NIGER: MINISTER OF DEFENSE ASKS USG NOT TO ABANDON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000646

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2017
TAGS: MARR PGOV PREL NG
SUBJECT: NIGER: MINISTER OF DEFENSE ASKS USG NOT TO ABANDON
FRIEND IN NEED

Classified By: Ambassador Bernadette M. Allen, Reasons 1.4 (b/d)


1. (C) Summary. Government of Niger (GON) Defense Minister
(DefMin),Hassane Souley, requested a meeting with Ambassador
Allen to ask for USG support of GON military efforts to deal
with Tuareg dissidents in the North. The GON seeks military
support, especially intelligence assistance. The DefMin
emphasized that while people in the defense establishment
value the U.S.-Niger military relationship, USG support for
GON efforts in resolving the situation in northern Niger
would further demonstrate to the GON civilian leadership the
value of having the U.S. as an ally. The GON believes there
are links between Tuareg dissidents in Niger and those in
northern Mali and in the Al-Quaeda in the Magreb (AQIM). GON
does not have a negotiating partner and does not believe
negotiations with the Tuaregs will work because in the GON's
view the ultimate goal is secession which no government could
accept. End Summary.


2. (C) In a May 8 meeting with Ambassador and the U.S.
Defense Attache (DATT),Nigerien DefMin Souley (with the
Ministry of Defense Secretary General present) said it was
important for the USG to continue to cooperate with the
Nigerien military in order to demonstrate the value of the
relationship to the GON civilian leadership. He said that
whatever the USG can do to assist the GON with the current
situation in the North would only reinforce an already strong
relationship. In response to the Ambassador's comments about
GON inaction to formalize a long-term training and
cooperation plan between the two militaries, the DefMin said
the problem lies with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because
the Foreign Minister travels a lot. The Ambassador stated
that not having an Article 98 agreement places limitations on
military collaboration, but given the current situation in
the North, the GON military leadership should seize the
opportunity to convince the GON civilian leadership to
finally sit at the table with the USG to formalize and map
out a mil-to-mil cooperation plan for the next few years.
She reminded the DefMin that we had discussed the need to
work out a plan during Admiral McCraven's visit last Fall.
The Ambassador added that the Embassy can request possible
training to assist the Nigeriens, such as anti-mining
training, in light of the humanitarian aspects of such
assistance, but stated the GON should formally request the
assistance through a diplomatic note. Both the Ambassador
and the DefMin agreed that the Nigeriens need to address the
insecurity in the North, so that the current situation
doesn't further deteriorate.


3. (C) Minister Souley then stated that insecurity in the
North affects everything and if left unchecked could
destabilize the country and create further instability
throughout the region, stretching from Mali to Sudan. He
added that thus far this year Niger has seized ten (10) tons
of drugs in the North, and said that the Algerians and
Libyans allow such activity to happen. He also said the
Mouvement des Nigeriens pour la Justice (MNJ) engages in drug
trafficking and that revenue from the illicit traffic
facilitates the purchase of arms and other materials used by
rebels or potential terrorists. Moreover, he added that in
the GON's eyes the MNJ are terrorists because they've already
killed people. The GON sees the benefit of U.S. military
training in fighting all forms of insecurity and would
welcome more training because the U.S.-trained Pan Sahel
Initiative (PSI) company is the only real operational company
in Niger that can deal with the current threats. The
Secretary General at the Ministry of Defense noted that the

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Nigerien military is most in need of intelligence to track
the Tuareg dissidents. The Ambassador responded that given
the GON's initial public labeling of the Tuareg dissidents as
criminals and bandits, the USG would need strong evidence of
a link between the Tuareg dissidents and terrorism in order
not to view the current situation as an internal, domestic
matter. The DefMin animatedly responded that there is indeed
a link to terrorism because the MNJ and Tuareg dissidents who
did not sign the Peace Accords want the same thing as the
terrorists; that is to create a "no man's land", using heavy
arms and mines in order to create sanctuary in the North like
they did in Mali.


4. (C) The DefMin dismissed the MNJ as a rebellion and said
the GON and the international community fulfilled their
obligations to the former rebels under the Peace Accords,
such as military positions, reinsertion assistance, etc. He
added that Niger is a democracy where people can speak freely

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and form their own political parties. He said no one needs
to take up arms to defend an interest in Niger; that there
will always be malcontents, but nothing justifies taking up
arms in Niger. The Ambassador then inquired whether the GON
plans to negotiate with the MNJ. The DefMin responded that
the MNJ does not have a political wing, consequently, there
is really no one with whom the GON can negotiate or hold a
discussion. He pointed out that the MNJ leadership was
serving murder sentences before the Malian Tuaregs broke them
out of jail. He added that the USG viewing this problem as a
domestic Nigerien problem would be tantamount to Niger
viewing terrorism as solely a USG problem and not a Nigerien
problem. The Minister concluded that the GON cannot make a
distinction between a drug trafficker, terrorist or rebel
because they operate in the same manner and in the same
territory. Moreover, he said these actors' resort to
violence has detrimental effects on the local economy,
affecting tourism and development projects. Souley concluded
that no democratically-elected government can accept these
destabilizing activities on its territory. The Ambassador
acknowledged that several resident Embassies, including our
own, had issued warden messages advising our respective
citizens to refrain from travel North of Agadez, due to the
risks of land mines and the uncertainties about security in
the North.


5. (C) The GON believes there is no doubt about a link
between the MNJ and the Alliance for Democratic Change (ADC)
in Mali, the ADC links to AQIM and, by extension, the MNJ and
AQIM. The Minister stated that the ADC has already begun to
renege on recently signed agreements with the Malian
Government because their ultimate goal is to create their own
country encompassing northern Mali to northern Niger. He
added that there are ten main ethnic groups in Niger and
stated that if each ethnic group behaved in the manner of the
Tuaregs, then Niger would cease to exist. He acknowledged
that the insecurity is already adversely affecting
development activities in the North because some natural
resource extractive and exploration activities have stopped
and the work of non-governmental organizations has slowed
down. The Minister closed by stating that intelligence on
the location of the MNJ is most essential and suggested that
the USG choice boils down to either supporting a
democratically-elected government or, through USG inaction,
supporting the rebels.

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