Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BAMAKO817
2008-09-29 12:21:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bamako
Cable title:
MALI: REQUEST FOR 1206 EQUIPMENT
how-toVZCZCXRO3894 RR RUEHPA DE RUEHBP #0817 2731221 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 291221Z SEP 08 FM AMEMBASSY BAMAKO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9669 INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 0491 RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000817
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2018
TAGS: ASEC MASS PTER PREL ML
SUBJECT: MALI: REQUEST FOR 1206 EQUIPMENT
Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000817
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2018
TAGS: ASEC MASS PTER PREL ML
SUBJECT: MALI: REQUEST FOR 1206 EQUIPMENT
Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1.(C) Embassy Bamako requests 1206 equipment to help fulfill
key peace and security goals by enhancing Mali's ability to
control its borders and counter threats posed by Al Qaeda in
the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). This request is for
communications equipment and trucks.
2.(C) Mali's status as one of west Africa's leading
democracies, and AQIM's continued use of northern Mali as a
safe haven, make Mali a key member of the Trans-Sahel Counter
Terrorism Partnership (TSCTP). The Malian government is
dedicated to eradicating AQIM from Malian soil but is unable
to do so due in large part to severely limited resources.
President Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT) has frequently
reiterated his request, pending for nearly two years, for
vehicles and communications equipment. In meetings with
former Ambassador McCulley, former SOCEUR Commander Admiral
McRaven, and AFRICOM Commander General Ward over the course
of the last twelve months, he has remarked on his obligation
to balance his commitment to fighting terrorism with his
responsibilities to ensure the security of northern
populations against the very real threat of retaliation.
Outlining his strategy for northern security, ATT speaks
first of reinforcing bases to a more distant perimeter to
allow them to credibly defend themselves against attacks. He
notes, too that vehicles and communications capacity are key
to Mali's ability to maneuver in support of pursuing
terrorists and interposing themselves to protect the safety
of citizens in the north. Requested 1206 equipment directly
addresses this resource problem, and with the prospect of
equipment delivery speeded by arriving air assets in support
of the Flintlock exercise, advances delivery of these long
unfulfilled USG promises to our Malian partners.
3.(C) This request comes at a moment when the threat posed
by AQIM appears to be growing. The brutal killing of
Mauritanian troops by AQIM on September 15, the attackers'
subsequent flight into northern Mali, and the recent arrest
of suspected AQIM members in Malian city of Gao will likely
force Mali to reassess the dangers posed by AQIM and Mali's
strategy for combating them. The arrival of 1206 equipment
serves a timely purpose, as it would occur at a moment when
concern over AQIM's use of northern Mali is on the rise. The
equipment provision to Mali would also send a clear signal to
the Malian government regarding the need to increase pressure
on AQIM in order to prevent future incidents in Mauritania,
Algeria or potentially Mali.
LEONARD
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2018
TAGS: ASEC MASS PTER PREL ML
SUBJECT: MALI: REQUEST FOR 1206 EQUIPMENT
Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1.(C) Embassy Bamako requests 1206 equipment to help fulfill
key peace and security goals by enhancing Mali's ability to
control its borders and counter threats posed by Al Qaeda in
the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). This request is for
communications equipment and trucks.
2.(C) Mali's status as one of west Africa's leading
democracies, and AQIM's continued use of northern Mali as a
safe haven, make Mali a key member of the Trans-Sahel Counter
Terrorism Partnership (TSCTP). The Malian government is
dedicated to eradicating AQIM from Malian soil but is unable
to do so due in large part to severely limited resources.
President Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT) has frequently
reiterated his request, pending for nearly two years, for
vehicles and communications equipment. In meetings with
former Ambassador McCulley, former SOCEUR Commander Admiral
McRaven, and AFRICOM Commander General Ward over the course
of the last twelve months, he has remarked on his obligation
to balance his commitment to fighting terrorism with his
responsibilities to ensure the security of northern
populations against the very real threat of retaliation.
Outlining his strategy for northern security, ATT speaks
first of reinforcing bases to a more distant perimeter to
allow them to credibly defend themselves against attacks. He
notes, too that vehicles and communications capacity are key
to Mali's ability to maneuver in support of pursuing
terrorists and interposing themselves to protect the safety
of citizens in the north. Requested 1206 equipment directly
addresses this resource problem, and with the prospect of
equipment delivery speeded by arriving air assets in support
of the Flintlock exercise, advances delivery of these long
unfulfilled USG promises to our Malian partners.
3.(C) This request comes at a moment when the threat posed
by AQIM appears to be growing. The brutal killing of
Mauritanian troops by AQIM on September 15, the attackers'
subsequent flight into northern Mali, and the recent arrest
of suspected AQIM members in Malian city of Gao will likely
force Mali to reassess the dangers posed by AQIM and Mali's
strategy for combating them. The arrival of 1206 equipment
serves a timely purpose, as it would occur at a moment when
concern over AQIM's use of northern Mali is on the rise. The
equipment provision to Mali would also send a clear signal to
the Malian government regarding the need to increase pressure
on AQIM in order to prevent future incidents in Mauritania,
Algeria or potentially Mali.
LEONARD