KENYA - ADDITIONAL AMISOM TROOP PLEDGES

C O N F I D E N T I A L NAIROBI 002701


FOR AF/RSA MSKARDON AND CTRINGALE
ALSO FOR AF/E SDRIANO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2018
TAGS: KPKO MOPS MASS MARR PREL KE
SUBJECT: KENYA - ADDITIONAL AMISOM TROOP PLEDGES

REF: STATE 125135

Classified By: PolCouns Mitch Benedict for reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Post delivered reftel para 4 points on November 28 to
Ben Ogutu, MFA Director for Political Affairs. While there
has been no definite decision on providing troops to the
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM),Ogutu opined that
press reporting on alleged Kenya troop contributions "did not
come out as intended." He is still seeking clarification
from superiors on what was actually said or committed to at
the IGAD ministerial in Addis Ababa. According to Ogutu,
there is no "explicit" offer of troops, nor is it likely
Kenya would send troops given the original prohibition
against troops from "front line states" as contained in the
October 2006 deployment plan for a peacekeeping mission for
the Interngovenmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in
Somalia (IGASOM). (Note: UN Security Council Resolution 1725
(2006) "endorses the specification in the IGAD Deployment
Plan that those states that border Somalia would not deploy
troops to Somalia." IGASOM subsequently was taken up by the
African Union and became AMISOM. End Note).


2. (C) In conversations with contacts at the Kenyan Ministry
of Defense (KMOD),Post's Defense Attache Office reports that
there are no plans at present for Kenya to supply troops to
AMISOM. KMOD is also not aware of discussions that may lead
at any time in the near future to the participation of
Kenya's armed forces in AMISOM.


RANNEBERGER