CJTF-HOA'S POSITIVE IMPACT IN TANZANIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DAR ES SALAAM 000235 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E JLIDDLE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MARR PGOV TZ SUBJECT: CJTF-HOA'S POSITIVE IMPACT IN TANZANIA REF: 2008 DAR ES SALAAM 444 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) engagement in Tanzania is promoting prosperous, just and secure communities in strategic areas of the country. In doing so, this engagement is furthering specific Mission goals. Interagency coordination of CJTF-HOA efforts is strong, as is collaboration with Government of Tanzania officials and Tanzanian military leadership. Humanitarian projects, such as schools and clinics, are a highly effective bricks and mortar response to those who accuse the U.S. military of nefarious motives in Africa. The communities benefitting from CJTF-HOA humanitarian projects consistently express appreciation and goodwill. Greater involvement of the Tanzanian military in these projects would further our goals. A written agreement on CJTF-HOA coordination procedures would improve Diplomacy/Development/Defense coordination. To the extent contracting rules permit, local contractors should be preferred. End Summary. ¶2. (U) The Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), based out of Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, has served in Tanzania since ¶2005. Its current on-the-ground assets are comprised of two full-time staff at Embassy Dar es Salaam serving as a County Coordination Element and a four-person Civil Affairs(CA) team currently serving in Tanga, along the northern Swahili coast of Tanzania. In FY08, CJTF-HOA spent USD 2 million on humanitarian affairs projects in Tanzania. FY 09 will see a significant drop in support to around USD 680,000. The "Three Ds" in Action -------------- ¶3. (U) CJTF-HOA's work in Tanzania is a model of the "3Ds concept" - defense, diplomacy, and development - in action. Since its start in Tanzania in 2005, CJTF-HOA has become a key component of our humanitarian response and military engagement planning. We have submitted to CJTF-HOA and AFRICOM a proposed Coordination Procedures Agreement in the belief that written rules of the road detailing the support owed our CJTF-HOA colleagues from other elements of the U.S. would be useful for all concerned. Given the wide variance in capacities and conditions at U.S. Missions in the region, we recommend against a one-size-fits-all approach to such agreements. We await CJTF-HOA and AFRICOM's response to our draft. ¶4. (U) In the meantime, we coordinate CJTF-HOA humanitarian activities in an ad-hoc manner. We ensure that proposed projects are vetted in-country with USAID and State colleagues prior to submission for final vetting by CJTF-HOA leadership. ¶5. (U) The Embassy takes the lead in coordinating with local civilian officials. USAID conducts technical reviews and coordinates with other development partners to avoid duplication. The Defense Attache Office coordinates with the Tanzanian military. A Tanzanian Peoples Defense Force (TPDF) Captain serves as the Tanzanian military's liaison with the Civil Affairs team in Tanga. This close coordination has yielded positive results for the Mission. A recent project dedication included the Speaker of the Parliament - now an enthusiastic fan of U.S. military engagement in Tanzania. ¶6. (SBU) We believe that CJTF-HOA humanitarian projects should focus on communities potentially susceptible to extremist messages. Previously, projects were scattered throughout the country, lessening the overall impact of limited resources and failing to concentrate on strategic interests. The decision to concentrate activities on the northern Swahili coast, centered on the town of Tanga, was based in part on the fact that extremist elements and their supporters reside in this mostly Muslim region, albeit they are a small minority of the generally peaceful coastal population. After successful work by the civil affairs team, the Tanga region is becoming saturated with projects. With our support, CJTF-HOA is shifting its humanitarian focus to the island of Pemba, just off the coast from Tanga. Pemba has been purposely neglected by the autonomous government of Zanzibar for political reasons, creating a reservoir of unemployed, alienated and angry Muslim youth (reftel). This new focus directly supports Mission objectives to assist communities susceptible to extremist influence. The lack of assistance of any kind on the isle means that any assistance from the civil affairs team generates considerable positive notice and DAR ES SAL 00000235 002 OF 003 goodwill. Recent Examples: -------------- ¶7. (U) The following are recent examples of successful humanitarian affairs projects conducted by CJTF-HOA personnel: -- CJTF-HOA completed a water project in northern Tanzania, near Longido, in 2007 improving the lives of over 6,000 Maasai. Previously, children would walk eight kilometers to collect water, forgoing education. -- A maternity clinic built in Njombe, in the southwest near the Malawi border, finished in 2008, now averages more than 400 births per month. A baby was delivered in the clinic during the dedication ceremony. -- In December 2008, CJTF-HOA added two rooms to Jitegemee High School in Dar es Salaam. This public school, on a military base, has over 3,000 students, many of them children of military or government officials. -- An ongoing refurbishment of Pongwe Clinic in Tanga is converting a three-room section of a clinic into a surgical suite. -- In Pemba, the planned building of Bopwe Primary School will include 10-12 classrooms, 10 latrines, 2 teacher offices, a conference room, administrative office, and a kitchen. This project will be a big boost to a neglected community. -- Highly successful medical and veterinary assistance programs have been working with the GOT to increase local capacity while providing much needed service to remote villages in the Tanga region. A recent VETCAP (Veterinary Civil Affairs Program) treated 11,705 cows and 5,939 goats and sheep in twelve villages. Local veterinarians worked side-by-side with the U.S. military increasing their skill base. Increased Engagement -------------- ¶8. (U) It was clear to EmbOff during a March 30-April 1, 2009 visit to CJTF-HOA's headquarters that engagement with U.S. Mission Tanzania is likely to increase in the coming years. Continued humanitarian assistance is likely. The new focus on Pemba is seen by all as a positive shift. Also on the table is a new program to provide mentorship to the TPDF noncommissioned officer development program. This program has been successful in Ethiopia and would be an excellent addition to the ongoing military engagement. Comment: Recommendations -------------- ¶9. (SBU) We have three recommendations for CJTF-HOA and AFRICOM leadership to consider: -- Greater involvement of the Tanzanian military in these projects would further our goals. After decades of negligible mil-mil cooperation between the United States and Tanzania, we now have a close relationship rapidly growing closer. The Tanzanian military is viewed favorably by the public here. It can be intimidating and off-putting for a foreign military to arrive in a community, even when bearing gifts. Associating our efforts with the TPDF in a more robust fashion would benefit all concerned. Ideally, this means expanding the present TPDF liaison programming. -- A written agreement on CJTF-HOA coordination procedures would improve Diplomacy/Development/Defense. We have submitted such a document for the consideration of CJTF-HOA and AFRICOM leadership. The capacities of U.S. Missions to coordinate CJTF-HOA teams vary greatly within the region, as do local contexts. We suggest that written agreements on coordination procedures are highly useful, but should be tailored to the unique set of conditions found in each country in CJTF-HOA's area of operations. -- To the extent contracting rules permit, local contractors should be preferred. Local contractors are properly motivated to do good work, as their own children or their neighbors' children may attend DAR ES SAL 00000235 003 OF 003 the school they are building, or they themselves may use the clinic under renovation. In any case, they live in the area and so cannot easily hide from irate residents upset at shoddy work. Contractors from outside the region have no such motivation. ANDRE