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