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