GENERAL WARD DISCUSSES SECURITY WITH KENYAN LEADERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 002793 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2018 TAGS: MARR MCAP MOPS PHSA PBTS PREL KE SO SU CG RW, ET SUBJECT: GENERAL WARD DISCUSSES SECURITY WITH KENYAN LEADERS REF: A. NAIROBI 2686 ¶B. NAIROBI 2681 ¶C. NAIROBI 2610 Classified By: Political Officer Rachael Doherty, reasons 1.4 (b,d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On November 24 and 25, AFRICOM Commander General William Ward had introductory meetings with President Kibaki, Prime Minister Odinga, Assistant Minister for Defense Major General (retired) Joseph Nkaisserry, and Chief of General Staff General Jeremiah Mutinda Kianga. The conversations focused heavily on the security challenges presented by Somalia's internal conflict. Other regional security issues, such as Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the need to build African Union Standby Forces, were also discussed. Ward emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Kenyan military partnership, discussed how the partnership philosophy will guide AFRICOM's interactions with Kenya, and promised to be a strong advocate in Washington for strengthening the U.S.-Kenya security relationship. End Summary. -------------- The Challenge of Somalia -------------- ¶2. (C) During introductory meetings between U.S. Africa Command Commander General William Ward and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Assistant Minister for Defense Major General (retired) Joseph Nkaisserry, and Chief of General Staff Jeremiah Mutinda Kianga that took place on November 24 and 25, the security challenges created by Somalia's internal conflict loomed large, particularly in terms of piracy. ¶3. (C) All three interlocutors emphasized the security threat presented by Somalia's instability, which comes from both the land and the sea. Kianga said that Somalia has become an incubator for global terrorism, and the Indian Ocean piracy problem is worse because of the complicity of Somali leaders. (Note: Kianga did not say which leaders he had in mind. End Note.) Kianga predicted that in the near future, Somali pirates will start to build links with terrorist organizations. The recent "copycat" pirate attack off the coast of Tanzania shows that the problem is already spreading, Kianga said. Odinga lamented that most of those affected by piracy have tried to ransom their way out of the problem. This strategy is not working, Odinga added, and it is starting to affect our economy. ¶4. (C) Odinga, Nkaisserry, and Kianga emphasized that early action and regional cooperation are necessary to counter the security threat posed by Somalia's instability, but that serious capacity building was needed for countries of the region to intervene effectively. Kianga said that at present, the African Union lacks the organization, logistics, and supply capacity to deal with Somalia. Odinga said that during an October visit to France, he emphasized the need to the NATO member nation that holds the European Union presidency for assistance in building security capacity. Odinga said that he would like to send more army troops to El Wak to help secure the border from Somali incursions (ref C), but they needed the capability to perform more tasks. Kianga noted that time is an especially critical factor in facing the piracy issue, and strong deterrence will require the participation of regional nations. However, Kenya lacks the funding and assets to deal with piracy effectively, he lamented. ¶5. (C) In response to a comment from Ward about the need to prosecute suspected pirates, Odinga hedged on Kenya's position vis a vis prosecutions in Kenya: "There should be a special court to prosecute pirates," he said. Odinga added that the government was "trying to figure out what to do" with the suspected pirates who were in custody (ref A). Ministry of Foreign Affairs Americas Division Head Ambassador Chepsongol, who was present at the Odinga meeting, said that the government was still discussing the U.S. request for Kenya's assistance in prosecuting suspected pirates. However, there is a precedent for such cooperation: Kenya successfully prosecuted suspected pirates in 2006, Chepsongol NAIROBI 00002793 002 OF 003 added. ¶6. (C) All leaders agreed that Somalia should have a central, responsive authority. Nkaisserry predicted that the international community would have to step in at some point, but both he and Kianga expressed the belief that Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) deserves a chance to implement the recently-concluded Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) agreement to broaden TFG's representation (ref B). Political change should occur if the agreement is implemented, and hopefully it will be enough to create some stability, Kianga said. Kianga added that time is of the essence, as Ethiopia wants to pull its troops out of Somalia sooner rather than later. -------------- Sudan, DRC, and African Standby Forces -------------- ¶7. (C) Kianga labeled the subregion around Kenya as the epicenter of conflict in Africa, which is a serious impediment to progress and development. In addition to Somalia, there are other serious security challenges in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),he said. ¶8. (C) Nkaisserry and Kianga called the lack of trust between Khartoum and the Government of South Sudan an emerging challenge that calls for proactive steps. In private discussions, both sides express their readiness to attack one another, and this spells trouble for the 2011 referendum in which the residents of southern Sudan are supposed to decide whether they want to be independent of Khartoum, Kianga said. Diplomatic action will be critical to stemming trouble before it starts, and the U.S. intervention will be key, Nkaisserry said. ¶9. (C) Regarding the situation in DRC, Kianga opined that the governments of DRC and Rwanda both have genuine security concerns. Rwanda's problem, he continued, is that they also have their own agenda, which they are pursuing at the expense of their legitimate concerns. The (Hutu) Interhamwe (aka Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR) pose a security problem in the DRC and the DRC President should deal with it genuinely. If he does, so, Rwanda should back off, Kianga said. ¶10. (C) Nkaisserry and Kianga also advocated for more support for the development of regional African standby forces. The concept for such forces is visionary, the political will is there from host nations, but training and empowerment are needed, they said. (Note: Septel will summarize the November 27 semi-annual Friends of the East African Standby Brigade (EASBRIG) meeting in Nairobi. While EASBRIG is actively appealing to donors to fund more capacity building, the budding organization is plagued by a Kenya-Ethiopia rivalry over dominance of the organization that effectively disrupted a May 2008 EASBRIG Council of Ministers meeting. End Note.) -------------- Ward: AFRICOM Here to Support You -------------- ¶11. (U) Ward explained that many good initiatives had been started with Kenya under U.S. Central Command. "Now that U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has stood up, we hope to make the security partnership with Kenya more proactive," Ward said. Ward added that a strong U.S.-Kenyan military partnership will make both countries stronger, especially in the areas of peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. When citizens begin to see the military as their protectors rather than their oppressors, it serves to prevent conflict, he continued. ¶12. (U) "The relationship with AFRICOM will be one of partnership, and our work together will be based on common interests and objectives," Ward said. AFRICOM will not do any work that the Kenyans do not want done, he continued. One AFRICOM initiative that will be responsive to the Indian Ocean piracy problem is the promotion of regional coastal and maritime domain awareness. AFRICOM is talking to the AU about charting a comprehensive way forward on this issue, Ward said. NAIROBI 00002793 003 OF 003 ¶13. (U) Finally, Ward praised the Kenyan military for their restraint during the post-election crisis that followed the December 2007 general elections and noted that it set a powerful example for other government agencies within Kenya and to the region. "Our support for Kenya in Washington is reinforced by the army's good behavior," Ward said. (Note: In a subsequent private meeting with Nkaisserry and Kianga, Ward also highlighted the importance of conducting a credible, transparent investigation into the allegations that military personnel committed human rights abuses in Mt. Elgon. End Note.) ¶14. (U) This cable has been cleared by AFRICOM. RANNEBERGER