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