GOVERNMENT OF NIGER QUIETLY LOOKING FOR MISSING UN

S E C R E T BAMAKO 000970 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2018 TAGS: PREL PTER PINR ML SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT OF NIGER QUIETLY LOOKING FOR MISSING UN ENVOY IN MALI REF: IIR 6 958 0008 09. Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 1.(C) On December 29 Karim Lansary (strictly protect),a Tuareg from Niger who is based in the northern Malian town of Gao, contacted the Embassy to report that he had received a commission from Niger's Minister of Territorial Administration and Security, Albade Abouba, to locate missing UN Envoy Robert Fowler. Lansary is a valued partner of the U.S. Mission to Mali and has worked for various USAID contractors charged with installing community radios throughout northern Mali. He is also a close contact of the Governor of Gao, General Amadou Baba Toure. In October 2008 Lansary helped facilitate the defection of a group of what appear to have been Nigerien Arab fighters from the MNJ via northern Mali (Ref. A). Although Lansary is a Nigerien Tuareg, he has no sympathy for the MNJ. 2.(C) According to Lansary, Minister Abouba said the Government of Niger had concluded, after an exhaustive search and investigation, that Ambassador Fowler and his assistant Louis Guay were no longer in Niger. Minister Abouba told Lansary that Niger was now seeking information about Amb. Fowler's possible whereabouts in Mali and that Niger's High Commissioner for Peace and Reconciliation, Mohamed Anacko, had recommended reaching out to Lansary. Abouba then asked Lansary to ascertain for the Nigerien government whether Amb. Fowler was in Mali, and if the kidnappers had formulated any demands. 3.(C) After speaking with Minister Abouba, Lansary privately tasked a northern Malian nomadic leader with contacting AQIM. Lansary did not reveal the name of his go-between, but said the individual was half Tuareg half Arab, based mid-way between Gao and Kidal, and played an important role negotiating the release of the German tourists captured by the GSPC in 2003. Lansary said the individual was not involved in recent efforts to free the Austrian tourists liberated by AQIM in October 2008. 4.(S) Lansary said his go-between telephoned him three days later, on December 29, to report that he had located Amb. Fowler at an undisclosed location between Kidal and Timbuktu with Moctar bel Moctar, but that AQIM was moving Amb. Fowler from day to day to avoid detection. Lansary reported that Amb. Fowler was in good health and that his captors were in the process of formulating demands to be made public shortly. Lansary said he and his contact believed Amb. Fowler and Guay were abducted by a group of Nigerien Arab traffickers seeking a payoff from AQIM as opposed to political concessions from Niger or public notoriety. Lansary said he believed members of this group of Arab traffickers were now traveling with AQIM. 5.(C) Lansary relayed this information via telephone to Minister Abouba shortly after sharing it with the Embassy. He said he expected Minister Abouba to give him a new commission but indicated he would not be able to comply without monetary compensation. There are numerous conspiracy theories circulating amongst Tuaregs in Mali regarding Amb. Fowler. Lansary said he adhered to one of these theories - that Nigerien officials played a role in Amb. Fowler's disappearance, perhaps to hide evidence acquired by Amb. Fowler of human rights violations by the Nigerien armed forces - until he spoke with Minister Abouba. Lansary described Minister Abouba's inability to account for Amb. Fowler's whereabouts, and desire to obtain more information, as genuine. 6.(U) Embassy Niamey has cleared on this cable. LEONARD