in Mandera on February 27 to clarify the policies and procedures for transporting food aid into Somalia. According to WFP, local authorities did not indicate any objections in principle to the border crossing for humanitarian cargo, however additional discussions were required to determine modalities for the upcoming CARE convoy. Since the meeting, CARE Somali staff has received permission to enter Kenya for cargo handling training, and as of March 2 CARE was hoping to move food aid across the border within days. As of March 1, CARE warehouses at Mandera remain at capacity, with more than 4,300 MT of food aid waiting for transit into Somalia. LIBOI ¶10. UNHCR Acting Representative Eddie Gedalof reports that humanitarian assistance is "flowing smoothly" at the Liboi border crossing. This good news is tempered by the fact that Liboi receives relatively little humanitarian aid traffic. Liboi is the main crossing point for Somali asylum seekers, and still remains closed to those seeking to enter Kenya. At the Ambassador's urging, UNHCR and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have opened a line of communication on the asylum seeker issue. Offers by the USG and UNHCR to support a border screening regime are "being taken up at higher levels" within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. HIJACKING RAISES CONCERNS ¶11. The hijacking of a WFP-contracted food transport ship off the coast of Puntland in northern Somalia on February 25 has raised concern among the humanitarian community. Although piracy has occurred off the Somalia coast, this is the first such incident in nine months. Given the recent difficulty and delays involved in transporting humanitarian cargo over land across the Kenya-Somalia border, sea transport, NAIROBI 00001035 003.2 OF 003 particularly for food aid, is critical to ensuring timely and adequate humanitarian relief for the approximately 590,000 Somalis dependent on it. ¶12. WFP says that Puntland officials are working to free the hijacked ship, and there have been no requests for diplomatic engagement to date. CONCLUSION ¶13. With diplomatic support from the US Ambassador and persistence from the humanitarian community, the border situation is improving. The relief community has made clear its appreciation for the Mission's efforts in this regard. Mission is following the border situation closely and will continue to engage with the GOK to ensure implementation of an appropriate border screening regime that fulfills both security and humanitarian needs. RANNEBERGER