VISIT OF SOMALI PRESIDENT SHAYKH SHARIF TO EGYPT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000737 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, AF/E, PM/PPA, NAIROBI FOR TRIMBLE E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2019 TAGS: PREL PTER KCRM EWWT MOPS MARR KJUS SO EG SUBJECT: VISIT OF SOMALI PRESIDENT SHAYKH SHARIF TO EGYPT REF: CAIRO 557 Classified By: Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs Catherine Hill-Herndon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Key Points: -- Ismail Hussein, DCM at the Somali Embassy in Cairo, told us on April 23 that he was pleased with substantive discussions on Egyptian support for the Somali Government and how to fight piracy during the April 22 meeting between Somali President Shaykh Sharif Shaykh Ahmed and President Mubarak. -- The international community is not addressing the root causes of piracy. The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) cannot agree because all the states are "following their own programs." The prosecution of pirates in neighboring states is "reckless" and undermines the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The solution is humanitarian assistance coupled with military assistance to the Somali joint forces. -- The international community controls the Somali agenda and its inability to develop a common agenda prevents any progress on land. -- Somali President Shaykh Sharif Shaykh Ahmed asked President Mubarak to facilitate reconciliation between his government and Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys. The Government of Egypt (GOE) will provide uniforms and medical training to the Somali joint forces. -- The USG has the leverage and ability to help in Somalia. Hussein encouraged the U.S. to provide "direct aid" to the Somali people so that the people will know it come from the U.S. ¶2. (C) Comment: This was our first meeting with the Somali Embassy in Cairo since Shaykh Sharif Shaykh Ahmed came to power. The DCM was very anxious to meet with us to discuss the situation in Somalia and the issue of piracy. The Somali and Egyptian approach to piracy, and views on the ineffectiveness of AMISOM troops are similar (reftel). However, the Somali DCM was concerned that Egypt wants to engage the Shabaab before Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys. Egypt is keen to engage with the USG on Somalia to solve the problems in the Horn of Africa (reftel). The Somali TFG is still dependent on the international community for financial, political, and military support. Contrary to Hussein's assertions, the number of Somali refugees registered with UNHCR's Cairo office has increased by 10 percent over the last 18 months. -------------- Shaykh Sharif Requests Egyptian Assistance -------------- ¶3. (C) Hussein told us that Shaykh Sharif had asked Egypt to facilitate reconciliation between Shaykh Sharif and Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys. However, they did not receive a commitment from Egypt to take up this role. He said that Egypt talked about reconciliation with the Shabaab, but Hussein believes that the first priority should be to repair the split in the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) before addressing the Shabaab. He feels that resolving UIC split will help the Transitional Federal Government exercise control over Mogadishu. Hussein stated that Shaykh Aweys returned to Mogadishu on April 23 and the TFG sees this as a good sign for potential reconciliation. The Shabaab, he said, are strong outside the capital and therefore will be a future obstacle to overcome. Hussein told us and Egyptian press reporting confirmed that the GOE will provide uniforms and medical training to the Somali joint forces. However, he pointed out that this agreement was verbal, and no MOU was signed. -------------- Piracy Must be Addressed on Land -------------- ¶4. (C) Hussein told us that both Presidents are concerned that the "Red Sea countries" continue to be affected by piracy. Shaykh Sharif is concerned that there is no unified proposal to deal with piracy. Hussein said the TFG feels there is "too much discussion" and little action. He stated that the CGPCS "has no single point of agreement" and he said that "the U.S., EU and Arab states are all following their own programs." Hussein opined that having many warships offshore will not solve the problem. He stated that the CAIRO 00000737 002 OF 002 CGPCS' proposal to transfer pirates to neighboring countries for prosecution is "reckless." because it undermines the TFG, and sends the message that they are not able to deal with the problem. However, Hussein said that the TFG has "no problem" if the capturing countries want to prosecute the pirates in their countries. ¶5. (C) Hussein stated that no matter what is done on the sea, the "pirates come from the land, not the sky" and the problems need to be addressed there. He brought out a map of Somalia and highlighted a 1,600 kilometer area where the pirates live along the coasts of Bari, Nugaal and Mudug states. He said that piracy was bad for Somalia, but he stated that solving the problem is hard when people are dying of hunger. Capturing a ship provides a way to support extended family and clan. Hussein said that to resolve the piracy problem there must be humanitarian assistance coupled with military assistance to the Somali joint forces, including training, salaries, logistics, and equipment. -------------- --- Lack of International Consensus Hinders Progress -------------- --- ¶6. (C) Hussein said that the lack of unity inside Somalia was problematic. However, he stated that the lack of international consensus on how to address the problems in Somalia is a bigger, more immediate concern because "the Somali agenda comes from outside the country." Hussein said that key players in the Somali agenda formation are the U.N., U.S., African Union (AU),the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Arab League (AL). He said that these groups "lack a common agenda." He opined that the AL has no role in Somalia because all 22 countries look after their own interests and the AL has taken no action in Somali in 27 years. ¶7. (C) Hussein hopes the TFG will be able to work in the future with the governments in Puntland and Somaliland. He said that Shaykh Sharif was close with Prime Minster Sharmarke, who is from Puntland, and Foreign Minister Jama, who is from Somaliland. Hussein said that the regional governments in these areas are looking to see if the TFG can resolve the problems in Mogadishu before joining with Shaykh Sharif's government. -------------- AMISOM Forces Ineffective -------------- ¶8. (C) Hussein said that Sharif and Mubarak discussed why no African countries have responded to the African Union request for more troops. He said that the current AMISOM troops are limited to their camps and are unable to engage with opposition forces or help support the Somali forces. He opined that unless more support comes from the AU, no good will come from having these forces in the country. He said the GOE proposed no solution to this problem. -------------- Somali Refugees In Egypt -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Hussein said that the Somali refugee population in Egypt has gone down in recent years because "UNHCR has resettled many in the West." He told us that the Somali Embassy in Cairo does not interact often with Somali refugees because they are focused on going to the West to find a "better life." Hussein said that some refugees come to the Embassy to ask if things are improving in Somali, but they always leave with little hope for the future. -------------- U.S. Role Encouraged -------------- ¶10. (C) Hussein stated that the USG has the leverage and ability to help in Somalia. He encouraged the U.S. to provide "direct aid" to the Somali people so that the people that receive the aid know from it comes. SCOBEY