KENYA: PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER ON RELATIONS WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L NAIROBI 002330 SIPDIS SIPDIS LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/2017 TAGS: PREL KE ET SUBJECT: KENYA: PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER ON RELATIONS WITH ETHIOPIA REF: A. NAIROBI 2072 ¶B. 06 NAIROBI 4377 ¶C. 06 NAIROBI 4313 Classified By: Classified by PolCounselor Andre for reasons 1.4 B & D. ¶1. (C) Summary: Enhanced Kenyan-Ethiopian security and administrative coordination at the regional/provincial level is lowering tensions between the feuding Gabra and Borana (Oromo) communities and improving relations at border crossing points. However, Kenya's Provincial Commissioner for Eastern Province claims that Ethiopia persists in taking unannounced unilateral actions against alleged Oromo Liberation Front fighters inside Kenyan territory. These intrusions, along with an extensive Ethiopian informants network, have been a feature of the border region for many years, according to other interlocutors in northern Kenya (see ref B),causing local Kenyans to question whether their government truly controls the area. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Kenya's Provincial Commissioner (PC) for Eastern Province, which includes a 350 kilometer stretch of border from Lake Turkana to Moyale, spoke with PolCouns about security and administrative coordination with his Ethiopian counterparts. Initially, he spoke only about enhanced coordination at the local level on the issue of preventing Gabra/Borana (Oromo) communal violence in the border region. He did not respond to PolCouns inquiries about the presence of Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) fighters in the region. He noted an increased tempo of meetings among Kenyan and Ethiopian local officials and between those officials and community elders, confirming much of the information relayed in ref A. These meetings were paying off as tensions between the two communities had reduced considerably. He further noted that border tensions evident during a polcouns trip to Moyale in July 2006 had dissipated. This observation is confirmed by other interlocutors resident in Moyale. ¶3. (C) Eventually, the PC relented and spoke frankly about the OLF issue. He expressed frustration that despite demonstrated Kenyan security cooperation in identifying and arresting OLF fighters on sabbatical in Kenya, the Ethiopians still took unannounced unilateral actions violating the border. He spoke of a recent incident when a "pro-government Oromo militia" crossed into Kenya "occupied one of our Borana villages, interrogated the population, then kidnapped several Kenyan suspects." The PC claimed, "when we protested, they released some of the captives. From their condition we could see they had been tortured." Further Kenyan protests produced "Ethiopian assurances that the militia commander responsible for the incident had been 'suspended,' but we do not know what this means nor do we find that sufficient." ¶4. (C) Comment: Provincial Commissioners answer directly to the Minister for Internal Security and Provincial Administration. They are senior-level Kenyan officials. The PC's comments echo observations made by his subordinate, the District Commissioner for Moyale (ref C). Kenya and Ethiopia are cooperating closely on Somali affairs, but it appears that Ethiopian officials at the regional level are choosing not to respect Kenyan sovereignty. These intrusions, along with an extensive Ethiopian informants network, have been a feature of the border region for many years, according to other interlocutors in northern Kenya (see ref B),causing local Kenyans to question whether their government truly controls the area. RANNEBERGER