EMBASSY CONCURRENCE FOR FY09 HORN OF AFRICA

S E C R E T ADDIS ABABA 003343

SIPDIS
NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ET SO
SUBJECT: EMBASSY CONCURRENCE FOR FY09 HORN OF AFRICA
COUNTERINSURGENCY ENGAGEMENT 1206 PROPOSAL

Classified By: Ambassador Donald Yamamoto. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) Embassy Addis Ababa has reviewed and supports S/CT's
proposal to provide training in Best Practices and Lessons
Learned in Counterinsurgency Operations to Ethiopia to help
the Ethiopian government (GoE) build its capacity to perform
these operations in an effective manner that respects human
rights. Embassy Addis Ababa's concurrence of this project is
based on assurances from Washington that the project will not
provide assistance, equipment, or training to Ethiopian
security or defense forces that gives a lethal force
capability that could be used against Ethiopian civilians or
politically-oriented domestic insurgent movements.


2. (C) Terrorism threatens to undermine stability in the
Horn of Africa. Deteriorating security in Somalia's failed
state in particular adversely impacts Ethiopia and each of
Somalia's neighbors. Ethiopia's military and diplomatic
efforts to neutralize extremist elements in Somalia have
encountered a number of setbacks and al-Shabaab, a
U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, now exercises
control over large segments of southern Somalia. Al-Shabaab
also has sheltered and worked alongside al-Qaeda operatives
in East Africa. While Ethiopia's military had initial
success in preventing extremists from taking over Somalia in
2007-2008, Ethiopia's counterinsurgency capabilities need to
be enhanced to meet the continued cross-border threats posed
by Somali extremists. Ethiopia has waged domestic security
and counterinsurgency campaigns and border control operations
that have generated allegations of human rights abuses,
particularly in the Ogaden. While the GoE denies these
allegations, the credibility of reporting on such abuses
requires the preclusion on providing assistance that grants
lethal force capacity or tactical advantage noted above.


3. (C) Ethiopia's military needs to refine its
counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy, and tactics in order best
to broaden public support while targeting genuine extremists
and minimizing abuses. U.S. counterinsurgency trainers and
experts can share lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan on
building relationships with local populations, extracting
information from suspects and informants without torture, and
avoiding excessive collateral damage in military operations.
In addition, they may be able to provide vital non-lethal
training equipment to the under-resourced Ethiopian National
Defense Forces (ENDF). Improved COIN capabilities will help
Ethiopia better address local and regional conflict that can
be exploited by extremists and potentially contain the growth
of a terrorist safe haven in Somalia.
YAMAMOTO