HARD-LINE ARS MEMBER TALKS OF MONEY, AWEYS, AND

S E C R E T ASMARA 000542 NOFORN SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E, LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/11/2018 TAGS: PGOV SO ER SUBJECT: HARD-LINE ARS MEMBER TALKS OF MONEY, AWEYS, AND AIDID Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for Reason 1.4 (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: A contact from the hard-line ARS claims Emboff that Gulf States were sending "hundreds of millions" of dollars to the Eritrean government to support the ARS. He also provided insight on both Sheik Dahir Aweys' and Hussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid's roles in the ARS, as well as personal background information on both individuals. The contact shows extensive affinity for the U.S. and is open to further contact. End Summary. MILLIONS FROM THE GULF -------------- ¶2. (C) A second tier hard-line Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia (ARS) contact told Emboff that the Gulf States send the Eritrean government "hundreds of millions" of dollars to support the ARS in Eritrea. The contact listed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and Iran as ARS contributors, adding that the Government of the State of Eritrea (GSE) skims "60%" of the contributions off the top. Because of the importance of this source of revenue, the contact speculated that the GSE wants to prolong the conflict in Somalia, and that GSE officials have told ARS members to "slow down" when reconciliation with Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is mentioned. SHEIK DAHIR AWEYS -------------- ¶3. (S/NF) The contact said Aweys is the focal point of a battle between hard-line ARS Islamists and Nationalists. Both sides seek to win Aweys' full support and use his name for additional influence with ordinary Somalis, although it is the Islamists who control Aweys' movements in Asmara. The contact added that Aweys seems to always keep hisotions open ." Hard-line ARS members are trying to convince Aweys to leave Asmara and return to Somali soon. Aweys is usually accompanied by an unnamed driver, who is also the hard-line ARS financial director and (according to the contact) a "strict Islamist bad guy." HUSSEIN MOHAMED FARRAH AIDID -------------- ¶4. (S/NF) Islamist hard-line ARS members believe "Aidid works for the CIA." The contact, who is Aidid's second cousin and with whom he has extremely close personal relationship, also said Aidid and Aweys are related in two ways. One of Aidid's wives is Awey's niece, and the two are also somehow related through one of their mothers. Aidid, according to the contact, is the only person who can truly influence Aweys, and (due to their family relationship) is the only person who can separate Aweys from his handlers. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTACT -------------- ¶5. (S/NF) The contact is a Canadian/Somali dual-national showing definite affinity for the U.S. and is open to extensive further contact. He has a wife and child still in Mogadishu, and asked for Emboff's assistance in obtaining employment with an international organization working on Somali issues. The contact claims to hate Somali Islamists and originally fought on behalf of the TFG, but says he changed sides after the Ethiopian military attacked his neighborhood in Mogadishu. He claims to have fought next to al Shabaab members and believes most of them are "salvageable" if the fighting stops soon. ¶6. (S/NF) Comment: The contact was a rare find, given that most hard-line ARS members spout party-line platitudes and rarely show the slightest candor. His back-bencher status, combined with his (claimed) extensive university education in Canada and Australia, may be personally frustrating, since he wants to be more actively involved in solvingQSQmalia's proQlQms. This situation may lead to further conversations with the contact, which may yield greater insights into the ARS than were previously available. End Comment. MCMULLEN